Weight Loss Update

This was posted to She Loves You Fit Blog here
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You know, on my way to work this morning, I realized I haven't done a measurements post, like, AT ALL.
First of all let me say that I'm truly amazed at how far I've come.  When I "officially" started in January of this year, my goal was was 70 lbs away.  70!!  It felt so far away and yes, I felt like giving up that first month but my BF kept me on track by pushing me and going on this journey with me and together, we've lost a lot of weight.
When I started with Lose It, I was at 206.4 lbs.  I hated that number!  Absolutely hated it!  I also hated the fact that in order for Lose It to work properly, you HAD to weigh yourself everyday so that it can calculate how many calories you have for the day in order to reach your goal weight.  My goal is to lose at least 1.5 lbs a week.  That's pretty reasonable, right?
This morning, I weighed in at 167.6 lbs.  I've lost a total of 38.8 lbs and I'm roughly 30 lbs away from my goal!  Time really does fly by!  I can believe I'm down this far already and while some days are harder than others, it has been a great adventure.
I know sometimes you don't feel like working out or counting those extra calories you've eaten - and believe me, I've had plenty of over-my-calorie-budget days - but it's all worth it.  And I'm the WORST when it comes to that but you know, I've been taking a different approach since my friend passed away a few weeks ago.
I've changed my outlook on life since that happened.  I don't know why it just clicked but it did and I'm very grateful that it did because I feel like I have a different perspective on things now.  I'm getting better about not sweating the small stuff - like not working out for a few days or having a little extra food here and there - that stuff doesn't bother me as much anymore because I'm trying to see the bigger picture.  Sure, I still have to work hard to reach my goals and I get that but I'll try not to be so hard on myself for stumbling along the way.  There's no point in wasting time on those little things.  So long as you reach your goals, you did it and that's all that matters.  I'm almost there and I'm so proud of myself for getting this far and I know I still have further to go but you know, instead of preparing myself for the worst, I'm excited because the outcome will be worth all the moaning, groaning, sweating and calorie counting.
Just remember that when things get rough, it's okay to take a break.  You owe yourself that much.  But know that you have to get back on track bigger and better every time because that's when you'll truly start seeing results.
Much love to you all and thank you for joining me on this journey!  You guys are awesome!!

Show Reel Update Prep

It's that time again - I need to update my show reel.  Ugh.  It's so frustrating!  I've been having this problem since college.  I know I need to do it, so I do, and when I do, it's never good enough for the web.  EVER.
I recently joined the Behance community and let me tell you - my work feels inferior when I compare it to the folks on there.  But fear not - I found this wonderful tutorial for more dynamic items to add to my info graphics, which are steadily making their way into my workload more and more.
I tried this cube spin thing but I altered it a little to make a cute little 3D-looking calendar graphic.



Not too bad, if I do say so myself!  It was surprisingly easy, too!  With a little more tweaking, it could be something pretty neat!

And because the weather was terrible yesterday, I locked myself in the "lab" (my computer room) and played around with an ID for myself using elements from that sweet tutorial.


The "sparks" are timed out to the final piece of music I picked out for the entire show reel.  I need to add just a few more pieces to round it out and once it's ready, I'll post it for the world to see!  This scares and excites me at the same time.

We are our own worst critics, right?  I just need to relax, upload it and share it and see what happens from there, right?  I hope you guys like my two little pieces!

Memorial Day Weekend 2013

I hope your Memorial Day was a fun one!  I had a great one!  I saw The Great Gatsby with L and C and I LOVED IT!! I also saw Star Trek Into Darkness with my Dad, my Dad also brought me back some cheese from Wisconsin and I went to Only You Tattoo, where this happened:



I got an old school version of this and I love it!  Thanks to Charles who made it happen!  I'll post a healed photo once she's settled in.
While I was there, I also chatted with Matt about a super-secret piece I'd like to collaborate with him on.  He seemed pretty excited about it and I can't wait to get it done - but I think I have to wait until after Summer...

Hope you have a good week!

Afternoon Pick-Me-Up

While this weekend was a sad one, it also perked up some.  In order to distract myself from the terrible weather and Justin's passing, I...cooked?  That's right - I made stuff.  And I'm surprising myself by keeping up with She Loves You Fit Blog!  I guess it's pretty easy since I have it attached to She Loves You Blog on the Tumblr app on my phone...
I'm also keeping up with my new Vanity Plates blog!  I've gotten a few Tumblr submissions and lots more texted / emailed to me for posting and I love it!  I hope you guys love it, too!  Follow it!  Promote it!  Submit your own!!  Funny enough, the MOST reblogged tag has been this one.  Aww!

I also found out that Nathan Williams Instagrammed one of my photos!!!



Crazy, right?!  Does that make us friends now??  Just kidding (but seriously...are we?!?!??)

I also added music to the funniest gif I've seen in a while on Tumblr.


I mean...it just FIT, you know?  The song, the gif, the suit, the dance...It was meant to be.  Don't worry - there will be more...

Also - did you hear: Yahoo! bought Tumblr.  This should be interesting...or not.  (I'm hoping not that way everything stays the same)

Read David Karp's message by clicking the photo below:
 
(photo source)

Enjoy!!

Goodbye Justin

This weekend was a sad one.  I found out on Tuesday that my sweet friend from high school, Justin Dixon, had passed away.  Fucking Facebook, am I right?  I hardly ever get on FB and the one time I do, I see that.
It broke my heart.  Justin was such a good guy.  He always knew how to make me laugh.  Actually, he always knew how to make EVERYONE laugh and I hardly ever saw him feeling down so to hear that he had passed was CRAZY.  It also put a lot of things into perspective for me.  And after talking to John, I decided I wouldn't let the gap between my friends and me get even bigger than it is now.
After Justin's funeral, I went to lunch with John and Tim - two of Justin's closest friends.  It was great!  We had TONS of laughs and tried not to dwell on what we had just been through.  We kinda felt bad for having that much fun after a funeral but we knew that Justin would've been enjoying some laughs with us if he had been there.  He probably was hovering over us as we ate greasy burgers in our funeral garb and was laughing at some of the stupid shit we were saying.
And I realized something: my friends are HANDSOME.  I hate that it takes a funeral to see them in suits but, dammit, my friends are super handsome!  I felt the same way after Nate's funeral too.  It's a strange feeling because as I snuck glances over at Nate in his suit, it only amplified his handsomeness and it hit me that he had left this world too young.  The same with Justin.
Actually, my situation with Justin was a bit different because I was thrust into his mother's arms as we both cried over the loss and when opened my eyes, there he was - right under me in his formal Army uniform.  It was bizarre and almost traumatizing.  After I shared some words with his mom, I immediately went to the next room and cried.  I couldn't bring myself to be that close to Nate and yet, there I was hovering over Justin.  It was a strange feeling.
I still don't know the cause of death and what sucks is that I asked his mom what had happened after we hugged at his wake.  I couldn't help it - it just came out.  I guess we all say stupid shit when we're grief-stricken.
The lunch and conversation with John and Tim gave me lots of things to think about as far as where my life is headed and how I can make a change for the better.  I'm ready for a major change and I'm hoping that I'll be headed in the right direction because right now, I'm not happy with the way a lot of things are going for me...

And I hate that I had lost touch with Justin.  He was such a great, fun guy and I wish I had messaged him a little more on FB.  I plan on doing that with my friends now.  I want to check in every few months, or so, and see how everyone is doing because they've all had a major impact in my life and I can at least check in every once in a while.

We'll miss you, Justin.  I hope you and Nate are reconnecting and having fun together!

Mini-Update

I've been a very bad blogger.  I've run off and started another blog!  Eep!  Don't worry - it's not permanent.  It's more to help me get my nutrition and weight loss back on track since I hit a major plateau about a month ago.
I'm now posting here in an effort to help keep me on track AND to help keep my friend on track.  You see, she asked me if I would be her accountability partner in her 3 month clean eating adventure - to which I said "Yes".  Now, I'm trying to keep a pretty well-detailed log (outside of the Lose It app) to keep track of the fitness side of things and I figured why not do it from the ol' Tumblr?  I also started a Fitocracy account - which I'm still trying to figure out how to NOT post it to the She Loves You Blog tumblr but to the She Loves You Fit Blog tumblr...

Anyways - that's where I've been.  Sorry for the radio silence.  Something tragic also happened the last few days and I'm pretty shaken.  I hate that it feels like this needed to happen before I realized how precious life is.  I'll write more about it later but you can read about it here in the mean time...

Despite all that, I hope you all have a wonderful Friday
xoxo

In anticipation of "The Great Gatsby"...

In anticipation of the release of The Great Gatsby, I've been streaming the entire soundtrack via NPR all day today!  (I even pre-ordered it - no surprise there...)

I can't wait for this film to come out!  It's got everything: a bangin' soundtrack (obvs), Leonardo DiCaprio (um...YES PLEASE), Prada costumes (hell yeah) and the man behind the vision: Baz Lurhman.



I'm going into a Gatsby frenzy listening to this soundtrack. Baz Lurhman knows how to do a killer movie / soundtrack combo - Romeo + Juliet was an amazing movie with an even more amazing soundtrack (the teenager in me still loves it to death) and Moulin Rouge! was such a fantastic film with a flawless soundtrack.  You can't deny that.

So get your flapper dresses, your bejeweled headbands and your tuxes out.  Have them all dry cleaned for Friday because you know you'll be rockin' that 1920's look at the theater for your date with Jay Gatsby.