Weight Loss

Today I started a little friendly competition at work with one of my manager's. He has recently put on some weight and has had trouble getting focused and serious about losing weight. We had a nice little chat the other day and decided to start this little competition between the two of us. We weight in once a week, for four weeks. On the fifth weigh-in we will calculate the percentage of weight lost for each one of us. The one that loses the least percentage has to treat the other person. Next week we decide what that treat will be. I have been eating healthier for the past few weeks now, but now I have to kick it up a notch and add some workouts. Some cardio would be best. I know I can do this! Just by eating healthier, alone, I have dropped 7.5 pounds in the last 2 weeks, so I know that if I add some cardio into the mix, I will lose even more! Wish me luck!

And speaking of losing weight, don't forget to watch The Biggest Loser season finale tonight at
8:00pm on NBC. I'm rooting for Tara. I know she can win this!!!!!

The Undomestic Goddess

Another book that I read in the month of April was another Sophie Kinsella book, The Undomestic Goddess. This story was about a young lawyer that just ran away from a problem at the law firm and ended up in a parallel world. She was now living so differently than before. But she found something she did not have before... LOVE.

Honestly, love just happens to come when we least expect it, doesn't it?! Love changes you, it changes your life, your plans and your future. So do you try to go back to the comfortable life you had before and risk losing that love that you finally found, or do you go with it and make all of the life-changes that come with it? It's up to you, but if you want to know what happens in this book, you're going to have to read it, lol!!

For My Mom, I LOVE YOU

I love taking a look at the Kardashian sisters' blogs. Today I was on Khloe Kardashian's blog and she had posted this one great blog about the 5 traits she got from her mommy, so I decided to do one as well!... In the spirit of Mother's Day I have listed the top 5 traits I inherited from my mom, here they are:

1. My beautiful dark brown eyes! I love them! And my husband loves them, too. He always tells me I have the most beautiful eyes... thank you Mommy!
2. To compliment my dark brown eyes, I also inherited long full eyelashes from my momma. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love my eyes, and it's all because of my great mother!
3. I love shopping! And I KNOW I inherited that from my mom! It's crazy how much she likes to shop! Don't believe me? My mom has her closet jam-packed of clothes, she also has clothes in my sister Maria's closet and in my brother's closet. And I have so much clothes, shoes and handbags that I had to take down a wall in one of my spare bedrooms and make it a walk-in closet! Thanks mommy for passing down the "love to shop" trait!! lol
4. I think my strong character also comes from my mom. Is that a good thing or a bad thing, I don't know, but it's true! I am very persistent to prove my point. My husband often tells me that I am just like my mother in arguments. lol Thanks, mom! lol
5. Faith! My mother has such a strong faith in the Lord!! My father does too, of course, but I have always noticed my mother's faith. No matter the situation, she has faith! And I know that my faith has been strengthened by knowing that my mother has had faith no matter what it was that she was going through. My mom has helped me so much, especially in strengthening and solidifying my faith! I want to think of myself as a faith-full woman, just like my mommy!

My mother and I did not have the best of relationships when I was growing up, all because I was trying to be very rebellious. But she knew how to have patience with me and faith in me. And it all turned out a lot better. Now we have a great, strong bond. I love my mother to the maximum and can not imagine myself without her, ever! She has always been there for me, whether I wanted her to be or not, and I always ended up turning to her for words of wisdom, encouragement, faith and comfort. Mommy, I love you! Happy Mother's Day to the BEST mother ever!!!!!!!!!! :)

My beautiful mother with my beautiful sisters and I!!!

Skinny B*tch

I read Skinny Bitch late last month and it totally has changed me! I have been eating no meat, none! It has helped me make better eating choices, anywhere I go! For example, I love Chipotle! I would always get the Burrito Bowl with their delicious rice, pinto beans, chicken, cheese, sour cream, lettuce and guacamole. Totally fattening and unhealthy! Now I still get the Burrito Bowl, but now I get the vegetarian option with their delicious rice, black beans, salsa, bell peppers, lettuce and guacamole. (No meat, black beans instead of pinto beans because they put bacon in their pinto beans, no cheese or sour cream). And you know, it still tastes very delicious, you don't even realize what you "left out" and you still satisfy your hunger. It really does fill you up! Of course I have found other eating options at other places, but the reason I mention Chipotle is because that is what I am eating right no! LOL. Craving McDonald's? I get a salad! Wendy's? Salad!! There are good choices everywhere you go, you just have to be willing to try, and actually want to make those changes! I have also found great websites and resources and vegetarian meal plans. All in all, I am loving this change! I really do hope that this isn't just a "fad diet" for me, but instead a real, committed, life-long change. If you feel up to it, I say you read the book. But be warned, it might just scar you even if you think this is not something you want to do. But, I have met a few people that have read the book and it did nothing to their eating habits. For me, it was a personal choice I was willing and looking forward to making, even before reading the book. I had been thinking about this for a long time, but reading the book just helped me take that step and make it a serious committment. It's not just about losing weight & eating better, but also about the treatment of the sweet animals. :(

To learn more, visit PETA.
(I don't want to go into details because I don't want to "preach" this to you. To each its own.)

Easter 2009

Okay, so my younger sister, Maria, posted this blog on her site and I stole it and just changed a few words. I'm one of the teachers at our church (I teach the older kids) and this year we held an Easter egg hunt and pizza party for them. Maria was the photographer and we all had a blast...

This year, for Easter, we had an Egg Hunt with the kids at church!
It was so much fun, especially since there was so many kids!

We let the kids scope out the yard before they were allowed to hunt for the eggs.

And they're off! I love how they're all running in completely different directions!

Vicky just found one and started to relax! Isn't she adorable!?!?
Check out her heart glasses!!

And this is Star (me) with the older ones.

We have LOTS of kids at church! :)

After the egg hunt, we had pizza for them to enjoy.

This little one enjoyed her chocolate quite a bit after the pizza!

Look at all of those wrappers and chocolate marks on her face!

Vicky, eating pizza.

She didn't stop eating the whole time!

Easter with the church kids was such a success!

I had a blast just watching them and taking their pictures!

Hope your Easter was as blessed as ours!

Baby Proof

I just finished reading Baby Proof by Emily Giffin... it was a great read! I picked up this book after being at Borders, browsing the book aisles, and this book kept appearing everywhere... so I finally picked it up and read the back of it. The story line is that this couple fall in love and get married, with a deal that neither want kids and won't be having any. But a few years into their happily married life, one of them changes from loving their "child-free" life to hating their "child-less" marriage. There is a difference in those two terms! One of them suddenly wants kids. One of them feels empty, something is missing! The other pretty much says to decide between "me or a baby" and the response was... "don't ask me, because you know what I am going to decide"! So, what was it, the marriage or the baby, or did was that person able to change the mind & heart of the partner? You have to read it to find out! I have to admit, I shed a few tears!! :-)
I'm going to look into reading her other books... "Something Borrowed", "Something Blue" and "Love The One You're With". But this book was a good read. I enjoyed it.

Can You Keep A Secret? lol

My March reading was "Can You keep A Secret?" also by Sophie Kinsella. It was great; I liked it. It was very funny at times. I felt for her, all her secrets blurted out the way they were... talk about humiliation!! But it ends well...

My April reading, so far, has been "Remember Me?" also by Kinsella. This one was also a good read. I felt for her in this one... everything she went through. Amnesia is not fun, but she made the best of it and her friends really came through for her! And she ended up with a happily ever after... What else can we ask for?

Now I just have one more Sophie Kinsella book to read, "Undomestic Goddess".... I bought it already, on amazon.com marketplace, but it has not yet arrived. I look forward to reading it. But in the meanwhile, I am reading other non-Kinsella books, lol.

I wish she would write one last Shopaholic book and tell us how Becky's life ended after their ordeal with the house, the company and the addition of the baby! We'll see... :)

I am really ejoying reading... for pleasure, not because I have to! It really relaxes me. There are days when I just want to go home so I can continue reading!! lol Really!!

So, join me in reading... I said I would read one book per month, but so far I have read more than that! But I have really enjoyed it! :)