I Need To Change It Up A Bit

I’m thinking I need to change up the blog a bit.  Not necessarily the look/layout of the blog, I’m talking about content.

I’m getting bored with ”Wordless Wednesday” and “Five Fact Friday”.  I like “Throwback Thursday” so I’ll keep doing that.  I subscribe to the Daily Post suggestions and I don’t follow that every day.  Everyone once in a while one will inspire me to write about that topic, but not all that often.  So…. I’m taking suggestions.

Also, tomorrow I’m headed to a work conference and they keep us pretty busy there so my posts could be pretty short and I might not get a chance to respond to any comments until after I get back.

With that…what do you want me to write about when I get back home?  Suggest away!!!

Gina

Five Fact Friday – Week 19

Welcome to Five Fact Friday!!  

It’s Friday and that means it’s time to tell you five things about me.  This week it is five smells I hate. 

1. Burnt coffee.  You know, it’s that little bit of coffee in the coffee pot nobody drank and it sat for hours with the burner on.
2. Coconut.
3. Dead mouse.  I can smell a dead mouse from a mile away.  It’s a very distinctive smell.  It’s one of the few things I can smell with my bad sense of smell.
4. Tuna
5. Burnt popcorn.  It doesn’t take much to burn it, just a few extra seconds in the microwave and blam-0, your popcorn is done for.

What smells do you hate?

Gina

Throwback Thursday – Spring 1985

My goodness my hair is short!!  One day I thought it would be a good idea to take my mom’s pinking shears (below)

hide in a closet and cut my own hair.  Why did I do it?  I have no idea idea.

The worst part was when I was asked who cut my hair like that, I lied and said my sister-in-law did it.  That wasn’t a wise idea.   At the time, my (now) sister-in-law was (then) my oldest brother’s girlfriend AND going to school for cosmetology   She is now a successful hairdresser with her own salon.  So, yes, I lied about my brother’s girlfriend who was going to school to learn how to cut hair, about cutting my hair.  EEK.  Here’s the kicker….people believed me.  When the truth finally came out I had to write Jenny an apology letter.  To this day I’m still not allowed to cut my own hair.  And yes, I still am sorry I did it.

Wordless Wednesday

Hair Appointments Take Priority Over Everything

I had a hair appointment tonight with my sister-in-law.  I love changing my hair color and style.  It’s just hair.  It grows back and you can always re-color it.  Here’s the before and after.  It’s hard to take the same picture to show a good before/after picture especially when I don’t have any make-up on in my after photo.  This is as close as I’m going to get.  I love my new hair color!!!!!!  I’m a redhead now.

Before

I’ll post some better ones next week when I’m in Atlantic City, when I’m dressed up and made up.

Gina

I’m A Proud New Owner of a FitBit One

I bought myself a FitBit.

What’s a FitBit you ask?  It’s this cool little device which tracks steps, distance, caloried burned and floors climbed.  It monitors your sleep and wakes you with a silent alarm.  It also wirelessly syncs to computers and smart phones.

• I bought it so I can monitor how much I’m actually moving, which probably isn’t much during the day since I sit at a desk all day.  I know I need to move around more so I’m hoping FitBit helps me do that.  I can monitor my activity on my laptop, smartphone and my tablet which will come in extra handy next week while I’m at my conference.  We tend to do a TON of walking at these conferences so I’m hoping I can hit my 10,000 steps each day while I’m at conference.

It finally arrived today and was at my doorstep when I came home from work.  I let out a bit of a squeal when I saw the box at my door.  I had planned on stopped at the apartment gym to get in my workout but decided to go home first to see if my FitBit came.  I’m glad I went home first!!  I downloaded the software on my computer, phone and tablet.  Created an account and BAM, I had a FitBit account!!

I changed clothes, got MDog leashed up and we headed out for a walk/run.  She didn’t seem too into it today and was slowing me down a bit.  I did the long loop around the apartment complex with her. When we got back home I dropped her off and then did the short loop by myself.  I started using my FitBit at 5pm today and by 7:30 I already have 4,148 steps.  Not too shabby.  Here’s my dashboard which shows my progress.  If you have a FitBit find me on the site and we can be FitBit buddies and help each other out.  Let’s get fit!!

my fitbit dashboard

As of today:

• I have 15.5# to go until I reach my last goal I hit, which was a total of 98.1# off, which I hit a year ago, last May.  
• I have 17.4# to go until I lose a total of 100#.
• Overall, I probably have around 85# to lose AFTER I take of the first 100#.

I was really hoping to hit the 100# off by the time I left for my conference this coming Sunday but I won’t hit it and that’s ok….I know I’ll be pretty damn close to my next huge goal.  I’m really hoping the scale will go down when I come home from my trip.  There’s a lot of walking involved AND I’m going to make sure I use the hotel gym.  I’m packing my own snacks and things so I don’t eat all the hotel snacks and conference food.  I have a plan….now I just have to stick to it.  Wish me luck!

Do you have any tools to help keep you going on your weight loss journey?  Any tips for me while traveling?  

Gina

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

Dear Mom, (and yes she’s going to read this since she subscribes to my blog)

Thank you for going through 30+ hours of labor to end up having a C-Section to have me.  By the way…thanks for having me.  :-)  I’m sorry I was (probably) a pain in the ass a few times (probably still am too!).  I know I was/is/am mouthy, you know I didn’t get that from you!!  I’m sorry for all the times you were put in the middle of an argument.  You really should have been given a black and white striped referee shirt.

Now for the good stuff.  Thank you for your sense of humor, your ability to love and share kindness.  Thank you for teaching me how to cook and bake.  Thank you for raising three kids while taking care of the house and running a business.  I’m sure that couldn’t have been easy.  Thank you for always being there when I needed you, whether it’s a phone call listening to me ramble about something that happened at work, helping me move from apartment to apartment, staying with me during Presidential Election week to help out or helping take care of Molly for me for a three week stretch.  There probably aren’t enough thank you’s in the world to express my thanks to my Mom but I thought this would be a good start.

THANK YOU MOM AND HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO THE BEST MOM EVER!!!

My Mom on her wedding day

Mom at the Orchid Show

Mom and I at a family birthday party

Also, Happy Mother’s Day to all my friends with two and/or four legged kids.  May you have a wonderful and relaxing day!!

Gina

FMOL – Volume 5

It’s the 11th of the month and that means it’s time for “Five Minutes Or Less” with Chris Astrella.  Enjoy!!  ~ Gina

Hello from Colorado!  I’m having a great vacation with my wife, seeing the Yankees, eating amazing food, and seeing awesome sights.  Have a great one, and catch you next month!

Colorado!!

CC Sabathia for the Yankees

Five Fact Friday – Week 18

Welcome to Five Fact Friday!!  

It’s Friday and that means it’s time to tell you five things about me.  This week it is my favorite actors in no particular order:

1. Alec Baldwin
2. Bradley Cooper
3. Ian Somerhalder
4. Alexander Skarsgård
5. George Clooney

Who are your favorite actors?

Gina

Throwback Thursday – Summer of 1984

Who doesn’t love a good Beagle hug?

One of our many many Beagles, her name was Bertha.

Bertha you got me!

Gina