I don't have time for this

I have a paper due now (yes, as in should-be-tunring-it-in-any-moment-now now), a poster due to the printer soon so I can present my honors thesis at a conference next week (shoot, NEXT WEEK! I've been saying those words, but I didn't know what they meant... poop), a quiz in computer programing, a test Friday in Spanish, and a computer programing project due Wednesday. With all of this looming over my head, of course I'm taking a break to blog. Ha.

I know the title of my blog is 'married life', but I think we are about to take a blog adventure and deviate into a blog about diets.

I have been on a diet for six weeks now. I wasn't going to tell anyone because I was afraid that if I told people, they would give me death stares whenever I broke down and had a cup cake. I also didn't want people to start telling me "Oh, you don't need to diet! You look great!" because that wouldn't really be encouraging. I'm glad you think I look great, but I don't feel great. I want to be healthier.

When I go to the gym, I hide in the upstairs part where no one goes to be seen. The downstairs room is huge and full of mirrors. The equipment is also arranged so everyone can see your butt. The atmosphere down there is very "Look at me, I'm working out and being fit!" and upstairs is more "I'm not in shape, but I'm trying". I like the upstairs people. I also like that the equipment is arranged so no one sees my butt. Anyway, while I'm upstairs, I see a lot of older adults working out. They are so fit and can do so much more than me. I want to be healthy when I am their age so I can lead an active life and be comfortable.

If I were to say this diet/exercise thing is just for health benefits, I'd be lying. I'd really like to fit into single digit jeans. My nickname in high school was B.B. -- Big Butt. I'd like for there to be no resemblance.

Anyway, I've decided to tell the world wide web (in reality, fewer than ten people follow this blog. I don't feel too exposed - Ha) about my try at a diet because I'd like to share the information I have learned.

I used an app called My Fitness Pal for three or four weeks. It sets up a calorie restriction based on some personal information (height, weight, age, gender, and activity level). It was working really well. I lost one pound every week by restricting calories and going to the gym three days a week. Henry suggested I visit the nutritionist on campus to make sure that I was doing this whole diet thing right. We tried looking up stuff online, but there is just too much stuff and no way of knowing what is legit. Luckily, the nutritionist said the app was legit and I was doing the right thing!

The calorie restriction was hard to get used to at first. 1200 calories is just not a whole lot to work with. I mean, my favorite food is Bop's, and thats 600 calories right there! Luckily, we live in a country where diets are trendy so there are lots of 100 calorie snacks. I know this blog is already way long, but I'd like to list my fewer than 200 calorie snacks/desserts that are actually delicious:

1) Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich: 140 calories (I don't know how they do it -- its magic)

2) Dole Apple Fruit Crisp: 160 calories (Warm it up in the microwave and ohhhh man...)

3) Poptart Popsters in Strawberry: 100 calories (perfect when everyone else is eating m&ms)

4) Ritz Snack Mix: 100 calories

5) Quaker Rice Cake Bites in Caramel: 90 calories (good when you want a sweet but not filling)

6) GoGo Squeeze apple sauce in regular and cinnamon: 60 calories (the squeeze part takes some getting used to)

7) Fiber One Chewy Bar in Chocolate: 90 calories

8) Honey Nut Cherrios Snack Mix: 130 calories

I'm back!

After a long hiatus, I've decided to pick the ole blog back up. I won't bore you with a long update, things are pretty much the same. School is still school and the husband is still great (and getting so much better at loading the dishwasher).

We have finished the application process for graduate school and are now playing the waiting game. We are trying really hard not to throw hypotheticals around. We keep telling ourselves to wait until the options come in to start discussing decisions, but it's really hard not to start talking "what ifs". Moving away is a big decision, but so is staying. Aug. Adult-like decisions. So draining.

On a much lighter note, our dog, Kit-Kat, has more than acclimated to her new home. She is pretty much the most spoiled dog on the planet. She loves to snuggle, which is usually welcomed. Unfortunately, Kit-Kat knows nothing of mass or matter. She doesn't check the see if there is room for her on the couch before she makes the leap from the ground. This results in her comically falling off the couch or me with claw marks. She is a good dog, but not all that smart. (I wrote this a few days ago, but today kit-kat actually checked to see if my face was in her way before she jumped on the couch. I was so proud. So proud.)

Henry and I spent some time picking out a "new" dinnerware set today (the quotes will make sense momentarily). The set we picked out for our wedding registry isn't cutting it. We didn't know it at the time, but the whole set is massively over-sized. The plates don't fit in the cabinets. I hate using any of the dishes because of how big they are -- It's hard to get portion sizes right. Also, they take up an absurd amount of room in the dishwasher and cabinet. We only have service for four, but if we wanted service for eight we'd have to build a new cabinet! (Slight exaggeration.) Anyway, we settled on Corelle snowflake blue. Yes, the 1970's pattern. It's slim and nearly indestructible. Also, its just old enough to be neat, but not old enough to be an antique. I have two pyrex pieces with the same pattern already (Corelle sold out to pyrex) and have seen some in nearly every junk shop. I found service for eight on ebay for $17.00. What more could you want in a dish? Durable, dishwasher save, microwave safe, cheap, and retro!