Complete!

Well I’ve made it to day five… alive. I only cried once, because I really just thought I needed a sandwich, and I only threatened Dan’s life twice. It was a great week at the Hartman house!

As miserable as I thought I was it really was not that awful, we made it through it and I successfully lost 7 pounds since last Sunday. This is definitely a good detox diet that I will probably use again in future after holidays, vacations, etc. But there was one downfall… This is the most expensive diet ever! Combined Dan and I were eating $24.00 worth of raspberries a day! Do you know what kind of beautiful steaks we could be getting from the butcher shop for that amount of money!! Mid-week Dan did find a grocery store that had raspberries on sale so I sent him to stock up, but still between the almonds, yogurt, and spinach we almost went broke. Good thing we were not eating out, drinking cocktails, or consuming any meat this week or the food budget would have been out the window. ManFace made the greatest point last night saying, “No wonder Americans are so fat, Raspberries will never be as cheap as McChickens or Double Cheeseburgers.” Love her and all of her wisdom!

And since we made it through it, and hopefully are in the top rankings in The Biggest Loser Competition (I’m still waiting on the results from Dan), tonight we are going to “moderately” celebrate, going out for seafood and cocktails of vodka and water, and a movie. But hey, after the week that I’ve had this is the definitely the favorite part of my entire week.

And while we are talking about favorites, here are some highlights to my food deprived week:

Chatting with Kaitlin, love that girl and so proud of her!
Taking the time to enjoy my ONE cup of BLACK coffee that I was allowed each morning
American Idol being back
After dealing with some crazy people at work this year, meeting with some really sweet brides
And my very favorite thing… being done with these five days!!

Happy Weekend!

"Whatever Helps You Get Through It"

Day One of the Cinch diet is almost over. I am sitting here drinking my fourth meal of the day out of a margarita glass rimmed with cinnamon... "Whatever helps you get through this," is what Dan's comment was to me when he saw what I was spooning my yogurt, almond butter, and raspberry smoothie into. And that is the attitude that I'm going to keep with the next four days. We can do it!!

It really hasn't been that bad, but I would give anything right now for a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine! So that's what I'm going to pretend I'm enjoying.

In other news we booked our summer vacation today, and that was the favorite part of my day! We'll be spending the Fourth of July week, also known as our one year anniversary exploring New York and Boston. I've only been to New York in the winter, and never to Boston so I am so very excited. Ready to take in baseball games, a Broadway show, historical tours, delicious FOOD (especially seafood), and strolls through Central Park. With the way things are going it'll be here before we know it!

And of course, to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day I will leave you with my favorite quote of his:

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

17

Pounds... is what my weight loss goal is. Dan and I have entered into a "Biggest Losers: Couples Edition" competition at his school, week one is complete and I'm pretty excited about the progress that has been made, pretty nervous about the next step we are taking.

I knew it would be pretty easy to lose a couple of pounds the first week because since Thanksgiving we've been eating and drinking way too much. We've been going out more than cooking in and hibernating more than exercising. Bad habits, that's for sure. So we got back on a good eating plan, quit drinking, and exercising. Not only have I lost 3 pounds this week, I've had a never ending headache and have been so irritable it's not even funny (especially for Dan), but we are going to get through it.

Starting tomorrow we are taking on a new challenge, The Cinch Diet. I've never heard of it before but after reading a lot about it I think it will be pretty doable, after the first five days that is. The first five days are called "Fast Forward." For five days I can only eat five things in different combinations. They are:

Spinach
Eggs
Yogurt
Raspberries
Almonds

I'm really nervous about taking this on, but I am going to go into it with a optimistic attitude and know that if Dan can do it, I can do it. After the first five days there are so many things that you can eat. The hardest part will be no red meat and no diet soda. I see a lot of chicken and fish in my future.

So, I'm looking forward to my breakfast tomorrow: Scrambled Eggs with Spinach with Raspberries on the side. I'll be sure to keep you updated on my progress this week... if I make it out alive. All I know is I'm definitely going to be looking forward to Saturday!

2012

I've missed so much the past couple of weeks that it has been a little overwhelming for me to even think about blogging again. I don't know where to start and I don't know what to highlight, so instead... I'm just starting over.

2011 was quite the year, too much has happened this year to even do a recap, so I'm just going to let it rest. I know that many many years from now I will look back at the past year as one of change, growth, and an array of emotions that most people don't experience in a year, but it's shaped me into the person that I'm going to be in 2012.

So, in 2012, I'm going to enjoy. I'm going to be kind. I'm going to keep an open mind and I'm going to forgive. I won't hold grudges, I won't say hateful things, and I'll enjoy every second of every day. When I'm having a bad day, I'll keep it to myself, because there are people that are suffering a much greater deal than I can imagine. I'm going to appreciate what I have and take nothing for granted. I'm going to share memories with my family and laughs with my friends. And yes, I hope to lose the post wedding weight and save some money... but I also plan on taking some fantastic vacations and going on adventures with Dan.

It's going to be a good year...

The Nest

I read this wonderful quote this week about a family's kitchen table. I couldn't find my stack of post-it notes to write it down, and I've somehow forget the place where I saw it, but it made me think of my parent's house and how I love the comfort of the place and the kitchen table. I think most familys think of their kitchen table as the anchor to their home, it's where the great meals take place and the stories are shared. Growing up the kitchen table is where we made playdough creations, did our homework, carved pumpkins, colored locker signs, and ate every single meal. Now when we go home now it's where we still eat wonderful meals, tell stories, prepare meals, read the local newspaper, laugh, and drink too many cups of coffee to count. It's the center of the home and where I like to hang out the most when I'm there.

And when I think about my parents house I get a little sad because Dan and I's kitchen table is a different story. I love our table but we never, ever eat there. We like to eat in the living room around the coffee table. The kitchen table houses Dan's pile of treasures (junk) that he never seems to go through, but the things in it can never be thrown away. It's the landing spot for my car keys when I get home and the chairs are excellent for holding our winter coats when we don't want to put them in the closet.

Instead of having the kitchen table, Dan and I have our nest. I know I've mentioned the most wonderful couch in America before, but it truly is one of my favorite things in our house. It's where we are most comfortable. It's where we talk about our days and our future. It's where we can just be, in our own little spots. There is plenty of room for us to spread out and comfortable enough for us to snuggle up. It's the most glorious piece of furniture I've ever owned. It's our place of refuge... where we feel at home.

So I guess we don't need the kitchen table as our space, the nest is ours and I wouldn't trade it for any kitchen table in the world.