Catch Up Post!

I have been packing as much as I can. I am waiting for the weather to change so I can pack away big coats and bulky sweaters. NeoTech is enjoying when I get the packing paper out.

Regan received a special Valentine's Day puppy treat from her friend Trigger!

 

I enjoyed my time at Woman's World and received a very special keepsake!  The butterfly didn't last very long, but the words in the wood will stay with me forever.  

10% GONE!!!

When a person loses 10% of his/her start weight in Weight Watchers s/he is given a special key chain. Here is mine! My gym scan card is right behind it; how appropriate!

Yesterday was my official 10% Day!!!  I have lost 17.4 lbs since starting weight watchers in Aug 2008!  I had great success from August to the first of November; then the holidays came and I didn't lose any weight. I had huge success during the holidays by maintaining my weight through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. In the last 3 weeks I have stepped up on my workouts and I have lost the last 5 lbs to get to my first long term goal of 10% loss.

My next long term goal is to lose 6.6 lbs by May 8th (my 10 yr high school reunion).

Woman's World 2009

Woman's World 2009; a fresh start.

This weekend was such a blessing of learning, experiencing, and fellowship with wonderful women from all over the nation.  This was the 32nd Woman's World and there was over 600 women!  It went by so fast and I can't believe it's over.  I had so many special times with the friends I have met in Manhattan. 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!"- 

2 Cor. 5:17

Free Tupperware!

I went to a Tupperware Bingo party on Monday evening!  I won the season & serve container on a "Stinky card" Bingo! After the "stinky card" game the next Bingo I won again! I won the #2 size square modular mate!  I am still waiting for my order to come in from my party (it was a large order with a lot of sale items).  My hostess set came today and I love it! 

I am looking forward to getting my modular mate sets so I can pack my pantry-how crazy is that! Of course I want my pantry to be organized-but I can't move and organize it yet :)  

I grew up with modular mates and the season & serve container. My mom used the season & serve for marinating meats as well as a cookie carrier (of course not at the same time!). I am looking forward to having items that are timeless in my home. They also bring good memories of hanging out in the kitchen with my mom.

Happy Heart Day!

(I had a Tupperware Party last week and this is how I decorated the fruit pizza)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Moving in a BIG TRUCK....

"I hate moving smart people" - a quote from a fellow teacher friend of our's when we moved to Manhattan. Yes Matt & I have a lot of books. We have donated some and recycled some; but we still have plenty to move!


Growing up I remember moving from two houses and we used the team effort. Being married I have also moved twice, three if you count me moving my stuff to Matt's apartment when we got married. Every time I have moved we have filled cars/trucks up and taken multiple trips because they have always been within the city we lived in. When Matt and I moved from Wichita to Manhattan we actually rented a Uhaul truck! My parents packed up the last few articles in their truck and brought them up a few weeks later.

This move is different. Pennsylvania is a good 19 hr drive from Manhattan, so that means a bigger truck is needed! We have spoke with a friend who owns a moving truck company. Mr.B came to our apt today to see how much stuff we have packed into our 800 sqft apt! We will be receiving a quote within the next few days. I am going to continue to pack items we are not using on a daily basis or donating items we are not going to take with us; doing this will save us some money. I am specifically packing our breakable items so that if anything happens to them I can only blame myself!

Friday the 13th....

Most people find that Friday the thirteenth is a scary, bad day. I on the other hand really don't believe in the curse of Friday the 13th. I love black cats, step on cracks, open umbrellas in the house, pick up coins on the street no matter if they are heads or tails, ect.

Though: I am glad I am not working in the ER tonight! I do believe that full moons bring interesting cases to the ER. I believe that Harvest Moons (orange full moons) bring in cardiac cases and thunderstorms mean women go into labor!

So what superstitions do you have?

My Prenatal Vitamin!

I tried to take prenatal vitamins before; what went down came right back up! I just could not bring myself to try to take those again. Since I am "of that age" I should have been taking a prenatal vitamin for the last 10 years! Since we are getting more serious about having children I told my doctor about this affliction to prenatal vitamins. I love my doc's creativity, she told me that some women who can't keep prenatals down take Flintstone Vitamins!

So, now I am taking Flintstone Vitamins daily and of course I am keeping them down! :)

Huge Money Saving Tip-as long as you don't mind looking like a wino!

One way to save money and have good sturdy boxes is to call the local liquor stores and ask to take empty boxes off their hands.  It doesn't cost you a thing (except for the gas for your car) and  you get very strong boxes with dividers! When we moved from Wichita to Manhattan I did this; not one of my pieces of glassware was damaged! Boxes with dividers for glasses can be upwards of $7-14 per box at local retail stores!  You aren't paying for the box, you are paying for the dividers!

Today I went to a local liquor store and filled my car with EMPTY boxes. Not only will I use them for glassware, but I can take the dividers out and use them for other items. The store I went to told me I can come back anytime to pick up more. The other perk for liquor boxes-they are all similar sizes-not too big and not too small- the perfect size!

After we move I will take my FREE boxes to the local recycling place.

My motto: I go green when it saves me green!

I am a very bad daughter-in-law and puppy mommy...

Happy Birthday Mom!

My mother-in-law had a birthday yesterday! Regan shares her birthday with my mother-in-law, Deah, and I still let the day slip by! I did get a happy birthday wish slipped in on Facebook before midnight-but goodness I can't believe it! 

So, here is my public international apology to Deah and Regan- I am sorry for the belated birthday wish! I will not tell you how young Deah is, but Regan is 4!

Exercise & Weight loss Post!

So I haven't been blogging about exercise because I have been exercising and haven't made the time blog about it!

So here is my schedule of exercise that I have been doing on a regular basis for the past 2.5wks:

Monday: Zumba in the morning for 60min; Fit ball in the evening for 45 minutes

Tuesday: Zumba afternoon for 30min

Wednesday: Break day or Ballet Bar for 20 mins if I work OR Fit ball in the evening for 45 mins

Thursday: Meet mid morning /c Michelle for 30min of weights, Zumba in the afternoon (30min) & in the evening (60min)

Friday: Ballet Bar or something outside or a break from planned exercise

Sat: Walking or Treadmill (If I don't work)

Sunday: Usually loading and unloading laundry (lots of steps from apt to car to laundromat to car to apt)--if I don't work

With all the hard work in the last 1.5 wks I had weigh in today and lost 3 lbs!!!! YEAH! I have finally broke through the plateau I have been at since the holidays and the first few weeks of the new year. I gained one pound during October-January, then I lost 2 lbs and then gained the 2 lbs back! With losing 3 lbs I am back to climbing the mountain of success and leaving the  plateau behind me!

 I need to lose 2 more lbs to achieve my 10% weight loss goal!  Of course, I want to lose more than my 10%; but this is the short term goal I am about to meet! I would love to see 130ish again before we start trying to have kiddos (high school weight!). I know that I can maintain 150 and my doc says 150 would be just fine-I just want some "wiggle" room for that 15-30+ lbs that blessed pregnancy may bless me with!

The paperwork is on the way.

 

Well I have started the procedure to obtain a Pennsylvania RN license. For anyone who wants to know there is a fee to obtain a Pennsylvania RN license and there is a fee for the Kansas State Board of Nursing to verify my KS license!  It is becoming more and more real as each day passes. 

I spoke with our realtor today via internet and phone; it was a good conversation and I am looking forward to meeting her.

Pet Policy

 

NeoTech knows who cat-people are and Jon, our maintenance guy, is a cat-person. NeoTech is reviewing the pet policy with Jon in this photo.  Kiker, NeoTech, & Regan love when Jon comes to visit- he spoils them rotten with belly rubs!

My Early Valentine's Day!!!

I have to work Valentine's Day weekend so Matt and I escaped Manhattan for a day trip to KC! We met Gram (my maternal grandmother) for lunch. Gram escorted us to Browne's for lunch. Browne's is all Irish! We had a wonderful lunch with Gram and had fun looking at all the Irish merchandise- they even had Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars! Matt, Gram, and I split one. It was soooooo good! Matt and I ate Cadbury Dairy Milk bars all the time when we visited London.

 

We dropped Gram off at work, but not before a photo shoot!
 

It almost crazy how much we look alike (short hair and all)!
 

Next stop 18th & Vine- The American Jazz Museum! It was an amazing adventure into a the history of music, specifically the birth of jazz. I picked up a book that I can't wait to start reading!

 

When we visit KC-the trip is never complete without a visit to The Plaza! We window shopped around the plaza and visited Pottery Barn, the Apple Store, Tiffany's!  Matt even let me look and try on some rings! I am so blessed to have such a fantastic husband!
 

Dinner meant a visit to the Classic Cup Cafe and with the weather being so warm we were able to dine al fresco! It was so wonderful to sit outside and see the lights come on and enjoy the sounds of the Plaza. It was such a wonderful dinner and brilliant conversation.

Towards the end of dinner Matt asked me if I wanted my Valentine's gift. I knew he had bought something, but I surely did not expect what came out of his jacket. First he handed me a tiny envelope with a poem he had written:

"With each new beginning,
In every single way,
I love you more-
With each passing day."

Love,
Matt

 

Then he handed me a little blue box with a white ribbon! Matt had planned the trip to Tiffany's as a way to find out the kind of designs I like and what size my right hand ring finger is.  Matt presented this ring, which is an interlocking circles ring, as what he calls, "a place keeper." It is so special to me and I will always keep this ring close to my heart! 

 

We arrived home safely and picked up the mail. Matt received his paperwork from Etown! Another Valentine gift!!!  

  

Matt signing  his Etown paperwork!

 

We have been so blessed, yet all these blessings continue to keep me humble and grateful for what I have been given. Thank you to all who have given us so much emotional support during the job hunt we truly have felt your prayers.  

The sun comes up in the morning

 So I feel like the emotions are a little more on the even keel side of things today.  I spoke with my mom today and we had a more positive conversation. We talked about how to keep communications going through SKYPE, blogging, and phone calls on a regular basis. I am feeling better about the family dynamics that come with moving away from family. 

Living in Manhattan, KS around military families has given me an opportunity to see how one keeps a family together when you are separated by distance. I am looking forward to how all this unfolds!

Emotional Roller-coaster

Wow! I think I have been on the biggest emotional roller-coaster since Monday afternoon. When we found out about the offer to Elizabethtown we were thrilled-and still are! Then when Matt called Etown and found out what the offer was and we talked about it we were even more thrilled. Then I realized we had to call family first before I blogged and told the whole world!

I called my mom first-I so wish I could have told her in person, but it needed to be done ASAP and I had to work Monday night. She was at work when I called. I prefaced it with "Are you somewhere you can sit down, and no I am not pregnant." Then I told her the news. I know she is sad we are moving, and I broke down in tears while talking to her (I am getting a frog in my throat and tearful eyes while typing). She knows that we want to start a family as soon as we are moved and settled and I know she realizes we will now be far away from Wichita, KS. I know this is not the ideal situation for future grandparents; but this is what God has put in our direction.

I know she is proud of Matt and I know she is proud of me for having such a submissive heart to choose to follow my husband to "the ends of the earth" -that's something Matt and I have said since it's East coast-if it would have been West coast I would have been following him to "another planet"- (love ya Meg and Becca!)

I know that moving cross country is not the easiest thing to do-and moving 2 cats and a hyper dog isn't going to make it any easier: but I am so at peace with moving. We have packed a few things presently and had to "cut the fat" when we moved up to Manhattan.

I am so grateful that the friends I have made in Manhattan have been so supportive-Jen included!!!! It is nice to know we will be missed; but our friends have celebrated with us. My co-workers and friends at work encouraged me when Matt applied at a few places that I was not 100% about. They listened to me when I was nervous about the job market and the job searches being closed due to budget cuts. To my friends, THANK YOU.

To God-Thank you for listening to my prayers and desires of my heart. Thank you for this adventure. Thank you for all that you have done and all that you are going to do. Continue to lead us where we are to go and let our hearts be open to your guidance. Guide us to the house that we can make a home and be good stewards of the finances you have given us. Thank your for the safe travels you gave Matt while interviewing. Thank you for the special bond that keeps family together even over great distances. Thank you for friends all over the country and the world. Thank you that a smile is universal whether one is on the west coast, east coast, the south, or the midwest! Thank you for giving me such great friends and a wonderful family.

BEK Life will be relocating....

Matt was offered and accepted the job at Elizabethtown College in PA!  Thank you for all your prayers. I have been anxious during this process but I always had peace about it-I know that doesn't make any sense...but oh well!

We will be part of the Etown Blue Jays!
http://www.etown.edu/

Thank you again for all your prayers for Matt and myself while he was interviewing and traveling!

New prayer request: For us to find a house to make a home in Lancaster, PA!

Stacy-we are going to have to meet in the middle of the state somewhere when we get up there!

Can you guess my new news?

Wow it's been awhile since I blogged. Just wanted to make it known that I realize this. When I have more time (and more awake-note time of post; I just got off an extra shift at the ER) I will type an update blog- because I have news (and no- I am NOT pregnant!).  Can you guess what my news is???