2011 So Far

A New Year brings the inevitable - New Year’s resolutions. I have made three resolutions for myself this year. The first, and most important to me is what I like to call Project Get Fit. I started this project in 2010, but plan to really stick with it in 2011. My overall goals are to lose some pounds, tone up, and improve my overall health. So far it has been going well and I can definitely tell I’m gaining muscle mass from all the weights I’ve been lifting. Now I just have to work on the cardio side of things so I can hopefully shed a few pounds. Unfortunately, losing weight is not easy and something I have been struggling with for a few years now and quite frankly, I am sick of it. I am sick of being self conscious about what I wear and how I look. I am sick of looking at pictures of myself and thinking, “Who is that? Do I really look like that?” I am sick of feeling uncomfortable in my own skin so in addition to the 3-4 times a week workouts, I have been dieting. Nothing too drastic like a no carb diet (because I need my energy!), but instead a low cal diet. I track the calories I intake on a daily basis and try to keep it under 1700. I’m hoping once by body adjusts to this, I can drop it again to about 1500 a day. I’m hoping the exercise in conjunction with the eating healthier will help me reach my Project Get Fit goals. So far I have lost 3 lbs, which isn't a lot, but you have to start somewhere, right?

My second resolution is to learn how to cook. I know how to make a few dishes, but I’m trying to widen my knowledge in order to make a wider variety of foods. This resolution goes hand in hand with Project Get Fit as I’ve been making healthy meals I find online. I have tried a few weight watchers recipes and a few from the healthy choice options on the Food Network. My goal is to cook a healthy meal for myself (and usually Alex) one time a week and I’ve kept with it throughout all of January. Some weeks I’ve even cooked twice in one week, which is quite the accomplishment for someone who is used to eating ramon noodles, macaroni & cheese, and peanut butter sandwiches.

My third resolution is to read more. I have never been a huge reader unless it was my college text books or a good gossip magazine. I think this is partly because I never had a whole lot of spare time on my hands and I am not a super fast reader, but I’m not in school anymore and other than work and working out, I have nothing else to do so I’ve taken up reading. At the end of 2010 I read a Nora Roberts novel, Vision in White, the first book in the Bride Quartet, and I loved it. I guess what they say is true, if you find a good book that interests you, you will love reading. I partly owe this new found entertainment to my sisters and Val. They are all book worms and have all encouraged me to read several books that they really enjoyed. I finally did what they said and opened a book and they were right, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks guys, you were right! In 2011 I plan on reading the remaining 3 novels in the Bride Quartet as well as any other titles that sound interesting.

Other than resolutions, January has brought A LOT of severe winter weather. We are talking exponential amounts of snow, sleet, ice and freezing cold temperatures. I have worked from home three days in one month due to the crazy winter storms. At first I thought it was lovely, the pretty white snow outside and all, but now, I am so over it. I am tired of trudging my way through the slushy mess, freezing my buns off, and almost slipping and falling on the way to the subway station. I am hoping Mother Nature will be a little friendlier to NYC during the month of February.

Outside my kitchen window

Trudging through the snow on my way to work one morning

Lots of snow!

Resolutions, snow, January really has brought a lot to the table, but more importantly, yet regrettably, it has taken something very valuable to me, Val. Returning home from my 11-day vacation in KS was odd this time because when I arrived in NY, Val was missing. Ok, so she wasn’t really missing, as in lost, she was just plain gone. The first few days going to and coming home from work were so weird because I usually made the commute with my BFF and co-worker. I will admit, doing this alone was quite the adjustment, but that wasn’t the worst of it. The worst part was not having anyone to eat dinner with and talk to at night. My roommate Katy works late hours so by the time she gets home from work, I am already headed to my room to read, relax and go to bed. When Val was my roomie, we always had nice chats, sometimes about important things other times about nothing at all, but nevertheless, she was there to talk to me. I’m slowly getting used to coming home to an empty house, and working out in the evenings has helped fill the void, but still, Val is missed. I’m just grateful that she got to spend 4 months in New York with me. We were already close, but I think being roomies in a big, brand new city brought us even closer. We talk on the phone and skype in order to keep in touch and as long as we continue to do so, all will be well.

January came and went in the blink of en eye and before I knew it, February was upon me. Thursday, February 3 was especially notable as it was my one-year anniversary in New York City. I moved to the city on Feb 3, 2010 and I can’t believe an entire year has gone by already. Although the year went by so quickly, I feel like it was a really important year for me. It was my first year out of school. It was the year I worked at my first real job. It was the first year I was living in the real world, paying bills and being a responsible adult. And of course, it was the first year living in one of the biggest and most exciting cities in the world. There were definitely trying times and feelings of fear and uncertainty, but getting through that brought feelings of excitement and accomplishment. Sometimes I still look back and think, what the heck was I thinking? How did I bring myself to pack up and move away from my family, friends and everything familiar to me to live in a place where everything was unknown? I honestly don’t know how (or sometimes even why), but I’m so glad I did. I have learned so much from the experience and it’s definitely one I will never forget and always cherish. I can’t even begin to describe all the things I’ve gained in just one short year, but one that I must mention is the better understanding of myself. I feel like the harder you push yourself and the bigger chance you take, the more you learn about yourself. You know what they say, the bigger the risk, the greater the reward and let me just attempt to say this without sounding conceited; I’m very proud of myself for what I have accomplished in my professional and personal life over the past year. My Tio Martin is proud too so we're going out to celebrate my 1-year NY anniversary next Friday! ;-)

February 9 is Alex and my 7th month together and February 14 is of course Valentine’s Day so needless to say, February should be a good month. This will be my first Valentine’s Day in YEARS that I have had a Valentine so I’m super grateful to have someone as great as Alex to spend it with. In the few short months we have been together I have been so happy and it’s so nice to be reminded how wonderful relationships can be when you’re with a great person. After so many years of being single, I slowly forgot what it felt like to be loved and appreciated. Don’t get me wrong, I learned a lot from being single and I don’t regret at all spending all those years by myself because I think it taught me a lot about myself and how to be independent. It also allowed me to grow and understand myself better which in turn made me realize what I want in life and what I want and need out of a relationship and I’m happy to say that Alex fits the mold. Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone, I hope everyone gets the love they deserve on the 14th and every day of the year! ;-)