Ok...I lied.

But just a little. And only because I screwed up some code on my new page.

When I added my "Subscribe" button to the NEW page, I used the OLD code...so those who MEANT to subscribe to my new blog I inadvertently sent to this one. I've corrected this now, so head over to www.lillysnotepad.com and re-subscribe. Then you will get all the news that's not fit to print.

Sorry and thanks!

Now, really...I'm done here. I think. Unless I find more mistakes.

And we're moving!

This will be my last new post over here as I'm mostly set up at my new home. I'm still tweaking backgrounds and the looks of the place and getting some older stuff moved over, but if you head over to lillysnotepad.com you can check out where I will be setting up shop!

Catch ya on the flip side!

**And I won't be taking this blog down...just not adding to it. I'm hoping to move a lot of my posts over, but the originals will stay put.

Just a heads up...

I'm working on a change over to Wordpress. It's going to include a change of name, too--but also looking into buying my own domain. Working out the details now. More info to come when it's finalized. I hope you will come with me as I look toward the future and growing this blog to something great. Or at least mediocre. :o)

Best. Confidante. Ever. -or- How scooters changed my life.

People tell me secrets. Two people, in fact. Oddly enough, these two people don't know each other, and have the same secret. And both told me. But I'm not telling you what they are. You can't make me.

Anyway, since I can't tell what these secrets are, how about some reflections of life from my perspective? I still don't have much going on, so I've gotta find something to fill the void here.

I moved to GA in 2005. I just up and left all of my friends and most of my family for a few reasons. 1) I always, ALWAYS wanted to own a house, and in the DC area (where I was living), that wasn't going to happen for a very LONG time. Think about it...it was nearly the height of the housing bubble. Prices were ridiculous. Even the apartment I shared with a friend was over-priced. We were about 1 hour south of DC, in a litte town named Waldorf...and compared to Lexington Park, where I had been the year before, Waldorf was the "big city." We had a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment and paid $1100 a month. Anyway...other reasons for moving: 2) my mom had been sick for awhile, and I wanted to move closer to help them out with errands and repairs and stuff. 3) I wanted a career change. One that didn't include nights and weekends and holidays, but did include a fixed schedule every week. And maybe even a desk. Because in the optical field, those are all hard to come by. But because of #1, #3 was impossible if I stayed. I knew that a change in career would most likely mean a big pay cut...and I just couldn't afford that where I was.

So I told everyone I was moving...and shocked them all, because I really didn't talk to anyone about it before I made the decision, so it kinda came out of the blue. I did ask my mom if it was ok, since, you know, I was moving in with her and all.

When I got here, I had of course told all my friends the usual "end of high school" line: Oh, I'll come back to visit! And you can totally come visit me and we can go to a Falcons game!

And we talked. For about a week. Then we drifted apart. I'm now Facebook friends with a couple of them, but really, we don't talk much. And I doubt they think twice about me 99% of the time. I don't think I even have cell phone numbers any more.

Of course, when I moved here, I only knew my mom and stepmom. I met the now-DH about 2 weeks after I moved here. But neither of us really had many local friends. I have lots of great internet friends, some that I have met in real life, but not too many that lived close.

So for about 3 years, DH and I relied on each other for entertainment. And sometimes his sister (who is the same age that I am) and her DH. But that was about it for socializing.

Then, we got scooters. And we joined riding groups. And started to make friends with other scooterists...and motorcyclists that aren't too snobby to hang with the scooterists. Then, DH started talking to some of his high school friends. In most cases, I'm against this. Seriously, I avoided adding my high school to my profile for the longest time because really, how many people really want to talk to people they went to high school with? I don't go to reunions because there were very few I wanted to talk to when I HAD to...so now that it's optional? Yeah, I'll pass.

Anyway. He started talking to some of his high school friends. Then we hung out with a few. Some were fun. Some were fun to make fun of. So we started hanging out with the fun ones even more. Then...the Disney trip. Where we hung out with another group that happened to be there. And we had a BLAST with them. So we've been hanging out with them now, too.

And I realized...I missed having friends. And binge drinking was over rated, but drinking buddies are fun. As are Bailey's milkshakes.

A whole lot of nuttin'

Probably a short post today. Really, I have an urge to write, but I haven't felt very witty the last few days. Besides, all I've been doing in hocking fundraisers and talking about weight loss. Pretty soon, you would think this blog actually had a purpose or something.

Anyway.

Thursday is the anniversary of when we closed on our house. I really can't believe it's been a year already. We haven't done, like, ANYTHING that was on our list. Other than paint. But when your walls are 2 tone because they only painted halfway with a "matching color" that didn't...well, OCD kicks in and you get that shit done ASAP in any room you spend any amount of time in. But we still have bleached carpet, the deck is still in need of replacement and expansion, and we have a dining room table, but no chairs. Things that have been done: we have hosted lots of friends...and discovered the comfortable limit is 10 people. We can fit 15, but really, 10 is best. We have also managed to fit 4 regular scooters, one vintage Vespa with a sidecar, a Durango and a PT Cruiser in the garage. How? Evidently, DH is awesome at Tetris. seriously...I have no idea how he got that to work. We also have 2 shelving units and firewood stored in there. Not much walking room, though...

We don't know how we are celebrating yet. Probably not doing much of anything. I mean, it's a Thursday. I like to be in bed by 9 10 PM. We have to be somewhat coherent the next day for work.

Oh! Speaking of work...things move at the speed of a drunk snail with a bum tail around this place. A promotion I started hearing rumbles of last JULY is one step closer to being mine. Ok, half a step. On Friday-ish, we will be a full step closer. The person that is currently 1 step ahead of me was recommended for the position 2 steps ahead of me. Now we just have to hope they give back-fill permissions again. My "inside contact" has said that she is pushing to just do an internal promotion instead of a full hire...but, sadly, it's not really up to her how it would go down...but it's highly likely she would be the head of the search committee, so either way, *if* they open the position, and don't write the announcement so I'm not eligible, I should be a given. Lots of if's...but it's plausible. *Maybe* by this July, I will be in a higher position. Maybe. Which is nice, since there are no raises around here for at least 2 years otherwise. Stupid recession.

Guess that means I need to look like I'm working. Adios!

I almost forgot...

For your viewing pleasure, a picture of the DH and I in Animal Kingdom...complete with fashionable tummy pack for the 3 Day!

I need a swift kick in the ass

Really, I do. I've got so much going on, and yet nothing is really happening with any of it. So if you kick me, can you at least pick a direction for me to go in?

First: The Oz fundraiser has to be postponed. And moved. There was a fire in the building it shares, and since that building was around 100 years old, and no sprinklers...well, they aren't sure it can be fixed. It's a really sad time in Fairburn. Oz does have another location in East Point, which isn't too far away, but I'm going to wait until probably May so the weather is warmer for a scooter ride up there. If we have to go farther, might as well make the journey more fun!

We just got home from Disney, also! We had a great time (as usual) and met up with some of DH's friends who were also there on vacation. I wore my pedometer 2 of the 3 days we spent in the parks. We did almost 8 miles our 2nd day (Epcot) and 6 miles the 3rd day (no parks...just Downtown Disney and a tour of Animal Kingdom Lodge and their timeshare resort). The first day, when I didn't wear it, DH and I hit Animal Kingdom right when it opened. We rode Expedition Everest, then went over to Dino Land and did a few rides there, and then rode Everest again before hitting the road to Magic Kingdom where we met up with the other group...and spent most of the day there. We ended the day heading back to Epcot for dinner in France! If I had to guess, I would say we hit at least 8 miles...and I would probably say 10. When we go to Epcot, we valet the car at Boardwalk, then go in the International Gateway entrance, which is a half mile each way by itself.

Which reminds me: Here is your Disney Tip of the Trip! If you are staying off property and have a car, you actually have a few options. You could 1) Park at Downtown Disney for free, then take the internal buses to one of the resorts, then to the parks. If you pick the right resort and park combination, you could switch to the monorail instead of a bus. But this takes a fair amount of time waiting on buses. Option 2) Since parking at the park itself is $14, and you still have to walk or shuttle from BFE, we prefer to valet. As I said, for Epcot, it's at Boardwalk. You can also get to Hollywood Studios via walking path or boat from Epcot...we didn't make it there this trip, though. At Magic Kingdom, we valet at the Contemporary, then take the monorail over. And valet is $12, plus we usually tip another $2...plus, once you pay at one location, you can then use the others for free on the same day. As DVC members and annual passholders, parking in the park is actually free for us, but we MUCH prefer the convenience of someone else remembering where we parked after a long day.

So anyway...after all that walking, I had one small blister on the inside edge of my heel on the first day. Had this been an actual training walk, I would have taken the time to stop and put some moleskin on it, but I didn't want to hold everyone else up. Instead, I switched to my FitFlops for day 2 to give it some time, then the 3rd day I was back in my 3 Day sneakers and it was fine. Not bad for an unofficial start to my training! Oh...and I used my "tummy pack" as I call it about half the time (the other half, I call it a butt bag, even though I wear it front ways). I'm sure a few of the group that was with us were horrified that I was wearing it, but I wanted to try it out, and they were nice enough not to comment. :o) I figured out that I can loop my fleece over the straps and it's pretty secure...but when I did fleece AND long sleeved tee (the weather was a little funky...I layered), it got a little bulky and heavy. I'm also thinking the 16oz bottles MAY be a little small, but that could just be because DH was using one and I was using the other...and we didn't refill as often as we should have. I think at a minimum, I'd like to get a straw top for at least ONE bottle to make life easier. The pack did start to weigh on my lower back, and got a bit on the warm side, but not as bad as when I had the backpack water thing...plus my water stayed colder. Overall, I'm much happier with this choice, even if I look stupid anywhere other than with other 3 Day walkers. :o)

Right before we left, I got the EA Active game for the Wii. I tried it out just to see and was DYING the next day! I could barely walk my legs hurt so much! But pushing through while we were there was a good thing, and last night I started one of the features of the game: a 30 Day Challenge! I'm going to do this first one on low intensity, and plan to do the whole challenge 3 times: low, medium and high intensity. I'm feeling MUCH better today than I was when I first did it...no soreness at all, really. I'm *almost* tempted to skip the low intensity and just go to medium. Almost. But not quite. I'm gonna give it a few more days before I get really ambitious.

Finally, the Insider Pages fundraiser just has 3 more days left! It's FREE to sign up! All you have to do is review places you go. When you click on "Write a Review" and it takes you to the page with the text box, right above the main review box it will tell you how much that particular review will be worth. With a lot of help, I'm sitting at $101.00 right now! My goal was $100, so I'm really happy with it...but even a few extra dollars will help out...so head over there and write a few sentences about your doctors, your favorite hole-in-the-wall bar or restaurant, and your mechanic and tax prep service!

That's all she wrote, folks. Get over there and do some of your own writing!

Flops and Fabulous

I'm sad to say that my Super Bowl Grid was a fantastic flop. I managed to sell 5 boxes. Out of 100. And 3 of those were for a check I was given prior that had been made out to me, so I just assigned boxes to the person...they never knew. *sigh* But, that's the way things go. What is a fantastic idea for one walker may not work for others. I know many people that had huge success with this...I just wasn't one of them this time around.

My Insider Pages fundraiser started on the 4th and goes until the 25th. To join that (it's free...just costs you a few minutes of your time for each review), go to http://www.insiderpages.com/fundraisers/Susan-G-Komen-3-Day-for-the-Cure-L-Winfrey-1002. Surprisingly, THIS has been a fabulous success as far as I'm concerned! In 5 days, I have about $85 in donations! I will have a few more to write when we go to Disney this weekend, and I plan to try a few more places between now and the end of it.

Some notes to make it easier:

1) Remember, chain restaurants don't count for this fundraiser, though Insider Pages allows you to write the review.

2) Some other places are excluded as well. I've found hotels and chiropractors so far. There may be a few more.

3) First reviews are worth the most (1.50 or .50, depending on what area the place is in). Second, third and 4th are also paid reviews, but at a lower rate (.50 or .25). After the 4th review, it doesn't earn anything, but you can still write it.

4) The easiest way to see if your review counts (and how much) is when you click "Write a Review" and the text box opens where you do that, if you look just above the box it will say something to the effect of "This review is worth xxx for the Komen 3 Day for the Cure Fundraiser."

That's about all of the tips I have. Think outside of the box when reviewing, though! It's not just eateries that you can do. I've done doctors, car dealerships, and motorcycle shops! Also, don't be afraid to add a place that's not listed. It does take an extra minute or 2, but all you need is address, phone number and type of business, and then you get to write the first review!


Other fabulousness: DH and I are back in Disney from Sunday to Wednesday. This has been the shortest time between trips for us, but we will have a LOONNNGG stretch before our next trip (October...for us, 8 months *IS* long). We are trying 3 new restaurants this time: Kouzzina by Cat Cora by the Boardwalk Hotel(Greek food), Les Chefs de France in Epcot (French food, if you couldn't tell) and Yak and Yeti in Animal Kingdom ("Pan-Asian" food). We also splurged on a savanna view room this trip...so I will be having coffee on the private balcony and watching the giraffes and zebras eat their breakfast.

Most people in the US dread tax time. I, personally, love it. I'm not a saver by nature. And while I know it would be better for me to reduce my withholding and put that amount in a savings account to earn some interest, I also know I wouldn't do that. It would get spent. So...I leave my withholding rate high. And as such, we got enough back this year to pay off one of the bikes (we have 5 total, but only 2 have loans). Yay! We were supposed to get our Federal return last week...still no sign of it. Hoping it arrives this week.

My weight loss progress falls into neither the fabulous category, nor the flops category. I guess by default, not being a flop is fabulous, though. I've pretty well been maintaining. Not what I want to do, but man, life is just crazy lately and I don't know where time is going! I got my elliptical thing. It took a little getting used to, but I had read in the reviews that it might be tough. I was adapted in about 2 days. After about a week, I could knit while working out! DH was laughing at me. Mind you, I couldn't follow a pattern, but just a simple project I had been doing was finished in one night...and I didn't focus on my burning thighs.

I started out by getting on it when commercials would come on, and stopping when the show came back on. a 1 hour show, and I would work out about 15 minutes. This weekend, I didn't feel like that was enough...so I switched it and would get on when the show was on and take a break when the commercials were on. THAT was a workout.

Food-wise, my portions are still on the large side, but we (yes, the DH is trying to be better too!) have been doing much better with content. We have decided to make a weekly Trader Joes date, where we are getting healthier "quick" meal options that we can throw together after work. For example, we got some precooked lentils that came in a microwaveable pouch. Have you seen the Uncle Ben's Ready Rice things? Same idea, but lentils, not rice. We mixed those with some Israeli couscous, steamed up some veggies, baked some chicken and it was dinner. Prep time was about 10 minutes. Cooking time about 25 (for the chicken, mostly). very high in fiber (the lentils had 17 grams per serving!!) and protein, low in fat, and pretty filling. Needed to season the lentils and couscous more, though. Live and learn. It was edible. We also got some fully cooked then frozen brown rice, a veggie lasagna, shepherd's pie, a pork roulade and a bunch of other stuff. The plan is to find some of the things we really like that can be versatile, then stock up. Oh, and they had their own brand of the No-Pudge Brownies! I made some oatmeal raisin cookies last night (high fiber oatmeal, splenda, etc) so the brownies will be a few more days before we try them. I'll probably make a batch of both to take to Disney for the road.

I think I've rambled enough. I'm sure you have other blogs to read work to do. I'll let you get to that.

So many options!

Ok, I've kinda been on a roll finding some simple fundraising ideas. Hopefully, they will all pay off better than the whole zazzle thing was going. Right now, there are 4 things you can do to help me. Actually, there are 2 you can do RIGHT NOW, 1 that you can do from February 4-25, and 1 on March 22...but I'm going to tell you ALL about them NOW, so that you are well prepared when the time comes, and you can tell all your friends now so they can help.

Super Bowl Grid
Priority: High
Dates: Now until Feb. 7, 2010
Cost: $10/square
Details: Click here for my post all about it.
If this fills up like I hope, it's a $700 fundraiser, which would put me over the halfway point toward my $2300 ($1337.50, to be exact--leaving $962.50 to come up with)...which means less posts nagging you for money. It's really win-win. $10 to shut me up. Let's call it hush money. A wise investment if I ever saw one. 99 squares remain available as of the writing of this. Tell your friends.

Electronics Recycling
Priority: Medium
Dates: Now until July 22, 2010
Cost: Nothing. Gazelle pays shipping on items. You just get rid of stuff you aren't using.
Details: Gather up you old electronics: cell phones, laptops, digital cameras, video games and systems, movies, calculators...there's a list on the site. Pretty much anything. Clean off your info to the best of your ability (they say they will do it, but you might as well ensure your privacy!). Click here to see what they will give you for it. Once the offer is made, either accept it, or if you think it could go for more at a yard sale, send it to me...because I'm doing one of those, too! Also, if the offer is $0, while they will still accept it and recycle it for you, I have another place I'm in contact with that will give me $1/pound on broken/non-resalable items. So send that one my way, too! Or, I'll give you the info directly, because THEY pay shipping as well. Also, tell your friends, co-workers, put a box out at your favorite cafe...there is no limit, and it doesn't cost anything but a few minutes to do this. I have one phone that we looked up and it's worth $12. It's currently sitting in a drawer and I'm too lazy to ebay it. This is much easier. I'll be putting out boxes a few places around town to collect these items, and I'll try to set up a large collection box at Oz when I'm there (see below).

Write reviews of local non-chain places
Priority: High (due to the limited time window)
Dates: February 4-25, 2010
Cost: Nothing but what you spend/spent at locations
Details: Between the dates above, click here and write reviews of places you frequent...or don't because the service was so bad. Everything from non-chain restaurants (sorry, McDs, Chili's, Outback, etc aren't included) to doctors, to repair persons is included. I'm pretty sure you can "join" now, but no reviews will be counted until the 4th. If you have time to write them now, though, you could always start a word doc and get it written, then just upload it once we are live! Reviews in certain areas are worth more than others, and 1st reviews are worth more than the 2nd through 4th. I know I have a lot of people who love to eat out at great places...what better way to help a good cause than to tell people a great place to eat?

Oz Pizza
Priority: Low, for now
Dates: Monday, March 22, 2010
Cost: Whatever you decide to order. But their pizza is AMAZING.
Details: This is just like the one I did in November, but probably without the silent auction this time. Show up to Oz Pizza in Fairburn between the hours of 4pm and 10pm. Order dinner, and tell them that you are there for the fundraiser. Eat, drink, be merry. That's all you do. Oz will cut me a check for 20% of the sales from people mentioning us. So the more you eat, the more we make. Bring your friends. Make it a girl's or guy's night out. They serve beer and wine. There is a tv with sports on...I'm sure any March Madness games will be playing. Cheer it up.

Other pending ideas that will need support: 
Depending on how the Super Bowl Grid works out, I may see about doing a March Madness Bracket. I don't know as much about basketball, but I'm fairly certain I can set something up online to do it for me. If you are interested, leave a comment letting me know that.

Still planning the yard sale for sometime in May. I will need stuff to sell. DH and I had one a couple years ago and haven't accumulated TOO much more that we are willing to part with since then. Clean out your attic or garage and let me know. I'll also probably need someone to keep me company and allow for bathroom breaks without leaving everything unattended. Let me know if you would like to help and we can coordinate dates.

I'm thinking about creating a cookbook. Unfortunately, I'm no good at original recipes...most of my "special" ones are either straight from someone else, or I just change a couple things. And I don't have many. So if you have some, let's talk.

I think that's all I have rolling around in my brain at the moment. So go dig through closets and drawers and donate your stuff, and pick a square on the grid. I'd LOVE to be able to do the last of my fundraising at the yard sale in May so that I can focus on training after that!

My scientific testing wish list

I just saw an article courtesy of @terrycoleman10 with a review of the Skechers Shape-Ups from My Fox Atlanta.



So, after watching this, I did have one great idea, and I'm looking for sponsors. I already own FitFlops, and I love them. I don't know if they do anything extra, but my all black pair are great for work (I have a somewhat casual office). And of course, I have the standard, casual flip flops every girl owns. I'd love to try out both the Skechers Shape-Ups and Reebok EasyTone sneakers, and compare them to my Asics (which were fitted for me by the great people at Big Peach Running Company!) and New Balance that I currently wear. I'd also like to do this in a controlled environment: on a treadmill, from rest, at the same speed and distance for each pair of shoes...and to further gauge, I'd like to do it with a BodyBugg to measure if any extra calories are burned wearing different shoes.

So, if anyone wants to donate the BodyBugg and the the shoes, I'm a 9.5 or 10 depending on fit...and I'll get right over to the gym with the goods and you can have a REAL report!

I'm sure you will all hop right on that.

So, what exactly is a "Super Bowl Grid?"

I had a great fundraiser idea today, but some people may not understand it. A Super Bowl Grid! And best of all, you need NO FOOTBALL KNOWLEDGE to play!

So what is it, how does it work, and how do you join? All in good time, Grasshopper.

What is it? How does it work?


A Super Bowl Grid is a box with 100 available squares (some have less, but this one has 100). One team is listed across the top and one down the left side, and each row and column is randomly assigned a number from 0 to 9 after the grid is "filled" by entrants. Each entry buys you one box. At the end of each  quarter, the score of the teams playing determines the winning box. So if the score at the end of the first quarter is 7-10, the winning box would be 7 on the top, and 0 on the left side, or vice versa, depending on which team had which score. The prizes are $50 each for the 1st and 3rd quarters and $100 each for the 2nd and 4th quarters. Cash money. There is no skill to picking the boxes, because the numbers aren't assigned until AFTER all of the boxes are bought, but it makes watching the game a lot more fun!


How do you join?

Now that you know this is a NO SKILL INVOLVED game, I'm sure you are dying to buy 5 or 6 boxes on the grid, right? RIGHT?! Ok...at least one?

Go to the free grid hosting site I found. Pick which box you want by playing eeny meeny miney moe. Enter the information requested and use the password "3day" without the quotes. Send me $10 for each box you choose. for the math challenged, that's $10 for 1, $20 for 2, and so on).**CHANGE IN PLANS HERE!!** I have a 2nd team member now, so we will be splitting the proceeds from this fundraiser. We are asking that all entries come in the form of paypal to hokiegir1 (at) yahoo (dot) com, cash or check made out to me (or my team mate, if she sent you...) and we will pay prizes and then split the remainder. Please DO NOT send entry fees directly to our pages. If you have already done this, that's ok (there haven't been many). It's just easier on us to do it this way. Thanks!

The best part? If your numbers match more than one quarter, you WIN more than one quarter! You could potentially win all 4 prizes! 

If not all 100 boxes are sold by the time the coin is flipped at the start of the game, I'll assign numbers then, and Scooting Toward a Cure will be assigned all empty boxes...meaning, if an unsold box wins any quarter, that quarter's prize becomes a donation. In the (hopefully unlikely) event that less than half of the boxes get sold, I may have to reduce the prizes accordingly. So tell your friends to get as many sold as possible.

Once prizes are paid, the remaining entry fees go directly to the 3 Day. It's as simple as that!

Now, get to buying up those squares! You have some time, but the sooner it fills, the sooner you find out what numbers you have!

That's right. I'm a hot college freshman.

A perk of working for a state university is that you get to take free classes...up to and including earning a degree. I never really wanted to get a masters until they told me it would be paid for. So now, I'm taking Post-Bac classes to kill time get prerequisites out of the way until I take my GMATs...which, unfortunately, cost $250, and I just can't justify that kind of expense with Disney trips to pay for and exercise equipment that will be used for a week to buy.

I didn't mention that we bought a mini trampoline and a pseudo-elliptical? Ahh...but we did. The DH and I are both trying to lose weight, and he suggested the trampoline, because it looked like something fun to do while watching tv. I've been wanting an elliptical for YEARS. Last time, he talked me into a treadmill instead, because "If we get a treadmill, I [he] would be more likely to use it too!" Ok, fine. Treadmill. Which I hate. So we get it. And I use it about 6 times. He never does. We sold it for what we spent on it 2 years later (well, it WAS "like new!"). So now I'm getting this. And I'm hugely excited about it. Not so excited that the living room will be a gym, though. May have to rethink that. But we'll see.

Oh...back to the point. I start my second semester of classes tonight. Macroeconomics. I DETEST Econ. It's incredibly boring and generally somewhat intuitive. I'm hoping I don't have more than 3 papers and 4 tests to do all semester. I mean, I *do* have a life, unlike these little perky teeny-boppers.

Speaking of which...when did stilettos and fuck-me-boots become "wear to class" attire? What happened to rolling out of bed and going to class in sweats and a pair of flip flops in 18 degree weather because you can't remember where you took your shoes off after coming home drunk the night before? Not that I've ever done that. I always remembered where my shes were. Even if they weren't where I was.

Other college oddities: I have a BA (bet you NEVER would have guessed that based on my writing skills!), but for all intents and purposes, I'm a freshman. AND I get no credit for any classes I've taken. So not only do I hate Econ, but I've had it before...but still have to take it again. Good thing it's free...otherwise, I'd be throwing a fit about that one. But now, I'm just too lazy to bother. It's like I'm in college all over again...oh. Yeah.

Anyway...  Oh! I have good news! Oz Pizza is booked for Fundraiser Part Deux on Monday, March 22! Come out and join us! It's the same deal as before: Oz donates 20% for all dine in orders that mention that they are there for the fundraiser. I'm working on stuff to go with it. I have 1 gift card from the last fundraiser that didn't get any bids, but I'm considering using that for a Twitter giveaway fundraiser. Details? I has none. But follow @gphigirl just in case I come up with some!

And the best news? We started Biggest Loser a few weeks early...right before I left for my mom's, which was right before I went to Disney. I gained 3 pounds over the holidays. Yeah...I was going the wrong way. Though, I think the damage would have been much worse otherwise. But this past weigh in, I was....

Drumroll, please...

Back to my starting weight. I lost 3 pounds last week! Woo-freaking-hoo! Of course, this means I can slack off this week, right? Because I've been eating like I can. I made cookies last night. They are healthy as far as cookies go...high fiber oatmeal, splenda instead of sugar, etc. But I also made No-Pudge Brownies the other night. And will be making them again soon, but with cherry yogurt (at DH's suggestion--hoping they taste chocolate covered cherry-ish). And while these are good snacks in moderation, I have apparently decided that "moderation" means "whatever I can cram in my bellah". So, yeah. Moving on...I can't wait to get my elliptical. :o)

Screw the Year in Review. Here's your Year in Advance!

Well, look at that. I have a blog. You wouldn't know it from the last time I posted. Sorry. I know you miss my immense humor and wisdom during those boring holidays.

Anyway...I had 2 weeks off work. (Mostly) paid. I went to TX to visit my moms for the first week. Then I went to Disney for the second week. Again. It was the 4th trip for last year.

I need a vacation from my vacation. But I'm back at work today, and actually, I'm not unhappy about this. I get more done here. No tv, cats and bed to distract me.

With the new year comes a renewed sense of fundraising urgency. I have 10 months to raise my other $1663 for the 3 Day. It works out to about $6 per day until the walk. *sigh* Must get to work on planning. I'm emailing Oz Pizza again this week for a March date. Haven't picked out said date yet...but I'm leaning toward a Monday this time instead of Tuesday. I also got an email about Entertainment books, and when I was looking at them, I notice a "Fundraising" link...so I've written to them as well. And sometime in March or April, I'll be cleaning closets and posting requests for "stuff" donations for the May yard sale. I'm attending the Get Started Meeting on the 16th, and will hopefully come out with some more ideas.

On the positive side, I'm getting 2 new team members on Friday! One of my sorority sisters and her friend will be making the trek from VA to GA to walk with me! They are both first-timers, so I'm trying to remember what I can that will help them get started!

On the weight loss front, my friends and I started our Biggest Loser competition a couple weeks ago. I'm up 3 pounds so far. D'oh! But, and it's a big butt...er, but, it could have been MUCH worse. See, Disney is just one big restaurant for DH and I. We go there to eat. And walk around, but really, the food is more important. So I tried to make somewhat reasonable choices. I had ratatouille for the first time ever. It was AWESOME.

Since we got home, I haven't been paying the least bit of attention until, well, today, actually. I just started my new spreadsheet this morning. Yesterday, i got some healthy breakfast stuff at the grocery store (high fiber English muffins and turkey sausage). FYI: Banquet Turkey Sausage and Morningstar "Sausage" are the same number of WW points. And the Banquet ones are half the price, and taste better--and give you less gas than the soy protein. And both are tiny, so that's not a factor. So unless you are ACTUALLY a vegetarian, go for the Banquet ones. They are pre-cooked and frozen. 1 minute in the microwave and done.

So, here is the Year in Advance! A month by month of what you can expect to see here:

January: Lots of fundraising planning, but not much ACTUALLY happening. Meal plans and weight loss...shooting for 10 pounds.

February: More planning. Another Disney trip. Shooting for 12 pounds of weight loss.

March: Oz fundraiser, and something to go with it. Perhaps some kind of raffle? I don't know. Shooting for another 10 pound loss...and getting out of the 200's again.

April: Yard Sale planning and collecting. Standing outside of Walmart or Kroger with a jar. Yet another 10 pound month.

May: Yard Sale time! Standing outside of Walmart or Kroger with a jar again. Training starts officially!! And my last 10 pound month.

June: Planning a 3rd Oz night for around August begins. Training ramps up...but hopefully the heat index doesn't. I go into weight maintenance, as I will hopefully be at or darn close to my goal.

July: More planning. More walking...probably indoors or late at night. More maintaining. Really, it's a boring month.

August: Oz night again! If needed (ie--if I'm more than $500 away from my fundraising minimum), more Kroger and Walmart canning. My birthday is this month, so I will be drowning my sorrows in ice cream, then trying to lose another 5 pounds.

September: Final round of fundraising emails will be sent before the walk. The holidays are coming up soon, so I'll be losing 10 pounds in advance of their arrival, starting now.

October: Final countdown to the 3 day! Packing, preping, etc. But first...back to Disney for some great training walks in the Happiest Place on Earth (as long as you haven't been there 4 days with cranky kids, or a cranky spouse...). Continue the anticipatory 10 pound loss.

November: Still recovering and processing. Registering for 2011 as a crew member so I get to see the "other" side of it (and don't have a fundraising minimum!). Begin anticipated 10 pound holiday gain.

December: Relax and don't stress anything. I have pre-lost my holiday weight, so I can just enjoy without worrying. And finally have a guilt-free fruitcake.

You heard it here first. That's my year. Gonna be a wild ride! I hope you will continue to join me on it!