#48 Post Christmas

Christmas is one, if not my favorite, holidays of the year. It is a time when most people gather with close friends and family. We gather for parties, parties, and more parties. (I hate to see what the scale will read on Thursday.)

My family is pretty big, so we had a lot of people at our family gatherings, and we haven't gotten to New Years yet. Christmas was a fun and family filled weekend. Being that Christmas fell on a Sunday, we like usual had a Christmas spectacular.

The photo to the above was taken Christmas Eve at my nanny's house. We had a blast. We watched the young cousins open Christmas presents. After Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family, we went to my sister's house and exchanged presents.

I, of course, made gifts. I made calendars and a painting for my sister and her husband. I also made cards.

I discovered a new love for stamping and had so much fun making these. I love to explore new avenues for my creativity.

I received very unexpected Christmas gifts. My big gift this year was a new 15 inch MacBookPro. Words can't express how excited I was. I also received a beautiful Brighton neckless form my sister and her husband. (I absolutely love it.)

I hate to see how much I have gained in the last week; of course the scale will show all of my holiday celebrating. This year I made a conscious effort to have foods that I could have guilt free, but of course I ate those guilt free foods plus all the stuff I wasn't supposed to eat . (Go figure)

I guess I will have to start fresh after New Years!!!

#47 Our Anniversay

Yesterday, my mother and father celebrated the 42nd year as husband and wife. By today's standards that is a lifetime. They are still has as happy as they were on December 20, 1969. The picture to the left is of their wedding day 42 years ago. When I really think about it, my sister and I could be 41 and 39. (WOW)

My parents have always included my sister and I on their anniversary, which I think a fabulous that they have allowed us to participate and share in their special day. So my sister and I always say it is "Our Anniversary." Every year, we (either me or my sister) have always asked, "What are we going to do on our anniversary?"

I remember our "25th Anniversary" fondly. It was their silver anniversary. My parents surprised by taking us in a silver limo to Christmas in the Oaks. We ate at Ruth Chris's Steakhouse (the limo driver was invited to eat with us; he was a friend of my dads). They we had McDonald's ice cream. That was 17 years ago. Time sure does fly.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!!

#46 Weekly Weigh-In

Last night at weigh-in I gained the tad bit, .2 to be exact. I am okay with that. For the previous two weeks I had lost 2.8 pounds together; I couldn't be happier about that. I will just have to work harder this next week. I had set a goal to lose 3 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. As of last night, I only have .4 pounds to go to reach my goal. I have every faith in myself that I CAN DO IT. I will just have to very conscious in what I eat and to make sure that I track every day. (which in my eyes, is the key to being successful on the Weight-Watchers  plan)

My weight-loss has sped up a little bit with the tweaking that Weight-Watchers has made to the PointsPlus program. My daily points went from 29 to 26, which I believe not using those 3 points has helped a lot.

The number one "diet" plan works if you use the tools given to you by the Weight-Watchers team. For a person to be successful in any "diet" plan, that person needs to be ready to do the work.

Happy Friday!!

#45 The Mortal Instruments

Instead of writing an individual blog about each book, I decided I would write about the entire series as a whole.

I finished this series about two weeks ago. I want to really think about what I just finished reading.

The series as a whole was one of the best series I had read in quite sometime.  The best way to describe this series in the simplest of form is that the series is a cross between The Harry Potter Series and The Twilight Saga.

The Mortal Instruments is a love story; one that is filled with lots of unexpected twists and turns. The author, Casandra Clare, has the ability to draw in readers page by page with her written word. I was drawn in so quickly, but she was able to keep my interest throughout the series.

When I first saw the size of each of the books, I hesitated. I kept thinking "how long is this going to take me?" To answer the question, I think all together it took me a little over a week to read the entire series.

At the center of this story are two people: Clary and Jace. Jace is the typical, sexy bad boy, while Clary is your typical nieve girl next door. There crazy love story set to backdrop of the world of Shadowhunters (humans with special powers who act as protectors) and Downworlders (fairies, werewolves, warlocks, and vampires).

One of my favorite characters of the series is Simon. Simon is Clary's best friend since childhood. The two have been connected at the hip. He is quirky and nerdy, but you can't help but love him. He has been "in love" with Clary forever, but as the story unfolds, things change.

I would recommend this series to anyone. I can't wait to the next installment which is due out in May 2012. I can't wait!!!!

Happy Reading!

#44 Weekly Weigh-in

My weight-loss journey is headed in the right direction. I lost again this week, making it two weeks in a row that I have consecuativly lost. This week I lost 1.8 pounds making my total weightlos 31.8. I could hardly contain myself when the lady told me that I had lost again this week. Be

After Halloween, my Weight-Watchers leader told our meeting group that we needed to set some kind of weight-loss goal for the up-coming holiday trio, Halloween, Thanksgiving, & Christmas, which is a hard time for anyone trying to stay on some sort of "diet" plan. I told myself that I didn't want to gain too much weight. At the time, I wasn't really following Weight-Watchers; I had sort of fallen off the band-wagon after my cousin's wedding. Lesson Learned: I need to stop thinking of it as a "diet" but as a "lifestyle change." I learned the hard way that I need to live the Weight-Watchers plan.  However, after Thanksgiving, I decided to change my goal. I wanted to loose as much weight as I could before Chritmas. I knew I was only hurting myself not doing everything in my power to finally lose the weight I want to lose. My biggest downfall in tracking my food. On Black Friday, I started tracking everything I put in my mouth; and the result is that it actually works. If you use the tools that Weight-Watchers gives you, it will work. I could only imagine what what would happen if I added more exercise to my regime other than my once a week dance class.

On a different note, you may have noticed the look of my blog has changed a bit. I was getting tired of the green. I changed to a more vibrant and fun background. I sort of like it.

Over the last few years I have taken some time to better myself. As the weight comes off, the confidence I have in myself has gone up. I am trying to be the best me I can. Now if only I could find a job.

#43 Christmas

What does Christmas mean?

When we are young we are taught that Christmas is the season for giving and not receiving. I believe in that hold heartily. Last Christmas, my family and I spent Christmas night serving food to the homeless. it is always nice to do something for those less fortunate.

It is my favorite time of year! The weather is chilly; friends and family are getting ready to get together. People are headed to the malls in droves trying to find that last minute gift for some special. 

As a young child, I couldn't wait for December 25. I remember waking up excited.  We would go wake our parents up; dad had to video everything. We couldn't go see what we had until he had his camera ready; he wanted to record our reactions. By the time everything was done, the living room looked like a tornado has passed. There was wrapping paper thrown all over and opened presents that we played with before moving to the next. It was mad chaos, but so much fun. 

I remember being bumbed that we had to stop playing with our toys to get ready to go to someone else's house and leave everything at home. Before dressing, we would call our cousin Marci (we would be seeing her within the hour) to tell her what we got. 

My favorite thing still to this day is to open my stocking; I love to see how everything fits into the small thing. We always had pencils, erasers, money, and other things. 

This weekend I will be putting up my Christmas tree at my house. When I am done, I will take some photos and post them for all to see. 

Happy Holiday!!!!

#42 Book Blog

Two blogs in one day, I don't know what I was thinking.


WARNING THIS IS SORT OF LONG.
I realized that I haven't written any posts about what I have been reading, which has been a lot. I seem to be stuck in the world of supernatural fiction, which is sort of the entire teen section in the book store. Since the world is fascinated by vampires and werewolves thanks in part to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga franchise, it seems like all things supernatural has come to the forefront.
     Outside the supernatural realm, I have very little.  I will shed some light on those before I return to the world of vampires, witches, and werewolves.

I have read two books by Nicholas Sparks, which whom I love. This man surely knows how to write a love story filled with some of the most beautiful love scenes.

Safe Haven:
     First off, I got to say OMG WOW! I knew from reading the synopsis on the back of the book that I would love this book. I knew that it would be similar to most of Nichols Sparks books, however with some differences. Safe Haven dealt with most of Mr. Sparks's themes; love, loss, and some kind of tragedy. Nicholas Sparks's characters usually have some kind of tragedy happen to one of the main characters. When the story starts, readers are introduced to Katie, a mysterious woman moving to a small Southern town near Wilmington. Of course, with every small town in the south, the town, in this case Southport, begins to talk and wonder who this new person is, where is she from, and why did she move here? A love spark starts with Alex, a widower with two children. Katie must decided weather or not to risk falling in love and exposing who she really is or just keep to herself and avoid others.  I couldn't put this book down. I was engrossed yet again by Mr. Sparks. I have loved each and every book he has written. He is able to bring readers in and not only keep them in, but keep them in suspense. Not to mention, his glorious love scenes. (Girls you know what I am talking about.) He has the ability to write a beautiful love story filled with everything many women want in their dreams of one day falling in love; he has the ability to do what not many writers can do and he is a man. (Go figure.) How on earth is he able to do this? 

The Best of Me
     Mr. Sparks has done it again; this man never ceases to amaze me with his written words. The Best of Me was an amazing story of true love. One who has read Nicholas Sparks knows that his books will always have some great love and someone will die at some point in the book. His last few books have done that, but also have something extra. It is sad to me to admit that I personally have never been in love and that is okay. This book is about a first love and everything that goes along with it. With that type love comes a roller-coaster, which is what Dawson and Amanda's love is like.  I absolutely loved this book. I cried, I laughed. A reader can't help but pull for Amanda and Dawson, but there is an unexpected twist at the end. 


     The next book I am going to discuss is something totally different than any  other book that I have talked about. The book is called Night by Elie Wisel. It is biography about surviving the Holocaust. Here is what I wrote about it: 

I never really set out to read this book. Over the weekend, I was asked by one of younger cousins to help her with some homework for her English class; she goes to a catholic high-school. Because I love to read, I said sure. I have always been fascinated by history. I like most people have heard about the Holocaust and have studied about it; I have watched movies and heard people speak about surviving the concentration camps. However, I have never actually read a first hand account of someone who actually survived through the entire ordeal. I was truly fascinated (lack of a better word) by the words of Elie Wiesel. As I was reading aloud while my cousin listened, I would stop and explain what was happening as best I could. When we finished, she asked me. Why did all this happen? She didn't understand how someone, Hitler, could be so mean and so vicious to an entire group of people? I told her that some people are just screwed up in the head. She then asked me why would God have made somebody on this Earth like Hitler? At the time, I didn't know how to answer her; I told her that I am sure Hitler did not start off this way and that something in his life must have happen to make him the way he was. Now that I have had some time to think about what we read, I think Hitler was brought on this Earth to show how bad and ruthless people could be. He was sent to test the very nature of what it means to be a human being.
     Wiesel was a very brave individual to be able to tell his story to world. To tell about a time in his life that wasn't pretty needed to be told. Night is a story of faith and survival. I would recommend this book to anyone. I was glad to have the chance to read it even-though some of what happening was hard to read. To read this story out loud and to actually hear the words I was reading with my own hears was hard to listen too, but also seemed to make it more true instead of just reading it silently to myself. Thank you Elie Wiesel for telling the world your gut-wrenching story; one that needed to be told.


The Mortal Instrument Series:

     I am still reading the final book that has been written, so I will be giving my thoughts on the entire series once I am done. 
Happy Reading Everyone!!!!

#41

Last night I had a dream. I was back at the beginning of my Semester at Sea voyage. In the dream, I was thinking about what I was about to do and where I was about to go. Now about 3 years later, I can't seem to not think about what I had done on the whirlwind journey around the world while living on a small ship. 

The above photo is one of the last pictures I took on board the USS Explorer, which I had known as my home for the previous 100 days. I didn't know if I was a changed person or what was waiting from my upon my return.

Recently, I was asked what my favorite and what was the worst places I had visited? I told that person I  had to think about it. I thought to myself, "Lauren, your trip of a lifetime was 3 years ago. You should know the answers to those questions." I have always said that the answer to those two questions are exactly the same.

My answer is INDIA. In 2007 I wrote a note on Facebook about my time in India and I thought I would share it with you:

India was amazing; it was both beautiful and heart-renching at the same time. I am still having a hard to time expressing my feelings and emotions about India. Just like every country we have visited there is a lot of poverty, but it seems India’s poverty is out in the open more. You see these beautiful women where these magnificently colored saris living in a tin building. 

I was able to see the poverty more when we rode the trains. From the train, I saw why India smelled the way it did. People used the restroom where ever they pleased. On the way back from Jaipur we rode on sleeper trains, which was another experience on its own. It was basically bunk beds. The cushion was about 2 inches thick. 

Using the restroom was an experience all by itself. In most places, the restroom was a hole in the ground, where you just squat and do what you have to do. 

The Taj Mahal was breathtaking as I pictured in my head. Pictures don’t even come close to the beauty it is in person. Seeing the Taj was the last thing I thought I would ever see. The beautiful saris seemed to be even brighter next to the beautiful white marble. 

India was an experience of a lifetime. The world right now is so worried about Africa, a place that does need all the help it can get. I just wish some of the help would go towards India, because there is just as much poverty or maybe more in India. I can’t wait to return to India and lend a helping hand.

I am so happy and thankful that I was born in the United States to two beautiful parents. When you visit a place like India, you treasure what God gave you. I am thankful to everyone in my life and those who have touched my life in so many ways.

#40 Weekly Weigh-In

As those who know me know, loosing weight has always been a constant struggle in my life. I have never been "skinny" meaning that I have always had little bit more meat on my bones. Now at the age of 26 I have finally accepted that I may never been stick thin, and when I think about it, I really don't want that. I have realized that I want to be healthy; I would rather have a more toned, lean body.

You never know how big you or what you look like until you see a photo of yourself. I was not a happy camper. Then I saw my picture at a family wedding. I was a little bit upset with myself. I came to the realization that I couldn't blame anyone but myself.

In April or March of that year, I decided I wanted to shed some weight. For some reason, this time it was working. My guess is that I was ready; I wanted to be a healthier version of myself. Then about 1 1/2 years ago, my cousin got engaged.  I started exercising and really started. Then sometime in that year I kind of started not really doing it hard core.

My cousin's wedding was September 30, 2011. I kind of fell off the band wagon, just a tad. I started gaining my weight back. I had gain about +/- five pounds from that date of her wedding to Thanksgiving.

The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, I started my diet. I wasn't strick during the weekend, but I started to track, and then on Monday I wrote everything down. I also decided that until Christmas I was going to not drink diet sodas.

Well I guess it paid off, I went to weigh-in last night. I had lost 1 pound which I am now back to a total weight-loss of 30 pounds. I couldn't be happier.

Weight-Watchers had been hinting that they were tweeking the plan just a little bit. So last night, I learned that my daily points plus total had changed. It actually went down from 29 to 26 points. Lets just hope it works.

 This is picture from my college graduation.

 At a cousin's wedding about 2 years ago.

  At my cousin's wedding on September 30, 2011.