Claire: Yeah...

I've been lacking on keeping up with my posts. Sorry about that. It's been pretty crazy over here this past week. Between some very stressful events, working some ridiculous hours and the Boyfriend being back things have been all over the place.

I've lost another pound and a half since my last post too! Very cool, so now I'm at a new all time low.

Since I had the day off and so did the Boyfriend we got together and hung out at his parents' house, playing with his little boy and his siblings, and talking with his folks. He lives out in the country and we ended up hiking around the woods that are on the property. There's this huge tree that they call the "climbing tree" and the Boyfriend and I scaled up pretty high. The view from way up there was incredible, you could see for miles and miles. His mom made us dinner and we had a great time just being with his family.

Food: two bowls of Golden Grahams w/2% milk; 1/2 pb and honey sandwich and 1/2 an apple; some spaghetti; three graham crackers w/nutella; a small serving of brown rice and steamed veggies for dinner; and then I got home and had a couple of tortillas w/butter.
Calories, protein, water: unknowns.
Exercise: long steep high + running back; climbing a huge tree; running around the property; and playing around with the Boyfriend's siblings (all of them @ home are younger than him.

Claire: HECK Yes!!!

Back in May when I first came back to WA, Anaya and I went to Victoria's Secret to get measured and all that jazz. Well today I went back to try on some lovely new bras. (TMI? Sorry!) I'm down another size! Went from a 40- to an 38- to a 36!!! WOOT!!! So when my next paycheck comes in I'm buying myself a new bra, which is like next week I think.

On a sad note, the Boyfriend is sick down in Cali and so he won't be coming back until Saturday morning.. poor guy.

Food-wise I haven't been keeping track lately. And I haven't been posting because our Internet has been really stupid lately. That's right, the Internet can be stupid. Also the next couple of days/evenings I'm going to be working lots (yes, I'm working from 10 to 10 on Saturday, how cruel, and yes, there are the lawful breaks included).

To be perfectly honest, today was alright. Hung out with Anaya and chilling. I want to go swimming so bad though. Like lap swimming, not playing around, but doing laps for a couple of hours.

Claire: Recovering from the Wedding!

I'm so glad I had today off! The wedding had to be one of the best I've ever been to! Between the fabulous bride, my lovable oldest brother, the antics of the rest, and the dancing for hours, it won my heart. Truly a fantastic event. I'm very happy for the two of them and wish them all the best! I love them so much.

Not much happening today besides the normal day-to-day stuff.

Food: waffle w/pb and jam; a pb and honey sandwich; a tall iced skinny vanilla latte; 2 scrambled eggs w/shredded low-fat cheddar cheese burrito; and a low-fat cheddar cheese quesadilla.
Calories: 1509
Protein: 56 g
Water: been chugging it all day!
Exercise: legs were a little sore from the hours spent walking in my high heels all day yesterday as well as dancing around in them till late at night, so not much happening exercise-wise today.

Got a surprise call from the Boyfriend earlier this evening. Bad news is that their car has broken down and is being fixed, therefore he's not arriving back here until late Thursday. :( Otherwise it was really good to talk with him and hear about how things are going and all. Every time we talk though I find myself more and more often being surprised and in a good-way ya know?

Well goodnight ya'll! I'm still coming down from the stress of the wedding, and shoot, that bridesmaid dress caused trouble for all us of bridesmaids. And it wasn't the fault of the bride by any means btw!! The stupid alterations place was the origin of all the problems. They 1) didn't sew in a clasp, button or anything for the bride's halter top dress, so her mom had to sew the dress straps together; 2) the alterations place didn't sew in the hooks for the bridesmaids' dresses to close either; and 3) every one's straps were too loose and so we had to jimmy-rig our dresses tighter with safety pins and fashion tape. I would never recommend that alterations place to ANYONE.

Claire: Lovin' Today!

I've been having swimming withdrawals for a while now. Today Laila and I went to this sweet outdoor pool and had a blast! Must go there again soon! Now I've been to a tanning salon like one time before but since the wedding is tomorrow I thought I'd give it another shot. So we found this tanning place and once I got home my youngest brother said, "you look like you've been living in Hawaii!" Which means that it must have worked. :) But since I was hanging out with Laila and then came home to a big ol'bbq with friends and family I really didn't/couldn't keep track of my calories or foods today. But here's what I remember:

Food: pbj; 2 scrambled eggs with a 1/4 cup of low fat shredded cheddar cheese in a tortilla; a slice of cantaloupe; a chocolate special k protein bar, two chocolate chip Sunbelt granola bars, a light and fit peach yogurt, about a half dozen cherries; watermelon chunks and a slice of cantaloupe; more watermelon and some macaroni salad; a diet root beer and a half along with a good handful of chips with some salsa.

So I'm just gonna "guess" but I'm pretty sure I went WAY over today. :( No idea about my protein either.
Exercise: swimming around, laughing, some walking around, blah blah blah..

Tomorrow is the wedding! I still can't seem to wrap my head around the FACT that he's getting married! The first of us kids. I probably won't be posting anything tomorrow-just sayin', after all I'm leaving around noon, the wedding starts around 3pm and the reception is in the evening is bound to go late that night. Have a good day tomorrow- I know I will!

Oh yeah, almost forgot! I tried on one of Laila's new dresses and it's a size I thought would be too small, especially in the bust area and it's too big!!!! This means I've lost like two dress sizes now!!!! WOOOO-HOOO!!!!! (Yes, I'm that happy and excited about it! Who wouldn't be?)

Claire: The Wedding Weekend Begins

Today was the rehearsal followed by the rehearsal dinner/all-day event thing. Thankfully the location for the ceremony will be in the shade along a nearby river to keep things cool! And the after-rehearsal event was so much fun. We headed over to a local park on a river. We played softball, went swimming and ate some good grub!

Food: two scrambled eggs w/a light strawberry yogurt and a strawberry all-fruit Popsicle; scrambled eggs w/a little shredded cheddar cheese in a flour tortilla; lots of veggies, a handful of chips + mango salsa and dip; vegetarian taco salad and enchiladas, and mixed fruit; followed all that with a slice of apple pie w/whipped cream; came home and had another all-fruit strawberry Popsicle. Plus I had a few cups of lemonade and a virgin pina colada.
Calories: WAY OVER- but don't know how many, same with protein count too
Water: Definitely not-enough
Exercise: playing an intense game of softball and swimming in a freezing cold river (I was the only girl in the party swimming. How sad.)

Yesterday I was at work and didn't keep track. I know I went over then too, so two days in a row is bound to have some damage done. Hopefully it won't be too bad. :) Sadly while playing softball today I palmed the ball while being catcher and jacked up my thumb. :( Not happy about it. I also got hit in my shin too. Gonna have a pretty bruise there. LOL!

Also the Boyfriend called me this morning- a good way to wake up if I may say so. ;) Guess what? He's taking me to see Toby Keith's concert that's coming up!!!! Super excited about it!!!

Claire: I Can't Wait

For my brother's wedding to be over! I love them both, it's just this wedding has been so stressful for everyone. Shoes finally arrived today!!! They were supposed to come around 3 pm but decided to arrive around 9 pm. Grrr. Well shoes and dress are here at least. :)

Food: toasted low-fat mozzarella cheese sandwich; pbj sandwich; two homemade chocolate chip cookies; and finally a pbj sandwich for dinner.
Calories: 1520
Protein: 54.5 g
Water: need more
Exercise: I was speed walking everywhere I went at work.

Today has been really warm- not hot (in my opinion formed from spending a summer outside in Redding, CA). I really, really want to go swimming.

Claire: Well LA DE DA!

Bridesmaid dress is officially paid for, picked up and tried on! Even better? The dress doesn't need any alterations!!! When I first tried the sample on I think I liked it better. I don't like it so much now. Not as complementary as I previously believed, but oh well. But really cool thing is that I ordered the dress a size smaller and not only do I fit the dress, it's also a little big on me too! (I'm getting smaller!!!)

Food: toasted low-fat mozzarella cheese sandwich; 3 scrambled eggs; Tall Iced Skinny Vanilla Latte; a whole green bell pepper (so good!); a pbj sandwich; and finally a half-pbj sandwich after work tonight.
Calories: 1424
Protein: 76.5 g
Water: almost enough
Exercise: lots of walking around, lifting and picking up stuff at work.

Claire: Today Ended Very Well!

All I can say is my Boyfriend is super amazing, even when he's far away. Things started out a little stressful today, so I painted for some stress relief!I'm really liking how it's turning out.
Thankfully everything was resolved this evening. And no work today!!!! YAY! Plus on the scale I saw a new low too! How awesome is that?!

Food: a slice of toast w/two scrambled eggs; a low-fat toasted mozzarella cheese sandwich w/pineapple; pbj sandwich (big surprise right?); more pineapple; and a half-pbj for dinner.
Calories: 1301
Protein: 54.5 g
Water: almost enough
Exercise: LAZY day! Felt so good!

Claire: The 4th and Continued Traditions

I'm not sure how this has worked out, but every 4th of July since High School I've spent it working. Though there have been one or two when I was able to still make a few celebrations after my shifts ended, but alas not this time! But hey it's TIME and a HALF!!! Hope you had a good one!

Food: pbj for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a half pbj for a snack; a slice of cantaloupe and two little slices of pineapple too.
Calories: 1570
Protein: 45 g
Water: enough
Exercise: lots of walking at work- didn't stop moving around the entire 8+ hours. :) Very tired.

Night ya'll!!! I'm excited, I have tomorrow off! YAY!!! BTW my shoes for the wedding are on their way, I'm trying on and getting my bridesmaid dress on Tuesday too.

Claire: Yep.

Work. Family BBQ. Movie "Date Night" w/old friend.

Food: pbj w/banana; 1/2 pbj @ work; 1/2 pbj @ home; small salad (avocado, romaine lettuce, black olives, yellow bell peppers) watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple.
Calories: 1203-1290
Protein: 32.7-40 g
Water: not enough
Exercise: walking around @ work a bunch!

I feel like such an @$$. My brother's fiance has asked me a while ago to be one of her bridesmaids. I said yes and ordered my dress. I just haven't tried it on since, nor have I picked it up yet. Plus I JUST now, literally, ordered my shoes because they're only to be found on-line. Did I mention I forgot her bachelorette party too?? YEAH I'm a horrible sister-in-law. I didn't mean to forget, I got caught up being with my brothers again I didn't realize that her party was the same night as the softball game. I feel horrible. She is so sweet and nice and I'm blowing this! Thankfully the shoes will be arriving like Wednesday. I'm getting the dress on Tuesday morning, and hopefully it won't need any alterations. I have no idea how I'm going to fix things with her though. I mean I'd be pretty pissed if some one did that stuff to me. Oh and the wedding is in a week, to the day. Between finanicing the dress and shoes and transportation, I should have politely said that I couldn't be a bridesmaid. What the hey was I thinking?!? Yes, I know, I'm pretty low. UGH. I'm so sorry. I really do care. Honest, I've been avoiding asking for help with getting the stuff because I want to do it myself, and tha hasn't been working out for me....

Claire: Today and Yesterday

Quick update:
On Thursday I worked from 12-4 doing mind-numbing work (not complaining, merely stating a fact). And while doing said work, the Boyfriend calls me. I listened to the voice mail during break and he had gotten off work early and was hoping to hang out. Apparently he drove all the way to my house (it's like an 45 min. drive) to discover, lo and behold, I'm at work. He then calls from the house (his cell phone isn't functioning right now) to ask if he could pick me up when my shift ends. So now he and my dad are going to go shooting, yes, plans have been made. And he's also met my second brother too. CRAZY stuff.

My oldest brother and his fiance arrived from Utah and came to visit me at work too. It was great to see them! We chatted for a while and Brendan suggested that the Boyfriend, him and I all hang out after I get off and when he finishes with his errands. So the Boyfriend picks me up, I tell him about Brendan wanting to meet up and this guy actually wants to go. Like, he was all "Yeah, we should meet up with him! That sounds like fun!" I'm not joking, the Boyfriend was eager to meet another one of my brothers. After chilling for a while and having a Jamba Juice we went to Starbucks and spent an hour or so with Brendan. Conclusion- Brendan thinks Boyfriend is pretty good, and Boyfriend wants to hang out some more with my brothers. Brendan had to leave and Boyfriend and I just spent the rest of the evening chilling and talking. Boyfriend has a wedding in Cali to be at, so this was his last day in WA for a week or so.

Today I went to work earlier this morning and was there for the majority of the day. Came home and eventually my WHOLE family came over too. There's 5 boys, my dad and me. That's a bunch of people in a not-so-big-house. We all went out to meet with some of Brendan's friends for a spontaneous softball game. Brian (brother just after me) brought his softball-star girlfriend and we were able to make some pretty decent teams. Afterwards we all drove back to one of the guy's houses and spent the rest of the evening talking about the Mariners, eating food and eventually playing Pictonary. It was GREAT getting to spend time with my entire family! Casey, (the bro before me) told the funniest stories about teaching at one of the state colleges. And Brendan's friends were hilarious! A VERY, VERY good day today. Boyfriend even got a different cell phone and finally started to text, about freaking time! :)

Food: two slices of bread w/pb; pbj sandwich; two slices of watermelon; two scrambled eggs; a slice of cheese pizza and a slice of watermelon, and a small bite of rice krispy treat w/chocolate on top, and a slip of root bear.
Calories: between 1208 and 1300
Protein: I don't know.
Exercise: softball- sprints between bases, batting, catching and throwing. Plus LOTS of walking around at work.

Also my pair of new jeans that I got a few weeks ago- they're getting baggy on me!!

Claire: I'm Loving This Summer!

Between hanging out with Anaya and laying out in the sunshine drinking a Smirnoff's Ice and listening to 90s rock/pop and having dinner with longtime best-friend, Jessica at her new apartment- today was great. So relaxing and summery!

Anaya and I went to do some window shopping and we popped into Dress Barn (what a horrible name, right?). There I tried on two different tops and for the first time in my adult life I fit into Medium tops!!!! (And they weren't from the plus size section either!) I still can't believe it! YAY! Also I fit into some clothes from my JUNIOR year in HIGH SCHOOL!!!! Remember how I had mentioned a few weeks ago that I had found a box of clothes from high school? At that time I could fit into like 3 of the 5 shirts in the box. Well I can fit into ALL of them now!!!!! Happy dance!! WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!! Even my shorts from high school are really loose on me, I mean like "pants on the ground" loose! YAY! WOOT-WOOT!!! (Seriously, this has been one awesome "I'm actually losing weight- not just numbers on the scale!")

Speaking of the scale- this morning I've finally broken past the last number I've been at for this last several days! Not by much but it still counts!

Food: watermelon and cantaloupe w/a slice of bread w/pb; a Smirnoff's Ice; cottage cheese and pbj; cheese ravioli and strawberry lemonade.
Calories: 1292
Protein: 34 g (way low)
Water: not enough
Exercise: not much of anything besides walking around with Anaya.

Claire: The Ipod In My Head

that's the way I describe the fact that there is nearly always a song playing in my mind! Right now it's a song called "Robots In Love." Very funny song.

Went to work earlier today only to find out I wasn't scheduled to work, so not the best way to start things. Also cleared up the front yard of the major weeds and unwanted plants with my bro, Aaron. He's a cool kid.

Food: 1/2 pbj sandwich; two slices of cantaloupe; two left over bread sticks from the night before; 3 scrambled eggs; and pb on two slices of bread and a piece of watermelon (the taste of summer!)
Calories: 1220
Protein: 49 g
Water: lots of it :)
Exercise: 7 mi walk total of going to and coming back from work with a short ten minute break where I discovered the walk was entirely unnecessary.

New phone arrived too! I got myself a new gadget to figure out!! :)

Claire: Super Awesome Surprising Day!

All I can say is today was soooo GOOD!! I spent the morning working on a painting- which is one of the best ways a day can begin. The guy I've been seeing and I spent the rest of the day and evening out. He is a sweetheart. We went to the Olive Garden for dinner and had a fantastic time being complete dorks. Honestly we weren't planning on being together for more than an hour or two, but we ended up being out and about from 2pm till 12:30am. We got to talk and just be, ya know? And you know what else? He said I'm beautiful, not cute, but beautiful. He can certainly make me blush!

Food: two eggs on a piece of toast; pbj sandwich with a slice of cantaloupe; dinner at the Olive Garden- minestrone soup w/half a salad and A (that's right only 1!) bread stick. :)
Calories: 1137
Protein: Olive Garden didn't have that information available
Water: Not enough
Exercise: ran and walked around everywhere with Boyfriend.

Claire: Tired but Happy

My back is so burned from tanning today! Like "Wow!" Was called in early for work, yay for more hours and it was pretty crazy there- messes everywhere. I can't believe that the weekend is over, it seems like it just started!

Food: 2 scrambled eggs on a slice of toast and a slice of cantaloupe on the side; pbj sandwich before work and a pbj sandwich at work (getting so SICK of pbj!); a slice of cantaloupe and a little less than 8 oz. of raspberry yogurt.
Calories: 1342
Protein: 45
Water: not enough.
Exercise: constant walking/moving at work. I should wear a pedometer just to see how far I end up walking on my shifts.

I can't wait my new phone is coming soon!!!

Claire: The End of One Sweet Week!

Laila and I spent the day chasing the sun, trying to get tan. Our goal of getting a little sun didn't really work out. We met up with the guy I've gone on a few dates with, he brought his little brother and his son, (this kid is so adorable). We had lunch and played around a local park. Since I drove with Laila and she had to babysit, he offered to drive me home. That man is so sweet, really.

Getting home was particularly funny because we caught my dad napping on the couch in front of the TV, I've never seen my dad look so surprised. You could tell he wasn't sure about what was going on! The look of sheer puzzlement was hilarious! So the introductions were made and after he left all my dad could say was, "He sure is tall! Does he shoot?" After telling Dad he does shoot, he tells me to invited him to join him for some skeet shooting sometime, this really threw me for a loop.

Another cool note: I'm officially down 14 pounds!!!!! And I just ordered a phone upgrade!! YAY!! All-around one SWEET week!

Food: a piece of harder-than-life toast w/pb; Spicy Anasazi Bean Burger w/cheese; raspberry yogurt; cantaloupe; pbj sandwich and a couple of baby carrots.
Calories: between 1350-1442
Protein: around 50 g
Water: lots, been drinking it all evening!
Exercise: lots of chasing the little kid around the playground! Lots of fun! Plus scaling a hillside, being a ninja going across a river and maybe a mile or so "hike" looking for a place near the river.

Claire: The last two days

So Thursday was the second date and it was so much fun- I really had a FANTASTIC time!! We had dinner and then went to seriously, the best movie theater around. We watched The A-Team, what a cheesy action film- it was pretty good too! Afterward we explored his town and enjoyed the rest of the evening around one of the local lakes. Gotta say this guy is pretty great. :)

Food: 2 Eggo waffles w/pb and sliced banana; popcorn and a beer; salad (no dressing), vegetarian lasagna (I could only eat like a quarter of it, it was massive) and sour dough bread. (Yummy!) And a banana too.
Calories: 1402 (or less)
Protein: 32 or less
Water: LOTS of it!
Exercise: played on some local school's swings and lots of walking around in high heels no less, I think that counts more right?

Today
Food: 2 Eggo waffles w/pb; carrots; two eggs; two full servings of lentil soup; and 8 oz of raspberry yogurt
Calories: around 1135 or 1200
Protein: 47-51
Water: yep!!
Exercise: dancing around my room blasting some sweet music!

Claire: Bright and Beautiful Morning!

Everything started out pretty well. I had done some of my laundry the previous night and had sadly, put my work clothes in the wrong pile forcing me to catch a ride to work :) . On the way there I got a sweet phone call from the guy I have a date with tomorrow night. Apparently he's a morning person who gets up naturally around 5 am! Crazy, just crazy. Work was pretty good- people were happy, cheerful and nice with me! (Hey things can get messy working in retail!) Came home and blasted some music because I could and no one else was home and busted out my dance moves!!! Seriously so much fun!

Food: two Eggo waffles w/pb and sliced banana; a light pbj sandwich; some baby carrots and a lasagna Florentine; and finally 3 scrambled eggs.
Calories: 1225
Protein: 52.1
Water: Work makes it difficult to get enough of it, plus I left my water bottle at home :(

I've been on a happy-high all day now. Plus, like I promised, here's my news: I'm at an all-time weight low! Officially down 11 or 12 pounds!!! YEEEAAAAHHHHH!!!!

Claire: Now Summer Arrives!

That's right! I got some sun!!! I spent most of the day hanging out with one of my friends, Anaya, tanning in her backyard. It felt fantastic to be outside and the sun shinning.

Food: two Eggo waffles w/pb and apple slices; a glass of soy milk with lasagna Florentine; about a two cups of popped popcorn; a pbj sandwich.
Calories: 1257
Protein: 44.5 g
Water: not enough.
Exercise: no, not much...

Tomorrow I work earlier, which means I'm gonna have to get up RIDICULOUSLY early to walk there. And I have some awesome news, but you won't get it till tomorrow- I need it to be confirmed first!! :) Super excited over here!!!

Claire: 1st Day of Summer!

Hope the weather finally catches up to the season! We need sunshine here! Today I got the follow up call from the guy I went on the date with. A second date is coming Thursday night- pretty excited and a little nervous about it too. I need to work on dressing up all cute for these kinds of things! Like doing my hair all sweet like.

Food: blueberry waffles w/pb, a glass of soy milk and a peaches cup; 3 egg whites scrambled and baby carrots; a lasagna Florentine; baby carrots; and a toasted cheese sandwich.
Calories: 1251
Protein: 60 g
Water: lots of it!!
Exercise: nope, lazy day.

Also found a box of t-shirts from like high school and early college- I had stored them because they were too small to wear and guess what? Three out of the five shirts fit!!! YAY!!!!
(Another cool note: the guy told me I'm pretty- completely made my day!) :) I'm such a cheese ball!