Moving in Early!

We are able to get the key to our new place earlier than I thought.  We will be starting to move things in tomorrow!  I'm glad because Scott has to work all weekend and I recruited my brother to help me.  This way, we'll have a lot more time.  I'd like to be completely moved in by the end of this weekend.  I think that goal is fairly reachable now.

Scott and I have been restoring old furniture for a few days now.  I'd say we are getting pretty good at it.  We should start our own business!  Scott does the sanding, and I do the painting!  I think I have the easier job!

Anyway, we restored an old hutch that was Scott's when he was little (he used it as a dresser and the top part as a way to show off his model cars!).  We turned the hutch into an entertainment center.  Scott gutted it of all the drawers and shelves and put in our own shelves.  Then, he sanded everything down and I painted it.  All of the furniture in our living room is black, so we painted the entertainment center black as well.  It looks so modern now, I love it.

We are also restoring an old bookcase that we found in Scott's basement.  It was filthy and covered in spiders and cobwebs!  Once we got it cleaned, Scott sanded it and we painted it white with a sea foam color for the interior.  It's now a very bright and modern 2 toned bookcase for our sun room!  We also have a desk for the sun room, since that is where we are putting the computer and all my school books.  We painted the desk white as well.  I am also working on making this beaded chandelier... isn't it cute?  It's very me.  I cannot wait to finish it.  I love it!
 

Scott thinks it looks a little cheesy and cheap... but I think it will look so adorable in the sun room right over the desk.  We'll see if I can change his mind!


I am super psyched to get out of here and move!  This weekend will be both stressful and exciting all at the same time.  Forgive me if I don't post much at all until we are settled in.  I won't be able to have internet until Monday or Tuesday.  I will be taking tons of pictures of course and will post them here as soon as I have Internet.

I have been feeling kind of under the weather lately.. WW has taken a backseat because of that.  I have not calculated my points yesterday or today because I have not been eating very much.  My stomach is doing somersaults and I'm not sure if it's because the stomach bug is going around in my classroom or if I'm just nervous and stressed for this move.  I'm guessing it's a little mixture of both.  I hope I can keep it together for the weekend.

Wish me luck... and strength!!! I'm going to need it, our furniture is heavy!!

Til next time...



SMILE!

-Karla =)

Big Purchases...

Sometimes big purchases make me sick to my stomach.  I worry if I have made the right decision, and I lose sleep over it.  This past weekend, Scott and I made 2 big purchases.  One is the sectional, which I love... and the other was a washing machine, which was needed.

I have such a hard time with decision making.  For me, walking into a store and seeing a bunch of different options of essentially the same thing... well... that makes me crazy!  We bought an energy star washer... hopefully we made a good choice.  It's a Maytag.  I was happy with the price, and the size of the washer, and the fact that it is apparently going to save us money in water and electricity.  I just pray it serves us well.  It was such a huge purchase.

On a brighter side, Scott won something yesterday.   He is such a good luck charm.  I've said that from the very beginning with him.  Good things always happen when I am around him.  He just has good energy around him all the time.  I partially think it's because his step-dad (who passed away 4 years ago) is watching down on him and is probably around him a lot.

So what did he win?

A 50'' Plasma Screen TV!

Now, a few posts back, I mentioned how we were remodeling an old hutch and turning it into an entertainment center.  We are almost finished with it and it looks great.  It fits Scott's 37'' flat screen TV perfectly.  Will it fit a 50''?  Noooo way.

What to do with a 50'' TV...

We may sell it to have some money for the wedding!  That would be great!  =)


Move in day = 5 days!


Smile!

-Karla  =)

Day 1 of Packing

Is packing considered activity points?  Because, man... packing in 94 degree heat is quite the workout!  I just sat down to take a break after 4 straight hours of packing.  I'm so beat.

You never do realize just how much STUFF you have until you have to pack it all up and move it.  There are things that Scott and I found that we had completely forgot about or forgot we even had in the first place.  It's insane!  We've only lived together for a year and already we felt like we were traveling back in time seeing all the crazy things under the bed and in closets.  So really, on top of how hot it was packing this morning, I had a really good time remembering old times with Scott.

Last night Scott and I made a HUGE purchase.  We bought a couch!!  Not only is it a couch, but it is a sectional and we are in love with it.  We went out to a local furniture store last night and snuggled up immediately on this sectional.  It's just our style and will fit perfectly in our spacious living room in the new apartment.  Here is what it looks like...

We just love it!!  I can't wait to move in so that I can sit on it!!  I'm a huge fan of the chaise that is to the left side.  I'll be able to take cat naps on that after work instead of working out!!  Just kidding!  =)


Okay, well, I'm back to packing.  Can't wait until I can write that it is all over!  But, until then,


Smile!

Karla =)

32.

That is how many years my parents have been married for today.

What an achievement to be married to someone for that long.  Both sets of my grandparents have been married for well over 50 years, and the same goes for Scott's sets of grandparents.

I used to think anniversaries were just a day that Mom and Dad would spend together.  Grandma and Grandpa would come over to babysit my brother and I while they went out to dinner.  I used to think it was just an excuse to get together with the whole family and have cake.


Wow, have my views changed.


An anniversary is a milestone.  An anniversary marks another year that you have shared love with a person, gone through hard times with a person, gotten stronger with a person.  I hope to never become a divorce statistic.  Divorce seems so mainstream now.  I am such a firm believer that marriage is something to be taken seriously.  It is something that one must work at.  Of course, if it's just not working, a divorce may be the best option.  I'm only saying, it seems like it's the "easy way out".

I hope to make it to 32 years.  I'm not even married yet and I know that it takes such love, strength, patience, and hard work.  I am ready for this challenge.



Congratulations to my parents!


Smile!

-Karla  =)

Luck be a Lady.

We just found out last night that we are able to move into our new apartment on Saturday July 30th.  That is less than 2 weeks away!  I am so excited, yet it is just starting to hit me how much work we have to do.  It's a lot of work to move!  Luckily, it is just from one side of town to another.  I have to get used to not driving to the old house when I leave to come home from work!  That will be tough!


Last night, Scott and I went to the casino.  Every so often, Scott's grandparents invite us to a Connecticut Sun basketball game (they have season tickets).  They usually ask us to come with them to the night games because they do not drive at night.  It's a fun time.  It's nice to get out of the house for a little while.  Scott and I enjoyed the second half of the game after being stuck in a lot of traffic.  Then, we had appetizers and a milkshake at Johnny Rockets.  Completely off the charts point wise... but I hadn't eaten like that since I re-started WW and I had some activity and weekly indulgence points racked up.  I don't like using them often, so I used most of them last night.

We did not play any slots.  The most I have ever won from a slot machine was $45.  I am not a huge fan of gambling, especially with a machine.  I have always had bad luck with things like that.  It sort of runs in my family!  You are either lucky, or you're not...and... well... I'm not.  Haha..

I feel as though every time I even sit down in front of a slot machine, it's like the machine knows that it's me and immediately stops winning.  I'm sure a lot of people feel that way though.


A wise man once told me though, ... "Without bad luck, there would be no luck at all"


I guess he's right.  I just wish I'd be on the luckier side of luck once in awhile.  That's all.

Smile!

-Karla =)

New Apartment

Scott and I have been preparing for our move into a new apartment.  Among all the stress it brings, we try to have fun with it.  It's exciting and we are both sooo ready for these next two weeks to fly by!  We will get the keys on August 1st!

We hit up Walmart last night and purchased a second end table for our living room.  I had one already that was turquoise and we both sanded it down and spray painted it black.  Now we have two black ones.

To save money, we also cut the legs off of my childhood desk and spray painted that black and added nice stainless steel hardware to the drawer.  It makes for a very modern coffee table.  I bought tall clear cylinder vases from Walmart awhile ago too and I fill them up with water and put tea lights on the top.  They look so cool all lit up.  Simple, cheap, but equally elegant.

Our next project is to turn an old hutch into an entertainment center.  That involves a lot of cutting, sanding, and painting.  It's a lot of work, but it saves a lot of money.  Saving money is a great thing!

One of my favorite purchases at Walmart yesterday was this,

It is a view of NYC from Brooklyn.  I like it.  It looks nice.  It will look even better in our apartment.  I can't wait to move in and post pictures up so you all can see it.  

Another goal of ours is to find an affordable photographer.  It's been quite an experience.  Photographers are very very very very very expensive.  Very expensive.

Wish us luck!  

Smile!

-Karla

One Year Ago Today...

...on July 17, 2010...I got engaged!  It was a 90 degree day in NYC and we had planned to spend the day there together.  We got there early and took the Stage Door Tour of Radio City Music Hall.  I was so excited because it meant that we got to meet a Rockette.  A few years ago (when I started the first blog), I got to meet a few Rockettes at a dance program that I took at the music hall.. but I was up to meet more!  When we got to Radio City, we were told that the Rockette we were supposed to meet was sick and that we could get our tickets refunded if we wanted OR... we could keep the tickets for another surprise that was just as good as meeting a Rockette.  Scott and I decided to keep our tickets since I had met Rockette's before.  Well, our surprise was getting to stand ON STAGE!

Me on stage at Radio City

Now, this was heaven for me.  I thought I might pass out, I was THAT excited.  I was jumping up and down and doing dance moves on stage... people looked at me like I was nuts! 

View of the audience from the stage!

Look at that view!! WOW!! I think the Rockette's have a much better view than their viewers.  What an amazing view for dancers.  Love this.

I clearly did not know what I was in for just a few hours later while we walked through Central Park.  We walked by one of my favorite statues in Central Park... Alice in Wonderland.  It means so much to me because of my love for children and my own childhood memories.  To me, the statue stands for youth and that even at old age, we can all be young at heart.  

Alice in Wonderland, dedicated to the children of NYC.

Just a 10 minute walk away, my life was about to change.  Scott and I were trying to cool off and walked through a more woodsy area of Central Park.  We got to a small wooden bridge going over a small stream.  We stopped there to relax and I remember it being so quiet because nobody was around.  I said to him... "This day could not get any better than this... I have literally lived out a huge dream of mine."  And he said something along the lines of... "So you had an amazing day, how about an amazing life?"  Before I knew it, he was down on one knee and I said, "YESS!"

Us right after he proposed.

Fast Forward to about one year later (July 16, 2011)...

Scott and I in NYC walking along the Hudson River.

 Reflecting on the past year, it has not all been a bed of roses.  Engagement is such an amazing and exciting period in a relationship ... but also just as much stressful and difficult!  There was a point where we were both giving up on saving money, budgeting, wedding planning, finding a place to live, etc... ''

School got so tough for me with working at the same time, Scott got laid off from an excellent job, I was away from my family a lot, we lost a good car in a bad car accident, we lost touch with friends and then ultimately... we lost touch with why we loved each other in the first place!!

Now... School is finally coming to an end.  I did the whole cap + gown ceremony early because of the wedding next year.. but I still have a few more classes to take before the wedding.  Scott has a job again, and a good one at that.  Finances are more in order and we both know how to budget correctly.  We are trying to find more time to hang out with friends and make sure that while we are trying to save money and start our lives... that we are also living our lives!  If that makes sense.

It's been tough... but to me, the fact that we made it through a stressful time in our relationship means that we can do it again.  We've both learned a whole lot about life, about each other, and about love.  It's constantly something that we both need to work at.

I think it's such a good thing that through all the stress and chaos, we have stuck together and made our bond stronger.  I'm blessed to be with such an amazing guy.

Me and the Hudson.

The Highline.  Google it!

The Highline is an abandoned highway that goes through NYC (Chelsea Area).  It is now used as a gorgeous walkway.  As you can see, there are gorgeous flowers coming out of the walkway.

More of the Highline.

 It looks like a highway, but as you can see, it isn't.. there are trees growing on it!

Walking on the Highline.

It is very green up on the Highline and there are some really beautiful flowers planted too.  It's just about the only place that there is any green in NYC besides Central Park of course.

The view of NYC from Brooklyn.

 We took the subway across the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn where we had parked the car.  We stopped in this park before going back to the car.

Brooklyn Bridge with Empire State Building in background (all the way to the right)

Overall it was a great day.  Scott and I reflected on the past year and how tough it was, but also about how great it was along the way on top of all the chaos.  Not only was July 16 a day before he had proposed last year, but July 16 was also 11 months until our wedding day.. June 16, 2012.  We have a lot to do as far as wedding plans go... and to that I say.... Let the next round of chaos begin!!  We are ready!!

Oh, and... NYC was awesome... as usual.  We had a great time!  =)

Smile!

-Karla  =)

In a New York State of Mind.

Yup.

I'm going to NYC tomorrow.

#1 thing you must know about me:

I'm obsessed with all things New York City.

On July 17, 2010.. the love of my life proposed to me in Central Park, NYC.  We are going back to NYC, 364 days later to enjoy a lovely day together with 2 other friends.  Maybe we could re-enact the moment!! Lol!

I'm excited to go.  One of my friend's who is coming is a photographer and I hassled her into coming to take pictures of our day.  It didn't take much hassling since she too loves NYC.  It should be fun.  We are visiting a lot of non-touristy places that even I have never seen before.

One of my favorite things to do in NYC is take Scott to all of these wonderful places that I have been to that he never has.  I love seeing his face light up with each new thing we see.  But this time, most of the places we visit will be unknown to us.  I will talk more about where we went in my post on Sunday when I talk about my Saturday in NYC.

We are driving down since we all live in CT.  It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive from where I live.  Not bad.  It's cheaper than taking the very expensive train.  There will be lots of walking... which is great!  I haven't racked up any WW activity points yet!

Jeez, I don't think I could go a year without visiting NYC once.  It's just such an amazing place.  The most romantic place that I have ever been to in my life.  Everyone should visit NYC once in their life.  Such an incredible place should not be missed.  AND... NYC is the home of my second most favorite place in the world, RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL!!  AKA... Home of the Radio City Rockettes!

The same day that Scott proposed to me, he took me on the backstage tour of Radio City Music Hall and we got to step on stage!!  That was one of the most awesome moments of my life.... until he proposed of course!!  So much amazingness in one day, it's a day that I'll never forget.

Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend, and I'll be back on Sunday to talk about my trip.


Smile!!

-Karla =)

I'm in Love.

So I just happened to run out of eye liner today.  I went to my local Walgreens to get some more, along with a few other things.  Annnnd then I walked by the candy aisle.

I needed more M&Ms for my kids at the center where I work.  M&Ms are excellent potty training tools!!  So as I went to pick up a bag... I noticed these:

And all I have to say is...

THANK GOODNESS I still had 3 points left.  One of these delicious candies is 1 point, but 2 of them are 3 points.  I enjoyed every last bite.

These babies are delicious!!!  Expensive, but delicious.  This bag was on sale for $2.99 and there are only 7 candies in one bag.  Looks can be deceiving!

But, I LOVE it.  LOVE LOVE LOVE it.


You know what else I love?

Fridays.

Thank God tomorrow is Friday!


Smile!

-Karla =)

Hunger Pains

I remember when I first started Weight Watchers, the hunger pains were insane!  I had felt hunger pains before, but none like that.  They aren't painful particularly... just... annoying.  But it kind of makes me feel like whatever I'm doing with Weight Watchers is working.  Of course, I do eat when I am hungry but I'm used to eating bigger portions (which is why I lost control of my weight since I last lost 40lbs).  Smaller portion size is giving me some hunger pains like it did 3 years ago.  I see it as a good thing.  

One of my fears of re-joining WW was that I was not going to see results as quickly as I did the last time I was on it.  Last time, I lost 9lbs at the end of my first week!  I mean, I really shocked my body!  I went from eating one way, to eating completely differently.  This time, I am not really eating badly... I still cook a bunch of WW recipes and eat fairly healthy.  My problem is portion control!  So, I'm anticipating not seeing results as quickly.  But, who knows.  I may be pleasantly surprised.  I'm already feeling better and it's only been 3 days.

I am getting used to this new PointsPlus program.  It's different.  I was on the regular points program 3 years ago.  The PointsPlus program completely messed up all of my recipes and favorites that had been saved from last time because the points are completely recalculated.  This was a pain to fix.  I wish that WW had just fixed it all for me! 

I learned that some foods are more points now with the PointsPlus program than they were with the regular Points program.  But, in return... you are allowed more points per day than you were last time depending on your height/weight/etc.  It's kind of odd for me to fill in my daily points at the end of the day and then notice that I have 3 or 4 points left that I don't know what to do with!  Of course, I only use them if I'm hungry... and now that I have noticed that pattern, I allow myself to have a 3 or 4 point snack in the middle of the day when I've noticed that I'm the hungriest.  

Memories are coming back of the days I was on WW before when I was tempted with foods that I could not eat.  Last night, Scott and I went to visit his grandparents and they offered us some ice cream bars.  

Not just ANY ice cream bars... they were SNICKERS ICE CREAM BARS.  

Any other day I would say, "Do you even have to ask??" ... and now... I have to look at the ice cream, fight off my craving for it, and say, "No thanks".... which of course brings on the, "Well, more for me"  or  "Suit yourself!"  Both sets of Scott's grandparents are Italian and food is a BIG deal.  Thank goodness I didn't have to say no to a huge bowl of pasta!!

Again, I'm thankful for my ability to say no and have self control.  Now if I could just have motivation to work out when I get home from a straight 8 hour day of working with children.  Hmm...

Smile!

-Karla =)

Girl's Got Attitude

When my horoscope says: "Today is the time to embody your ideas and create something that the world can see as an expression of who you are. There's no need to feel any pressure about it, though. This expression could be as complicated as a long written missive of your philosophies, or as simple as a delicious sandwich." ...I know that I must write something good!


For those of you who have followed the blog that I had for 3 years, you know of Mrs. Lathrop- but for those of you new to the site, here is the short & sweet of it.

For 18 years now, I have been a dancer at Lathrop School of Dance in CT.  LSOD (for short) played a major role in my life and still does to this day.  The owner and former Vaudeville dancer, Virginia Lathrop who danced beside Fred Astaire, was like a 3rd grandmother to me.  She was the backbone to the dance company and my inspiration for life.  She had this incredibly contagious love for life, dance, and champagne!!  She taught me a ton of life lessons that I carry within me everyday.  When she passed away in November 2009 at 94 years old, my heart broke and I blogged about her death and how I coped with it.  Now, I blog about the imprint that she made on my heart and the way I try to live life the way she did, with a positive and vibrant attitude and huge love of life.


She once said to me, "Karla, honey, life is all about attitude... if your attitude is golden, your life is golden"




Makes sense.  We've all heard, life is what you make of it.  Simple, but not easy.  It's all about how you deal with the cards that you're dealt.  I like to turn it into a metaphor involving dance.  Life is like this huge stage that you are thrown onto.  You are standing there in front of a million people and you are given certain situations and people wait to watch your next move.  Your next reaction.  Failure.  Success.


Sometimes, for me, when I slip and fall on that very stage, (which I've literally done at dance!) people watch to see if you are able to lift yourself back up, dust yourself off, and move on with the dance like it never happened.  There are people who find this totally humiliating.  


...And then there are people who actually kind of like the journey of picking themselves up off the stage and continuing the dance... regardless of whether or not people are watching.  

And I guess you could say, that's me.  I enjoy the journey, public or private.  I guess I'd like to inspire other people the way that Mrs. Lathrop inspired me.  I want my positive energy and attitude to spread to others.  That's why I started blogging.  That's why I'll continue.


Trust me.  It's hard to admit to having lost 40lbs and gaining almost half of that back over 3 years.  But, I want to involve the blog world on this journey just like I did last time.  I'm still a Dieting/Determined Dancer, but now I have this other thing in my life that is kind of a big deal... my fiance, Scott and the life that I am excited to share with him. 


So, still the same me.  The same smiley me.  Just, a little different.  




* Today was the second day of Weight Watchers.  Things are great!  I work with kids and I am trying to potty train them... and I use M&Ms as a reward if they go potty.  I've been tempted!!  Luckily, I have a strong sense of self control... and the Weight Watchers app on my iPhone that seems to stare at me every time I look at my phone!!  *


Thank you God for giving me self control!!  =)

Smile!



-Karla  =)

Something Blogged.

It is SO nice to be back on Blogger.  For those of you who were following me on my Determined Dancer blog, Welcome Back!!  I missed blogging so much.  I can finally say that I am in such a great place to blog again and actually stay faithful to my blog.  


Quick Updates for those who are re-following--  


- I have moved!! It's been a year now, and in fact, I will be moving again in 2 weeks, which I'll talk about here as well.  Moving is crazy and stressful and also a wonderful time to start clean slate, brand new.  I'm excited.


- I have put on HALF the weight I lost 3 years ago.  Ugh...  Whatever.  I've come to terms with it and I have made a HUGE change in diet and exercise that just started today.  I am back on Weight Watchers.  I have a real cute wedding gown that I need to fit into.  (And no, I haven't picked one... I'm just guessing it's going to be mad cute)  


- I am getting MARRIED!  This is obvious.  But, I just love saying it.  Getting married to my fiance, Scott, on June 16, 2012.  

This blog was created to talk about all things wedding/weight loss with dance and life in general thrown in of course.  


I'm excited, I hope you are.  Here starts a wonderful journey.






Smile!


-Karla  =)