What have ya done today to make you feel proud?

So I have been watching the new Jillian Michaels show "Loosing It" every Tuesday night. The show comes on around 8 or 9 but I usually watch it one day in arrears while I am eating my dinner in front of the TV. Each week, I sit and eat, and think to myself, man, if only she was screaming at me, then maybe I'd get up off this couch and work out. So this week, feeling motivated from the show, I went on her website. She makes it look so easy.. like you can just will your body right into shape. I had to see what all the fuss was about so I signed up for 13 weeks (the minimum subscription). Once I got logged into her website, I realized that her plan is not very simple at all.. but consists of a regimented eating program of her recommended meals and 5 days a week workouts.

I sat there thinking to myself.. ok, I'm having trouble going once, how am I going to change my whole life from booze and cookies to no snacks,low carbs, high protein, 5 day a week workouts?? Ok, alittle unrealistic for summer. I decided the fact that I didn't need to be the 'biggest looser' could give me some flexibility. I've decided that for now, I will only adopt the workouts, and not the eating plan. I'm sorry, forgive me Jillian, but its July, and I like ice cream, if I die tomorrow, I wouldn't want it to be with a stomach full of grapes and walnuts.

So today, I got up and diligently packed my gym bag, tucked my workout inside, and went to work. The workout is a 5 circuit work out which looks really simple:
Circuit 1:
Pushups - 3 sets of 8
Wall Squat - 1 minute (3 sets)
Jumping Jacks - 3 mins

Circuit 2:
Dumbell Chest press
Squats
Jumping Jacks

Circuit 3:
Bench Dip
Lying Leg Raises
Jumping Jacks

Circuit 4
Shoulder Raises
Crunches
Jumping Jacks

Circuit 5:
Triceps Extension
Scissor Kicks
Jumping Jacks

(5 min Warm up and Cool Down)

Doesn't seem hard right? WRONG! MY WHOLE FREAKING BODY KILLS. About 30 seconds in to the first set of jumping Jacks I realized I have no coordination. The second set of wall squats made me realize how week my quads are and the scissor kicks killed my abs.

The thing I like about this workout is that you don't need a gym to do it (although it was helpful, I was at the gym) The thing I wonder though is will I see any results without following the accompanying eating program. The thing is, naturally, I don't eat that unhealthy.. I just don't eat grapes and walnuts as a mid afternoon snack -- its more like 4 M&M's or so.

Alas, day 1 survived. Lets see what Jillian does tomorrow.
<3

I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind

This past two weeks have been great. Two weekends ago, Joe invited me down to the shore with his family and I met all of the extended Randazzo family. Joe in the past has been kinda weary about bringing me around the family, he likes to keep our personal life very private, so I was happy he is finally getting used to the idea that it is ok for his mom and I to be friends, and for me to hang out with them. Friday night we got down their kinda late, and went out to a nice dinner in Somers Point with his mom, dad, brother, aunt and cousin. Saturday we woke up and his mom made us breakfast then we went to the beach. Saturday night more extended family came over, then late night we headed to AC with his brother Chris and a few of Chris' friends. Joe and I ended up splitting off from them and went to DJ AM's club DUSK and had a great time dancing. Upon leaving DUSK we did a little gambling, but lost our asses pretty quick and called it a night. On Sunday his dad took us for a boat ride, then we headed back to Philly and he continued on to Virginia.

Two days later we were back together again. On Tuesday, I met my mom, dad, brother, and Joe in Hilton Head, SC for a weeks vacation. If you've never been to Hilton Head, you definately should go, it was a very relaxing, beautiful and HOT place. When we landed in Savannah, GA the thermometer read 112 degrees! We rented a car and started the 40 minute drive to HH. On the way we stopped in SAV for an authentic southern lunch (I had fried green tomatoes and sweet tea). After lunch, we headed to the Marriott Barony Beach Club which was beautiful. We had a two bedroom condo with a nice eat-in kitchen and living area. The hotel was right on the ocean, had 3 pools, a spa, shuffle board, tennis, and a beautiful beach. On tuesday when we arrived we went out on the beach to stick our toes in and to our surprise, the water temperature was like 83 degrees, BATH WATER! IT WAS SO WARM IT WASNT EVEN REFRESHING. After a little while of hanging on the beach, we went to dinner, and were so tired, we went to bed. The rest of the week was more of the same, we would cook lunch in our kitchen and go out somewhere nice for dinner. One night we went to a bar and danced, and another night we played mini golf. One morning my dad, brother, and Joe went to play golf on one of the many beautiful HH courses, and my mom and I went bathing suit shopping. I got two new suits, which made me very happy. All and all a great time was had by all. I am so happy that my family and I can still get together once and while. I like being the 'child' for awhile & we always have a great time together. Sometimes, I really miss spending time with them!

I am also very happy that Joe and I could spend some quality time together the past few weeks. It really helped put everything in propective and put us both back on the same page. It was the longest we've spent together since he left for VA. He got along great with my family and I with his as well which made me excited to see how the future unfolds. It definately also made me realize how much I really take him for granted sometimes, and the things he DOES for me despite being so far away. To be at the shore, he spent 19 hours in the car, and to be in HH two days later, it was another 16 hours. I feel like when someone is so far away, its easy to forget why you love them, but having him there with me made me remember all the great things about our relationship that I hadnt seen in awhile. Joe, I may not tell you this nearly enough, but I love you and you do so many great things for me. Thank You.

"Yeah I grunt at the gym so that way everyone can see how jacked and tan I am..."

About a year ago, I was sitting at my old job thinking about how if I had more time and I wasnt working crazy hours...THEN I would have no excuses about not to go to the gym which I pay $40 a month to belong to, but rarely attend. I swore that IF I got home at a normal time like every other working citizen in America, THEN going to the gym and getting skinny would be no problem. Exactly six months ago, I quit that more demanding job. Now, I get home at 5:30 just like everyone else. Do you know how many times I've been to the gym in the last six months - maybe twice. Every day, I get home, and I am exhausted! From what you may ask.. probably the inactivity! Now, I've never really stuggled too too much with my weight, I pretty much eat what I want, and was on Weight Watchers once for like a hot second (I think I lasted 2 weeks). Dieting and being obsessed with how I look just has never been my style.

All of a sudden though in the last few months, I can see how the pounds can slowly creep up on you. Not to mention I know I could look better then I do right now. It seems though, that everytime I put my mind to the fact that I need to start attending the gym regularly, it lasts about a week, then I go back to wanting to come home, sit on the couch, and watch my mindless girly television shows. For some reason, fitness just doesnt interest me, which I know it should but I dont get joy out of going to the gym. Once I get there, I do fine, but I hate the act of getting in the car and going.

Tonight as I sat on my couch watching "The Hills" there was a scene where Kristen was at the gym doing curls with a trainer. My lastest excuse to ease my mind: Well, if I didnt have to work like them, and I could wake up late, go to the gym, and shop all day....THEN attending wouldnt be a problem! PATHETIC, I KNOW. So, here is my question - how does one go about motivating themselves to not only GO to the gym BUT keep going. Do you think night time or day time is easier? THOUGHTS? Has anyone else been in this boat?

Wait there was bikes?

Hey blogging friends,

I've been wanting to write a blog post for awhile, but havent really had very much to discuss. I've been doing a lot of fun things, just none that made for a good story. Last weekend however changed that. Last weekend was the Manayunk bike race. This is a professional bike race that does about 15 loops all over Philadelphia, but in Manayunk it is mostly just an excuse to drink with your friends outside. Friday night Joe came into town and we met up with a few of his friends from Lehigh. On Saturday, the whole crowd went out to the bars, and stopped by late night for the most amazing cheese fries the world has ever seen. Going out both nights wasnt a very good idea, because the bike race started at 9 am on Sunday morning. Still drunk, we stumbled down the street to my friend Allies party, which started promptly at 9 am. At about noon, I said a drunk goodbye to my sober boyfriend who had to head back to VA and continued to party. At around 2pm we headed down to the bars, where 93.3 WMMR was hosting a party. To my surprise, Mr. Green Jeans, a band that used to play at DE was playing. At about 7pm... I was wasted and exhausted and headed on home. I am so thankful that I live in this town. It keeps me young, I have great freinds here, and days like that remind me how lucky I am.

Oh yeah, and I saw one lap of the bike race!

April Recap

So April was so busy that my blogging fell of the face of the planet. The first weekend in April, I went down to Baltimore for my college roomate, Micheles 25th birthday. Also in tow was my current roomate Sara, her boyfriend Steve, and Joe. So as not to invade Micheles space with that many people, we got a hotel. We had a great time. Michele rented a limo bus and we all went to a wine festival in Frederick, Md, a little outside of Baltimore.

The very next weekend I was off to NYC for my other college roomate, Toni's birthday. Due to a work commitment I didnt get down to NYC until early Saturday afternoon. Toni took me to a nice lunch at Le Pain Quotidein, a resturant much akin to Panera - but better. That evening, we had a nice dinner with Toni's NYC friends and headed out to a bar in her neighborhood. We ended up running into a bachelor party there, who paid for our drinks the entire night. Pretty sweet. Even if we are now "mid -20's" we still got it goin on. :)

On Sunday, I had to leave bright and early to go to the Phils game - Joe, Sara, Steve and I have season tickets this year. After like 3 hours of sleep I hopped a train to head back to Philly to meet up with them for the 1:05 game. Overall, a great weekend.

To the ZOO I say!

Last week with the time change and all I was feeling pretty miserable. By Wednesday, I just couldn't stand the thought of another day at work... minutes felt like hours. I decided that I needed a mental health day. Joe had gotten back from Vegas that day and wasn't going back to VA until Sunday. So, we decided that on Friday we would blow off work *since it was also supposed to be 75 and sunny*, and do something fun together.

At first, we through around the idea of going to the shore, but decided that it would probably be colder there then it was in Philadelphia... so we decided on something a little more close to home. The Philadelphia Zoo. We had been talking about going to the zoo since the day we met- for two reasons, it being the oldest zoo in the country and it being like a stones throw from my house. Joe slept over Thursday night, and Friday morning we woke up, had a nice lunch at a sidewalk cafe on Main St, and headed to the zoo. We had a great day walking around together! The weather was perfect. It was beautiful and sunny, a pleasant break from all the snow! We spent a few hours, the highlights probably were the cheetahs, giraffe, monkeys, Joe liked the snakes (must be a boy thing) and both our personal favorite.. the rhino.

Here is a picture of me and my new boyfriend.

Man was it nice to just blow off a day of work and do something fun. We don't get to spend a lot of that kind of time together lately, so I was happy we could do it. Not only did it help my mental sanity, but I think it helped our relationship. Sometimes its nice to just go out and enjoy something simple and return to child hood days. As we walked through the zoo hand in hand quietly enjoying the animals I couldn't help but notice something else.. the chaos of little kids and their parents who were enjoying the zoo.. but definitely not in the same quiet reserved manner that we were. I didn't say this to Joe, because I'm sure it would scare him shitless but I found myself wondering what kind of father he would be some day? Would he take the time out his busy life to take his kids to the zoo? I was lucky enough to have parents who always took me to these types of things as a child, some of my best memories are the places I've went when I was a little kid. My hope is that some day, I can do the same for my kids...not to mention I get to do all these great things again myself! Because lets face it, no matter how old you get, there is still something so fascinating about the zoo. We definitely should take time out of our busy schedules and do things like this more often. Life is too short to be cooped up in an office.

Breakfast at Tiffanys.... or maybe just a snack?

Joe left for Vegas last Wednesday with his friends, Ev and Ry. You know.. the boys trip.... complete with Limo from the airport to the hotel.. anyways.. his request was simple: Please don't call me a million times, I don't want to talk to you or anyone, I just want to enjoy my vacation and be in the moment with my friends. As we talked, he kept saying he didn't think I could go a week without calling him because, when he is in VA we talk, like every day, most days more then once. This bet intrigued me.. did he really think I was that dependent on him that I wouldn't be able to last? And for that matter - why would I want to talk to someone who specifically just stated they did not want to hear from me? OK BET ON BUDDY.. YOU DON'T THINK I CAN DO IT.. WATCH THIS. I promptly asked him, what would be in it for me if I could complete the bet-- he said, a gift of my choice. OH DANGER.. OK.. let the hunt begin. I promptly type in www.tiffanys.com to my web browser. I have been wanting one of the new line of Tiffany's keys for awhile, but didn't want to buy myself such an expensive present. This is what I want, on a long chain to wear with like a tunic and leggings or a tank top in the summer. I think its really cute! I sent that off to Joe's GMail to complete the terms of the bet.. no calls, I want this. He promptly wrote back that the price was ridiculous, how could a silver key cost $185? Well, boy I said - its 50% markup for the nice turquoise green box accompanied with a white bow .. which makes it TIFFANY'S. He said that was ridiculous.. so I wanted to give him another option. I sent him this - a $38,000, 1.5 carrot engagement ring thus making my original choice look cheap. His response to this email. YOU WISH. (So I guess I'll be getting my original choice).

So Wednesday rolls around and off he goes to Vegas. When he landed in Vegas, he sent me this text:

Joe: Landed. Vegas!

I did not respond. Day 1 completed :)

Wednesday night I left for Atlanta for work, and was there from Wednesday night to Friday afternoon. During that time, we had no communications. This was probably the hardest part of the bet for me to keep because, I hate flying, and we were flying through all sorts of thunderstorms. This was probably the time I would have called him for some moral support - but stayed strong in the name of TIFFANY'S.

Friday afternoon, just as I landed at the Philadelphia airport, I received another text. This time a picture of a lion, from some show they were seeing. My response: :) - just a smiley face, no words, and still no call. Friday night when I got home, I was sitting on the couch and he wouldn't give up, another text:

Joe: Tiffany's is looking really nice, especially the engagement rings.

Ok, bust out the engagement ring word? That's low. Of course that will solicit my interest, but definitely still no call.

My text response: Bets still on :) Take a good look at those rings.

Now mind you, to date during his trip, none of this communication was even initiated by me. It seems as though, the more I did nothing.. the more he stepped up to the plate and tried to get in touch with me. I began to wonder, is this true in real life, and not just in bets? Is it true that the more that you chase someone- the more they run.. and the more you just do nothing, the more you force them to make the effort and come to you. I always thought that showing I was a good girlfriend meant putting in the effort, calling, keeping in touch, being there fore him. It seems though that the more I try and do those things, the more I don't give him a chance to show me he can make the effort to. So the question is-- where is the happy medium where both people know when to go the extra mile for the other? I don't know the answer.

Saturday morning. 9 am.

Text from Joe: Got some compliments on the Ben Sherman blazer you picked out for me. Great pick! Maybe one day me and you can come to Vegas just the two of us. I am playing black jack now, maybe we can catch up tomorrow (and by tomorrow he meant Saturday- since he was still awake from Friday night)

Nicole's response: Nothing.

5 minutes later - the unthinkable. Phone rings - its Joe. I let it ring a few times so as not to seem eager and pick it up. I specifically state - terms of bet did not include you calling me.

His response: I caved.

We talked for about 10 minutes, before he went back to playing black jack. He told me about his trip and the fun they had been having. But he told me one thing that validated the reason I had made this bet in the first place. I felt like Joe thought I was needy.. that I couldn't live my life without him. I told him before he left that he had know idea how great of a girl I was and how he did not appreciate me for all the things I do, and all the freedom I give him compared to most girlfriends. When he left, he couldn't see what I meant. But what he told me on the phone made me know that he gets it now. He said that the other girls were calling/texting continuously annoying their boyfriends who just wanted to get away together for a five day vacation. He said they would text at least 3-4 times an hour- and the boys were getting so frustrated.. they inquired as to why he hadn't heard from me.

His response to them: Shes smart - she said she wouldn't call if I buy her Tiffany's.

Their reply: Dude, you have the best girlfriend ever.

MY PLAN WORKED:

Their validating our relationship to him, and telling him I am a keeper, will only help me in the future. I want him to see that he does have a good girl, and he should nurture that more instead of take it for granted. Its Sunday morning, I still haven't called, and the hardest part is over. He will be back Tuesday night - hopefully with my gift. I cant say the bet was all for him, because it definitely proved to me that I don't NEED to talk to him as much as I think I do... and I am stronger then I give myself credit for. I'll let you know if I end up with the engagement ring (breakfast) or just a snack(the necklace I originally wanted) Either way, I'm the winner all around.