Let's Get Physical

Hi Loves,
Surely you know were my blog title came from right?.?.???? Well just in case you forgot it came from Miss Olivia Newton John circa the 80s. Ha. I just love the 80s. Granted I was born in the 80s so I'm tied to it forever. Well I'm sure you are wondering where this post is going, so here goes nothing.

I've decided Monday's are going to start being my Fit update days. Tomorrow or Today (depending on when you read this) I'm going to start my Heather must get hot program! Yes I said Heather must get HOT program, you didn't read that wrong. You see I am going to my friends wedding in August in Hawaii that is going to be sort of a college reunion amongst friends and well an ex boyfriend :(. Yup thats right. I'm not really gonna go into the back story on that whole situation but I just want to look HOT when I go to said wedding and he will be there. So my new motivation to work out is so that I look fabulous in August. That leaves me a little over 5 and half months until the wedding. I can totally do this.

Source: mymotivationofweightloss.tumblr.com via Heather on Pinterest

a little pinterest inspiration :) 

I've always been overweight my whole life. Always been the "fat" friend in the group. I've never really cared all that much. Okay well maybe I did but I never did anything about it. In my last term of college, I gained ALOT of weight due to the stress of finishing out two majors and trying to hang out with friends and all that jazz. Needless to say I didn't work out and I didn't eat healthy at all and I drank a lot. Ha. Well the pounds packed on. Then when I moved home the pounds packed on even more because I couldn't find a job and all I did was sit at home all day. Well in February 2010 I got the fantastic job of working with Sea Turtles in Georgia. When I moved to Georgia I was the heaviest I'd ever been in my whole life and I felt terrible. While working in Georgia I lost 35 pounds!!! Who would've ever thought with all the delicious southern & fried food that I could lose that much? I sure didn't but it defanitely happened. Most of it had to do with how active my job kept me. At the end of that summer I felt so good and told myself I was determined to keep it up. At the end of that summer job I had the option to stay longer but passed it up due to the fact that my Dad was diagnosed with skin cancer and I decided I needed to be at home with my family. So I packed up and moved back across the country home again. And ended up in the same pattern again where I couldn't find a job and I packed on pounds again. Then I got another summer job where I lost weight again, but not as much this time. Then that summer job slowed down and I was no longer working again and was sitting at home again. This brings us more to current time. I've defanitely packed on the pounds again. I'm not up to where I was when I first went to Georgia but I'm within ten pounds and NOT HAPPY. I am working again and so I am determined to get these pounds off.

I've determined that my biggest downfall in gaining weight is when I have nothing to do. So now that I'm working again I'm making it a priority to get up at 5am and get a workout in before the day gets away from me. I really want to get HOT and healthy. At a recent doctors appointment I was told I have border line high blood pressure, which is not good because heart problems run in my family. I need to get it under control and the two ways I know how to do so are to cut back on Diet Cokes (trying but it's so hard) and to get the pounds off. So since I've decided I have to be HOT in August I'm hoping this helps with the blood pressure too. Is it sad that I'm more concerned about being HOT in front of the ex rather than getting the weight off for me health? Ha. I don't know but either way, I'm very determined this time. I know that it's going to be a massive struggle for me as it always is. However this time I am really doing it because I want to. Not because somebody else wants me to. I'm not saying I want fall off the trail at times, that would be unrealistic. This time I'm going into it saying get right back on track if I fall off. Don't let yourself keep going for days.

So raise your glass of water to a cheer to be HOT and healthy by August!!!

I'm hoping to update each Monday on how the progress is going. If you'd like to join in just let me know. I'd love the moral support. Maybe we can teach each other new workouts that aren't so boring like running on the treadmill. Any healthy food recipes or tips would be greatly appreciated if you'd like to share too. So here's to getting HOT and healthy.

Love,
Heather

You don't alter Lilly to fit you, You alter yourself to fit Lilly

Quick name where that real quote is and what it's really from.....

If you guessed Bride Wars you are totally correct. "You don't alter Vera to fit you, You alter yourself to fit Vera". Ha well I think of this quote every time I look at Lilly clothes. I don't own any because I can't fit into them currently. Everytime I try them on they just don't fit and I get depressed. So is it so wrong to go on a diet to alter myself to fit into some Lilly? I think not. I am currently sick but next week I plan to seriously follow me some Weight Watchers and get back to the gym. I'm dying to fit into some Lilly dresses for all the wedding events I have coming up.

On another note....How do you ladies afford so much Lilly? I know her stuff is quality but this girl is on a limited budget. Do you guys buy all your Lilly full price or from other spots? Help a girl out please!!!!!

For now, I leave you with the items I'm lusting over...

Source: lillypulitzer.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

Lottie Dress in Bright Navy Cherry Mine

Source: lillypulitzer.com via Lilly on Pinterest

Whinnie Dress in Emerald Green A Thing Called Love

Source: lillypulitzer.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Bloomy Dress in Shorely Blue Toucan Tango

Source: lillypulitzer.com via Allison on Pinterest

Alima Top with White Shorts and Wedges would be so cute for shower

And of course there are many many more things I'm lusting over. So next week it's onto altering myself to fit Lilly. And girls, seriously how do y'all get your Lilly? Advice will be seriously welcomed :)

Love,

Heather

The New Job

Hi Loves,
   As I mentioned in my previous blog I've gotten a new job. I can officially announce that I am a substitute instructional assistant with our local school districts. Basically I get a call every morning at 5am asking if I can sub for the IA's that are out for the day.
   I decided while I was in Georgia that I think my path in life now is going to become an environmental educator at an aquarium, zoo, or environmental facility. I love seeing people learn things and I love animals and the environment so this is the most logical path. Being in the schools has been pretty exciting and I think it's the right path.
   So now I'm looking into Graduate programs for Environmental Education. Most of the ones I've found are back on the East Coast and in the south and I'm defanitely not complaining about that. Y'all know how much I want to be back there living so this is a perfect plan for me.
   So here's to my new career path :)

Love,
Heather

Georgia and Life Changes

Hi y'all! I just came back from a fabulous two week vacation in Florida but primarily Georgia. I went for the first annual Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Meeting.

Along with the conference it was Buddy Reunion 2012! I worked in Georgia on Jekyll Island at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center in 2010. While there I made tons of friends and had a blast. One of the people I met was Rachel.

Rachel and I became very close this summer. We are practically the same person born 1 year different and raised on opposite sides of the country. See we even match. Ha. We've called each other Buddy for as long as I can remember. Hence the reason this trip was coined Buddy Reunion 2012. We were so excited to see each other again. She has become one of my very best friends. We are in the same stage in life and just get each other completely. So excited that we met and have remained the best of friends.

We started the trip off right. When I got off the plane we headed straight to one of the best fast food places ever invented...

I sure wish they would bring Chick-fil-A back to Oregon. So delicious. As we grabbed our food we headed down the road to Plant City, Florida. This is where Rachel grew up and we were going to visit her parents and brother, who I just love as a second family. We visited with them that night when we got there but then soon hit the hay for the night. The next day we went to Mote Marine Aquarium and Anna Maria Island. Both of which were fabulous. Here are a few pictures from that day.

Anna Maria Island was so goregous. The water looked so inviting

I defanitely agree with this sign. Should've bought it for my house.

That night we met up with some of Rachel's girlfriends from growing up (that I'd also met and hung out with when I lived in Georgia). We had a girl's night at BD's Monogolian Grill full of delicious food, drinks, and great laughs.

The next day it was time to head to Georgia. I was defanitely excited to go back to my stomping grounds. We quickly were thrown into the conference which was amazing. I can't wait to go to the next one in 2014. I learned so much and have a better understanding of where I would like to go in life now. It's taken a long time for me to pick a path I wanted to go for my career because I want to do so much but this conference defanitely helped me figure that one out. I also got some great news in steps towards this new career path. **stay tuned for more on that in a blog post later this week.

The time in Georgia seemed to go by so fast. Between the conference and Rachel working late nights at the center I feel like I barely saw her. But one day we got to escape to my favorite city in all of the US...Savannah, GA. It was the coldest it had ever been when I've been there while we were there this time but it was still a fabulous day. Here are some pics from Savannah.

Honey helps heal Sea Turtles and The Savannah Bee Company produced a special honey to help with the rehabilitation of Sea Turtles. $3 of the proceeds from this bottle go to help rehabing the turtles at The Georgia Sea Turtle Center. You can find this honey on the Savannah Bee Company's website. If you like honey and you like sea turtles buy yourself some of this delicious honey!

The fountain in Forsyth Park is so gorgeous. This picture doesn't even do it justice.

Of Course we had lunch at Uncle Bubba's, Paula Deen's Brothers Restaurant

I had been looking so forward to these babies...FRIED DILL PICKLES = so delicious! Thanks Buddy for getting me addicted to these when I first lived in Georgia

Paula's Fried Chicken, Savannah Red Rice, and Green Beans was the meal of choice and boy was it delicious!

Needless to say, the day in Savannah was a fun, cold, but very delicious day. The only thing that would've made it better would've been if it were warmer and we stayed longer.

I turned 27 while I was on this trip. Can you believe it, 27. I had a mini panic attack with Rachel one night over getting close to 30. We haven't accomplished enough in life to be even close to 30. The brakes need to be slammed on, ha.

I finally got to eat at Southern Soul BBQ on St. Simon's while I was there. When I lived there back in 2010 it had just burned down :(. They had a food cart set up where they sold food but once they were out they closed. I always seemed to hit it on days when they were closed so I was excited to finally eat there. My oh my was it delicious!

Needless to say this trip was a fantastic one. I just love Georgia & Florida. I may not have been born there but I am defanitely transformed to a Georgia Girl at heart. I can't wait to move there and be back with all the southern hospitality and friends I've made. I may just have figured out how to move back too :) I hope you enjoyed my update. For now....

Georgia is on my mind!!!

Love,

Heather