Day 2, 3 and 4

I'll keep this short. I have worked out each day using the Insanity program and I have cut my soda consumption in a little more than half which isn't saying much because I used to drink A LOT. It is a start though. I'm feeling really good and am looking forward to working out tomorrow and Saturday. I will update again soon! Go getting fit!

And just cause I can't help it here's an adorable video of my favorite girl.

Pizza before Insanity is INSANITY

This little blog of ours has been long abandoned. I never seemed to have anything very interesting to say even though I do have an incredibly adorable daughter, posting only pictures of her seemed a bit repetitive. I am going to use this blog for the time being as my weight loss journal for the world to see. Maybe that will make me a little more accountable? Who knows? Let's try it.

I walked into the bathroom at work today and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and thought oh geez, I look 6 months pregnant. Being pregnant is adorable and people love it but I'm NOT pregnant. So it starts today. I texted Matt and said I am starting insanity tonight. This will be the 4th time that I have started Insanity but have yet to complete it. I really hope this post is not in vain. *fingers crossed*

Matt's family is all going to be together for Thanksgiving and we are having family pictures done, we have not had pictures as a family since a couple of months before Matt and I moved to Florida(that was 2007). A lot has changed since then and I would like to not look back on these pictures with disdain. I would like to display them in my house and not be ashamed.

I am not going to post a very embarrassing pre picture. It would not be good for anyone to see, but I will post my stats. Here is goes...

Weight 169, as I weighed myself at night after doing my fit test for insanity.
Height 5'6"
BMI 27.3

I did start insanity tonight after wisely allowing Matt to pick dinner, which was of course pizza. I love him. Never again will I eat so much pizza 45 minutes before doing my Insanity work out. Stupid! Insanity does have a menu plan to follow but I decided to start on a whim after a busy day at work with no lunch break and only eating yogurt, crackers and drinking my delicious Coke. I know I should give it up but it is a joy that I find in life and I will continue to drink it, just be smarter about how much. And no I will not switch to Diet Coke, excuse me while I gag. After finishing my fit test Matt came downstairs to find me nearly unconscious. He forced me upstairs with loving words of encouragement like, you can't stop moving after working out, your muscles are going to seize up, you are going to be sore if you don't keep moving. True love people. I took a shower and feel like I am back from the dead. He is amazing and occasionally right.

Lets talk about some goals. My perfect weight would be 120 but right now my goal is going to be 130. That is still 40 pounds people! It is really a daunting thought but I will work hard towards it and hopefully will be able to achieve it. I am going to give myself till Ainsley's birthday in March. Though I am hoping by family pictures during Thanksgiving that with the help of Insanity I will be well on my way to that goal, ideally 15-20 pounds.

Off to relax a bit and I will see what tomorrows day of Insanity brings.

Hi. My name is Ainsley Ames

And I am 12 weeks old today. My mom is a little bit of a slacker and has not posted anything about me yet. We are starting to get a grove going and she has a little bit more time to do extra things. I have been an awesome baby, if you ask me.

I love to smile and talk. Most of the time I am really happy and love to play. I will play on the floor with just a blanket and I couldn't be happier.
Are you looking at me? I am getting really good at holding up my head. The only thing is I really don't like to be on my belly...I don't know why they keep making me do it.
I get really tired..and then...
I get really mad. My mom usually picks me up at this point and calms me down. She spoils me a lot and so does everyone else who loves me. Pretty much I have it made and everyone is wrapped around my little finger. Cause I'm adorable.

These are pictures that my Aunt Alie took of me. She can take amazing pictures and can always get me to smile!More to come later about when I was born and what has been going on the first 12 weeks of my life!

10 Months Later

Sorry everyone who reads our blog (or who did read our blog) that we have not posted in over 10 months. Our lives are just not that interesting. I promise I will try harder to find interesting things to post about on here. I have a few things to post in the next little while but here is a little something about Matthew.



Our stake did a trek for youth conference this year and they asked Matt to be part of the battalion. It was ridiculously hot that day and everyone was dying of heat exhaustion but he still had a great time.

Mosaic

01. What is your first name? (Lauren)
02. What is your favorite food? (Mexican)
03. What high school did you attend? (Community College High School)
04. What is your favorite color? (Green)
05. Who is your celebrity crush? (Christian Bale)
06. Favorite drink? (Pepsi)
07. Dream vacation? (Backpacking around the World)
08. Favorite dessert? (Lemon Bars)
09. What do you want to be when you grow up? (Photographer)
10. What do you love most in life? (Matthew)
11. One word to describe you? (Exhausted)
12. Your Flickr name? (lauren pender)

Thanks Erin...I had fun with this.

I HATE MOVING

Well we did it. For the 3rd time in 2 years, we moved again! Ugh I hope it is the last time for a LONG time. Packing and unpacking and all the tape and boxes, I am so over it all. Here you all go an update of our new home. See the picture mania below. Enjoy!

The ceremonial hanging of our family name sign

Nice butt shot Matthew. Wohoo!

Our front door from the garage stairs.

Nice view of the pool from the window on the left of the previous picture.

before unpacking. look at all the stuff.

Doesn't he look so happy to be alphabatizing his CD's....NO he's not OCD. haha

View from the front of our apartment from the window on the left of the previous picture.

Random Cupcake?

Matthew trying to fix out washing machine and was successful after many attempts. hehe.

Our extremely small laundry room....we might as well just call it a closet.

All of our boxes prior to breaking them down took up our entire dining room.

Looks better now...just need a dining table


View from the window in the prior picture. That is the main road we live off of.


Close up on the design of our curtains. Courtesy of Ikea.

Kitchen before unpacking




And after

Hallway to the bedroom and bathroom (where all the magic happens -added by Matthew). Just past the entry way on the right is our nearly non existent laundry closet.


Bedroom before unpacking

View of half the backyard from our bedroom, the other half is the pool picture above.


And after. To the right is the closet.

View of the hallway. The door on the left is to the bathroom


Close up of the closet. Big enough for the two of us. That is a first.



Bathroom. The mirror is from Grandma Marriotti.

Sweetest shower every. On the left there is a waterfall shower head. The only downfall of the shower you ask....well let me tell you a little story about our water supply. We don't have to pay for our water which is sweet except that it smells like rotten eggs. And you ask why, well we get our water from a well and apparently it makes it smell really really bad. Our landlords have a water filter on the house that they thought was hooked up to our garage apartment but it is not. They are planning on finding us a water filter but until then we have to live with stinky water, it is so bad is makes me gag.

We love you all very much and hope you enjoy looking at our new home as much as we enjoy living in it.

New Home :)

Just thought we would let everyone know we are moving into a new place in September and wanted to show you what it looked like!

This is the entry way from the garage below.

This is the first window in our new living room.

Now to the best part our big windows that over look the property. You cant really see but the window is covered from all angles by the big trees.




This is the opposite side of the living room.

We are pleased to announce that we finally have a dining room where we can have meals together and invite others over without eating on the couch!

Finally to Laurens second favorite part is her big kitchen with all the drawers she can handle. I am also excited about the storage space above the cabinets.

Through the doorway to the right is the only bedroom and the bathroom.

We cant wait to show more pictures later.