half a decade

When I was 16, it seemed like I would never, EVER have a boyfriend.
I had never had one and the odds didn't look very good on my end.
E.S.P.E.C.I.A.L.L.Y. after I had declared my love for someone who told me they didn't feel the same way about me.
But alas, that some one took some time, 3 months to be exact, to think about what I said and changed his mind.
So exactly 5 years ago, this tall, goofy, blonde hair, green eyed, 15 year old boy asked me to be his girlfriend.
And things have N.E.V.E.R. been the same.



We've had ups.
We've had downs.
We've laughed.
We've cried.
And we've been through everything in between.
He's taught me to be a better person.
And I've watched him grow into a man.
I know that our journey together is just beginning.
There's still so much for us to do together.
I can't wait to see what's to come.

slacker

I've been a HUGE slacker in the blogging department!!!
But at least I haven't been slacking on my day zero project!
I've received 10 more postcards for a total of 15!!!
Here they are...




Way cool huh?
I did not expect to have so many so soon!!!

I've also been baking a lot more recently.
I forgot to take a picture of a lemon cake I made....
It was all gone before I could take one. :)
But here are 3 more things I baked recently...



I wasn't a big fan of the muffins but the cake and cookies were pretty delish!
This month I'm planning on doing a 30 day picture challenge so I'll post that at the end of March.
And I'm going to be of Facebook for 2 weeks starting on Sunday.
That is going to be very interesting.
But I'm sure being at the beach will help with week 2. :)
I absolutely can't wait to go.

standing still

Do you ever feel like you're standing completely and utterly still and everyone around you is moving at lightning speed?
Like you're watching everyone accomplish all of they're hopes and dreams.
While.you.do.ABSOLUTELY.NOTHING.
Maybe someone out there knows how this feels too.

3%

What do these two things have in common??




There's carbonation in diet coke?
They're both delicious?
Well... yes..... but they have one more thing in common.....

I have not had ANY carbonated beverages in one month (and one day as of today!)!!!!!!

This is a huge accomplishment for me because I kid you not when I say that normally I could have drank a 2 liter in less than 24 hours.
I'm really excited about it and I hope to continue with it for as long as I can.
PLUS, I got to mark something off my list.
So I am officially 3% done.
Yippee?
I still have a super long way to got but I'm way happy about where I am now!!!

On a different note, I didn't get anymore postcards this week.
Which is a bummer!!!!
BBBUUUTTTTTT
in EXACTLY one month, I will be sitting in the sandy beach in Destin!!!
CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

2 more, 95 to go.

In the past 3 days, I have gotten 2 more postcards. :D
It's way exciting to go to the mailbox and find cool postcards.
I got this one on Monday from Belarus.



And this on one Tuesday from Russia.



I think I'm going to start making a scrapbook to keep all of them.
So far I have 5, so only 95 left to go.

Today I cleaned out the pantry for the 3rd time in a row.
AND tomorrow I get to cross something off my list!!!!!!!!!!!
FINALLY!!!!
I'll let you know what it is tomorrow. :)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Last week FLEW by.
Which made me super happy because it meant that I got to see this guy!!!


It was one very long month without him.
The saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" is completely, 100% true.
There's absolutely nothing in the world like seeing someone you love after a long period of time.
It was the best 14 hours in a very long time.
We didn't do anything super exciting.
It was a typical Raleigh/Lizzie weekend...
Bowling, games, and our mandatory trip to Target(of course).
And then this morning he took me out to a Valentine's brunch since we won't actually get to see each other on Valentine's.
Fortunately, I'll get to see him next weekend as he runs his 3rd half-marathon.
I'm BEYOND proud of him. I never thought we would be doing stuff like this.
But the fact that we are makes me see that we're serious about our health and really want to get back on track towards a healthy weight.
And even though I'm not doing this race, I absolutely plan on doing one again this year. :)
But until it warms up outside so I can start training again, I plan on completing my 200 sit-up challenge.
I finished Week 2 this week and let me tell you, it's definitely getting harder!
I have no clue how I'm going to complete next week, much less week 6.
But I guess I'll face that when I get there, and just take it one day at a time.

On a more exciting note, I got 2 postcards this week.
Which I'm really happy about because it starts to get pretty sad when you check the mailbox everyday and there's nothing.
This one is from Australia.


And this one is from the United Kingdom.


Aren't they super cool!
I really hope I get more this week.
Only 97 more until I can cross it off my Day Zero Project list. :)

Yippee!!!!!

This has been a very good weekend!!
Friday I finished my first week of the 200 sit-up challenge.
Don't know what that is???
Check it out at www.twohundredsitups.com
My stomach was so sore the next day, but that didn't stop me from going to bootcamp at 8:00 am.
And that certainly didn't stop our instructor from making us do 45 situps with planks in between.
But I felt absolutely amazing after going, just like I always do. :)
When I got home, I shower then went grocery shopping with my parents so on our way home, I bought a puzzle.
I've been itching to cross something else off my day zero list.
So as soon as I got home, I got started and 3 hours later.....



I have to admit that my mom and dad helped a bit, but who could say no when all the pieces look the same?

In the middle of putting the puzzle together my dad went to check the mail and there was a surprise waiting for me!!
I've been checking the mail everyday for a week and half and of course the one day I don't check.....A POSTCARD ARRIVED FOR ME!!!
I was so excited, I started jumping up and down screaming.
It came all the way from Spain from a guy named Marcos.
It's really cool to realize that this is happening. :)
Here's a picture of my very first postcard :) (only 99 more to go)



Isn't it so super cool?
I can't wait to get more. Who knows where they'll come from.

On another note, I spent most of my day outside today, which is pretty rare for me.
I've never been an outdoorsy person but since I've lost some weight, I seem to have much more energy and am willing to do things I normally hate.
So I helped my mom clean out flower bed and move trees.
It was actually very relaxing and nice to get some fresh air.
AAANNNDDDDDDD
Mom pointed out that the tree Raleigh and I planted last summer is going to bloom this spring!!!!
I will make sure to post pictures when it does.
I've never actually had a plant that I planted stay alive.
Definitely a first! But hopefully not the last. :)

I hope you had a GREAT weekend!