Friends Forever.

Truth be told, the girl in the above photo is truly one of my favorite people on the face of the planet. We have been friends since the first month of freshmen year of college. This girl makes me laugh more than most people ever will and I am so thankful for the past 9 years of friendship. We are highly inappropriate, make crude jokes, and cuss to be funny all the time. If people ever read our text messages they might question our salvation. Luckily I'm a Calvinist ;)

In July she moved to DC, which made me SO happy! She took me to the White House when I went to visit her in October, and we saw Obama... (not really) but we did drink some Shiner beer, ate good food, and had lots of laughs. She's coming to see me this weekend and I'm stoked.

My life is richly blessed with great people. Boom.

Two years in the books.

I started my journey of a lifetime commitment to health and fitness TWO years ago today. To date I've lost 90+ pounds and I truly can't believe the progress I have made. It's been unbelievable. I've been committed, I've worked really really hard, and at the end of the day I don't make any excuses for myself. One good friend told me last night "You were hiding behind your body for so long, but now you are truly who you were made to be." I am thankful. I am worth it and that's why I fight for this every single day.

This also marks about 16 months of being in 'maintenance' which experts say maintenance is just as hard as the actually losing process. It's been a year of adjustment since I moved across the country, but God gives me the strength and energy to keep pursuing this life. I LOVE it. And I can't complain that I get to spin next to celebrities at SoulCycle or run through the trails of Central Park. I've also learned that this whole health/fitness life is a lot about balance. I don't work out twice a day anymore or log in every single calorie I intake, but I try to maintain a good balance in all aspects to not go overboard, but to still enjoy my life.

I have THREE goals over the next 12 months:

1. Continue to maintain my weight-loss by eating healthy foods and exercising 4-5 times a week.
2. Get stronger/leaner
3. Train and complete a FULL Marathon. (26.2 miles: I'm coming AFTER you)

Thanks for the support the past 24 months, friends. Love you all.

I ran a Half Marathon. #NBD

About a month ago, my friend Morgan and I ran the Philly Half Marathon. Although I had trained with one of my FAVORITE people ever, Sara aka Rooms, she had to fly to Texas to be with her family and was unable to run with me. Luckily I wasn't left alone and Morgan came to support and run with me! Yay!


Earlier this summer I decided I wanted to train for a half marathon because I was beginning to get bored with my workouts. I had two goals. A) Run the whole time B) Finish under 2:30. I smashed both of those goals. My next goal is to finish in under 2 hrs. I attest my performance solely to my dedication to my training plan. When I do something I'm either all in or not. Boom.


I'm a Texan, and FULL of Texas pride. I'm fully in the zone here. Love it!

Over and out. See ya next month! :)

Good morning!

I never thought I'd be one of those girls who wakes up before 6 am to get in a good run, but maybe I need to come to terms with the fact that I am indeed becoming one of those girls. And with a view like this, I don't plan to stop anytime soon.

When I was running and saw the sunrise I couldn't help but to remind myself that His mercies are new every morning. What a gift we've been given each day. The Lord is so good to me.

Brownwood Besties.

I've known these ladies since I was in the 6th Grade! We've been great friends since then and I'm so thankful for friends from my hometown. We've been through so much together and though we don't see each other that often, it is ALWAYS so good when we do. We were together for a weekend back in July to celebrate Hillary's (in the middle) new little bundle of joy that will join us in October! Yay! Friends forever!

"Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold."

Blue Bell.

I found a bakery in the East Village that not only sells Blue Bell Ice Cream, but GIVES IT AWAY FOR FREE with your Texas ID.

I win.

We were pumped. The end.

Fan Four.

There is really NOTHING BETTER than: Best friends, Texas, and Hula Hut.

Already miss them.

Luckily one moves to the City in less than week!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Free to live.

You don't have to live forever, you just have to live.
Thankful that I have the freedom to live in Christ each day.

Making new friends...

.... No Big deal.

Dear Blog: I have not forgotten you. I will write and share a funny story soon. I promise.

Love,

Leti

The EGYPT girls.

.... Reunited and it feels SOOOOOO good! So another reason I went to Texas a couple of weeks ago was to see one of my dearest friends, Cara, get married to her long-time love, Erik! It was a beautiful wedding and I'm so thankful to have gotten to be there to see Cara and the rest of the girls from my amazing team. We've been friends since October of 2008 and have remained good friends since. It's not often that a group of women this diverse just hit it off the way we did, but it's only something that God could have done. These women have blessed my life in more ways that I can begin to recount. I love each of them deeply. Skipper (on the far right) said, "It just feels like home when we are together." I couldn't agree more. Love these girls!

Myself with Cara's pretty little sisters! Such awesome girls.

The stars at night are big and bright...

• DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!

Reasons I love TEXAS!

• The four ladies in the picture above.
  
• My family is there.
  
• I don't have to wear tights, and I can wear dresses as seen above.
• Texas BBQ/ Tex-Mex
• The awesome weather
• The southern hospitality
• I get to drive everywhere!
  
• And the list goes on and on...
  

Miami.

The first weekend of March was upon us and Sara and I decided to jet set to Miami for the weekend. NO BIG DEAL. Before any of you begin to roll your eyes (admit you want to) this was our 'reward' to ourselves for successfully making it through our first winter in the Northeast. Let me tell you, it was NOT easy. In fact it's not really even officially over as Mr. Snow decided to make an appearance (uninvited) last week again. The snow is also on the forecast for this Friday. When will the temperatures be steadily above 50 degrees? One can only hope it's soon or I'm going to go crazy and my next weekend getaway might be to Aruba or something of the like.... stop judging me! But seriously this trip was SO much fun and just what my little soul needed after the craziness I endure everyday in NYC. We had no agenda, but instead just relaxed, tanned (or I did at least ;) ) , ate good food, and enjoyed being away! I love this girl so much and we typically have a good time no matter where we are! This trip was a huge blessing for sure.

The ABC game!

I read a ton of food/health/weightloss/healthy eating blogs and all of them seem to be playing the ABC Game. I thought I'd join! Enjoy knowing random facts about me :)

A. Age: 27. Really? How did I get to be in my late twenties? When did this happen? How can I make it stop?

B. Bed size: Full, but I'll soon be downgrading to a twin when I share a room, with Rooms!

C. Chore you hate: Putting away laundry. It's always been a pet peeve of mine. When I was younger (and also when I was in college) my mom washed/folded my clothes for me. Today I have a laundry lady (stop rolling your eyes) and she too washes and folds my clothes, but I just HATE putting them away! Don't judge.

D. Dogs: They are great. I miss my Colty Wolty!

E. Essential start to your day: Breakfast, and a prayer to get me through another CRAAZY day in NYC.

F. Favorite color: Burnt Orange, Red, and Purple... ok that was three. Sorry!

G. Gold or silver: Mostly silver, although I've been wearing a new ring that's gold and has the Lord's prayer on it. My silver rings are all too big for my fingers right now. Boo!

H. Height: 5’8

I. Instruments you play: Zero. I have zero musical talents.

J. Job title: Admissions Associate and Full Time Student. I have two titles. I'm not special.

K. Kids: They are cute. Do I want any? Not currently!

L. Live: New York! Duh. With one of the greatest gals I've ever met. Ever!

M. Mom’s name: Amelia.

N. Nicknames: Leti, Tish, and a million other names that people randomly make up for me.

O. Overnight hospital stays: One, as a child.

P. Pet peeve: People who don't call me back/email me back/ text message me back.

Q. Quote from a movie: "I'm in love, I'm in love, and I don't care who knows it."- Buddy The Elf

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: Youngest of 8. Yes, 8. 5 sister and 2 brothers. Love the fam!

T. Time you wake up: 8-9am, depending on the day. Yup, I get to sleep pretty late for being a 'adult'. What does that even mean?

U. Underwear: Umm.. what?

V. Vegetables you dislike: Mushrooms and lima beans. Sickkkkk

W. What makes you run late: The stupid train. I HATE being late to places, so I always leave early but sometimes MTA likes to ruin my life.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth.

Y. Yummy food you make: I'm not much of a chef but I've been toying around with more recipes lately. This week I made a chicken pot pie and a peanut butter pie. Yes, it was a pie themed night. My roommate ate them with no complaints so I'll put those in the 'Win' column for now.

Z. Zoo- favorite animal: Elephant, Lion, zebra... why can't I just have one favorite? I dont know.

Happy Saturday, folks!

Stamp of Approval

It's been a while since I've done some stamps of approval (Melinda's recent post inspired me!)

Up first,

I'll admit- I was a little afraid of this cereal upon my purchase. Fiber twigs? Eww. But alas after eating it the past week I've started to LOVE it! It's perfect because it's cereal (my favorite) and it makes you super full. A big plus! One cup of this, one small banana, and a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond (silk) milk is 235 calories combined. Ummm hi awesome breakfast!

Up next is my newest (and by new I mean super new because I just had this for the first time tonight) is spaghetti squash! You just puncture it a few times and put it in a dish, bake for 1 hours, scoop out the seeds, then with a fork take out the spaghetti 'noodles'. I topped it with 1/2 cup of Organic spaghetti sauce and it was the BEST DINNER EVER! OMG. One cup of this stuff is like 45 calories. It's like your eating a big bowl of pasta without the carbs! WIN!
Last, but certainly not least, is my new favorite wine (don't worry Resiling I still like you too), Lambrusco! I had NEVER enjoyed any sort of Red wine until my Rooms introduced this goodness to me on my birthday. Needless to say we've polished off a few couple bottles since. Whoops :) I love our wine and chats at night. We are so fun!

That's all I've got for today.

Over and out.

Garrett Hedlund sings "Chances Are" from COUNTRY STRONG

After our dinner we went to see Country Strong to remember our roots :) Needless to say it was AWESOME and Garrett Hedlund was super dreamy. I love the city and kinda consider myself a city gal, but a guy who can rock a cowboy hat and sing is pretty awesome :)

Roommate Night! Go big or Home!

Our free dessert! :)

Rooms was a big fan of these!

My favorite, roommate!

Ridiculous!

Pre-dinner drink at the bar, don't mind if I DO!

I mean we live in the greatest city in the US... so naturally we went out BIG last night. Because we never do that.... no really we don't ever go this fancy. But it was SO MUCH FUN!

We were wined and dined at Primehouse Steakhouse on Park Avenue! It was amazing. My friend, Ema, is a pastry chef there, and another friend is a bartender. Needless to say knowing 'people' definitely has it's perks in a swanky place like this! Trust me :) If you are ever in NYC, I highly recommend this place. Awesome food, and atmosphere! Cheers!

Motivation.

One of my best friends, Camille, sent me an email with pictures in October to remind me of how far I've come.

I don't know that person in the top picture anymore. It's so bizarre to me. I spent a good amount of time tonight reflecting and looking at old pictures of who I use to be.

Never going back. NEVER. Keep on keeping on: Every single day!

" Believe in yourself, trust the process, change forever. "- Bob Harper

The family!

Here are 7 of 8 of us. We're awesome. The end.

Dinner of Champs!

In an effort to get back on the healthy wagon (I had fallen slightly off for a while) I began counting calories again today! I feel most in sync with my health when I know exactly what I'm putting into my body. It just feels good to eat good food, and not crap food full of sugar! I can typically eat realatively healthy throughtout the day but the sweet treats and late night sugar fest were getting OUT OF HAND! I put an end to that today.

Here's the game plan:
1. Counting Calories
2. Hitting the gym/exercise hard
3. Eating clean/whole foods
4. NO sweet treats till Spring Break (or later...)

As Bob says on Biggest Loser: 'STAND UP AND FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED!"

I really really want to lose 10 pounds and hit my goal of losing 100 pounds by the summer. I can do it!And I also welcomed backed JILLIAN into my life. I have missed you protein shakes. I really have!

Happy healthy eating! Let's GO!

Rooms!

The only bad thing about being gone from The Empire State for 3 and half weeks was not getting to see my awesome ROOMS, Sara! Words on this little computer screen can't articulate how much of a blessing this girl is in my life. There is no one I'd rather be doing life with on a daily basis right now, as she is just so much fun! In a couple of months we are going to have the privilege to share a room! haha! Earlier on my blog I had mentioned that I'd only be living here until Sara's actual roommate, Janell, moved to NY. Well in December we both decided that me moving was a terrible idea and therefore decided to share a room! YAY!!!

Jesus knew exactly what He was doing when He made us friends. So thankful.

Reasons why she is awesome:
1. We are the SAME (yes i'm awesome too). We say the same things, like the same foods, finish each others sentences, etc. Sometimes it's a little scary/weird how alike we are.
2. She's from Texas and therefore shares my same love for the Great State. We both miss queso, good mexican food, and Tiff's treats!
3. She makes me LAUGH so much everyday!
4. She's a great cook, baker, etc. (This is both good and bad for me!)
5. She's selfless and serves others and me so well. (Remember that time she's going to share a room with me and give her own space just for me?)
6. She loves me really really well! (this is different than #5)
7. She knows me so well already and we've only been friends for a few months.
8. She's a GREAT source of accountability and offers encouragement and prayers, without hesitation. This sort of community is SO rare to find. Why am I so lucky? I'll never know...
9. She loves Jesus and it's so evident!
10. She's just such a great friend. Hands down.

Love you Rooms. Thanks for putting up with my craziness! :)

Hook'em

As you can clearly see I have ALWAYS been a horn fan. Hook'em Forever (despite the ridiculous, awful, long football season we had in 2010) Hopeful for 2011 and my fellow Brownwoodian, Jaxson Shipley to do some damage as a receiver!

GO HORNS!

Mexico!

100 years old! Here's to hoping I have her good genes :)

They deemed this table, Las Guapas! haha! The cute girls.

One brother and one sister. Missing one brother and four sisters!

Mis Primas!

I went to Mexico over Christmas to visit my mom's family AND to celebrate my grandma's 100th Birthday! It was so great to spend time with all of my extended cousins and to relax, sleep, and eat good food :)

Birthday in Austin :)

These are a few pics from my birthday party, Austin, Texas style! I love all of these people more than words and am so thankful for their faithful prayers and support for my move to The Big Apple. I truly don't know what I would without them. Love you all!