Wednesday, January 23, 2013

A Real Love Story

Today Eric and I walked downstairs to say our last goodbyes before he walked into the cold and headed back to the airport for another week. It was cold and snowy so I didn't walk him to the train; instead I hugged him, kissed him, answered his "I love you" with my own, and waved to him from the lobby as he wheeled his suitcase behind him, out of sight. I sighed, felt a pang in my heart, and then I did what I do every time he leaves-- tried my best to just keep living my life by myself. I checked my mailbox, and when I asked the girl at the front desk if I had a package, she nodded. As she got it out of the closet for me, she said "You two almost made me cry; it was like I was watching a movie right in front of me!"

Every time Eric goes to work it's hard; and for a split second, her comments made it even more painful to know he was leaving. But only for a split second.

I answered, "He's a pilot, and we do this every week. But it's totally worth it." I smiled and headed back upstairs to my apartment.

Living my life day to day I never forget how much I love my boyfriend. But there are moments when I remember how powerful that love is. In the 2 1/2 years (on February 13) we've been together, I have learned that there is a difference between love and real love. Before I met Eric, I knew what love was. I had experienced love. But Eric has taught me real love. Throughout our relationship we have experienced the kind of days where every second is exciting and full of smiling and laughter, and we've also had those days where things are dark and they're so hard, and it takes every ounce of strength to make the relationship work. I wouldn't trade one single day, whether it was easy or hard.

I only wish I'd met him sooner.






Sunday, January 20, 2013

Stuffed Zucchini

As you may have read, one of my goals for this year is to stay on top of my healthy eating so I can reach my target weight. I'm not trying to do anything drastic, just get a little more slim so I feel more confident come shorts and dress season. I was very good over the course of 2012, I lost 10 pounds doing basically nothing but portion control, but I sort of quit paying attention around November and gained half of it back. Oops!

Seeing as how this year mostly consists of me completing my Master's thesis, managing my habits is a little challenging. One of the ways I've been maximizing my efforts is by using an app called "Lose It!". This app is pretty straight-forward: you enter your height and weight, your target weight, and your frequency of exercise and it'll create a calorie budget for you. Every day I track what I eat (calories AND nutritional information) as well as how I exercise. This has helped me tremendously, partially by reminding me of proper portions, and partially because I know that if I get up and lift some weights for a bit I'll earn enough calories to "pay" for an extra snack or dessert.

In order to stick to my calorie budget I've slowly been cutting back on carbs (nothing drastic, just one less serving every few days or so) and substituting vegetables. This isn't so much of a dieting move as it is a lifestyle change. Two years ago I got my veggies from Spaghettios-- tonight I had two types of veggies and no grains at dinner, so I've come a long way, people! It's become a lot easier to incorporate veggies now that I have picked up a variety of ways to cook my favorite ones.


This is a recipe I tried for the first time tonight and it's definitely going to become a regular member of my vegetable club. It's very quick (about 5 minutes) and easy, super delicious, and you can completely change the flavor to suit your mood (and not get bored with it) just by swapping a few ingredients. Check it out!

Stuffed Zucchini



First I preheated the oven to 375. I sliced 1 zucchini in half lengthwise and scooped out the flesh. I chopped this up and put it in a small bowl. Then I added 1/4 cup diced tomato, a few shakes of garlic powder, some chopped onion, about 1/4 cup toasted breadcrumbs, a handful of chopped parsley, and a little cheese (you can use whatever kind you like). I mixed this all up and then spooned it back into the zucchini halves. This went into the oven for about 15 minutes and it came out delicious.

This recipe really is satisfying and filling, and it's a great way to get carbs that won't stick to your butt. Plus it looks super impressive, so you can make this for your next party or gathering if you're trying to make a statement about how awesome you are. It's what I plan to do. Enjoy!

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Self-Improvements

Happy 2013, everyone!

I am woefully behind on my posts, I know. I basically went on break for a month and sort of checked out of all things not pertaining to TV, traveling, and Christmas with family. It was actually pretty awesome. However, I'm now back in Chicago, ready for school to start this coming Monday, so I'm trying to get everything back to normal. Today has been a day of grocery shopping and catching up on laundry, and later I'll be working on my thesis.

Right now, though, I want to share a little bit about my plans for this year. These are not resolutions-- these are plans. If you know me personally, you know that I packed and referred to my planner while on vacation. It's who I am. By making plans for the year, I feel that I can sort of map out my moves to accomplish my goals.

This year's goals are:
1. Stay inside my budget parameters each month. Last year this was really difficult because I lacked discipline, and I also had many unexpected expenses like car repairs and x-rays that I couldn't neglect.
2. Stay under 135 pounds. This is a very comfortable weight for me and I sort of ignored my proper eating habits over the holidays. I'm already working toward that 135 mark, and my plan is to stay below it.
3. Become closer to Eric. It's been a tough 2012 for us, with job changes and separate time zones and month-long periods without seeing each other. We have remained committed and invested, but of course we have also faced challenges. I think it's already brought us closer to overcome those challenges together, and it feels great, so I'd like to find small ways to strengthen our relationship even more.

I'm excited to see how well I can stick to my goals, and I'll be updating here periodically. In the meantime, I'm going to go get my laundry out of the dryer, prep a few meals, and get a little closer to my graduation this May.