Married in Chicago

Weight Loss

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 17:57:00 +0000

I've probably lost and gained a gazillion pounds in my life. Every time I lose weight I think that it will finally be for good--that this time my new eating habits will stick. But, they never do and the weight creeps back on until I decide to lose weight again. This time around I'd like to have a different outcome--I'd like to lose weight and not gain it back.

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Albert Einstin is credited with saying that the hallmark of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So, I guess I need to change my behavior to get a different result.

With this in mind, I thought I'd take some time to identify what I've done in the past that might have contributed to regaining weight. If I can pinpoint what I do that leads me to regain weight, I can work to change them, right?

So far, I've come up with three big ones, but I'm sure there are more.

I stop weighing myself. When I am losing weight I weigh myself everyday. It helps me stay motivated and regulate my eating. If I haven't lost any weight, then I know that I'm eating too much and/or not burning enough calories. But, when I'm not actively trying to lose weight I stop weighing myself regularly. This means that I might not even realize if I've gained five to seven pounds. Then, once I've realized I've gained weight, I still avoid the scale because it is the bearer of bad news.

Ideally, I think it would be best if I continued to weigh myself everyday or every other day. I don't want to obsess about every miniscule fluctuation, but I do want to be able to catch myself regaining before the amount I have to lose gets overwhelming. It is much easier to lose three pounds than it is to lose twenty pounds. Even if I allow myself to overindulge too much, if I can recognize weight gain and use it as a signal to return to "diet mode" I shouldn't regain all of the weight I lost.

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I rationalize anything and everything.

"Peanut butter has lots of protein"

"Nuts are the good kind of fat."

"A small dessert every night is part of eating in moderation. It isn't good to deny yourself"
"Cheese is good for you in small quantities."

"I have to eat to stay awake in class."

"It is okay to have a huge portion of x, it is homemade and healthy."

"It is okay to indulge, its a celebration."

"It is okay to indulge, I had a hard day."

"It is okay to indulge, we are at a new/special/delicious restaurant."

"It is okay to indulge, I'm going to eat really healthy tomorrow."

"It is okay to indulge, I've been so good all day/all week."

"It's just 250 calories. No big deal."

"A five pound increase is no big deal. Weight naturally fluctuates."

I think it can be tricky to find a balance here. Because its not like it is never okay to indulge in some comfort food after a long day, but rationalizing everything all the time is problematic. I think the first step is to work on recognizing when I am doing this in the moment because if I have to rationalize it to myself, I probably shouldn't be eating it!

I "forget" that its about calories in versus calories out. This is something I did when I first made my new years resolution to lose weight. Instead of focusing on calories in versus calories out, I started focusing on cutting out preservatives, avoiding prepackaged foods, drinking more water and less soda, etc. Eating whole foods is certainly healthier, but eating these sorts of food will not automatically result in weight loss. Pizza is not all of a sudden diet friendly just because it is homemade (unfortunately). Ideally, I think healthy eating is a mixture of being mindful of calorie intake and what the food is made from. I'm pretty good at thinking about what I put into my body, but I need to remember that for losing weight the final number is what counts.

oh avocados, you are delicious and healthy.

but, you are more than 300 hundred calories

Can you help me think of any other ways that I might sabotage my weight loss? How do you keep yourself from gaining weight? I'm not too far away from reaching my weight-loss goal and I really want to have a solid plan for how I will keep the weight off.

xoxoxox
Alisha

Try This On For Size

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:36:00 +0000

Recently, the word "modesty" has been rolling around my head.

The clothes I naturally gravitate towards tend to be relatively conservative in the amount of skin they show. I don't like to wear skirts, dresses, or shorts that go much above my knees and I always wear a cardigan over something that is sleeveless. I'm not into showing lots of cleavage (not that I have much) or wearing super tight clothing. I think wearing leggings as pants (without a long shirt to cover the bum and upper thighs) is too revealing and I'm really not into wearing alluring/provocative/sexy clothing.

This dress from gap is something I would try on.

The length isn't too short and it has sleeves.

I realize this sounds judgmental, but I'm sometimes baffled by how much skin other women choose to show. I swear I see some shorts out there that barely cover more than underwear.

j. crew's 3' chino shorts show too much leg for me

I wasn't raised in a household that emphasized modest dress and it was never something I really gave much thought to, so I'm surprised to find that I lean to conservative dress. Even though my taste or preference tends to be on the modest side, I'm still not quite sure what my beliefs are on dressing modestly. Is it important? What does it symbolize? Would I give up wearing something I want to wear because it shows more skin? What does it mean if I or someone else dress immodestly?

What are your thoughts on modesty and clothing?

Blogging Burnout

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:12:00 +0000

Is there a blogging burnout support group out there? If so, I desperately need to attend. At the end of May, I got so burned out on blogging that I considered deleting my blog. Now that I've recuperated a bit, I realize that I don't really want to give up blogging, but I do need to alter my approach.

When I started blogging it was a way for me to write about whatever was going through my mind. I wrote about whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I wrote for myself. As I started reading more blogs and getting a sense of what I liked and didn't like in a blog, I started to approach my blog differently. I started to write for other people and I started to worry about being part of a blogging community.

So, I began to spend more and more time trying to develop my blog. There were some weeks when I probably spent fifteen hours on blog related activities! Do you know it takes probably takes me an hour just to comment on five blogs? (Twitter tangent: I joined twitter to get more connected to the blogging community and I loved it, at first. Then, I started to feel guilty and inadequate when I wasn't on twitter more. I'm still really confused about how lots of people manage to be on twitter all day every day, but I just have to accept that I do not have the sort of life that allows for that.)

But, as more people started reading my blog (and I realized family members were reading it), I started to censor myself more. It got to the point where I didn't even feel like I could write about what was truly going on in my life.

Spending too much time writing posts that don't even feel real to me = blogging burnout.

I think this was a good wake up call. Quite honestly, blogging isn't one of my primary goals. Unlike so many of the bloggers I read, I have no desire to become a full-time blogger. Nor am I using blogging to break into the wedding planning business, become a wedding photographer, fuel my designs, get my writing discovered, or fill some sort of void. I work hard in graduate school so that I can get my PhD and become a clinical psychologist, the career I've dreamed of ever since I was in seventh grade. If anything, blogging is actually antithetical to this goal.

So, I'm reclaiming this blog and my time. I may not post as regularly and I won't be able to comment as much on your blogs, but when I do it will be real. I hope that you will like this new blogging me, but realistically I know that these changes will probably mean that my posts will get fewer comments and I will have fewer readers. This is a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

How real are you on your blog? How do you manage blogging with everything else going on in your life? Have you ever experienced blogging burnout?

xoxox

Alisha

June: A Month in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:13:00 +0000

So . . . hi. My name is Alisha and I used to blog here. And then I stopped and didn’t come back for a long time.

And, actually I’m not really sure that I’m back.

But, I promised myself that I would check in about my new years resolutions each month to keep myself accountable. So, here I am. I hope some of you are still out there, reading.

Source: lightsandsparkles.tumblr.com via Alisha on Pinterest

+My first resolution is to get healthy. For the first five months of 2011 I didn’t make any headway, but I had a turning point towards the end of May. I joined a gym, started working out, and sticking to a diet. I hoped that in June I would continue to work out four times a week and lose 10 pounds. I am quite excited to say that I met this goal! Its been pretty easy to get back into the routine of going to the gym and I like the way exercise makes me feel. Dieting has been hard and I certainly haven’t been perfect (whatever that is), but having Neill’s support has made it do-able. Not keeping junk food in the house and giving up take-out has made a huge difference. My goals for July are to continue going to the gym four times a week and to continue to watch my calorie intake. Next month, I want to be able to report back that I’ve lost another seven pounds.

+My second resolution is to finish my master’s degree. And guess what? I can officially cross this goal off the list because I am DONE baby. Done Done Done. On June 14th I gave my committee members my thesis paper, on June 21st I defended and PASSED, between June 22nd-June 29th I made the requested edits, and on June 30th I officially turned in my thesis to the graduate school. Now, all I have to do is sit back and wait for my degree to come!

+Another goal is to make more time for my VIPs. I think the month of June was a big failure in this realm. Between my two summer classes, rushing to finish my thesis, making time for the gym, and avoiding restaurant food I barely saw anyone this month. While there is a part of me that feels guilty about this, another part of me is happy that I took the time I needed. I don’t want to apologize for putting myself first. That being said, I would like to make more time for my family this month. I miss my mom :(

+ My final goal is to be financially responsible. I don’t really have much to report on this. Money is always tight for me in the summer since I only get paid during the school year so I’ve been feeling extra thrifty. I guess this is the perfect time to give up eating at restaurants then, huh? I did do some online research and found a financial planner to meet with, but than I never actually called him to make an appointment. I guess my goal for July is to finally call this guy and set up a meeting.

And that’s all folks! Thanks for sticking with me through my new years resolutions updates. Writing these posts really help me stay committed.

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend!

xoxox
Alisha

In Bed, Under the Covers

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:54:00 +0000

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Tiffany on Pinterest

I feel badly that I've been neglecting my blog lately. And I feel even worse that I've been neglecting all of your wonderful blogs. I won't even tell you how many read posts I've starred in my reader with the intention of returning to leave a comment. Its a lot. I'm sorry. I promise that I will be back and commenting soon.

On the bright side, I've been MIA for good reason. My thesis defense is officially scheduled. I have two weeks before I have to give a copy of my final document to my committee members and so I've been expending lots of energy worrying about that.

My summer classes have also been keeping me busy. I'm in class everyday of the week except Friday. One of the classes I'm taking is a class on group therapy. So far, I've found it really interesting. I think when I'm licensed I'd really like to run groups so I am trying to soak up as much information as possible.

Working out has also been taking up time that was previously reserved for blogging. There are times when I don't want to go the gym, but I just tell myself that it doesn't matter whether I want to or not because I have to. The other day Jenna posted about her weight loss and while I do not agree with everything she said/recommends, I did appreciate this little part of her post:

Know that it’s going to be hard. And that maybe it will be the focus of your life for a period of time. Once you meet your goals, you get to move on with your life! You won’t regret the hard work for a moment.

Neill and I did manage to take some some time out to celebrate Memorial Day together. Monday was the first really warm and sunny day we had in Chicago and so we enjoyed the weather by taking a long walk around the lake, something that was on my summer bucket list. It was just as much fun as I thought it would be! Chicago's lakefront is truly beautiful and it really gave me a new found appreciation for my city.

I love the water. In my dream world, Neill and I would have a wonderful boat that we could take out onto Lake Michigan.

Navy Pier

One of the best ways to see the city is through a boat tour. If you ever come to Chicago, you absolutely have to go on one. It takes you on the Chicago river and just a little bit into Lake Michigan.

This cute little guy stole someone's snacks

I'm watching the Real Housewives of NYC and I'm reminded about how much I love Jill Zarin. Do you have a favorite real housewife?

May: Month in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:30:00 +0000

At the start of 2011, I challenged myself to develop meaningful New Years Resolutions in many areas of my life. To hold myself accountable and maximize my chances of being successful, I review my successes and failures at the end of every month.

Our trip to Jamaica was the highlight of May

+As I admitted last month, getting healthy had really taken the back burner this year. Even though I said it was one of my resolutions, in reality I wasn't making it a priority. But, realizing this made me motivated to make some changes. I am so ecstatic to say that I have followed through! I joined a gym on May 15th (the day after we returned from Jamaica) and I've been consistently working out since then. It took me five full months to go back to the gym and I'm so proud of myself! With exercise and dieting I've also lost five pounds! I know the key is to continue on this path and so my goal for June is to continue to work out four times a week and lose ten pounds.

+My next resolution is to finish my master's degree. May was quite a productive month for me and I think I accomplished everything on my to-do list. I reviewed my results to make sure I completed the analyses correctly, met with my advisor about my discussion section, finished a second draft of my discussion section, and finished my methods section. I also submitted my thesis for a format check and I have started to schedule my defense with my committee. Right now, it looks like I might be defending June 21st. Crazy soon! My goals this month are to do a final draft of my discussion section, edit the entire document as needed, schedule my defense, distribute my final copy to my readers, make my power point slides, pass my defense, and make any necessary changes my committee requests. The final final final version is due to the graduate school on July 1st and so a lot of work needs to get done between now and then. I have faith in myself that I will be able to pull this off, but I am a little nervous about managing all of this and continuing to work-out. The challenge for me will me to do both.

+My third goal for 2011 is to make time for my VIPs. In some ways I've succeeded at this and in other ways I failed. Neill and I got to spend time with lots of his family when we were in Jamaica and we also obviously spent lots of time together. Win, win.

family

But, since we've gotten back I don't think I've done such a good job. I've made time for some of my friends, but I've also declined invitations and not been as proactive about organizing things as I had hoped to be. Working out, being on a diet, and working like mad on my thesis make it hard to be a social butterfly. I just don't have the energy or the time. Since my thesis has such a hard deadline and I also really need to focus on losing weight, I'm giving myself permission to let this goal take the back seat. My goals for June are to have a wonderful one-year anniversary celebration with Neill and to plan a nice birthday celebration for my mom.

+Lastly, my fourth resolution is to be financially responsible. I don't have much to report on this. It's been hard for us to give up credit cards completely, but we've made a concerted effort to pay them off in full. In June, I'd like to look into finding a financial adviser.

How is everyone else doing with their resolutions? Any awesome successes you'd like to share? What are some things you are looking forward to accomplishing in June? Do you have any advice on how to juggle dieting with spending time with loved ones?

One Year Anniversary Gift Ideas: Paper

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:11:00 +0000

The hubs and I are in the middle of planning our one year anniversary and so I've been a busy bee researching gift ideas. We are planning to stick with the traditional give idea of paper, so it has been a challenge to find gifts that are still personal. I thought I'd share some of my favorite ideas :)

Savings Bond

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This might seem unromantic at first, but I think the symbolism of waiting for a bond to mature to full value is sweet. Plus, then you could cash it in on your thirty year anniversary and do something fun with the money!

Two 8 X 10 print's by Nicole Cohen of Sketch42

I think art is a wonderful way to get creative with a gift of paper. I've followed Nicole's blog for awhile and love her dreamy paintings. But, they are way out of my price range. So, I was so excited when she started to sell photographs of her paintings! I love the colors she uses and I think a set of two 8 X 10s hanging next to each other in crisp white frames would look phenomenal. She has a lot of different options, but these two are my favorite. I think there is something romantic and whimsical about them.

Night Sky Print

Indigo Night has come up with such a cool idea! If you tell them the place and date, they can recreate what the night sky looked like from that location on that specific date. I think a print of the night sky from your wedding day would be such a romantic gift.

Tickets to a Show

Neill and I don't go to shows too often, but when we do we always have such a good time. Well, except that time we went to the opera and I likened it to being tortured, but I'm willing to try it again. Tickets to dance, plays, and musicals would be a great gift because it is something we could do together.

Personalized Anniversary Memory Album

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I love the idea of having a special book to record how we celebrate each wedding anniversary and it would be so easy to design something on a site like blurb. The cover could be an engagement or weddings photos and then each page could have something like "June 12, 2060: 50th Wedding Anniversary" (how weird is it to think about the year 2060?). Then there could be a few questions with blank space left for us to fill in the answers.

Photo Album of our Relationship

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For our one year anniversary Neill and I made a photo album together and we planned to update it every year. Lovely idea right? We thought so too. But, unfortunately we never kept up with it. Sifting through all of the photos that we've taken over the years would be quite a daunting task, but the end result would be so worth it.

Canvas Print of a Wedding Photo

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Neill and I don't have any of our wedding photos hung and so it would be lovely to have one of our favorite photos printed on a canvas.

Love Art

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I've got to admit, this is something that I've wanted since I created our bedroom design board back in November. I love the simplicity of this piece and the romantic message. I planned to attempt a DIY version of this piece, but let's be honest - I'm just not a DIY girl.

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Do any of these strike your fancy? What is the best anniversary present you have ever received? How did you and your hubby celebrate your one year anniversary?

xoxo

Little Lists

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Wed, 25 May 2011 19:31:00 +0000

Dear readers,

I apologize, but today's post is going to be all about me. I must be having a very narcissistic day.

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A while ago Joelle, one of my best blogging friends, tagged me to write about my ten favorite things. I think this list probably changes depending on what is going on in my life, but currently here are the ten things that top my list.

1. My husband

This seems pretty self-explanatory and obvious, right? But, it felt weird to make a list of my favorite things and NOT have him on it. He is my rock. My best-friend. My partner in crime. Pretty much everything is better when he is around :)

2. A big, juicy hamburger with an egg on top

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I haven't had red meat in a while and damn does a hamburger sound good. Chicago has some awesome hamburger joints, but Kuma's Corner makes an amazing burger on a pretzel bun. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

3. My sigg water bottle

I don't go anywhere without a water bottle! I was brand loyal to nalgene for probably close to ten years, but after I lost my last one I ended up buying a sigg at a Whole Foods. I like that the bottle is slimmer, but I do miss having the top be permanently attached to the bottle. Every morning I have to run around the house like a crazy person looking for the top because I hate leaving the house without a bottle of water!

4.Coffee in the morning

After the alarm goes off I think about drinking coffee to help get me out of bed. That first cup is just bliss. I know eventually I will give up coffee and I think that just makes me enjoy it even more now.

5. My MacBook Pro

There is no getting around this one, I love love love my laptop. I use it every single day and I hate to be away from it :( It is reliable and gorgeous.

6. Pajamas

This is kind of embarrassing, but since we'll friends I'll tell you a little secret. I only wear normal clothes if I'm leaving the house and the second I get home I change back to my comfy clothes. The idea of sitting around at home in jeans makes me shudder! In fact, right now I'm blogging in a pair of boxers and a big comfy t-shirt. How's that for a mental image?

7. Healthy Choice Fudge Bars

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I love all desserts. And dessert loves me. So much so that it likes to stick around in the form of pudge. So, I'm trying to keep my distance from sweets. But, these chocolate ice-cream pops are guilt-free and completely delicious. (Tangent: last weekend I broke my diet and tried black dog gelato. It was fabulous. If you live in Chicago, definitely worth checking out!)

8. Real Housewives

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My guilty television pleasure are the Real Housewives shows on Bravo. I like New York and Orange County the best, but you better believe I watched Atlanta and Beverly Hills too. Pure drama.

9. Travel

I love traveling to different places and getting to see new things. If I had a genie grant me three wishes, I think one of my wishes might be to have a wonderful world-wide journey.

10. My Kindle

Neill just gave me a kindle a few weeks ago, but it has fast become one of my favorite things! I've read ten books on it already! I love easy it makes it to buy books and how light weight it is. I don't get to do any pleasure reading during the school year, so I've really been enjoying my fiction lately. I think the next book I'm going to read is Postmortem.

What are your favorite things?

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The other day Andrea, one of the coolest Chicago bloggers I know, was kind enough to give me the Kreativ Blogger Award. Let me just say that this was ridiculously exciting for me because it is my first blogging award! I'm no longer a blogger award virgin :)

Thank you so much, Andrea! Here are my ten facts about myself:

1. I'm almost constantly on g-chat, but I make myself "invisible" almost half the time. I'm tricky like that.

2. I graduated college in three years.

3. I love head bands

4. When I remember, I like to check my horoscope everyday. (I'm an aries and my husband is a scorpio.)

5. My parents were somewhat older when they had me (my mom was 36 and I'm an only child) and I think that is why I want to have children when I'm on the younger side.

6. I'm not sure if I believe in free will.

7. I absolutely love being a therapist. I can't wait till I'm licensed and I can have my own private practice!

8. I have very liberal political views

9. My bookshelves in the living room are organized by color. I remember what almost every book looks like so I have no problem finding what I'm looking for.

10. I couldn't care less about sports. Like really. Don't care about them at all.

And here are the ten bloggers I'm presenting this award to:

Sprout Through Concrete

Captive Creativity

Pretty Things

Stephanie in Suburbia

Ocean Dreams

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Whew! I've had enough with this all about me business. Please, tell me something about yourself! What are some of your favorite things?

xoxox

Summer Must Haves Swap

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Tue, 24 May 2011 12:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I signed up to do a summer must haves swap on Krysten's blog, After I Do. You better believe I was all over Krysten's idea to randomly pair two people up and have them send each other gifts! Getting a surprise package in the mail filled with goodies just sounded like way too much fun to miss out on.

I was paired with Sierra, who writes the fabulously awesome blog Ocean Dreams. I fell in love with her blog the instant I clicked over to her--she has the perfect balance of eye candy and real, thoughtful content. And, it turns out we have a few things in common! We both love the color turquoise, books, and gummy bears. So, I had a really good time picking out her gift :)

Today, we're each going to write a post about our gifts. I'm going to share what Sierra sent me and she is going to write about what I sent her.

I knew I was in for a treat when I got this fun package in the mail!

While I let the UPS man convince me to stuff everything into a too small envelope that probably arrived a crumpled mess, Sierra took the time to beautifully wrap the items. Isn't that ribbon just too cute?

And the contents did not disappoint! She sent me a blingy pair of earrings, an i-tunes gift-card, lip gloss that smells and tastes so good I'm in danger of trying to eat it on bread, a delicious candle that takes me right back to Jamaica, and the book Something Borrowed.

Didn't Sierra did such a wonderful job picking things out! Everything is just right.

Thank you so much to Krysten for organizing such a nice event and a big thank you to Sierra for sending over such thoughtful gifts! Check out Krysten's blog for more swap fun and don't forget to head on over to Ocean Dreams to see what I picked out for Sierra!

Friday Cocktails

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:14:00 +0000

Can I hear a big old amen for the fact that Friday is finally here? Since coming back from Jamaica, it has been full swing ahead and this week has been one long day after another. But, I don't want to ruminate about work stress or the cold weather. I'd so much rather take a little trip back to Jamaica. Honestly, whenever ever I start getting anxious or feeling overwhelmed, I just pull these images up in my mind and I'm instantly transported back to my happy place.

st. mary parish

prospect great house

laughing waters in ocho rios, jamaica

fresh coconut water at couples san souci

pool and ocean

the sunset from our balcony

time for the beach

water sports

the resort included complimentary room service.

we ordered hamburgers and champagne.

bob marley shot

natural spring pool

One of the best things about being married to a Jamaican is that I have an excuse to visit Jamaica again and again!

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I am more than ready to unwind with a few cocktails this weekend! On Saturday, some friends and I are going to check out a new bar that just opened up in my neigborhood--Bar Bar Black Sheep. Is that not the cutest name? I can't stop saying it! I've been drooling over the menu for a few days and I've already decided I want to order the duck tacos. I'm also in the mood to try a fun cocktail, like a French 75 (gin, champagne, lemon juice, and sugar). I've never had one, but doesn't it sound delicious and fun?

What is your happy place? Do you have any fun plans this weekend? What is your favorite cocktail?

xoxox

psst. did you see my new blog header and button? Jess from IROCKSOWHAT hooked me up after I won a design from her from a giveaway that maegen of chesterrific hosted. I'm kind of in love.

What I'm Munching On

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Wed, 18 May 2011 13:25:00 +0000

Lately, I've been reading a book on intuitive eating by E. Tribole and E. Resch. While I'm still skeptical about their overall program, there have been a few points in the book when I felt as though they could have been writing about me.

Tribole and Resch describe a whole slew of different "eating styles," each with their own unique eating patterns and difficulties. I recognized myself in the "refuse-not unconscious eater." As they describe, a lot of the times I'm not fully aware about what I am eating, how much I am eating, or my hunger level. I often eat when I'm not hungry and lots of times I eat absentmindedly. If there is food, I eat it. And I will eat it until its gone.

According to Tribole and Resch, this is problematic (and I agree!). Instead, they advocate being mindful of hunger levels, food cravings, what it feels like to eat, and hunger level throughout the meal.

They advocate something so simple--eat when you are hungry and don't eat when you are not hungry. Unfortunately, this is incredibly difficult for me. But, I can see how being more mindful of my eating and hunger would make it easier.

In fact, since I've been reading this book I am astonished to see just how often I eat while paying attention to something else. I eat breakfast while blogging. I eat lunch while working or while I'm in class and snacks might be in front of the tv or while I'm working/in class as well. Lastly, at least a few nights a week I eat dinner in front of the tv or while working. In fact, just last night I realized I was eating dessert while completely engrossed in a novel. By the time I noticed what was going on I was more than half way through and I hadn't even been paying attention enough to enjoy it.

So, instead of just absentmindedly eating all day (which often happens when I am working from home like yesterday), I challenged myself to take a picture of everything I ate. I hoped that this would not only serve as documentation of what I'm eating, but also help me be more mindful about what I eat.
So, without further adieu here is my food intake for Tuesday May 17th.

coffee with almond milk at 7 AM

A mixture of cheerios and some other kind of cereal at 8. Don't make fun of me, but I eat my cereal with water. I know it sounds weird, but I love it.

I ate lunch around 12:30. I started getting hungry by 11:40 probably, but I was so engrossed with my work that I didn't want to stop. When I did eat, I had some leftover strawberry, banana, almond milk smoothie, four veggie corndogs by morning star (yummy), and about a cup of leftover cashew chicken.

Handful of cereal to much on around 3 in the afternoon.

An apple at 4 PM

I ate dinner around 6:30. Neill had band practice so I ate alone. I made a salad with shrimp and tomatoes. I sprinkled some non-fat mozz cheese on there too. On the side, you can see my Annie's Goddess Dressing (so good). I like to dip my fork in the dressing and then pick up my salad instead of mixing it all together.

After dinner I wasn't really satisfied. I was full, but still felt like eating something. So, I had a yogurt that satisfied my sweet tooth.

Late night snack around 10 PM. Nothing beats toast and butter :)

I hate one of these right after my toast.

Taking pictures of everything I ate was certainly an interesting experience! Instead of just eating something right away, I actually found myself questioning whether or not I really wanted it and I think it kept me from eating out of boredom. For example, if I wasn't taking pictures I think I would have had a few more of those pieces of bread with butter. Not because I was hungry, but just because.

So what do you think? Do you ever eat absentmindedly? What does a normal day of eating look like for you? What do you think of my day? What has your experience with trying to change eating habits been like?

xoxoxox

Home Sweet Home

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Mon, 16 May 2011 13:07:00 +0000

I don't have a post planned for today, but Claire (@RealNutritionCG), of A Realistic Wedding, has done a fabulous job featuring our wedding. Claire was one of the first people I met when I joined twitter and it is safe to say I have a bit of a friend crush on her. She is just so sweet and welcoming! And also - her blog rocks. I don't read many wedding blogs anymore, but I can't resist checking hers! I hope you will take a second to click over.

As some of you may have guessed, I've actually been enjoying Jamaica for the last week and a half. I scheduled my posts in advance since it didn't seem like such a bright idea to announce to the world MY HUSBAND AND I WILL BE OUT OF TOWN FOR AN EXTENDED VACATION WHICH MEANS OUR CONDO IS COMPLETELY YOURS FOR THE LOOTING COME HAVE FUN.

And it all seemed to have go rather smoothly, except for the fact that apparently blogger went down for a day or two and a post I wrote about my insecurities got taken down. Boo! I republished the post here, but I fear your lovely comments are gone for good. I want you know I read each and every one of them through my e-mail. Thank you so much for sharing your stories and the encouragement!

I will leave you with a picture of Neill and I from the wedding (outfit sourced here).

xoxoxo

Insecurities

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Fri, 13 May 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Do you ever have one of those days when you go through everything in your closet trying to find something to wear? When nothing seems to look right? When you are critical of every single one of your flaws (real or imagined) and each outfit you try on seems to highlight something you'd rather hide?

Well, I do. And they seem to be happening a lot more frequently lately. And it sucks. I know this probably seems like a silly thing to complain about, but its so frustrating and depressing to not be able to find an outfit that I feel confident in. It makes me feel bad about myself and the way I look. And I end up feeling self-conscious for the rest of the night because I assume that everyone else is evaluating me as harshly as I evaluate myself.

So, when I emerge from the bedroom, wearing whatever outfit that I have finally decided on, all I want to hear from the hubs is a compliment. Some reassurance that I look good. That I have nothing to feel insecure about. That even though I don't see it, I am beautiful.

But, oftentimes it feels like I'm met with radio silence. And with no immediate external validation of my appearance, my insecurities rage their ugly head and I end up feeling even worse about myself. I swear I haven't always been like this, but apparently I'm at a point right now where I'm so insecure that I need to constantly be reminded that he finds me attractive. (Gosh, that sounds obnoxious)

The funny thing is, whenever I've talk about this with Neill he points out that often times I completely disregard any sort of compliment he does give me. While my usual rebuttal to this is to argue that he never tells me I'm pretty, in all honesty I think he is right. I'm so set on believing the worst, that when he pays me a compliment I am quick to disregard it ("He doesn't really mean it" or "He is just being nice"). Because I feel badly about myself, I ignore or downplay the positive things he says.

Which just goes to show, when I get angry at him for not giving me a compliment it is much more about my own problems than anything he is doing wrong. The truth of the matter is, if I felt good about the way I looked I wouldn't need so much reassurance from him. Compliments are always nice to hear, but my confidence shouldn't be entirely based on external sources. I want to know I look damn good.

I've always been really confident and its difficult for me to accept that I don't feel very good about myself right now. But, on the other hand, realizing that there is a problem is motivating me to change.

Has there ever been a time when you didn't feel good about yourself? What are you most insecure about? What are your strategies to deal with it?

Summer Wedding Style

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:00:00 +0000

You guys were so helpful in helping me figure out what I should wear to my cousin's wedding that I wanted to show you my final look. I decided to wear the dress I really, really loved rather than the dress I thought would be most appropriate. I might not be the fanciest person there, but that's just who I am. Love me or leave me, you know?

blue silk dress

via sundance.com

nine west shoes

via zappos

a big blue hair flower, somewhat similar to these small ones

via target

a tan colored cardigan that matches the embroidery around the waist of the dress

via target

long gold necklace

via target

gold wristlet

via taret

So I went a little target happy. What can I say? I love that store. I'm really happy with how the outfit came together and I'm sooo excited for the wedding. Oh, and I took Jessica and Steph's advice and purchased a little something for under the dress. Sexy lingerie? Hell no. Neill wishes. Bike shorts! Now I won't have to worry about my legs sticking together and I can really enjoy myself. Plus, being able to lift my dress up and "flash" people is always a bonus.

Honeymooners

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:00:00 +0000

In honor of our upcoming trip to Jamaica, I though I would share some never before seen footage from our honeymoon in Negril (all g rated - promise).

We're here!

Snorkeling!

this is my absolute favorite picture from our honeymoon!

Bob Marley Shot

Time to go home

I think going on a honeymoon right after our wedding was one of the best decisions we've ever made. We spent a lot of time debating whether or not we should spend the money (here, here, and here) and I'm SO glad we decided to. We had the time of our lives and I couldn't recommend Couples Negril more. Even when I'm really stressed out, memories of our honeymoon make me smile.

Did you go on a honeymoon? Where did you go?

Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:04:00 +0000

Lately, pinterest has been my go to happy place. I know I'm supposed to say I love it for the design pictures, but really - I love it for the beautiful quotes and saying! What can I say? I'm a sucker for some good written inspiration.

My favorite saying is actually "Wherever you go, there you are" but I couldn't find a pretty image of that one. It is something my dad used to say when I was growing up and it has really stuck with me.

Do you have a favorite quote or saying?

April: A Month in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:45:00 +0000

My oh my, I can't believe how quickly April came and went. I feel like the months are just speeding by. Does time seem to be moving at lightening speed for anyone else?

I'm sure most of you remember when I set my New Years Resolutions, but I've noticed so many wonderful new faces around here that I thought I'd re-introduce this series. At the start of 2011, I challenged myself to develop meaningful New Years Resolutions in many areas of my life. To maximize my chances of being successful, I review my successes and failures at the end of every month.

source

+My first resolution is to finish up my masters degree. To do this, I need to prioritize my thesis and just get it done. March wasn't a very productive month for me with this so I am happy to report that I've finally made some progress on this front! I completed a rough draft of my discussion section (which is the final section of the paper) and turned it in to my advisor for review. Unfortunately, my advisor has been so busy so we haven't had time to meet about it. But, we have something scheduled for the week of the 16th. The first draft is always the hardest part for me, so I am hoping the subsequent drafts will go more quickly. I've also set up a meeting with the statistics wiz in our department, who also happens to be on my committee. I'm going to go over the analyses I did with him just to make sure everything is legit. So, in May I'd like to: meet with my advisor about my discussion section, finish a second draft of my discussion section, review my results to make sure I completed the analyses correctly, and finish the methods section. I also need to check with the graduate school to determine when I need to submit my thesis for format checking in lieu of my August degree conferral date (yay!!!!). And that just reminded me, I need to check with my committee members about their availability this summer so I can adjust my time-line as necessary. Ideally, I'd like to defend in the beginning of August. That gives me three months. If I am dedicated to working on my thesis I think this goal is achievable.

+My second goal for 2011 is to make time for my VIPs. I want to increase the effort I put into my relationships with family and friends in order to combat the nasty habit I have of putting school first. These last few weeks I've been holed up working on my finals, so I have priortized school over seeing my friends and family. I even had to miss a trip back to West Virginia, where my in-laws live, so that I could stay and get work done. Boo to that. Unfortunately, sometimes actually doing work is a necessary evil of graduate school. But, I did celebrate birthdays with two friends and Passover with my mom. Neill and I have also made sure to spend at least one or two nights a week together, where we both put our work aside and just enjoy the evening. This month coming up, I want to invite friends to get together and do some of the fun things on my summer in the city challenge.

Yes, in April we still had to wear winter coats and scarves in Chicago.

Me and my mama on Passover

+My third goal is to work towards financial security. Overall, we've shown awesome improvement in this area! We used our tax return to get ourselves out of credit card debt and it feels great! Now we are planning to put the money that was going to our monthly credit card bills to savings. As I mentioned last month, we are having a bit of a competition to see who can save the most money the fastest. The friendly competition has motivated both of us to shore up our finances.

+My last goal is to focus on being healthy. This has been the one where I've failed miserably this whole year and April is no different. It just struck me that I keep calling it my "last goal" month after month and I think that is telling of where it falls on my priorities. My thesis, my loved ones, and saving money have all come before being healthy (okay - and my love for food). The only positive thing I can say about this month is that I think I'm very close to hitting rock bottom. Every month I've been setting the goal to get back to the gym and eat more healthfully, but I haven't really wanted to. Now, however, I'm actually getting to the point where I want to exercise. So, my goal for May is to actually go workout when I feel the urge. I think I also might be interested in meeting with a nutritionist so I will also set the goal for myself to call my insurance and investigate my coverage. Next month, I'm going to switch up the order and report on this goal FIRST.

Reporting on my healthy goal has left me feeling down on myself. ::sigh:: But, I have to remind myself that everything on this list is in my control. I can make the month of May whatever I want it to be.

How was your April? Are you struggling with any of your resolutions? Any awesome successes you'd like to share? What are some things you are looking forward to accomplishing in May?

We Have a Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 14:50:00 +0000

I won't draw this out any longer.

Chrissy is the lucky winner! Congratulations, Chrissy! I'll be getting in touch with you soon!

psst. Bummed that you didn't win? Cheer up! I made a mixtape for you.

Wedding Mixtape

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:50:00 +0000

Don't forget - today is the last day to enter my giveaway! The giveaway closes at midnight tonight and I'll be announcing the winner this weekend. Good luck to everyone! I can't wait to see who wins.

And just so no one feels left out, I put together a little gift for all of you. A mix tape!

Before our wedding ceremony started we had a wedding mix playing off of our ipod and through our venue's speakers. Since we knew lots of people would probably get there before our 6:30 ceremony start time, this was our way of sharing some of our favorite lovey dovey songs with our guests and setting the mood for the whole evening. I've already shared a list of the songs we chose, but today I wanted to actually give you the mix! I really hope you like it :)

Married in Chicago's Wedding Day Music

[download the zip file and enjoy!]

Its hard for me to pick a favorite song from this, but I'd have to go with Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.

So happy Friday everyone! What is everyone up to this weekend? I'm going out with my bestie for dinner tonight and then working like a mad woman the rest of the weekend to finish up my final papers. I am so ready for this semester to be over!

Update on Our Wedding Album

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:25:00 +0000

pssst. I'm hosting a 50 dollar visa gift-card giveaway. I hope you will enter to win!

Thank you guys so much for all of your support and advice regarding my wedding album woes. I was so nervous to e-mail our photographer about our wedding album, but after reading all of your lovely comments I finally put my big girl panties on and sent her an e-mail. And, just like most of you predicted, she wasn't mad at all.

Neill and I asked her to pretty much design the whole thing, but we did want to be sure some of our favorite photos would be included. So, the other day we made a list of our "must have" shots. It was surprisingly hard to come up with a concise list so to help narrow down our list we asked ourselves whether we would be disappointed if our album didn't contain each picture. If the answer was "yes," it made it to our final list.

So, without further adieu, here are our must have wedding album photos!

getting dressed

before our first look

our first look

pictures at promontory point

in front of the allerton

us with our bridal party

me and my bridesmaids

bridal party with balloons!

wedding shoes

neill under the huppah

saying our vows

happy

we held hands the whole time

our first kiss

waiting to be announced as husband & wife

outside our reception venue

Thank you so much for your support! I feel loads better after contacting our photographer and getting this going. I hope in my next post about this I can show you pictures of our how album turns out!

Friends? Circle Yes or No

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 14:01:00 +0000

Okay. Its secrets time.

I am really behind the times with this whole blog following business. I just discovered google friend connect and bloglovin. Like some of you told me you followed me with GFC and I had to GOOGLE what that was. Oy.

Am I the only one who is confused by there being SO many ways to keep in touch with my favorite bloggers? The thing that I find really confusing is that some of these overlap, but some of them don't. Or do they? I'm all turned around.

Even though I don't really understand all of these different options, I decided to jump on the bandwagon. So, I set up google friend connect and bloglovin. Fancy, right?

So, for the record, there are a number of ways you can follow me. You can . . .

subscribe in a web-based news reader, like google reader

Follow me through google friend connect

Follow my blog with bloglovin

And for extra friend bonus points, you can also follow me on twitter

Thinking about this has also made me question the way I follow blogs. A while ago I deleted all of my blogger subscriptions and started using feedly, a reader similar to google reader. But, now I'm second guessing this choice.

So, I'm curious - how do you keep up with your favorite blogs? I'm thinking about switching to something other than feedly. What would you recommend?

Is it easy enough to follow me? Should I be doing something different?

Also, since that secret was kind of lame here is a better one. Sometimes, if I find an outfit that I really like I'll wear it multiple times during the week to see different people. I hope I'm not the only one who does that!

And don't forget to participate in my first ever Married in Chicago Giveaway! One person will win a 50 dollar visa gift card!

My Blogger ABCs

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:26:00 +0000

Finals are kicking my arse right now. My brain is so tired that I am seriously doubting my ability to put a cogent post together. Thankfully, the blogger ABC series was created for times just like this. Also, don't forget to enter my visa gift card giveaway!

A. Age: 25.

B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore you hate: I don't like cleaning. I can organize things all day long, but actual cleaning? No thank you! My least favorite would probably be cleaning the bathroom.

D. Dogs: I really really really really want a dog. But, right now I just don't have the time to take care of one. I have a hard enough time remembering to water my plants.

E. Essential start to your day: I have to know the coffee is already brewing before I can motivate myself to get out of bed.

F. Favorite color: Hmm. I'll go with sea glass green. But, there really isn't any color that I don't like.

G. Gold or silver: Gold.

H. Height: 5'7.

I. Instruments: I played piano growing up and a few years ago took guitar lessons for a while, but I don't actively play an instrument currently.

J. Job title: research assistant, full time graduate student, graduate student counselor, teaching assistant. Lots of titles, very little pay.

K. Kids: want some.

L. Live: Chicago

M. Mom’s name: Judy

N. Nicknames: Nope. Alisha (pronounces ah-leesh-ah) doesn't really lend itself so many nicknames. Although, one summer people called me Ali and I hated it.

O. Overnight hospital stays: When I was fourteen I spent a week in the hospital after I had a spinal fusion surgery. I had an 80 degree curve in my back and they fused a metal rod to my spine in order to keep it straight.

not my spine, via

P. Pet peeve: I have too many. I'm easily annoyed. People who don't give up their seat on the bus for the disabled, elderly, pregnant, etc., I give them evil stares.

Q. Quote from a movie: No. I'm one of those weird people who never remembers quotes from movies. I also don't really find it funny when someone says a quote from a movie during conversation. Usually because I either haven't seen the movie or don't remember the quote. Don't I sound like a ton of fun?

R. Right or left handed: Right

S. Siblings: I’m an only child.

T. Time you wake up: 7am. If I had my druthers, it would be closer to 9 though.

U. Underwear: every.single.day.

V. Vegetables you dislike: Celery. Ew. I hate celery.

W. What makes you run late: I almost never run late. I'm borderline obsessive about being places on time. More often than not I'm at least five minutes early everywhere I go.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: a million for my back and wrist, ankle, and dental.

Y. Yummy food you make: Lots of it. I fancy myself a pretty good cook. Bacon wrapped dates are always a crowd pleaser.

Z. Zoo- favorite animal: Good question. When I was younger I looooved sea otters. Now? I haven't been to the zoo in so long I couldn't even say.

Have you done the blogger ABCs? What is going on in your life right now?

My First Giveaway!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:47:00 +0000

I am beyond excited to be doing my first ever Married in Chicago giveaway! So, I'm going to cut right to the chase.

What can you win?

A visa gift card worth $50!

With summer right around the corner, I figured we could all use a little extra cash to spend on a new pair of shoes or a fun night out with the girls.

There are three ways you can win this summer spending money. First, you must be a follower of Married in Chicago to participate. If you aren't already a follower, just click that "follow" button over there to the right.

1. Leave a comment on this entry and tell me that you follow me and what you would spend the money on

2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway, linking to this post and mentioning @ChicagoWife. Then, come back here and leave a comment letting me know that you tweeted.

3. Write a blog post about this giveaway, linking to this post, and and leave me a comment here letting me know where I can check it out.

The giveaway will end at midnight on April 29th. A winner will be chosen via random.org, so make sure to leave one comment for each entry!

Good luck!

Big Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:01:00 +0000

Pssst. I am guest posting today on Joelle's blog, Where We Love is Home. I love Joelle's blog and I had such a good time writing about my struggle with dreaming big. I'd love if you would come over and say hi!

If you are new here, I hope you will take a few moments to poke around and subscribe using the button to the right! Also, don't forget to add me on twitter - I'm @ChicagoWife. I just signed up and am already addicted :)

Making the Most of Our Balcony

noreply@blogger.com (Married In Chicago) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 12:20:00 +0000

I could list some good reasons why our balcony isn't anything to get excited about. For starters, its tiny. But even worse than that, it faces an alley AND train tracks. Lovely, right?

looking to the left

looking to the right

But, its my balcony. And so I plan to make the most of our little piece of outside. But, right now we don't have much more going on other than a few dead plants and dirty plastic chairs.

Yikes! I am so sorry you had to see that. But, I'm convinced that the space has potential. Just look at these beauties.

Source: tumblr.com via Alisha on Pinterest

Source: None via Alisha on Pinterest

Source: farm6.static.flickr.com via Alisha on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Alisha on Pinterest

Source: pompo.com via Alisha on Pinterest

So, I've come up with a plan to beautify our balcony. First, I'd first like to add a brightly colored 5X8 out-door rug made from recycled polypropylene.

source

Then, I'd like to upgrade our seating and bring in a little table. I think we have just enough room for a small bistro table and two chairs. I can already imagine us resting our drinks on the table.

source

Lastly, the balcony can no longer be where plants go to die. I'd like to invest in two flower boxes to decorate our railing.

source

Even though these changes are pretty basic, I think they will make a huge difference. I can't wait to share the "after" pictures with you!

Do you have a backyard, balcony, or patio? Do you use it often? How do you decorate it? What do you think of my plan to make the most of our balcony?

xoxo