Happiness! {04.25.2013}

Well I just wanted to give you a quick updated and attach some pictures from this week. But before I attach the pictures, I wanted to say that I have officially taken my last Provera pill on Tuesday! It has now been two days and nothing yet, but *fingers crossed* we will get some good luck this time around. Also, I wanted to mention that Erik and I are eagerly looking forward to moving at the beginning of July...guess we should start packing huh? Or too early?? Just a side note, the second time we moved from Huntsville, TX to Bryan, TX, I packed 4 months in advance! And then, when we moved from Bryan, TX to Houston, TX, we packed 2 months in advance...so I'm getting better about waiting, but I just feel like the earlier I start packing, the easier it will be to move and I won't feel rushed. Now time for some pictures.....

My co-worker gave me the helping hand award at work for being helpful all around the office. 3rd one to win since the award was created two weeks ago! 

This week, my boss challenged me to make up nicknames for everyone in the office. I gladly accepted and today I was able to tell everyone their nicknames and why I chose them. But I of course had to make them guess which one was theirs...You can barely see them in the picture, but there are 14 nicknames on the board. It was a fun little thing. My nicknames (yes, they couldn't decide which one they wanted so my boss calls me Baby Dumpling, my co-worker Kirsten calls me Broadway because I'm dramatic, my manager Daneen calls me Splash, and my distribution co-worker calls me Flash because of my paparazzi story {I'll save that for another day!}

Here we are with our anniversary cake waiting to take anniversary pictures this past Sunday, April 21!

Another quick pic before pictures

Just a selfie

My oh-so-serious husband looking fly haha

And here they are, the pill bottles that will hopefully answer our prayers!

Well, that's all I've got for you today. I hope you have a wonderful night and an even better morning!

God Bless!

So Here We Are! {04.23.2013}

Let me start by saying....I am so sorry, I feel like I have completely fallen off the face of the blog! I know I have not been updating very much but let me tell you, we have been swamped! Let's just start with my doctors appointment on April 19. We went, and the doctor prescribed me Provera to take for five days. But before that, he about scared me to death! He thought that I might have an ovarian cyst...woah! I freaked, after he checked, he said I was healthy, just needed to start my period. So here we are! Day 5 and I just took my last Provera pill. What's next? Well I have to wait for my period to start {fingers crossed it starts tomorrow}!  After my period starts, I will then have to take Clomid from the 3rd to the 7th day of my period and then, on the 26th day of my cycle, I will have to head back to the doctor for a pregnancy check up to see if the bean stuck! I am really hoping this works out, I have a good feeling about it, so I'm keeping my head up high!

Aside from that, we have been busy trying to move to Katy. We found a couple interested in taking over our lease and they seemed really interested. Unfortunately, they backed out today which was devastating because we found the perfect place to move and were ready to move in to the new place this Saturday!! That's ok, now I have more to pack the house and when July 8th rolls around, we can move to the new place in Katy. It kind of stinks that we have to wait but hey, you get what you get and you just got to keep going.

Our year anniversary is coming up on May 12th, we just took anniversary pictures on Sunday, April 21. I really hope they turned out nice. The photographers seemed very good and that they knew to get our "good sides." We remembered to get a few pictures with our anniversary cake just minutes before my wonderful husband dropped it. {I'm glad I wasn't one of those women who wanted to eat a piece!} So you might be asking, "if you aren't going to eat your cake on your anniversary, what will you eat instead since your traditional " Well, and believe me, I have thought about it long and hard. We are going to break traditional tradition and make our own tradition. We are going to buy two red velvet cupcakes with white icing, like they are mini anniversary cakes, and eat them during our anniversary dinner. We will do that every year on our anniversary and I really think it will turn out to be a cute way for us to celebrate our anniversary. Besides, I don't know very many people who want to eat a year old cake...doesn't sound very appetizing if you ask me hehe.

So there you have it, this is where we are standing as of now. I hope to get the anniversary pictures back soon and can't wait to show them to you! {If, and only if, they look good-just kidding!}

I hope you all have a very wonderful rest of the week and I look forward to my next post!

God Bless

It's Going Alright. {04.09.2013}

Well, we made it through the first night of our Paleo diet....sorta.We both ate our baby breakfast, followed it with a baby snack of mixed nuts, and then did good disciplining ourselves to eat our Paleo lunch {which was not bad at all!!}, we even ran and walked for a good 30 minutes. Then came dinner, and we decided we wanted "a cheat night," where one night a week, we cheat. We then decided that we could borrow nights but only up-to four nights can be borrowed. Remember: we are not trying to kill ourselves, we just want to lose a little weight and learn that eating healthy can make a huge difference in how you feel and look. So I'd say, night one went well. Today, so far, we are following the same routine. Eating our baby breakfast, mixed nut snack, and Paleo lunch, but we won't be running or walking tonight. Tonight is chill-out night. We only run Mondays  Wednesdays, and Fridays. I don't know how dinner will go... I'm thinking I'll cook a Paleo dish and pair it with a side.... We shall see. I'll keep you updated.

God Bless

Fun in the sunny days! {04.08.2013}

This weekend was crazy packed and full! Friday, we decided to see the movie Evil Dead....scary! We've seen the first one, but this one was just wow!!! Saturday Erik worked from 7am to 5:30pm, so instead of staying home alone, I went to judge a cookout contest and I got to eat so much food!!! I had to judge beans, chicken, ribs, and briskets from 8 teams. It was hard but so fun. Sunday, we got a call early in the morning inviting us to Galveston for the day, we couldn't say no!! We had so much fun and this weekend was gorgeous!!! Today we started our paleo diet...so we will weigh in today and in 8 weeks try to make our goals. Also, I walked into work and my wonderful boss had a beautiful pink rose and little note waiting for me....ah! So sweet :) I threw in a picture of my paleo lunch which included: fresh strawberries, healthy bread, roasted turkey slices, romaine lettuce, and Dijon mustard. For breakfast I had: eggs, and turkey bacon. For a snack: peanuts and almonds. I'll let you know dinner, we will have to decide hehe.

I look forward to tomorrows adventures, for now, enjoy pictures.

God Bless
Megan

My Options Are Limited!! {04.03.2013}

Good Evening!!!

If you read yesterdays late night post, then you would have seen that I have decided to start the Paleo diet. I mentioned that I would be needing to get organized first and that I would start on Monday, April 8 once I have figured out my plan.
{http://richardsfamilyblogspot.blogspot.com/2013/04/another-journey-worth-taking-04022013.html}

So during my lunch break at work, I tried to find the foods that I thought I would best be able to stick to. Here is the list of foods that I have decided to stay with over the next 8 weeks.

BREAKFAST OPTIONS

Silver Dollar Pancakes

Turkey or Pork Bacon

Fresh Berries

2 slices Paleo Bread/Toast

3 Scrambled Eggs

1 Grapefruit

3 Fried Eggs

Handful of Dehydrated Almonds

Fresh Raspberries

Toasted Almonds

Toasted Almonds

LUNCH OPTIONS

Turkey Club Sandwich

Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Veggie Sticks

Leftover Mushroom Soup

Turkey Roll Ups

Fresh Blueberries

Leftover Chicken Soup

Leftover Chili Chicken

Leftover Cauliflower Rice

DINNER OPTIONS

Sesame Salmon Burgers

Steamed/Roasted/Grilled Broccoli

Cabbage Orange Salad

Mushroom Soup

Roasted Chicken with Olives and Prunes

Roasted Butternut Squash

Chicken Soup

Green Salad

Roasted Squash

Chili Chicken

Cauliflower Rice

Stuffed Peppers

SNACK OPTIONS

Green Apples

Blueberries

Raspberries

Strawberries

Veggies

Veggie Sticks

Protein

Turkey Jerky/Bacon

Dehydrated Nuts

Crackers

I know what you're thinking, "what?! no schedule?" Hold on, hold on, let me explain why I, "Mrs. Planner" choose not to do a weekly schedule.Here's why: I know myself {thank goodness-hehe}, and I know that on a Monday night when I'm packing for the rest of the week, it might sound good but come the rest of the week, it won't sound good anymore. So I decided to just go with the flow. I will stick to these but I'm not going to choose what I will and will not eat on certain days. I will probably make Monday-Wednesdays all-day food on Sunday and make Thursday-Saturdays all-day food on Wednesday night, that way I will have time to change my mind rather than trying to force myself to eat something I don't really want.

Well, that about does it for me! I'm going to spend tonight eating a hamburger so that I can get one last "sha-bang!" in before I start my diet.

If you would like to join me, feel free to borrow my list and be sure to let me know when you are starting your journey and what your goal is!

Good Luck to you and God Bless

 

Another journey worth taking {04.02.2013}

Ever since 2010, I would unintentionally encourage myself to gain weight by telling myself that "it is okay to gain weight, it is okay to not eat healthy every once in awhile- everyone does it!" Over the course of 3 years, I went from a size 8 to a size 16, and the problem of gaining weight and eating unhealthy consumed my life! I was gaining weight left and right, not trying to make it better. I would eat out more than 3 times a week and it would either be McDonalds or Wings N More! I started to feel and see major changes with my body and I hated it! I dont even enjoy clothes shopping anymore because the cute clothes aren't in my sizes! I'm not huge by any means, but I have many flaws, and those flaws have now lead me to this decision today. I heard about the Paleo diet a few months ago, and after countless frustrations with clothes not fitting, I have decided to set a short term goal for myself. I want to try to reach my goal weight by the end of the journey on this diet. So, here are my stats today, where I would like to see myself, and what my goal competition date is...

-Current weight: 175
-Goal weight: 150
-Goal competitions date: 06.01.2013

Basically, I plan to get serious and strict about my health, weight, and body. I plan to workout 3 times a week by running around my apartment complex for 30 minutes, pushing myself even if it burns! I will also devise a food schedule that I will strictly follow over the course of the next 8 weeks. I plan on starting this journey, April 8, 2013 so I have time to get the schedule written, buy the foods, and mentally prepare myself for this. I have never dieted in my life! I have always been a very fit person {thanks to cheerleading) so to push myself will take discipline, force, and trust to know that at the end of the 8 weeks I will have bettered myself in the end. Even after the completition date, I plan to continue eating healthy. If I don't reach my goal weight by June 1, I will continue to work to get there. I will NOT stop until I've reached this goal! I have 20 lbs. to lose {that means I'll have to lose 2.5 lbs. a week to reach my goal} and will need all the support I get. Please pray for strength and discipline for me so that I can reach my goal.

If you have tried Paleo, or a similar diet, how did your journey end? Was it successful? Are you still keeping the weight off?

If you are just now starting a journey, keep in mind that there are thousands of women, like you and me, working towards a better, healthier lifestyle!

Best of luck ladies!

God Bless

Megan

Keep On Going! {04.01.2013}

Good Morning! I hope you all had a very wonderful and safe Easter filled with family and fun. 

Recently, I have discovered that my friends and I have had quite a bit in common. For example, most of my friends are married. That's very strange especially since I am only 20. I thought when Erik and I got married we would be the out-cast couple, the couple that no one else wanted to be around because they didn't understand what marriage was about. I will admit, we have lost touch with quite a few friends but that is mainly because we are marriage, we work, and we have responsibilities. We don't like to party or stay out late getting drunk or being stupid. We enjoy spending time with each other, comfortable, with no loud noises, and certainly no drunk people. But aside from the marriage part, our friends that we do tend to spend more time with are starting to be more and more like us. For example, we want a baby. We have prepared ourselves for more than a year on this topic and we've tried for a year with no luck so the idea is setting in harder and harder due to the fact that is it harder for us to have one. Anyway, back on topic, our friends have also voiced how badly they want babies as well. It was quite shocking when we discovered that  we were not the only young and married couple to be having fertility problems. I am shocked! There are so many women in the world who are dealing with this, but have had time to have babies or have waited so long and it has caused them to have a harder time. But 20-something year-olds are already having issues? That just blows my mind! I never in a million years thought that my friends and I would have to struggle with this at such an early age. I've dealt with much worse in my life, but to be having issues at such a young age for us is really sad. My friend Kelsey* just recently found out that her Fallopian tubes may be blocked and that she might have to undergo surgery. Worst part is, the doctors aren't 100% sure if that's whats wrong. On top of that though, she is also a PCOS (Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome  victim and has so many issues with that alone. She is having to go to the fertility specialists here within the next few weeks! Can you believe it? A 20-year-old going to a fertility specialist???Unbelievable!!!! My other friend Jessica* had to undergo surgery at 21-years-old to get rid of PCOS and is now, after a year and a surgery later, PCOS free and about 8 weeks pregnant! But still, to undergo such a surgery at such a young age is hard to believe! It's even harder to imagine that there are thousands of other women dealing with things much worst then these. So today, this April Fools Day, I want to just to extend a hand to the women 30-years and younger who are dealing with fertility issues, specifically the women 25-years and younger. It's a very hard journey to travel on, but you are not alone. I will admit, although I would never ever wish these fertility issues on anyone, it is nice to have friends to walk with and share the tears and struggles of this journey. If you have fertility issues, do not be afraid, there are thousands of women just like you are who going through the same thing. All you have to do is reach out and I guarantee someone will be there to take your hand. I think Rodney Atkins sang it best, "if you're going through hell keep on going!"  

(for full lyrics click here: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/rodneyatkins/ifyouregoingthroughhell.html)

I hope you all have a wonderful April Fools Day and God Bless!