A Fat Girls Problem...

In the latest installment of a fat girls problems. Dress shopping for my friend's upcoming wedding in July. If you know me at all, you know I HATE even despise trying on clothes, especially wedding/formal dresses. I wasn't even looking forward to trying on dresses for my own wedding.

So I went to my local David's Bridal and tried on 8 dresses. There were two viable candidates, one was perfect:

The other dress would have needed to have the straps beefed up in order to support the girls:

So what do you think happened when I went to order my "perfect" dress, it's being discontinued. So I cannot order it, only whatever is in stock is what's left. What do you think the chances of me finding a plus sized dress in the color of the wedding.... UGH.

I was upset that the staff person assisting us didn't know that the dress was being discontinued, or if she did, she didn't say anything to us, about the possibility of it not being available. I mean, if you work in retail you should know your product.

So what did I do when I got home? I tweeted to David's Bridal about it. They responded to me, which I was surprised. They offered to research some alternatives. Which I appreciated, but anything they offered, I had already tried on or wasn't on the radar (dress material). But I at least thanked them for responding and looking into it for me.

I am just so bummed, and the search continues....

Craziness going on here!

It's been a busy time around the Leavitt household. My husband now works from home primarily. So he was working on our second bedroom and converting it into some office/desk space for him. I told him that I won't do nerf gun wars like he and his coworkers did, but who knows, maybe I'll do a sneak attack and get him one of these days.

I've been working. I am still working two jobs, but my primary job (fire department), well we've got some opportunities on the horizon. A little back story, is that we've been working without a contract for over 6 years. That means that as long as I've been there I've never seen a raise. Well, after many years of working with the town, we've finally got a contract on the ballot that works for the town and us the employees. It's fair, both we and the town have made concessions.

I am hopeful that the contract will pass, it would mean a lot for me. But I am not counting my chickens before they hatch. So on top of working, I've been spending some time helping get the word out about our contracts, in hopes that the townspeople will vote in favor with us.

My parents are off to the South. They are making their way to Florida, with stops along the way to see friends and family. They will be gone for 2 weeks. I texted my stepmother and said, I hope you have fun, call if you need bail money! I am jealous that they are going to see my cousin, Amy and my brother and sister-in-law. Oh man, if I ever won the lottery, I'd either move my family closer or go visit them more often!

However, right now, Ben and I are saving our pennies for a house. We went and got a letter from the bank letting us know about how much we would qualify for, it's more than we'd like to spend, but at least we had the right idea about what we wanted. We know that many houses are taken off the market in the winter months, so we are hoping in another month or so that some more houses will be coming on the market and we can find something that is just right for us!

Ben and I had a lovely first Valentine's Day as a married couple. I have always been one not to celebrate Valentine's Day but Ben is dragging me kicking and screaming into it. I came home from work and Ben had made a lovely dinner of Chicken Stir-Fry. He got me some flowers and a lovely necklace.

This summer is shaping up to be one to remember, we've got multiple weddings to go to, including me being in one!!! We've got our annual Memorial Day weekend camping trip that I always look forward to. A big birthday coming up. And lots of babies! It seems like life is moving fast around here.

The new JCPenney or JCP for short

Has any one else visit their local JCPenney lately? If you hadn't heard, they changed up their pricing structure. Gone are the every week sales and coupons. Now we have "Everyday pricing". It's great not having to coordinate a sale with a coupon, but only on certain days and certain times.

And like other retailers, who would jack up the price of an item only to put it on sale, and have sales constantly (rhymes with bowls). I think I quite enjoy this refreshing look.

I recently ventured into my local store to see what it was all about. I must say I was quite impressed. Everything was clearly marked. The layout of the store hadn't changed much. All of the staff was very friendly and polite. I had a gift card so I ended up purchasing a few tops. I really do like the St. John's Bay line, it's flattering on my plus size figure and they are full of staple items for my wardrobe.

The one thing I don't care for in JCP's revamp is their commercial of the screaming people... it's rather annoying, point taken, but still annoying.

It's a tough economy, people are still not as frivolous with their money as they once were. I applaud JCP for trying to still make it work in a down economy. It has to be tough to maintain brick and mortar stores when online shopping is so easy to do. The one down side about online shopping for clothes, you can't try them on before you buy, and some women don't particularly care for that.

I was not contacted or compensated by JCP for this review, I just felt I would share my thoughts on the matter.

Mileage update!

So in December I completed 28 miles, a dismal start, I was bound and determined not to let January be the same way. So in January, I completed 45 miles!

I am really impressed with that mileage this month. But I know I am a far cry from the mileage that I need to accomplish in order to reach Steve!

Our original challenge was to complete 455 miles in 3 months.

That won't be the case, it's just not going to happen. I am going to keep at this challenge until I complete it. I am at 73 miles, only 382 to go!

Steve I am a comin'

Who needs sleep?

My sleep patterns have been all wacky. I am finding myself in bed between 8-10pm. Last night, I was home from work at 6:30, in bed by 8:30pm. In fact Ben texted me at 9:15pm and I barely woke up to acknowledge his text! 

In the morning, I typically have been getting up at 4:30 and then 6am. I can usually go back to bed in between, but I am usually up at 7:30 and that's it for the day. Unless I went to bed really late the night before.On days that I work, I am up at 5:40am.

This isn't normal for me, as I am used to going to bed between 10-midnight, sleeping through the night and waking up between 7-8:30am.

Is this a sign of me getting old?

So far as the weight thing goes, I am still struggling. I am eating when I am hungry, but I find at times I am craving great choices and at other times not so great choices (pizza...last night). I need to get better about maintaining a food journal so I can track my cravings and better prepare for them.

My weight right now, 329.... there I said it. With that being said, I am now heavier than my husband. That is not a great feeling for me. Ben is doing a weight loss competition and he's doing so great, I am so supportive of his efforts and I give him a lot of credit for what he's been doing.

I saw myself in a mirror while at the salon with Kristen on Friday, and I didn't like the blob that was sitting in the chair staring back at me in the reflection. I want better for my life, and my future. I know the path is long and hard and we are going to struggle. I am very lucky and fortunate to have such a great group of people both on and off line who are so supportive of my efforts!

And now that it's out there I can move on. By moving on, I mean tonight after work, I will be at the gym.

But where is the snow?

I live in New Hampshire. I expect to have 4 seasons, that is what I love about this area. I enjoy the seasons, the long, cold winter makes me appreciate the warm lovely summers. Fall is my favorite season! However, the lack of snow this winter has gotten me really depressed. I don't need blockbuster storms (a la last year) but still SOME snow would be nice. I love how it makes the landscape look.

So I was wondering, is it possible to have the opposite of SAD? Ok, yes, I understand, SAD is more about the amount of light one gets, and with it being winter, our days are still shorter, despite the fact that there is no snow. But I must say, I am quite SAD that there isn't any snow! The weather has been quite mild, evening hitting 50 degrees last week, which is unheard of in January.

Every time we do get snow, the tail end of the storm usually turns over to a mix and then rain, which washes away most of the snow that would have accumulated. With no snow pack to absorb the sun's warmth, it's going into the earth, which means that we are staying warmer, and they cycle repeats. Le sigh.I'm just saying, that I'd really like some snow.

In other news, I was able to enjoy a girls night with my friend Kristen, she's so lovely and awesome. She's getting married to my friend, Mike this summer. And she graciously asked me to be her MOH! We went up to her venue to spend the night up there. I had a discounted rate, we thought we'd spend the night and check out the accommodations. She is getting married at the Common Man Inn and Spa in Plymouth, NH. For real-ies if you are ever in New Hampshire and need a place to crash, these people are top notch. They own several restaurants/properties in the state, they support local causes & businesses. And this property in Plymouth is very New Hampshire. The decor is fantastic, gives you a warm fuzzy feeling when you walk in. The staff is so pleasant and delightful, it's really wonderful

We got to meet with Stephanie the wedding coordinator, Kristen got a lot of her questions answered, I asked a few. They really go out of their way to help the bride have the day she dreamed of! And Stephanie said, she can be the heavy... and try to keep us on track!

We had a wonderful dinner in the Foster's dining room, we opted just to sit at the bar. We chatted and just straight up had a good time. We ordered our desert to go and went up to our room. We were hoping to watch Grey's but it was a repeat! So we watched the GOP debate. We girl chatted the whole time and talked about our futures, it was such a great night.

Friday morning I got up and hit the gym. Yeah you read that right, I went to the gym, at a hotel. I amazed myself with that move! Then after some breakfast, we backed up bags and then went to the spa/salon. Kristen had her hair trial for her wedding and I opted to get a mani. Her hair is stunning, she will be turning heads on her day for sure. As my brother would say, she's "sit down pretty". I love that girl, she rocks her confidence and it shows.

I am glad that I recovered from my cold so I could enjoy my girls night with Kristen. I really think that rest and fluids really helped me recover quicker from my cold.

But can I please get some snow?

Still here and still heavy

Just checking in, I've been losing weight, but it's coming off slowly, like in tenth of a pound increments, during a time when I know that I should be loosing poundage. But a loss is a loss, and I'll take it!

I am just getting over a cold. Not nearly as bad as I've had in the past, but I don't care to repeat that scenario anytime soon! Being sick sucks! I wasn't able to get a walk in or anything for the last few days. But yesterday I was feeling better so I trucked my behind to the gym and got a solid 45 minutes in on the treadmill, did 2 miles!

I basically hadn't driven my car in 2 days, so when I went to go leave for the gym, I couldn't find my car keys! It took me a solid 5 minutes of looking to find them! Opps! But I didn't use it as an excuse to slack off, I found my keys and off I went! 

I may not be able to make it to Steve and do all the mileage but I am going to give it my best shot!

I have to be comfortable with the fact that exercise plays an important role in my life, and to never slack off on it again, I hate restarting like this because I know what my body was capable of, and trying to get back to that level seems silly, since I know I was there once. Lesson learned!

My eating habits have been very wonky over the last few days, I am trying to eat when I am hungry, not when I am "supposed" to eat, but at times, it's just a banana and then other times, it's a full on meal. Not sure if being sick has anything to do with that. But hey, I am going to eat when my body is telling me it needs something.

I have been trying to stay away from soda, I did need some ginger ale to help, but mainly I've been getting a lot of water, OJ and Crystal Light in... Everyday my pee has been clear! Which is my way of telling that I am properly hydrated!

So that's it, really. Getting a cold sucks... recovering from a cold sucks... just don't do it!