Measurements, Take Three! & Other Updates

Current Date of Measurement: September 3, 2018

Previous Date of Measurement: August 1, 2018

Weight: 285 lbs --> 277.2 lbsWaist: 47.5 in. --> 46.5 in.Hips: 62 in. --> 61 in.Thighs (left): 31 in. --> 30.5 in.Chest: 53 in. --> 52.5 in.Arms (left upper): 17.5 in. --> 17 in.Neck: 15.8 in. --> 15.8 in.In red are my new measurements. The other text were my previous measurements!

Well, I know it's been forever and a day since I wrote a blog post. I'm still truckin' along as best as I can! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of new teacher orientation, HR days, and professional developments. Not to mention: setting up my classroom, lesson planning, and trying to get through the days without freaking out.It is First Day of School Eve and I am FREAKING OUT.Normal, right?Probably, but with me it always feels like MORE.As it stands, I have dropped 16 pounds, and if I eat the way I did today, I may drop a few more. No, I'm not trying to starve myself, but nervousness plus anxiety do not an appetite make.I lost DietBet by about 4 pounds. I tried! Not doing that again though.My writing has been coming in spurts. I continue to send chapters to my Now Novel mentor. I believe that that is going well, but I feel like I'm going to slip and not write much in the next few weeks. I guess this would be normal, as I have an actual adult job now, but the urge is always there. I think the imposter syndrome is kicking in too. I think about why I'm even bothering to write. The only people that will ever see my work are my Now Novel mentor and my best friend. Why waste time?I did indulge in a Master Class with Margaret Atwood! I've watched a few lessons, and so far I love her dry wit. Slowly, but surely, I'm making my way through them.It may have been weeks since my last update, but honestly, I can't really think of much else to write about. I'm sure in the coming weeks I'll have loads to say!Ciao, friends!

Pack Your Bags!

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GASP!TWO UPDATES FROM ME IN LESS THAN A WEEK?HOLY COW!I felt as though I would make a quick blog post to share some news! But first...Check out breakfast for dinner over here!Bacon (and yes, it's regular bacon, whoops), scrambled eggs, fruit salad, and the Cinna-Yums from one of Joy Bauer's cookbooks. DELISH. Also, A LOT. Could probably do with about half of everything, but that is a lesson learned for next time.Monday marks the halfway point for the Dietbet. I WANT TO DO IT! I WANT THAT MONEY!!Also, tomorrow, I am attending an educational technology conference. I'm super excited! There are door prizes, grand prizes, and the coolest of all... FOOD TRUCKS. I won't go crazy with the food trucks, but I may just have a teeny-tiny breakfast to make up for it...Tomorrow is my first Sisters in Crime meeting! I am excited to attend after having just joined the national organization a few days ago. Can't wait to be a part of a chapter. There is supposed to be a retired police officer there to tell us about crime scenes. Woot!This morning, I had a hit of inspiration for a short story. It's actually romance, and it is set in the same universe as the novel I am currently drafting. I'm excited about the story, and hopefully I can get it written up before I lose the drive!Okay, now... on to the news I mentioned at the beginning of this post...Drum roll, please...*drum roll sounds*Today, I booked plane tickets to visit my cousin who is earning her Master's degree at a university in Germany.GERMANY. FOR SPRING BREAK!It'll be a whirlwind of a trip, but I am excited to go. Not only that, but I will have a nice little stopover in DUBLIN.YES, DUBLIN.I DID THIS ON PURPOSE TO GO TO A PLACE I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF GOING!Of course, less than 24 hours isn't enough to experience Ireland...Ah well, that means I'll just have to go back!I'm going to be absolutely whooped by the end of this trip, but you know... life's too short. I can catch up on sleep over the summer! Just in time for the Romance Writers of America conference which I will be attending with my BFF in NYC!Kathryn and Jenn take Manhattan!Sounds like a good movie, doesn't it?Ciao, friends!

Happy Weekend!

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I am back with a new blog post FINALLY! So much for at least keeping to one post a week. Whoops...Last Saturday, I attended the Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival. It is a free festival, open to anyone, and a great way to support local mystery authors. I went last year and won the grand prize of their Clue-like mystery game. Unfortunately, they did not have one this year, mostly because the headliner is the one that organizes the game.You want to know who the headliners were this year? Well, you may recognize the name of one of them, and that would be the one and only Charlaine Harris.Please forgive the crappy quality of this picture, but that is Charlaine on the right!If I'm honest, I didn't particularly get excited over the Sookie Stackhouse books. However, I LOVED True Blood. I know, I know... True Blood deviated from the books, but they were still Ms. Harris' characters. If Alan Ball hadn't picked up Dead After Dark, there wouldn't have been a True Blood.It also doesn't help that I'm not fond of cozy mysteries. They're too clean-cut for me. I need some grit and some darkness! I need a tortured soul! I need angst!Anyway! I had a lot of fun at the festival, attended a couple of panels, and spent well over $100 on books. Hella convenient that I got paid the day before...If you happen to find yourself without something to read and you love mysteries, I would suggest:

• Scandal in the Secret City by Diane Fanning

• Swiss Vendetta by Tracee de Hahn

• Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent

I purchased all three at last year's Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival, and only now just got to reading them. I blame the fact that my "To Read" pile is about a mile high. I enjoyed the first two immensely, and I'm almost done with the third, but have liked it enough to give it a plug! I bought the sequels to all of them, and more, at the fest, so I can't wait to dive in.Speaking of...How is your own writing progressing, Jenn?Well, friend, I'm glad you asked! I just finished Chapter 6 of my manuscript, and am teetering on the edge of 11k words. Honestly, to most writers, it may not seem like a lot. To me... it's an astounding amount. I've hand drawn a map of my setting and I've written out the administrative structure of the shady corporation. Not to mention my Post-It note outline...Le gasp!Yes, an outline! I'm a self-proclaimed pantser, but it's nice to have a rough outline. I actually feel like I may finish something! AMAZING!Now, updates on the healthy lifestyle journey...My mom and I have taken to sitting at the formal dining room table, and eating by candlelight. It actually is a lot of fun.

As you can see in the pictures above, we also have a visitor to our nightly meals. Minerva 

really

eyed up our food, lemme tell you...You know, it's kind of amusing when you don't exercise for a week and you drop about 2 pounds which is more than you lost while exercising nearly every day!HOW DOES THAT WORK?I have decided to exercise every other day now, but still, of course, stick to counting my calories and making healthy eating choices.Remember when I said I made a bet on myself to lose weight?Well, my Dietbet challenge is nearly halfway over and I'm halfway to winning the bet! The pot is at $3,465 and there are 99 of us playing. The pot will be split amongst the winners, so I'll be anxious to see if I can win this bet!I think those are about all the updates I have for you. I promise that I will try my best to be more consistent in posting!Before I go, though, I want to leave you with this gem of a text conversation that I had with my little brother the other day:

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I think I'm

hilarious

.Ciao, friends!

Update, Update, Update!!

Okay, I know, I know... it's been a while, right? Nearly a week since my last update, but I am still here and kickin'!Some updates...Tried a new recipe from one of Joy Bauer's books. My awesome nutritionist allowed me to borrow the book, and man, did I get some good recipes.

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Feast your eyes on "General Joy's Chicken"!However, don't be fooled by appearances. It may look tasty, but it... wasn't? It wasn't

awful

, but it wasn't the most delicious thing I've ever tasted either. I'm not sure if I did something wrong with the recipe, or if it was something else, but man... it

tasted

salty. Which is odd, considering that the majority of the ingredients had no salt or were low sodium.Ah well. Joy, you've given us some tasty recipes, and we still need to try out a few more, but I don't think I'll be adding this one to the repertoire.Something else new that I tried this week!I present to you... DESSERT HUMMUS:

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I know how it must sound, but look, it's

delish

. 80 calories for 2 tablespoons, paired with graham crackers and it's... -mimes kissing fingerprints- Haven't tried it with fruit, but I'm sure it will be really good!Full disclosure, Zumba last Sunday truly kicked my butt. I've continued to exercise, but I don't think I've fully recovered from the ordeal. I decided to rest Monday, today, and tomorrow. My joints feel like an old granny's (apologies to any old grannies reading this). I'll be back at it again, sweating with Jillian Michaels, on Monday!In addition to the delicious WIN of the dessert hummus, one dinner this week

was

a success. Take a gander at these zucchini boats:

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Ignoring the burnt bits of cheese that conveniently fell off and crisped up on the pan, these zucchini boats are super good, and fairly low cal! The "guts" of the boat are pieces of chicken, mushrooms, and summer squash, all in marinara sauce and topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. I can't tell you enough how good this dish is.Also, my mom was craving carbs, so we added a little bit of noodles to curb that.All of this suffering through tasteless "healthy" Chinese food hasn't been in vain. I did get to do some cool stuff. Here are the results from my Marvel night masterpiece!

I'm no Van Gogh, but this came out pretty cool. Not sure what I'm going to put in it though...Another big event, and yes, it is a big event, was that I was graced with my cat's presence one morning.

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This never happens. Let me tell you. She's not at all cuddly or likes to be petted. When she gets this close to me, I take it as a victory.This is Minerva, my dilute torti cat. I love her, even though she hates me, and I'm pretty sure there are times that she wants to actually kill me. Probably in my sleep.Camp NaNo, at this point, might as well just not have happened. I am slowly but surely writing for a different project than the one I declared for Camp, but that's okay, because I'm writing! I'm not writing a lot, but

I am

writing. I'm sure my Now Novel mentor is chomping at the bit for the next chapter, so I better get on that, right?You guys ever heard of Dietbet? Basically, you bet money on yourself to lose weight, and after the challenge is through, if you won, you get to split the 'pot' with other winners. A co-worker and I signed up for one of the challenges! It's 4 weeks long, and we are challenged to lose 4% of our weight. For me, the number to lose is kind of daunting for 4 weeks, but I am determined to try!I promise I will get a little better with updates!Ciao, friends!