Picture Post!! One year BANDIVERSARY and finally home from my vacation extravaganza!!

Home sweet home!

Friends!! I have missed you all!! I am finally home from traveling the world...well more like the southeast...for the last week and a half! It's been fun and amazing and I spent wonderful quality with my family and friends!

Here was my agenda:

Saturday, October 16th:
I went with my family and Burch to the Auburn vs. Arkansas game in Auburn! Usually we take the camper and go for the weekend...but we only went for the day. It was a whirlwind trip but we won the game so that is all that matters!

Sunday, October 17th:
We headed to Cade's Cove up in the mountains in Tennessee which is about an hour outside of Gatlinburg. We took our RV so it took about 7 hours to get there. I went with my mom, dad, brother and our puppy, Simba. My aunt, uncle and cousins went as well. About five other families who are friends of my aunt and uncle went as well. So we had about 30 people with our little group. Every October for like the past 20 years my aunt and uncle and all there friends have camped in the mountains in Cade's Cove. This was our third year to join the group :)

During the day we hiked, went sight seeing, went on bike rides and a few days we went into town and enjoyed the local shops and restaurants. One day we went to this amazingly awesome antique mall. It was one of the best I have been to. It had a really eclectic mix of vintage and antique finds. A bought this really neat crystal decanter from like 50 years ago. I also bought this gorgeous glass perfume bottle that will go perfect on my bathroom counter. Haha and...while I was there I decided I wanted to start collecting old antique cameras. As you all know I love photography and what better to collect than old cameras!! There was a booth at the antique mall and all they were selling were old cameras so........I bought three and I love them!! I have a bookshelf in my room that has my coffee table books and photo albums on it so I will put my cameras on there!

For dinner each night we would all cook together and eat together...grilled out burgers, soup, chili, barbeque, etc. and then sit around the fire together. My uncle, who is hilarious and the best story teller in the world, would entertain all of us until midnight each night while we roasted smores in the fire.

Another fun thing we did was go to a place called Elkmont, an old deserted ghost town that hasn't been occupied since around the 1960's. It was old logging community established in the 1800's but when the last grandchildren grew up and died off, the town became abandoned. It's a small town that is off the beaten path. You would never know it was there unless someone had told you about it. Even the people that live in the surrounding communities won't tell you about Elkmont. If you ask how to get there, we figured out that the locals will act like it doesn't even exist. It's pretty eerie and creepy. I went with my brother, mom, dad and two cousins and we explored the town for several hours. Some of the houses are completely in ruins and the roof is caved in. Some of the porches are fallen in making it impossible to get to the front door. But the houses that were more in tact and not falling in, we explored...carefully of course. It was like people just up and left in the night. There were cabinets open, refrigerators with old food still inside and mattresses in some of the bedrooms. Seriously some of these houses could have fallen through at any minute...we are dare devils I guess. Haha not to mention there were signs on each of the doors saying "No trespassing" and if we are caught inside any homes we would have to pay fines! We were law breakers for the day but believe me, there was no one in sight at least for 10 miles!

So Cade's Cove was amazing. We headed home on Friday, October 22nd!

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Saturday, October 23rd was my ONE YEAR BANDIVERSARY!! I could contribute an entire blog to this but I will try to keep it short. On October 23, 2009 my life changed. It changed for the better and I couldn't be happier for making the decision to get the band. Like all of us, we are happier, healthier and more beautiful versions of ourselves. If it wasn't for the band, I wouldn't have created this blog. And if I wouldn't have created this blog, I would have met all of you amazing, gorgeous, thoughtful, fabulous people! I am grateful for each of you and your words of kindness that have helped me through my journey. As of October 23, 2010 I have lost 41 pounds. Those stubborn pounds will never be seen again...thank goodness!! I have about 52 more pounds to go until I get to my goal weight so as for this next year, I hope to meet this goal! I am hopeful and I am determined to make the right decisions to get me there. Thank you again for all the sweet words! I love you all!

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Saturday night my cousin and I drove to Mobile! When we got there we quickly hurried to the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Auburn vs. LSU game with the rest of Mobile apparently. It was packed and we rooted our team on until the very end! What a fantastic game and for those of you who keep up with football, my Auburn tigers are #1 in the BCS!! Amazing!!

Then we got ready and went to the Carrie Underwood concert with two of our friends who live in Mobile! It was my second time to see her in concert and all I can say is fabulous!! Probably one of the best concerts I have ever been to. She is even more gorgeous and sounds even better in person. Such a natural raw talent unlike many other artists out there. I would pay to see her again and again and again.

Sunday morning breakfast and a quick shopping spree at the local mall, we were headed back to good ole Birmingham!! What an action packed last 9 days! But now Im home and glad to be united with the blog! I haven't been reading blogs or been able to update mine since I have been gone but I have lots of catching up to do!!

Have a fabulous Tuesday! I have lots of laundry and cleaning to do :) For all of you Ole Miss fans, my Auburn tigers are coming for ya!

5-Day Pouch Test!! Bad news :(

First of all, thank you everyone for the suggestions and encouragement regarding the 5 day pouch test! Seems like there are a good number of bloggers who are willing to give this a try!!

Secondly, now that I got everyone all excited about starting the 5 day pouch test on the October 18th....guess what!?

I found out (for sure this morning) that I am going out of town this Sunday and won't be coming home until the following Friday. Let me explain...

My whole extended family on my mom's side takes a week long vacation to Cade's Cove in Tennessee every fall around October/November. It is about an hour outside of Gatlinburg. This trip has been planned for this upcoming week for months and months now. I have known about the trip all along but didn't think I would be able to go because of work.

Well....for those of you who read my post a few days ago....you remember I was temporary laid off this past Friday and no longer have to worry about work for the next 10 weeks. I still wasn't sure as of a few days ago if I was going to go to Tennessee because I felt bad leaving my boyfriend, Burch, at home all week by himself. Mind you...he still has a job and can't afford to skip out of town for a week. This isn't the first time I skipped out on him...we went on vacation to Alaska a few months ago and I left him high and dry for two weeks...so I think it will be ok.

Anyways, Burch and I talked about it and he is cool with me going on vaca with my family. This is the only time during the year my WHOLE family gets the heck out of dodge and goes on vacation. I would hate to miss this amazing family fun time (in all honesty, I am being completely serious...my family is fabulous!)

We all have RVs (with the exception of my outdoorsy cousins who bring their tent) and we "camp" up in the mountains for a week. Don't worry, we don't rough it. Do I look like somebody who would want to rough it in the wilderness for 6 days?

Usually each morning there is a breakfast feast. Also each individual family is given one night and they have to plan the dinner menu. I think our night is Thursday. All this to say...I have no idea what food is going to be served each meal and I have no control over what proteins (or lack there of) will be available for me to choose from, I think the best idea would be to wait until I return to start the 5 day pouch test.

Probably the following Monday will be best for me which is October 25th. I also want to be able to document each day for yall what foods I ate and how it is all going. Up in the mountains I don't even know if I will have service to use my computer.


So thank you for wanting to do this with me!! I love it and I think it will be awesome for us to do together and help each other out. Feel free to still start the 18th...but if you want to wait and start the 25th with me, you are more than welcome!!

Love you all!! Have an awesome Friday!!

5-Day Pouch Test?? Anyone?

Happy Wednesday friends!

So I have been reading a lot over the past few days about the 5-day pouch test. I'm sure some of you have heard of it. I honestly hadn't heard about it until a few days ago when I was watching a you-tuber talk about it who had the lap band. For those of you who don't know, I am a you tube addict! Because makeup, fashion and anything beauty related is my obsession, I go on there and watch these amazing makeup artists transform people with makeup. I love to watch videos of the new and upcoming trends for the season. I also have certain you tubers I follow who have the lap band and post videos of their journey. It's nice being able to see their face and hear them talk about the successes and struggles they go through. One of the ladies I was watching did the 5 day pouch test last week and she was raving about it. She said she lost a total of 9 pounds in 5 days and it helped her to jump start her weight loss back up after months of being at a stand still.

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So for those of you who don't know, here is the 5 day pouch test plan:

Days One and Two: Liquid Protein
Low-carb protein shakes, broth, clear or cream soups, sugar-free gelatin and pudding

Day Three: Soft Protein
Canned fish (tuna or salmon), eggs, fresh soft fish (tilapia)

Day Four: Firm Protein
Ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken, lamb), shellfish, scallops, lobster, fresh salmon or halibut

Day Five: Solid Protein
White meat poultry, beef steak, pork, lamb, wild game

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Most people (the ones I have read about) who have done the 5 day pouch test have lost anywhere from 5 pounds all the way up to 12 pounds during the 5 days! The test is not intended just for weight loss although it is said to trigger weight loss. From reading people's reactions, this seems to be true but we will see. It is intended to get people back to the basics and incorporate high protein foods back into your diet. It is to be done when you feel out of control with your eating habits and you need a little help being back to the basics. By the fifth day, most people say their band feels tighter than it was before. This is exciting!



I am thinking this is just what I need! I have done good on the weight loss front the past month or so but I feel like I could always use more protein in my diet. I don't like seafood unfortunately and I don't eat much red meat like steak but there are tons of chicken recipes I have found that will work perfect with this 5 day diet :)

Have any of you tried this before? Thoughts? Concerns? Likes? Dislikes? Anyone want to do this with me? The only day I might have a problem with is day three. What else can I eat besides what is listed? I don't do fish and I can't eat eggs all day...suggestions?

I am thinking about starting this 5 day test Monday, October 18th. I am on my last day of my period today so I am wanting to get all that out of my system before I start. And I need to get to the grocery store to stock up on chicken, soup, pudding and protein drinks!

I thought this was exciting!! Good luck to me!!

A fantastic weekend except for one major downer...

Hey friends!! Hope yall had a fabulous weekend! Mine was great except for a big bummer on Friday!

This story needs a preface so here it goes...

I work for TruGreen, a lawn care company. I have been with them for about 6 months now. I am a sales auditor and I really like my job. I do a lot of interaction with customers and a lot of computer data entry and financial reviews of customer's accounts. It is a far stretch from fashion merchandising but Birmingham isn't exactly the best place to be for my major and I like the people I work with. Anyways, when I was hired I was told that usually around November the whole company lays off sales positions (including sales auditors and there are two sales auditors) for about 2 months because sales are too slow and there isn't enough revenue coming in for us to keep our jobs.

I remember being told that but wasn't really worried about it because it seemed like months and months away. Well as of the end of September, the salesmen that work there have been getting less and less. Each week about 1 or 2 salesmen have been getting laid off because lawn sales have gone down faster and earlier this year than they did last year. We started out with about 25 sales guys and as of this past week we have 6! When we had 25 guys selling we needed two auditors but now that we have 6 sales guys, I have been worried day by day whether I would have a job for much longer. The other sales auditor has been there 4 years and she obviously isn't going to be let go before me. Her and I have been talking for weeks about how much slower work has been and the sales have dropped dramatically. For us, if there are no sales coming in there is no need for sales auditors. But I was told the lay off would be mid to end November.

Well....

I went to work Friday like normal and right before I left my boss called me into his office. I knew something bad was coming. He had a serious look on his face. He said that unfortunately it was time for my temporary lay off. There was no sugar-coating it. Just plain and simple. Even though I knew it would eventually be coming, I thought it would be a month from now...not this soon. I felt excited for a brief second because it's a break from work but then got this overwhelming sense that I wanted to cry. He said because the company had downsized from 25 salesmen to 6, there obviously wasn't the need for two auditors. He made me feel better by saying it was nothing I did but it was my time to go because the other auditor had seniority.

The good thing about the whole situation is everyone is eligible to come back the first week of January...hints the "temporary lay off". This is a good and bad thing. Good because I am guaranteed my job back in 10 weeks but bad because I wont be getting paid a decent paycheck for 10 weeks. I applied today for unemployment and honestly I just want to collect that while I'm out of work. Since I have been 15 years old I have never gone without a job so it will be weird. I like my job enough to want to wait and go back in January. For this reason I don't to go through the pain staking process of looking for another job which is what my parents want me to do. Oh well.

I feel like a total loser for sitting at home for 10 weeks without a job but maybe it will give me a nice little break right around the holidays to focus on my family and friends and myself and my weight loss.

So that ended my last day at TruGreen for the year. It was so unexpected and took me by surprise. I was supposed to be somewhere Friday night so I didn't have time to hug anyone and tell them goodbye. Now I feel bad for that and I wont see them until January. Weird. It is a temporary layoff but I still feel like I "lost my job" and I will be poor for the next 10 weeks. No big shopping sprees for Kristen. Sad.

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Then right after leaving work I went straight to my cousin's homecoming football game. My little cousin, Leah, is a freshman and made homecoming court. My whole family went to support her and as you will see in my pictures, she is adorable! I am so proud of her! Here is some pictures of us:

Cousin Lauren, cousin Lindsay, Lindsay's husband Matt and me

Lauren, me, Leah and Lindsay

Lauren and I

Lauren and I...again

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Saturday, my cousin Lauren and Lindsay and I did the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Birmingham. I felt so honored to participate in such an amazing race! Like I said before, my grandmother was a two time breast cancer survivor so this event is near and dear to my heart. There were like 20,000 people there...it was fantastic. People in pink all over the place!

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Those are the highlight and low lights from the weekend! :)
Have a great week! Talk to yall soon!!

FINALLY...it's been a long time coming!

As of this morning I am down 40 POUNDS!! Holy smokes! I have been waiting for this day for months!

I hopped up on my trusty little scale this morning and it read 217.2...1 pound down from yesterday! I am trying to be super strict with my eating habits (lots and lots of water, no eating about 7 pm, no snacking...blah blah blah) and apparently it seems to be paying off.

If you have been reading my posts for a while, you know I had been in the 220's since about April until September. 6 months!! This was depressing but my fault at the same time...a constant cycle of lose, gain, lose, gain. But I am down 4 pounds from two weeks ago at my doctor's appointment so if I can keep up this lose-2-pounds-a-week thing (I will even take 1 pound a week), I will be in good shape!

Anyways, happy 40 for me!! Hoping 50 pounds down isn't too far away!!

Thanks again for all the support! Love yall more than you know!

Life since Chicago...(picture post included)

Oh my goodness. I have been a terrible blogger since coming back from Chicago. I guess all the fun and excitement just wore me out!

First of all, here is my picture post from the weekend. This past Friday I went down to Auburn for the weekend. It was fabulous as always. Auburn played LA Monroe and the score was like 300 to 3....so that was good and boring at the same time. My friends and family and I still had a great time enjoying each others company. I was proud of myself for not eating too much of all the delicious tailgating food but I still managed to have a hot dog and some roasted marshmallows! Here are some pictures from Auburn!

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In some fantastic weight loss news....this morning I hit my new LOW!! The scale read 218.2!! Several times I have gotten down to 219 but I haven't seen 218 yet so that was super exciting!! My goal is to be at 210 by Oct. 23rd which is my 1 year bandiversary. That would mean losing 8 pounds in the next 19 days....I realize that is a little bit of a stretch but hey, makes me work hard towards something!

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This weekend I am planning on participating in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Birmingham. My grandmother was a two time breast cancer survivor and my cousins and I want to do this in remembrance of her. She has since past but she was the strongest woman I know and my hero. My cousins are wanting to do the 1 mile course but I am thinking it will be a good chance for me to push myself and do the 5k. I will probably just have to walk the whole thing...maybe jog a little...but I am so honored to be participating. I didnt do the race in Chicago so I definitely wanted to make sure I did it in Birmingham.


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Oh yeah....and I now have 200 followers!! YAY!! Words can't express how much I appreciate each and every one of you. The support and encouragement and sweet words from everyone is what each of us needs so thank you! Love you ladies!!

Hope everyone has a fabulous week!