hello.

 Hi.

This is a little nerve-wracking, putting such personal details out here for anyone to find. I need some accountability. Something to cause me to check in, more than an app or a new Instagram account is capable of. I'm too long-winded for good Instagram captions, anyway. 

Here's a little about-me. I'm in my mid-thirties, engaged, mom to a fur-son, high school teacher transitioning to a fully virtual teaching position for 21-22, and grad student. I'm a lover of Friends, Gilmore Girls, The Good Place, and anything Guy Fieri touches on Food Network. I binge podcasts (faves include Crime Junkie, Moms & Murder, Southern Fried True Crime, and Trashy Divorces) and true crime documentaries. Kevin Costner is my lifelong celebrity crush. 

I'm also struggling with being healthy. This blog is my accountability measure. My weight fluctuates and I am an emotional eater to the extreme. I don't have healthy habits because I LOVE FOOD and will justify any "treat" to myself. So this is my journey to be better, to actually follow through. I paid for a year of Noom three months ago and used it for 2 weeks - so I will be using that. I'll also be meal planning (not a new concept, but not including cheat meals every other night is) and working out at home. I'm documenting all of that here. Note though, while I do hope to lose weight, creating this healthy lifestyle and mindset are my primary goal. I don't claim to be an expert in any of this, and honestly I don't have the time or patience to become hyper-obsessed with every aspect of it. I'm not the person who can cut out dessert or cheese or wine. 

My goal for this blog is for a weekly check-in that will include the meal plan for the upcoming week as well as a reflection of the past week's meals, workouts, successes, and failures. Transparency. I haven't decided if I'm comfortable sharing my weight and measurements yet because I really don't want the numbers to define me or worry about maintaining - my goal is to feel better and be more comfortable, whatever that may look like. I also know that healthy means different things to different people - my current size and metrics may be someone else's goal. 

I'm not sure if I'll include information beyond this yet or not. I did blog once, over a decade ago, and miss writing. Journaling isn't the same, and I think I've missed the cutoff to become an Instagram influencer (and also, that long-windedness is also a problem). We'll see. 

So, in the spirit of this blog, I'm posting all of this on a Monday. But it's Memorial Day Monday and the last day of May. So I'll start Tuesday. Farewell meal of wings and fries tonight. 😉