biggest loser

In other news, the Ott family and friends have started & finished the biggest loser competition. Each person put in $25 and the winner takes all the $20's and second place takes the $5's. It gave me the motivation and encouragement to really get back to where I was in Portland. I'm sure most people are thinking "you didn't need to loose weight" and they're partly right. Most people would be surprised that I gained about 20 - 25 lbs from a month or two before I left Portland up until we started the biggest loser. I'm just smart and can hide it very well in my clothes :) So I definitely didn't need to lose a lot of weight, but joining was mainly for the motivation. I ended up getting second place and losing a total of 20.5 lbs in 9 weeks and not to mention winning the $75!

What I did to lose weight:
- counting calories: sometimes you really just have no clue how many calories something has in it until you look it up. or when you look at the calories and then realize the serving size is a pea. With calorie counting, you definitely re-evaluate what food is "important". I'd rather use my calories for food that will fill me up instead of that candy I was thinking about eating! Before counting calories, I was consuming about 2000 calories a day because I just has no clue. This was extremely eye opening for me.

- working out: About 4 days a week, I went to this ice skating rink that has a track above it and I ran/walked/ran the stairs. This is what I mainly did for a work out. On Friday, a couple girls and I go to open gym volleyball which surprisingly burns a lot of calories. On Wednesday, I have league volleyball so that also helps burn calories. On Saturday, I try to do one of my work out videos. I'm always looking to switch up my work out with different kind of videos. Since I do so much cardio during the week, I mainly do some strength/toning type of videos. I'm loving the Brooke Burke toning video's I bought. One video is a little easier so it was a good starting point for me. Then on Sunday, if the weather permits, Erich and I would go snowshoeing along his trap line. Again, its something that's fun, but you burn a ton of calories while doing it! I definitely tried to have a day or two off to relax and let my body rest though. I believe that is important. The main point is be active!!

-eating: aside from counting calories, I'm just trying to eat better overall. I didn't eat fast food except once (not that I don't want a Carls Jr. burger haha) or any other real junk food. I do cheat though. I'm not the type of person that can deprive myself of the food I want or else I binge. So I occasionally had a donut at work on Friday's or ate a piece of pizza (or two!). I just knew that I needed to watch what I eat for the rest of the day and tomorrow. Some people that were doing the biggest loser strictly changed their eating & this worked for them. I know just changing my diet would not have worked for me since I already eat pretty healthy and balanced.

-Scale: I weighed my food (not all of the time) because I tend to underestimate how much of an item I'm actually eating. I was used to eating huge portions of food and then thinking I ate only the serving size. So I started weighing out my food to make sure I'm eating around the serving size. This has helped me accurately calorie count and it helped me guesstimate serving sizes of my food that wasn't weighed. I know it sounds really crazy to weigh your food, but I would weigh a bunch of things ahead of time and mark my sandwich baggie with the ounces. This helped me just grab and go in the mornings when I would pack my lunch for work.

I know it kind of sounds like a lot, but I swear it wasn't some crazy life changing thing for me. I ate pretty healthy before, but rarely worked out during the winter at least. So the key for me was working out with addition to keeping up on eating healthy and being consistent!

I've done a fair share of research these past 9 weeks, so if anyone wants some low calories foods or any other tips like shocking your body, just let me know!

nothing like ...monthly post :)

nothing like...homemade caramel corn
nothing like...losing 16 pounds
nothing like...kicking your own butt at the "gym"
nothing like...a clean puppy
nothing like...understanding your least favorite subject in school
nothing like...making a soup/stew from scratch
nothing like...catching up with friends
nothing like...fresh blueberries (even if they are super expensive)
nothing like...making my moms sweet pickles
nothing like...getting your butt kicked by your bf at Sudoku when you normally whoop his butt
nothing like...getting a new SMALLER pair of jeans
nothing like...deciding to start photographing people this summer
nothing like...coming home to a puppy that has rubber her nose raw :(
nothing like...planning summer camping/hiking/fishing/floating trips
nothing like...cuddling with the man I love :)
nothing like...getting smacked in the head with a volleyball (it still hurts)
nothing like...knowing I AT LEAST got a B on my econ midterm
nothing like...some procrastination to kick me in the butt
nothing like...giving your dog her first taste of popsicle! I'm pretty sure she stared me down wanting more
nothing like...buying your self some flowers :)
nothing like...eating healthy & low calorie and not even trying
nothing like...homemade chili YUMMO
nothing like...friday night volleyball

Feeling thankful, blessed and extremely happy right now. Even after listening to my office mate tell my 15 stories today :)

stepping away

I'm annoyed about how many stories you've told me.
You are defined by one thing and its sad.
I'm tired of telling you the same thing over and over again.
I'm annoyed that I've heard this story 5 times today.
You need to focus on yourself and not others.
Stop acting like a child and be a grown up.
I'm bored of the only thing you talk about.

...my patience is wearing thin.


Sometimes in life, you just need to step away. Sometimes in life, people annoy you (yes even your family and friends). Sometimes in life, its stressful. I'm currently feeling that way, with work, with friends and with family. Is it personal? Absolutely (err probably) not. Do I need to step away? Yes. My mother always said "if you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing at all". and frankly, I already feel like being honest gets me in trouble. So I've decided for that starting next week on Monday, I will be stepping away so to speak. Yes I'll still go to class and yes I'll still go to volleyball, but that's it. I just want me time. Thankfully, Erich will be out of town so I'll really be able to just hang out with myself and process some stuff. I'm not depressed or angry, I just need to decompress from life. that's all :)

To work full time or not? that is the question

So I got into UAF which is really exciting because I just want to be DONE with school. I'm so over it at this point and I'm kinda mad at myself that its taken this long.
My dilemma is this, my current job will pay for my school (business degree) if i continue to work 40 hours. This was the exact same deal as my old job. I get good grades and prove to work that I'm awesome, and they pay me back. I've already been approved for a FAFSA loan which would cover all the costs up front and then work would pay me back. I'd then put all the money work would repay me and put it into an account so that when I have to start paying back those loans, I'll have all the money upfront. Sounds like a pretty good/easy deal! EXCEPT, it will continue to take me FOREVER to finish school.

My other option is to quit my job, take out loans and bust out school. I would have done this years ago but I have this immense amount of fear about taking loans out. I absolutely HATE owing people money and that would be a lot of money to owe. Plus I'm so close to paying off my car loan, it would be a huge bummer to see my debt go up again. The only reason I took out a loan for my car was because I was car less and I couldn't keep borrowing my parents cars or bumming rides off people. I'd also have to find a part time easy job so I can pay my cell phone and other essentials. I'm not sure what I would do to help out with the house bills since I currently buy all groceries, electricity and heating oil. I wouldn't want Erich to have to pay for all of that! Its another little quirk of mine, I hate depending on other people money wise. I absolutely hated it when I couldn't find a job when I first moved up here and Erich had to help me out with my bills.

I've pretty much already decided what I am going to do. I'll go to school slowly and work full time. I'm not thrilled with the idea, but I think its the best option for me at the moment. Plus, I won't really have to deal with my anxiety of having loans. I'm going to call and make an apt to see an adviser (I had to cancel my original one since the dog got spayed and was a hot mess for a week!) to see where I stand and what my options are. And back to school once again I go...

bored at work :)

I'm bored at work and trying to stay awake. Damn holiday potluck for making me sleepy :)

A. Age: 25
B. Bed size: queen
C. Chore that you hate: hanging clean clothes
D. Dog: bella aka pupperoni, bellabutton, night fury, etc.
E. Essential start to your day: putting on the glasses and stretching in bed (while making dinosaur noises)
F. Favorite color: teal or gray/blue
G. Gold or silver: both
H. Height: 5'6"
I. Instruments: haha none. I'm musically challenged
J. Job title: Service Writer aka secretary
K. Kids: none
L. Live: Fairbanks, AK
M. Mother's name: Christine
N. Nicknames: Nicki, Nik, Nickle, sex kitten ha
O. Overnight hospital stays: none that I remember
P. Pet peeve: oh wow so many. is that bad? clipping your finger/toe nails at work. rude drivers!!!
Q. Quote from a movie: "is that necessary?"
R. Right or left handed: righty
S. Siblings: Older sister, jennie
T. Time you wake up: on weekdays 7:00 and weekends, as late as possible :)
U. Underwear: most of the time
V. Vegetable you hate: a lot...ill eat mostly any veggie cooked, but raw almost all of them are gross to me.
W. What makes you run late: sleep. I love to sleep! I'll wait till the very last second to get up and get ready for work. Its a horrible habit.
X. X-rays you've had: ankle
Y. Yummy food that you make: I bake pretty well. I'm also pretty good at cooking a typical "home cooked meal". Like real mashed potatoes, real gravy, etc. My dad taught me well :)
Z. Zoo animal: I love the hippos.

and that kept me entertained for a good 5-10 minutes. maybe ill actually write something interesting or finish the post i started!

Nothing like..

So I never write on this blog because my life really just interesting enough anymore. anyone want to hear about how we planted raspberry bushes last week!?! Yea? No?! I'm gonna take that as a NO. Anyways, in order to get this blog back up and kickin', I thought I'd do a weekly blog post where it states some high and lows for the week! it goes a little somethin' like this:

Nothing like...getting into your car, dropping your phone and hitting you head while trying to retrieve the phone.

Nothing like...feeling the burn from a work out two days ago (thanks kate!!)

Nothing like...having a big ole' bump on my head.

Nothing like...hating your boss and finally doing something about it.

Nothing like...pulling your favorite pair of socks out your dogs butt (thanks to erich for saving the day with that one. so gross)

Nothing like...losing 4 lbs since I actually started trying to loose weight.

Nothing like...being to scared to get up this morning and run because of the nightmare you had all night about zombies (I contemplated if Bella could protect me against a city of zombies and decided that no, she could not)

Nothing like...grapes. I love me some grapes (even if the do cost an arm and a leg)

Nothing like...missing your BEST FRIENDS in the whole entire world. My heart aches that I cannot hang out with them whenever I want.

Nothing like...2 weeks without coffee. BOOYAH!!!

Nothing like...dropping all of your paper clips on the floor.

Nothing like...having your dog throw up right when you trying to leave for work.

Nothing like...a good cup of hot apple cider on a raw throat.

Nothing like...your heat not working when its 22 degrees out when you wake up. (I'm going to fiddle around with it tonight when i get home from work. If i cant get it started, i have to call the furnace guy. Two years in a row now that the heat went out while Erich was gone!)

In other news, the past week has been *sniffle sniffle sniffle* *blow nose* *sniffle sniffle sniffle* *blow nose* *sniffle sniffle sniffle* *blow nose* *sniffle sniffle sniffle* *blow nose* *sniffle sniffle sniffle* *blow nose* *sniffle sniffle sniffle* *blow nose* *sniffle sniffle sniffle* *blow nose* *sniffle sniffle sniffle* *blow nose* *sniffle sniffle sniffle* *blow nose*
Its been real fun! My poor nose is so dry and irritated.

But good news! I got into UAF. So ill probably do a blog on that soon about what needs to happen next.

Hugs & Luvs
Misses & Kisses
Nicki

Sex Advice From Your friendly Fred Meyers Clerk:

I’m going to preface this with the fact that for some odd reason, Fred Meyer’s clerks always love to chat me up. Unfortunately for them, I’m usually pissed off and angry by the time I get to the cashier and strongly dislike chatting at that point. Why you ask? Well because I feel like I’ve just gone through a battle. I mean I had to fight off the large woman on isle 3 that takes up the whole space with her cart and body and when you say excuse me; she acts like she can’t hear you. Or the 5 kids screaming and running around their parents who don’t seem to give a rats ass. Or the stock guys that won’t move when you’re clearly trying to get a product right behind their palate. Im telling you, it’s a battlefield out there in Fred Meyers.

Now that you have that information, here is the good part. So one day about a week ago, Erich and I are Fred Meyers doing some shopping, which included a new work out DVD for me. It was a Dancing with the Stars one and it was the closest video they had to Zumba. Plus I had a gift card from work for my birthday so it was free. We had finished going through the battlefield and we were almost done. We were patiently waiting in line when a manager says that lane 4 can help us. “Okay sweet” we said. We walked over to lane 4 to see a large, very pale woman with red hair and thick glasses behind the cash register. We had finished unloading everything on the conveyor belt and she starts chatting us up. Instead of being a rude asshole, I oblige to converse with her even though id love nothing more to stand there in silence as she scans our items. We go over random mundane topics as the weather, the new shirts Erich is buying, the type of apples I'm buying (which by the way are Pacific Rose and A-MAZING, i'm seriously addicted and will pay a pretty penny for those babies!). Then she rings up my DVD work out video and says the most awkward thing I’ve ever had a Fred Meyers cashier say to me. Out of her mouth in her best Southern accent came “Oh honnnney, go put on some of your sexiest lingerie you own and pop this DVD in and let your man watch, he will be a happy man”. I’m pretty sure she winked at us too, but I was too stunned to know for sure. At this point I looked at Erich and he was bright red as I’m sure I was as well. I just giggled awkwardly to break the silence because lets face, we both had no idea what to say back. In my head I thought “what the hell? Who says that to a stranger? Do I look like I need sex advice? Oh shit maybe I do! Wait a minute…she did not have a Southern accent earlier!!! Was it really necessary for her to say that in a southern draw? Frankly it made it much creepier in that accent. What the hell?” So after a few awkward giggles from Erich and I (look ma, I used the correct grammar you’ve been beating into my brain since I was little!) she then had to break her own awkwardness by saying “Oh look girl, you’ve got a blusher” while pointing to Erich. So not only did she make us really uncomfortable by telling us how to get our freak on; which by the way, we don’t need help in that department, she then had to point out how awkward we felt about the whole situation. This makes me assume she knows that she is a full on creeper! Thankfully she had finally finished bagging all of our groceries and my apparent new foreplay DVD and we practically ran out that store. After enough steps away from the cashier, the only thing Erich could say was “awkward”. I concur baby, I concur. And my comment? Well I had to comment on her random ass Southern accent that magically showed up when she felt the need to verbally assault my mind.

I'm sure you’re asking yourself; so did you end up putting on lingerie and shaking your money maker while he watched? Sorry to disappoint, but I did not. And I’m pretty sure that was best for both of us. This stupid DVD that I had bought taught the moves so fast that I end up basically flailing my arms and legs around trying to catch up to the hot skinny chick in the video. And I’m no novice at dancing either. I’ve danced since I was little and have done every style you could think of. Lets just say, I'm glad Erich was not in the room with me because he would have started laughing his ass off at my attempts to do some salsa. Note to others: Dancing with the Stars DVD sucks! Buy at your own risk

Sincerely,

The girl who looks like she is desperate enough to take sex advice from a Fred Meyer’s clerk