Biggest Loser: Northampton Couples, Friends and anyone else!

The Holidays were a crazy period of time. Though I only had a few parties to attend, I felt like life sped by at and incredibly fast pace. Lizzie and I went to Disneyworld with her family which was wonderful. That was the first 'real' vacation I have really had. We had a great time and went to bed every night completely and totally exhausted. We got home on New Year's Eve around 6 pm and crashed. We had stopped at the sketchy liquor store on Conz Street to pick up some champagne. Needless to say, it is still in the refrigerator. I don't blame us though, after getting up at 4 am, taking two flights (with a two hour layover) with a 6 month old baby, and then driving home from Boston.

Since then I have started working part time at a consulting firm which has been a great experience so far. I am grateful it is only two days a week and I didn't jump right into this as it will take some getting used to. The biggest difference is the pace. At an academic institution the emphasis on learning seems to calm the pace a bit, but at this firm I feel like every second is ticking away at a client's pocketbook. I feel some pressure to work at a faster pace which is probably really good for me.

Lastly, I made some grande New Year's resolutions. The biggest one is to lose 75 pounds! This decision began when a gaggle of my friends were eating dinner (Rocklette and Fondu) and all griping about our weights. So we decided to start our own version of Biggest Loser among our little circle of friends. My partner is Lizzie so I am pumped. We have totally made over our lifestyles: eating, exercising, etc. We weigh in every two weeks (the 1st and 15th of every month) and calculate % lost. In theory, every one was on board but it seems that Lizzie and I are the only ones serious about this. Our friends helped us with the motivation to get started and that was all we needed! We are on a roll, supporting each other, and working our asses off! At our first weigh in we had, together, lost 3.28% of our total combined weight. We are determined so keep checking back in and I will post the results after each weigh in.

As for other things...well I just registered to take the FE Exam in the Spring....SCARY!!! Now I really have to study since it is official. Dang. Also on the burner is this pesky thesis that doesn't want to write itself. I lack motivation to work on it. It is very challenging. I seem to pick up momentum when I think about graduation or something happens at UMASS that makes me want to finish sooner. Overall, I have to just grin and bear it and bowl my way through it.

Have a great weekend! Thanks for reading!

Cheers!