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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Hello Bloggers!

It's been a while! Finishing my last semester of grad school and last few weeks of teaching has kept me super busy! Good thing I reaaaaaally enjoy being super busy. :)
Since I haven't posted a picture of my husband and I in about 6 months, I thought I was way overdue.  So here you go! One from a date night a couple of months ago and the other from Easter Sunday.

We have another busy month ahead of us in May.  Let's just face it... this summer is cram-packed with fun events, travels, and activities.  August will be here before I even know it! But I know, without a single doubt, that this summer will be much better than the last.  I cannot wait!
First up, a girl's trip to the beach.  From the beach, I head to NYC for a few days.  In the middle of June, I will be traveling to China for work.  In July, I will spend a week in Boston doing a work study program at Harvard, and then a week with my hubs in the Dominican Republic.  A little 2nd anniversary/end of summer/congrats on grad school vacay for the both of us! :)
In between all of those trips, we have weddings, showers, and birthdays galore! I love it!  So hopefully,  I will be much better about taking pictures and posting.  Hopefully! :)

---KPG

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

China Bound!

To say that I am on cloud nine is an absolute understatement. Why? Because this girl is going to China!
That's right. I have been selected to represent my school on a 15 day journey across China. I will be visiting Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Xian, and Shenzen. At those stops, my group will be visiting and touring independent schools, meeting with school administrators, and touring the cities.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I simply work at the most fabulous school in the world. This place rocks my socks right off my feet. Just when I think I have them figured out, they amaze me with something new! So anyway, we have started focusing on teaching with a global purpose. This trip will further that purpose and allow us to have some new teaching opportunities. I AM SO EXCITED to be a part of this and to come back and share what I learn with my fellow teachers!
There is a small group from the United States participating in this amazing journey. I am the only one from my school going. This is a big step for me since I have never even flown by myself! :)
I will keep you posted on this as the times draws nearer! :)

---KPG

Thursday, March 8, 2012

And the Biggest Loser (Round 2) is......

ME!!! Again!

I absolutely cannot believe it! For the second month in a row, I have been the biggest loser! This month I lost 3.48% body fat. Extremely low compared to last month's loss, but I'm back to where I want to be.
Thanks to everyone for the kind words and motivation.... it really does encourage me to keep going and to PUT DOWN THAT DOUGHNUT!!!! :)

---KPG

Monday, February 27, 2012

In 3 short days....

I will be a NEW and IMPROVED woman! Yes, that's right. No more night classes. EVER. I have a final on Wednesday night, and two finals on Thursday night, then it's smooooooth sailing from there! I do have one more class to take during the next eight week session, but it only meets one day a week for an hour and a half. So I can go to class, work out, and still beat my husband home. AMAZING!
I am looking forward to eating dinner together every night, actually cooking some new recipes, having minimal homework, being able to attend dinner parties with my friends and coworkers, work out whenever I want to, and actually breathe at night with less stress!
I am also looking forward to my upcoming trips. Last summer, I took 13 hours and was in class four nights a week, 5 hours a night. We also bought a new house, moved, and sold our old house. So therefore, we didn't have much downtime and fun time. We barely even got to celebrate our one year anniversary. But not this summer! We are going all out! First up: girls' trip to the beach for Spring Break!
Tonight, Alex and I stayed home due to our furry child having to be put asleep at the vet. Bless his heart, he is so pitiful. He got stung by a wasp on his paw a few days ago and it ended up getting infected. Charlie picked at until it was raw. They have to get him anesthesia, shave his paw, and give him lots of pain meds. He is knocked out cold! If I am this upset about my puppy, I hope my children never ever get hurt! :(

---KPG

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

And the Biggest Loser is....

ME!!!!!!

That's right, folks. I lost the biggest percentage of body weight for the month of January. My total percentage lost was 8.35%. I am beyond thrilled with my results. Now I just need to keep up the good work!

---KPG

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Vegas Baby!

Alex and I just got back from a short (but sweet!) trip to Las Vegas. He had a carpet convention for a few days, and I just got to tag along! It was a very low-key, stress-free trip. Alex and I ate alot, shopped a little, and spent some much-needed time together! We have not been able to have a ton of quality time together lately, due to family illnesses, grad classes, and crazy days at work. I think we will both be in celebration mode on March 1st when I NEVER have a night class ever again!
Anyway, the main thing about this trip was the food. I have been on a crazy fun-sucker diet, and it was so nice to let it go for a few days. As great as turkey slices, almonds, and sugar-free jello are, they get old very very very quickly! Soooo what did I eat on this trip!? Lots and lots of surf and turf! That's right, steak and lobster for every meal at dinner! It was delicious!
Another highlight of this trip was running into Michael Jackson's dad, Joe. It was hilarious! Alex recognized him right away, so we stood around watching for a minute. Then all of a sudden, he started approaching us! We ended up speaking to him for a few moments and I got my picture taken with him. So cool!
So that's a wrap on our Vegas Vacation!

---KPG

Thursday, January 19, 2012

New Year, New Me!

Hey guys!
I decided to start off 2012 by getting a grip on my weight and fitness before it spiraled too far out of control. A year and a half ago I was the smallest I had ever been, and just in time for my wedding in June. I worked out twice a day and literally ate nothing unhealthy. As soon as the wedding was over, I ate everything in sight! Immediately after the honeymoon, I moved to a new town, did not have a gym membership, started a new career, and started graduate school. All factors that lead to one thing: WEIGHT GAIN. At first, it did not bother me. I knew there was no way for me to work full-time and keep up my crazy wedding diet plan. I also knew that I actually needed to gain a little bit of weight to be healthier. However, I just could not get a system that worked for me and my crazy schedule in Memphis. My husband kept saying that I looked great, and I believed him. Afterall, isn't he the only one whose opinion really matters?
Over Thanksgiving, I heard some family members discussing my weight gain. Not even in a bad way, but I heard it nonetheless. They were basically just saying that I'm not the insanely small person I once was. But their comments were my first bit of motivation that I had been lacking for so long.
On December 5th, I had my annual check-up at the doctor. They weighed me, and of course I was not happy with the number that was staring back at me on the scale. I knew I had to do something. That day, I started my diet. However, I do not like to call it a diet, because that's so restrictive. I like to call it my healthy eating plan. When I have earned a cheat day, I allow myself to splurge. Until then, it's healthy eating. As soon as I wrapped up my grad classes on December 14th, I started my work out as well. Boy, how I had missed working out!
Over Christmas and New Years (the hardest time to watch what you eat AND the busiest time of year to find time to work out) I ate extremely healthy and worked out as much as possible. Then school started back. To my surprise, my coworkers were already noticing my weight loss! Then, we all decided to start our own version of "The Biggest Loser" at school. More motivation!
Since starting my healthy eating/working out on December 5th, I have lost 12 pounds. I am thrilled with my results. I definitely have a few more pounds to shed, but I feel like I have already done the hardest part: actually starting my healthy routine.
So, here's to hoping that I can keep this going until I reach my goal weight!

---KPG

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Christmas 2011

Once again, the Griffith family had a superb holiday season. We were busier than ever, but hey, that's just the way I like it! :)
For a recap, I did not get completely finished with my grad school work until the 14th. Alex and I held our 2nd Annual Christmas Gathering on the 16th, so I was one busy lady cooking and cleaning!
We had such a good turn out for the party. I LOVE seeing everyone together with no stress and all fun. I also thoroughly enjoy cooking, and the party just gives me the perfect excuse to bake up a storm! This year's menu:
  • Hot Onion Souffle
  • Beer Cheese Dip
  • Bacon Cheddar Dip
  • Jalapeno Poppers
  • Cookie Dough Dip
  • Oreo Truffles
  • Mint Chocolate Truffles
  • Peanut Butter Truffles
  • Chicken Minis
  • Fruit Tray with Dip
Needless to say, we all stuffed our faces. I look forward to next year's gathering!

Alex and I headed to Kennett on the 22nd to be with my family for a few days. It was so nice to be home without having any work or homework to do! My mom and dad cooked all of my favorite foods and we watched tons of Christmas movies.
On Friday, my family went to "Hallelujah on the Square". I had so much fun seeing people I had not seen in so long! Another highlight was seeing and singing with Sheryl Crow... Alex was pumped.
On Saturday, I helped mom cook all day. That night, Alex and I attended the Christmas Eve service at church. It was an absolutely beautiful service.
We had a wonderful Christmas in Kennett, but had to return to Memphis on Christmas night to prepare for our trip to MIAMI!
On Christmas night, Alex had a little accident and fell through the ceiling. Yes, a typical Clark Griswold move! He thankfully was not hurt, but we had a gaping hole in the ceiling for several days. We then went to Shogun for our famous Christmas night "I'm Sick Of Leftovers" meal. So yummy!
On the 26th, we were on our way to Miami with Alex's family. We did things a little differently this year. Instead of celebrating Christmas in Memphis and opening a bunch of gifts, we did everything in Miami. We shopped and bought our own gifts, laid on the beach, ate well, and basically got pampered for 4 days. It was marvelous!
Here are a few pictures of our holiday season:

{Front of Christmas Card}

{Back of Christmas Card}

{One of my favorite things about the holidays: receiving Christmas Cards from our friends and family!}

{New trees for the fireplace}


{I'm kind of obsessed with our front door. I love everything about it: double doors, color, two steps up to it, the detailing... I could go on and on! Special thanks to my mama for helping me decorate for the holidays!}

{The formal living room Christmas tree... I love the gold}

{My Pinterest-inspired holiday mantel. I painted the canvases and letters, and bought everything else at Garden Ridge}

{The desk in the family room. Please excuse the mess and clutter... this desk has had a little too much usage from my grad classes!}

{The family room tree. I CANNOT wait until this tree is full of handmade ornaments made by our future children! Our holidays will definitely be more entertaining in a few years!}

Well, that's our holiday wrap-up. Overall, it was a very good, not-so-relaxing, holiday. I started back to work today, and start my next set of grad classes next Wednesday. EIGHT more weeks of night courses, then I am smooth sailing! I think I can, I think I can..... :)

Until next time,
---KPG