Harry Potter Pallooza 2011 – Party #1

So last year, after watching HP 7.1 at midnight with Eric, I had the idea that we should do our Harry Potter Parties again. In 2009, when movie 6 came out, we did a party for each movie and had a blast. I did some quick math and realized that movie 7.2 comes out in July, seven months into the year. With seven books, that gives us a book a month to read and then have the party. Eric loved the idea. And, thankfully, he has time to be on facebook so he got the ball rolling. He created a group, invited people and started booking volunteers to host all the parties. I was so excited to see it all come together. And to see how many people we know who love the books and want to party!

Tonight was the first of our seven Harry Potter Pallooza parties. It was a huge hit! There are some pictures on the bottom of this post. So many people came! We had Mrs. Figg, Aunt Petunia, James and Lily Potter, Gryffindor’s Head Boy, Luna, Prof Quirrell, Hermione, Hannah Abbot, a Slyrerin student and even one of the actors who got typed out at auditions. We had several muggles and many new additions to our celebrations.

Setting up the house is always my favorite part. Well, that and planning the entire party. I spent hours online researching what to serve and ideas for decorations. I read about other HP parties and what worked and what didn’t. I love that it’s a group effort and people always have awesome ideas. Greg, Chase and I co-hosted this party and we used their house for the main event. It’s perfect because it’s filled with dark wood and arched hallways. Greg bought Hogwarts House Colors lights for outside and we just replaced the blubs from the Christmas lights that were still up. Since we are also doing next month’s party it works out perfectly. Then we used some of the lanterns they had at their wedding and put candles in them for outside to set the mood even more. It was awesome!

Inside, the house crests were up on the walls and a day by day calendar of all that happened in the first year. We set up a Honeydukes (the candy shop in Hogsmeade) and had Dumbledore Lemonheads, Fizzing Whizbees, Bernie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Golden Galleons, Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Pasties (complete with cinnamon whipped cream, which was stupid amazing). It was so cool. Everyone brought plenty of snacking foods and no one went home hungry. To drink we had sangria and Butterbeer. Such a wonderful night.

I have it worked into my monthly budget to purchase the Ultimate Harry Potter Blu-Ray for each movie that is out. So next week I get to buy movie 2! It is completely worth it. I have all the movies on DVD but the extended-ultimate Blu-Ray is sooooo much better! The movie is the extended version, and there are STILL scenes that you can watch in the special features section. There is a “Making of” documentary for each movie as well as games, interactive online things and every TV spot that was ever done for each movie as well as all the trailers and teasers that were ever made. It’s really quite amazing.

Watching the movie on Blu-Ray was awesome. The picture was clear and clean and so gorgeous. Having the extended scenes included into the running of the movie made it even more fun for those of us who have seen the movie many, many times. They were like little surprises. And we were all rolling with laughter at the new stuff. It was so worth it. I had just finished reading the book and it was really neat to see the scenes that were originally cut out of the movie get put back in. It made for a longer movie, but even truer to the book than the original is. Made reading the book worth it! Now I get to start on book #2!

I think my lasting memory of tonight will be how utterly happy I was. The entire night. I was surrounded by people I truly loved and enjoyed spending time with. I was watching a movie that I love. I love to plan parties and having this one go off without a hitch was a true gift. I had a smile on my face the entire time. I found myself constantly stopping, looking around and saying “I am so happy”. There was nowhere else I wanted to be at that moment. I felt lucky. I felt blessed. I felt loved and I was truly happy. Those moments are what all the awful things make survivable.

I already miss everyone. Good thing our next movie is in three weeks.

And you? Do you like HP? Do you read them? Favorite or least favorite thing about book 1?

White Bikini Challenge- Friday 1/28/11

This week I have been a hot mess of not eating well. We started rehearsals for Anything Goes on Monday and I got measured for costumes. This makes for the second time I was measured this week and the measurement was the same both times. So there is a good thing in that. And when she pulls costumes and measures me again in a month, I will be even smaller. And there is good in that. And more motivation. I managed to fit in a few workout sessions in between work and rehearsal, but I have to do that every day to make up for the morning run I’m not getting in. Plus it’s a good warm up for rehearsal and keeps me focused and mentally here. If I don’t get my runs I start to feel like a caged animal. Or a border collie who needs to get out there and just RUN!

I went to the grocery store on Tuesday night, complete with list and good intentions. And I kept to both. I stayed within my list and my food goals. Less processed, less meat and dairy, and all foods that will keep for a while. I always want more fresh foods, but I knew with my schedule I was going to have to think more long term. So lots of lean cuisine, lots of frozen veggies and a protein bar for my drive every morning. I also bought cereal, which is the only thing I’m not proud of. I haven’t have cereal in my house in months and now I remember why. It’s too easy to eat. Too easy to lose track of measurements and too easy to have another bowl. I bought the good kind – Multigrain and Total- but they are still high calorie cereals that need to not be in my world. I will eat the ones I bought, but lesson learned. No cereal in my house. It’s too dangerous! I can say no to ice cream, pie, pudding and truffles. But a bowl of cereal? Gotta have it!

Along those lines is the timing of my cereal meal. With rehearsals going strong I am getting home at 11p or later and am starving. So I have a bowl of cereal. Not a good idea. I like the comforting carb coma I go into afterwards and it puts me right to sleep. But it is not a good thing for my body so I need to curb that. Stick to my goal of no barbs after I leave work. One more guideline!

So here we are on Friday. I started drinking coffee again, which I’ve gone all month without needing, I’m eating late into the night and I’m not getting more than 6 hours of sleep a night. Oh and my morning runs have fallen off the schedule. I need to re-evaluate. This is the first week of rehearsals and I am getting back on the wagon and into a new routine. I have to plan my food even better, MAKE time for runs and keep hydrated since I am not sleeping enough. I can do this.

Especially since this the role I’ve wanted for over 10 years. I am not going to throw it away by not taking care of myself!

How about you? How was your week?

White Bikini Challenge- Monday 1/24/11 and Cheat Day #2

Monday Morning weight- 167 Down 7 lbs since Dec 28, 2010

I am on course for my July goal- but these first ones are the “easy” pounds. It’s all holiday water and crap weight that my body hasn’t had for very long. Once I hit under 165 I’ll start to have to work harder since my body LOVES that weight and really wants to stay there. I might find 160 is where my body functions at its best. And as long as I’m eating whole foods and keeping my fat percentage down, I will eventually not care about a number. I’ll just live where my body likes to live. But for the sake of this year I am going for the big goal. I will not be deterred!

On Saturday I had to go get measured and fitted for a bridesmaid dress. The result: Chest 44 Waist 33 Hips 43. Not brilliant but totally workable. The sales woman nicely told me I had the measurements of a fashion model because I was ten inches different from waist to hip. That made me laugh. But I took the compliment and thought about being a high powered fashion model throughout the rest of the fitting. That thought is also what kept me from stopping and getting frozen yogurt that afternoon. We ordered the dress and I knew that when I came back in May for my fitting it was going to have to be taken in. She said they are able to take in up to six sizes, so I’m safe.

I then had a massage client, which went really well (further confirming that I need to be doing that instead of office work). I needed a snack afterwards. I was famished! Standing in the middle of the AM/PM I was seriously torn about what to eat. I LOVE the packaged sandwiches at gas stations. I like the breaded chicken and the jalapeño and cheese corn dogs. But that love is what put me in this situation, so I knew I had to say no to those. I also didn’t want to eat crap anymore. I wanted whole foods and good for me foods. I must have walked through that AM/PM for 15 minutes, battling about what I was going to eat. A sandwich? Fritos and bean dip (my “healthy” gas station food since there are no preservatives in Fritos.)? Ice cream? Just a cup of coffee? I went through everything. Keep in mind I am also always on a budget so the .99$ hotdog was incredibly tempting, if only for my pocketbook.

But I decided my waist was more important than my retirement fund and I went with a package of plain almonds and a water. Both very good decisions and I felt smart about my dinner.

Then I drove to Vegas. I ate well on the way out there, stopped and got a chicken gyro which was really filling. Went for a run Sunday morning and had tuna salad for breakfast. I was really proud of myself for keeping my eye on the prize- the buffet dinner, my “cheat” meal. Headed to my audition at 1:30, which is what I had been stressing about for months. I needed to be skinny for this! And I knew going into it that I wasn’t skinny enough. Well all that stress was unfounded. I sang well and they ended up not keeping any singers. So off my friend and I went to Sahara for $1 hotdogs and $1 beers. And my night of eating waaaaay too much began. We hit the hotdogs and the beer and then we went to the buffet. Yes- a buffet while on a diet. Not my finest moment. But I went because it’s Vegas and I wanted it. And I ate and I ate and I ATE. And I enjoyed every moment of it.

So here we are at the start of another week. How was your weekend? How are you doing with your resolutions?

White Bikini Challenge- Friday 1/21/11

I have failed brilliantly this week at work. That's twice I have to chalk up a week to failure. Not the best way to go about changing my life. But maybe the lesson is that I am aware and am starting to see patterns and where I have problems. I'm learning and each new thing I learn is only going to move me forward, as long as I make changes. That is the biggest part. I have to make the changes.

I’m eating emotionally, eating to celebrate, eating because I’m bored and because I am really, really hungry. And the scale is reflecting this.

Last night I fell off the wagon with the trip to Buffalo Wild Wings. I ate fried everything and had a beer. Granted it was a light beer, but it still is not part of the “eat right so I can cheat on Sunday” plan. There is no alcohol allowed during the week! This was emotional eating, as I had just finished a really hard 4-hour callback for a part I really wanted. So I went to BWW at 11p at night with my friend Eric and ate over 1000 calories. I have a long weekend of running coming up, but there is no reason to sabatoge myself before I even get there! This is one of the reasons I need to focus on my cheat day. No more preemptively eating because I “plan” to go for a run. That is getting added to the goal list.

I also started reading Jillian Michael’s Master Your Matabolism and it is amazing. I love Jillian from both her Biggest Loser show and her Losing It With Jillian show she did last summer. This book is making me love her even more. She is smart. It’s an easy read and very interesting. Her passion for the subject comes through in every passage. I am learning even more about how our bodies work and what amazing machines they are. Motivates me to take even better care of it and get it running at it’s peak. If you can, check it out from the library and take it to heart. She has tons of research backing her up and decades of trial error experience.

And you? What is one of your favorite work-out books? Motivation books? Have a suggestion for me?

White Bikini Diet Tuesday 18 January 2011

Epic fail this week so far. This is what I mean about life putting obstacles in our way and testing our diet resolve. I went to Disneyland and ate their dark chocolate honeycomb. I couldn’t resist. It’s like my kryptonite. Even telling myself three times that I could have it on the following Sunday didn’t help. What did I learn? Don’t buy it! I was fine just looking at it and remembering what it tasted like. I was fine walking through the store and smelling it. I really didn’t need to eat it. So, lesson learned for me. Don’t buy it and then say I’ll eat it later. I am not that strong yet!

I had a nice bbq turkey sandwich for lunch with an iced tea and no dessert. So that was good. And it kept me full for the rest of the day. I went to my callback and wasn’t hungry until afterwards. And then I fell down the tunnel again. Here is the ugly truth: I stopped and I got a donut. I am ashamed to even type this because I want to believe I am stronger than the donut and stronger than the temptation. But sometimes I am not. And last night I was not. I had just poured my heart throughout a three hour callback and I was exhausted, emotionally and physically. Plus after all that I didn’t get the part and was sent home. That's no excuse, but it does show me my emotional state when I jumped head first off the wagon. So on the way home, I drove past a donut shop. I have driven by this donut shop so many times and I decided that I needed to boost myself up.

I know- not smart. I can’t salve my loss of anything with food. That’s not smart. I knew this whole thing was a bad idea. And I KNEW it as I drove past it. I knew it as I turned the car around and pulled in. I knew it as I stood there in line, waiting. I knew it as I ordered and they didn’t have the one I wanted. Even as I sat in the car with the bag, I knew I shouldn’t eat them. (Because I didn’t get just one. Oh no, I got two!) I bit into the apple fritter, wanting so badly for it to be as good as I knew it was bad for me. It was NOT. It was a hockey puck! So I put it down and I tried the other one. Also awful! So I put them both down in the bag and squashed them up so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat them.

I failed on Monday. I succeeded in that I didn’t eat the entire donut. I succeeded in that I didn’t have fast food or a soda or anything else bad for me. But I failed in not using food to make me feel better.

The lesson I learned? LISTEN TO MY GUT! Even as it gets smaller, I need to listen to when I know something is good or bad for me. That is when I’m going to be okay with the decision and know it was the right one.

White Bikini Challenge Sunday- 1st Cheat Day!

On my desk, in big red letters is “I Can Have It Sunday.” It reminds me every time I reach for chocolate or chips or anything else I shouldn’t be eating if I want to lose the extra weight. I have done well with Sunday being my goal for a cheat meal/cheat day. I can’t decide which I want. Cheat meal makes more sense so I don’t spend all day just shoving in whatever food I want. But I started the day with a left over wine cooler, so there you have it. I hadn’t had alcohol all week and I just needed some kind of treat. Wait, I did have a glass of wine at Sarah’s house on Saturday when we were doing costume dress up, but it was almost Sunday…….And I kind of cheated a little during the week. I am not good with diets! I feel like I’m continuously getting derailed from them. I ate sensibly….for the most part. But I did have yogurt on Saturday night as well as a Quiznos sandwich. I know, I know. Not ideal. I really have to get my emotional eating under control.

To save me, though, I did do an awful lot of running this weekend. I ran three mornings for my 5am wake up. On Saturday I finished 4 miles with Jalin and on Sunday I ran 4 miles with Sharon. We are all gearing up for the Safari ½ marathon in March. I love running with my girls. So much better than finishing off 4, or more, miles alone. And the running in the morning and all weekend paid off. After not losing anything all week I stepped on the scale at Sharon’s house and weighed in at 170.6. This is a 4 lbs weight loss for the week! Wahoo! That is some awesome motivation!

I went to a mystery dinner theater for dinner Sunday at an Italian restaurant. This is the meal I had been looking forward to all week. I had a ravioli, a salad, one piece of bread and a few cups of spaghetti. Ooh, and a large scoop of spumoni for dessert. And two gin martinis. The whole night was a recreation of the prohibition era! I had to partake!

What did I learn about myself during my cheat day?

I liked seeing the 4 lbs weight loss, so indulging didn’t seem like that big of a treat. I saw some progress and was motivated to keep the progress going.

I should have ordered the chicken plate instead of the spaghetti. Just because I “can” eat the bad stuff doesn’t mean I need to. The chicken came with a small portion of pasta and I would have been happy with that.

I don’t need the bread beforehand. This is something that is in all the diet books, but I never believed them. I do now. I don’t need the white paste in there clogging up things and making my belly big!

I like vodka martinis, not gin.

The cheat meal was totally worth it because I got spumoni!

Dinner was wonderful and the company was delightful. I have posted a picture of everyone in their costumes. I had a really good time, making the cheat meal exactly what it is supposed to be- about the people, not the food.

The Great White Bikini Weight Loss – Thursday

I have run at 5a for the past three mornings. 2 miles, to the ocean and back. I get to say good morning to the ocean every morning, and I love it. Monday I did the weight class and the last night I did a yoga class. Not a fan of this yoga teacher. I have tried yoga many times and I just can’t seem to get that "zen" feeling people talk about. I get frustrated. I feel bored. I don’t see God or meditate. And maybe it’s because I have only ever taken class at a gym. I haven’t taken from a yoga studio where they are there to teach the form and joy of yoga. Perhaps that will be another thing on the list to try.

I am a runner. I love to run. I love to clock off the miles. I love to time myself and try to go faster and be better. I love working on my form and matching my breaths to my steps. I love the freedom of running. I can see myself running every morning until I die. I love it that much. It doesn't bore me. It always challenges me and it makes me feel great. These morning runs are adding good things to my life. This week I kept it at 2 miles only. I might do that all next week too. It’s a good amount of time and it’s a good distance. I will eventually add a mile, just to keep challenging myself. But the challenge right now is getting out of bed and I know I can do 2 miles and accomplish something.

Oh this job. May I just take one moment and say how much I HATE BEING HERE!! I like the people just fine and I know I will stay friends with two of them after I quit. But I cannot stay here. I drive one hour EACH WAY to get to a job where I sit on my ass all day long and don’t change the world. I don’t even alter the world. I am wasting away as I sit here. I can barely get the motivation to do anything. This job is literally pecking away at my soul and I can’t do it anymore. I have my two-week notice date and I am sticking to it. More than one thing in my life will change before this summer begins.

On the food front, I’ve done pretty well. During the workday I keep my hands out of the candy and away from the chips. I didn’t have a burger with everyone today. I have kept under 1400 calories each day and I am eating my veggies and proteins. I did have some sausage the past few nights (and no, not the manly sexy kind) which I’m sure is cheating for some. But for those of us on a budget it works. I had it, I won’t buy it again and I only eat 4oz, portioning out so I don’t eat the whole thing. It is hard to start an eating regiment during PMS week, I’m not going to lie. I would have KILLED someone for pizza last night. And chocolate. And a steak. But I soothe myself with “I can have it Sunday” and the knowledge that I am not going to do myself great harm by not stopping and getting a meatball sandwich from Subway. I will survive. Doesn’t feel like it sometimes, but I am still here and the cravings haven’t killed me yet.

And you? How’d you do in the eating world? Anything fun come into your life this week?

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Update: I caved and got Fritos, bean dip and a Snickers ice cream bar today on the way home. Amazingly, when I typed my information into bodybugg.com, I still came in under 1500 calories for the day. I know I need to be stronger, but I couldn't do it! 2 HOURS in traffic, three days of raging hormones and no one to cuddle with. I needed chocolate..... and salt! I hate to blame weakness on something so feminine and basic, but it's the truth. And I know I'm not alone in this.

Tomorrow is a new day and I will be back on the horse. I'm just glad it didn't get any worse.