Essentially Jackie

It’s finally here! The first day of Spring. Though it may not feel like it just yet, we all can get excited for the upcoming warmer weather, the beautiful colors of the blooming flowers, and just the overall rebirth of nature. It feels like Spring took forever to grace us this year, after experiencing one of the worst winters we’ve seen in quite some time. But have no fear my friends, Spring has sprung and before you know it the sun will be shining, the birds will be chirping, and the flowers will be in bloom. 

I took a poll amongst some of my friends and family, asking them what they like most about Spring. Here is how they responded.
1. The smell in the air just after it rains
2. Tulips and flowers in general
3. Smells
4. Warmer weather
5. Baby birds
6. Longer days
7. Easter candy
8. The clothes
9. Long walks
10. Being able to open the windows and doors

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Another busy week behind me. I enjoyed a few dinners out, some home cooked meals, and some delicious treats as well.

Sunday

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Image found on Pinterest. Original source unknown.

As I have previously mentioned in my “Year of Me” post, I have been focusing on becoming more lean and toned. This all started back in September prior to my friends wedding and our Florida vacation. I had a goal of losing 8 pounds in 4 weeks. This turned out to be a lot easier than I thought! Mostly because the first week I lost about 7 pounds of water weight; though it gave me motivation to continue. I cut back on my excessive snacking, cut out the 3-4 Lindt truffles I was eating a day (insert face of shame here), and was just more conscious about what I was eating. I took advantage of the myfitnesspal app on my phone to keep track of what I was eating each day. You are also able to add in your exercise to calculate your allotted net calorie intake. I’ll admit this was tough, especially during the holiday season. I did allow myself a cookie here and there, but overall I feel I created a normal routine for myself.  To date I have lost 17 pounds and dropped a full pant size! I never thought I would see this early high school weight again. I was able to conquer each milestone by making an overall “lifestyle change.” People laugh at me when I say this, but I swear it works! Changing your overall lifestyle and way of eating has better long term results than crash dieting. There are loads of articles, books, and websites out there that can help each and every person get started. You just have to do it, jump right in!
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Last weekend we celebrated the union between two of our good friends, Richie and Cassie. These two have been together for a number of years. Richie proposed last year over the holidays. Since then, I have helped Cassie with a lot of the little details being sure she had everything taken care of for their big day. The couple had also asked Nick to photograph the wedding. So between the two of us, we were able to get some really beautiful shots. The snowy white back drop was perfect!

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