A Fond Farewell to 2010

I have to confess that I am struggling to get on board with being excited for 2011. I had such a great 2010 that I find it hard to believe that 2011 will compare.

Please indulge me while I go over just a few of my favourite moments from each month of 2010...

In January I quit the job I hated.

In February I finally got my drivers licence and a little car.

In March I left for a 3 month holiday around Canada, USA and Mexico.

In April we celebrated AJ's 30th birthday by flying to the Grand Canyon and then partying in Las Vegas.

In May I celebrated my 1 year anniversary of my lap band in the Napa Valley sipping champagne and watching my favourite singer, Lisa Loeb, perform.

In June I spent a week in a luxurious resort in Mexico, followed by a week with all my family in Tofino (Canada) before returning home to Melbourne.

In July I spent 2 weeks in New Zealand doing a freelance job and then a relaxing few days with some blogger friends in Canberra eating, drinking, talking and having fun.

In August I returned to the real world and got a new apartment and a job in Melbourne. Sigh.

In September I headed to Bali for a week for a friend's wedding

In October I was very sick and I have no photos because I was too sick to do anything but sleep.

In November I finally celebrated losing 50 kilos, getting into the 70's and fitting into 'normal' shops clothing.

In December I turned 30 and spent a blissful couple of weeks celebrating my birthday, Christmas and New Years.

I honestly wish I could do it all again. 2010 was the best year of my life!

The Plan Is This...

Well, as predicted, I haven’t done too well with the optifast. I am sure everyone is just shocked as I am! I did the first day OK and then went out for dinner that night for chinese food and drank a bottle of wine. Then yesterday I had a big extended family lunch at a winery and obviously drank quite a lot of wine and then came home and ate macaroni and cheese and potato gems. Best meal ever I must say!

I am back on board today, even though it is my first day back at work, which is excruciatingly painful. I’ll probably try and do a shake for breakfast, bar for lunch and then low carb (protein and salad) for dinner. That seems realistic for me at the moment, but let’s be honest, it could all come crashing down at any moment…

In other diet related news, I have to confess that AJ and I both have a nasty fast food habit and so we have set ourselves a challenge to cut back drastically for 2011. Aside from the health issues, we just spend way too much money on eating out and my finances are a disaster. So the challenge is this:

1. No fast food- but we get 3 free passes. This is mostly just for the inevitable time that I really need a cheeseburger to fix my hangover, so that I don’t give up completely because I have stuffed up.

(Fast food includes: McDonalds, KFC, Hungry Jacks and Red Rooster)

2. Eat take away food only once per month- hopefully getting a Thai takeaway and a bottle of wine will become more a treat and not just a typical Monday evening.

3. Go out for dinner only once per month- this means just AJ and I alone, we can still go out with family and friends aside from this, or else we would have no social life.

That is going to be really difficult for me because currently we would go to a restaurant and get a take away and eat fast food at least once a week each. I find that with my lap band it doesn’t have to be a problem for the waistline, but meanwhile my wallet is crying out for help.

Wish me luck, I am going to need it.

Summer Holidays

I'm back at work tomorrow after two and a half weeks off work and oh god it hurts. I had such a fabulous time with family and friends. Eating all my favourite foods, drinking my favourite wines, sleeping late, going on adventures. I wish every day could be so lovely...

Getting outrageously drunk with a friend where we lamented how old and boring we are by getting so drunk I woke up on a tram in Brunswick and had no idea where I was or how I got there. I also lost my gorgeous new jacket and had a 4 day hang over. Ouch.

Beautiful birthday flowers from AJ's family.

 My gran with my brother and his girlfriend, did I tell you they moved back from Canada a few months ago?

Birthday presents!

My Victoria's Secret present, very luxurious!

Gorgeous birthday flowers from a dear blogging friend, Kenz.

Me having a picnic at the zoo, I think I was happier than I look here...

The picnic spread, all my favourite foods, cheese, olives and salami.

AJ snoozing in the sun at the zoo.

Me posing at the zoo.

My favourite animals, the echindas, love them.

Lovely birthday flowers from my dad and step mum.

Me on the way to dinner for my birthday.

AJ posing while walking to dinner.

Me drinking cocktails for my birthday dinner at Cutler & Co.

Dessert, decadent, delicious.

Yay for being skinny enough to pinch AJ's jacket when it's cold!

Christmas Day feast at my mum's, with a photo of my little brother and his girlfriend who are still living in Canada.

My older brother's girlfriend by the Christmas tree at my mum's.

Boxing day with my dad and step mum at their place in the country.

The fire where my dad cooked the turkey, love the inukshuk's they built after inspiration from their Canada trip!

Love having my band loose enough to be able to eat a steak sandwich from Grill'd! OK, so I still only ate a third of it, but it's great being able to get it down.

Every night we weren't out, me and AJ ordered take away and drank wine and watch Judd Apatow movies at home. This is my happy place!

The delicious peanut butter chocolate ripple cake I made. Orgasmic.

AJ bought me an iphone for my birthday and I am loving playing with the apps!

Here's AJ's new look!

Having a picnic at Daylesford.

Walking the picnic food off after lunch.

Fish and chips at the beach in Torquay.

It was 43 degrees C (110 F) in Torquay, so of course we went swimming, the water was so refreshing.

Opening up the champers for a glamourous NYE in my pyjamas at home with a Jason Priestly movie.

AJ kicking back on the couch on NYE.

Happy New Year!

New Years Day walk around the river, I was hung over and feeling sick from eating cake for breakfast, so it wasn't as healthy as it seems.