October 31st

Hello all! Happy Halloween! I hope your all prepared for all sorts of wonderful festivities that are sure to take place this evening.

Today, as you all know, is the 31st, which means two things. First, it is Halloween, as aforementioned. Second,  tomorrow marks the beginning of the major event that occurs every November. That's right. National Novel Writing Month is once again upon us. One month to write 50,000 words. Can we do it? Heck yes we can!

This will be my second year and my sister has decided to give it a shot as well. That means one apartment filled to the brim of writing anxiety! But that's all part of the fun. You should give it a shot as well! Haven't you always wanted to write a novel?

Back to the subject of Halloween, can you tell what my sister and I dressed/are dressing up as? You get like a million points if you do. If it helps at all, our costumes do go together. Post answers in the comments below to share Halloween cheer :)

Ode to Hot Dogs

Yesterday, Megan and I decided decided to have hot dogs for dinner. It really made me want baked beans. Alas, we didn't have any... But baked beans are not the point of this story.

When I suggested that we should eat hot dogs, I remembered a certain incident that occurred at a church potluck a few months back. I preceded to tell Megan the story. There were hot dogs at said potluck complete with buns and condiments--all except one. I somewhat jokingly said, "What? No mayonnaise?" This did not go over very well.

I was totally taken by surprise when everyone around me expressed their disgust at just the thought of the combination of mayonnaise and hot dogs. It's not strange to me at all because I've been doing it my whole life. I couldn't understand why it sounded so weird to people. I went home and told my parents and that couldn't see why it was so weird either. If I remember, they told some of their friends who immediately said how disgusting that was.

So I guess there's some unwritten rule somewhere that says you're not meant to mix hot dogs and mayonnaise. Do I care? No. I still think it's delicious. My family must just be the only people who do it. Someone prove me wrong. Is there anyone else out there who doesn't think the thought of mayonnaise and hot dogs is gag worthy? Please post a comment. This is for science!

I wonder if my family is the only one who puts ketchup on scrambled eggs too...

The Danielle Adams Weight Loss Plan

For once in my life (maybe twice?) I've actually kept one of my new year's resolutions: lose some of that extra weight so I could be a healthier me. People have been asking me how I've done it, so I thought I'd share.

A while back I came to the realization that there's a difference between having a desire that's more like a wish that's never fulfilled (like wishing you could play the piano but never making the time to practice) and a true heart felt desire that leads you to do something. At the time, I felt I had so many desires or goals but I lacked the resolve to do something about them. I just wanted them to happen. So I needed to change. I needed to commit, to truly decide that I was going to change. Everything fell into place after that. Not to make it sound easy because it definitely takes work.

My general plan was this:

1. Exercise at least three times a week.
2. Give yourself a reasonable weight loss goal. Don't expect to lose it all at once.
3. Stop overeating.
4. Quit eating candy/desserts all the time.

Overeating and the fact that I wasn't really exercising at all were definitely my big problems. It's hard to make changes at first. I pretty much had to force myself to exercise because I really didn't want to do it. But I promise, the more you stick to it, the easier it becomes. It's about making new habits to replace the old ones. And I don't just eat things like oat bran in case you're thinking that's what's going to follow.

I started by weighing myself and writing that weight in a small day planner. I decided I was going to lose one pound a week. I didn't want to set myself up for failure, and I knew that one pound a week was good for me. You don't want to lose too much too quickly. I then wrote down on the consecutive weeks what my weight goal was for that week so I had a written record of where I wanted to be in a week. I would then weigh myself once a week (never in between weigh ins) on Friday morning before I'd eating anything. Every week, I would write my knew weight on that day in my day planner next to my weight goal number.

I exercise 3-5 times a week. My exercise of choice? Tae bo. I've been doing the same workout for approximately 30 weeks. That's crazy. But it's been effective. Sometimes I'll shake it up and go on a walk or something instead. It's probably better to mix up your work out. I just haven't.

As for actual diet changes, I added more fruit and vegetables into my diet. Does that mean loads? No. That just means I made sure I ate fruit or vegetables with at least one meal. Two is preferable, but for not getting as much as I need in the first place, I figured at least one serving a day was a good baby step. I allow myself to eat two desserts a week. Sometimes I'll eat three and then just remember that I can only have one the next week. Or sometimes I don't have any at all. Honestly, the more you don't have it, the less you crave it. When I want dessert now, I just want a bite. I don't want a whole dessert to myself. The important thing is I allow myself to have treats. You don't have to go completely cold turkey. That's what causes you to rebel I think. Also, one dessert doesn't mean 10 cookies in one sitting. You still have to moderate your desserts. It also doesn't mean all you can have is the tiniest of nibbles off the side of a cookie. You be the judge. Don't over do it. For me, I usually said one cookie and drew the line there because I know it's harder to stop after you've had two, three, six... Also, if you know you're going to a get together at some point in the week, keep that in mind and save a dessert for that time.

I also started eating more yogurt. Yogurt used to make me gag. Not all the time, but enough that I didn't want to have it all the time. I eat it a lot more now. Usually, I eat that for breakfast and if I get hungry between then and lunch, I'll eat a bit of fruit. I still eat cereal too.

Overeating is a little trickier, but I realized that I was getting full before sooner than I thought I was. A lot of times, I would eat to the point of stuffed rather than full. I learned to listen to my body. You don't have to cram everything in. There's absolutely nothing wrong with leftovers. Pay attention to your body as you eat. The moment you feel your body saying, "Okay, I've had enough, thank you," stop eating. You'll become more in tune with your body. Listen to it. It knows what it needs and when it's had enough calories to be satisfied.

One other thing. Keep a positive attitude. There were weeks where I thought for sure I wasn't going to meet my goal and that depressed me. So I turned right back around and said to myself, "You are going to be X amount of pounds this week." I focused on my goal for that week until my doubt lessened. There was only one week where I didn't make my goal, so I worked harder that next week and got up to where I was supposed to be based on the goal I'd set in the beginning. I truly believe that you can hold yourself back if you don't believe you can do it. trust yourself and your abilities and don't be harsh on yourself. Set a reasonable goal. Don't expect to lose five pounds a week. This is not just about losing weight, it's about being healthy.

That's pretty much the gist of my program. I know some people become discouraged because they they love food to much or they've never been able to reach their weight goal. I still get to eat the foods I love without having to pay someone to put meals together for me. I just make sure I don't overeat and that I try to get more fruits and vegetables and yogurt into my diet. Also, I could never reach my weight goals either. This is the first time that I've been able to lose the weight and reach the goal I never thought was possible to reach. Before, I didn't have a concrete plan. It was just exercise and weigh myself and run into disappointment until I gave up. This plan has really worked for me.

Will you lose 30 pounds in two weeks? No. But I'm convinced my way is better. I've created new habits that will help me stay healthier than where I was before. I've become stronger. It takes patience and work, but it's a good thing. So often we want change and we want it now, but things don't work that way. You have to commit and work at it and you will reach your goal. Writing down my progress really helped me stay on top of things too. And you'll have to make time to exercise. If you really want something, you really have to make an effort and sacrifice some things even if all you have to sacrifice is laziness (believe me when I say I'm plenty lazy).

You can do it. I believe in you. Believe in yourself.

My Disappearing Act and Attempt at Independence

Some of you he see in person on a semi-regular basis may have realized that I have disappeared. On the other hand, perhaps my parents are the only ones who have notice. That's quite all right. I was kind of secretive about my disappearence until a few moments (by moments I mean days) before it actually happened. That was mostly due to the uncertainty of it all. Well, my disappearence is definitely for certain at this point. Everything else? Not so much.

Don't read that last bit in a negative light. It's not meant to be taken that way. I'm contentedly sitting on the bathroom rug using the bathtub for a back rest and sharing jokes with the toilet who is very kindly laughing at them and keeping me company.

Perhaps we should take a step back.

A few weeks ago, I applied for a job that would require me to move to Utah. I was really hoping I'd get it. I'd mention to my mother at some point that I'd thought it may be a good idea to pick up and move somewhere and try my luck at independence at least for a little while. When she agreed with suggestion and things started moving forward, a felt a little bit of panic. How serious had I been about leaving the comforts of home and taking a step into the unknown world? I wasn't quite sure, but that didn't keep me from going along with it.

My sister, Megan, wanted me to visit her at some point. Turns out she would be getting one from me--one with an undetermined length attached to it.

Megan and me very excited to go to Canada in June

So out of the blue, I packed my things and headed to Utah. We were heading that way for General Conference anyhow, so it seemed liked the perfect time to move in with my sister for a few months. Thankfully, she's okay with the arrangement.

Back to the bathroom comment--it just so happens that the wireless internet signal in her apartment is strongest in the bathroom. The past few days, I've walked to the library to take advantage of their free internet services, but I didn't feel like it today as it's been rather dismal in the cold, rainy, reminds me of home only with more wind sort of way. So I've stayed home.

And I am attempting to make steps toward independence. I'm applying for jobs, sending out query letters to agents (one of which will hopefully want to help publish one of my writings), and at the same time doing ordinary things I love to do!

One of those things is my new found relationship with Rosetta Stone. While I was in Denver so long ago (a few months), I decided that I wanted to re-learn the little bit of German I'd learned in high school and build on that so I could say more than phrases like, "Wann hast du Geburtstag?" or "Ich habe keine hose" (a favorite of my brother's when we're in the middle of parking lots and he feels like saying something in German quite loudly). I get frustrated with the program at times when it doesn't like the way I pronounce der Junge or milch, but all in all, it's a great program, and I think more things will stick in my head besides "Ich habe Hausaufgaben nicht gern."

Only time will tell what will happen next in my life. The uncertainty isn't bothering me at the moment. Life is good. Besides, who doesn't love a little adventure?