Lauren's Blog

This Friday is the Epiphany which means one more 4 day week for us in Bavaria before the winter really sets in. P and I are taking the opportunity to hit the slopes, we got a great deal on train tickets and hotel in Innsbruck, Austria and we are heading to Stubai (http://www.stubaier-gletscher.com/de/winter/) for 2 days on the snow.

I like the thought of a couple of days in the mountains, but its often tough for me to take time off in February and March since work just starts getting busy then, so I’m happy we made the decision to squeeze in the trip.

Like everyone else, I’ve landed in 2012 feeling optimistic and hopeful that this year could be the year I stop gaining weight and start losing it!

Of course, I have some major incentives this year to actually make it work this time. Making plans to go wedding dress shopping with my mother (and future mother in law) in June will certainly drive me to be mindful of what I eat and drink over the coming months.

P & I are trying to do it together this time, so we can better support each other in our fitness and healthy eating goals. I fell off the wagon a bit since November (and by a bit, I mean A LOT), and boot camp isn’t running until March, so its off to the gym we go (together). I’ve also cut out all alcohol during the week, there will be no sweets kept in our apartment, and I am trying to completely cut out white flour (bye bye bread and pasta).

In December, P bought us a snazzy new digital scale with BMI measurements and I’m using the ‘Lose It’ App on my iPhone to track my progress and my diet. ‘Lose It’ has quite a comprehensive listing of different foods, so it’s quite handy and I always feel like I make better decisions about what I eat when it’s going to be put in writing (even if I’m the only one that will see it). I’ve also been inspired to try Zumba, so I’ve ordered the Wii version of Zumba classes—though I think I’m a bit behind trend there. And of course, I can’t wait to go back to boot camp in March, when the weather gets better.

I love the sense of positivity that comes with the new year, even though its dark and cold outside (I’d be even more positive if it was snowing). Oh, and I also resolve to blog more…;)

Well, I’m back in Munich but of course needed to write a post about the trip ‘Back East’, especially because the evening I arrived in from LA and P arrived in from Munich, P asked me to be his wife!

Of course, I said yes! 🙂

It was a lovely way to start our vacation, but of course since P wanted help finding the perfect ring, so any downtime was spent gazing at bling all round town. We were lucky that our dear friends and families kept the news quiet (and off of social media) until we could tell the nearest and dearest stateside of our news in person on Thanksgiving.

The rest of the trip was great, with stops in Washington D.C. and Charlotte, NC. We went for a hike in Charlotte and visited the Smithsonian in DC, and had a fantastic evening at the Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker before returning back to Munich.

There were some great times on the trip, which will hopefully get us through the tedious stages of wedding planning such as working out the budget and guest list…Stay tuned for details!

Wow, I can’t believe I’ve got only 2 days left here in what used to be sunny California. It has been a busy 2.5 weeks here so I thought I’d put the highlights out there before the next leg of the journey…

Everything went smoothly getting out here, it was a long flight but plenty of videos made it pass painlessly. The weather has been decent, warmer than Munich and my next stops on the east coast but not always so sunny and not always hot enough to go out and catch some rays (though, I had that opportunity this past Sunday).

The first weekend I jetted up to San Francisco to visit my cousin Jenny. I had such an awesome time visiting with her and meeting her man Sully. We did some wine tasting in Napa, shopped and of course did a whirlwind tour of SF. I also had the chance to catch up with my old friend Joseph who I met in Dublin. We don’t see eachother very often (3 x in the last 6 years since we moved away), but it is always great to have the chance to catch up all over the world (thanks to Facebook).

Of course, I’ve done alot of shopping…though I didn’t buy as much as I expected I would. Don’t worry, I have 2.5 more weeks to work on that.

Last Friday, (thanks to my co-worker Steve) I had the opportunity to go up to LA to a taping of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno which was awesome. Eric Stonestreet (“Cam” from Modern Family), JR Martinez (from DWTS), and Nicole Scherzinger were the guests. Jay’s stage and desk look much bigger on TV than in real life, and he is even funnier in person.

The week here is winding down for me, I will spend all day heading to Boston on Friday so just today and Thursday left at work. I’m really excited with the plans to see so many family and friends and to have the chance to spend Thanksgiving with the whole O’Donnell clan. Oh, and of course I can’t wait to meet P at the airport on Friday–its been weird not having him around!

Anyway, that’s the update. Next time I write I’ll be on the opposite coast! WOO HOO! 😀

Today marks my seventh year in Europe, so I thought I’d draw up a list of sevens since I came over…

-7 cross-atlantic flights (though more like 10), and I never imagined I’d do it ever
-7 countries i’ve travelled for work outside the u.s. (ireland, germany, italy, france, netherlands, switzerland, south africa)
-7 thai dinners from our favorite takeaway (though that’s probably more than 7 over 1 year). However I have tried lots of different foods, which is cool as a formerly picky eater.
-7 snowboarding trips to the Alps (at least)
-7 years visiting Oktoberfest (!), I wonder how many liters of beer that was…
-7 new friends (of course, that number is actually more than 7)
-7 old friends/family who have come out here (I don’t think that’s all, but more are always welcome!)
-7 people asking directions on the corner by the office or the house (I must look like a local by now)

…ok I guess there are alot of sevens.

Anyway, its hard to believe its been this long. Thanks to everyone who has stayed in touch and come to visit over the years to see what my adventure is like, and joined in the fun. I look forward to more good times to come.

Sorry about the sporadic posts folks, I’m still trying to make this blogging thing a habit.

Anyway, in a quick change of plans my U.S. trip will be extended 3 weeks to include some work in Newport Beach, California. I leave for CA on October 29th, still arriving in Boston on November 18.

I’m super excited about it, it is the farthest I have ever flown before! Funny though, I always thought my furthest business trips would be to Asia. 🙂

While I’m out there I will get to have some visits with my aunt Nancy who is in Huntington Beach, and my cousin Jenny in San Francisco–Side trips are always a welcome break from 3 weeks in the same hotel.

In the meantime I need to buy a bigger suitcase–for all of my shopping, and cross my fingers that the EUR/USD exchange rate goes back up into the 1.40’s range.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Monday was German Reunification Day and subsequently the final day of Oktoberfest 2011. As usual, we were happy to have the fest arrive but after participating in all the festivities, we were happy to see it go.

I made trips to the following tents on the following dates:

9/19: Schottenhamel
9/22: Armbrustschetzenzelt
10/1: Schuetzenfestzelt
10/3: Hippodrom and Kaefer Wiesn Schaenke

Boston.com posted some great photos that really sum up the events here: The Big Picture

I hope to add some of my own soon (though you can tune into mine and P’s Facebook accounts for them in the meantime)

Time is flying here, I can’t believe that it’s already September…well tomorrow.

Life in Munich has been pretty busy and won’t be slowing down any time soon.

I’m heading off to Krakow for a couple of weeks on Sunday, which I’m surprisingly looking forward to. Don’t get me wrong, I love Krakow; I’m just surprised that I’m getting a bit of cabin fever and am looking forward to travelling again. I’ve been home since May, which is very unusual but was also much needed. I haven’t had this much time without a business trip in 3 years, so it’s been really nice to be able to spend time at home.

The time at home has been fantastic. First for P & I to get a lot more quality time together and second I’ve been able to establish a (difficult) fitness routine and since I am seeing results I’m hoping that I’ve been inspired enough to keep it up while I’m on the road.

Oktoberfest starts in just 16 days. As usual, P and I have loads of visitors coming over so we’ve been busy getting the apartment ready for that. This is our favorite time of year, not just because we love the party that’s involved, but it’s also going to be 6 years since we met and every year there’s a big party to remind us of that day.

Also in 16 days is the wedding of the lovely Nicola (and Jason) McConville. This will be our first wedding in a castle so that’s exciting. Plus of course Nicola and Jason make a lovely couple and we are so happy to be invited to spend their day with them!

And of course, the most recent piece of news is that P & I have completed the itinerary for our next visit stateside! I believe I mentioned the trip in a previous post, but our confirmed itinerary is as follows:

November 18-25th Boston
November 25th-28th Charlotte
November 28th-December 1st Washington D.C.
December 1st-December 3rd Boston
More on this to come…

Life’s been hectic here in Munchkin-land!

Bootcamp is going well, though due to my seemingly endless after work work and personal obligations I haven’t managed a full week of classes yet! It doesn’t look like I will this session either. Which, when I think about it is a bit of a bummer as the results won’t be seen as speedily.

However, the progress so far (as of Sunday):

1. 4lb weight loss
2. Measurements:
Start: Bust-40 7/8″; Chest-34″; Waist-33 3/4″; Hips 38 1/2″; Thighs-22″ L-22″ R; Calves 13″ L-13 1/3″ R; Upper Arms-12 ” L-11 3/4″ R; Forearm- 9 1/2″ L- 9 1/4″ R
Sunday: Bust-40 1/2″; Chest-33″; Waist-32.5″; Hips 37.5″; Thighs-22 1/4″ L- 21 3/4″ R; Calves 13″ L-13″ R; Upper Arms-11 1/4″ R-11 1/4″ L; Forearm-9″ L- 9″ R
3. Fitness level–The most noticeable difference is that I am increasingly able to take on loads of stairs with no shortness of breath or muscle tiredness

I’m feeling better overall and really proud of myself for keeping this up, eventhough I really wasn’t feeling it on Monday!

I also postponed my last CIA exam to the end of the month–the accounting sections are killing me so I knew I needed more time. Sadly, that means the train rides to and from Hamburg are going to have to include some study time.

P&I are off to Hamburg for the long weekend. P is taking me for my birthday and we are staying here: Le Royal Meridien. No major plans other than wandering around the city and hopefully eating some lovely fish. Of course, there will be time for relaxing as well in the pool & wellness area. Plus, Monday isn’t a holiday in Hamburg–only for us Bavarian Catholics ;), so everything should be open.

Hello everyone! Big week this week as I managed to complete my first week of Boot Camp with the lovely Christine Baas of Bootifit

I must say, I’m feeling pretty good so far and proud of my progress (3 workouts a week is big) but I will need to keep pushing myself to see the results I’m after.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m hoping this will be a bit of a life changer for me. Having recently turned the big 3-0 and realizing how unhappy I am seeing photos of myself these days I knew it was time for a change. Fitness and motivation are not easy for a 20 year couch potato, so a program such as this seems to be just the thing I need to get my butt in gear.

The need to act is definitely becoming more noticeable not only in photos, but on the scale. Gaining 8 kg (about 17lbs) since moving to Munich, has been a wake up call on top of the photographic evidence to help get me moving in the right direction.

I think there will be some goal setting soon, but for me what I am really hoping for is a kick start in motivating myself to make fitness a priority and not using my work as an excuse to skip the gym–especially spending so much time on the road.

So far I’ve added exercise and a significant reduction in beer intake to help me with my goals, but I suspect tomorrow’s e-mail from my lovely fitness instructor will have some new rules being put in place. Stay tuned for more…