January was the completion of a major work project, so didn’t do much outside of that. We did have a work kickoff, which everyone left a little worse for wear (drinking + the death flu went through the office. As well as night I got locked out of my house as I left my keys at the office so had to sleep at a co-worker’s house.)

Tessa this month fell in love with a Porg stuffed animal that makes noise, and was sad when I took it away from her.

I also got to see the National Stock Show parade for the first time!

Finally saw the parade rtight outside the office!

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And very forward looking, I bought Denver Meow Wolf tickets. It doesn’t open until 2020, but it should be fun!

Recommended Reading

Lili on the Loose

As I mentioned in my 2017 Year in Review I am taking a hiatus this year, so didn’t post anything in January.

Other Blogs

I love museums and I love blogs about them. A friend from college, Becky, wrote up her thoughts on Egyptian Artifacts at the Louvre that I really enjoyed reading about.

Some other posts I enjoyed this month in no particular order:

Audio Books

I’ve almost finished Martin Short’s “I Must Say”. Its been so funny, heartfelt, and amazing that I’ve got tickets to see Martin Short and Steve Martin at Red Rocks this summer!

Watchlist

TV

I like binging TV shows. So I bounced between the West Wing, Medici: Masters of Florence (this was amazing), and the Tudors.

Gaming

Still working my way through Assassin’s Creed Origins. From exploring tombs:

To ruined temples:

To exploring the pyramids:

To outrunning a sandstorm:

It’s such a good game! Here is a great article on the art/landscaping of the game.

Food & Health

So here is my big news! I’ve started a health plan! Each month this year I will make a lifestyle change. January it was to stop drinking soda (only drank 3 when I was sick), no candy (met this goal), no potato chips (only had one 170 calorie bag), and no chocolate (well…I ate one kinder egg and a kit kat bar.) I also planned to drink less (limit of 2 drinks per outing. I managed a few no-drink work events, and then had 2 nights where I went over my goal, but much less overall.) And portion control. (Did wonderfully with this, and ate out less too!) In addition, I also started counting calories.

So how did I do? Well……..I lost 17 pounds! It’s insane! I’m doing so well!

Here is what my days typically looked like:

Breakfast (I don’t like breakfast so often will skip or eat something small): Apple, Orange, Almonds, Genoa Salami or Prosciutto wrapped Mozzarella, egg cup

Snacks: Orange, Carrots & Hummus, Pistachios, Peanut Butter Halo Top Ice Cream, Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites, Almonds

Lunch: Salad, Frozen Microwaveable Meal, Veggies, Pasta

Dinner: Steamed Veggies or Roasted Veggies and Chicken

I’ve been staying around 1200 calories a day. And drinking a lot of water. I won a S’well Water Bottle at last month’s White Elephant Gift Exchange. This waterbottle is like magic, the water is always cold!

What’s Next

February will also be pretty quiet, mostly just getting caught up on things I was too busy with my big work project to do.