Jeni:
Well hello there! My name is Jeni and this is my blog with my bestie.
I wanted to tell you a little bit about us and then explain why we have this blog. Ready? Psh...you were born ready!
I served a mission for our church in Portland, Oregon and learned a lot while I was there. I remember sitting down with my Mission President's wife one day and talking about life back home. She gave me some really sage advice about who my friends should be when I returned to San Diego. She said that my past didn't need to be a part of the friendships I would have, but rather, that these new friends would see who my past had made me, and that's who they would love me for.
Well, it turns out she was right...not that I doubted that! I got home and found that a lot of the people I thought were my friends, still treated me like the old and not-so-wise person I was. I won't go into that too much...It's not like I'm perfect, nor was I when I got home...but I think you get it.
One day I was sharing a story with some people at institute about some answered prayers. One girl, who I had met briefly, told me that she had some similar stories and wanted to get together sometime and chat.
A couple of months went by and finally around the beginning of December 2011 we went to lunch at a Mexican place near my work. We talked for hours about my life and hers and it became very clear that we were going to be friends.
Then she left for the holidays and it wasn't until 2012 that Courtney Amanda Willis and I really got to grow our friendship the way we were meant to.
We went on adventures together, ate a LOT (remember that, cause we're gonna come back to it) and made tons of memories. It was a very fast friendship that quickly entered the "Best Friend" status I had been longing for.
The more we hung out, the more we realized just how similar we were. It wasn't long before I asked Courtney what the word for "twin" was in Spanish (which she speaks fluently...like a boss!) and she told me "gemela" which has just stuck ever since!I'll let Courtney add more details later in this post, but for now, let's talk about WHY we're starting this blog.
You'll remember that Courtney and I like food.
A lot.
I'm pretty sure most people do.
But Courtney and I, unlike some of our peers, cannot eat all we want and never suffer a pound gained or inch grown...no no...we are big girls that only get bigger with each delicious bite.
...and oh how many delicious bites there are to be had!
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| Sushi |
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| Panda Express |
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| Fair Food |
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| After California Pizza Kitchen |
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| Studio Diner (dessert!) |
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| Extraordinary Desserts |
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| Outback Steakhouse |
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| Italian Place Downtown |
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| Free Slurpee Day |
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| IHOP |
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| Rubios |
In case you needed evidence, this is just a small amount of our adventures in eating.
In any case, we need to shad the pounds. Courtney is still on the hunt for a husband (haha! I'll let her tell you about that!) and I am hoping to start a family with my Husband later this year.
We both know we need to be healthier and we both know it will help us feel better.
So this is us being accountable to that.
To our challenges (one which we start tomorrow) to each other and to you!
I think Courtney will agree that we will also use this as a way to keep in touch, (she's in Florida and I'm in Idaho right now) and also to post DIY projects, funny videos, fashion, make-up and all sorts of other goodies.
I hope you will enjoy it all!
Please give us some love and encouragement! We would love to hear from you!
Courtney:
Hola! My name is Courtney, and I'm the other half of this project. And just in case you're a little curious - of course you are - I'll tell you a little bit about me.
I also served a mission, in Houston Texas to the Hispanic community. And unlike some of my friends who have served, I slimmed down quite a bit on my mission. After I returned home, life was different. A majority of my friends had moved away or gotten married, and I was ready for something new. So I got a job offer in San Diego, and I took it. Getting comfortable with living so far away from my Florida family took a while, but I made some fast friends that helped with this process, and among them was Jeni.
While Jeni and I do have our differences, we became "gemelas" almost instantly. Days and months passed in our friendship, and we would constantly have "WHAT?!" moments, when we discovered yet another thing we had in common: books, music, YouTube videos, relationship struggles, swapping mission stories and having comp studies, and painting the town almost every weekend. And as previously noted by Jeni, most of our weekend adventures generally included food.
I'm seriously a fan of almost all food, there are very few things that I won't try or don't like. And one of my biggest struggles has been with my job. I've been a nanny for almost 2 years now, and living with a family that has young mouths to feed doesn't always provide the healthiest options - easy fixing and cleaning up proves victorious in most cases, as opposed to fresh foods and less processed/preservatives. But this is on my own head, I have total control and accountability over what I put in my mouth. And you can see, Jeni and I went out to eat ALL the time. And let it be known that Mormons don't drink alcohol, so most of our social activities revolve around food ;)
But there is a health code in the church as well, known as the Word of Wisdom, which encourages a healthy lifestyle, including eating and sleeping well, and exercising. There is also a gospel principle that says "moderation in all things." And while I don't think we've been disobedient to any one particular thing, we might have been a little negligent. But a healthy lifestyle isn't going to happen overnight, so we're taking baby steps. We'll try cutting the junk food first for a couple weeks. And this is actually pretty mild, compared to other diets. Cutting out sugars and refined foods is a step in the right direction. And though we might protest in body and mind, I think it's achievable. And for our overall health and being, it's definitely worth it.
So here's to a healthy and happy lifestyle! :)
Courtney:
Hola! My name is Courtney, and I'm the other half of this project. And just in case you're a little curious - of course you are - I'll tell you a little bit about me.
I also served a mission, in Houston Texas to the Hispanic community. And unlike some of my friends who have served, I slimmed down quite a bit on my mission. After I returned home, life was different. A majority of my friends had moved away or gotten married, and I was ready for something new. So I got a job offer in San Diego, and I took it. Getting comfortable with living so far away from my Florida family took a while, but I made some fast friends that helped with this process, and among them was Jeni.
While Jeni and I do have our differences, we became "gemelas" almost instantly. Days and months passed in our friendship, and we would constantly have "WHAT?!" moments, when we discovered yet another thing we had in common: books, music, YouTube videos, relationship struggles, swapping mission stories and having comp studies, and painting the town almost every weekend. And as previously noted by Jeni, most of our weekend adventures generally included food.
I'm seriously a fan of almost all food, there are very few things that I won't try or don't like. And one of my biggest struggles has been with my job. I've been a nanny for almost 2 years now, and living with a family that has young mouths to feed doesn't always provide the healthiest options - easy fixing and cleaning up proves victorious in most cases, as opposed to fresh foods and less processed/preservatives. But this is on my own head, I have total control and accountability over what I put in my mouth. And you can see, Jeni and I went out to eat ALL the time. And let it be known that Mormons don't drink alcohol, so most of our social activities revolve around food ;)
But there is a health code in the church as well, known as the Word of Wisdom, which encourages a healthy lifestyle, including eating and sleeping well, and exercising. There is also a gospel principle that says "moderation in all things." And while I don't think we've been disobedient to any one particular thing, we might have been a little negligent. But a healthy lifestyle isn't going to happen overnight, so we're taking baby steps. We'll try cutting the junk food first for a couple weeks. And this is actually pretty mild, compared to other diets. Cutting out sugars and refined foods is a step in the right direction. And though we might protest in body and mind, I think it's achievable. And for our overall health and being, it's definitely worth it.
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| In March, we kick junk food. In April, we take on the world!!! |
So here's to a healthy and happy lifestyle! :)
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