Finding a Wedding Dress {part 2}

In the month or so after our first dress shopping experinece in Boston, I kept thinking about this one dress I had tried on at the loft, and I was convinced that it was going to be "The Dress." However, we had one more appointment back in Iowa over the week of J's graduation. To be honest, I agreed to go, but I was pretty convinced I had already found "The Dress" and really saw this trip as a way to appease my mother more than anything. I came into Schaffer's Bridal in West Des Moines trying to keep an open mind, but pretty doubtful that this was going to be anything more than a fashion show for my mom, J's mom, and his sister, Jillian. A fun, giggly fashion show, of course.

There were definitely some dresses that caught my eye, and I felt nice in all of them (again, except the ones that couldn't fit over my butt). There were even some that were contenders - almost at the same level of the dress in the other shop... And then I tried it on.

It was a dress my consultant had picked out. It was undoubtedly beautiful, different, simple, and complimented me perfectly. I felt like myself in it, except I felt like the most beautiful version of myself. It fit my pixie cut. It was a sample dress that was being sold as-is, so it was marked down about $1000 from it's original price and totally under our budget. It fit perfectly. There were a few tiny snags on the bodice, but otherwise it was in perfect condition. I didn't want to take it off. I kept twirling around in it and saying, "I am so pretty!" like a complete fool. It was perfect.

I'm the kind of person who needs to sit and think on a big decision, so I decided not to make a decision that day. Because it was a sale dress, they couldn't hold it for me, which meant it could be sold to another person and I would have to buy the dress brand-new, with no discount. Back in the car, I told my mom that I wished it had pockets, and she told me that adding pockets was a super easy fix if that's what I really wanted. I agreed, and we went out to lunch with Jeanna and Jillian. We drank champagne and I started letting go of the prior dress in my heart. I decided that night that this dress was "The Dress," called Schaffer's, and left a message with them that I would come and pick it up in the morning.

The next morning, my dad and I headed out to Schaffer's right when it opened. I told him in the car that mom and I had discussed giving the dress pockets, and he agreed that it would be an easy fix. When they brought the dress out for us to look over, it was even more beautiful than I had remembered. My dad asked, "Does it have pockets?" I kind of rolled my eyes and said, "No, Dad, the dress doesn't have pockets," but the lady who brought it out answered, "Actually, it does." My jaw about hit the floor. The dress already had pockets. Apparently we just hadn't noticed the day before, but it felt like fate.

I had been nervous about seeing the dress again. Would I love it as much? Would I be disappointed? Even before I knew it had pockets, I was giggling when I saw it again. It was just as beautiful as I remembered - maybe even more so! The hard part now is waiting almost a year and a half to actually wear it (and keep pictures of it hidden from J, haha).

How did you know it was "The Dress?" How many places did you go to before you stopped shopping? Were you surprised by your dress choice?

Finding a Wedding Dress {part 1}

((Not "The Dress," but a favorite))

Just a few months after we started dating, J and I started talking about marriage. We weren't sure that the institution was for us (we were considering just being partners 'fo life), and I told him that if we didn't get "married", I still wanted two things: a party, and a dress! Obviously our views on marriage changed, and on July 10th of last year, we decided to get engaged!

Basically since that moment, my mom has been asking me to go wedding dress shopping. I kept telling her no, because at the time, the wedding was still more than two years away! I was also aware that "the dress" was one of the things I really, really cared about, and I didn't want the experience to go by too fast.

Finally, over Christmas break, I agreed to let my mom and grandma come up to Concord/Boston and go dress shopping. And by "agreed," I mean I was desperate to see them. :)

------------

In certain ways, wedding dress shopping was nothing like I anticipated. In other ways, it was everything I hoped for and more.

I admittedly watch way too many episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress," so my views of dress shopping were heavily influenced by that. I thought that when I found "the dress," I would cry and be a total mess and have sparks and butterflies. I was worried that because so many brides on the show had body image issues and felt fat in dresses, I would too.

The first store we went to in Boston was BHLDN. I've been obsessed with BHLDN since I found out about it a year or so ago, so I was convinced that I would find my wedding dress there. I had a lovely time, tried on some beautiful dresses, and had two favorites that I thought could be definite contenders. I didn't cry, but I got excited about marrying my best friend - which is, in my opinion, a better reaction! I genuinely felt beautiful in everything I tried on, which was a huge relief for me and really set the tone for the weekend. We left with those two favorites in mind, and I thought how this process could actually... dare I say it... fun!

The next appointment we had was the same afternoon, in this little loft space in Beacon Hill, Boston. It was like walking into a dream - it was a loft space, painted all white, huge windows, lots of light, and of course, wedding dresses everywhere! I probably tried on 10 dresses, and while I couldn't fit my butt into several of them (story of my life though), I had so much fun! The owner had a flower crown you could wear with the dresses, and it totally set the mood. Like at BHLDN, there were two dresses that really stuck out to me. I didn't cry, but I was getting more and more excited about this process. 

I now had four dresses that I really liked, which was comforting to me rather than stressful. In my mind, I now had four dresses that I could pick from and be perfectly happy! What a great position to be in!

My last appointment in Boston was in this upscale bridal salon downtown. I was hesitant to go to that one because of our budget, but my mom convinced me that it would be a fun experience to try on really nice dresses and I caved (because pretty things and because moms). I had an actual consultant at this salon, and I explained that I wanted a fun dress: something kind of quirky, comfortable, and, well, fun! I told her I wanted an A-line dress, but that I was open to trying on new things. She kind of stuck up her nose when I told her we had been to BHLDN, and I got the impression that she didn't get me or what I was looking for.

I probably looked the best in all of the dresses we tried on there. The problem was, I wasn't feeling any of them. They were all on the verge of being ballgowns, and while all of them were gorgeous (and made my waist look teeny tiny), I literally felt nothing in them. Everyone kept looking at me like they were waiting for me to have this moment... and I just wasn't having it. I felt uncomfortable, the dresses were all too expensive for how I felt in them, and I kept thinking about the other dresses I had tried on at the other store in downtown Boston and how they had made me want to marry J and party all night long...

Did you have a similar reaction at any of the places you shopped at? Were you (or are you) worried about not having the right reaction or about not looking good in dresses? How did you know when you had a connection with a dress?

My 2L Year of Law School

At the end of last year, I did a post on my 1L year of law school. I tried to be super honest about what I was feeling and experiencing, because last year was really hard for me. I had friends, but I was away from my "regular" friends and family. The coursework was really hard. I struggled. I thought about dropping out or transfering at least twice. But I didn't, and I made through 2L year - happier, definitely healthier, and so much more stable!

My hope here is to be just as honest about what I experienced, which is actually easier this year because I actually enjoyed my 2L year immensely.

1st Semester

At first: 
I started out my first semester feeling pretty great but also dealing with some insecurities. I had been rejected from a few programs, and I had been essentially wait listed in this program at school called the Daniel Webster Scholar Program. The program's intent is to create lawyers who were actually client- and practice-ready, so the Scholars learn more practical skills versus reading about the skills in a book. They're also judged by actual Bar exam reviewers for the last two years of law school, so they don't have to actually sit and take the Bar - which makes sense, because they're literally doing a two-year Bar that actually looks at your skills, not just your ability to answer questions.

Long story short, I was accepted into the DWS Program almost immediately after being wait listed (yay!!!) and came to school feeling so enthusiastic about UNH Law and the DWS Program. At the same time, I felt insecure that I hadn't gotten into DWS immediately and therefore didn't really "deserve" to be there. I felt like I needed to really prove myself.

Homework:
To be perfectly honest, I mostly just remember doing DWS homework first semester. I was in a DWS class called Pretrial Advocacy where we were split up into firms and simulated filing an FMLA case in New Hampshire Federal Court. To say it was labor-intensive would be an understatement. We were all learning how to do these documents for the first time, but we kept time sheets and I ended up averaging anywhere from fifteen to sixty hours of work for this class a week.

I also took Evidence, Wills, Personal Income Tax, and Professional Responsibility. The homework for those classes was mostly jut doing the required readings. Looking back on my 1L year, I remember being really overwhelmed with all the homework. This wasn't the case at all last semester. Even the classes that were case book-intensive were really doable, and while Evidence was probably the hardest for me to learn, that was probably my own fault for not keeping up as much in the beginning.

Home:
I had a new roommate last year! Her name was Ashley, and she was an absolute DELIGHT. She was an incoming 1L, super respectful, fun, sweet, and so caring. I loved coming home from class to see her and talk about how she was dealing with her first year. I also had both James and Leif here, which was nice. They play fight pretty hard, but it's so much easier to deal with two cats than one. They cuddled and entertained each other and kept each other (mostly) out of trouble!

Friends:
This was maybe the biggest (and most helpful) change for me from 1L year to 2L year: I actually had established friendships! I already knew everyone, I knew personalities, and my friendships from the previous year really blossomed! It didn't feel isolating or scary anymore, and I actually gained a whole new set of friends from being in the DWS Program. I was in a "firm" of people that I didn't know well, but we all ended up getting along so well and I really appreciated their friendships.

School:
I did fine in all my classes, and I actually really enjoyed my first semester of 2L year - which was really necessary since 1L year had been such a struggle. Everything seemed to come easier to me, even though I was definitely faced with more work than 1L year. I just felt like I finally knew what I was doing! I also got the chance to argue a Summary Judgment Motion in front of a judge in New Hampshire Federal Court for my Pretrial Ad class, which was an amazing experience!

Family:
I was still far away from my family and J, but like a lot of this past year, it just didn't seem as difficult as it did 1L year. J and I knew when we were going to see each other, we skyped a LOT more, and I felt really happy and secure, even though I missed him desperately. I also got to see my family more! I saw them and J in September for my cousin's wedding, and then I saw everyone again over Thanksgiving, when my family met J and part of J's family in Las Vegas! It was a total blast, even though I came back from fall break totally exhausted. It was 100% worth it! I also saw my family over Christmas, when I spent about three weeks down there with J!

All in all, I just got to see my loved ones more and it made a huge difference to me. I felt secure, safe, and loved!

Health:
I hardly worked out at all, but I also didn't gain any weight. I mostly felt really good, physically, because I was still eating healthy foods. On the other hand, I was drinking an ungodly amount of coffee and savoring every moment of it because at least I was awake!

I did have one scare where I thought I might have a cancerous tumor on my back. I have a benign tumor (a lympoma) on my side that grew in high school. It's relatively small (no one knows I have one until I point it out), doesn't hurt, and doesn't get in the way of anything, so I've never had it removed. This one on my back felt the same, but it scared me because I had literally just found it. Obviously my first thought was cancer, but Web M.D. actually reassured me that it was another lympoma - and the doctor confirmed that it was a lympoma and definitely not cancer! I can't tell you how relieved I felt after that appointment!

2nd Semester

At first:
I was honestly excited to go back to school in January. I had a good class schedule that I was actually pumped about, I had morning classes every day (I'm definitely a morning person) except for one night class on Wednesdays, and I had established a good schedule for myself as far as working out and eating healthy, so I felt super upbeat and ready to go!

Homework:
It felt like I didn't HAVE homework compared to how much I was doing for Pretrial Ad first semester! I thought Trial Advocacy would be the same way, but it certainly wasn't overwhelming. I had to practice my speaking skills in front of my classmates, but the actual grunt work wasn't as difficult as I was expecting. Speaking in class? Terrifying, but I really worked on improving myself all semester, and it became one of my favorite classes!

I was also taking Employment Law, Business Associations, DWS Miniseries, and Negotiations. Employment Law assignments took me about three hours to do per class, but I found readings for Business Associations super easy! Negotiation usually took a lot of outside work to complete each week, because we were expected to be competent in the specific legal area the negotiation was in and we filled out complex outlines each week before the negotiation. Miniseries homework really depended on which week of class it was - some weeks were more like lectures, while some weeks we were required to read up on all information, while some weeks it was more about practicing specific skills.

It was definitely a work-intensive semester, but the homework was spaced out enough for me that I wasn't usually overwhelmed.

Home:
My roommate actually ended up leaving school to follow her dream to be a teacher. She was so happy about this change that I couldn't be that sad about it, even though I missed her desperately! I was worried having the apartment to myself would be lonely and isolating, but I ended up really liking it! I've spent so many of the last seven years trying to be a considerate roommate, and I actually got to have an entire apartment to myself. It was kind of freeing and relaxing! I got to do what I wanted, when I wanted to, and not worry if someone else didn't like that I left my dishes out or wasn't super tidy. I also loved being able to have friends over and not worry about bothering another person. And, while this is going to sound super lame, the cats were great company and never let me feel alone.

Friends:
The biggest thing that changed between first and second semester was that we were pulled out of our DWS Pretrial Ad firms and mixed up for Trial Ad. It was still the same DWS group, but I got to see a lot more of my friends who had been in the opposing firm first semester. It was really fun and interesting to get a new dynamic and create a supportive environment with people I had literally been opposing first semester, especially since a lot of them were my friends before this year. I liked not having the rivalry that was apparent first semester, and I feel like all of us bonded a lot more because of that!

School:
I kept expecting this semester to be exhausting, but I found school really doable second semester. I had more than enough time to do my homework each week, my classes were really interesting and (dare I say it) fun! It made me really look forward to practicing law!

I also took and passed the MPRE, which is like the legal ethics test you need to take to be a lawyer. It's not unheard of for people to fail it, so I was a little nervous about having to retake it... but thankfully I passed well enough to be accepted in every state in the US! :)

Family:
I saw so much of my family this semester, and I felt amazing. I saw my family in Hilton Head over spring break, J visited me over his spring break, and my mom and grandma came up to go wedding dress shopping in Boston with me over a long weekend! I loved seeing so much of the people I love. :)

Health:
I really focused on my heath this semester! One of my goals for 2015 was to work out five times a week while I was in Concord, and I did this almost every single week all semester. I was so proud of myself! While my weight didn't change at all, I felt so much better every day. I was less stressed, I was awake and ready for class every morning, I felt accomplished, I felt beautiful, and I loved feeling my muscles grow. I also worked on tracking my food, so that I was eating enough or not overeating.

I also cut out coffee cold turkey about 2/3 of the way through the semester. I was drinking around 2-3 cups a day and one weekend experienced terrible, splitting caffeine headaches. I decided then and there to stop temporarily, with the hope that I could really cut down on how much I "needed" to function. That weekend was terrible. I took three Advil the first day, and only one the next day, but then I was done and no longer in withdrawal from the caffeine. I added tea back into my diet, and I'm still drinking only one or two cups of coffee a week now.

Overall, I had a really good 2L year. I found myself actually enjoying law school and feeling like I really belonged here, after spending most of 1L year wondering what I was doing and why. I could actually see myself as a lawyer, and maybe even as a good one! 1L year was so difficult for me that 2L year felt like a breeze in comparison - but it's also possible I'm just better at practical classes than reading case books.

It was so apparent to me that a solid support system and friends are so important, whether or not you're in law school. Everything was easier when I felt secure about my family and J and when I got to see them more.

Everything was also easier when I made working out a priority. It really surprised me how much it made a difference.


This summer is going to be one of the greatest I've ever had. I've accepted a job with New Hampshire Legal Assistance in Concord, and I couldn't be more excited about it! I'll be helping domestic violence victims and low-income clients all summer, and I'm thrilled to be helping the kind of people I came to law school to give a voice to. J just moved in to my apartment, and we're working on our little love nest. :) It's my first summer actually in Concord, and I can't wait to explore more of the area since I'll have some evenings and weekends free!

Life Lately {vol. 43}

My mom and grandma came up to Concord to visit me and go wedding dress shopping in Boston a few weeks ago! Aren't they beautiful?!

I'm so in love with Boston! Such a beautiful city!

We went to Beacon Hill for a wedding dress appointment. Isn't it a gorgeous area?!

Whatta cutie!

My grandma is the sweetest and most beautiful person I know! :)

After a rather stressful dress experience (for me, haha), we relaxed with some bubbly!

Before we left Boston, we had a delicious meal at Legal's Test Kitchen!

When I got back to Concord after our girl's weekend, I had to go right into studying for finals!

A few of my friends and I celebrated the end of finals with a trip to a winery!

Abby, Erica, and I got dolled up at a Mary Kay party!

I made French Toast from scratch a few weekends ago!

Sleepy Leif is so adorable! :)

I didn't work out a lot during finals week. I was exhausted and totally swamped between packing for my trip to Iowa and my actual finals. I still felt pretty though.

THIS CHOCOLATE THOUGH. TRY IT.

End of finals margaritas with Amanda and Erica! :) I loved seeing them before I had to leave, and Erica even drove me to the airport at 4:30AM. What a saint!

I flew with James (who was so well-behaved) and spent most of my trip listening to music and reading my bridal magazine!

Look at old man Winston! *heart eyes*

James loves being out of his cage and having the room to himself, though he may be a little lonely without Leif. :)

The neighbor's cat, Charlie, loves us! We've thought about taking her with us more than once, haha.

I'm obsessed with this vine wall on the side of the Iowa City Starbucks!

J and I headed to Oyama (aka my favorite sushi place EVER) and it was just as amazing as always! I've literally never had an average meal there - it's incredible!

My MVP foreverrr!

J and I found a new area by the lake to explore!

Goofballs forever (don't worry, we were stopped).

J wanted to check out his favorite record store, so we hung around there for a while!

I finally got a Fitbit and I'm loving it!

I finally got to see my bestie, Liz! She's such a beautiful soul!

J got me this card and some wine for being the mother of our kitties on Mother's Day! It was totally expected and SO sweet! :)

We finally watched "The Babadook" the other night, and I was SO nervous! I had wine, so I made it through and it ended up being a very interesting, thought-provoking movie that made me think for hours afterwards. I'd definitely recommend it!

J had to do some work on a paper and print some things, so I spent time at one of my favorite coffee shops/book stores in Iowa City: Prairie Lights Books!

-- TAKI QUEEN 4 EVER --

This morning, before J turned in his first final, we headed to Starbucks as an early celebratory treat! I love my handsome dude. :3

While J turned in his last final EVER, I worked on my 12x12 reading project again after about a month break! I'm on to my 7th book this year: The Princess Bride!

J and I went for two laps around the lake today (~4 miles), and then I finished out my 10,000 steps on the treadmill when we got home! He finally got a Fitbit yesterday, and he walked/ran over 15,000 steps today! I have no idea how, but I'm super impressed. And exhausted, haha!

Today has been SUCH a lovely day! I've mostly just been relaxing while I've been visiting J in Iowa since he's been stressed and finishing up his finals before graduation. Well today, he turned in his very last final ever! So we celebrating with Starbucks, relaxation at home, packing up all of his clothes, and then by walking/running about 5 miles, haha. I really wanted to hit 10,000 steps today since we're celebrating tonight with food and alcohol, and J was so relieved to be done that he actually wanted to run! After running, we stretched for a while and then made homemade pesto margarita pizza, which was absolutely delicious.

We still have a lot of packing to do before J's ready to move to New Hampshire with me next week, but I can't believe how fast this week has flown by. The next week's going to be even crazier, at least for me. We're going between Des Moines and Iowa City to pick up my parents, watch J graduate (!!!), celebrate my mom's birthday, try on more wedding dresses, look at wedding venues, meet with a wedding planner, and finally pack J's car for the Big Move! 

It's going to be stressful, but I'm so excited to see all of J's family who I don't get to see often, and to see my parents, who it never feels like I see enough of. I'm also excited to see if we can make some wedding decisions this week since it feels like we haven't decided that much yet! If we find "the" venue, then we can hopefully book it and have a set wedding date!

I hope you all are having an equally great week and day! :)

Review: Fitbit!

I've wanted a Fitbit for over a year now. All last summer, I was exercising almost every day at Power Life Yoga in Des Moines, but I was frustrated because I didn't know how many calories I was burning. I couldn't tell if I was over- or under-eating given how much I had exercised in the heated classes. Sure, I could Google "hot yoga" and put in how many minutes I had exercised, but it certainly wasn't an individualized assessment of how I had done in the class.

Before now, I used "My Fitness Pal" for the last few years (on and off) on my phone. It's a good app - it tracks your steps like a pedometer when you have it on you, and you can put in information about your food so that you know how much you're supposed to eat per day. But again, it doesn't show how you actually did in that Zumba class - just what the average calorie burn is in a Zumba class. That's the main drawback of the application.

Recently, I also downloaded "Sleep Cycle". I was having trouble sleeping and wanted to know how much sleep I was actually getting at night and how much I was tossing and turning. It also wakes you up at the "ideal" time between a 30-minute time span. I really enjoyed the app, and liked seeing what kind of sleep quality I was getting. It wasn't perfect though - it works by feeling movement on the bed through your phone, and with two cats and a fiance, it's not always the most accurate.

I made up my mind a few days ago that I deserved a treat. One of my big goals for the year was to give myself rewards, and after how good I've been treating my body this year (with food and exercise and love), I thought I deserved something that I've wanted for so long! So, has it been everything I've been hoping for?

The short answer is, yes! 

Looks/Utility

While I'm not really a fan of bracelets, this one is so easy to wear. I don't have to worry about taking it on and off (even in the shower!), it's relatively comfortable, and I love that it tracks all of my movements. My phone worked as a pedometer most of the time, but I don't keep it on me 24/7, especially when I'm just walking around the house or apartment.

You also get to choose between different colors. At the Best Buy J and I went to, they had Fitbits in black, blue, and pink. I wanted to go for the pink, but I thought it would stand out too much and look too "girly" if I dressed up for court. I knew I didn't want the black, so I went for the dusty blue color and I'm so glad I did. There's still some color, but it's not in your face like the bright pink would have been. I knew the blue wouldn't look weird or out of place if I had a suit jacket on or went to an interview.

BMR Calculations

The really interesting part (for me, at least) is that it uses your age, height, weight, etc. to calculate ALL the calories you burn - including your basal metabolic rate - just by living and breathing, not just the calories you burn by exercising... Hence why it says I burned 2456 calories on Saturday. Granted, I did go running and walk around a lot on Saturday, but it includes all calories you burn, not just when you're active and moving.

Active Minutes

To be honest, I was really confused what "active minutes" were when I first got it. It turns out, the Fitbit calculates how "intense" your activity is (using magic for all I know). When you're especially intense, it classifies those movements as "active." So, active minutes just show how long you were doing intense activities throughout the day! On Saturday, it showed that I was "active" for 70 minutes - which makes sense, because it was the day I went running, went for a walk, and generally was hopping around all day, haha.

Daily Water

I also really love that it gives me an easy way to calculate how much water I'm drinking. In Concord, I feel like I'm drinking so much water every day, but it's been oddly difficult for me to keep up here in Iowa. After I got this Fitbit, it's been so much easier for me to track where I'm at and how much more water I should be drinking. It's an easy reminder!

Weight Loss

When you set up your Fitbit, it gives you the option to say how many pounds you want to lose. My "go-to" goal weight has been 160lbs, which is about 20lbs lighter than I am right now, but to be honest, my New Years Resolution wasn't to lose weight - it was to work out more. I've kind of fallen in love with weight-lifting, and from what I've read, people usually don't lose tons of weight when they weight-lift. You're basically replacing fat with muscle, and muscle weighs more. So, all in all, I don't take this weight loss goal on my Fitbit very seriously. It was just to have a number there when it asked me.

Sleep Tracker

Like the "Sleep Cycle" app, the Fitbit tracks my sleep. The only downside the Fitbit has for me compared to my old app is that it can wake you up at a set time - not at your "ideal" wake time. I really liked that my phone app would wake me up during the height of my sleep/REM cycle, so in an ideal world, I wish the Fitbit did that too. However, the Fitbit does something that's so cool: It has a silent alarm! You set the alarm either on the app or online (and you can do multiple alarms throughout the day, not just to wake up), and when the time comes, your Fitbit buzzes on your arm! 

To be honest, this particular trick wouldn't impress me that much if I was single and living alone, but having lived with J, I know the pain of having your partner's alarm go off loudly when you're still trying to sleep (and vice versa). It's annoying if it's not your alarm, and I feel guilty for waking him up if it's mine. Granted, you still have to get out of bed which will probably wake them up at least a little bit, but it's less invasive than a loud alarm, and the buzzing is just the right amount on your arm to wake you up, but not make you uncomfortable.

Calories Eaten/Left

This part of Fitbit is almost exactly like "My Fitness Pal" - you have to manually go in and say what you've eaten and how many servings you've eaten. If you're making something from scratch, you can create a recipe or add a food from the grocery store. If there's any downside to this, the Fitbit does seem to have a little less already in the system than "My Fitness Pal" does. It's not much of a problem though, because it takes hardly any time to create a new item!

One cool thing about the Fitbit is that is takes all of your movements into account when looking at how many calories you're supposed to eat during the day. In "My Fitness Pal," the calorie amount only changes if you've logged a work out. Here, it changes based on everything you do, including your BMR (which, again, is how many calories you burn just by living). I haven't had the Fitbit long enough to know whether or not to trust the amount it tells me to eat each day, but I've actually had a tough time eating as much as it wants me to every day!

Exercises

I used to use "RunTracker" to track my exercises, and I was generally happy with how that app worked. It was pretty clear, I could customize it so it told me when I had gone 0.25 miles at a time, and I could sync it with "My Fitness Pal." The Fitbit also tracks certain exercises while you're actually doing them! I tried this out for the first time when I went for a run on Saturday. It lets you choose whether you're going for a run, a walk, or a hike, then tracks your pace, your time, your distance, and your route. It let me choose my music, but I didn't feel like it informed me about how far I had gone until I actually reached a mile, which was frustrating. To be fair, I had never used it before and I think there is some way to customize it so it gives you an update more often. I'll go for another run again soon so I can test it out again! I also loved all the information it gives you about the particular workout afterwards, like your pace through the workout and how many calories you burned at each point (not pictured).

The best part of the Fitbit is that the devise treats you as an individual, not as an average. It looks at your weight, age, and height to determine your individual stats and how you work and move. It calculates your activities based directly on your particular intensity. It's also easy to use, and you can look at your stats online or on your phone. I used to use THREE different apps to do the exact same thing the Fitbit does, so it's actually really nice having everything in one place. It's also freed up a lot of space on my phone.

There are more activities you can do on the actual app part of the Fitbit, like setting goals for yourself or challenging your friends on the site to reach a goal with you. I haven't done those yet, but I hopefully will in the near future!

All in all, I think my Fitbit was worth the purchase! It's really made me think more about how many steps I take each day and make more of an effort to get moving. J's definitely become more conscious about how much he's moving too, and I think he's going to get one this week too as a graduation present for himself. 

Do you have a Fitbit or another kind of fitness tracker? Do you think it's worth it?