When did it stop being OK to be patriotic?

I have to blog about this, because I've been thinking about it all week and cannot get over it. It's been bothering me that much.

On Memorial Day, this picture showed up in my Facebook newsfeed with this caption:


Nothing says "I love my nation!" like dismembering its flag and sewing it into a shirt!

There are eight "likes" and quite a few comments from others saying that no one understands the flag laws, that this shirt was probably made in China, etc. Not one person (including me--guilty) commented about how this is a ridiculous caption for this photo. I would like to chime in with the following, because this picture, and the fact I didn't comment, has been eating me alive: 


Ummm... Maybe he's just patriotic! It's Memorial Day! It's a polo shirt--not a flag that he stole from the local Perkin's parking lot and then maliciously sewed into a piece of clothing. When I was in elementary school we learned that if a flag touches the ground, you burn it. We learned you respect the flag, how to fold it, etc. This is not a flag. It never was a flag. It's always been a shirt. He didn't destroy a flag, or disrespect the nation. In fact, it's the complete opposite. He's supporting the US and showing his patriotism. So can we all just stop being such asses? Not everything has to be about something. Sometimes people just wear flag shirts, OK?

Losing Weight

I have become somewhat of a calorie counter, and have lost 12 pounds since I began on March 8. I don't really notice the difference yet, but a few people at work have noticed and said something so that's always great to hear! I think I've lost all my weight in my hand, as I can now fit my engagement ring no my middle finger.

I've been at a standstill for about three weeks now. I don't exercise, which I know would accelerate my weight loss, but I hate working out. I have never enjoyed it. I never feel accomplished afterward. I'm really hoping that being a busy-as-a-bee homeowner and mom-to-be German Shepherd will keep me more active. After all, caring for a big dog like that will FORCE me to, at the very least, get up off the couch and open the door for them to go outside. Of course I plan to be a great mommy and play with him/her and go for walks, all that. Michael and I are also planning on getting a push mower that doesn't have a motor. We have a relatively small yard, so the extra work shouldn't be too exasperating.

To help me keep track of my calories and understand portion control, I downloaded MyFitnessPal, a free smart phone app. They also have a website (www.myfitnesspal.com) for those who do not have a smart phone, and the two sync up so you can keep track via both. MyFitnessPal provides you with a daily calorie goal to stick to. When I lost 10 pounds, it dropped me a few hundred calories. I didn't think that was a very nice reward :P I don't strictly follow it, but I try. Sometimes you have to guess on the calories if you go out to eat, but quite a few restaurants have the nutrition information on their website. Of course, it's handy to know beforehand! 

Little changes really make a difference. If we grab fast food I try to go to Culvers so I can get mashed potatoes as a side instead of fries, or Subway. Carbs are my biggest weakness. I could never do the South Beach Diet! I do allow myself french fries, and other naughty foods here and there if we're out to eat! I'm sure if I was more disciplined, I'd lose more weight, but I'm not so here I am. Mike and I are in love with Skinny Cow ice cream desserts! If you haven't tried them do so right now! I have the biggest sweet tooth ever, and these really help to curve my need for chocolate, DQ blizzards and cupcakes. Are they as rich and decadent as the real deal? No, but they are really good for only 100 calories, so why not substitute it? I also love the Yoplait Whips Orange--it's the only yogurt I can eat. But, it's like 130 calories and does nothing to fill me up. It's a horrible snack, so to save me the calories I just stopped buying them. I wouldn't have realized what a waste it was without calorie counting. For lunches, I find Lean Cuisine the best for me. Their pizza is great, and so are the pasta dishes. For a frozen TV dinner, they're pretty damn good. You can usually catch a sale at Target, Wal-Mart or Festival which helps! For Mike's lunches I get him Smart Ones and Michelina's Lean ones. We've been eating tilapia more often than before too. It's great for a light meal. Hopefully we'll start buying ground turkey instead of beef as the next step.

The hardest thing for me is when I work until midnight at home. I still get up around 8 a.m., and I tend to get hungry around 9-10 p.m. If I just can't ignore it, I have a bowl of cereal. Ever since I can remember, I am really affected by hunger. I get queasy and lightheaded if I don't eat when my body needs me to. I also get really crabby. Mike told me that when he had his CPR and safety training at work, the teacher told him that woman are more affected by hunger than men. Interesting...

State Farm Insurance

Michael and I met with our insurance agent today for the home, and he couldn't be more amazing! He explained everything so clearly, was fast and tried to save us as much money as possible! No pressure from him whatsoever to go with a certain policy, add-on or State Farm in general! He's even sending Michael's car loan information to State Farm Bank to see if they can refinance it for a lower percentage rate--just because. If anyone in the Fox Valley area is looking for a freakin' awesome agent, let me know and I'll message you his contact information.

This is the only thing that went smoothly so far with the home purchase, so I'm pretty excited! I didn't know insurance could be so exciting.

Insurance

Some people's families pass down heirlooms, antiques, advice and wisdom, but my mom has given me her bad luck. Ever since I was little, my mother has complained about her down-right bad luck with insurance companies. All of them. They misspell names on the insurance cards, switch my last name for hers, they have poor service and they just plain suck.

I gathered a handful of quotes online for homeowner's insurance, and after comparing them all we settled with Farmer's Insurance. All the agents were quick to follow-up with us, but we chose the one with the lowest rate. We spoke with the agent on Wednesday, and she said that the next day she'd have our official/final quote. Well, we still had nothing the next week Monday, so Mike called, left a voicemail and didn't hear back. So today he called her three times with no answer or returned call. He just called a different office and left a message explaining that we need insurance and if this agent can't help us we'll go to a different insurer.

We close on May 31, so we kinda need insurance pretty quick here. Tonight we have some loan paperwork to go through with an estimate of what our insurance should be. Wish we could have the finalized numbers in there.

Le sigh.