Friday, August 31, 2007

Happy for a Three Day Weekend

Last night I had the honor of having dinner with BestFriend, MotoDiva, and IronDiva. It was so much fun and needed. Sweetie sent buttons for me to give the girls. They put them on immediately, and that made me smile. They are such a great group to be around.

Now let's talk a little about me - I know shocking. I have been exercising. I have been eating healthier. I am feeling better. Yesterday, was a very good day. Every month we celebrate birthdays. One woman in the company makes a multitude of cakes. Everyone can get a full on piece of any, and all, of their choosing. Yesterday was the day. They send an email in the morning. I thought, crap this is going to be hard to fight. I go into the breakroom to get my water and two co-workers noticed my weight loss. OK so maybe not so hard to fight. 3:00 come and sure enough I was strong. I stayed away from the break room. I was successful.

Then I had a meeting with my boss. Remember the "promotion" I received? I put it that way as my title had manager in it from day one, but finally people have to do what I say. Well they decided I needed a raise with that promotion. This company does not give raises, I knew this coming in. But I will sacrifice pay for location and flexibility. Well, long story short, I received a raise :-D YIPEE, I guess they like me. So I was feeling good about myself and went to get more water. Yes, I am very good with my water. The breakroom still had the leftovers of the birthday cakes. And they had Chocolate Cupcakes. OMG I love those. I had my low fat turkey slices in hand and walked past, paused, thought "mmm I need to celebrate", went back and looked at them. I then walked away AGAIN. I knew I was seeing my girls that night. And I decided that if I wanted to celebrate that I should do it with someone and not by eating a cupcake alone in my cubicle. And at dinner I did celebrate. I had a very healthy and low point dinner and we all shared a piece of carrot cake. And I worked out before meeting my friends for dinner. So I worked out, even when I was short on time, I ate right even while eating out, and I survived a celebration without ruining my diet. YAY!

And once 5:00 finally gets here, my long weekend begins. Tonight is a date night with Sweetie. We are going to our Sushi place again, if we can get there before the rush hits. Then I have no idea what our plans are. Tomorrow we are going to work on our yard, such fun. And then Monday we are going over to MotoDiva's for her famous Jambalaya - everyone dance.

Next week is a big week. I hit my day 30. Which in the world of Power90 you take your measurements and photos every 30 days. I also give blood again and go and see my endo. I have NO idea what my levels are. I have given up trying to guess. I do know that I want off of these meds. I will keep everyone updated. I am taking the article with me regarding the new guidelines for thyroid levels. The good news is that I receive my results before the actual appointment so I can prepare. The bottom line is that I am feeling better than when my WBC was high, so that is good. I just want to keep me feeling good.

So with Sweetie's button hobby, I have many buttons, and I like to wear them. I also have them on my purse. This has caused many comments from co-workers. Today a co-worker asked if Sweetie would make her a button. I think he is going to just freak out when he hears this. He loves to make them. She even suggested a theme. I love that I can brag about him with things like this.

Oh and it looks like my knee needs to be good as IronDiva has said she needs to do a 10k the same time as the IBM 10k. Must not back out now. I am hoping to get some miles in this weekend.

OK I know this was long and lame, but bear with me. I am trying to multi-task here :-)

Everyone have a great and safe weekend.

25 down/65 to go

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

quick in quick out

I have been bad. I have not been posting. I have not even been reading. Seems life has me busy busy busy once again. In fact I shouldn't even be writing now, too much to do. But that is ok. I will add a little every so often and maybe by the time I leave work I will have a post to publish :-)

Exercise and diet are still going well. I am down 8.8, yay.

OK that didn't work out as well as I thought. But I will go ahead and post to prove that I am alive and well.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

things are a changin'

I know it has only been 2.5 weeks, but I have good things to report. I have worked out 15 times. That is HUGE for me. I cannot remember the last time I actually followed a program for this long. Even with my walking with TNT, I was not good about all the walks. I have been working out six days a week and eating so much better. I have logged my points and made better choices.

The most exciting thing is that I am already seeing results. I am feeling thinner, healthier, stronger, and more flexible. This is a great beginner program because you don't do dumbed down versions of exercises. Sweetie does many of the same exercises that I do in his intense program. It is a real workout. Sweetie tells me that he can see the changes as well. I cannot wait until Day 30 when I remeasure and take progress photos.

I have been focusing on this program and not my walking, as I don't want to over do it and injure myself. The IBM 10k training starts next week. The plan is still for LiveStrong (5k) on Oct 13th and IBM (10k) on Oct 21. However, if my knee does not cooperate, I might simply focus on LiveStrong.

And I have to say that Bug is the best little trainer ever. When I exercise she has to have her own yoga mat out. She will even do some of the stretches and kicks with me. On Saturday we were all in bed snuggling and contemplating starting our day. I mentioned that I had to workout when we finally got up. Bug left the bed. She came back with my workout shoes, placed them on my stomach and said "Go"! She will also say "yay Mommy", randomly while I work out. Talk about motivation. I am feeling really good. My energy level is back up. I am feeling very in control of my life right now. That is a nice feeling.

Now, Bug and I are watching The Lion King. It is a girl's night for us. So I must close the post and get back to our girl fun; nails and a bubble bath are in order.

Man I love this movie: "he lives on in you" and "it is in the past, you can either run from it, or learn from it".

18 days down/72 to go

Monday, August 20, 2007

goodbye

Sweetie's Grandpa passed away today. He was not my "in-law". He was my grandpa too. For nearly half of my life I knew him. He was a great man, a proud man, a fun man. He would tell me stories and show me photos. About two and a half years ago his mind started to deteriorate. He moved into a facility earlier this year and quite frankly, was no longer the man we knew. He created a safe environment on the inside and chose to stay there. The brain is a very complex and interesting organ. And while we knew he was on "comfort care" and knew it was coming soon, it still hurts. He was the last of the grandparents. I am waiting to hear when services will be and what MIL needs from us.

Today has been filled with drama and emotion. Life is just too short for drama. Not that we shouldn't be happy. Sometimes reaching happiness requires drama.

Kiss and hug your loved ones. They are your everything.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

i scream for ice cream

Today was the First Annual Ice Cream Festival. Sounds like fun, yes? I mean, I love ice cream, I love free admission, and I love activities for kids.

First, it was hot. OK, not hot but DAMN hot. We were sweating in line to buy tickets. Which brings me to my next complaint. We had to buy tickets to do anything. Tickets to do the kids stuff makes sense to me. But no, you had to buy tickets for all food and drink and the tickets were 1=$1, so you didn't feel like you were getting a deal.

Then there is the fact that for the "festival" there was only like 6 ice cream booths, and they were all local shops - which I am all for - but nothing new.

Then you get to the fact that they were running out of ice cream. Running out? A guy working the festival explained that they only expected 3,000 people and there were 10,000 so far. Uhm, it was advertised on one of the big stations several times a day, in August, and it was ice-cream.

I spent a total of 0 points while we were there. I did get an ice tea, but no ice-cream. I was not going to wait in the heat for 40 minutes for ice cream that I can get any day. I shall get some tonight. We were disappointed. We left red faced, at least Bug and I did as we are so very fair that we get red cheeks in the sun. Bug was very good. But we had the most fun when we were exploring the park and the walk to and from the car. It was just so hot. And Sweetie has been very busy making buttons. I think he just might love his button maker. 13 days down/ 77 to go

Thursday, August 16, 2007

hiya

Back at work. Bug is at school, no fever since Tuesday, so keep your fingers crossed. I was again good yesterday; I did my sculpt workout as well as walked 2.5 miles. Tonight is dinner out with friends.

This might just be the shortest post ever. I just wanted to get on and say that I am doing good.

10 days down/80 to go

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

gosh darnit

I am blogging from home. Sure enough Bug's fever returned. Yep after two days without, it decided it missed us. I got the call not long after getting to work. I had enough time to do a little work, make a doctor appointment for her, and go and get her. The good news is that she is not very sick. No antibiotics, yay. Just wait, watch, and hope she is better soon. If she has a fever on Thursday she has to go back. I hope that isn't the case. Now we watch Winnie-the-Pooh and try to get better. I have a pile of work next to me to do. If I can do it, I won't have to use PTO. But it is hard to work from home with a two year old.

8 days down/82 to go

Monday, August 13, 2007

feeling strong

First, of course most important, Bug is feeling more like her old self. Her fever lasted all day Friday and Saturday. Luckily, she did not have one yesterday. I was afraid the emergency room would be in our plans.

I did my workout on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday was a rest day. YAY. First week done, 12 more to go. This week my goal is to start my training for the 10k while keeping up with my power90 workouts.

So working out, keeping Bug happy, and installing my mom's garage door opener - though not 100% complete yet, was our weekend. I wouldn't say boring, just not action packed. And sometimes that is best.

And I am happy to say that I counted my points all 7 days last week - even on the weekend. Oh and I am wearing some pants that I have not worn in a couple of months because they were tight - heehee.

And to my friend who is hurting. I miss you!

7 days down/83 to go

Friday, August 10, 2007

I swear you're just like me, sipping a cup of pity

Today Bug woke with a fever. I stayed home to be with her. That means I most likely need to go in this weekend to make up for it, but that is part of this game called being a working mom. She is napping now and I think she is feeling better.

This week has been busy. I have been so very good with my diet and exercise. Here is a recap:
Day 1 - Monday - Sculpt - felt good but owie on the push-ups and tricep dips
Day 2 - Tuesday - was sore but not overly so. Cardio - had to do the second DVD as the first was still not working, took it light and it felt good. Abs - felt it!!
Day 3 - Wednesday - sore again. Sculpt - felt stronger than on Monday. I was able to do more of the pushups and triceps.
Day 4 - Thursday - woke without being sore - YAY! Did the second cardio again and was able to do more than on Tuesday. I even saw a glimpse of my biceps :-) Abs - did more than on Tuesday.

And that brings me to Day 5. I will do my Sculpt again later tonight. I woke without soreness again. I feel like this is really going to be good for me. Sweetie has done his workouts each night. Man, his are INTENSE. My goal is to someday be able to do those workouts.

Oh and since SIL#2's wedding I have lost enough to get this: And now onto the serious part of this post. As anyone who has read this blog for any amount of time knows, I fight depression. My worse case was last fall. I am happy to see how far I have come since then. However, I realized this week that something isn't back. My lack of fear, my ability to completely take on a task without thinking twice. I have been not pushing myself. Afraid of getting hurt, physically and emotionally. The one exception to this is the Blog Blowout I attended. This has applied to my walking, workout out, cpa, you name it. And I am sick of it. No more. I am working on taking on my challenges, of taking chances, and using my body, brain, and emotions to the fullest. I am no longer going to be second guessing my abilities. I am going to put myself out there, test for the CPA, walk the 10k, and get healthy.

Off to do workout #5 now.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

90 days to a new me

Sweetie and I never ever ever order items off infomercials. Though I do like to watch them. However, a week and a half ago we felt compelled to call the toll free number. Sweetie and I are doing the workout plan Power 90. He is doing the P90x and I am doing the first level of Power 90. It took a week, but we received our items and have been gearing ourselves up for starting this journey. We are not out to become one of the "success stories". We are not out to have this huge transformation. No, we simply want to be in better shape. I would do the P90x with Sweetie, but it has a minimum requirement test that, quite frankly, I can not pass yet.

Yesterday, my items arrived. I got home and pulled out the material. We have been soaking up all the knowledge we could on the message boards and question and answer pages so that we would be prepared. I even bought a bikini to wear during my progress shots. I let nothing hold me back last night. The DVD did not work for the cardio workout and the replacement DVD will take a week to arrive, I could have used it as an excuse to postpone starting until it arrives. Then while Sweetie and Bug were at gymnastics I was going to take my before pictures. I could not find our camcorder. It has a remote and the screen flips, so it makes taking pictures of yourself very easy. It was at Sweetie's work. You are supposed to take the before pictures before your first workout. UGH. I decided nothing would hold me back. I got my digital camera, found how to do the timer, got out my tripod, and took my before photos. I then took my measurements and did the sculpt workout since the cardio did not work. Sweetie was pleasantly surprised to see me working out when he got home.

It was a good workout. I am sore today. Not too sore, but sore enough to know that I worked my muscles. The hardest part? The pushups and tricep dips - owie. But overall, I feel very motivated.

Turns out it is our DVD player and not the disc, so I will be able to workout tonight with the correct workout, I was going to use the more advanced DVD and make modifications so that I don't overdo it. But I am relieved that I don't have to. Tonight is cardio with abs and maybe some walking.

So my blog might be about weight loss, walking, and power90 more and more. Hope it isn't boring. I am simply trying to keep myself motivated. My focus is our anniversary and getting into great shape before #2. I was lucky and at the end of my pregnancy had only gained 5 pounds with Bug (and she was 6 lbs 3 oz so really I didn't gain anything). I am sure that I won't be that lucky next time :-)

Sweetie and I were both good in taking our before shots and measurements. We hope to have results good enough to post on the internet. I know those photos alone are enough to keep me on track for a while.

One day down, eighty-nine to go.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

all about Sweetie

This weekend has been so much fun. Friday night Sweetie and I went to the RoundRock Express game and sat in his company's suite. It was nice and a lot of fun.
Yesterday began with breakfast in bed for Sweetie. Every year I make him turnovers. mmm mmmm good. As he ate them he said "When we are 80 they are going to ask me what makes a happy marriage and I am going to say turnovers." I only make them for his b-day, that means he only gets them once a year. But according to him, that is the kind of thought that makes happiness. I know we are sugary sweet lately.Tonight was dinner. This is bug at dinner. When the waitress asked what she was doing, it is butter on her face , I said "not screaming". I got Sweetie the button maker he has been wanting. If you have spoken to him, you have probably heard him talk about this great great product. If not, go to his iaj page Now he owns one. I was silly and had him open a very cheap button maker first - after hyping it up as the best gift ever. He was so good. While thinking that I made a huge mistake and didn't listen to him at all, his thoughtful comments and thanking me would make you think it was the one he wanted. After opening the remaining gifts, I told him that he was a wonderful husband and gave him the real one. Since the exchange he keeps telling me how I got him and how he was worried for a minute. He said there were a thousand thoughts going through his head that he couldn't believe I thought that was the button maker he wanted. It didn't even make the right size buttons. He tried to tactfully point it out to me by showing me a button. When I responded with "oh that is perfect", he said he just felt crushed. Of course, when he opened the real one he was elated to see the exact one he actually wanted. I received many thank yous and kisses after the real one appeared.

Jim got Sweetie the coolest bottle of whiskey, talk about an adult gift. Currently, Sweetie is at Jim's working on his website or something creative. Bug is taking a nice nap and I have been productive. I spent an hour cleaning out our closet. Man, that alone can work up a sweat. I reward myself with a diet cherry coke, some iTunes, and my friend blogger. All in all, a great weekend. I leave you with a couple of silly pictures. The first is Bug and me playing in the rain - isn't that what the rain is for? And the last is Bug's pose when I told her "say cheese" last night. I don't think she could get much cheesier.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Happy Birthday Sweetie

Sweetie turns 32 today. Happy birthday, my love. You are my one and only. You are the one who makes me so very happy. I hope you have a fantastic day!

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

so awesome

I am feeling a bit better today. Last night was all about rest for me. I took my nyquil and my "make me sleep" cough medicine. I was out right after dinner. While I was asleep, Sweetie was very busy.
~He watched the Bug
~Tucked us into bed
~Ran 3 miles
~Did laundry
~Did dishes
~Picked up the living room

He is amazing. I am so very lucky. Like I said, I am feeling a bit better. I have to be back to 100% by this weekend for Sweetie's b-day. I am not sure on our fulls plans yet, other than the ballgame on Friday. I told him that it is his weekend and he can pick anything.