My trip to Chicago.

I've been in Chicago a few days for work.  For the last few years, I've come here during the Summer for an annual meeting session in our industry.  It is fun.  Although I am a little ways out from the actual downtown area, it is still nice to get out of the office and meet customers face to face.  

When I was getting ready to head to the airport Monday morning, my boss texted and asked if I was still home. and had access to a printer?  Turns out he bought me a ticket to see the play "The Book of Mormon."  So, the plans for my Tuesday night were in place.  I called a car service to take me into the city.  Upon entering the city I decided to look around at the stores and maybe do a little shopping.  Unfortunately I lost track of time and was not able to grab dinner before the show.  A total bummer because I was really looking forward to all of the delicious food Chicago has to offer.  I drank a beer & hoped that'd tie me over. By the time I got back to the hotel at 11:11 the kitchen was already closed.  This led to a growling belly with nothing to eat.  Next time I won't choose shopping over food. When I entered the theatre I was blown away.  The architecture was absolutely incredible.  The theatre first opened in 1906 so it was as if I was stepping back in time.  The play was pretty funny.  My boss thought it was "omgslapyomomma" type of funny, but I wouldn't go that far.  The show stealer in my opinion was definitely Elder Cunningham.  His wit, talent, and one liners were executed magnificently and it was his performance that made the whole play.  It was my first time seeing a play, and it was a really fun experience.

Today we've got a few more meetings and then I head home on Thursday morning.  I always enjoy a trip to the Windy City and look forward to being here again next Summer. 

Hope everyone is having a fabulous week.  :)

My first 5K run.

I've done a 5K before.  I walked 1 or 2 & raised money for the American Heart Association.  I walked and never even attempted to run.  

That's why the Watermelon 4th of July 5K was a big deal for me.  I had been practicing and training to run it.  I cut back on bootcamp and focused more on running.

Well, the day came and I had butterflies in my tummy.  I actually had butterflies about 2 days prior.  It was all I could think about.  "Am I crazy?"  "Will I do ok?"  "My main goal is to cross the finish line."  Come to find out, I am pretty bat shit crazy, yes I did better than ok, and I 100% crossed the finish line. The energy at the race was intense.

The beau's sister in law & I were the ones who signed up and ran.  She is a natural runner so definitely pushed me when all I wanted to take a break and walk.  I love the fact that she pushed me.  I also love the fact that I threw up.  What happened was...we were in the final stretch of the race and she looks at me and says "come on, let's go!  We're doing it!" and we start to haul ass closer to the finish line.  I am feeling absolutely stinkin' proud of myself.  I start to get goosebumps and then wonder if I'm going to cry.  But nothing came from my eyes.  Instead it came from my mouth.  As I was crossing the finish line I started throwing up.  It was all kind of blur because there were just SO many people, but all that matters is I did it.  And didn't throw up on anyone's shoes in the process.  I am so curious to see how the race pictures will turn out.  

After the race, we found our men - they had unfortunately got to the finish line about 5 minutes after we crossed.  But that was okay.  I was so happy that they loaded up the kids so early in the morning and came to cheer us on.  They had lots of water and tons of snacks, bounce houses, watermelon eating contests, all kinds of things.  It was a fun time for the kids and for us (once we caught our breath!)

We then headed back to the beau's brothers house so we could swim & have a cook out.  It was a lot of fun and I am so happy that I signed up and completed it.

Next on the list?  A half marathon.  We have 21 weeks to prepare.  I will do this.  I will cross the finish line.  Hope everyone had a fabulous 4th!  God Bless America.  :)

Weekend update

So it came back.  The motivation.  I was just thinking about how I've lost 10 lbs. so far and I can't stop now.  Unfortunately, I've always quit because it's just so much easier to do than put in the work.  I've been "dieting" for as long as I can remember.  Probably since 4th good.  Off and on, off and on, goodness it can be exhausting.  Although I did totally stuff my face hole with sushi & sake last night, but a girls gotta eat...right?

Anyways, while I was looking for inspiration on the internet, I was mainly looking for a WOD (workout of the day.)  I can NEVER find something that just tells me what to do!  I need a workout plan written out for me.  I made this one up while I was being a shithead and missing boot camp, so here ya go.  I actually had fun creating this!

We went out for sushi last night and it was so damn good.  I had been craving it for awhile so we finally found a place close to the house & it did not disappoint.  I'm not sure what the rest of the weekend has in store for us, but we will see.  Hope you all are having a fabulous weekend

!

Where the eff did my motivation go? I want it back.

I have been in a sort of "funk" lately and I'm ready for it to go away.  I don't know if it's because I'm a month away from my 30th birthday, the fact that I don't currently have school to occupy my time & teach me something new, or what...but man, I'm so over it.  I was doing so, so, so good with bootcamp and I've been slacking on that as well.  Granted, I have been doing my own workout routines and jogging to get ready for this 5K but I feel a general dissatisfaction with life in general.  I'm not sure what it is.   I used to get a similar restless type feeling a few years ago, and I'd dye my hair, or get something pierced, or go crazy for a week or 2 and it'd be gone.  I'm past doing any of those things (except the hair dying thing), so I've gotta find something else to do.

I just really need to kick my own ass.  I get very frustrated that losing weight feels like it takes for.ev.er and I just want to give up.  Then I realize I've already lost 10 lbs. and I need to stick with it.  Nothing good happens if you don't work for it.

I'm willing to work for it.  Need to just get rid of the no-tivation.  Help me, ya'll!  And I promise, I'll help you.  :)

I think I'm going to throw up.

Okay, I feel sick.  Wanna know why?  Because I just signed up for my first 5K.  And it’s in 28 days.  And I am not anywhere near the shape I should be in.  I’ve been doing boot camp for almost 2 months now, so my endurance is pretty good, but damn…5K?!  It’s official, I’ve lost “it.”  Tell me if you find “it.”

Update:::::

I decided to skip boot camp tonight and go for a run.  I did pretty terrible, not gonna lie.  What the hell did I get myself into?  Ha!

This is my "da fuq did I sign up for?" face:

"W" stands for you're a loser.

Sometimes, I get an idea.  Sometimes, said idea is a really fricken stupid idea, yet I still go through with it.

I recently got the idea that I wanted to go back to school.  So I registered and paid for classes.  My boss agreed to help foot the bill of said continuing education endeavor.  Sweet, right?  Yes, very much so.  I am very lucky to have supportive people around me.

I took 2 classes during the spring semester and Aced them both.  Hell yeah, I could do this.

Then I got the wild hair up my ass that I should take a summer I class.  Yeah.  A normal 3 month class squeezed into 6 weeks.  And what subject did this brainiac decide I'd like to be tortured in?  Math.  I am not a math genius.  Hell, I can add/subtract/divide/multiply like a champ but that's about the extent of what my brain remembers.  I've been in the work force since I was 16 and that's the only math I've used.

Anyways, I registered for Intermediate Algebra.  I only had 1 option for a night time professor at the campus by our house, so I took him.  Even though I could tell by his name he was definitely russian.  Let's just say, worst professor ever.  No patience, did not explain any concepts, english was his 4th language so you can imagine how hard it was to understand him, and when someone asked a question he berated us that "this is easy!!" and what was wrong with us?  I knew after the first class that I should drop it.  But I listened to other people and stayed in.  I've been staying up until sometimes midnight or 3 a.m. trying to get all of the homework and quizzes done.  I've put in more than 100% and I just couldn't seem to get the hang of it.  So what'd I do?  Went to campus today and withdrew.  Feeling stupid, defeated, and more importantly annoyed that I was now out about $500 (tuition, books, mathXL.)

And while I do feel defeated today, and pretty sad ...I'm happy that I will have the opportunity to re-take the class and actually understand the concepts.  I won't have to try and cram all of that information into my brain in a short period of time.

So basically, I learned a lesson.  A very expensive lesson.  Always trust your instincts.  No one learns the same.  You're the one attending class, not other people.  Do what's best for you, and always, always give 100%.

Sorry for the rambling, but I needed to get that off my chest.  Hope ya'll had a fabulous weekend.

30 by 30

Okay ya'll, so I was feeling so discouraged.

I was eating well (or so I thought), and busting my butt working out and NOTHING was happening.  Sure, my clothes were getting looser but I wanted that magical number on the scale to start going down.  I decided to do something drastic.

I joined a chicks only boot camp.  And it's actually been fun!  I've been 7 times in the last 16 days and so far have lost a total of 5.1 lbs.  Yes, the .1 totally counts.  It just feels so good to start seeing the scale move again.

The crazy thing?  I am eating so much more, but I'm also sticking to a paleo diet.  I guess I should use that term loosely because I had a few beers last Saturday, and once in awhile I'll have a piece of chocolate after dinner.  But besides that, no cheating.  Coffee black.  Eggs & chia seeds & veggies for breakfast.  Boring food, but nutritious food and I'm okay with that. 

It feels weird that I just realized I am actually starting to achieve my birthday goal.  Sure I still have almost 25 lbs. to lose before my birthday, but I'm getting there.  Finally.

Hope you're all having a fabulous week.  We got major rain here tonight, so we're just relaxing on the couch since the beau has been out of town the past few days.  We've got some catching up to do.  ;)

Tons-o-weekend Fun

Had a fabulous time this weekend spending it with the beau's family.  It was his nephew's first birthday, and true to fashion, the beau's SIL threw an amazing party!  Seriously, I don't know how she does it.  She always has the most amazing food and desserts it will pretty much make you drool on yourself.  

I always love it when the LO & his cousins get together.  He just loves it so much, and has a fun time that it's all he talks about for quite awhile.

After the party fun on Saturday, we ventured out to Lake Eola on Sunday morning.  They were having a farmers market, and a free book event for the kids.  Lunch at Panera, and then we were in the car for the 2 hour drive home.  

It wasn't a very eventful weekend, but it was fun.  Good, quality family time.  That's the stuff memories are made of.

The LO wanted to dress his cousin up...I die.  Too much cuteness. 

Some of the desserts...ugh, I stayed away from it all thankyouverymuch. 

Ugh...I am so jelly of Kristen's skinny ass legs. 

This is my tall drink of water showing me how to stretch my aching calves...mmm yeah, about that. 

Look at this big ass birds nest!  That bird was definitely close to poking my eyeball out.

Hope everyone survived their Monday!