PYT

geesh, what a week! besides the metro accident on monday - we've lost 3 great people in a matter of days... first ed... then farrah... and now michael... i can't say that i was a HUGE fan of his, even though his poster adorned my bedroom wall in jr. high (until i discovered duran duran)... i feel sorry for his children, who are now fatherless and $400 million in debt, as well as his family who, like most of us, are just shocked that something like this could happen... if i had a turntable at home, i would pay tribute by playing 'thriller' and doing a little moonwalk... :)

this week has been long, and the commute to/from work even longer... i was happy to actually get onto a car this morning, without having to wait for 2-3, and have room to spare once inside... there was also another delay yesterday (cracked rail) on the same line, going in the opposite direction - i'm guessing a lot of riders said "screw-it" today and stayed home because it wasn't nearly as bas as it's been... i'm glad to be on vacation next week because by the time i have to back to work, service should be back to normal (i hope so anyway)...

so yea, i'm on vacation next week - i have about 5.5 weeks to use since my company is changing it's policy at the end of the year (we can only carry-over 4 weeks instead of 6)... i'll probably take a week in july, and then i'll use a week in september for our annual camping trip to the beach... i need to get better about taking days, i just always feel guilty for some reason... :(

monday i have a follow-up and adjustment with the chiro, and i also booked myself a 30-min massage - i bought 4 certificates at xmas and have yet to use them... sort of a "congrats on finishing your first 30-day challenge" present to myself... then on tuesday, we leave for my sister's for a few days and then it's up to pittsburgh for the 4th of july... we're taking the harley and hope to get in at least two good day-trips while up there - very exciting! the biggest fair in western PA also starts next week so i'm looking forward to going to that as well and possibly going to the drive-in, if we have time (yea, i'm a country girl at heart!)... :)

weekend will be busy: tomorrow, i have spinning at 8:30, then a hair appt, then i'm hoping to stop by my mom's so we can go blueberry picking... not sure if they're in yet but i'm hoping they are because i do love me some blueberries... sunday, we may be going to a motorcycle rally in johnstown, pa but if the weather is shady - then it will be the usual house/yard work and errands... :)

hope you guys have a great friday - TGIF...

counting my blessings

there was a train crash outside of DC yesterday, on the metro line i take to/from work most days... apparently, a subway train plowed into the back of another one - 9 people have died and over 70 people have been injured... i have no idea how this sort of thing can happen - eric and i were glued to the tv last night at the sight of one train ontop of another... it just seems impossible... roads and subways lines have been shut down and my commute this morning took almost 2 hours... the train was so crowded, we were offloaded so i decided to walk the rest of the way - just wish i had worn better shoes! anyway, my thoughts and prayers are with the families involved in this terrible accident...

here's a shot of the two trains - see what i mean?!?!



and here's an idea of what the metro looked like this morning - the word 'chaos' doesn't even come close...



on a good note - at least i had a great spin class this morning...

happy tuesday...

break over

since eric is watching his soap (true blood), thought i'd write a quick post... i'm a bit disappointed in myself - exercise took a backseat this weekend... i couldn't go to my spin class yesterday and passed on it this morning since i had a raging headache... even though i DID get a lot of walking in yesterday, cardio was non-existant today (though i still did my 3rd workout for the week)... eric and i were going to go play frisbee but the day just got away from me - errands, housework, small projects, and then dinner... i'm not going to beat myself up about it - i've done really well with this challenge so far and have every intention on going out w/a bang before it's done... :)

as for the rest of the weekend - my mom and i went to a lavendar festival in PA yesterday, it only blooms once a year so the fields were just full of purple flowers and the smell was heavenly... the weather was less than ideal for a while and we huddled under a tressel until the rain passed (note: don't wear white when there's a chance of rain!)... there were all sorts of demonstrations and booths with lavendar products - even ice cream, if you can image (i didn't particularly like mine and only had a few bites)... since it's a working farm, you could also buy plants so i bought one and now have to find the perfect place to plant it in the backyard... the drive there/back was nice since we took backroads thru the country - i told eric that we have to take the bike for sure... :)

anyway, not much else to report... thought i'd share some pics from yesterday... enjoy! :)

shh, i think margarita is calling me

i'm so glad the weekend is finally here! eric and i grabbed some dinner on the way home, at our favorite local thai joint... the green curry is amazing but i decided to try their pad thai and was not disappointed... we are now relaxing in front of the tv, not that anything good is on right now - why is that?!?!? perhaps there will be a good movie on later and then time for bed... :)

work was busy this week but i think my coworker and i handled things well considering we have a new website to learn and the boss was on vacation... yay team! i did SOME work today but not much, then took a good 40-min walk/jog outside and called it a day around 4:45... :)

weekend plans: my mom and i are going to a lavendar festival tomorrow - there will be cooking/craft demos and fields of pick-your-lavendar so it should be fun, weather depending... unfortunately, i will have skip tomorrow's spin class and go sunday instead (with the poopy instructor!)... i'm hoping to get in enough walking in tomorrow to count at my 30-min cardio but if not, i'll do something when i get home...

i hope everyone has a great, relaxing, and healthy weekend...

p.s. wedding crashers is on - finally, something to watch on tv! :)

slacker

ever have those weeks when your meals are just out-of-whack? i didn't get to plan/prep like usual on sunday so it's been an interesting week food-wise... i will have to buy lunch again today, but am hoping that cosi has their roasted tomato soup because it was very tasty when i had it earlier this week... i have nothing against buying lunch but it's pretty expensive to eat out everyday, and as for healthy options - you really have to do your homework... we have a whole garden full of lettuce (still) so i should be taking advantage of that as much as possible - nothing like a free salad everyday! :)

my workouts have been going well (today i have two) and i actually look forward to them since they are so challenging... and it's been great not having to do the same thing each time because we all know how that goes - boredom comes easily when you do the same thing day-in and day-out... yesterday's treadmill workout was 45-mins of hills (and hard ones at that!)... :)

does anyone watch 'true blood' on HBO? eric got into it last season so we're watching it again this time around - just makes me laugh since it's so 'soap-opera' like... i had read online that there was this big sex scene at the end of the show, so what happens? eric's tivo stopped recording just before the good part - hahhahaha, made me laugh! he didn't think it was very funny... ;)

happy thursday...

progress

the alarm went off at 5:30 this morning and i only hit the snooze once... by the time i got to the gym around 5:50, they said the spin class was full but to check - the guy had the sign-up sheet and only 2 spots were open - so i totally lucked-out... it was the same instructor as saturday so i knew the workout would be good, though he used the same music... WTF!... and i am happy to say that i felt MUCH better during this class and did not throw-up when i got home (i'm convinced that i had a bug last week since i've heard of other people having similiar issues)... i have to say, it feels great that i already have than under my belt for the day - just have to do my workout later this afternoon when i get home from the dentist... :-)

NSV update: i'm wearing a pair capris that were too small about a month or so ago (size 10) so i guess this whole 'workout' thing is paying-off after all... whoo hooo! :-)

happy tuesday...

half-way thru

the boss is on vacation this week so i'm pseudo 'in-charge' and will try my best to keep things running smoothly with the new website... since eric wanted to get into the office early this morning, i was here a bit early too and took advantage of the quiet morning by getting some small stuff off my desk... perhaps i shall start my own vacation countdown --> only 11 more days... :)

my weekend was busy but productive... eric suggested we throw the frisbee around after work on friday night and i told him that we should definitely do that more often... it's not like we stand around and throw it back and forth - we do a lot of running so i got in more than 30-minutes of cardio for sure... saturday morning was spin class and then we took the harley downtown to his friend's house for brunch (french toast and mimosas! yum!)...as for the rest of the day - i had to run to old navy for a gift card and picked-up some clothes for eric since they were on sale (and a pair of cargo shorts for myself since they were only $12 and too damn cute!)... then it was off to the grocery store and then home to clean and do laundry... i was determined to get everything done since sunday we were going to see my dad and i knew that i wouldn't want to do anything when we go home... oh, i also had to bake a cake and decided on making 3 so i could give one to my sister and one to my brother... i think i finished with the cakes around 9:00 so it was a long day indeed!

yesterday was my dad's 77th bday so my eric, my brother, and his girlfriend drove out to see him for the day... he was having a 'good' day and was awake for most of the time, even saying a few things here and there that we could understand (most of the time we cannot)... my sister brought pizza so we were able to hang out for a few hours and spend time together as a family - the chocolate cake with peanut butter icing was a big hit (my family's favorite)... the weather was nice too so all in all, it was a very good day... after we got home - i put on my workout clothes, went downstairs, did my 3rd belly-off workout, and then 30-mins of pilates... not a bad way to end the day, in my opinion... :)

happy monday...

sleep. good.

i feel human again, thank god... it's amazing how getting a good night's sleep can really set things back into place - there's nothing worse then feeling sick & exhausted at the same time... eric was kind enough to make me mac n'cheese for dinner (which i requested) and then tucked me in on the couch for the evening... i finally made it to bed, earplugs and all, around 9:00 and that was that, my friends... waking-up was much more pleasant this morning plus having a nice visit with max is always nice (he likes to lay on eric's chest)... on the way in, we stopped at dunkin donuts for coffee and i have to say - their lite latte was pretty damn tasty! and much cheaper than starbucks! ;)

i was unable to do my 2nd workout yesterday so that will have to be done today, along with cardio... tomorrow will be spinning and then sunday, workout 3 and pilates... sunday is my father's 77th bday so eric, my brother, his g/f, and i are going out to see him for the day - we'll meet up with my sister's family and have pizza and cake (chocolate with peanut butter icing)... :)

weekend plans: spinning, brunch with one of eric's friends, grocery shopping, and the usual house/yard work... nothing too exciting so don't be jealous...

free downloads: if you're a list person like me, you'll appreciate having something like this to jot your lists on... or if you need to see everything at once, check out this weekly chore chart or weekly calendar page... enjoy! :)

have a great weekend, everyone... and happy friday! :)

zzzzzzz

after having a hell-ish night's sleep and not feeling well (tummy issues), i still managed to drag my ass to the 6am spin class this morning... since this was my first going to the gym before work - i was utterly amazed at how many people were there... i was number 13 on the list but by the time class started, i think maybe 2 bikes were empty - crazy! i didn't like the instructor - he played the music too loud (so you couldn't hear him) and he didn't really push you very hard... perhaps i will try the tuesday class instead because i think it's the same guy that i had on saturday and he's much better... i hate being so picky but i can't help it... :(

so after getting home and showering, i still wasn't feeling very well... knowing one thing might help, i made myself (ahem, ya-know) and i did feel much better... knowing i had to get something into my system though - i made eric and i a strawberry, banana, and peach smoothie (with a scoop of whey protein)... it was very yummy... i'm still not feeling 100% but had some chicken rice soup for lunch and am drinking a ginger ale right now, hoping it will calm my stomach... i'm going to try my best and make it thru the day but may need to head out if things don't improve... :(

and thanks to all who commented on my crappy post from yesterday - i have decided to NOT step on the scale again until july 1... and i will also make a better effort of tracking of my food intake using www.myfitnesspal.com (as recommended by anne)... perhaps something new will keep me motivated even more... :)

going to crawl under my desk now and take a nap...

happy thursday...

P.S. GO PENGUINS!

i hate you scale

so i've been weighing myself daily since this challenge begins, i'm really torn on whether i should continue because it's not really helping... the scale was up a pound this morning and i know it's a number, and i know it's only been a week, and i know it's 'that time' but still... a cloud instantly covered my morning and has left me wondering: why am i stuck in the 160s, why does it get harder to lose weight, and why do i even care? i take good care of myself, i'm exercising every fricking day, and have never been a binge-eater or one that raids the fridge at 10pm... :(

these aren't really questions that i'm expecting answers too - i'm just thinking outloud/complaining because that's what this blog is for... to share my feelings and thoughts, and to show i am human and go through the same crap that other people do... this process has never been easy for me, i'm not sure why i expected things to be different this go-around... perhaps living with someone and the whole food/exercise business is more of a struggle than i'm wanting to admit... though eric has always been very supportive - when i was living on my own, i was eating pretty well during the week and exercise wasn't a problem... the reason for this challenge was to not only get back into the swing of things, but to force myself into being a priority again...

slowly but surely, i will get there...

happy hump day... :)

how did that get there?!

i knew the strawberry-picking would come back to haunt me - i not only have a huge bug bite behind my left ear, but i also have a nice patch of poison ivy on my left leg... i didn't notice it until yesterday and by the time i got home from dinner last night - the blister had turned into a huge bubble... i will leave out what happened next, but needless to say - it itches like crazy now so i'm trying my best to leave it alone! :(

yesterday was a rough one - i woke-up on the wrong side of the bed so my whole day was shot... i was grumpy and emotional - maybe PMS? i really hate this whole 'cycle' thing and miss not getting a period, but anyway (sorry!)... besides being in a bad mood, there was a lot to handle at work re: the new website so i had that to deal with that as well... then my girlfriends wanted to go to dinner after work - that's the last thing i wanted to do, but i went and enjoyed myself (just warned them ahead of time)... i also made a point of getting outside and got 50 mins of walking-in for the day! i could've easily skipped it but i didn't, so that's progress... :)

as mentioned above, i met some friends for dinner last night at P.F. Changs - i had never been there and thought it was good, though it reminded me of an asian cheesecake factory (which ironically, i had for dessert!)... it wasn't the most calorie-conscious dinner but that's nor here, nor there at this point... my 1st focus is to get in my daily-workouts and food will be a close 2nd... i'm doing well with the less sugar and have not used any in my coffee for almost a week (but am using the new sweetener truvia)... :)

happy tuesday...

one for you, two for me

i had a great weekend - made it to the gym for a spin class yesterday (8:30am) and it had been months since i had been... it was crowded and the music was a bit on the loud/obnoxious side, but it was good to be back in the swing of things... it's amazing how much better i felt, after exercising first-thing in the morning too - i just wish i could remember that feeling when i attempt the 6am class one day this week! eeks! ;)

after the gym, eric and i hit some yard sales - i only found one thing (a really nice, neiman marcus, light-weight sweater for $4) which is odd since i'm always finding more at these types of things... eric picked-up a 15" flat screen monitor for only $50 so he clearly got the gold-star for the day... as for the rest of the day - it was the usual stuff around the house (laundry, grocery shopping, etc) which eric puttered in the garage...

i had been wanting to try this recipe that i found on a angie's blog and even though i changed a few things (used lowfat ground beef instead of turkey, and part-skim ricotta intead of cottage cheese), it still came out awesome... i made two 9x9 pans so we have plenty'o leftovers for the week which is fine by me since lasagna keeps getting better the longer it sits in the fridge...

as for today, i went to pick my first batch of strawberries and even though the field was full of kids and inexperienced pickers (that was my very first job in jr. high), i still managed to fill my containers with lucious red berries in no time flat... i am already looking forward to having them on my cereal tomorrow morning as well as for lunch with some cottage cheese and banana... yummy! :)

as for today's exercise - i did the 3rd workout from the belly-off plan (short but hard) and then 30-mins of pilates... i know it doesn't count as cardio but i decided that it was still a workout, so in essense i have my changed my challenge to: 30 mins cardio AT LEAST 6 days a week, plus 1 pilates workout... eric grilled some hot dogs for dinner and i made sweet potato fries (from trader joes) and steam-fresh southwestern corn... we then hopped on the bike and took a nice ride north thru the country, stopped and had a beer at the local 'biker' bar, then came back home... i can't complain - my weekend was good... hopes yours was too... :)

below are some pics of our garden, the zucchini lasagana i made last night, and strawberries that i picked today... enjoy! :)

poohey

okay, okay - i KNOW that pilates isn't considered cardio but was hoping at least ONE person would say, "sure, that counts"... i had a great 45-min eliptical workout today, burned almost 600 calories and went 4.5 miles... tomorrow, it will be spinning at 8:30 and then on sunday, i have my 3rd workout from the belly-off program... so far, so good... :)

i found these cute websited last night, full of all sorts of cool stuff... and if you drill farther down - there are even more links, to even more cooler sites... enjoy!

• http://www.erinvaledesign.com/
• http://www.domestifluff.com/
• http://www.i-do-it-yourself.com/
  

TGIF everyone! :)

ouch

ugh, i am tired and VERY sore (got in two workouts today) but feel pretty good so far... the workouts are challenging, to say the least, but they are nothing i can't handle... it feels good to be doing something new so i feel this is just what i, and my body, needs... i had wanted to do the 6am spin class this morning but with the rain, i opted not too (even though i magically woke up at 6 anyway - grrr!)... i will try one of the spin classes this weekend for sure, probably on saturday before hitting some yard sales with the boy... :)

question: would pilates be considered cardio? i'd like to work in some different things, besides the usual treadmill/eliptical...

work has been very busy again - we launched our new website today so there was (and still is) much to format and fix... there's a whole new process to learn and it makes me miss the simpleness of using FTP - such is life, learning will do the mind some good! :)

weekend plans will be going to the gym, hitting some yard sales, picking strawberries (they're finally in season here though the rain hasn't been kind), and the usual house/yard work... it's been raining for 2 days, but they say it will be clear by saturday - can't complain about that... our garden, if anything, is totally LOVING it though... :)

happy thursday...

30-day challenge

there have been a lot of people doing some sort of new challenge/plan/workout these days - kathleen, anne, sizzle, and hilly are just to name a few... and since i've been struggling with getting back into a decent workout routine myself - i decided to start my own 30-day challenge... this is what i came up with so far:

1. 30-min cardio (min) daily
   
2. do the "belly-off" program 3x/week (more info here)
   
3. take a class at the gym 1x/week (min)
   
4. do better at tracking points (esp. sat/sun)
5. cut-back on sugar
6. lose 5 pounds
7. not feel guilty about putting myself first!
   

the list seems a bit daunting (the hardest ones will be the top 3) but i CAN do it for 30-days and i NEED to do it... i miss having structure and something to work towards, so hopefully this will get my lazy-ass up and moving again... though i won't post right now - i'll also take my measurements and see what progress, if any, is made after 30-days... i'm kind of excited! ;)

anyone else out there doing a challenge or thinking about starting one? if so, please share... :)

happy tuesday...

update: holy shit-skies! that first workout was H-A-R-D! i haven't sweated like that, during a weight-workout, in ages - so i have a good feeling about this... :)