progress

we had a follow-up appointment with the lactation specialist today and it appears that the marathon feedings have paid off... deck gained 10 ounces since last week and is now above his birth weight! needless to say - we were all very happy! yay! after doing some celebrating - she observed me nursing and gave some pointers on how to hold him, how to make sure he's eating/swallowing, and how to keep him awake (he's still a very sleepy baby)... i was doing all of these things, but not in the most optimal way so i think they will help immensely... she also said we can stretch feedings to 3-hours and cut-back on the supplemental feedings (unless i feel he didn't nurse well or is not subdued by just his pacifier)... unfortunately - i still have to pump after each feeding and though i was under the impression that i should be producing a lot of milk by now, that is not the goal... it's more for stimulation and to keep my body in the mode of producing enough for him... we have another appt. on friday and if deck gains a bit more weight, we can stop the supplemental feeding and pumping... fingers crossed! :)

the rest of the day was spent getting our new routine down and then deck and i went for a 30-minute walk... it's supposed to be in the low 60s for the rest of the week so i want to take advantage of it as much as possible...

i have heard that a lot of moms like to use baby slings, so i did some research and ordered one from www.hugamonkey.com... the reviews were pretty good (as well as the price) so we'll see how it goes... a friend of mine said they were great for using around the house esp. when your baby likes to be held all the time - this may come in handy when i need to clean... :)

i haven't mentioned weightloss since having the baby - shocker! i was pretty bloated for about a week after delivering, and considering i completely forgot to weigh myself before we left for the hospital - i have no idea where i was... i do know i was around 206 the week before so it may be safe to say i was close to 210... i won't be able to exercise until my 6-week check-up, but here are my stats as of today:

pre-pregnancy: 170.8
pre-delivery: 210
11/9/10: 188.4
pounds lost: 21.6

well, it's almost time for another feeding... :)

happy tuesday...

ready for the weekend

it's friday and i'm staring at a 3-day weekend - what could be better? oh yea, maybe having our bathroom finished would be nice (hopefully that will be today)... it's been a long and agrivating week - first it's one thing, then it's something else... last night, the guy was installing the tub/shower door wrong so eric got pretty upset... then as they were doing it - i thought to myself, "wow, that looks shorter than our other one"... and it is by 3 inches... but we'll live with it for now, though i'm not sure how long is long since it will bother me... also, our old mirror is a tad too large to fit over the sink and next to the cabinet, so that's my next purchase though finding something other than a standard size is going to be challenging... i may just need to go to a hardware store, have them cut a mirror, and then buy a frame-kit (totally doable)... besides painting the rest of the trim, hanging the towel racks, and sealing the grout - i think that's it (for him anyway)... i will need to find a new window valance and possibly a new rug since the one we were using is on the small-side... just another excuse for me to go to homegoods and tjmaxx tonight... yay! =)

weight-update: i'm back down to 185.8 (down a pound from last week)... lets just hope i can keep things steady until my next OB appointment which is on wednesday... this whole "2-pounds a month" thing is really haunting me...

total pregnancy gain so far: 15 pounds

how many weeks along: 24

the weather in DC has been incredible this week - low 60s at night and low 80s during the day... i may just need to go for a walk outside again today... and spin class will be tomorrow morning at 8:00... =)

weekend plans: pick-out our granite, have our existing counters measured, find tile for the kitchen, decide on a paint color, find a bathroom mirror, paint some spots on the DR wall that eric fixed, clean, laundry, grocery shop, and hopefully - go for a ride on the harley... eric just about has it put back together and it's looking pretty spiffy... the tins are all painted and the chrome has been polished - can't wait... =)

hope you guys have a wonderful and safe 4th of july...

6 really means 9

man am i sleepy... the contractor was supposed to be at our house at 6:00am, but i told eric that will never happen... and it didn't... so we're leaving early and meeting him after work instead... thanks, buddy... they made HUGE progress on the bathroom yesterday - like the whole thing is gutted and ready to go (i will post photos later)... eric and i have to run to lowes to pick-up some stuff that i ordered (new vanity light and shower fixture) as well as look at their tile, sinks, paint, and toilets... who knew it would be this much work, but honestly - i love it... though i had originally wanted brushed nickel fixtures - i have swapped to chrome because the cross-bar porcelain handles for the shower are very hard to find in a dull finish... such is life...

last night my friend, daisy, and i went to the melting pot for dinner... that place just rocks and that's all i have to say... we had the usual 4-courses: cheese, salad, entree, and dessert - they even stuck a candle in the cheesecake since i had told them it was her birthday... and to top the evening off, i got a coupon for a free chocolate fondue! excellent! =)

no time for the gym today (leaving early), but am going to spin class tomorrow... =)

oh, and on the weight front - i'm down a pound this week (no, i'm not trying to lose weight)... so my total pregnancy gain so far is --> 14 pounds... =)

as for the weekend - my laundry list is long, but it's manageable and hopefully we can work around the whole bathroom thing... i'd like to go pick some sour cherries and blueberries with my mom and we HAVE to get our honeymoon photos posted online... it's been almost a month and no progess has been made... and no progress on my wedding album either, but that's another story... ;)

hope you have a great weekend! =)

small world

as far as my diet goes, i'm not eating bad things (really)... and yes, we really indulged on vacation - bread, cheese, pate, dessert, soda - so i know some of that 10 pounds is from that... generally, i eat very well during the day - cottage cheese & fruit, salads, apple, etc. - but have been slacking on the exercise... that is being remedied and i'm going to start weighing myself once a week again (which i haven't been) so that will help keep me on track... our garden has been doing well with lettuce and soon the tomatoes and peppers will be coming-in too, and hopefully beans and peas... i'm not a huge sweets person (thank god) so there haven't been containers of ice cream or stashes of chocolate around the house... no strange/bad cravings yet, but maybe that will change - who knows... i appreciate the concern though! =)

this morning i had my monthly blood test and it came out fine... as i was sitting in the room, waiting for the results, in walks my old doctor whom i haven't seen in years... she mysteriously left my primary care's office a few years back and i never knew what happened - she said things were just getting weird/bad there and she decided to find something else... i really do miss her - she was the type that would sit and talk to you, for as long as you needed, and that was nice... my current doctor is good, but it's a man and it's just - well, different... anyway, i hope to see her next month when i go back...

i haven't really started on the nursery yet, but know that has to start sometime this summer... currently, eric uses it for his office and dressing area since there's no room in our bedroom for any more furniture (and the closets are tiny)... he still may have to share the room, but that's okay - it's not like i'm going to be hanging up baby clothes... i have been researching cribs/dressers and while i was on target.com - i found this utterly adorable bed set... it also has curtains, decals, a mobile, and wall art so it may be just what i'm looking for - cute, right? i can stick to a neutral wall and then use the other colors as accents - very exciting! i may order the bedding to see if it looks as good in person as it does online - i may hate it, who knows... =)

went to the gym last night after work (yay me) and did 45-minutes on the treadmill... i even did hills and felt pretty good... today is weights and speaking of, i need to find a new routine before i head down there...

happy tuesday...

OMG

I GAINED 10 POUNDS THIS MONTH! HOLY SH*T! even though i didn't weigh myself before we left, please tell me some of that was from our honeymoon... ugh, i'm not handling this whole "gain weight while pregnant" thing... and yes, i know it's temporary but when you've been struggling to lose weight, for what seems like your whole adult life, this is just plain hard... it's hard seeing my body get bigger, instead of smaller... it's hard putting on clothes that fit 2 weeks ago and now suddenly, they don't... it's hard to not eat because i feel like i'm starving the baby... please tell me this is normal and that i'm not crazy and that all pregnant women go through this? =(

besides gaining a lot of weight (gulp), the sonogram went well and the doctor said everything looked great and that i'm measuring perfectly... he said that i should start to feel movement too, but more of a "flutter/flicker" type thing and mostly at night or in the morning when i'm bed... i AM very thankful that things have been going so well, and hope i don't sound ungrateful or anything because i'm not... =)

our weekend was good, but very busy... we hit some yard sales on saturday then went to a friend of mine's post-wedding party downtown... this was the first time that most of my friends had seen me since we told them the "news" so it was fun catching-up and getting advice from the experienced moms... eric spent the rest of the day working on the bike (all the tins were repainted) and i spent a few hours packing up clothes, doing laundry, cleaning, and going to the store... yesterday, we put in my mom's a/c and then had dinner w/eric's brother - finally got to meet their new dogs, sparky and buster... all in all, it was a great weekend... =)

this week is busy for me - lots of doctor appointments and i'm sure work will pick-up again... i MUST keep to my workout schedule and go every day this week - there's no excuse and i can't keep putting it off... i came in late today and would normally skip going after work, but there's no reason why i should... it's good for me, it's good for the baby, and that's all that i should be focusing on from here on out... i just can't understand why it's so hard (minus the fact i've gained so much weight)... maybe that's it...

well, enough of my rambling... hope your monday is going well...

week is flying by

eric and i are still recuperating from the trip so we've been going to bed pretty early every night... i make a list of 'things to do', but by the time we get home, have dinner, and make lunche for the next day - i'm pooped... i had plenty'o energy on vacation so i can't blame the baby, so hopefully the jet-lag will end soon... needless to say - there has been no progress made on the photos... sorry! =(

exercise news: i HAVE been to the gym this week and am proud to say that i went both yesterday (30-min treadmill) and today (30-min elliptical)... since i'm basically carting around 20 extra pounds (gain + baby), i can really feel it so i'm taking it easy until i get more energy... i will need to get back into weights soon as well since i'm feeling like a big blob and don't like how my arms/legs have been looking... and since my eating has been less than desirable, i've reinstalled 'lose it' on my iphone and will start tracking again (i have it set to 'maintain weight')... god knows how much i gained on vacation and i'm scared to step on the scale... =(

house news: the house was painted while we were gone and it looks great - i will post before/after shots soon... the guy needs to come back and finish the front door and we're also going to talk to him about redoing the upstairs bathroom... i have some money coming from my dad (not much) so i plan on using that for some house-related things and baby furniture... i've been looking at glass tile online and have come to realize that it would be way too expensive to do the whole tub/shower, but maybe as just one row would be nice... i'm digging this color combo right now but will have to see it in person (i ordered a sample today)... i've also been looking at faucets, sinks, lights, and cabinets, and getting a rough estimate on each... just call me mrs. bob villa...  =)

work news: things have been quiet this week, both of my coworkers are on vacation so it's just me and the boss... there was an announcement while i was gone, from the president, that we are going 'business casual' mon - fri for the rest of the summer... while we still can't wear jeans, it's better than nothing and i couldn't be happier... =)

hope you're having a good week...

happy thursday...

lose it

So much for posting more in 2010 - I can't seem to find the time for anything these days... Between work (my usual excuse), therapy, doctor's appointments, and going to Pittsburgh for the hubby's family's Christmas - I can't seem to get caught-up! Even though I have a ton of work to do, I am taking the time to post since who knows when I'll be back...

Things have been less than ideal lately - I've been pretty down about my whole foot situation... I have hopes that therapy will work and he started me on a new procedure Friday where I receive medication (cortisone-like) via an electrode... It doesn't hurt and I will only get about 8 treatments total - then we'll see where I'm at...

I met w/my endocrinologist this morning, to go over my bloodwork, and thankfully - only 1 clotting factor was present (Factor V Leiden Gene Mutuation)... If I had more than 1 factor, chances of me getting another DVT or something else would be much higher - so good news! I just need to give him a call when I get pregnant, and then the fun begins (daily-shots)... :)

Eric hooked-up our Wii on Monday - we only have the basic and fit games, but so far they're pretty cool... According to the computer - we're overweight and have an activity age of 47! Awesome! Last night, we tried boxing and played 9-holes of golf... :)

And speaking of weight - I finally stepped on the scale Monday and it was NOT a pretty sight! I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm up to 172.6... According to eTools - I was 169 last January, 162 in April, and then back-up to 165 in October... I can't tell you when I stopped keeping track, but it's obvious I shouldn't have... :(

So after reading everyone's NY's resolutions, I stumbled across Kathleen's post about "Lose It" which is this great app for the iPhone... It's similar to WW where you keep track of what you're eating, but by calories and not points... I've really enjoyed using it and haven't had any issues so far - if a food doesn't show-up in the database, I just add it manually... In case you're curious, I took some screen shots of what the pages look like - pretty cool... :)

happy thursday... 

who IS that?!

i just got back to the gym - first time since before the holidays and it felt great (minus my aching foot)... i know this may be hard to believe, but i saw myself in the mirror before showering and was shocked to see how i've let myself go... yes, i "look" in the mirror on a daily basis but honestly - i've been ignoring what i saw and how i was feeling... how sad is that?!?!

i could blame the weight gain on a lot of things: planning a wedding, thanksgiving, getting sick, vacation, christmas, lack of motivation, boredom, but none of those are the real reason... I AM THE REASON for gaining weight (again) and I AM THE ONLY ONE who can fix it... end of story...

i've also been in a semi-funk since the wedding - could it be that i'm sad that all the planning is over and now i have nothing to do? hahaha, that sounds horrible but you know what i mean... i loved looking online for deals, reading wedding blogs, shopping, and planning - it was a challenge and i was good at it (so much so that i thought about starting my own design business)... we all know that funks can put a damper on things but again, i can't blame it exclusively because that would be lame...

/sigh/

so where to start, that is the question... we have a fridge full of leftovers and a counter full of cookies, cake, peanut brittle, caramel corn, and chocolate... besides the ham (which will be made into soup), all of it will be going bye-bye and yes, i hate throwing stuff out but if it's there - i'm going to continue to eat it...

exercise will become a priority again and i'm anxious to start using the Wii... perhaps i will look into taking some sort of class again...

and lastly, i will need to start tracking food again and since i never canceled my WW etools - i'll probably go back (and there's an iPhone app as well)... i haven't done the plan 100% since moving-in with eric and will need to stick to my guns if i want to succeed... yes, it was easier when it was just me and i could control what i ate, but that doesn't mean i can't do it now... i just have to WANT too...

/sigh/

here's to planning and to a healthier and happier 2010...

happy hump day!

maybe i'll call-in sick

ugh, i have to go back to work tomorrow and i'm not looking forward to it... wish i had taken this week off as well, but since my boss is out and other coworkers - there wasn't much choice... let's just hope it's quiet and not too busy... at least it won't be a long day - i have a foot doctor appt. in the morning so i'll be going in late... yay! :-)

we had a nice, quiet christmas here at home - unfortunately, both of my big presents are still "in-route" so i only had a few things to open... one of which was this redskins ski-cap (too bad they lost horrendously last night to the cowboys)... i also got a book and some chocolate, no complaints! on saturday, we had 11 family members here for dinner - it was crowded but food and drink were flowing and everyone had a good time... the fridge is FULL of leftovers so we'll be eating well for days! just wish there wasn't so many sweets still around - i seem to go to those first! :-(

i had my endocrinologist appt. today - he did a quick exam and then decided to do a full blood workup so he can see exactly what type of blood-clotting dissorder i have (there are many strains, including a few new ones)... i go back in two weeks and he'll go through everything in detail... my ob/gyn recommended i go see this doctor since there could be many health risks once i become pregnant... i will have to give myself daily shots of a "thinner" so clots don't form and the embryo stays attached to the uterus - scary stuff...

speaking of scary - the nurse made me step on the scale and it was a number i haven't seen in years! seriously! this "who cares" attitude has to stop so i'll be back at the gym tomorrow and restarting WW once i get reorganized and resettled after the holidays...

hope you all had a wonderful holiday! :)

happy monday....

grow baby, grow

i have to be honest with you guys, esp. since kathleen over at pink bunny foo foo mentioned me in her post today... i haven't been following WW or any other plan, as of late - perhaps i would've lost more on my 30-day challenge if i HAD... and i know this will sound lame, but a part of me was like "i can only do so much at a time", so i chose exercise over food... granted - i didn't go hog-wild the whole time, but i didn't track anything either and i know it makes a difference (how long have i been at this again?)... once i get my next challenge firmed up - i'll sit down and figure out what my next step will be - count calories, go back to WW, who knows...

i also wanted to comment on something kathleen said...

"i honestly believe that the best thing for me is non processed foods and moderation. i just simply can't follow a specific program. i don't want to be on a program for maintenance, i just want to continue to read blogs, magazine and books that teach me about nutrition and what healthy eating means and looks like - i am a visual person."

seriously - this could be me... it's not that i hate following a plan - it works when you follow it perfectly and we all know what happens after a few weeks/months/years... you get bored, or tired, or maybe you've lost the weight and now you're ready for something else... a plan, to me, is a guideline/tool - it shows you what to do, how much to eat, how much to exercise, how much to drink, what you should avoid or cut-back on, how much to exercise, etc.... it's not rocket science, but for some people - they need structure/order... i have to wonder though - maybe i'm not that type... after all the years that i've been struggling to lose weight, i can definitely see a trend/cycle - i do really well and then i stop... i know we all have cycles but have you ever stopped and asked yourself, "why?"...

ugh, sorry to get heavy there - just thinking outloud again...

now onto some fun stuff! hilly posted some funky hairdos on her blog today, so of course i had to try this nifty tool myself... i'm not sure why i chose the styles that i did, but everytime i have a dream and can see myself - my hair is much longer... weird... don't get any ideas, eric - i like my hair short (though the first one is quite nice!)... ;)





happy thursday...

wish i could change my outlook as easy as this blog

it was time for a change on the old blog, i still have some things to tweek but for the most part - i think it will suffice for the summer... i've been working on HTML formatting for most of the week at work, so doing something creative like this is always a nice break... it's been a short but very busy week, i'm just glad it's friday! TGIF! :)

i went for a jog yesterday and couldn't do my usual course - i felt heavy and slow for some reason and ended up walking 2/3 of the way... do you ever feel like you're just going thru the motions and not really "into" what you're doing? that's been me lately - i keep saying i'm going to go to the other gym and take some classes, but i haven't... i keep saying that i'm going to track on the weekends, but i haven't... i saw 161 on the scale last week and for whatever reason - 166 is my new best friend... i KNOW i haven't gained that much real weight in a week, but still - it's a bit depressing nonetheless... :(

KNOWing is easy... DOing is hard...

instead of giving myself 1 month to get settled, that has now turned into 2 months... i just can't seem to get focused, or stay on track, or make any progress and that bothers me... why are things different this time? why is my attitude so blah? i mean, i know what i have to do (how to eat, how much to exercise, how to be patient w/losing, etc.) but it's just not clicking... am i bored of WW? is it time to try something else? do i need to set a real goal? i have my 20-year reunion in september and would love to walk-in looking fabulous (not that i wouldn't anyway, but you know what i mean)... getting to 150 would be ideal, but i'm not going to starve myself or do anything drastic in order to make that goal...

so once again, i'm in the pondering-what-do-do-with-myself stage... any advice, comments, or places of inspiration would be much appreciated... :)

weekend plans: not much - maybe some yard work and some exercise... what about you?

happy friday...

not on purpose

i've been avoiding this blog, not because i haven't had the time to post (okay, maybe a little), but because i've made NO progress with getting back on track or losing weight... i gave myself the month of april to get settled and to get thru some big projects at work - now it's may and my motivation is gone... perhaps it's hiding in one of the boxes i haven't unpacked yet, but either way - i need to find it soon... it's funny/weird/sad/frustrating to look back and know that i was 10 pounds lighter last year - i can see it my face when i look at pictures... and i can see it when i'm trying to find something to wear or when i'm staring myself in the mirror at the gym... mind you, i had no qualms about buying size 12s on sunday, but i'm just pissed that i HAD too (if that makes any sense)... :(

these are the small things that i've managed to do lately:

• i've continued to weigh myself every wednesday and log that into my WW etools
  
• i started tracking yesterday (again) and really have to work at doing it every day, especially on the weekends... i've given myself so many 'free passes' that it's hard to do something else and actually 'think' about what i'm eating again
• i've started to jog again and though it's slow, i know it will improve over time
• i've started to weight-train again
  
• i've printed out the class schedules for the gym near my house, just haven't gone yet
  
• and i've been eating more salads and fruit

so the list is short but it's better than nothing... i know the more i exercise and get back into a routine, things will get better - i'm just having a hard time right now... i hate myself for giving up so many times and i know i'm human, but seriously - what is it going to take to lose weight and lose it for good? is it because i'm older? is it because my job now requires more effort/time? should i try another plan? ugh! i just wish there was a simple answer to all this, but then life would be too damn easy right? :(

sorry for the serious post, just wanted to let you know how i was doing...

happy thursday...

500th post

sorry, sorry, sorry! i can't believe it's been 9 days since i last posted! then again, now that i'm living in a house - there always seems to be something to do and free-time is just hard to find these days... work has been extremely busy as of late - my big project is done and printed, now it's onto the web-version which i need to get cracking on... eric and i have been working in the yard, since the weather's been so nice, and we also started to work on the pantry last night... it's more like a small room with shelves really - so there was much to clear-out and scatter across two rooms for the time being... hopefully, the painting will be done tonight and i can start moving stuff back in tomorrow... :)

we went to pittsburgh last weekend (will post pics later from our bike trip) and i decided to tackle the bedroom closet on sunday night... eric couldn't believe that i was starting such a job, after driving for 4 hours, but all i did was sit so i was full of energy... the painting was finished on monday and my winter/summer clothes were swapped on tuesday night... THAT didn't go as well as i'd like since half of my clothes are too tight, plus i gave a lot of clothes away at the end of last summer and my selection is more sparse than i'd like... what does this mean (besides getting back to the gym regularly)? i'll be visiting some thrift/consignment stores to tie me over until i lose a few pounds... :(

as for my weight - i've gained some back but not the whole amount, thank god, and i feel like crap... i'm jiggly, mushy, and just plain gross... none of my clothes look nice and it was just a matter of time til things caught-up with me... after i broke my toe when i was moving (i really think i did), i didn't exercise for 2 weeks... then i was working early/late on this project and before you know it - i hadn't done anything in weeks! i know i'm still getting settled and used to a different schedule but seriously - what happened to putting ME first?! the gym is like 5 minutes away from the house now so i have NO excuse not to go on the weekends, or go for a walk outside... i just have to stop trying to do everything, right now, and concentrate on getting my routine down again... speaking of, i'm going to print off their class schedule right now! :)

for you LOST fans - what did you think of last night's episode? holy moly! ;)

i will try and catch-up with your blogs as soon as i can, but that may not be until next week... besides finishing up the pantry - we have mulching to do, and we're having some friends over for dinner on saturday so there's a lot to prep just for that (cooking, cleaning, etc.)... i'm looking forward to it though since this will be our first party as a 'living-in-sin' couple... ;)

happy thursday...

connected again

FINALLY! my cable is working again and the guy was so nice that he gave me his name and cell phone number if i had problems in the future... he said that some technicians just don't care and if the problem seems difficult, they'll just leave and have someone else deal with it... can you believe that?! seriously, if i knew i'd be in that apartment for another year - then i'd switch to something else... but i'm HOPING that things will progress with eric and i soon (ahem!) and i'll be moving into his place and never have to worry about comcast again... :)

so now that my cable has been fixed, i feel like my life can return to normal... something about being unconnected just makes me feel so unsettled and i know that's a horrible thing to say - but without phone or internet, i just feel isolated... i WAS able to get a few channels though with some rabbit ears so i watched the season finale of the biggest loser... i had watched a few shows over the season but wasn't consistent with it but have to say, they all looked amazing... i AM glad, however, that two women won! :)

as for everything else - i've just been working and doing my usual thing which unfortunately, has not included exercise... i will be honest and say that i'm terrified of stepping on the scale - it's sort of like "don't look and you won't know how bad the damage is"... i mean, i know i haven't gained 20 pounds but i'm not where i was this summer and never thought i'd like things slide this much... i was doing well with monthly weigh-ins for a while but then stopped, and THAT is where i let things go... if i knew that i'd had time to post today - i would've brought my oprah review because one of the main things she said, in the article, was how she didn't keep her health & well being a priority (even with all that money and all that help around her)... how many of you can say you've been there, done that? i know i have and i'm ashamed to say - that is what happened to me...

regardless of when/where/how/why - i DO know that i have to pull-up my boot straps and get back on the saddle... i will most likely do WW again but need to call and find out if i can go to one meeting (to get more specifics on the new plan) before signing-up online... since being promoted - i've had more to do and more responsibilities but that's also led to skipped workouts because i feel i have to stay and do work... work is important but it's not my life and i really need to work on that more in 2009... :)

so that's what's been going on with me... i'm sorry that i haven't been reading your blogs (see above) so i'll try and catch-up as best i can... :)

happy hump day...

are you kidding

ugh, i am so pissed right now! i have to go to a meeting at 5:00! who has meetings after 5:00 besides the damn president (whom the meeting is with but still)... now i'm going to miss my pilates class and i was SO looking forward to it... seems i really overdid things on sunday when i was over at eric's - i weeded all the flowerbeds in the backyard AND mowed the grass... i'm not sure how long i was out there but probably a few hours and man are my legs, arms, and neck sore (so much i didn't go to the gym yesterday or today)... i need to learn to take things easy but it felt so good to be outside and getting some exercise... i hope i feel better by tomorrow, that's all i have to say... and i hope the president likes my annual report designs or i'll really be pissed... :-P

sorry, just had to rant there for a second... deep breath... okay, moving on... my weekend was good - i was able to do a lot of R&R which was nice and very much needed... friday night, eric and i got hooked on this documentary staring ewan mcgregor and a friend of his called 'long way around'... they rode their motorcycles from london, thru eastern europe/asia, over to alaska, thru the U.S., and then ended the trip in NYC... it was an amazing story and really fun to watch so if you're into riding, i think you'd enjoy it... :o)

on saturday morning, eric and i went for a long walk - he doesn't go with me very often so i was very happy when he said, "i'll come with you"... it was a cool and sort of drizzling so it was the perfect weather for exercising... after that, i had breakfast, did some laundry, and then relaxed until the mid-afternoon when we went to see his nephew play in a soccer tournament... the weather turned ugly and we got rained on (and the bike) but all was well when it was time to go home... for dinner - we tried out a salvadorian/tex-mex restaurant and it was really good (no fried ice cream though)... entertainment was 'lifeforce' (sucked) and 'hellboy' (pretty good)... :o)

on sunday, as mentioned above - i was miss backyard gardener for most of the day... we watched some of the nascar race and then some of the skins/colts game later but other than that - it was another chill day for me... i froze about 4 quarts of tomatoes and they're still coming-in, so i think i'll have plenty for making sauce and salsa... we had burgers on the grill for dinner and a nice salad - dessert was light coffee ice cream... yummy! :o)

since i won't be going to class tonight, that gives me more time to work on stuffed tomatoes for dinner... i've already had cherry tomatoes and mozzarella for lunch so i'll probably turn into one very soon... i haven't been on the scale in weeks but since tomorrow will be one month since officially 'not-dieting' - i'm going to see where i am... i know i've gained a pound or two but nothing major - my clothes are still fitting so i think i'm doing okay... july was very busy for me and i was away every weekend, so being home more will definitely help in the food-department... now if i could just get my workout schedule back to normal, i'd feel much better... stay tuned... :o)

happy tuesday...