It's Been A Good Day

It's been a pretty good day.  Busy but good.  Yes, I was tired but I had my own workload and I set a goal to finish it as quickly and perfectly as possible.  Nothing like a lofty goal to get the blood pumping.  Of course I didn't finish it all but the point is I tried.  Even as tired as I was, I managed a 30 minute walk after lunch.  It was too beautiful a day to stay inside when I didn't absolutely have to.  That small solitary walk gave me energy to finish up the rest of the day.  I even took the slower way home and was happy to find that it got me home 10 minutes earlier than the 'fast' route.  I think I'm going to try it again tomorrow.

I don't have a lot to share tonight because I've made some recent decisions that require posts of their own.  Well....that and I really am tired and imagine I will be asleep before 9pm.  I will say that these decisions require I learn focus, dedication and discipline.  I'm a little bit scared of the three of those standing next to each other.  But never mind that right now.  

And for the record, I stuck with better for me food all day long. I totally ignored the cup of Twix (es) some 'do-gooder' left on my desk.  If I find out who did it, I will waste no time finding out what their food weakness is.  Revenge by way of food is sweet! Y'all have a goodnight.

Wednesday's Meals

I had a Blue Blast smoothie for breakfast.
The lunch was side salad w/a little balsamic and EVOO with a side of baked Tilapia.
Dessert was cottage cheese with a teaspoon of orange marmalade and blackberries.  My snack was a tangerine.  The husband made use of the leftovers for dinner. Yummy!

That's about all I have to say about my day.

Quote of the Day: Discipline and dedication. Two values fast going out of fashion in a world fixated on pleasure, leisure and the quick fix.

Taste of Tuesday

I rose this morning desperate to hang on to that Monday Motivation.  We were up at 5 a.m. and out in the cold to complete a 3 mile walk in the dark.  Sure, we could have gone to the gym but I convinced the husband that I needed something a little different than the gym.  I knew going in there would only make me revert back to my 'doing it out of guilt' workouts.  In other words, stick with the same thing and not really push hard enough to make a difference.  This is not to say I do that all the time.  No, I just was not feeling it this morning. 

So we threw on sweats, skull caps (scarf for me as there is not a beanie big enough for my fro) and fleece.  You know the good thing about working out in the cold is it makes you move faster.  It was a chilly 41 degrees and we made quick time of our walk.  We kept to the sidewalks and circled the businesses as they were well lit.  I had a little trouble keeping up with the speeding man beside me but I didn't complain.  This was my idea after all.  We finished in about 40 minutes and that included our slower warm up and stretch.  By the way, I don't like to stretch.  I do it because it's wise but I still don't like it.  I don't like to shower either but of course that's necessary too.  Anyway, it was a good workout and I was wide awake and ready for the day afterwards.

Because I didn't have that much of an appetite (don't know what was going on there ) I decided to just whip up a good ole green smoothie.  I didn't have any fresh spinach so I chipped a chunk from the frozen block to use.  I always have frozen bananas so I was good to go.  While I was at it, I pulled together some leftovers and fridge staples for my lunch.  I think it was pretty decent.  Besides, by lunch I was so hungry anything sounded good.  I always say if you want simply bland healthy food to taste great, be hungry when it's time to eat it.  Don't believe me?  Try it.

I would like to say my work day was full of motivation but I'd only be lying.  It was hard to go back after 5 days and the traffic didn't help.  By the time I got there, I was back at 'not feeling it'.  I tried singing and talking to myself to get a pumped up feeling but nothing was working.  When I finally hit the parking lot, all of my usual spots were taken so I had to park farther away.  One good thing that came from it was the fact that I was parked next to the Trooper gathering. I had never seen them all gathering outside before.  Their hands were joined and heads were bowed.  I stopped my pitying long enough to say a small prayer of my own.  I don't know what it was about seeing it, but it gave me a little push to get moving. 

The day went well.  When my husband asked me how my day went, I told him I started out with five fingers of energy.  By the time lunch hit, I was at three.  I coast on the three fingers till about three o'clock.  From there I quickly dropped two fingers and held on till five o'clock by that one finger.  I was tired and worn by the time I hit my sofa at 6pm.  It was at that point my sister called and I let her know that I was not pregnant as we were thinking.  The River was late but it arrived in true energy sapping Diva style. 

Luckily the husband read between the lines in my text and had a good dinner and a smile waiting for me when I got home.  My puppies had plenty of love to give as well.  They all know when I need some TLC and I'm thankful to have them to give me just what I need.

It's not even 9:30 but I'm on the slippery slope to sleep.  It's been a good day but I think I'm going to surrender to seven hours of the sublime sleep.

Goodnight.

Today's Meals






Quote of the Day: “Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was never tired...You’ve always got to make the mind take over and keep going.” ~George S. Patton, U.S. Army General and 1912 Olympian

Get Motivated!

The husband and I attended the Get Motivated Business Seminar today. In a word, it was awesome!  I think the experience was just meant to be because everything fell into place so perfectly.

To prove my point, let me tell you how it all went from the planning to the event.  Last night (at the last minute) I finally decided to map out our trip.  This had to be done considering the traffic.  The instructions said to get there early because there was limited parking.  Well, seems there were only 2 parking lots on the provided map for the convention center.  I checked and realized I would be paying $9 for a full days worth of parking. That's IF I even got a parking spot.  I started looking around for other parking options (online) and nothing really satisfied me.  I was getting discouraged and more than a little aggrevated.

The husband was sitting near me watching TV and noticed my chagrined face.  He asked me what was wrong and I told him about it.  It was then that he reminded me that I had asked him about the park and ride option.  This turned into a great reminder because that's exactly what we ended up doing.  We were up at 5:30 and at the bus terminal by 6:45; just in time to catch the 7am bus.  It was freezing (really...the temps were at freezing) but luckily we didn't have to wait long.  The ride was about 45 minutes.  I would be lying if I didn't say I was getting antsy and annoyed at the many stops.  And don't get me started on the little girl that had a full 25 minute cell phone conversation where the entire bus could hear.  Don't kids text now?



See the too-close chairs.

 Anyway, we hit our stop at exactly 8am (the time the seminar was to start) and I was hoping there were other late comers too.  I was not disappointed as we got caught up in the rush of black pea and trench coat pedestrians trying to make their way to the same destination.  I heard snatches of conversation about how bad traffic was and how horrible it was to find parking.  At that point, I was so very grateful to have taken the metro.  We got there and found good seats.  Again we heard more grunts and groans about the parking situation. 

Colin Powell

To shorten this adventurous story (I can get long winded, I know) I will just get to the point.  We began with Howard Putnam (CEO of Southwest Airlines).  He was very good and motivational and made very good points on how to run a successful business.  Following him was Krish 'I'm Not PC' Dhanam.  He was hilarious and managed to made some ridiculously good points.  I really did enjoy him.  Then we got to see Colin Powell.  Of course he was THE man.  I was so excited. My husband was just as excited and soon left my side to get closer to the stage for pics. 

Mr...uhm..Investment?

Following him came this other guy who had many tables, graphs, pie charts....you name it, he had it.  I don't really recall his name.  He was pretty good if you were into learning about your investments and how to make them count.  I would have totally enjoyed him had his presentation not lasted 45 minutes.  Wayyyy to long for pre-lunch information.  Everyone was starving and squirming and wondering around it seemed.  By the way, lunch was not at noon.  Luckily I had packed sandwiches, nuts, fruit and water.  The food provided in the back was crazy expensive.  No way I was going to spend $2.50 for a 10 oz bottle of water. 

Just before lunch we got a presentation by General Stanley McChrystal.  Equally as motivating as the others. Then there was Tamara Lowe.  She did the rap that's gone viral on YouTube.  Very interesting and spiritual.  Finally lunch was out. We went in search of other food but there weren't many places that didn't have 50-60 people standing outside waiting to get in.  We found 2nd Street Market to get more water as it was cheaper.  Even the line there was ridiculous.   We made it back and got better seats and had our lunch there (as did many others).  On the return we got to see Mary Lou Retton.  She was so cute and I felt like I was 12 years old all over again after watching her clip her famous gold medal win.  Another very spiritual presentation. 



Bill Cosby



Amazingly, she was followed by the wonderful Bill Cosby.  I expected them to save him for last but there he was.  He did an amazing job and kept bringing up things Mary Lou said. I found that to be most awesome.  He was hilarious of course.  Again, the husband ditched me in search of a better pic.  

The ball.

After Mr. Cosby, came a real estate dude.  Unfortunately, I can't recall his name because it was about that time a headache decided to invade my joy.  His presentation started out funny but once he go into the 'numbers of real estate' bit, everything got foggy and I was a little light-headed.  We made it through the entire thing but left just after he finished.  We didn't get to see Mary Buffett or Rudy Giuliani but I think I'll live.  However, we did score two beach balls from a pump up segment. The ride home was welcomed as all I had to do was close my eyes and let my Excedrin to it's thing.

 We had a 15 minute wait for our bus so we strolled along to see some sights.  Austin definitely has some interesting sights.  I got just a few on my camera phone. Not the best I know...

It was such an amazing experience made even better by the fact that I got to share it with my husband thanks to the extra ticket from my job.  I told him that the seminar defined him as a leader.  He shushed me and looked embarrassed.  But he is that...a leader.  I'm blessed, happy and newly motivated.

Quote of the Day: 'Never, never, never, never give up!'~ Winston Churchill

Vegging Out

Enjoying the endless holiday movies.

It's a cold and windy morning.  Perfect for a lazy day.  So this morning I told my husband I was going to spend the day vegging out.  He was sitting at the dining room table glued to his laptop.  He tore his eyes away just long enough to look at me and then turned back.  I went to the sofa and started flipping channels thinking he understood I intended to do much of nothing. 

Fifteen minutes later he said, 'I thought you were going to cook vegetables.'   I looked at him and cocked my head to one side in confusion.  I sat there trying to recall any conversation where I might have mentioned cooking vegetables.  Then he seemed to get annoyed at my silence and staring so I had to give in and tell him I had no idea what he was talking about. 

He said, 'You just said you were going to spend the day making veggies.'

I laughed and proceeded to explain that 'vegging out' meant to do nothing.  I even googled it to prove my definition.  He shrugged and took his laptop to the bedroom. Guess he's going to spend the day 'vegging' while watching soccer.  Sometimes living with an ESL-er can be quite interesting.  It keeps you on your toes and can create some very amusing moments.  Man, I love my crazy life!

Cheers to a sweat pants, ugly tshirt, furry sock wearing, vegging Sunday!

Holiday Week Ups and Downs

It's been quite a week.  Many ups and downs.  Heck, even some sideways if you ask me.  Anyway, I had a lot of time to document the week by pictures. 

Hairdresser is still MIA. I think I'm going to have to face the fact that my hair may be a bit too much for her.  I washed and picked it out before slapping on a scarf to head out the door for some shopping.

I'm disappointed in myself.  I slacked on the eating and working out while I was unemployed.  While trying on new work-wear, I see where that was a big mistake.  This suit was more snug than I would prefer but I got it anyway because I refuse to go larger.  I will hold on to it until I slim down.  And yes, this does work....the buy and workout to fit thing.  I'm too cheap to be having new clothes in my closet that I don't wear.

I even considered buying this.  It was comfortable.  But I texted the pic to my sister and she called and talked me off the ledge of 'comfort' wear.  Needless to say, I didn't buy it. 

I came home to start prepping for our Thanksgiving feast.  Nothing like having the crock pot to do a good portion of the hot work for you.

After telling my husband about my unfortunate dressing room experience, he prepared this meal for us.  It was pretty good but it did little to make me feel better. He said at least it wasn't a cheesy bready meal. Yeah...so?

Then we went to my SIL who showed me how to prepare Tchep Djen.  It's a Senegalese dish.  Everyone was expecting to have it included in the holiday meal.  We didn't disappoint!

Then there was some serious baking to be done.  I did  a peach cobbler, chocolate caramel cake and two sweet potato pies.  I intended to make a pound cake but I decided we would be fine w/o it due to the time.  Unfortunately, my husband kept mentioning the fact that there was not one.  It's his favorite. 

My trip to Thanksgiving dinner started with low visibility.  It was worse than this picture shows.

But the ride eventually cleared up.

My sister drove so we were able to get some nice landscape shots. 

We thought this would be a quick and easy trip but got word that my oldest brother was admitted to the hospital in Dallas.  Of course this extended out distance and our day.  Everything turned out OK.  He was discharged today.  I can only hope he finally decides to take better care of himself.

We got home late but it was so good to spend time with everyone.  And I didn't eat as much as I thought I would.  I just didn't have an appetite.  Probably because I was thinking of the ill fittings earlier in the week.  All in all, it was a pretty good week.  No Black Friday shopping for me.  I couldn't find anything that I needed in the sales advertisements or online.  Instead I spent those days sleeping and watching holiday movies.

The weather is cold ,windy and rainy and I've no responsibility to be anywhere.  I still have two days before I have to be back at work so I'm going to relax as much as possible.  Enjoy your weekend!

Social Peaker

I have a confession to make. I'm nosey.  More specifically, I like to peak.  Not in the way you are probably thinking.  I'm not at all interested in peaking at people that have shut themselves away from view.  No, I like to take a peak at people's lives through social networking.  Those who have their accounts set up to be viewed by the public.  That's OK right?  Well?  Hm...Or maybe I'm just curious. 

Anyway, with the facebook changes, sometimes you have access to other's pages that you would never have discovered had a friend not commented on their status, photo, etc.  So anyway, on the rare occasion (like today) when I've accepted the fact that I'm just not going to be productive, I explore the lives of complete strangers via facebook photos.  If you've never done this, you should try it.  I perused the photos of a friend of a friend just now.  They had a good stock too.  So many nouns.  Get it?  People, places things and even some ideas!  This particular person I liked.  That doesn't always happen.  Sometimes I wonder how and why my 'friends' are friends with them.  But that's beside the point.  Heck, I don't really know most of the 'friends' I have on facebook.  Do you? 

Back to today's stalki...er...viewing.  As I said, I liked this person.  Looking through the photos was like watching a mini movie.  I saw all the places they've been.  Learned what they liked to do in their off time.  I even learned what they ate for 2 weeks straight due to food-journaling via iPhone photos.  The vacation photos were fabulous.  And the people they hang with seemed to be just as interesting.  After checking out some pretty good pics (nice, colorful, magazine-like ones), I concluded that if I knew this person, we would more than likely be good friends.  Well, if personality through pics are any indication.  I will probably never meet this person and really have no desire to do so.  It's just fun.  It's a bit like taking an evening stroll and seeing a family having dinner through their fully lit dining room window.  You look, you smile, you move on.  I think that's OK.  So, I checked out all the photos and then moved on to something more interesting. 

And there you have it.   I'm very curious and slightly nosey.  I just wanted to put that out there.  It was on my mind and my mind is an open blog.

Enjoy your weekend!

Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

My view of the Running Man (or youtube video). 

It's Friday and I'm finally winding down.  My drive home was eye-opening.  Not really but it was one of those moments when I get all deep with myself.  These deep moments usually end with me turning everything that previously was hormonally devastating into a positive.  Luckily my mind eventually buffs things up enough to show the bright side.  This week was no different. 

Since I've started this new job I've complained about the traffic.  Woe is me....it's so terrible....I'll die of exhaust fumes....I'm going broke buying gas.  You name it, I've said it.  Fortunately (sorta) on my trip back from my Dad's this weekend, we got stuck in traffic.  There was an accident miles up the highway and we were stuck going not more than 10mph.  It was terrible.  Luckily 45 minutes into it, we were able to exit and ride the access road pass the accident.  After that it was smooth sailing.  I say this was fortunate because bright and early the next morning on my way to work, I hit traffic.  We weren't really going at any speed but we were moving.  It didn't bother me. It wasn't until I was almost at my destination  that it occurred to me why.  I remembered how hard it was to be stuck at 10mph.  My slowest commute speed that morning was about 30mph.  Virtually a high speed drive compared to the weekend.  See, the bright side.

Work has been interesting.  I have a 'trainer' that doesn't really know the job.  She's still learning as it turns out.  But she's so happy and positive and keeps saying 'We'll learn together'.  This works most of the time.  The manager claims she knows the job but doesn't offer to train.  The other person on my team should know it but says she does not.  I suspect she is just one of those that likes to just work and not have to teach.  I could be annoyed but as it turns out, this is like going back to school.  I like school. I gather knowledge from anyone that offers it, bring it home to study and am back the next day to absorb more.  It's a good thing.

I think I mentioned I was back on the muscle relaxers due to back spasms.  Seems they are less and I only had to do the relaxers a couple of days.  I'm notorious for not following Dr's orders and working at doing it naturally.  This was no different.  Of course taking the relaxers made me loopy all night and the next day so it was imperative I get off of them as soon as the weekend ended.  Can't make a 'speedy' commute under the influence of loopers.



My commute home has certainly been good for me.  It's even more congested than the drive in but it has more to offer.  I'm going home so I'm so much more relaxed as I'm not on a time table.  I've discovered the route is slower but that has forced me to check out my surroundings.  I have since discovered Rockin' Rice, a restaurant that has pretty tasty Korean food.  There are also a couple of really good retro junk shops.  I passed one for days drooling over a pair of chairs.  I'm going this weekend to get them as I'm sure they were meant just for me.  I also get my daily Rundberg Dancer performance.  He's there every weekday dancing at the intersection.  I just recently found out he's not coo-coo as some think.  He's working out.  I tried to take a pic with my phone. Not a very good one but I also found a youtube video.  He might be one of the only things to smile about on that particular intersection.  Watch the video...you'll see. 
Last but not least, I get to come home to two guys and a girl that love me unconditionally.  My husband greets me with a huge hug everyday.  Of course while I get my hug, I have two ankle scratchers competing for my attention below....my puppies.  It's a nice feeling. 

Have an awesome weekend!

Quote of the Day: When you're chewing on life's gristle, don't grumble, give a whistle and this'll help things turn out for the best...And...always look on the bright side of life...Always look on the light side of life. ~Monty Python's Life of Brian

This Mind of Mine

My idle mind is something else. When I'm bored, my imagination drifts from the simple to the most fantastic. Sometimes I'm amazed at where it takes me. Other than the places I dare not mention, I can say most times they are great and often result in a pretty decent reality. I figured I'd give you a little glimpse of just how awesome I think it is.


This morning the husband and I just happened to be awake at about 4:30am. Don't ask. We were in the gym by 5. With it being Tuesday, it was an unplanned workout so there was no mapped out challenge. We did our own thing. Winging it, I started out on the treadmill. I wasn't really motivated nor was I feeling lazy. I was satisfied with the middle of the road feeling.  Walking at a comfortable misting pace, my mind did its thing. I started thinking about watching the NYC marathon and how amazing those people were. I've always wanted to be able to do something like that. Not necessarily to run the actual marathon but to say I can do it. My mind immediately sent up an image of me actually running a race. Well, one thing led to another and before I knew it, my motivation rose a few notches and I reached up and increased that speed. On top of that, the husband got wind of this new attitude and decided to challenge me. I never back down from a challenge so I ran a while just to show him how awesome I was. 

Now every now and again, the mind gets away from me and I have to reign it back in a bit. This happened at work today. I didn't have a lot to do so I was working hard to look busy. As I was 'reviewing' a file, my mind went on a pretty awesome adventure. I kid you not, it was a freakin' action movie. Working in a place where I regularly see uniformed officers, I had a good setting for this scene. Picture me leaving the secured area to get water or whatever. As I swipe back in, I float in all carefree and smiling only to be grabbed from the back and put in a headlock. In this dream, I have quick reflexes and I quickly take control of the situation by knocking the assailant on his butt. Once he's down, another comes out of nowhere and I am caught up in a Jackie Chan type fight. I win and am the hero of the moment. Sadly because I should have been working I had to end that dynamite dream. It did make me smile and that sparked a little more energy to carry me through the last couple hours of the day.

So I have a fantastic imagination and it appears right about the time I have nothing better to do. The good thing is I can turn it into a less fantastic reality with a change or two...and less life threatening actions. Lol. Less fantastic is still pretty good right?

Here's to adventures of the mind and a satisfying, less kickbutt reality. It's all good!

Quote of the Day:  "Everything that is new or uncommon raises a pleasure in the imagination, because it fills the soul with an agreeable surprise, gratifies its curiosity, and gives it an idea of which it was not before possessed."  ~Joseph Addison

Daddy's Jelly

I took a special trip home to see my Daddy this weekend.  Luckily with Friday being Veteran's Day, I was off work.  I set out Friday morning with the husband and dogs in tow.  Traffic was a breeze and 4.5 hours later we made it into town.  Oh!  I forgot to mention I didn't tell my Daddy I was coming.  I wanted to surprise him.  Amazingly, neither of my sisters let on that I was coming.  You'd have to know them to realize how big that was.  Anyway, I drove the whole way and it was OK with the exception of a couple moments of  sleepiness.  Luckily the husband actually agreed to sing along with me. Car singing is always an eye opener. 

We hit town right at 2 o'clock so the husband called my Dad on his cell.  My Dad was so surprised when my husband said, 'We are home.  We will be there in ten minutes.'  I could almost see the shock on his face.  Lol.  It was awesome.  He was out running errands by the time we got to his house but he left the doors unlocked for us so we had plenty of time to get settled in and rest a little.  Once he came he had so much to tell us but I eventually ended his curiosity telling him that I intended on making jelly with him this weekend.  He was surprised.  We'd been talking about this for some time now but I just couldn't seem to find the time to do it whenever we were down.  Well, this trip was just for that.  He was so happy he started going through my Mom's recipes right away trying to find the plum recipe because he knows that's my favorite flavor. 

He was so nervous.  Not that he would admit it but it was obvious.  He showed me the recipe 5 times and kept asking me if I read over it.  I just politely kept telling him yes.  He pulled out every box of jars from the closet.  That night he showed me the jug of plum juice three times asking me if I thought it would be OK sitting out all night to thaw.  Again, I nodded and said yes all three times.  I found it amusing and almost heartbreaking to see my Dad like this.  I knew he would be excited to be doing it but I never expected the nervousness.  I think it was because  this was the first time he would be doing it without my Mom being there. He kept saying things like,' I know your Mama would use a certain amount but I just can't remember how much' or 'I can't remember if she liked to use this pot or that one.'  Each time he would get a little flustered and frustrated because he wanted to do exactly what she would do.  You also have to remember that he had surgery on his brain a couple of years back so sometimes his memory is not as good as he would like.  But I think he's doing just fine. 

Anyway, we got down to jelly making business Saturday night.  My 8-year old niece decided to assist me in documenting this Father-Daughter moment.  She was so excited to have a part and she did quite well.  Rather than continue going on and on about it, I will just show you the pictures.




This is my Daddy. 




This is the plum juice.  It's from wild plums. I don't know the actual name of them.




Contemplating one recipe or two. We decided on one.



I'm 'helping'. Yes I am...

 



We opted for the 4 pint recipe.





And it begins!





I'm still helping. Truthfully, I was just there to hand him things.





Like handing him themometer, lids, rims, etc.





Yep...steam and stickiness.





We think it's ready.





Skimming the foam.





This was the fun part. I handed him the hot jars by the way.





This is a hot job. See Dad sweat. Or maybe it was nerves.





Giving them a final hot bath.





Voila! Plum jelly. Ain't it purty?





Oh! Can't forget to include the photographer.

  And that's how it went.  We were both so proud of it. I know my Mom would have been grinning from ear to ear seeing us working to get this done.  We only did 4 pint jars but plan on making 12 the next time so that there is plenty to give away.   I'll leave my Mom's recipe ( the one we used).  I promise it will ruin you for store bought jelly. Enjoy!

Mama's Plum Jelly

5 1/2 C Plum juice
1 pkg powdered pectin
7 1/2 C sugar

Combine juice and pectin in large pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Add sugar, stirring until dissolved.  Return to a boil.  Boil hard 1 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.  Fill hot jars leaving 1/2 inch space on top.  Process 5 minutes in boiling water bath. 

Yield:  4 pint jars.

Back In The Saddle Again

I'm back in the saddle again
Joined by the husband and friend
Where the the sweat-soaked bodies feed
Off the workout buddy's need
Back in the saddle again.

Yes, that's right.  I finally got back in the gym for some serious business.  I've been there off and on but the workouts weren't challenging.  I was just not feeling them and am not even sure I ever broke a sweat.  Well the husband and I got in there this morning after having a talk about how it feels to quit.  We addressed how I would feel if I fell back to my  'before' and how much work it would take to get back what I once lost.  This was my motivation to actually push beyond the lack of drive. 

We were up at 4:30am and in the gym by 5.  It wasn't too bad since daylight savings time ended.  We hit the treadmill first.  I was thinking I was really working at 3.8 but then the husband started jogging next to me.  I had agreed that when he started running, I would too.  I increased my speed and kept up a steady jog for 3 minutes.  I probably could have gone longer but I psyched myself out.  You know how it is when you are doing something and in the middle of it you start to believe the doubting voices that are trying to convince you  that you can't do it?  Well, that's what happened there.  I started beating myself up after I had been walking  a while.  I quickly recognized what I was doing and pushed passed it and increased the speed again.  This time I hit 4 minutes before slowing.  I kept up a steady run/walk pace for 30 minutes.  It felt good.  When I finished my husband smiled at me and told me he was proud of me.  I basked in that smile until he said 'Now let's do some weights'.   My arms were spaghetti when we were done but again it felt so good. 



Perfect for lunchtime workout wipe down.

 This morning's workout set a good pace for my day.  I was in orientation all day and was growing more and more tired the longer I had to sit and listen to things I already new.  Once we finally got a lunch break, I decided I needed to build some endorphins if I was going to make it through the second round of speakers.  Because we had a longer lunch, I decided to take a 30 minute walk and then eat.  That was wise but I was worried about the fact that it was warmer outside than anyone expected.  When I was done, I went to the ladies room and rummaged through my purse for some wipes.  I was out.  I began to worry and then a co-worker came in after the Pilate's class.  She was there to change.  I told her I went on a power walk but neglected to pack my wipes.  She handed me some Summer's Eve Cleansing Cloths.  She claimed they were good for all around use.  I had never tried them but let me tell you, they made a world of difference.  I would recommend them to anyone.
I made it through the 2nd half of the day with more energy and I didn't have to worry about how well my deodorant held up. 

Now that the evening is upon me, I can sit decide how much I appreciate the added activity.  I must admit I'm feeling the effects of our morning workout and it feel great.  I feel the muscles in my butt, back and arms yelling at me when I make any sort of move.  Finally feels like I actually went in there and did something.  This sort of soreness is pretty awesome.  I have to remind myself of this feeling the next time I feel like half-assing a workout.  I'm very thankful that I have a husband who loves me enough to remind me of the goals I set for myself.  I'm also thankful that he knows how to push me without killing the joy I find in the small accomplishments.  Yep...I love him. 

Quote of the Day:  A buddy will keep you honest and add a dimension of fun to your workout.  ~Bill Toomey

Picture This Week

It's no secret that I've been living this view a lot lately.   

It has made me more open to the idea of this....the wonderful world of public transportation.  It has to be better than the intense, rush hour rage me.  This is my husband's favorite part of the commute.  Well, mine too I guess.  I like to kiss part a lot. Lol.

I've even started noticing the great bike lanes we have.  Because of it (and my sense of urgency to get back to my previous fitness level) the hubs and I dusted off the bikes and hit the lanes.  It was nice, cool and we were worn out when we got home. It was great!

I've been caught dipping in the cookie jar.  Sue me.

Despite the cookie thing, my work lunches have been pretty decent.  I eat things like this.

And this (that's my homemade granola)....

....and this.  I get bored in the break room so I take pics of my food.

The hubs has been feenin' for ice cream like mad.  I introduced him to cones.  He's hooked.  I know...I'm bad for it. But it's nice to see him not be so darned food perfect sometimes.

This looked interesting.  I purchased.  I learned an important lesson.  Skinny Choco Latte has tons of caffeine. Tons!  It is not good for me to drink. It does bad things to my heart rate.  However, it worked well in my new chocolate-like banana smoothie creation.  A little goes a long way.

I attended a workplace craft fair.  It was pretty awesome.  I made this one purchase.  It was too cute to pass up.

My husband took it upon himself to purchase a 'vintage' Mikasa dinnerware set at a moving sale.  He wanted to surprise me.  He said 'I thought you would like it. It has color!'  I didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't my style but it definitely beats the 3 stoneware plates and 4 plastic ones we had before. 

I have tossed the plastic grocery bags, and traded in the reusable store branded bags these cute ones. They are rather large but fold down to look like this.

This was my Halloween desktop image for our in-office PC Wallpaper competition.  No one else thought to use a cause for theirs.  Needless to say I won. 



So, it's been an almost exhausting week but it was good.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Have an awesome weekend.