My Journey to Fit: A Forty-Something's Weight Loss Journey

Friday Mishmash - Is This What 'Stitch and Bitch' Means?

2012-02-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

Knitting update - the good, the bad and the ugly:

Clockwise: yellow is the rib stitch that will become a little case for some knitting supplies, blue is the washcloth, pink/green is the scarf.

The Good: I still like it! I'm slowly but surely understanding how to knit, purl and make a rib stitch (like the cuff of a sweater - which is simply "knit/purl/repeat" - how fun to see THAT turn into ribbing!). And because I want to spend so much time knitting, I've made a deal with myself that I can't knit unless I've exercised for the day. My Sit and Knit diet is not only working with the eating (can't snack if your hands are busy) but is also making me workout so I can knit, guilt-free! Everyone (and by everyone, I mean my multiple personalities) wins with this!

The Bad: I'll be trucking along and discover that I've made a mistake somewhere...and it seems pretty hard to fix. So I unravel my piece down to the mistake. And then? I can't get the loops all back on the needle in the right direction, which causes MORE mistakes. End result is NO end result...meaning I have to completely unravel the piece and start all over. My sailboat washcloth? I'm on the third try.

See the tally marks on the bottom of the page? You have to knit the first seven rows before you start doing the pattern, and that's how I keep track of what row I'm knitting (maybe there's a way to look at the piece and tell how many rows you've knitted, but I can't do that yet). Three sets of tally marks. The furthest I've gotten is to row 16.

The Ugly: You know, I'm generally a pretty positive, easy-going person. Which is really good when it comes to knitting, because it can be frustrating. I learned how to knit left-handed, and had success. Then I went to a knitting store, where the (left-handed, herself) woman working there convinced me that it would be easier if I retrained myself to knit right-handed, which would enable me to read patterns without having to reverse everything. That made sense, so I did it - wasn't easy, and I think that's where my mistakes happened, as I'd go on autopilot and whoops - reversed the direction of my yarn. Overall, not a big deal, as I'm sure I'll get more used to knitting right-handed...it's barely been a week, after all.

But I was well into my newest scarf, and found a mistake, and after unraveling about an inch, I was pretty sure I hadn't gotten the loops back on the needle correctly. I went BACK to the knitting store (third trip in a week, if you're counting) to ask the oh-so-helpful woman if there was a trick to fixing a mistake. Only she wasn't there, the store owner was. Who was nice and helped me, but in a bulldozer-type of way. Wrap your yarn around this hand. You were not knitting left-handed, you were knitting backwards (I don't know if it's just me, or every lefty, but it really rankles me to be told I'm doing something "backwards"). I'll fix it (only she didn't). Stop purling and join my beginner's class - I'll teach you the right way to do everything. Well CRAP. Not only did she not help on the scarf (there ended up being purled stitches, which I think happened because the loops were twisted...?), but she threw me into my "acquiesce by intimidation" mode, which I tend to do when I feel overwhelmed and just want to get out of there. Quite the different experience from my prior visits to the store.

Sooooooooo. I went home and unraveled the scarf completely and started over. MY way. Still right-handed, but holding the yarn the way that worked for me. And if you're keeping track, I have a washcloth that has been unraveled three times and a scarf that has been unraveled twice. But as Bob is my witness (Rugrats), I WILL finish these projects, I WILL be successful, and I WILL understand the mysterious world of knitting!

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Last week I challenged myself to wearing a different outfit for each of the 10 Saturdays of Running Club (sure, some people do easy challenges like 100 sit ups, but me? I'm hardcore, baby!). Here's outfit #1:

I went with a favorite color - pink! Eagle eyes will notice that I even matched my ponytail holder and Road ID band - yes, I'm that crazy.

Saturday outfit #1 - it's still a little chilly for me, so I layered my old Nike capris under my old workout shorts. Had I gone running in the morning, I would have worn a jacket as well.

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Now, you all know that I'm a little bit nutty about color and having things match (or go, as Stacy and Clinton say). It's the little things in life that make me happy. With that in mind, I've been wanting to order more colors of the Road ID wristbands, and decided to treat myself to all of them, as a "return to running" reward. I can't tell you how fun it was to open the package and see all the colorful bands pop out - and at a buck each, this was well worth it.

So pretty! Everything except for the yellow band is from Road ID - Janell sent me that one a couple of years ago - and the nice thing about this system is that you can wear the metal info tag on any standard silicone band.

I had to show you what was happening while I was taking the picture of the bands...as soon as he hears the beep of the camera being turned on, Paco's ears perk up and he poses:

such.a.nut.

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Speaking of that dog, I mentioned that he doesn't like thunder. Jeff took this picture last Friday night, during that bad storm - he's not normally a lap dog, but quickly becomes one at the first BOOM!

Multi-tasking - comforting dog while reading blogs on my netbook, with knitting projects nearby, and also watching the weatherman freak out on TV. And? Please note my two containers of water...it's all about the hydration!

OK. Tomorrow, it's take two for Running Club. The excitement builds!!! Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Workout Update - 'Work With It' Edition

2012-02-08T05:00:00.001-06:00

Well, running club did not go as planned, because we had severe storms roll in Friday evening, along with two tornadoes just outside of town! Jeff and I were sitting at our local hamburger place, where we had just finished splitting a burger (and had plans to get some frozen yogurt next) when the tornado warning came on the television. Decided we'd better book it home (just a five minute drive), which was a good thing, as the torrential rains caused flooding all over! After a few hours of rain and some hail, it eased up a bit so we went in the front yard (along with most of our neighbors) to check out our drainage area, which is normally a nice grassy play area. It was flooded, and spilling out onto the street - I've never seen it this bad!

Friday night - brave neighbor, going barefoot in the flood waters (I worry about creatures like snakes being them so I wore my rain boots)

Tuesday afternoon - this is what it normally looks like!

Paco may be afraid of thunder, but floodwater? FUN!

This side of the street was covered from curb to curb - good thing we didn't want to go anywhere!

The town was flooding all over, so running club was called off - but this being Texas, our weather is so extreme that it stopped raining and most places dried out enough that Jeff and I were able to go out for a run on Saturday afternoon! We went to the scary statue park but stayed in the roadway, as the trails were covered with mud, silt and still had some pretty good puddles. On the schedule for Saturday was a 2 miler, which I did using 3 minute walk/1.5 minute run intervals. Pretty easy considering we've been walk/running around 3.5 miles, but I wanted to do what we would have done with the club. I give this run a big thumbs up!

Paco, doing his whole body lean onto me, as usual...

This week has been a bit off, and I've realized that I just have to work with it, because no matter what I plan, things are going weird. It started with Saturday morning's run being cancelled (so I worked with it to go in the afternoon), then on Monday, the temperature was below my 40 degree comfort cut-off for the pool - but I went anyway. Got there and noticed that the water level was way down - my pool buddy Nancy swam up to me and said "it's really cold" - oh, great. Not sure why so much water was missing, but they were adding more, with a nice cold hose...which was two lanes over from where I swam - and also? The heaters weren't on! I knew I wouldn't last too long, and I couldn't stand the thought of getting my face and head wet, so I worked with it by just doing kickboarding - 50 lengths. Better than nothing, right?

On Tuesday, Jenny wasn't able to meet me for our run, and while I wasn't relishing the idea of running by myself, I planned on going out after I got my hair cut. Then I got a reminder email about the track workout that night, and while I don't plan on doing many of them (because I'm trying to limit my running to just 3 days a week), this worked out perfectly to get my run in with people...so I went. And I got another opportunity to work with it, as the track was closed (soccer game was being played), so we ended up going for a little run instead! Good thing I decided to be flexible, right?

Today is another swimming workout, and I sure hope the pool is filled AND warm. But if it's not, I'll work with it, one way or another.

A Quarter Century!

2012-02-07T05:00:00.000-06:00

My baby, my firstborn, my son Sam is 25 years old today! Happy Birthday Sam!!! I cannot believe he's 25 - all grown up. So grown up, in fact, that he's in Kansas City this week on business. Yes, business. The little boy that I did all kinds of theme birthday parties for - fish, baseball, outer space, cowboy, art - is spending his birthday sans family, and that makes me a little melancholy. How time does fly, even though when you're in the midst of school and sports and scouts and everything in between, you wonder if you'll ever get through it. But you do, and kids grow up. That doesn't mean I can't take a little trip down memory lane, which I did last night. I looked through tons of photographs and pulled out some of my favorites. Indulge me, if you will...

Four days old - he was 5 lbs 13 oz at birth and tiny! Wearing a preemie sleeper here...the nurses all called him a little peanut. Big yawn for such a little baby!

I love this picture. I loved holding my baby. Sometimes he would fall asleep in my arms for a nap and I'd hold him the entire time, until he woke up again. And I don't regret a minute of that at all.

His second Christmas, just before he turned 2. Sam is so ancient that he had the old Fisher-Price toys - the ones that were later changed because the Little People were choking hazards!

Around 2 years old.

I think this was his 4th birthday, based on another picture where a toddler Max was trying to edge in on the gift unwrapping, lol!

Sam and Jeff in a tent somewhere - he's holding a bag of popcorn, but other than that I have no idea where they were (and I probably took the picture!).

Look closely - the child is walking a "tightrope" using a broom! I glanced out the window to see this and got the picture. Love that he's wearing his coonskin cap - this was in 1992, close to when we moved from California to Texas (Jeff had been to San Antonio and returned with the caps for the kids).

San Antonio - 6th birthday, and the fish themed party that the kids talked about for years...

Sam and our new puppy Jackie - he named her, and also picked out the orange collar (his favorite color).

Sam and his kitty Taz - he was 12 here.

The baseball pictures cracked me up - Sam played from the time he was in first grade (T-ball) until 7th grade. He looks like the weight of the game was on his shoulders in this one...

...but obviously knew how to enjoy snack time.

Woohoo - Sam was usually good for at least a base hit! It was always so fun to watch him play ball.

Visiting the Johnson Space Center in Houston - future engineer? We had no idea.

The Very Official Cub Scout would become...

The Very Official Crossing Guard! (really, this pose is "hurry up and take the picture before you embarrass me!")

Sam in his sweater vest glory - this was his uniform for a few years. He found a style he liked and stuck with it!

Very proud to call you my son, Sam - Happy Birthday! love, Mom

Scared Straight

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000-06:00

...or at least, back on the path, anyway.

So cupcakes. They've been slow in coming to my town - don't ask me why, as you'd think a town full of college students would be a great market. I guess maybe the plethora of frozen yogurt places intimidated the cupcakeries? I digress. Backstory is that along with the cupcake cruiser (aka food truck) that you can find around here, we now have a new cupcake place. I drove by (and made note of) it every day on my way home from my seasonal job. Now, cupcakes aren't my first choice when it comes to treats - frozen yogurt has my heart - but I'll admit, the gourmet ones look verrry appealing. And while I very easily could have stopped at the cupcake place, bought one, crammed it in my mouth and then driven home like nothing happened, I didn't do that. Because I am not the same person I was a few years ago. (Yes, the old me would have done something like that...I'm not proud of it, but hey, you don't get to be 256 pounds by sharing your food!)

For some reason, Jeff was on a really healthy eating kick right after Christmas, and I knew that if I asked him to go with me to the cupcakerie, he'd hem and haw and what I wanted was enthusiasm. Cupcakes!!! Come on!!! Luckily (for me), he ended up having to go out of town while Max was still home on break, so I corralled Max to go with me one evening after dinner. I just wanted to get one and split it, but I wanted to have it guilt-free. And what better accomplice than your (adult) child?

We walked in. The place was clean and bright, very appealing. We approached the cupcakes, and something happened that almost stopped me dead in my tracks. The person working there? Was as large as the old me. It was like looking in the mirror - while she was a nice person, very friendly and welcoming - I got an instant flashback of who I used to be. And why this me, the person who lost a lot of weight and has been (mostly) maintaining that loss, doesn't eat this kind of food very often.

Now, I'm not being a fat-hater. Far from it...if she is happy with herself, then that's awesome. I had several years where I decided that I would just accept being overweight and really enjoyed my (limited, I know now) life - I was the person who ate with abandon, didn't feel any guilt over not dieting, never exercised at all, enjoyed shopping for (bigger and bigger sized) clothes at Lane Bryant - it was fun. I eventually made the decision to give dieting one last try because I was tired of feeling crummy, but that was a personal thing and not a declaration that everyone in the world must lose weight.

Anyway, we did split a cupcake (peanut butter and chocolate with peanut butter frosting and chocolate ganache filling) and it was ridiculously good. So good, in fact, that I do not plan on going back there anytime soon - because I got a scary reminder of who I used to be, and who I could very easily become again, if I'm not careful. I still drive by the cupcake place fairly often, but I have to admit, it no longer has the allure that it did before I went there a month ago. And yes, I do think part of it is because I got a glimpse of my former self...and I don't want that person to reappear.

Friday Mishmash

2012-02-03T05:00:00.001-06:00

Guess what tomorrow is? Guess Guess GUESS?!? It's the start of my running club's 10 Week/10K program!!!!! And I'm going to do it!!!!! Today, the possibilities are endless! Tomorrow, after I really attempt running, and walking, and watching others run easily and without pain, I may be singing a different tune, but for today? I'm giddy with anticipation!!! Now, to pick out my outfit...ooh, with only 10 long runs, I wonder if I can do a different outfit each Saturday? I officially challenge myself to do that! Next Friday, I'll have a picture of what I wore - and yes, for me, dressing for running is almost as much fun as running - blame it on my being too big to fit into cute workout clothes for a couple of decades. Now I can, and you better believe I'm going to have fun with it!

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Recently, on Pinterest (where else), I saw something about rinsing fresh berries in a vinegar/water bath to stop that fuzzy mold from growing on them so quickly...sometimes I've brought home a container of strawberries and I swear, they don't even last two days before they're icky with fuzz. I tried this last week, but the strawberries smelled so good that I couldn't stand letting them sit in the fridge to see if the vinegar bath worked. I bought a two pound container on Wednesday evening - that should be enough for me to eat AND let some sit, right? Anyway, the mix is one part vinegar to 10 parts water (I used apple cider vinegar), and you rinse them with water afterward. Has anyone ever heard of or tried this? So far, no fuzz...but it's only been a couple of days.

Oh, also on Pinterest, I saw someone recommend using a straw to hull strawberries. Yeahhhh, that one doesn't work perfectly...although I could see putting a strawberry on a straw to go in some lemonade, if you were having a party.

Success on the left; not-so-success on the right.

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I went to a yarn store here in town - boy oh boy, was I happy to discover that we had one, as you just can't get the personalized help at a Michaels or Hobby Lobby that you do with a small business. Anyway, I brought all of my projects to show and ask questions, and wow, did I ever get some great help. For example, I had this pair of needles that I'd bought years ago when I was trying to learn how to knit. I had one project going (a little coin purse that had you knitting AND purling)(purling was turning out to be really difficult)(turns out I was twisting my stitches and doing it wrong, which would explain my difficulty!), but I wanted to just knit, so I started another scarf with some yarn I already had. I didn't like how it was coming out but couldn't figure out why, exactly.

Turns out the yarn is too lightweight for the needles...and the needles? Are really too long for my hands. Good to know - I'd still like to knit a chunkier scarf, but now I know to choose the right size (guage?) yarn. And get a shorter pair of needles - I kept jamming the ends of these into my stomach as I would knit, which wasn't super comfortable.

The other big thing is that the woman at the store suggested, since I was such a newbie, that I really try to learn how to knit right-handed. She's a leftie, but said that she knits as a rightie since all the patterns are done for righties (story of my life in learning most things). So, I picked out some yarn and bought another set of needles (I can see where having several sets is nice, since it's fun to work on one project for a while and then switch to another), and we worked on knitting as a right-hander. I caught on, and later on that day, worked on the piece for a bit - then discovered that I'd "split" a couple of stitches, so I unraveled it and started over. Only I couldn't remember how to knit right-handed!!! I knew my memory is bad, but seriously? That was crazy! I finally was able to do it after looking at diagrams in a book - whew! Crisis averted - I would have been really embarrassed to have to walk back into that store the very next day and ask to be shown how to do it again!

My loot! Yarn to make some baby washcloths (a couple of friends make washcloths and it sounds like a fun little project), yarn and needles for a new scarf, a thingie to measure the size of your needles, should one (ahem) lose the packaging that the needles came in - plus it measures gauge, which apparently I will become concerned with at some point, a card to convert how long of a tail I need to cast on, and a couple of needles so I can weave that tail into the project (methinks the tail is a nuisance)!

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I actually have a Fashion Friday outfit - which is pretty exciting, considering I'm back to wearing either a swimsuit, running clothes, or jeans all the time. But today (well, actually yesterday), I'm modeling my new coat, courtesy of my mom and Land's End...and the very!first!scarf!ever!knitted! (by me).

Brrrrrrr! So chilly - good thing I have my beautiful coat and coordinating scarf to keep me warm!

Haha, just kidding. It was 72 degrees when I took these pictures. Of course, not five minutes later it started to rain, but it was still warm. Ahhh, I am enjoying this mild winter!

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Workout Update

2012-02-01T05:00:00.003-06:00

Yesterday saw the return of Team Jelly - my former running buddy, Jenny, and I were reunited and RAN! OK, we walked, too...but we RAN! Together! Like the good old days!!! A little history, if you are new here: Jenny and I used to workout together back when I was going to a personal trainer - he had small group classes, and many times, we'd be partnered up together for challenges, which is where the "Team Jelly" name originated. Then Jenny and I started running together, and we spent the spring of 2010 running 5K races (if you're interested, you can find the recaps on my running page). Then we ran a half marathon! Shortly after that, I injured my ankle and had to stop running for an entire @#$%^ year. But I'm coming back, baby!

Jeff and I have been doing walk/run intervals for the past month, slowly increasing the amount of running time. On Sunday, we did 8 minutes walking/1:30 minutes running for a total of 6 cycles. I felt pretty good after that and decided to try a 5 minute walk/1:30 minute run cycle for the next time (which interestingly enough, Dolvelen emailed me with that same recommendation - GMTA!), and Jenny was game. So we set up a running date on Tuesday morning. Only Tuesday came...and it was raining! The nerve!!! No matter, it wasn't that cold (about 58 degrees) and there wasn't any thunder in the area, so we decided to go ahead and run. And it was awesome - just like old times. Jenny and I have the same pace and we have always run well together...while Jeff has been great to get out and walk/run with me, he does have to shorten his stride/pace a lot, and the running isn't as natural with him.

So we walked, and ran, and walked, and ran...and the rain went from a light shower to a downpour. And we kept running - it was actually quite liberating to be out running in the rain...I mean, really - how often do you deliberately stay out in a rainstorm? For me? Never. Until yesterday. We were absolutely soaked from head-to-toe...our shoes were squishing out water as we ran, and our clothes got heavier from all the water they absorbed. But it was great fun and an experience I'm glad I had!

As we finished and were walking back to our cars, the rain lightened up (naturally). We got a quick picture to document our bad selves, and then drove home to dry off. I have to say, everything about this run felt right. And this is what I love about running.

Team Jelly - together again!

Knitting is Like Dieting

2012-01-30T05:00:00.001-06:00

(I know the title sounds like a stretch, but bear with me here...)

I may have mentioned a time or three that I started knitting. Well, I am getting close to being finished with the scarf (mainly because I'm running out of yarn), but I wondered if there was a standard size for knitted scarves, so I went to my trusty Google for the answer. Huh. Did you know there is not only a recommended length (scarf = height of wearer) but also a width? That probably would have been a good thing to check before I started knitting my scarf...but oh well, I'm more of a "start now, ask questions later" type of person. Kind of how I began my diet - I knew that I wanted to lose weight, so I started a diet, and over time, read up on how different people succeeded and adapted my own plan along the way.

Back to my scarf - I'm pretty pleased with how it's turning out. While I did drop a stitch twice, I caught it right away and thus avoided making a slanty, lopsided scarf. It doesn't roll inward - pretty sure that has something to do with the basic "knit, knit, knit" pattern that I did. I'm looking forward to making another one, this time with chunkier yarn and bigger needles. I might even try to throw in some purl stitches! Oooh, daring...lol.

So here's the thing: I watched a YouTube video that showed how to knit a cap, and while it's way beyond my current abilities, the person demonstrating was so clear in her instructions that I can envision myself actually doing this someday. Confidence level - high.

A little later, I went to a knitting website. I started reading the forums on knitting and got completely lost - there are abbreviations that I don't understand, and people were talking about patterns and all sorts of things that might as well be a foreign language to me. I could feel myself shutting down, thinking "I'll never attempt anything other than a scarf" - and my confidence level went down to zero.

How is it possible to go from such a high to such a low in a matter of minutes? Then I remembered how, when I was in the middle of my diet, I'd be feeling on top of my game - I was eating great, drinking tons of water, feeling not only good about myself, but just good in general - healthy, energetic, ready to conquer the world - and then I'd get a reality check in the form of a weigh-in that didn't show a loss, or in the dressing room, where clothes STILL didn't look great on me. Amazing how fast my entire demeanor would change - I'd go from "heck yes, I'm DOING this!!!" to "I'll never get this, I'll never lose weight, I'll never ever ever change" - yet the only thing that had actually changed in that moment was my mindset.

It takes time to learn how to knit. I don't possess great manual dexterity skills (just ask anyone who's watched me iron, chop vegetables, or sew), and I need a lot of practice to get the stitches right. It got easier for me because I picked up the needles and yarn just about every evening and worked at it. Starting a diet is similar - things feel awkward at first. I'd set out with good intentions to eat right, but old habits, and sometimes just plain hunger, kicked in, and I'd find myself eating something that wasn't on my plan. However, my diet eventually got to be second nature for me. And even though something will throw me (knitting - casting on; dieting - stress eating), and shake my confidence (knitting - foreign language of patterns; dieting - when oh when will my blobby stomach EVER get smaller), deep down I know that I will continue to improve if I just keep working at it. And that, my friends, is how knitting is like dieting!

Friday Mishmash

2012-01-27T05:00:00.002-06:00

We had a really bad storm blow in early Wednesday morning. Jeff and I were at a (very) early breakfast meeting for the running club, and while we could see that the rain, wind, thunder and lightening was bad, we didn't realize just HOW bad it was until we drove home...as we turned into our neighborhood, trees were down, branches were all over, fences were down...we wondered if a tornado had touched down! We had one big branch fall, which was a miracle considering all the trees we have. And we could see that part of our fence was down. Quite lucky as other areas had some pretty major damage. That afternoon, once it stopped raining, I went out to take a picture of the fence. Paco (of course) went through, right into my neighbor's backyard. But then he didn't come back. I walked closer and discovered that there was a lot more damage - multiple fences were down all the way to the church that is close to our subdivision...and yes, my dog decided to get a little religion. The church is on the access road to the highway/freeway/bypass/whatever they call it in Texas, so needless to say, he wasn't allowed outside again until that evening, after Jeff and I got the fence propped back up.

There he goes...

He came back and was making his escape again. Luckily Paco is pretty good at coming when called (and gets rewarded with treats which MAY have something to do with that, lol), but still. Too much freedom for that dog!

I felt bad that Paco was home alone during the storm, because the day before, when thunderstorms rolled in, he was shaking and sticking to me like glue - here he is, under my desk, sitting on my feet and leaning on my legs:

No liek thunder. Make it stop pleeze.

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Since Jeff has not been traveling as much lately, I'm actually cooking dinner more often...I know, it's shocking to me, too! Anyway, I've finally gotten on the roasted veggies trend - Helen usually cooks up a pan on Sunday and eats them throughout the week. I don't know how she makes it last, as Jeff and I managed to eat the entire thing in one meal! My favorite has been carrots - these are so simple to make and yet taste like you really worked hard!

Take some sea salt, pepper, seasoning mix, and oil...

Toss it around peeled and sliced carrots...

Roast at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes - easy and delicious!

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My Sit and Knit diet continues. Look at how far I've come with my scarf!

Much like when I started my diet, I'm trying to not look at the massive amount of yarn I have yet to knit and instead, enjoying the process and the rewards as I go - with diet, it's "ooh, look at the new size!" and with this scarf, it's "ooh, look at the new color!"

I am determined to NOT have it become this:

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Finally, I saw this ad in a magazine and thought of Fran:

OPI's nail polish names are always so fun - this collection includes Kiss Me on My Tulips, Gouda Gouda Two Shoes, Thanks a WindMillion, Wooden Shoe Like to Know, and Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI? Why yes, I do! I'll be thinking of Fran next time I get a pedicure because I'm definitely going Dutch with my next color!

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Workout Update - Helen is a Meanie Edition!

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

To explain the title of this post, here's some excerpts of emails that went between me and Helen on Monday afternoon:

Me: I have been doing so good with my workouts since last Wednesday and now? Supposed to be 80% chance of thunderstorms tomorrow and Wednesday, which shoots to hell both running (ok, walking) and swimming! Hard to believe it now, as it's sunny and clear. Boo on stupid weather.

Helen: If I was you and swam this morning and saw that my walk tomorrow was going to be cancelled due to weather, I would go out and walk tonight. To me, it's important to get the movement in and if you have to double up one day that's OK!

Me: You are crazy. Exercise TWICE in one day? What kinda crack are you smoking?!? You know, that option never occurred to me. Seriously. Why would it? Isn't it enough that I exercised ONCE??? LOL. I am actually cracking up at your suggestion, only because it sounds so absurd that I never, ever would have thought it up myself!

Of course, after that, you know I had to get out and walk/run that night. Jeff was agreeable, so after dinner we set out - luckily I'd made big salads so we weren't exercising on a full stomach. By the way, I've given Helen a new name: Dolvelen. Because she's taking on the taskmaster status of Biggest Loser trainer Dolvett. And actually? I appreciate it.

Getting back to my promise from last week, here's a picture that I am happy to show you:

Much better!

I am getting my exercise mojo back - and I like it! And, dare I say it - I've even had a glimmer of hope with running! I've been doing 10:1 intervals (walking for 10 minutes, running for one minute) and on Sunday? The ankle didn't hurt very much. I just might be able to do this.

A windswept "thumbs up" to that run/walk!

New Diet!

2012-01-23T05:00:00.001-06:00

Over the weekend I discovered a whole new diet. And, if you follow it, not only will you lose weight, but you'll end up with fabulous items to keep you warm and toasty! Which you will need once the weight comes off, because once you lose that body fat, you end up being cold all the time. Win-win, right?

So, what's the miracle diet? Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Sit and Knit diet. Items needed include:

knitting needles
yarn
comfortable chair
TV with remote

Optional item: computer with internet access so you can view YouTube demos on how to do various stitches.

Notice I did not include any food. That's because when you are knitting, both hands are busy and you can't be eating!

OK, this is a little facetious, but in all seriousness, having something that keeps my hands busy (and they have to be clean...it's bad enough that there is dog and cat fur being drawn into my scarf - I wouldn't want food crumbs, too) and my mind occupied, between having to pay attention to what I was knitting AND to what I was watching on TV (Downton Abbey - first season is on Netflix and I thoroughly enjoyed it) is a winner in my book. Now, I will admit that all that sitting got to be a bit much, but this is also why it's the perfect all-around diet, because after a while, you actually WANT to get up and exercise! Win-win-win!

After hours of sitting and knitting, what do I have to show for it? Here ya go:

Um yeah. It doesn't look like much, but see all that loose yarn? This piece was much wider and longer, but I decided that it was too wide for a scarf, so I unraveled it and started over.

So what do you think - is the Sit and Knit diet the hottest new thing? Do you think The Biggest Loser or Richard Simmons would endorse it? LOL, probably not. But hey - I had an empty house this weekend, and it not only kept me busy, but I stayed on track with my healthy eating, which was exactly what I needed!

Friday Mishmash

2012-01-20T05:00:00.001-06:00

Blogger finally has made it so that I can reply individually to comments - woohoo! Previously, I've emailed commenters with replies, but that doesn't always work since some of you don't link your email to your comment...but that won't be an issue now. So if you've asked a question in your comment, check back later for my response. Thanks for getting on board with this, Blogger!

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Granola-making central - I finally bought some pretty jars instead of leaving the bags of oatmeal, etc., on my counter.

In the "My Mind, I Miss It" news, I want to tell you about my complete failure at making granola lately. I've been making this stuff for just about a year now on a regular basis...I don't even need to look at the recipe anymore, I make it that often. So imagine my surprise last week when I burned the batch I was making. What happened? I normally bake it for a total of 30 minutes, stirring after every 10 minutes. At the 20 minute mark, it was dark brown. Thought I would be able to live with it, but no...it was just too burned for my taste. I went to the store and replenished my ingredients, and made another batch. This time? Incinerated it. What was happening?!? Not only was I frustrated at wrecking two batches of granola, I was getting mad at the waste of money - it's not super expensive, but it IS if you make it inedible! After I calmed down, I got out the recipe to double-check it and try again. First thing I read: preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Which I was doing...oh wait. I had it at 400. Well. That would explain it.

In related news, roasted carrots, which are amazing, go in a 400 degree oven.

And if this is what I'm like now, I pity my future caretakers.

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This summer, we will have Jeff's car paid off - the plan was to then replace my 10-year-old Explorer, which is definitely showing its age, with a new car...preferably a Mini Cooper. I can't help it - I think they are just so cute, and after years of driving a big vehicle (this Explorer is our third one, so you can see that I've been in a big car for a long time), I'm ready for a sporty car. However, the Minis are a tad more expensive than the Fords that we've been driving. So we decided to hold off for another year and put what we have been spending on the monthly car payment toward a down payment on the Mini. Fiscally responsible, right?

Well. We started chatting about all the things we could do with that money - new carpet, a couple of small trips (canoe for Jeff, back east for me), getting to Maui in January '13 so Jeff can run the Maui half marathon...long story short (and really, the story of our lives) - we manage to spend extra money 10 times over! But we came up with a solution:

A lottery ticket, once a week, for the next year. SURELY we'll win enough for everything and the car, right?!? (btw, this one? not a winner.)

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These aren't the greatest pictures because I was trying to hurry before Paco realized what I was doing (and then scare the squirrel away, which he did about three seconds later), but this squirrel was rapidly shoving leaves into his mouth, and then ran up the tree with them. Building a nest up high? I never realized that they did this!

Squirrels - endless source of entertainment for both me and Paco!

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I mentioned last week that we inadvertently redecorated our family room. The story behind that is that for Christmas, our kids gave us money toward buying a new flat-screen TV - we still had an old boxy one, and they thought we should join the 21st century. We found one that wasn't too expensive (since we still had to make up the balance) and bought it. Put it on our old TV stand (which actually was Sam's from when he was in high school) and saw that it was too wide. So after our visit with Debby last month, we went Ikea to look for a bigger TV stand...and got inspired to redo the room, especially when we realized that the stuff we were looking at wasn't that expensive (it's Ikea, after all), and with all the hours I'd worked at my seasonal job, we had the money for it. We sketched out a couple of floorplan ideas, bought two chairs and brought them home, measured the room to be sure the wall system we were looking at would fit, drove to a different Ikea (Round Rock) to get the couch and a small table, painted the room, then went to the Frisco Ikea last weekend to get the wall system. (As an FYI, there are three Ikea's in the state of Texas and we've now been to all of them.)

This room has been a hard one to place furniture in - it has a big fireplace, a really high wall, a wall of windows, and is open to the kitchen. We looked at doing a wall system when we first moved in, but they ran around $2000 - and we still would have needed more furniture to finish the room. So we sort of piecemealed it over the years - it was never anything that we were particularly thrilled with, but that room just wasn't a priority. Heck, we didn't even have window coverings! It's kind of embarrassing, but over time, it was easy to ignore. But now, we are really pleased with how the room looks - about time, as we've lived in this house for over 11 years!

Here's what we did:

The chairs and loveseat are new; the round table between the chairs was my nightstand, and we've had the other round table for a while, too. All from Ikea.

The windows are wider than standard, which is why I never spent the money to cover them - even a simple curtain rod was super-expensive. But Ikea has this nifty wire system for around $13, and these curtains were only $15 for the pair. I like how it finishes the window. BTW, my mom (and probably Debby) would be horrified to know that these curtains come really long so you can hem them to your desired length...with iron-on hem tape. Worked perfectly for me, but I imagine others might cringe at this method.

Love seat by Ikea, pillow by Target. Hey, we spread the love! I like this shot because you can see the kitchen table (which we bought when Max moved out in 2008) - this entire area feels much lighter and more airy now.

The TV that started it all, and the wall system - actually, it's the Billy bookcases, with doors. There is room for all of our DVDs in the TV stand (only filled up one drawer - granted, we don't have a ton, but still, it held more than I thought), and lots of space for books in the lower halves of the bookcases.

The reading corner (because that's the only place with a lamp, lol) - the top lifts off the square table and I have our extra throws inside.

Love how the large painting looks with the more neutral wall color - it used to be purple. Jeff thinks we need something hanging in the space above the TV...I've thought about doing some photos on canvas with the pets. Still not sure what I'm going to do there. And maybe we should get a large planter/plant to go in front of the outlet on the wall next to the fireplace? Plus, of course, I need more stuff in the display case. While I have a lot, it turns out that most of my things are on a smaller scale and "disappeared" when I put them on the shelves. No rush - finding things will be part of the fun!

Hard to believe that we had no intention of doing anything like this a month ago, but this is pretty much how we roll...random and a bit impulsive. Oh, in case you've forgotten, here's an outtake from a pretty recent Fashion Friday shot to refresh your memory of the room:

Normally we don't have folding lawn chairs in the family room, but Jeff likes to bring them in when the kids come home...hopefully NOW he won't feel the need to do that.

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Workout...Update?

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

When I am on a roll with my exercise, be it group workouts, running, swimming, or even just going for a bike ride every evening, I'm on autopilot. I don't have to think about it; I just automatically get up, get dressed and go. And I like it that way. Makes for much less mental fatigue, and I prefer that over being at the point where it's not the actual fatigue from exercise that is stopping me, but simply my own mind.

As you might have guessed, I'm not on autopilot this week. I could cut myself some slack, because we traveled over the weekend, and Monday was a holiday, with Jeff being home, where we he built our new wall system. I could have gone to the pool...but I didn't. I could have gone out for a long walk...but I didn't. I did get a bunch of laundry done and the house put back in order now that Max has gone back to Denton, but let's face it, if doing chores worked as exercise, I never would have been overweight, right?

See, this is why I hate to get out of my routine. It's so hard to get back into it! And the thing is? I actually like it when I'm in the middle of my workout, whatever it is (ok, not so much with the burpees, but I don't have to do those anymore). It's just the beginning that is such a mental challenge to me. But this ends now. Next Wednesday, I want to post a picture of my neglected training journal with workouts actually filled in. Because I like to exercise. I do, I really do! I just haven't been acting like it.

An Incomplete Pictorial Recap of the Weekend

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

Incomplete because many hours were spent driving up and down the great state of Texas, and frankly, showing you the Subway in Waco, the rest stop near Waxahachie, or the gas station in Hillsboro isn't all that interesting. And you probably know what Ikea looks like. But because it's late on Sunday night, we just got home a little while ago, I'm deeply regretting the decision to order and consume some fried jalapeños (oof, the nausea) and I'm not only tired but topic-less, this is the best I can do...your regularly-scheduled weight-loss and fitness blogging will resume on Wednesday, I promise.

This was a quick trip to Denton, to deliver our (not very) old couch to Max, to help install the new car stereo we gave him for Christmas to replace the old one that had been stolen when his car window was smashed about two years ago, and to run by Ikea to get the new wall system for our family room redo. Max had gotten a ride home the day before, and arrived at his apartment complex to see his car looking like this:

Seriously?!? Nothing was taken, because nothing (but some trash) was in it...I swear, he can't catch a break with this car. Which is a '95 Corolla. That he paid $500 for. Counting the last window, and this one, we've nearly put back that into the car in new flippin' windows!!!

Some of the glass on the ground. By the time we arrived, he had the car at the shop, getting the window replaced. So no radio installation. Now, the car was left there unattended for a month while he was home for Christmas break, but STILL. You do not want to know the words I had for the @#$% who did this.

In happier news, Max and Jeff brought the new couch into his apartment.

And Jeff promptly tested it out. Yep, still comfortable.

Max showing that Sam doesn't hold the patent on making goofy faces for the camera.

This picture is really for my mother (Hi Mom!) to show her the latest piece of art that I had framed - the one on the right (as well as the one in the middle) are watercolors that my Grandmother painted. We all got to choose some of her work after she died, and I spent the last few months finally getting everything matted and framed. Art for Christmas, woohoo!

Who needs four computer monitors? A computer science major, that's who...

After we finished up at Max's place, we headed over to Sam's, where he was busy building a quieter computer:

Showing me his anti-static wrist thingie (apparently a necessity when working with electronics).

I think he's reading the instruction manual!

Yep. Still the king of goofy faces.

These are two of my Grandmother's pictures that I had framed and matted for Sam - I'm really impressed at how nicely everything came out. It's hard to pick mat colors; feels like such a permanent decision! Luckily I had help at the framing place.

We went to Ikea Sunday morning, where we got what we needed and checked out in record time. I was amazed. We loaded up the car, had lunch all together at Smashburger (where I made the aforementioned regrettable decision to order the fried japaleños - so dumb! since having my gallbladder removed in 2009, I can't eat anything fried except for french fries...everything else makes me nauseated like crazy. last time I had fried crap was over two years ago - you'd think I'd learn, but no. argh, I frustrate myself!), and drove home. Jeff started assembling the wall system, with a supervisor:

"You following directionz?"

"Already bored. What dog doing?"

"Watching bright light on camera. Also waiting for cookie."

OK, thanks for bearing with me on such a random post. Have a good day, and remember, stay away from deep-fried foods - they're the devil. :(

Friday Mishmash

2012-01-13T05:00:00.001-06:00

My cats are weird. Henry and Kip do not get along. Well, it's Kip who gets all agitated. Henry could care less. The other morning, I was lying in bed (I was not being lazy - it really was early)(Jeff had gotten up at 4am to leave for an out-of-town job)(no one would willingly get up at 4am, right?) and I heard Kip yowling and hissing at Henry. When he wouldn't stop, I finally got up to separate them...and guess what? Kip was on one side of our dining room window, and poor Henry was on the other side - yes, HE was outside. Kip just doesn't like him, and that was not in my plans when we adopted both of them at the same time, from the same cage at the animal shelter. Companion kittens/cats, that's what I was going for. More like Cain and Abel is what I got. Anyway, they make for fun photography subjects - here's the latest:

Henry in his favorite spot - Paco's chair:

Time for a little grooming...

But not if you are going to watch me, lady! Sheesh - can't a cat get a little privacy?!?

And then there's Kip, who never met a ladder he didn't climb:

Partway through our family room project - inspector Kip was on the job!

Seriously, I know this is what he's thinking!

Harder to tell, but he's on another ladder - this shot was taken in 2006. Kippers loves it when we paint the house - it's laddertime, baby!

In the interest of equal time, here's Paco:

His bed isn't enough - now he needs my new throw!

Such a sweet face - how could I deny him anything?

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Recently, I won a giveaway from Rachel, who blogs at Losing It! The prize was winner's choice of a spice blend from Savory Spice Shop - one of her favorite places to find inspiration for cooking. She is a newlywed, and they gave away spice blends as wedding favors - cute idea, right?! Anyway, I chose Spiced Vanilla Bean Sugar, which I'm going to try in my granola (instead of using brown sugar). Rachel also sent some Baker's Brew Coffee Spice along with a recipe for Caramelized Coffee Spiced Chicken - sounds good and pretty easy to make (a big criteria when it comes to me and cooking, lol).

She also threw in a couple of extra goodies - check out the cool test-tube packaging! These will be fun to try next time we fire up the grill.

Thanks, Rachel!

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Finally, I leave you with this video - $hit Women Say to Personal Trainers. Max found it - I died laughing when I watched it. Also, I think I owe Brad, my former trainer, an apology...

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Have a great weekend - we are off to Ikea (yet again) to hopefully get the wall/TV system for our family room...should be *fun* as it looks like they are having a huge event - ack, crowds!

Wednesday Workout Update - Fear Factor Edition

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-06:00

I injured my ankle on January 15, 2011. Nearly a year later, I've finally been given the green light to go ahead and start walking for exercise, adding some running as I tolerate it. I'm sure you all understand how excited I am about this - finally, there is true hope and light at the end of this tunnel...who ever would have thought that a stupid ankle injury would sideline me from running for a year?!?

So I've gone for several walks, with a bit of running thrown in. And each time? I'm scared. It hurts, and I am immediately convinced I've done major damage to that ankle. I guess that is normal, coming off of such a long injury and surgical recovery (or at least I'm going to pretend it's normal, lol). To ease my mind and convince myself that I'm not doing any damage to the ankle, I'm having to individually evaluate each ache. Sounds ridiculous (and I feel like a baby, doing this), but I spent so much of last year trying to not make my ankle worse - it's hard to make the transition to "it's okay to hurt a little." I walked for 30 minutes last week, and threw in a couple of very short bursts of running (think 1 - 2 minutes) just to see how the ankle did. I had discomfort, but my orthopedist told me that I would...and that eventually it would go away. So fine. I was just ecstatic at the thought of running again!

On Saturday, with an unseasonably warm temperature of 70 degrees, Jeff and I set out for a 3 mile walk at the scary statue park. My goal was to run for a minute every 10 minutes (I guess you would call that intervals, but I was trying to be all casual and just sort of sneak some running in there)(like my ankle wouldn't notice it)(spoiler alert: it did). I did fine for the first three times of running (and I'm talking a really slow jog, folks), but the fourth time? Yeah, that hurt quite a bit, so I stopped the running. Finished the 3 miles, though. This week I'm only walking - trying to build up a base and get my muscles used to this again. And I'm back to swimming (as long as the temps don't dip below 40 - that's my "it's too dang cold!" cutoff point). I have visions of being a cross-training fool soon...and of course, having the body that comes along with all that work.

Pictures from Saturday:

Hello Ricky Bobby, remember me? I know you wanna go fast, but this was all I could manage...hang with me and we'll go fast(er) soon.

It was warm enough that the cold coconut water afterward was quite welcome!

Do feet have muscle memory? It took a bit to get them used to this whole "walking/running" idea.

The newest statue at the park - this one isn't so scary - maybe because he's not pointing a gun like all the others? He's a WWII airman, sculpted to resemble the first President Bush.

Kinda looks like him...

Nope, the helmet doesn't come off!

My walking partner. Maybe one of these days, my running partner?

Back to Normal - Ahhhhhh

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

Finally. As of last Friday, I'm done with my seasonal job. Over the weekend, I made my granola, which I've been out of for nearly a month - just too busy/tired to get it made until now. My first bowl of Fage, craisins and granola? Perfect. Just what I've been missing.

Looks like a ton of granola, but I swear, it's only 1/2 cup (granola is one thing I always measure - too easy to overdo it)!

After three weeks off (combination of annual shutdown and having to "use it or lose it" on some vacation days), Jeff is back at work today. Max is still home for another few days, but ~~he sleeps in until noon~~ he's so quiet that I can do my own thing without interference. Plus, I have a shopping partner - I'm sure he'll love that. Hey, he was the one who mentioned he didn't own a pair of salad tongs...which of course necessitates a trip to TJ Maxx, right? ;)

I've got myself set up with a workout schedule once again - I'll talk about that on Wednesday. But I have to say, it has felt GREAT to put on my workout clothes and move.

While I didn't go off the rails (very often) during the December, I am glad to not only have the time to grocery shop and get fresh food in the house, but also have the energy to prepare it. I really do prefer to eat regular food - treats are nice, but I like how I feel when I'm feeding myself the old standbys - salads, eggs, fresh fruit, grilled chicken, vegetables. Which could explain why the oranges I've been eating for the last few days have been particularly appealing (haha, punny) to me...I was taking "grab and go" foods like a Clif Bar or a protein drink to work for either lunch or dinner - and while they are much better for me than what I would have done in the old days (Taco Bell, I'm looking at you), there is still nothing like single ingredient foods. I'm actually relieved that I like to eat this way now - it makes maintaining my weight much less of a struggle.

Making extra money is nice. And we inadvertently redecorated our family room with it (we weren't planning on doing this, but as seen in my goals post, when do I ever really plan anything?) - pictures coming eventually. But honestly? I missed my old life. And I'm glad it's back.

Friday Mishmash

2012-01-06T05:00:00.000-06:00

In the "bad pet parents" category, I bring you this:

Yes, we let Paco have some of the gingerbread house. He wanted it!!! How could we deny him?!?

I know. Awful. Hey, at least we took off the chocolate. BTW, he loved the jelly beans that lined the peak of the roof - nibbled them off one by one. And if you are wondering why he's eating the losing house, it's because it had less chocolate; the winning house was covered in M&Ms on the roof. At least that's my story. ;)

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Ever see something on Pinterest and think "I should try that"? Obviously I do, as evidenced by my recent toaster fire. Still, that didn't stop me from being curious about the melted peppermint candy "trays" that had been popping up...of course, I didn't have any of the candy on hand the day I decided to try this, so I used some leftover mini candy canes...same thing, right?

I was trying to make a heart here...and also see what one candy cane looked like, melted. Hmmm.

Better. Less time in the oven. Weird but fun - if I ever think to buy a bag of those peppermint candies, I will actually attempt to make a tray. I don't know why, other than, why not???

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Last Friday, Jeff and I went to Dallas to meet up with blogger (and friend) Debby. We met at my favorite burger place in Frisco - I bet you can guess which one...

Yep. Scotty P's. And no, I don't get compensated every time I mention them...I just love their burgers THAT much!

Debby and Brett, who is laughing after I told them to move closer together to for the picture and he said "do I have to?" - brothers! I swear, they never change, right?!?

So after we ate lunch, we walked over to the oh-so-conveniently located frozen yogurt shop nearby, where we indulged. However, neither of us were game enough to try the avocado flavor...maybe next time.

And then? Debby taught me how to knit! One lefty to another - I finally got it!!! She gave me the knitting needles and yarn (notice that they are the same colors as my glasses? cool!) and after a bit of consternation getting that first row started, I was off and running - er, knitting!!!

What a fun visit - I'm just sorry we didn't have more time to chat - three hours went by in a flash! But there will be more visits in the future, and one of these days, I'll get to meet her menagerie! Oh, and look:

I'm still knitting! Going to figure out how to "cast off" soon, and start another piece that is wider - I plan on making a scarf, and have it finished while it's still winter here in Texas (which should last for another 2.5 months) - better get moving, right?

Have a great weekend!

Goal? Goal...

2012-01-04T05:00:00.001-06:00

I am not a strong goal-oriented person...rather, I usually just let things evolve. Like my weight loss: I didn't start out with a particular number in mind that I wanted to lose (or weigh) - I just got going, and the next thing I knew (ha, if you count 18 months later the "next thing"), I was down 100 pounds. Same thing with running - I just wanted to run, and then I wanted to run a mile. And then all those races happened - but it's not like I woke up one day and thought "I want to run a half marathon" - it just progressed toward that. The non-goal person that I am can frustrate other goal-driven people, especially Jeff. He doesn't quite get how I can go through life NOT picking something and working toward it, but after so many years of marriage, he's used to my ways by now.

So why am I writing about goals if I don't have one? Well, I thought I didn't have one, but like everything else, it's been unfolding while I wasn't really aware of it...beginning with my successful No Candy November, building with my "being too busy to notice if I was hungry" diet while at work in December, finally receiving (after months of being of my library's waiting list) the book Wheat Belly, and last, being sent this book for review:

It's like the universe is telling me something...it's time to strengthen my core and maybe, just maybe, see if I can make my stomach smaller. Because even when I was at my all-time lowest weight, my stomach size still bothered me. Now, in full disclosure, I haven't read much of Wheat Belly (what? you mean I can't just have the book in my posession, I actually have to READ it?!?), nor have I read the abs book (again with the reading!), but now that work is almost over, I'm going to give this a go. I mean, what do I have to lose, right?

Oh, and Jeff is going to be doing this with me. He doesn't know it yet, but I'm sure he'll be game. I'll sell it as something to help with his running (which having a strong core does do, as a matter of fact). So this is the plan...that I don't really have. But it's a goal. I think. I'll update you in a few months as to if it actually happened.

Dear 2012...

2012-01-02T05:00:00.001-06:00

Let's make a deal. I won't challenge you with the words "bring it on!" and you won't throw any major curveballs my (or my family's) way this year. OK? Let's just play nice.

Thank you,
Shelley

P.S. Letting me run again would be nice, too.

Friday Mishmash - Goin' to the Big D Again!

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

Ever have one of those days where you go from thinking "I should get dressed" to "I REALLY should get dressed" to "Hey, it's pajama day!"? That was my Monday, and a glorious day it was. Pajamas, a couple of naps, eating Christmas leftovers - perfect.

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Today we are driving to Dallas, where I'm going to meet up with Debby! She's been in Texas, visiting family for the holidays. We are meeting at Scotty P's for burgers (where else would two weight-loss bloggers meet?), and then I'm pretty sure we'll either A) shop; B) raise hell; or C) sit at a coffee shop and knit. I'll let you know next week what transpired. Max is staying here, alone. And he's planning a party. Which is my payback for all those high school "going away" parties that I threw for my parents - of course, AFTER they'd gone camping for the weekend. I just hope he does as good a job of cleaning up the evidence as I did!

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My last two shifts at the jewelry store are next week - Monday and Friday. And while I'll miss my co-workers (and have made some new friends!), I won't miss the long days, and the disruption in my normal, boring life. Plus, I'm done with working retail at Christmastime, and if you see that I'm considering doing this again next year, please remind me of that. Oh, I want to give a shout-out to Weston, who was a blast to work with both last year and this year - he's leaving to be a full-time college student. Good luck - you'll be missed!

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One of the stocking stuffers I gave Jeff and the boys was a Lego minifigure...they were packaged so you couldn't see which one you were getting, but I knew that there was a 1:16 chance of getting a hula girl, so I told them that if they got that one, she was mine. Wouldn't you know, Jeff got her! I swear, between the Barbie and the little Lego girl, I was in doll heaven this Christmas.

How cute, right?

I was trying to get a side view shot of the flower in her hair, but cracked up at seeing Paco in the background...that dog just LOVES the camera, and knows the beeping sound of when it's turned on, and poses accordingly.

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Sam bought himself a new tablet - the Asus Transformer. He was taking pictures with it while Kip and Paco were lying on the couch with him. At first, I thought this was just a really good close-up of Kip, until I looked a little more:

See Paco's nose in the background? I swear, even when he's not trying, he manages to get in the picture! And actually, I love the juxtaposition of their noses...so random.

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One of my co-workers, Lauren, always has fun painted fingernails, and she inspired me to get my first-ever manicure the other day when I went in for a pedicure. I wished Helen was there to advise me on a polish color - I stood in front of the display for so long that the girl finally came over to see what was I was doing. Anyway, I told her I wanted them cut straight across, like Lauren's (well, I didn't specify "like Lauren's" - that would have been weird). She did that, but cut what little growth I had! Oh well. After it was done, I kept getting distracted by my hands - seeing color on my nails was strange, but by the next day, I was used to it, and actually liked having the nice nails while displaying jewelry at work.

The color is OPI's Purple-opolis...and yes, that would be Paco's behind in the background.

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Have a great weekend and a Happy New Year - I'll see you in 2012!

Gingerbread House Throwdown, Year Three

2011-12-28T05:00:00.002-06:00

Because of my work schedule and the timing of when the boys came home, we weren't able to do this until Christmas Eve - normally half the houses would have been eaten by then, but they looked pristine on Christmas morning, which was a first. If you're new to the blog, we team up - Jeff/Sam and Max/me - to decorate a gingerbread house, and then decide on a winner. In throwdowns One and Two, Max and I were the losers. So this year, I started planning for a victory by "pinning" gingerbread decorating ideas on my Pinterest board. Max and I reviewed them a couple of days before the challenge ~~and promptly forgot most of them, dang it~~ - we were ready to win this year, finally!

The decorations, minus the mini-marshmallows, which I'd planned on using on the base as snow. Oops, forgot to get them out of the pantry.

As usual, Jeff and Sam immediately started cutting holes into their house...

While Max made me just watch as he thinks our loss last year was ~~partially~~ mostly to blame on my wonky roof decorating...

So fine, I helped myself to some candy while I waited!

Tasty!

See the cool chimney I built out of caramels? Pretty cool, right? Oh, and the boys, posing nicely for the camera as usual...

Sigh...

I thought this shot and the one below were funny, just because I have no idea what we all were looking at.

I mean, really - what WERE we looking at???

The WINNERS!!! Max and I declared ourselves the winners by default, since the other team (aka The Losers) used a non-candy decoration on their house - a Lego Santa. Nope! Invalid item. We win!!!

Invalid Santa - I allowed the foil since it had been wrapped around chocolate.

Winning house on the left, losing one on the right.

Side view - ours would have really looked cool had we remembered the "snow" on the ground!

Aptly named losing house - but they didn't know HOW bad Santa was going to be to them when they decorated it!

I was pretty happy with the caramel chimney!

And so was Sam...

Christmas Recap!

2011-12-26T05:00:00.003-06:00

It's like they know me or something...

My purple gifts - new flip flops, a cashmere scarf (so soft!) and sparkly earrings!

My pink gifts - pretty new mouse, biking Barbie(!!!), insulated water bottle!

Apparently Jeff noticed that I would stop and look at her every time we zipped past the toy section in Target, and bought her for me! Look how the flowers in the wheels match the flowers on my blog AND bike! And she's wearing a running skirt/capri combo, just like I have (although sadly mine is not pink). I'll have to find a cat to go in the basket and then the picture will be complete...and I promise to NOT cut her hair or give her pierced ears (shades of some failed childhood styling attempts on my old Barbies).

Deep down I'm an 8 year old girl who still loves her Barbies.

We had a nice, relaxing day - played with our gifts, watched some movies on our new big TV (we've finally ditched the big box and have a flat screen in the family room thanks in part to the boys), and ate our traditional Christmas dinner - only tradition was broken as Jeff and the boys prepared all of the side dishes on Christmas Eve since I was working all dang day. I have to say, they did a nice job - everything tasted great!

Traditional family picture - someone ALWAYS is being goofy!

Wearing the crowns from our Christmas crackers and showing our prizes - they were pretty good this year, with a squirt gun, colored pencils, a bottle opener and a parcheesi-type game.

It's Almost Here!

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

The excitement is building...

Dis one smellz like it for me (good sniffer, Paco - he was right!)

OK, so far it's just the dog...

Who dis man? Why so many of him???

But soon these ~~little boys~~ grown ups will be home:

1993 - ages 4 and 6. So cute!

And then?

Indeed!

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and get to enjoy spending time with your loved ones. See you next week!

Owning It

2011-12-21T05:00:00.026-06:00

I'm sick - finally gave in and went to the doctor on Monday. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in soon and I'll get my energy back.
My exercise for the month of December consists of standing for hours on end. Short bursts of walking are also included. That's it. And that's all it's gonna be, until I'm done with this ~~dumb~~ job.
My appetite has been practically nil, although I did demolish an entire package (a small one, ok?) of peanut brittle the other evening. That sugary, buttery goodness what just want I ~~needed~~ ~~wanted~~ needed. And when I added up the calories? I still hadn't come close to a normal amount for the day.
I am over working retail at Christmas. It was fun last year, but this year, they've just about doubled my hours, and apparently the fun stops after about four hours. I'm working seven hour days all this week - you do the math...

The last week and a half has been rough. I'm just enough of a big baby to see how working full-time would most likely wipe out me, my diet, and my exercise routine. I give big props to those of you who manage to make it all work...because I'm hanging on by a thread, and I'm not even doing half of what I used to! My normal life cannot return soon enough.

Exercise and Weight Loss Expectations

2011-12-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

Not mine - Jeff's. With all the running he's done over this year, he's lost weight. Not to mention the changes to his eating that he's done since I began my journey (to fit!) - even though he travels all the time, now he almost never eats at any fast food restaurant other than Subway. He really tries to make good choices, and that, along with the running, shows...he's had to buy new pants in a smaller size, and easily fits into size large shirts - I've finally convinced him to get rid of all of his old XL's as they are just tents on him now. So obviously he's lost weight, right?

Well. As I discovered when I trained for my half marathon, although my SIZE got smaller (and I did look good - much more "solid" than I do now), I actually gained about 5 pounds. So on Friday morning, just before Jeff left for his sort-of annual physical (it's been a couple of years), he asked me how much I thought he weighed. Loaded question, right? Knowing that at one point he had been well into the 230's, I said 215. He was surprised that I guessed so high, but I knew from my experience that while running does change your body shape for the better, it doesn't necessarily show up on the scale.

When he came home, he was a little disappointed. Although the doctor was happy with the weight he'd lost, he still clocked in at 213 pounds. Now, that was after eating breakfast and drinking several cups of coffee (who DOES that before they are going to step on a scale??? oh yeah - men), and of course wearing regular clothes and shoes (has he learned NOTHING from my weigh-ins?? wear light clothing! flip flops!!). So I'd say he was more like 210. But he expected to weigh around 200 pounds. I had similar expectations when I was working out a lot - that somehow all the sweat and effort I put into it would translate into a big loss on the scale.

It's a frustrating thing to accept, that exercise results do not always show up on the scale. But they do translate to a healthier body, and I'm hoping that Jeff will be able to revise his expectations and be happy with how far he's come in the last year. When I realized this, it was just one more reason why I stopped giving the scale so much weight (pardon the pun), and instead focused on my overall body size, health and fitness.

Friday Mishmash - I Hab a Code Edition

2011-12-16T05:00:00.001-06:00

The germs of the season finally got to me, and I have been dealing with a full-blown cold - the sneezing, watery eyes, congestion...what do you know, those TV commercial descriptions are correct! While it's been pretty miserable and I haven't been sleeping well, I know that it'll be gone in a week, or seven days...at least, that's what my Grandmother always said about colds, and she usually was right. I guess I was due, considering that I haven't had one in several years - coincidentally, about the same time I started eating healthier and exercising. But the germ factory of sick co-workers, customers, and money handling (even though I try to not touch my face AND wash my hands as often as I can while at work) finally got to me, and I'm now Typhoid Mary - and of course I went to work (the better to spread my germs!) because I'm not sick enough to stay home, and believe me, they need all hands on deck as people are shopping like crazy! I swear, work in retail at the holidays and you'd never know there were any problems with the economy.

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I have a "smart" phone, and occasionally it gets stuck, to the point where I can't even make a phone call with it. I finally took it in to the Sprint store, and the technician there told me to think of it not as a phone, but as a computer that makes phone calls. Okayyyy. So apparently it needed the old "ctrl-alt-del" trick, which they did at the store (and showed me how to do it myself but do you think I can remember? I'm counting on a google search to tell me next time I need it). Another thing I need to change my thinking about - it's not a phone anymore, it's a computer!

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While I don't recommend this for the long haul, and probably couldn't sustain it, one unexpected benefit from my seasonal job is weight loss. Honestly, it could have gone either way - there always seems to be a plethora of treats in the back room for us (donuts, pastries from the local bakery, candy, cake, ice cream bars), but I decided on my first day there to not touch any of it - just not get started. I'm always working over one mealtime, and while I can take a 20 minute break to eat, I've only been bringing a bottle of light Honey Milk to tide me over. So I guess you could say I'm sort-of doing a meal replacement diet, unintentionally - and honestly, we're so busy that I don't have time to notice any hunger. Plus I think my protein-heavy breakfast and the protein in the Honey Milk helps with that...like I said, I don't think this would work forever for me, but I have noticed that I no longer want to die when I put on my jeans, so yeah, some weight is coming off. Woohoo - I'll take it, especially at this time of the year!

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I need to make a public apology to Paco - for years now, he growls at the cats if they dare to come near him while he's gnawing a rawhide or one of his Nylabones. We've always gotten onto him about that, because the cats have never taken one of his precious chews away. Silly dog. Except, apparently, they DO. Well, Henry, anyway. I was taking some pictures of Paco and Henry lolling around in the sunshine the other day, when the growling started. LOOK:

And just when I thought Henry was done messing with Paco, he did this:

I'm not doing anything...

Boop! I touched your butt!

Annnnd, back to enjoying the morning sun.

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A couple of contrasts with my Fashion Friday pictures this week. Similar outfits, but in one, I felt thin. The other? Fat. Weird, I know, but the way clothes fit me makes a big difference in my mood.

I felt stylish and slim in this outfit. I dared to try something different (for me) with the animal print top - I was going for something brown to pull in the boot color. Love these boots, btw - I am able to stand in them for 6 hours at work and not want to chop off my feet at the end of the day!

Close up of the top - love the bit of shirring and ruffle detail. I never would have worn brown boots with a black skirt had it not been for Kristen, who gave me some fashion advice about mixing colors. I think this worked - thanks, Kristen!

A few days later and a similar outfit - but in this, I felt fat and a bit frumpy. Maybe I should have bought a smaller size in the top? Or is the sweater (new - I wanted to try the long flowy style that is in now) too much fabric for me? Also, I can tell that I was not feeling well - my cold had started the day I wore this outfit.

Something about this outfit isn't working for me, but I don't quite know what.

I like the way the sweater looks from the back with the elastic adding some shape to it. Also, this picture made me laugh when I uploaded it - Paco must have thought we were standing guard (ok, you take that side and I take dis side).

Once again, with my clothes, I'm reminded that I need to be more picky with what I buy - just because it's a deal doesn't mean it's a good buy, especially if I don't feel spectacular (or at least good) in it!

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Have a great weekend - I am done with all of my Christmas shopping and wrapping (woohoo!), so I get to laze around (well, after I work on Saturday), which, after the last few super-busy weekends, sounds very nice to me!

Wednesday Workout Update

2011-12-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

I've been active, but I haven't been "working out" - and while I feel a little guilty, it's actually been a sanity saver for me to not add the 2.5 hours of gym time to my day. I know that for those of you who work full time must think I'm being a baby, but dang, people...between my part-time seasonal job (retail at the holidays - what was I thinking?!?), the extra stuff I need to do for Christmas, and the super-cold weather (seriously, what's up with this - I thought Texas was supposed to have a mild winter this year), I'm hanging by a thread some days. My lists have lists. I'm working at getting things done while actually remembering to take time to enjoy the season - some nights I even turn on the lights on the Christmas tree, sit down, and just relax. What a concept!

OK, so in the REALLY?!? category of my life, I have developed tendonitis in my left foot/ankle. Which would explain the pain I've been experiencing since walking (walking! I can't even walk!!) the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day. Honestly, it was hurting so bad that I had convinced myself that I had the same injury on the left ankle as the right! So I guess tendonitis is not terrible, but frack, it hurts. My doctor said it's because I've been favoring the right ankle. I swear, I can't win. He had me get some arch supports, which do help when I can wear them, but they don't fit into my dress shoes, so I'm still standing at work for 5 or 6 hours without them. He also said to lay off the walking until the swelling goes down. Not easy to comply with that, between the job and participating in life, aka spectating the half marathon in Dallas and working a water stop at the BCS Marathon last Sunday. I guess I'll heal in January? Needless to say, I'm beyond frustrated at this point.

To recap: No swimming. No walking. No formal exercise at all. After the first week in January, I'll be done with this job and can get back to my regular life - and even if it's too cold to swim, I will find something to do at the gym...maybe I'll get brave and take a spin class!

Another Sunday, Another Race...

2011-12-12T05:00:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was the inaugural race of the BCS Marathon and Half Marathon. A few of our running club people participated in it, while the majority of us manned the water station at the 16.5 mile mark. Why oh why couldn't we have had this weather for the Dallas Marathon?!? It was cold, yes, but sunny and clear. No rain. Amazing what a difference that one factor - precipitation - can make. It was funny, though, how we all were still suffering a little PTSD from the cold, rainy day of a week ago - one of our guys brought out a propane heater, while we all wore layers upon layers of dry clothes, and I even bought a pair of rubber rain boots, thinking that otherwise, I'd end up with wet shoes from splashy water handoffs to the runners. And yes, I wish I'd thought to buy them for last week...oh well.

I'll admit that when my alarm went off at 6:30 am, the last thing I wanted to do was get up and go stand in the cold for several hours, but I have to say that this was really fun and so inspiring to see runners - both the ones who made it look effortless (at mile 16.5, no less!) and the ones who, you could tell, were feeling every step. While running a marathon is something that you choose to do, and it seems like a good idea at the time, it sure takes a lot of inner strength and determination to make it to the end. I'm glad we were able to offer some encouragement along with water and Gatorade - oh, and mini Milky Way candy bars - Julia was given one toward the latter part of her marathon last week, and she swore that made the difference in getting through the race, so she brought a bag for the runners.

For a runner (I can still call myself that, right?), I found the behind-the-scenes part of the race interesting - usually, I just run the race and at some point(s) come across a water station. Magic? Apparently not! We were given a time to arrive and set up - the tables, water and cups had been dropped off at our spot, but we (and I'm saying the royal *we* since some of our group had already arrived and started setting up by the time Jeff and I negotiated road closures to get there) set up the tables, filled the first round of cups, put up signs, started playing some music thanks to a generator being brought by one of our runners, and (of course) posed for pictures:

Moving the Gatorade table closer to the street - we were told to be off the street when the runners came by.

Water first, Gatorade second...

USA Fit BCS! Don't let Jeff's shorts fool you - it WAS cold. I'm wearing three layers under my coat!

Fun crew of ladies! My half homie, Julia, is in the center...but now I have to call her a full homie since she ran her first marathon last week!

Will showed up dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow - he stood at the turn and hollered and waved his swore for the runners - they loved it! He was a great distraction for them.

Waiting for the first runner to come through...

The entire reason we were out there - the runners!

Yay - another runner!

We were also responsible for cleaning up the cup trash - here's Rand coming back after picking up a discarded cup...we had the cleanest aid station by far thanks to him and Stan - all morning they kept up with the trash!

Nearly two years ago, when I was going to run my first race, I remember Helen giving me some advice about the water stations - she said to pick out one person and point to them so they'd know you were going to reach for their cup. The races I did were never that crazy at the water stations by the time I got there, so that wasn't necessary for me, but this race? We were told that some runners were trying to qualify for Boston and the Olympic trials, and to be really careful about not impeding their way. So we were understandably a bit nervous when the first few runners approached. Imagine my surprise and delight when I realized that as I stood there with a cup of Gatorade held out, a runner pointed at me! Oooh! I knew what he meant - I was in the club!!! That happened many times yesterday - and the handoffs went really well with minimal splashing or missing the runner completely. Quite cool!

My new rubber rainboots kept my feet nice and dry - Paco approved them.

Again, why didn't I think about getting these before Dallas?!? My mind, it boggles me.

While this was fun, and I have no intentions or desire to run a full marathon, I sure would like to be on the other side of the Gatorade table soon.

Friday Mishmash - YMX Winner Announced!

2011-12-09T05:00:00.001-06:00

Remember this?

I tried it. Set my toaster on fire. Really really on fire. Briefly considered slapping flames with a wet towel, but eventually I was able to blow everything out. Much harder than the last time I tried to blow out candles on a birthday cake. Of course it's been a while since I've had my actual age in candles on a cake, so who knows...it may be about the same degree of difficulty. Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is don't try everything you see on the internet. Also? Buy a toaster oven if you really want cheese toast.

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The winner of the YMX Winter Flower Tri-Sport Jersey is:

Lori!!!

Congratulations!!! Email me (40somethingsjourney@gmail.com) with your mailing info and I'll pass it on to my contacts at YMX.

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I have some outtakes from the race last Sunday...just some pictures that I couldn't quite fit into the official recap, yet I still wanted to post, so here goes:

This couple was checking into the hotel at 5:30 am - booty call? They looked a little overdressed compared to all of the runners in the lobby.

Max may have been a teensy bit worried before the race...

If I had abs like this Santa woman, I'd run in that outfit, too.

The dog came in following the marathon winner - not sure what that was all about, but he seemed to be having a good time!

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I'm showcasing a couple of my favorite looks for Fashion Friday - really, when I wear these outfits, I wonder why I bother with some others - I need to work on being more picky with what I buy. If I don't absolutely LOVE IT, I should not buy it. Period.

Sorry, I know this is a little dark, but I wanted to show you how much I love this look - this is the dress I wore to Sam's graduation with a little black cardigan buttoned over it. Black tights and my black boots (which sadly I noticed are wearing out - boo to cheap faux leather!) complete the look and I felt very stylish!

I LOVE this sweater. Saw it a couple of months ago at Steinmart and picked it up immediately, and didn't even put it down when I saw the price - $24 - which is more than I usually spend on a sweater. I'm so glad I bought it - every time I wear it, I feel great. Worth every penny!

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We get to relax on Saturday - woohoo! Sunday morning, you'll find us working a water stop at mile 16 of the inaugural BCS Marathon - I'm just hoping for no rain. I don't think I can take another freezing cold and wet Sunday - at least, not so soon!

Have a good weekend - stay warm and dry!

Dallas White Rock Half Marathon Recap

2011-12-07T05:00:00.000-06:00

What a day this race turned out to be. Quite honestly, it was pretty miserable. The weather was awful - rainy, windy and cold. Temps were in the high 30s with a wind chill in the 20s. It had been raining for a couple of days, so the ground was full of puddles - you couldn't help but get your feet soaked just walking TO the start of the race - and it was all a sloppy mess after that. Really, if you were going to run this race, you just had to commit to being cold and wet the entire time - and that's what made it so amazing to watch these runners cross the finish line, knowing that not only had they run either 13.1 or 26.2 miles, but that they did it in really awful conditions. They all showed incredible inner strength to not only run such a long distance, but to grit it out in such bad weather - major kudos to everyone who ran!

This was Jeff's and Max's first half marathon, and they did quite well. Jeff finished in 2:14, and Max in 2:46 (yes, that bugger beat my first half marathon time by a minute - and I trained for mine, while the longest run he'd had was a 5 miler!). Despite the awful weather conditions, both are ready to do this again, and Max is even thinking about training for a marathon! Shoot, if he can run a half with practically no training, imagine how well he'd do WITH an actual plan!

I'll let the pictures tell most of the story (clickable if you want to see them bigger):

Bibs in hand at packet pick up - it's official, they're really going to do this!

Jeff looking like Hobo Joe in his warm throwaway clothes - lobby of the hotel, 5:30 am.

USAFit BCS running club, represent! All decked out in rain gear, ready to leave the warmth of the hotel lobby and go to the race start.

Lucky for us, the race organizers opened up the coliseum to wait in before the race - at least we could stay warm and dry for a little while.

The line up for the start stretched on forever! 25,000 runners all corralled into one area - Jeff and Max crossed the starting line about 35 minutes after the race began.

After I saw them start, I went immediately to the finish area to stake out my spot - there was no way I was going to miss them crossing the finish line! Just over an hour into the race, the winner of the half marathon came in...it was pretty exciting to see the runner come flying in like this! There weren't a lot of us at the finish line yet, but we were cheering him on like crazy.

Here's the marathon winner (in yellow) - he looked like he could have kept on running for another few miles!

Jeff heading toward the finish line!

Check out his calf muscles! Also? He's still passing people!

They were broadcasting the race on the local Dallas TV station, so I caught Jeff's moment of glory both on the big screen as well as in person - pretty cool!

Jeff did it! His first half marathon at age 54! Not too shabby for an old dude! ;)

Max nearing the finish line...

And he's done - first half marathon at age 22! Nice job, Max!

So bummed that this picture didn't turn out better - my camera lens fogged up when we finally got inside the "family reunion" area, and they were too wet and cold to want to hang around much longer to get a clearer picture.

Max wins Chafe of the Week, hands down! Ouchies. Of course he immediately posed for a picture so Sam could upload it to Facebook. We were all laughing at how messed up his shirt was, and then I remembered that it was MY shirt! Joke's on me? Luckily the blood washed out.

Well-earned beer for the half marathoners! Nice medals, guys!

The spectators - still cold!

I had hoped to get a lot more pictures of the race, but it was cold. And rainy. Have I mentioned that? I was juggling the umbrella and camera, trying not to get it too wet. I wore a backpack with some dry socks and shirts for the guys, but after the race, when I reached in to get the clothes out, everything was soaked. We should have packed a complete change of clothes for Jeff and Max and did the bag check thing, but we've never had to do that before and just didn't think about it. Newbie mistake, even though we've been participating in races for a while. We just usually deal with heat, not cold! Sam met me out at the finish line just before 10am so he got a nice dose of the chilly weather as well. It was miserable to be out there for so long, but absolutely worth it to see Jeff and Max complete their first half marathon. A day to remember, for sure!

YMX by Yellowman Review AND Giveaway!

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000-06:00

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I got an email from the crew at YMX, offering to send me a Tri-Sport Jersey, and also one for one of my readers...ME??? I was stunned to have made it onto their radar - let's face it, I've not had the best year with traditional workouts. And I also don't have the sleek, fit, young body that I would think they'd want representing their products. But I have to say, my self-doubt began to ebb when I read this in the email "We love your posts on weight loss and the active lifestyle you display" - and I realized that yes, I am active...just because I can't do my favorite activity right now doesn't mean I've sat around doing nothing all year. So I happily accepted their offer, and this is what they sent, and what one of you will have the chance to win:

This is the YMX Tri-Sport Jersey in Winter Flower Red. Suitable for everything from running around the town to bike riding, running, walking, or anything else you can imagine. It has three pockets on the back of the shirt that you could stash a water bottle in (if you were biking or walking- I think it would bounce too much if you were running), or a small digital camera, phone, lip balm, snack...shoot, for a longer walk, you could load this up and be hands-free, yet have everything you might need!

Along with the gorgeous prints and patterns that YMX has, they use "MadKool" fabric, which is unlike any technical fabric I've ever seen...it's incredibly soft and smooth and really feels nice against the skin. My jersey has UV protection of 50+ which I have a great appreciation for, especially after I got sunburned through the technical shirt that I wore at Beach Palooza.

I'll be honest - you all know I am a bargain hunter when it comes to, well, everything. And at the price of this shirt - $119 - I wouldn't have even considered buying it. But now that I have one, I will admit that I've been stalking the YMX website, drooling over some of their other patterns, and thinking that in the future, I may just treat myself to another top - maybe a short sleeved one in the spring/summer. It's that nice.

Additional thoughts about the jersey: It's really fitted. I am wearing an XL and it's definitely body-skimming. Usually on technical shirts I wear a size large, to avoid having anything tight across my stomach. YMX recommended ordering a size up for a relaxed fit, and I still wouldn't call this fit "relaxed" on me. Also, the long sleeves are really long - I don't normally have this much of an issue with long sleeves. That said, the fabric is thin and comfortable enough that it doesn't look or feel funny even though it's bunched up on my wrists.

Long sleeve visual - but as you can see, it looks (and feels) fine bunched up

YMX has generously offered to give one of you, my lucky U.S. readers, the same jersey - sweet! To enter, just leave me a comment telling me you want to win - I'll let random.org pick the winner and announce it on Friday, December 9th. Good luck!

FTC: YMX gave me a Tri-Sport Jersey to review - opinions expressed are mine, all mine!

Friday Mishmash - Goin' to the Big D (and I DO mean Dallas!)

2011-12-02T05:00:00.017-06:00

This is the big weekend - the Dallas White Rock Marathon/Half Marathon. Jeff has been training for it since June, and he's ready to tackle 13.1 miles! Max will be joining him, and while he hasn't been training like Jeff, he has youth on his side and should do just fine (oh, to be young and fit!). This is the goal race for most people in my running club (some will be doing our local marathon in another week), and we will be heading up to Dallas today, then doing packet pickup, expo, and group pasta dinner tomorrow...ooh, should be fun! Oh yeah, and then they have to go run miles and miles and miles. I get to spectate, with my nifty new camera, and hopefully, finally, get some decent running pictures of Jeff, Max and the gang. Now, if we can just hold off the rain, that would be swelllllll...

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No Candy November is officially over! And I made it - an entire month without any candy. Go me! Actually, except for a couple evenings, I was fine without it, which amazed me, considering that I've been eating a couple of Dove dark chocolate Promises just about every night for a long time now - I thought I'd have some pretty strong cravings, but thankfully, none, for the most part. I think the best thing that came out of this little challenge was that I broke the habit of randomly tossing back some candy. And while I do plan on indulging occasionally (hey, our annual gingerbread house decorating throwdown is coming up), I think that I'll be a little more discerning on how often. Besides, it's not like I have any wiggle room at the moment - my clothes are tight enough. No need to make it any worse! So, several of you mentioned that you would do this challenge too - how did you do?

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OK, this was too strange not to share. The other day in the locker room at my gym, I noticed a woman step on the scale. Not too weird, right? Wrong. She was fully dressed, wearing shoes, carrying her jacket, and had her purse slung over her shoulder. And.she.stepped.on.the.scale. Who does that?!? So odd. Obviously she is not a dieter, that's for sure!

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Squirrel!

This little guy was watching me while I was at my desk...

Eating acorns that have fallen on the roof. He was shopping from the gutter screen!

I am amazed at the detail (I used the full zoom (36x) on my camera) - I was sitting at my desk and the squirrel was outside on the roof when I took this picture.

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I finally have several outfits to choose from for Fashion Friday - benefit of working, lol! I'm going to space them out, since come January, I'll be back to my standard outfit of jeans or sweats - scratch that, I should not wear sweats, even around the house. Elastic waists tend to make me forget that I can't eat anything and everything! Anyway, this is what I wore to work on Monday. It looks a little plain, but that's because I planned on wearing a necklace from the store once I got there (we can "check out" necklaces and earrings to wear during our shifts). This is the pendant I ended up wearing (I put it on a 26 inch long chunky chain - that alone is $145, which means I'll never own it, so this was a treat):

And this is what I wore - pretty standard work outfit for me:

Cowl neck sweater, new - but I swear, I had a similar one (although not in pink!) back when I was in high school. Everything old cycles around (haha, see ponchos as evidence, but you will never see ME in a poncho now)

I was having one helluva good hair day and tried to get a side shot - the chlorine must have made my hair extra thick that morning. Hmmm, I just realized that this hairstyle is similar to the 70s feathered hair...guess this entire look was a throwback for me!

OK, I found this in my scanned pictures...I was right - cowl neck sweaters on both me and my friend, Shari:

Could my jeans have BEEN any more high-waisted?!? Also, please note that I was thin enough to layer two sweaters and tuck them in...damn.

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Come back Monday for a cool review/giveaway! I'll have a race recap on Wednesday. Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Workout Update - Hectic Week

2011-11-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

Because of two very long days, I'm only swimming M/W/F this week...I planned this over the weekend, after I looked at my schedule. Too much of everything can make me crazy, so I'm backing off when I can - it's my sanity saver. Plus we are leaving on Friday for Dallas - ack! A lot of details to take care of for the big race on Sunday, and it's pretty much all on me, since Jeff is traveling all over until just prior to the race. The good news is that he's more than ready for the half marathon. The bad news is that right now, rain is in the forecast, which won't be fun for runners or spectators. But this is Texas, and our weather can change on a dime, so who knows what it will really be on Sunday.

Anyway. Swimming. It's dang cold in the mornings, and while the pool is heated, any wet body part that is out of the water is co-co-cold! Actually, on Monday I was cold the entire hour I swam...but then, although (they said, not quite sure I believe them) the pool's temperature was 84 degrees, it was only 32 outside (and the building that housed the pool wasn't much warmer). I'm thinking about getting a long-sleeved rash guard type of shirt and wearing that - maybe having an extra layer will help? Kind of a wetsuit lite? Anyone tried this?

When I do the backstroke swoosh (Shelley Swimming™ - remember, a version unlike most standard swim strokes), I've been using some rectangular Speedo swim paddles that my dad picked up for me at a rummage sale - let me tell you, these things WORK my arms, big time! Way more than the triangular-shaped paddles that I bought a couple of months ago do...not only am I winded, but I'm moving through the water fast, and my upper arms are getting a great workout! I'm almost as tired, using these, as I was when I was pumping iron with my trainer back in the day.

Since it doesn't look like running will be happening anytime soon for me (boo, hiss), I'm going to try and walk, walk, walk my way to a smaller body. Of course, my part-time job has me on my feet for five to six hours per shift, so walking will only take place on the days I'm not working. But I have to do something to get rid of this "fat feeling" that I have. It's not a ton of weight, per se, that's making me feel this way - it's moreso my general floppy flabby body tone (especially in my nemesis, the belly area). I'll be honest here - some days, I just think I should quit eating altogether and that would solve my problem. And then I remember that I'm not the anorexic teenager that I was, so long ago, and get back to reality...which for me, is having a body that spent twenty years being overweight, and is just having a hard time recovering from all the trauma that I inflicted on it.

Turkey Trot 5K/Muppet Movie Recap

2011-11-28T05:00:00.006-06:00

Thanksgiving, as usual, was fun - it's always great to spend time with the kids (although I guess they are adults at this point) - they make me laugh like nothing else!

We woke up early Thursday morning...whose bright idea was it to sign us up for a Turkey Trot? Oh. Sorry 'bout that, kids. Sleep in on your vacation? Hah! Anyway, we were dressed and ready by 7:00 am - the race participants had more than doubled from last year and there were over 1,000 people signed up, so we got there a little early in order to avoid parking problems. Side note: can I just say how amazing it is that this race, in its second year, had grown so much? Love that fitness is taking a more prominent role in everyday life.

So the race was fun - Max and Jeff ran it, although not really together (more on speedy Jeff later). Sam and I walked it, although not really together - I saw his back for most of it...dude, I was walking an average of a 17 minute mile...on a not-quite-rehabbed ankle...slow down for your mother! But he kept wanting to pass other walkers and "not be last" - apparently Sam has no idea that I'm used to being last, or close to it, in these things! My plan was to run the last tenth of a mile of the 5K, to test out my ankle. And you must be wondering how that went. Well. I made it three steps. Hurt like a @#$%. Instantly. Hammers beating on my ankle the second I landed the first running step. Which, as you might imagine, was extremely disappointing. I had hoped that I was close to being able to run, but based on how much it hurt, I suspect it's still pretty far away. Not happy about that - I go back to my doctor on Wednesday, and I'll confer with him, but I'm sure I'll get the "wait x number of weeks" speech. Boo on that.

Running disappointment aside, it was really nice to meet up with so many of my running friends that morning...I saw my former trainer, Linda, and her son, who I ran part of the Armadillo Dash with in 2010. I also caught up with Julia, my running club buddy who trained with me for the half last year, and is going to run her first marathon in a couple of weeks (so excited for her). Fun times - love the running community's camaraderie. Pictures:

Thanksgiving morning, 7:30 am. Why stay home and watch a parade on TV when you can be outdoors, pre-burning your big meal?

Annual shoe picture...by the way, this greatly embarrasses my family to pose for it, but too bad - they will be happy, happy I tells ya, to have that picture when we're all old and gray (well, grayer for some of us), sitting in rocking chairs and reminiscing about the good old days!

Julia and me! I'm so proud of her, not only with how much she's running, but that she's wearing a purple hat, sunglasses, shirt and running shoes...my matchy-match influence has rubbed off!

Some of my running club peeps - our new shirts make it easy to spot each other!

Jeff explaining his race strategy? The ladies look skeptical.

Will and Julia - ready to run!

Look what I have to live with...a speed demon. Jeff set a new PR with this race - average pace 8:47??? Crikey. Someone needs to remind him that it's NOT a race! Oh wait. He was ridiculously proud to place 10th in his age division. I can't believe he's been running less than a year - pretty amazing, when you think about it.

Participating in this race made me miss running even more. I am trying to not be frustrated at how!freaking!long! it's taking me to get over this ankle injury, but it's not easy.

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After we finished the race, we went home, ate breakfast, and then went to see the new Muppet movie. Y'all, I was smiling from the opening to the very end - I loved it. If you liked the Muppet Show from way back when (read: mid 1970s), you'll love this movie. I thought it was pretty telling that almost all of the audience was adults - I think a lot of us were getting a nostalgia fix with this movie. I highly recommend it, if you're a Muppet fan. And now I want a Kermit the Frog watch.

Too bad I was busy having a baby in 1987 instead of buying a cool Kermit watch!

Friday Mishmash - Abbreviated

2011-11-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

We are having a lot of fun with the kids here...

Typical family picture...

Laughter has been plentiful on this Thanksgiving!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving (or just a nice Thursday, if you are somewhere other than the U.S.) - I'll be back on Monday with a Turkey Trot recap!

Wednesday Workout Update

2011-11-23T05:00:00.001-06:00

Workout? What workout?? Big fat zero for the week so far. Which is pretty rare for me, and I'd be a little more worried about it, except that I actually am on my feet and moving around - I'm just dressed way better than normal. I'm talking about my job - I'm standing and walking the entire time, and let me tell you, it is wearing me out!

So my only excuses for missing swimming are being really tired, which I hope will ease up as I get used to working again, and thunderstorms yesterday morning - can't swim with lightening. Today we had an early meeting, so no pool. I was feeling pretty down on myself, thinking I'd get no real exercise in this week, but then I remembered we're doing a Turkey Trot 5K tomorrow morning...oh yeah! Max and Jeff will run it, in preparation for their half marathon in a couple of weeks, while Sam and I will walk it. Although...I'm thinking I may have to try running it a smidge...just to see how the ankle feels. Maybe the last .1, as we cross the finish line? Just for kicks? Why not, right?

Even though I won't get to the pool until next Monday, I'm putting it out here that I WILL do something the rest of this week - probably walking, maybe a bike ride - but I WILL move my body. And next week? Back on track for sure.

I Got Nuttin'

2011-11-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

Seriously. My brain is just swirling with so much stuff I need to do that I can't think straight enough to write a coherent post. What follows is just a brain dump - maybe it will help get me thinking clearer. I'm sure it will be mostly boring and I apologize in advance.

When did beef get to be so expensive? $4.29 a pound for stew meat?!? Damn. I haven't bought meat in a long time, obviously.
I have to work on keeping a calmer face when people ask to see several items at the jewelry store and then BUY THEM ALL. The first time, a guy looked at three charms and then said "I'll take them" - I was like "ALL of them???" By the time a lady looked at and bought three different pairs of earrings, I was much more nonchalant. Inside, though, I was all, dang!
I do admire people who can decide, just like that, on gifts. Takes me longer, plus you know I have to find the best deal.
Last year it did not bother me to stand for four or five hours. This year? Different story, and it's not just my post-surgery ankle that's aching, it's both feet and legs. What's changed? I'm not training for a half marathon. Apparently all those miles each week gave me stamina for a sales job. Who knew???
One year ago on this date, I ran my first half marathon. So far, it's been my only half marathon. I miss the body that came with that kind of training.
I've started my Christmas decorating. One thing I've realized, is that if I don't do it when the mood strikes, it doesn't get done. So the tree is up (I know, crazy, but please see previous sentence) and my pictures are swapped out. Hey, it's a start!
Beginning with the beef stew I made yesterday, I will cook more in the next week than I have in the last six months. What a concept, this "cooking" thing.

Shockingly, I remembered how to chop vegetables!

Annnd, we have beef stew!

Dis for me, right?

Friday Mishmash

2011-11-18T05:00:00.001-06:00

First, thank you all so much for the sweet comments on Wednesday's post. I honestly don't think I could have been as successful with my weight loss had it not been for the blogging community - the support, advice and friendship has been amazing. And speaking of comments, I would like to encourage those of you who don't link an email to your name to do so - I do respond via email to your comments, and there are some great stories that I'd love to hear more about, but can't make that connection without an email.

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I got my baby fix on Monday morning!!! My friend Michelle, who worked with me years ago, was in town for a quick drive-thru on her way back to Oklahoma, and while I hated to miss swimming, there was no way I was going to miss seeing her. We got to spend a couple of hours together on Monday morning, where I met her sweet baby, Bruce, who was born on Max's birthday! Bruce is not quite three months old and just so cute! Ahhh...there is nothing like the feel of a baby in your arms.

Me and my new little buddy!

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This was Jeff's Facebook status the other day:
"Max and I went to get ice cream at a small shop in Denton. "What's 'Hansel & Gretel' taste like" he asks the guy. I'm thinking gingerbread, Max was thinking children.
Not sure how Max got his twisted sense of humor, but I like it!

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Pinterest Pin of the Week:

It's already starting for me - my lists have sublists. Between the upcoming holidays, going out of town for the half marathon, the running club events, working a bit, my kids coming home - food, I need to actually get food in the house, I'm feeling a bit crazed and overwhelmed. I'm sure it will all be fine, but at the moment the only thing that's keeping me sane are my lists.

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And now, it's time for Fashion Friday! This outfit is all about the boots. Boooooots! I have a new pair of brown boots, thanks to my Mom. They're Clarks Wish Excite, and they actually fit my large calves! That is both a rarity and a miracle, I'm telling you. So OK, it was 85 ridiculous degrees on Monday when I wore this to work, but I was determined to wear my new boots. I'm sure you all understand that, right?

Boots!

Oh, you want to see the outfit, too? Well fine:

Thanks to Kristen, I no longer automatically dismiss sleeveless dresses - she showed me the way of layering a t-shirt under them, and I like the versatility that gives me. This day I wore a short sleeved T, but I also have a long sleeved T in black and also one in brown, although that may be too much. I also had this dress hemmed, as it was so long that it went down past the tops of the boots. Even though I have rather hefty legs, I still think I look better with part of them showing.

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chocolate-covered dried cranberries and jumbo Georgia pecans

My friends at Oh! Nuts recently sent me a couple of items to use in my holiday baking. Hey, granola is baking, right? Actually, I've been perfecting my pumpkin granola recipe, so I thought I'd share my latest version, and a couple of different ways to serve it.

Pumpkin Granola

3 C oats

1 C pumpkin

1 C coarsely chopped pecans

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp salt

2 T canola oil

1/3 C honey

Mix all dry ingredients, and then add pumpkin. Heat oil and honey in pan on stovetop just until honey is melted; pour onto oat mixture. Stir together - this will be really moist. Pour mixture onto parchment-lined jelly roll pan and bake in a 300 degree oven for 15 minutes. Stir, then bake again for 15 minutes. Because this mixture is so wet (thanks to the pumpkin), it will take close to an hour to bake...after the first 30 minutes, I checked and stirred mine every 10 minutes to make sure it wasn't burning (the nuts will be your first sign that burning is imminent). Once browned, remove pan - granola will crisp up as it cools.

Now here's the fun part - you can make this a dessert topping by mixing some chocolate-covered dried cranberries with the granola, or you can make it more of a breakfast topping by adding some plain dried cranberries. Either way, the pumpkin, pecans and cranberries make for a great holiday flavor combo!

Breakfast version layered with Greek yogurt and dried cranberries

Dessert topping - vanilla ice cream, granola and chocolate-covered dried cranberries!

I think it's pretty clear that I am not a food-blogger photographer, but trust me, this was good. Well, trust me on the breakfast granola. Jeff took one for the team and ate the dessert topping since I'm still doing No Candy November. He really liked it, though. This would make a nice gift, either packaged up in a mason jar, or even in a cellophane bag...and who knows, my neighbors might actually get something from me this Christmas!

Have a great weekend!

(FTC disclosure: I received a bag of nuts and a bag of chocolate-covered cranberries for free. Recipe and opinions are all my own.)

Wednesday Workout Update - Interrupted!

2011-11-16T05:00:00.024-06:00

We interrupt your regularly-scheduled Wednesday Workout Update with this breaking news: Today marks the two year anniversary of my hitting the 100 pound weight loss milestone.

TWO YEARS.

One HUNDRED pounds.

And I haven't gained it all back! Not even close!! You better believe I'm celebrating!!!

Let's face it, if everyone just lost weight and kept it off, there would be a lot less discussion (and profit made) on dieting. But the truth of it is that losing weight is only the beginning. Keeping it off? That's a whole 'nother story. And while this year has been a challenging one for me, what with losing my favorite form of exercise to an injury, and stress eating over my mother's shocking cancer diagnosis (she just went through her third set of tests since her surgery and is doing fantastic, I'm happy to report!), I still fit into most of my "new" clothes, with the exception of some pants. Yeah, things were looser a year ago, but hey - all things considered, this is pretty darn good. And with the advent of running getting closer and closer, it can only get better. Today, I'm celebrating the fact that I still have a normal-sized body...two years and counting!

Food Neutral

2011-11-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

The paleo diet is going round blogland right now, with Helen and Biz, among others, trying it. I have to say that I'm a bit envious of them, because I've seen it work with a lot of people. However, I'm not envious enough to make the effort to try it...and while I could stand to lose some weight (my clothes are telling me so), I had to think on WHY, exactly, I'm not willing to give it a try.

For one, can't figure out how to make eating Greek yogurt twice a day fit into the paleo plan. Seriously, on many days, I have yogurt and my homemade granola for breakfast AND dinner. I really have gotten out of the habit of preparing an evening meal with Jeff traveling so much. And yes, much of this is laziness based on not wanting to bother with cooking for just me, but it's also made me see something: I've become, for the most part, food neutral. Over the past few months, I've realized that I just don't get very excited about food. Sure, a Scotty P's chili cheeseburger sounds great, but I live over three hours from that restaurant, and I don't want one bad enough to either try and recreate it myself, or try out all the burger joints in town to see if theirs is comparable.

I get hungry, I eat. I keep a stock of basics on hand - Greek yogurt, apples, hard-boiled eggs, granola, chicken - and during the week, this suits me just fine. Occasionally I meet a friend for lunch and I get my salad fix, and on the weekends, we eat a real meal for dinner (and of course frozen yogurt - I'm neutral, not dead!), but otherwise, this is where I'm at, and it's comfortable. Sure, paleo might make me lose it faster, and I'll be the first to admit, that is VERY appealing, but it's a lot more work than I am willing to put into it at the moment.

So while I'm super proud of the work that my friends are putting into the paleo challenge, and the results they are getting, it's just not for me - right now, anyway. Of course, after all of my protestations about "I'll never run" and "I'll never swim" (but really, I'll never do a tri!), I've learned to never say never about anything, so who knows...

Friday Mishmash - 11-11-11

2011-11-11T05:00:00.001-06:00

First, I have to geek out a bit on today's date - ever since 01-01-01, I've loved the one day a year when the month, day and year numbers all match. And I'm kind of sad knowing that next year (12-12-12!) will be the last time that will happen in my lifetime. I guess I'll have to be content with dates like 11-12-13.

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No Candy November update: I had a good first week, but on Monday evening, I met my running club coaches for dinner and an end-of-season planning session. We were at a bakery/deli that has really good cookies. BIG, good cookies. Which were all around me. Now, I know that a cookie isn't candy, but the kind that I would have gotten (chocolate chip) was candy-like, and I decided to not get one. Not easy, and I'm not sure why, after doing well for a week, the candy/sugar craving hit me so hard. When I got home that night, I ended up drinking a Dr. Pepper 10 (yes, we laughed at their commercial and actually bought some), which was enough to satisfy my sweet craving (should be, since the second ingredient listed is HFCS). While I rarely drink sodas anymore (even diet), they do help me in a pinch. And I was definitely feeling a pinch earlier in the week.

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Thanks to all my ~~enablers~~ commenters (love you guys!), I decided to go ahead and take Thursdays off from the pool, starting yesterday. Felt pretty dang good to not have snooze guilt. I went for another walk around the scary statues in the afternoon - wore my Newton running shoes, and let my mind go where my legs couldn't - yet.

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I am probably the last person to know this, but just in case you haven't tried it, type "do a barrel roll" into Google search and watch what happens. Fun!

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We have been looking to buy a new camera, and last weekend while we were wandering around Best Buy, I checked out their video cameras. Y'all. When did they get to be so small??? Back in the day, we borrowed a behemoth video camera that you had to rest on your shoulder - this thing held VHS tapes and was heavy! Now? The video cameras are the size of a toilet paper tube! And so inexpensive!!! I wanted to buy one just because, but our new camera will have decent video capabilities, so we really won't need a separate video camera until we have a grandchild (oh yes, I just went there)(not that THAT is in the near future at all)(but babies are happening all around me and I want to claim one, dang it).

Wish I was bold enough to bring a toilet paper tube into Best Buy to take a comparison shot, but you'll have to take my word for it...

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Pinterest Pin of the Week:

Not sure why the fish are in the bathtub to begin with, but this picture makes me laugh!

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Finally, it's the return of Fashion Friday! I only worked one day this week - James Avery likes to ease us into working, which is fine with me. The big deal about this picture is that I'm wearing real shoes! No flip flops. My ankle is finally down to a manageable size, although after a few hours in the shoes, my foot/ankle had swollen up around the strap. Still, it felt good to wear nice clothes again.

Top that I bought in California last April; new dress pants; real shoes. :)

The top has an elastic waist and then a peplum-type drop - I like it because it hides my stomach, which I am not very fond of right now. Running should take care of that (and can't come soon enough!).

Thank you to all of our Veterans on this day (and really, every day); I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Wednesday Workout Update - It Ain't Easy Being Me

2011-11-09T05:00:00.001-06:00

I had a hard time getting myself to the pool on Thursday - it was dark, windy and cold when my alarm went off, and my bed was warm and comfortable. Jeff had left half a pot of coffee before he went to work - I could throw on my sweats, settle in with coffee and the newspaper, and have a nice morning. Plus I was feeling fat. Last thing you want to do is exercise, right? (that kind of rationalization sounded perfectly sane early in the morning, I swear!) So I stayed home and relaxed.

Also, it was Thursday. I seem to have a problem with getting to the pool on Thursdays. It's ~~probably~~ definitely a mental thing, because I've already planned on having Tuesday and Thursday as my running days (once I can start running again) and Monday, Wednesday and Friday being my pool days. Anyway, last Thursday I skipped swimming to ride my bike. This Thursday, once it lightened up outside, I decided to go for a walk, just to test out the legs. I ended up waiting and walking in the evening while Jeff did his run - we went to the scary statue park, where I did three loops around the statues. It took me 31 minutes - fast, I was not, but then again, I am not cleared for brisk walking at the moment, so this was enough. It felt great! Just like old times...well, except for the whole "not running" part.

The funny thing about that walk was that on Saturday, I realized that my shins were a little sore. REALLY? I'm gonna have to go through that all over again?!? Crum. Obviously swimming does not work quite the same leg muscles as walking...which means that I'll get to enjoy the thrill of sore muscles along with lungs that will, no doubt, be screaming for mercy, once I get back to running. Rats, rats, rats - I forgot that my conditioning is gone.

And then, this was the scene yesterday:

6:45 am - alarm goes off. Me: hit snooze.
6:50 am - alarm goes off. Me: hit snooze, think about getting up.
6:55 am - alarm goes off. Me: hit snooze, try to come up with reasons why it's OK to skip pool today.
7:00 am - alarm goes off. Me: hit snooze, notice that it's light outside. Shoot. Darkness was my excuse last week.
7:05 am - alarm goes off. Me: hit snooze, bargain with self. You don't have to go to the pool, but you do have to get up. Decide to give it a few more minutes of contemplation.
7:10 am - alarm goes off. Me: hit snooze, but actually get out of bed. Feed cats, let Paco outside, check online weather for thunderstorm, because then for sure I wouldn't have to go to pool. Shoot. Weather clear for now.
7:15 am - alarm goes off. Me: oops, forgot to turn the damn thing off. Sigh. Might as well put swimsuit on, but I don't have to go to the pool if I don't want to.
7:30 am - Me: in car, driving to pool. Promise self nap after, as reward for going.

Seriously, WHY OH WHY do I do this??? Well, I know why. It's because I got out of the habit of getting up every stinking weekday and (to quote Nike) just DOING it. I was afraid that my time off due to the surgery and recovery would result in this...the return of lazy Shelley. I swear, that bitch just bides her time, waiting to come out...and she has returned with a vengeance. I didn't spend most of my adult life overweight just because I ate too much - there was that little matter of zero exercise as well. And you know how some bodies have "muscle memory"? I swear mine has "sedentary memory" and would go back to that lifestyle if given half a chance. What a thing to have to fight - ME.

No Candy November

2011-11-07T05:00:00.000-06:00

My declaration and my goal...why?

Two bags of candy corn purchased and consumed last month (Jeff helped, but still...)
Candy toppings on my frozen yogurt - yummy, but I never used to do that
I've found myself eating candy, without hesitation, over the last couple of months - I used to at least consider it before shoving it into my mouth!
Self-preservation - I'm starting work today at James Avery and there is a big candy bowl in the staff area. I didn't get into it last year, and I need to make sure that I don't do it again this year.

While I do think that occasional treats are fine, both in dieting and maintenance, lately for me it's gotten to be more automatic than occasional - and I need to rein it in, especially as we head toward the holidays. Notice I did not say "no sugar November" - I'm not crazy! I like my pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving too much to not have a piece...and my homemade granola, which I eat just about every day, contains both brown sugar and honey.

I know that if I tried something as stringent as no sugar, I'd fail - but no candy? I can do this. In fact, I am doing this - the morning of November 1st, I put up my container of Dove dark chocolate Promises for the month, and even though I usually have one or two pieces in the evening, I've been OK without. And in case you're wondering, I did help myself to ~~several~~ ~~many~~ a bunch of pieces of Halloween candy...so I kinda went into this on candy overload. I look at this as hitting the reset button - getting back to the healthier side of eating that I prefer to be on. Overall, it's not a huge thing, but it was becoming significant enough that I needed to do something about it.

By the way, I got this idea after watching Merry do 30 days of no sugar in October (how much do I love that she timed it to end so she could eat Halloween candy?) - she made it look easy, and that was giving up ALL sugar. I'm just giving up candy, so it should be a piece of cake. Which I can have, because it's not candy! All kidding aside, I'm not gonna have cake. Now pie? That's another story...but hey, it's not candy!

Friday Mishmash

2011-11-04T05:00:00.012-05:00

Getting serious here for a minute - backstory is that a couple of weeks ago, there was a murder in our town. A knife and a gun were used. Arrested was an 18-year-old high school senior, who basically did this because he wanted to kill someone - he had no connection to the couple that he attacked. So on Halloween night, among all of the cute and fun trick-or-treaters, we answered the door to one lone boy, holding a fake bloody knife and wearing a dark hooded costume pulled low over his face. He was looking down and didn't say anything. I tried to peek under to see his face and he just ducked down further. I ended up tossing some candy into his bag and shut the door, but I've been disturbed ever since. Not only was this creepy, but it was bad judgement, in my opinion, to act that way, especially after what had happened. I realize he is probably just a clueless teenager, but sometimes, they need to be clued in. And I'm mad at myself for not confronting the young man and saying something. Sorry, I know this isn't the usual stuff I write about, but it's been bothering me. Would you have said something?

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OK, in happy fun things, I got my hair cut and highlighted yesterday - I feel like a new woman! Of course, I spent the week leading up to the appointment trying to figure out if I should keep the curly style, or go to a more sleek, blow-dried look for winter. Luckily, my hairdresser worked her magic, and while I left with it dried straight, I will also be able to do curls, if I want.

Still fairly long, which I like.

I got highlights AND lowlights this time - supposedly more of a natural look, and also helps to cover the gray, which is becoming quite prominent, dang it.

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I had my four week post-op follow-up appointment on Wednesday, and overall my doctor is pleased with my progress. He did notice that some scar tissue is building up on one of my incisions and demonstrated, painfully, how he wanted me to do some massage to break it up. He said my range of motion is pretty good but now I need to do some runner's stretches (the one where you have your foot on the ground behind you and lunge forward) to improve it. As for running, well, he thinks I'm more likely to be about another four weeks away from it, and honestly, I'm not surprised given how much it still hurts. I'm OK with that - but if it goes beyond four weeks, then heads are gonna roll! ;)

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If you are lucky enough to live near a lucy store, please know that they are having their annual birthday sale on Saturday, with 25% off the entire store, and they will also be giving additional goodies to shoppers. Have I mentioned that I live nowhere NEAR a lucy store? Sadness. But, I will be having a product review and giveaway in the future, so yay for that!

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Pinterest Pin of the Week:

In honor of all of us bloggers whose arms could be just a tad bit longer for our self-portraits!

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I am excited to tell you that Fashion Friday will return next week, because beginning Monday, I am starting my seasonal job once again at James Avery, and I get to dress up! Not sure what I'm more excited over - the job, or being able to wear something other than shorts and a swimsuit. Kind of a combination, actually, because I also get to wear the jewelry while I'm there. Win-win!

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Workout Update - Swim, Bike...

2011-11-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

No run. Not yet...but I am itching to get out there and go! Another few weeks and hopefully that will be a reality.

The pool has been great - lately the mornings have been quite chilly but the gym has upped the heat to 84 degrees, which makes it pretty easy to slip in. I'm already back up to swimming 100 lengths, which was my minimum before the surgery - except that I'm only doing 40 lengths of backstroke/sidestroke, instead of my usual 60...but who knows, maybe by the end of the week I'll be there. The rest is kickboard, with the other strokes sandwiched in the middle. To be perfectly honest, my ankle does start hurting about midway through my swimming workout, and continues to bother me the rest of the day, so I'll be checking with my doctor later on today (I have another follow up appointment) to see if this is a normal part of the healing.

I also rode my bike last week - pool buddy Nancy wasn't going to be there on Thursday, and since most of what I do right now is kickboard, that can get pretty boring with no one to talk to, so I skipped the pool and went for a bike ride around my neighborhood! It felt good to get on my pretty pink bike - I added some air to her tires and off I went. (I will not mention listening to the torturous cries of one very sad dog who got left behind...but I couldn't chance having to make a quick stop because of him - my goal is to not move backward with this recovery)

After the first couple of tentative pedal rotations, my ankle settled in nicely and I was only bothered a couple of times when I went over a rough bump - but all in all, it was a great way to stretch out my leg muscles. I rode for about 25 minutes - my bike odometer said I covered 4.3 miles. I felt great but decided to stop, going along with my "easing back into exercise" program. Funny thing - I was moving so fast and felt so free while I was riding, but as soon as I got off the bike, I was back to my limping, clompy walk...yep, there's my reality. Oh well. This will all be a thing of the past pretty soon.

It feels good to be moving more. Now, if I could just put on my running shoes (ok, with a matching outfit) and go for a little run, well, that would be amazing.

Boo!

2011-10-31T05:00:00.003-05:00

Skeleton flamingos - how fun, right?!?

Well, maybe not fun for everyone...

Bravely getting a closer look...

...aaaannndd barking to scare them away. Didn't work!

Dese not scare me. Not at all. Can I go now?

Happy Trick-or-Treating!

Friday Mishmash

2011-10-28T05:00:00.001-05:00

I forgot to mention that last Saturday, when we got our lunch from the gourmet food truck and ate it in the car? I had a fast-food flashback...the drive-thru and I used to be good friends, and I ate in my car all the time. Sitting in the parking lot, passing the burger back and forth (we forgot to get a knife to cut it in half) was definitely not the same thing as I never shared my food in the old days (and also did a lot of solo eating), but it was strange to realize that I hardly ever eat in the car anymore. Also, I don't have nearly the amount of trash in the car, either - coincidence?

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My running club is losing one of our coaches - AJ and his wife are moving to California. While it's a great opportunity for them, we are so sad to see them leave. Hard to believe that not even a year ago, AJ ran with us in the Seawall Half Marathon...and now he's leaving. Booooooo! We had a little goodbye party Wednesday night at Red Mango, where I safely indulged in my Halloween candy craving by actually getting candy toppings - something I never do - but I figured it was safer to get my candy fix outside of the house, rather than ~~try and~~ keep candy here.

We will miss you, AJ!

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Yesterday I was getting out of my car when somehow I caught my flip flop and twisted my ankle...yes, THAT ankle. The pain nearly dropped me to the ground - holy cusswords, it HURT. And I'd been so careful, too! One dumb move and that dang thing was hurting and swelling all around - oy. I took some Motrin and proceeded to ice it like crazy for the rest of the afternoon. Hopefully I didn't do any damage to it, but ouch, what a pain - literally!!!

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Just before I got my ice pack, I went out to check the mail. There was a package from Amazon - funny, I didn't remember ordering anything, but with my memory you never know. Opened it to find a book sent by Lynn - perfect timing, as I needed to spend yet another day off of my ankle.

Why write book? I eat everything I want anytime. What big deal???

I made Paco pose with the book - he was primed and ready to go lay on the bed with me - see the rawhide chew in his mouth? Whenever we leave a room, he has to grab something - a chew or a toy - and take it to where ever we go next. He's kind like a Boy Scout - always prepared. Anyway, the book has been a welcome distraction - thanks, Lynn!

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Against my better judgement, I joined Pinterest - and while it can be the time-suck that I thought it would be, it's also been the source of many, many hilarious pictures. So I thought I'd share one each Friday, beginning with this innovative idea turned bad:

I seriously could not stop laughing when I saw the bottom picture - to the point that tears were streaming down my face...mainly because I can totally see that exact scenario happening to me!

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Workout Update - Late For a Good Reason!!!

2011-10-26T10:37:00.000-05:00

Yeeeehaw, I never thought I'd be happy to exercise, but take it away from me for three weeks, and there you go...today was "Freedom Day" - I got to take off that dang boot, DRIVE to the gym, and go for a SWIM!!!

I'm not saying I was excited about this, but my bag was packed yesterday, the car was loaded with my errand stuff (overdue library books among the pile of stuff) - y'all, I was ready! So, the $64,000 question - how did it go?

Fine. Well, it hurt a bit to start, and then it seemed to ease up. Nancy and I did our usual kickboard gabfest, although I kicked both easier and slower than normal. Then I tried the back stroke - hmmm, that bothered me a bit, so I only did 10 lengths. Moved onto the side stroke, which surprised me because that, too, bothered me. I did 14 lengths, and finished up with some more kickboard for a total of 70 lengths - down from my usual 100, but I went into it knowing I should take it easy at the start, so this was perfectly fine with me.

The weird thing was afterward, I noticed that there was a red band, about three inches wide, going around the entire ankle. It was also a little warm, which is a strange sensation considering my foot and leg were still quite cool from being in the pool. In talking to three women in the locker room, we all came to the same conclusion: "Huh." I know! Medical professionals we are not.

Honestly, the hardest thing about swimming today was going down the stairs to the pool - the gym is on two levels, and you park and walk in on the upper level (that's also where the locker room that I use is; the one on the pool level is inundated with the swim team kids when I'm finished swimming). Going up the stairs wasn't as difficult, but any kind of maneuvering where I put my full body weight on that foot, or even twisting (like getting out of the car) does hurt, so I have to remember to be slow and deliberate when I walk.

Still, it was GREAT to get out of the house and back into my routine! Amazing how much you appreciate the little things after not being able to do them.

Wiener Dogs and Cupcakes!

2011-10-24T05:00:00.006-05:00

Saturday was not only a fun day (how can you go wrong when you're surrounded by wiener dogs?!?), but also a day of food firsts for me - and yes, I recognize how unfathomable that might seem...someone who once tipped the scales at 256 pounds had yet to experience certain foods? But it was true...and I'll get to that in a second. First up, though, is the wiener dog races!

Run, little doggies, RUN!

That was the regular length track. Then it was time for the short track, for the Seniors and the Special Olympians. Ten feet, and it was a challenge for some of these dogs, but they all ran their hearts out!

Seniors: Aaaand they're off...

...aaaaand they're finished!

Special Olympics - there were two dogs in "wheelchairs" - dachshunds are notorious for having back problems and sometimes, unfortunately, they end up partially paralyzed. One dog had been like this for seven years, the other for five. Gotta admire their owner's devotion in the extra care.

This is Lala Two (yes, there is a Lala One at home, LOL):

Her mama said Lala Two didn't really see what the fuss was about racing, but she tried. Mostly she wanted a nap!

Then I spied him. Stalked him. Finally made my move and luckily, his nice owners let me get my puppy fix. This is Oscar, the little cute puppy with the big paws:

He is three months old and a DOLL. Almost as fun to hold as a real baby! Big soft ears, sweet puppy tummy, aforementioned giant paws...just so cute!!!

Awwwww! Oscar was a sweetheart. His family is lucky to have such a mellow dog.

Having owned a dachshund for about 15 years, this was a real treat. And luckily, Paco can't read so he'll never know I cheated on him. Not tempted to get another dog because A) it would break Paco's heart (he thinks he's king and there is no room in his world for minions); and B) pets sure tie you down. But dangit if they aren't cute!

Now, onto the food fun. Before going to Wienerfest, we went to the kick-off for the Armadillo Dash, where we signed Jeff up for the half, and I resisted peer pressure (my running club peeps are crazy!) and only signed up for the 5K (I love running but am not deluded enough to think I could get ready for a half marathon with only three months of preparation AND coming back from surgery). Anyway, there were the two food trucks on site. Back in the day, we used to call them "roach coaches" but apparently food trucks have gone gourmet. One, Chef Tai's Mobile Bistro, recently won the Food Network's "America's Favorite Food Truck" contest (and $10,000!), so naturally we had to try it. Jeff and I split a Kobe burger and truffle fries and they were quite good! It was a fun experience, although we ended up sitting in the car to eat because it's not like there are tables and chairs in a parking lot. Still, our first time with the food truck fad was a success.

Little did I know that I would hit up another food truck just a couple hours later! (side note: our town only has three food trucks so we did pretty good to see them all in one day) At Wienerfest, Cake Junkie was there...and that could only mean one thing - CUPCAKES! Ever since the cupcake fad basically swept the country, I have not had one. Just not a lot of opportunity in our area, and you know me - I pick frozen yogurt over just about everything. Still, I was not going to pass this up! I got in line and tried to decide which flavor to get (chocolate? pumpkin spice?? pink champagne???) and when I got closer, I saw that they actually pipe the icing on after you order your cupcake! I quizzed the guy on the icing flavors, and ended up choosing the pumpkin spice since it came with cream cheese icing.

Me quizzing the guy - hey, for my first gourmet cupcake, I wanted it to be perfect!

Jeff said I looked like a little kid at the truck window...sure, if a little kid has crow's feet, lol!

Frosting our cupcake!

Finally - I'm going to find out what all the fuss has been about!

We split the cupcake, which was difficult without a fork, as it was huge and hard to get a bite with both cake and icing...but you know I managed! It was tasty. We liked it, and might, if we see the truck around town, stop for one. But I don't think I'd get these over frozen yogurt very often - what can I say, I love frozen yogurt too much!

We had a fun day, but later on my ankle was pretty swollen...lesson learned, I'm still in recovery mode. It was worth it, though!

Friday Mishmash

2011-10-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

While resting my ankle, I read the book Yossarian Slept Here - it's a biography about Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22, written by his daughter. On the flyleaf it mentioned several famous people who were involved in her parent's lives, and I have to admit to you that I kept waiting for someone named "Yossarian" to show up in the book. Took me more than half the book to realize that Yossarian must have been a character from Catch-22, which I've (quite obviously) never read. Talk about a "duh" moment...but I did feel better at the end of the book when the author, Erica Heller, admitted that she's never read her father's most famous book, either. Still. I've read most of the classics (at least I THINK I have, haha) so I guess I'll have to get this one from the library soon. Oh, and the reason why I've read so many books (in the past; now most of my reading is online) is that when you are not a math and science person, you tend to take a lot of English and literature classes.

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Tomorrow is a banner day (and one that I hope my ankle survives with all the walking) - it's Wienerfest, which means that Jeff and I will be going and getting our fill of dachshunds and all their antics, including the always amusing wienerdog races. They even have "wanna-be-a-wiener" races, which I know Paco would win, but he's just not great around other dogs and I'm afraid instead of running to me, he'd try and take out his opponents. And yes, we are ashamed to have a sweet dog who sometimes turns into Cujo toward other dogs but short of sending him to live with Cesar's pack, we can't get him to stop this behavior.

After Wienerfest, we are going to the Armadillo Dash kick-off, where we will sign Jeff up for the half marathon for the bargain price of $32. That is just a ridiculously cheap price for the race! We literally could walk to the starting line from our house - it's at the same park where I did my outdoor yoga (and where the scary statues are). I'm going to sign up for the 5K on the assumption that by March 4th I will be more than ready to run 3.1 miles. Or actually might have run a few races by then(!).

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I have a quick Fashion Friday for you - amazingly, I had reason to get dressed in something other than shorts and a t-shirt!

Note how I matched my lovely ankle boot with my regular boot - I think it worked!

It felt GREAT to put on real clothes. And why was I getting all dressed up? To go in for my "rehire" interview at James Avery - I'll be working there once again for the holiday season! Is it wrong to say that one of the reasons I'm happy to work again is to have a reason to wear my nicer clothes? Color me shallow, but I've missed my clothes - that was one of the things that I enjoyed as I lost weight - feeling good about what I was wearing (and of course, shopping for clothes that fit my smaller body). So this will be win-win - I'll make a little money, have fun helping people shop for jewelry, and get to dress up. Not sure when I'll be starting but hopefully my ankle will not protest my standing up for several hours at a time.

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You cannot escape pumpkin this time of year, although I still get the giggles whenever I see the pumpkin-spiced drinks at Starbucks after a conversation with a certain blogger who questioned putting vegetables in coffee - she was all "what's next, zucchini?" Anyway I saw that Errign made some pumpkin granola, and then Biz took her recipe and tweaked it, and then Debby and I emailed about it, and I finally got some pumpkin in the house (had to wait for Jeff to come home and grocery shop for me) and made pumpkin granola. It's pretty subtle in flavoring - I might increase both the pumpkin and spice next time - and it's a bit chewier than my regular granola, but I like it. Recipe after the pictures, but I wanted to show you how I tried to combat the "brown sugar balls" (that came out wrong but I'm sure Biz is laughing right now) that happen when I normally mix the dry ingredients:

I tried measuring out the brown sugar and then pushing it through a mesh strainer - in the bottom left picture you can see the delicate brown sugar on top. It took forever, so I abandoned that idea, but somehow getting it all mushed up in the strainer seemed to eliminate the sugar balls. Bottom right is the finished product topping some Greek yogurt. YUM!

Oh, and in the continued spoiling by my mom, she sent me this awesome jelly roll pan for my granola making - it's actually called a "half-sheet" pan and is bigger than my current jelly roll pan:

The pan is also much heavier - to semi-quote Crocodile Dundee, "now THAT'S a pan!"

Pumpkin Granola
3 C oats
1 C chopped pecans
1/2 C pumpkin
3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
2 T canola oil
1/3 C honey
1 C dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Stir honey and oil in saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture, toss. Spread on jelly roll pan (line with parchment paper if not nonstick). Bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes, about 30 minutes - you want it to be brown, but watch the nuts for burning. Remove from oven and let cool - granola will crisp up. Break up, toss with dried cranberries, and enjoy! Store in airtight container.

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Workout Update - Swim Gear Part II

2011-10-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

While I'm not back at the pool yet (another week of waiting), I wanted to show you some of my new swimming gear that I got to use for a couple of weeks before ankle surgery so rudely interrupted my routine.

Since I'm kind of unconventional when it comes to swimming laps (i.e. I don't do strokes where I have to come out of the water to breathe because I lack the coordination to move my arms, legs, stay afloat AND breathe without sucking in water), I've added gear to pump up the workout. I still love my Zoomer swim fins and feel that they've made my legs stronger while letting me swim a little faster - I'm able to get more laps in using them. A couple of months ago, I realized that I wasn't really worn out after my regular workouts, so I decided that I was ready for hand paddles. These were a little tricky to find, as many of them have a strap that goes over the index finger, which is where my lap-counter goes. After some trial and error, I hit on these Finis Fulcrum paddles:

The cutout is supposed to help you avoid shoulder issues, which apparently you can get (repetitive-motion) from swimming. I thought these were funny in that you ordered according to your weight and not hand-size. I used them for the backstroke "swoosh" that I do (I know, real helpful description) and I like them. Definitely feel more resistance and I'm hoping that with more use my upper arms will get even more toned. My forearms are really muscular already thanks to swimming and yoga. The only thing I've had to deal with is that at least once per workout I managed to swamp my face with water using these - ugh, water up the nose! Still, I can't wait to use them again.

You would think that for someone who has worn glasses for decades, and who takes very good care of said glasses, swim goggles would be a piece of cake for me. You would be wrong. I've ruined two pairs of goggles - the first, because I didn't know that you weren't supposed to wipe the insides out (removes the anti-fog coating). My second pair? I was so good with them! Except that one day I used some anti-fog drops and then wiped them out with a paper towel. Hello scratches. I don't know what I was thinking. Dumb move. Onto pair number three - good thing the first pair was only around $12 and the second pair was free with a big order from Swim Outlet a while back. But still! Of course by the time I needed to get another pair, our one store in town did not have any left. (side rant: locals complain about internet shopping not contributing to the tax base, but how can I shop locally if no one carries what I need?) Anyway, I ended up with a pair of Barracudas, mainly because my pool buddy Nancy has had some for years and loved them. They were only $15, which I thought was pretty reasonable. And I swear, I'm treating them like a baby!

What I especially LOVE about these goggles is that they don't suction hard to my eye sockets...with my old goggles, I'd end up with rings around my eyes that would last for a couple of hours. Plus it was painful! These are nice and soft and yet still keep the water out of my eyes. I'm quite pleased with them.

Also pictured with the goggles are my ear plugs, which are wonderful. Once Nancy and I are done with our kickboard gab session, I get down to business with my back stroke. I do not like water in my ears, and while my swim cap helps keep some out, adding the ear plugs means that no water gets in...and I have the added bonus of losing myself to my thoughts completely, since I can't hear the swim team or other distractions.

My last new item is a towel. I'm sure you're all thinking, big whoop, a towel, but hear me out...the towel I was using, while pretty and absorbent and perfectly fine, was huge. Perfect for a day at the beach, but more than I needed for the pool, and it was heavy and took up a ton of space in my pool bag that I lug in every day. I was lamenting this to my mom one day, and the next thing I knew, she'd found a thin, quick-drying towel on the internet! That internet is a magical place. I ordered one, and was amazed at how much less space it took up compared to my old towel:

New towel on the left, old towel on the right

It works great and is still really big - I can wrap it around myself and be covered from chest to knees, which is important since I have to walk up the stairs and part-way through the gym to the women's locker room. And it really IS quick drying - another plus since I need to dry it every day. Well, that is, when I swim. Which will be next week. Woohoo!

Getting Back to Normal

2011-10-17T05:00:00.000-05:00

Well, the normal that does not include exercise. Which is NOT normal to me now. So strange. I spent the majority of my life avoiding exercise, and now it's been two weeks and I feel weird not doing anything. Sure, I can do some arm work, but I'm so used to doing a total body workout with swimming and yoga that anything less is not very exciting. Another 10 days and I will be back in the pool. What I should be doing is enjoying this sanctioned laziness!

The normal that I'm referring to in my post title is food. Over the weekend I finally felt normal. Not all messed up from the surgery and pain meds (those did a number on me...opiates are NOT my friend), and finally energized enough to actually get myself to the kitchen and slice up an apple instead of just reaching for the sleeve of saltines when I got hungry. Not having to use crutches helped. Along those lines, I also started drinking water closer to the normal amount that I usually drink (which is easily 150 ounces a day) since it wasn't such a royal pain to get myself to the bathroom. I had no idea what would fall by the wayside while I was recovering from this surgery - wouldn't have guessed hydration, but there ya go.

Since Jeff was home over the weekend, I took full advantage of having company AND a chauffeur - we went out to eat a couple of times and of course stopped in for frozen yogurt. He leaves again today...I'm still in the boot and not able to drive, so I'm back to house boredom. But at least I haven't eaten out of boredom - much, anyway - and I attribute some of that to my first line of defense, which is to not have tempting, snacky food in my house. Also, the weather has shown tiny hints of changing - we've had a couple of cool mornings lately, and I'm actually excited to be able to wear something besides shorts, skorts and t-shirts...and I want to fit into my old clothes. Considering that last fall I was running a lot of miles each week, I hope I won't be in for too much of an unpleasant surprise when I actually try something on...but it is what it is at this point, and I have every hope and much optimism that before too long, I will be swimming and running and just plain moving and everything will be completely back to normal. That's not too much to ask, right?

Friday Mishmash - Pretty/Gross Edition

2011-10-14T05:00:00.007-05:00

I'm going to start with some pretty pictures - and just in case you don't want to see the shots of my ankle during surgery and how it looks now, I'll tell you when to stop scrolling, ok?

Anyway, I have been completely spoiled by friends and family during my recovery from ankle surgery. From flowers sent by both my parents and Helen:

Not the greatest shots of either, but hey, I was on crutches and woozy! Still, they were both so pretty and I loved them!

To the bag of goodies Kelly brought me, all to help me get back to running, and of course the basket of presents from my mom that I have been opening once a day (ok, once day I opened two):

A wide variety of fun! Also opened (and consumed) was a bag of chocolate-covered espresso beans.

I am loving the fake mustaches! We will have to do a fun family shot with them come Thanksgiving. And you know I'm dying to try out the glasses and clown nose on Paco!

Love these earrings! I wore them to my doctor's appointment on Wednesday. Nothing like a new pair of earrings to make you feel good!

Hat from Kelly, socks from my mom...it's like they KNOW me or something... :)

To the cards, emails, comments, texts, and even well-wishes from the Queen:

Queen Sophie, that is! I hope to have an audience with her next time I'm in California. Oh, and visit with her mom, too!

Even my pool buddy, Nancy, has been calling, and the other night she came by to take me out to dinner. I answered the door and she was holding one of those energy-efficient light bulbs in her hand...I thought, wow, that's a different get-well gift! Then I got a closer look:

It's a stress ball! She said she (rightly so) figured I could use it.

All of this has been wonderful and I've appreciated it so, so much!

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Ankle update: My visit to the doctor was a whirlwind as usual. I chose this doctor because of his reputation as an expert with ankle issues, but he is all business and a fast-talker. Luckily I had my friend Erica in the exam room with me, and afterward, she wrote down his timeline for me because we were getting confused. So the good news is that it's looking like it's supposed to, which is bruised and swollen. I'm still in the boot, although he said I could stop using the crutches. Which I did, but boy howdy, it really hurt. So for another few days, I'll still use them. I am to continue to rest the ankle for another two weeks, and then, around October 26th, I can swim! Yay. At the moment, I still can't drive, because of the boot, and even if I tried it without the boot, what if I had to slam on the brake? Not a good scenario, so I'm pretty much confined to the house, which is (mostly) OK, since it keeps me resting.

I can go for a brisk walk at the six week point - which is November 15th - and YES, that date is marked on my calendar! If, the day after said walk, I wake up with no pain, then I can slowly start adding some running intervals in! Woot woot!!! I am excited about that...BIG TIME. Fingers crossed that this timeline all works out.

OK, if you are squeamish, now is the time to stop scrolling.
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Here's what my leg looked like on Wednesday, just after the stitches were removed:

I was surprised to see where the incisions were - the one on the right was where the camera went in, and the one on the left was where the instruments went in. Erica said that it looked like a giant snake bite!

Swollen and bruised on my foot and even going up my shin. No wonder it hurts!

Nifty surgery shots - the doctor gave me my own set. He also went over each shot with me, but quite rapidly, so I'm not much help in deciphering these:

All kinda gross, if you ask me!

Close up of my damaged cartilage - he said that it's not too bad.

This is where he ground down the bone spur - said that it was impinging on the other bone, basically rubbing bone-on-bone because the cartilage was worn down. He seems to think that this will solve all of my ankle problems - I sure hope so!

I never thought that, last January, I'd be recovering from surgery, but at this point if it gets me running again, it will have been well worth it.

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Workout Update

2011-10-12T05:00:00.000-05:00

I may not be exercising, but I've certainly been getting my workouts in via crutches. My gosh. They looked like such fun - when I was a kid, we loved to pretend we had crutches (using brooms or stilts), or in the event some poor kid actually had a broken leg, we'd all line up for the chance to try out the crutches. Well. Lemme tell you. I am OVER crutches. My arms are tired, my palms are tender and sore, the sides of my ribcage are bruised - this has been not nearly as entertaining as my childhood fantasy. (I know, some girls dream of ponies but I was the weird one...)

Later this morning, I'm going to the doctor for my first post-op visit, where I'm hoping he'll remove the bandages and show me a perfectly-healed ankle. What, another fantasy? LOL What I'm guessing will happen with the great unveiling is bandage removal, much oohing and aahing, stitches also removed, and then ??? It's a mystery. I honestly don't know what I'll be allowed to do, or if I'll be able to ditch this boot and the crutches (based on the pain I'm still feeling, I'm guessing not), or if I can start swimming. Ah, who am I kidding. Taking a shower wears me out. I'm not up to doing a whole heck of a lot yet. I went into this surgery a fit, healthy, able-bodied person and the recovery has been a challenge. I cannot imagine what this would have been like had I not lost weight. So there's that.

The other thing that messed me up was the combination of anesthesia and pain medicine - I stopped taking the pain meds early Saturday morning, but still feel goofy. And that's why I stopped them - I was tired of feeling dizzy and woozy and just not right in the head...I didn't even think about how much that would affect me as well. Hopefully by Friday's post I'll be much more lucid and able to write something coherent (Monday's post was written in advance, if you were wondering).

Outtakes with Paco

2011-10-10T05:00:00.002-05:00

I have a cute dog. OK, I might be a bit biased in that opinion, but really, how can you resist this face:

So naturally, I take a lot of pictures of him. Hey, it's not like I have small children hanging around anymore to photograph! I work with what I have. And what I have is a fun dog who knows the sound of the camera being turned on, and likes to jam his body into as many shots as he can. You normally see the good pictures on this blog. But for every good shot, there's at least 10 bad shots. Today? I'm giving you a behind-the-scenes look at Photography With Paco...the Outtakes™.

Remember my Fashion Friday with Janell's cowl? Paco LOVED that cowl. So I indulged him by kneeling down to let him sniff it. While this shot was OK:

The next one? Was more realistic:

Please note my lips sealed shut as Paco attempts to get up close and (too) personal!

The next series? He kept jumping up (and not facing the camera, darn him!):

He really, really liked the cowl. Have I mentioned that? ;)

OK, cowl removed (I was getting hot) - maybe now he'll focus?

Still smellz like Bella...

But finally, I got a cute picture - of course, he surprised me when he jumped onto my lap, but cracked me up when he turned as the camera did the last three quick beeps before the shutter snapped:

This is a more normal shot:

Camera! Camera!! Camera!!!

I swear, one second before this, he was calmly posing next to my face...then, he HAD to lick me - this is my avoidance pose:

Distracted by a dust bunny? Again, he WAS looking at the camera!

OK, I gave up on him and tried to get a shot of my curly hair...but look who snuck in the background:

This time, he got me - you can still see him licking his lips. Apparently I taste good.

Me and Paco - he's a nut, but he's MY nut.

Friday Mishmash - (Amazing) Race Edition

2011-10-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Ankle surgery update: Boy howdy, I was really sick on Wednesday. Well, from Tuesday night on...the combination of the aftereffects of general anesthesia plus the side effects of the pain meds gave me the worse nausea - being upright made me feel awful. My ankle pain seemed to be moving all over, and I slept very little. By midday on Wednesday, I was running a slight fever, sweaty, clammy, and nauseous like you wouldn't believe. Not fun. I ended up calling my doctor, who prescribed some phenergan pills for the nausea. My friend Erica (she of running coach fame) picked up the medicine for me (thank you!!!) and by late evening I was feeling much better. Whew! I expected ankle pain, but not the nausea to that extent. Anyway, things are looking up...I'm trying to stay off of it as much as possible because I'm not great on the crutches yet and I've had a couple of instances where I felt like I came down on the ankle wrong - don't want to do any more damage to it, you know? Once more, thank you for all the emails and well-wishes - it really means a lot to me! :) :) :)

I wrote the rest of this post last Sunday - general recap of the craziness that passes for my life!

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Last Saturday morning, members of our running club provided support for the Buffalo Stampede half marathon - last year I ran this race when it was (only) a 10 miler. This year they expanded the course to make it a half. Many of the people training for a full marathon ran the half, and the halfs, including Jeff, got up extra early to run their nine miles before the race. Part of our group manned a water station, while Coach Dale, Jeff and I worked the turn-around point. We made signs to encourage the runners:

Our homage to the movie Anchorman...

Coach Dale trying to slow down the drivers that were doing 60 MPH in the lane right next to the runners. This was a bad course - I didn't like it last year and it was worse this year as the runners were on the access road for an even longer distance.

Jeff and I wore our pineapple hats - and funny thing, we were recognized by my former trainer Linda, who was driving by (and honked!) on the freeway!

The green shirt is coach AJ - he was so fast that I didn't end up getting a picture as he approached. He placed 4th in his age group - so close to taking home a trophy! He's trying to qualify for Boston with our December marathon, and I bet he'll make it.

Being on this side of a race is fun - we high-fived many of the runners as they rounded the cone, and got quite a lot of "thank you's" from them...plus they gave us thumbs up on the signs,which we had posted so they could read them coming and going. After the last runner came through, we went to the finish line and got to see most of our running group come in (speedy AJ was already done). It was a good day, but I am itching to get back out there and run a race!

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Last Saturday afternoon, I got a text from (running club coach) Joni, saying that TJ Maxx had four pairs of men's Thorlo Experia socks for $5.99 each - less than half price! Jeff and I hopped in the car and texted Joni that we were on our way. Then she texted that she'd sent the info to both us and (running club coach) AJ - and the race was on! The store was a mere 1.1 mile from our house - surely we would beat AJ. But we hit a red light! Arghhh! Just like in the Amazing Race!! Longest.Red Light.Ever. As the light finally turned green, we made plans - Jeff would drop me at the door so I could run in and snag the socks. Now, AJ is fast, but he'd run a half marathon that morning and I was pretty confident I could beat him in a foot race, bum ankle and all. We made it there first only because AJ mistakenly went to Steinmart first (classic Amazing Race mistake, going to the wrong location). We got the socks, but had planned on splitting the bounty with him all along. When AJ and his wife Brandi walked in the store, we waved them over and had a good laugh at our craziness. I took a picture of Jeff and AJ to send to Joni, but of course I have to share it here...and also, in another example of what the teams in the Amazing Race do, we were all in matching shirts - Jeff and I in our running club shirts, and AJ and Brandi in their race shirts from the Buffalo Stampede. Yes, I'm sure we looked quite nerdy to everyone else in the store...or MAYBE they thought we really were on the Amazing Race! Nah...

Sock victory!!!

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Oh, I also wanted to tell you about the snake in my house - yes, the snake that I apparently walked past, three times, BAREFOOTED, one morning last week (before I had the surgery). Ack and eek! Paco alerted me to it by barking a different bark than he normally does - I was in the kitchen, getting the cat food ready, when I heard the "there's a bad thing happening here!" bark. I peeked around the doorway to see him facing a greenish/brown snake!!! It wasn't huge, but it wasn't exactly small, either. And? It was getting close to my bedroom! Believe me, if that had happened, I would have been outside, calling animal control on my cell phone, to come find it. I grabbed the pair of barbeque tongs (since they are longer than our regular tongs) and stretching my arm as far away from my body as I could, picked up the snake, which then turned its head toward me - EEEEEK! Paco was barking, I was (slightly) screaming, the cats were completely useless, as I carried the snake to the front door, walked out a few steps, and threw the snake and the tongs onto the lawn. EEEK! I had the heebie-jeebies for the rest of the day! No idea how it got into my house, but we had a thunderstorm during the night, and maybe it got freaked out when rain actually fell? Any case, that was quite the exciting start to my morning, and, as I told my pool buddy Nancy, I got my cardio in waaay before I started swimming!

Have a great weekend!

Surgery Update

2011-10-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

I'm alive! Writing this on Tuesday evening, still dealing with some nausea off and on every few hours...apparently if you are prone to motion sickness (of which I am the queen, unfortunately), general anesthesia can make you feel sick. Blech. Kelly picked me up some saltines along with my pain meds, and that has helped. Anyway, onto the surgery.

It went well. I'm a little foggy on the couple of hours after the surgery, but the doctor went in with a camera first (which I knew he was going to do) and saw not only the bone chips but a bone spur on the ankle, so he ground that down (sounds like woodworking to me) and also removed the chips. He said that the cartilage looked about 95% great, so sounds like not too much permanent damage was done - woohoo! The best thing was that while in the recovery room, he came in and put a walking boot on me - not that I'm supposed to be walking on it, mind you, but it's much more protected should I accidentally put some weight on it. Now - when will it stop hurting? Million dollar question. 'Cause it's not feeling too good right now.

A few pictures of my lovely day, thanks to Kelly:

Waiting to be called back to the pre-op area. Not nervous at all!

Last shot of my wonky ankle - I wonder if it won't be so pointy and prominent now that the bone spur is gone. The great unwrapping of the bandages in a week or so should be interesting.

Bleary-eyed - why do they have to start things so early in the morning? Quite the fashion plate in my lavender gown and teal socks.

OK, this hurt - the IV in my hand was painful if I moved my fingers in the slightest. I was looking forward to being put under so I wouldn't feel it anymore!

Home. Kelly got me settled in bed and headed out to do the drug run. Paco laid on my stomach and was a little concerned - he kept looking from my foot to my face. Not the greatest picture since I used my cell phone, but seriously, this was my view for a while!

Later on, I removed the boot for a while so I could ice it better and discovered that my leg was tan!!! So THIS is what I would look like with a spray tan! I kinda like it! This was the stuff that they prepped my leg with - I'm assuming some sort of strong anti-bacterial something? Anyway, it was cool. :)

I can't tell you how much it pleased me to know that the socks they gave me matched my toe polish! Why yes, I do take delight in the small things!

Finally, I just want to tell you all how much your comments and personal emails have meant to me - I am overwhelmed by the support of our blogging community - heck, Kelly and I became friends through blogging, and that crazy girl drove up from Houston to take care of me! You guys are the best. Big hugs to all of you!

I'm Ready!

2011-10-03T05:00:00.001-05:00

Ankle surgery is set for tomorrow morning. I have been prepping like a madwoman all week - cleaning house, grocery shopping, taking care of crazy things like getting out of the jury duty that I was scheduled for on October 6th (and dang it, this time it was at the court close to my house, not downtown like I always seem to get). I've pre-registered at the hospital, did my bloodwork, picked up my crutches and washed the dog (it seemed like a good idea although he didn't think so). I had lists upon lists going last week - the knowledge that I'll be pretty much immobile for up to two weeks had me a little worried. But it's all good now. Today I just have to get my bedding washed, dig out the extra pillows I'll need for elevating my ankle, and call the anesthesiology place to preregister with them (hey, thanks for sending me the notification to do this on Saturday - nothing like waiting for the very last minute).

Then, the fun begins. No, not the surgery! Kelly is coming up to spend the night and go with us to the hospital, as Jeff is teaching and can only drop me off. At least he's in town this week - next week? I'll be on my own. Anyway, Kelly very nicely insisted on coming here to take me home after surgery, get me settled, and ~~make a drug run~~ pick up my prescriptions. The fun, you say? Will be tonight, in the form of dinner, Red Mango (sadly, they don't deliver so this will be IT for a while), and quite possibly some shopping - why not go out with a blast, right?

Here's just about everything I'll need for my recuperation - and I thought it was funny that Paco posed with the stuff, because of course, he'll be right there, helping me with every step (and barking at the crutches - so far he's not a fan):

Basket full of little wrapped presents sent by my mom - I'm to open one a day to keep me entertained (kind of like an advent calendar), random library books, new sudoku book, Bridesmaids DVD (I've seen the movie but heard that the outtakes are hilarious), my netbook so I can stay in touch with you all, TV remotes, dog cookies (Paco needs treats, too) and emergency chocolate in the form of Dove Promises.

OK, I'm ready. Fingers crossed that by doing this, I'll be back to running, pain-free, soon. That would be wonderful!

Friday Mishmash - Beach Palooza Endnotes

2011-09-30T05:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks for all of your patience during this week of palooza posts. I promise, this is the end. But really, if I hadn't been posting all of the crazy pictures, I would have just been whining about my upcoming surgery. So see? I saved you from that. P.S. Come back Monday for the whine. ;)

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Speaking of that race (oh, WERE we???), I saw on the BP facebook page that one runner had videoed the race as he ran it (In a ridiculously fast time of 27 minutes. Seriously?!? I have no hope of ever running a regular 5K in 27 minutes, much less one with obstacles! Poor guy, he definitely didn't get his money's worth, either. Slow and steady, dude.) - I guess he strapped the camera to his chest. Anyway, even though he speeds up the boring running parts, it's a little long, but if you want to see the race as it happens (and the obstacles that we didn't manage to photograph), here are the You Tube links:

Part 1 - Around the 3 minute mark he hits the platforms. Pause it and look how far it is from one to the next. Nevermind how easy he makes it look. ;)
Part 2 - Must have been a waterproof camera, as you'll see when he goes in for the icy swim!

After the race we hung around and watched other runners jump over fire. It was really fun to cheer them on - I felt a strong kinship whenever an overweight woman did it. Yes!!! You GO, ladies!!! Love that they were brave enough to get out there and do this - I wouldn't have had the nerve 100 pounds (or even 50) ago! Then we went out for a late lunch - we were all STARVING. When we walked into the restaurant, Jeff immediately notified me that he wasn't splitting a burger with me - he wanted a whole one. So fine, I made the sacrifice and managed to eat one all by myself. We did get a huge cookie to split:

This picture cracks me up because Kelly is dispensing Motrin from her gigantic bottle to all of us - she poured a handful and we were all "two please" and "four please" - well, maybe you had to be there. We weren't going to let a little pain stop us from enjoying the rest of the day!

And speaking of pain - yes, my ankle hurt more than normal. But not enough to stop me during the race, luckily. So I guess it's a good thing I'll be having that surgery on Tuesday.

Later on, after we finally got cleaned up, we hurried to the Strand, where our favorite places were: Fit to Run and La King's Confectionery. Unfortunately, Fit to Run was closed! Sad faces:

My favorite running store! We went back on Sunday and got to shop and chat with the owners - they run the USAFit Galveston program and do a lot of runs from the store. Except for the occasional hurricanes, Galveston would be a really fun place to live!

Since we couldn't get our running store fix, we went for the next best thing - ice cream at La King's! Kelly and I posed while Jeff took our picture:

Notice the man making creepy eyes in the window? Chuck slipped into the store and managed to get in the picture and make us laugh when we realized what he'd done! As you can tell, we had a good time. :)

Oh, and finally - the best ice cream in the world:

Now THAT'S what I call a race reward!

I know you are probably Palooza'd out, and I thank anyone who is still reading after this week. I have to tell you that this was such a fun race to do, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. To paraphrase what Anne wrote in one of the comments this week, "obstacles" became "confidence builders" and that is so true - I felt about 10 feet tall when I finished this race. Loved every minute of it!

My medal - this was a fun one to earn!

Have a great weekend!

Beach Palooza Recap - Part 4

2011-09-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

Bear with me - we're almost at the finish line. But first, we got to play with giant beach balls!

That's Chuck heading in to the beach ball pit - you had to make your way through a bunch of elastic "ropes" first, though. Sounds simple, right?

Hah! Woman down. At least it was a slow descent to the ground - I got tangled up and managed to hit the sand. Holding onto the elastic the entire way down - hey, it really stretched!

But look - immediately, this nice young man was offering me a hand up. That was the cool thing about this race - strangers were helping each other all over the place. Nice!

Jeff paused from throwing beach balls at me long enough to take this picture - this was a fun obstacle and definitely felt very Beach Palooza-like!

Jeff and I exiting the ball pit. I managed to stay on my feet at this end!

(The next pictures are lifted from the official photographer's site, and, as someone who worked for a photographer for four years, I feel the need to say that I did buy some of these pictures...I know they work hard at these events, and count on selling some shots to stay in business. Of course I don't want to wait for the real pictures to come in the mail, so you're seeing the proofs.)

OK, here goes - this is what I was most excited about...FIRE! We jumped FIRE!! Twice!!! It was scary and exciting and crazy and I'm so glad we did this!!!

This fire looked to be at least 5 feet high as we approached it! OK, maybe just in my mind. But still - FIRE!

Jeff and I, catching air! Although I think I actually went through the flames more than going over them. Short legs, what can I say?

This was an exhilarating feeling, to have jumped FIRE! Twice!!

Chuck was just to the left of Kelly (in the picture) - we all jumped at the same time. I wish the photographer would have caught all four of us...next time(!) we'll have to be closer together.

Just one more obstacle left - the icy swim. They weren't kidding! I don't know how they managed to make the water so cold, but it was. And it felt dang good. Some people were wading through it, but the race officials were encouraging everyone to plunge in, so of course we did!

Jeff and Chuck going for a nice swim...

Check out the guy on the left - he was going all out! Love the enthusiasm...wonder if he realized the "pool" was only two feet deep?

Kelly and I getting ready to slither into the pool. It was salt water. Really, really salty water. I think I was laughing as I dipped into the water and got a mouthful - blech!

Soaking wet never felt so good - this was the perfect obstacle to end the race!

After that, we headed to the finish line!

This shot cracked me up, because the photographer caught OUR photographers doing their thing! It's really great to have such supportive husbands who not only are willing to participate in the crazy adventures that Kelly and I sign up for, but also carry the camera and document our fun. Thanks, Jeff and Chuck!

And the view from the other side...

Woohoo, finished!!! We did this race in the leisurely time of 1:13 - yes, a 5K in an hour and 13 minutes. Hey, we wanted to get our money's worth - why rush through it? (that philosophy originated from the original slow runner, John Bingham)

Hot, sandy, wet - and extremely proud of ourselves!

Beach Palooza Recap - Part 3

2011-09-28T05:00:00.002-05:00

Remember how in Part 1 of the recap, I noted that everyone was walking to the obstacles? After that platform one, I understood why. Not only was it hot, but dang - the adrenalin would ramp up for each obstacle and then you'd need a bit of a breather before the next one. Which was the super high cargo net climb! We watched other runners doing this one while we waited for our wave to start. The first thing I noticed? There were no pads on the ground, should one fall. I was thinking there would be gym mats, or some sort of inflatable bouncy thing. But no. Just hard sand. That would probably explain why the waiver we had to sign at packet pick up was so long!

This is what we saw before we started the race. *gulp* That thing is HIGH! My conservative estimate is four stories. My mind's estimate was 100 feet!

Now, maybe I was on a bit of a high from getting through the platform obstacle, but for whatever reason, I was pumped and ready to climb this one! My strategy going into it was to climb near one of the support posts, thinking that the ropes might be a bit tauter. Not sure they were, as there was plenty of give and sway, but I just held on and climbed up.

That first step up was a doozy! I know I'm short, but I don't normally notice it like I did during this race. Almost every obstacle was made for tall people. But that's OK - my short legs and I made it!

Going up!

Photo op - I surprised myself at how comfortable I felt on the ropes!

King of the world, baby!!!

On solid ground again - now THAT was fun!!!

Kelly faced her fears on this obstacle - she does not like heights, but she did it. Be sure and check her blog for her take on this. It was so exciting to watch her conquer this obstacle!!

After the cargo net, we faced a series of sand dune hills. Now, before the race, we noticed that runners were dipping down when they reached the bottom. We thought "oh, they must have dug a hole" - um, guess what we discovered on our way down the first hill? They did, indeed, dig a hole...and filled it with water! Fun times, fun times!

Jeff at the very top, followed by Kelly and Chuck. Up a hill, down a hill...

Running through the water, climbing up the hills...all in a day's fun!

Not pictured is the fishing net crawl, due to the "no butt shots" pact that Kelly and I made, and also the chain-ladder obstacle that you crab-crawled across (we were all doing it at the same time) and the walk the plank (again, all doing it at the same time). That one was scary - you walked up a narrow plank, then down (I got on my hands and knees at that point) and then it leveled out and I stood up and walked across and then down to the sand. Even Jeff was a little uneasy on that one - the planks were very narrow. I discovered that my childhood dreams of being an Olympic gymnast on the balance beam (hello Olga, hello Nadia) were probably best left at that.

Next up...giant beach balls, FIRE, and an icy swim!

Beach Palooza Recap - Part 2

2011-09-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

I know I promised the REALLY scary obstacles, but since I have pictures, here's another set of walls. We had to climb through them - along with some high walls, we had to make sure and duck so we wouldn't bang our heads.

Kelly's foot is all that I'm showing in this picture due to our "no butt shots" pact we made about all the pictures that were taken.

More climbing, pulling and heaving. Hey, we earned our bruises!

Kelly liked this shot because her foot touched the ground before Jeff's - there was a little friendly competition going on between those two runners throughout the race!

After the walls, we hit the platforms, aka "Lighthouse Leap" - the race organizers had posted a picture of this on their Facebook page on Friday. I saw it and got nervous. I could just picture me jumping from one platform to the next, slipping on the sand, falling backward and smacking my head against the platform behind me. Oh, and I may have (read: did) shared that fear with Kelly. Sorry for putting that into your head, Kel! This one was scary. People were going really slow on it. People were also walking around it...in other words, skipping it.

Jeff climbed on the first platform and started across.

I held back. He turned and said "come on!" I started on the platform that the woman in the orange shorts is on. They all wobbled, but that one was REALLY wobbly. So I climbed off and got on the platform directly behind Jeff. Stood up and froze. This was NOT going to happen.

This is me saying "do you SEE how FAR that next platform is? I'm not jumping!"

I was just about to get off the platform here. Then I told Jeff I'd only jump if he came down and held my hand to steady me. At that point the man with the blue painted-on sideburns and mohawk held up his hand and steadied me as I jumped to the next platform. What a nice guy! What a scary jump!!!

From then on, Jeff would jump ahead, reach his hand out (and it was QUITE a reach - these were farther apart than I liked), I'd grab on and he'd pull as I jumped. It was scary every single time. But we made it across, and thanks to Chuck's photography, I have proof!

Somehow I ended up jumping ahead of Jeff - yeah, I felt pretty dang good about that one!!!

Landing on the last platform - nice shot, Chuck! I was very glad to have had Jeff there for this obstacle...there is no way I would have done this one on my own. Also? I see challenges on Survivor where they do this, and I have a whole new respect for those contestants!

Next up? The VERY HIGH cargo net climb...

Beach Palooza Recap - Part 1

2011-09-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

You guys. This was so much fun! And scary! Holy crap - I did not realize some of the obstacles would be as challenging as they were...when Kelly and I first signed up for this race, we saw pictures of pool noodles and giant beach balls - fun, right? Oh my. The fun stuff was there, but also some things that quite honestly, I can't believe I did. There are days when I look at myself and wonder "who ARE you?" and Beach Palooza was definitely one of those days! This was not something I ever would have considered doing back when I was overweight. No way, no how. Pretty cool how much my world has expanded as I've shrunk.

(I'm sure you all will be sick and tired of hearing about this by then end of the week, but because we ended up with so many fun pictures, and I can't stand to NOT show you everything, I'm going to break up the recap into several days. You're welcome?)

Part 1
The strange thing about this race was that it started in waves...and our wave time was 11:30. Which, normally? You'd be finished and enjoying a nice post-race meal by then. Also? It was H-O-T in Galveston that morning. Probably the upper 80s - and we hadn't even started running yet! Welcome to Texas. But hey, you can't really complain - being on the beach in late September under sunny skies? This is when we get rewarded for living through those crazyhot Texas summers!

We picked up our race packets and posed with our pineapple hats - every racer got a pineapple hat and a t-shirt, and a finisher's medal at the end. My kind of race!

I'm thinking our Christmas card picture? LOL

I have no idea why my pineapple hat stem is going against the wind. Always gotta be a rebel, that's me!

We waited in our corral to start, where we could see the previous waves of runners doing some of the obstacles. We noticed that a lot of them were walking. Huh. We'd soon find out why they were walking! Anyway, we started off, and I ran for the first time in nearly 6 months! Being on sand, it felt strange, but still, it was so nice to actually run. For a little bit, anyway - I had to take frequent walking breaks, but we all had decided to stick together, so we just enjoyed the race. We ended up going a mile and a half down the beach - no obstacles, just running/walking. Finally we hit the water station, got some much-needed ice-cold water, and turned around to head toward the obstacles.

We were really hot and parched - that water hit the spot!

First up was an easy one - we ran through hanging padded mats:

Here we go!

We giggled our way through this one!

I love this picture because it shows the relief on our faces at having completed the first obstacle!

Kelly and I being radical...

Then we hit the wall - literally. A row of walls that we had to climb over. I don't know about you, but the last time I climbed something like this, I was a kid, climbing over my neighbor's fence (hey, why go around and use the gate when you can climb over, right?). The first wall was higher than my waist! After a moment of hesitation, I just threw myself onto it and heaved over. It was crazy - neither Kelly nor I could believe we were doing this...but we did!

I'm laughing as I heave myself over the wall!

Do you see the woman in the white tank top next to me? See how the wall is above her waist? These were tough for a short person like me!

I love this picture because it looks like I have my game face on and am RUNNING! Mostly I was just happy to be done with climbing over those walls.

After the walls came the pool noodle forest - this is what sold us on signing up for the race in the first place!

This was colorful and fun!

While I have thrown my arms up in victory over conquering the pool noodles, Kelly was still having a moment with them and did not want to leave.

We all had sand in our shoes, but didn't think we'd be getting wet until the icy swim at the very end. Imagine our surprise when we came across this - I'm proud to say that we went for it and splashed right in.

Next up...the REALLY scary obstacles!

Friday Mishmash - And, Nugo Slim Bar Review

2011-09-23T05:00:00.001-05:00

On the Mish and Mash today:

We are headed out to Galveston tomorrow afternoon for a weekend with Kelly and Chuck. I can't wait - we'll be doing Beach Palooza on Saturday morning, which is a crazy 5K fun run with beach-themed obstacles. Me? I'm looking forward to jumping over fire the most. Of course that is right now, while I'm sitting in the comfort and safety of my home. Might be another story on Saturday. Eek! Look for Picture Palooza on Monday, providing we survive the race!

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Speaking of running, I'm going to go ahead and have my ankle "cleaned out" via surgery on October 4th. Get rid of those bone chips. Not gonna lie, I'm a little afraid of this, but I'm more tired of always having it ache and hurt, and it's obviously not getting better. So this will be an outpatient procedure, and although I'll be going under general anesthesia, I'll be home in just a few hours after the surgery. Then, the hard part. Ice and elevation for ten days to two weeks. No weight-bearing on that foot. Crutches. Somehow I had it in my head that I'd be back in the pool the next week, but I guess not. However, if this will get me able to run again, and live without pain, then it will be worth the inactivity. Y'all remind me of this when I start complaining, ok?

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Last week, Paco got a package in the mail from my mom. Yes, the dog got mail. Homemade peanut butter dog cookies! I have to say that they smell really good, and Paco loves them. Proof:

Waiting...waiting...

Still waiting...Paco waits for the "OK" before he gets his cookie. His ears were back because at this point he was pretty much OVER the waiting!

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Recently, I was sent some Nugo Slim protein bars for review. The big selling point on these is that they are very low in sugar AND covered in real dark chocolate - no maltitol or artificial sweeteners. Sounded good to me! While I don't eat bars on a regular basis, I do like having them to throw in my purse in case I'm going to be running errands during the day and won't be home for lunch.

Brownie Crunch and Roasted Peanut flavors

Nutrition stats - I like the colorful "fast facts for slim" on the bottom - easy on the eyes!

I guess I was hoping for something really dessert-like, considering the bars are covered in dark chocolate. Honestly, neither bar had much flavor beyond the chocolate. I ate a few bites of the brownie bar and then thought "Why am I eating this? It doesn't taste like anything" so I tossed it. Then I tried a bite of the roasted peanut bar - again, not much of a flavor. I set the bar on the kitchen counter, and later in the evening noticed that it had disappeared, so I tracked down Jeff and asked him what he thought of it. "Kind of bland" was his response, which confirmed what I'd been thinking. The best part of these bars was the dark chocolate coating, and let's face it, that's not where the protein is. I could picture me treating these bars like I used to with a Twix bar - gnawing off all of the chocolate and caramel, and tossing the boring cookie center. (please tell me I'm not the only one who did that...)

Anyway, nice as my contact from Nugo was, I wouldn't recommend these bars. Sorry! (FCC, these bars were sent to me for free; review is quite obviously all my own opinion.)

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I am so happy we are heading out of town for the weekend - it's Homecoming for two of the three high schools here, as well as a home football game for Texas A&M. Can you say crowds? The roads are going to be insane - glad we get to avoid the madness. Hope you all have a peaceful weekend!

Wednesday Workout Update - Rewards!

2011-09-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

But first - thank you all so much for the affirming comments on Monday's post. I appreciate that so many of you took the time (and a few lurkers came out of the woodwork - woohoo!) to write such heartfelt comments. And don't worry, I'm not going to stop blogging - you can't get rid of me that easily! :)

One of the comments was left by Fran, who ended hers with "And now you made this major decision I want you to give yourself a present because you totally deserve it." I cracked up and thought "way ahead of ya, Fran" - because I'd gone on a bit of a crazy shopping spree a few days prior, and my package of goodies was already in transit to my house. I'm sure it won't surprise many of you to hear that I got some BARGAINS! I've actually been looking for some swim equipment (online, of course, since we don't have any stores here in town that carry this stuff) and along the way I found an awesome deal on some clothes. Next week I'll write about the equipment that I got - I haven't had it long enough to give it a good test. But for today, it's Fashion ~~Friday~~ Wednesday!

(Everything pictured is from Kiefer.com - they had a clearance page, plus I had a code for an additional 25% off AND free shipping (I'd share the code but it was only for 24 hours). And I had a $21 credit from some equipment that didn't work out. I made out like a bandit!)

Last week I wrote about needing something to wear to the pool when the weather turns cool. I found these TYR warm up bottoms for $15 after the discounts! And the sweatshirt? It was a "team grab bag" which meant I could specify size, but they'd choose the design. I figured why not - I was just going to wear it to the pool, right? Anyway, I'm now an unofficial member of the Ashbury Alligators, for the low price of $4.87!

I still need to get about 4 inches cut off the bottom of the warm ups - I swear, they make these things for giants!

OK, that was the stuff I needed. But there were bargains to be had! And besides, I like the idea of having some swimming t-shirts. Here's the rest of the loot:

Grab bag t-shirt for $2.25 - it's a little big (I should have chosen a medium) but how cute is the lettering?!?

Too fun!

"Team grab bag" long-sleeved t-shirt ended up being a 3/4 sleeve baseball style, which, again, I love. I'm an unofficial member of the DGSRC Dolphins. Go team!!!

I love this shirt, but like all burnout shirts, it runs small - this is an XL. I know!!! But it's cute. My splurge at $9.89.

How could I resist this shirt/hat combo? It's PINK! And it declares who I am - a "Swim Chick" - yes indeed! $7.20 for both.

If you've made it this far, thanks for indulging me in my fun fashion show. While I get my everyday reward from exercising in the form of increased endorphins, strong muscles, and a body that is shaping up quite nicely, it's fun to reward myself with things, too. Do any of you do this? Or am I just crazy?

Stick a Fork in Me, I'm Done!

2011-09-19T05:00:00.004-05:00

(In the countless hours that I've logged swimming back and forth, I've had plenty of time to think. And I've been composing this post in my head for about a month now. I've worked through a lot, and it's gone from a bit of an angry tone to a much more calm, even-keeled, and accepting tone, and I'm finally ready to publish it...fair warning, it's a long one.)

I'm declaring myself done. Done with dieting. Done with always thinking I should be doing more. Eating less. Eating differently. I'm tired of constantly having the "lose weight" thoughts always swirling. I just want to be the me that I am now. Not the me that I might be if I lost more weight. Not the me that I was a year ago, when I was at my lowest weight of my adulthood. Me. Now.

I've been dieting for over 30 years now. I started my first diet when I was in high school. And looking back, no, I didn't need to lose any weight. I was fine. But let's not go there. The past can't be changed, and we can rage all we want about crap that happened, but the fact is, crap happens to just about everyone. And while it's OK to look back, it's easier if we can see our past with empathy to the likes of "it's a pity that happened" or "I'm sorry you had to go through that" - and then, release it and move on. Forward. Let that shit go, as much as you can. For me, some days (weeks/months/years) it's fairly easy, and some days (weeks/months/years) it's not. But I try to remind myself that I'm not the same person I was 30 years ago, or even last week. Every day, every encounter with someone, every experience I have - it all adds up to a constantly changing, constantly evolving me.

Getting back to dieting. Except for a few years when I was in my early 40s, I was ALWAYS either dieting, or feeling guilty about not dieting. Those few years that I wasn't? That was when I made a conscious choice to be overweight. To accept my size, buy an entire wardrobe of clothes that fit my body, and to enjoy, without guilt, food. Honestly, it was quite awesome! Except for the constant heartburn, lack of energy, massive food bill (those dollar menus at the fast food places DO add up), and hating to see pictures of myself - but other than that, eating without guilt was fun.

However, with the graduation of my youngest son from high school looming, something made me want to give this whole dieting thing one last try. And in May of 2008, I started my last diet, which, as you all know, I've documented on this blog. Along the way, my focus went from losing weight, to changing my eating habits, from starting to exercise, to liking to exercise, and then I hit a major goal of losing 100 pounds. But I never had an end in sight. I never really had a goal weight. I figured I'd just "know" when I was there.

And then this year happened. Two weeks in, I injured my ankle and lost my main source of exercise. Two week later, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I stress ate and put on some weight. At one point, I remember looking back at that thinner person from the previous summer and wondering why on earth I wasn't done with dieting then. It's taken me some time, but this summer, as I worked at losing the weight I'd gained, I realized that I didn't want to be doing this for the rest of my life. I don't want to be that person who is always focusing on calories, on "good" foods and "bad" foods and treats and denying myself and spending so much time looking for a freaking number on a scale that I don't allow myself to enjoy life.

So that's where I am. Right here, right now. Living in the moment; appreciating my body for all that I can do (hello crow! hello swimming!), and letting go of a lot of years of negative thinking when it comes to food. No more dieting. That saga is done.