The Skinny on Getting Thinny

MOVED!!!

2011-05-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

I have moved to Tumblr.....Follow me here theskinnyongettingthinny.com

sometimes you just have to...

2011-05-15T23:18:00.001-07:00

LAUGH!

So if any of you follow me on facebook, you would know my dad has been in the Emergency Room, then 5 hours of emergency surgery to treat an ulcer the perforated his bowel and a hiatal hernia. Basically they gave him Gastric Bypass for a second time.

It was really scary and I really thought we might lose him! Though there is still risk for serious infection, he is doing ok. He slept, walked around a little bit and flashed his butt to his youngest daughter (me) this evening. (I think I deserve an award for best daughter! The prize....a years counseling ) *wink*

Aside from all the emotional turmoil, there have been some pretty crazy things happen today that you just have to smile and laugh about. Granted I might be smiling now because I am EXHAUSTED with no sleep in sight but here we go...

1. Last time I checked the coffee cart should not be closed on a sunday morning.

2. Last time I checked the fire alarm should not go off! Then to hear "this is NOT a drill, evacuate now" over the loudspeakers is a bit scary when your dad is in surgery. What the heck! Not to mention I was in the bathroom and thought I pulled the emergency cord.

3. It is not customary for a spider to drop down like little Miss Muffet while one is trying to go to the bathroom.

4. Typically Apple Chips and Top Ramen are not standard home meals...but today it was golden and I was grateful to have food.

So there you have it..when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you hospitals...pull up a couple chairs and make a bed...you will be there a while.

Good night friends and thank you again for all your prayers, encouraging words, and help today!

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giveaway winner...and the agreement

2011-05-13T12:37:00.001-07:00

Well....some of you guessed it! In our momentary lapse of reason, Heather and I decided that by the end of 2012 we will have completed our FIRST EVER MARATHON!!!!

Really that means by the end of 2012 we can call ourselves "legit" runners;)

Every step up the 26.2 miles will be run together!

Here is to a great year of training!

Heather wanted to do it by the end of THIS year but I cabboshed that idea real quick! :)

So for our WINNER .... selected by random.org

CONGRATULATIONS to Billy Perkins! Winner winner chicken dinner! Email me and I will get your prize in the mail:)

Anyone else want to take the marathon challenge with us?!?!

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turning in my fashion card

2011-05-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today I surrendered my fashion card...

I traded fashion for function
Cuteness for comfortability
Pain for price

And took the plunge and bought a pair of Crocs. Now if you know me the least bit, to me, Crocs are right up there with the rompers, leotards, and colored skinny jeans as fashion suicide. BUT.....when your heel hurts too bad to walk and an avid runner/workout fanatic/ironman in training suggests getting some Crocs to combat the pain....I have no choice to believe him.

So my friends...at least for today I say "adios fashion and hello function!"

For the record, it IS actually helping my heel. It still hurts but not NEARLY as bad. (Thanks Billy for the horrific BUT amazing suggestion.)

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Let's make a deal....

2011-05-10T18:51:00.001-07:00

Heather (my sister) made it official! We shook on it in our momentary lapse of reason! ;)

What did we agree to?

Take a guess and you could win a $10 Starbucks card and a pack of Gu :)

WINNER will be randomly selected.

How to enter: leave a comment with your guess on this post.

*for an extra guess, share it on your facebook page and link your page and add another comment to this.post.

You do not have to be right to win.

Winner to be announced Thursday night:)

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interval run week 2

2011-05-09T17:09:00.001-07:00

So as I ice my heel and my foot I am going to give you my interval run details. I am doing this now to get my mind off how COLD this water is!!!!

So I had a little distance snafu last week and was only running .2 miles NOT .25 miles. No wonder my pace was sub 8 minutes! I am getting faster but not by that much!

So today....here are my accurate .25 mile intervals.
1- 2:11
2- 2:17
3- 2:17
4- 2:21
5- 2:22
6- 2:26
7- 2:23
8- 2:24

Man it was rough but I made it at about a 9:20-9:30 pace!

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training recap...

2011-05-08T21:21:00.001-07:00

Put in 19.2 miles working out this past week.

14.6 of those running and the others were on the elliptical, which felt like the longest hour of my life!

It was a good week and next week is going to be EVEN better.

With the book" born to run" on tap to rent at the library, iced feet to heal, and a excited and grateful heart to those who help me and cheer me on..I am ready!

LET'S DO THIS!

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Spectacular Steals Sunday!

2011-05-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

I told you it was coming! So....in light of being 2 days late for Fashion Find Fridays, here is my Sunday Edition: Bottoms Up:)

Gap treated me very well this past week. As you know, Target is usually my deal of choice, but Gap was having a fantastic sale. I immediately went the the $5 rack to see what I could find. Not only did I buy everything for under $5, the salesperson gave me a 30% off coupon, so everything was SUPER CHEAP.

Disclaimer: With the exception of the first outfit, these clothes are my summer and hot weather attire. I do realize the skirts are a bit short, so paired with leggings or just for the beach/pool party. Just an FYI ;)

And my dear friends, here you go.

This navy blue skirt I found at Gap.
Originally $49.50
Cost me: $3.48
Saved: $46.02

This grey corduroy skirt is also from Gap.

Originally $49.50
Cost: $3.48
Saved: $46.02

Gap denim jean skirt
Originally $54.50
Cost $3.48
Saved: $51.02

Gap green shorts

Originally: $59.50
Cost: $3.48
Saved: $56.02

TOTAL SAVINGS: $199.08
I think it was a GREAT SHOPPING DAY!

Oh yeah, I cut my hair and got contacts too....it's been a very successful week:)

6.1 miles =…

2011-05-07T18:47:00.001-07:00

A great run with my sister....
A reward of some strawberries and froyo...
AND icing my heel and foot. :( BUST!

It is the weirdest thing....while running it does not hurt one bit BUT walking on my hard wood floors KILLS my heel.

So I ice my heel and the top of my foot in hopes it gets better. :)

UNTIL THEN....running hard and icing well.

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today....

2011-05-05T21:32:00.001-07:00

Was rather productive and exciting. I took the day off because I had dr. Appts in San Diego....so here is how the day went.

1. Dentist- no cavities, remaining 2 baby teeth still intact. Need to step it up on the flossing.

2. Eye doctor for the fourth time in 4 weeks. I am/was determined to get contacts, so today we tried hard lenses. A bit uncomfortable at first but far from the described feeling of "putting shards of glass" in my eye. PLUS I had 20/20 vision with no problems!

3. Did some summer shopping at the Gap and hit the JACKPOT! I will make it a point to bring back "fashion find friday" or "sassy steal saturday" just to show off my loot. But let me tell you.....it was a steal!

4. Off to the Body Shop to buy some "summer in a bottle"....coconut body butter and some other amazing things! Post to come :)

5. Lunch with the pops

6. Chopsy of the locksies! That's right I allowed my dearest friend to do what she does best....make yours truly one bossy lookin girl. (Pic to come) and yes Kels I LOVE it.

7. Ice cream to celebrate my niece Sage moving up a level at swim class.

8. After all this I mustered up the energy to run 4 miles. It was an easy run so not pushing to hard. Here are the stats.....
Mile 1: 9:53
Mile 2: 11:00
Mile 3: 11:35
Mile 4: 9:03
Total: 41:21

Dinner shower and now bed. For having the day off....I worked too hard *wink*

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teacher appreciation week.....

2011-05-04T12:27:00.001-07:00

ROCKS!!!! Thanks to a church next to our school, we get to enjoy a fantastic lunch.

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first day of interval training ...

2011-05-02T22:13:00.001-07:00

FINISHED!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!
Started with a 1.5 miles warm up then my 8x400m (I ran .25 miles at a pretty dang fast pace 8x with a 2 min break in between.) So here are my splits.
1. 1:43
2. 1:53
3. 1:53
4. 1:54
5. 1.57
6. 1:55
7. 1.56
8. 1:57

Then a one mile cool down...at what I though was slow BUT I ran a 9:53 min mile. I have never run that quick and I was not really even trying.

Feeling pretty accomplished and hardcore, I must say....but pretty sore!

Not to mention, like an idiot, I jammed my stinking finger stretching my legs out. Yep I kicked my own finger. Dingus award goes to me for the evening;)

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Relay For Life

2011-05-01T16:59:00.001-07:00

As if going to Compton was NOT enough, (Click Here to read that post) I signed up to do Relay for Life with my sister. We had initially signed up to do the 4-7 pm shift....which made for a long day, so my brother in law saved us and took half of the shift. Since we are all training for our 1/2 marathon, it was nice to get out and run.

So, I quickly came home from Compton, showered...(I was FILTHY!!!!) and got ready to head over to the local high school and get ready to run. So, we loaded up the kiddos and jumped in the car....only to realize it would not start, as you see proof below.

Dead Battery! And my brother in law was out already "relaying" so my sis and I were stuck jumping the car. So only after I had to push it out of the garage..... We jump started it.

AHHHHH! SO ANNOYED

"Eh, we will figure it out!" And well, we did.

A little bit late, but we made it. Sage and Macy made it around the track once and left with daddy while Heather and I relayed.

Here we are with our baton getting ready to walk/run around the track. (Pardon the "Snookie" hair. It was wet from showering off after Compton...and quite frankly, I really did not care what I looked like at that point.)

Here we are ready to start.

Ok Ok, if you have ever done "Relay for Life" it is not technically a race, or a relay for that matter, but Heather and I meant business! *wink*

Since we signed up for an hour, we decided to run a lap, walk a lap and so on and so forth. We ultimately finished 4 miles.

Along the way, we stopped at the booths, bought raffle tickets and chatted with people.

When we finished our alotted time, we were both STARVING. (Not like we burned a ton of calories, we were just ready to eat.) We went to Chili's, ate our little hearts out and headed home.

Right when we got home, Heather got a phone call that she has won one of the raffles...a manicure, and Heather got a text from a friend saying that I WON a month of dance classes! I am so STOKED! I am going to call them because I have always wanted to take ballet, so we shall see if they offer those classes for adults. If not, Macy is going to be one happy dancing girl :)

So that ended my happy and busy Saturday.

Compton Initiative

2011-05-01T16:53:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a fantastic day to serve the people of Compton. I went with my church, Covenant Grace, to do a service project.

So...at 4:30 am I woke up, threw on some clothes and headed out to meet 6 other people to head up.

Our specific project was to paint a house, clean out their garage, and cut bushes and weeds from the backyard. It was such an amazing opportunity to serve a family and community in need.

(I would share more, but I think it is more fun to look at the pictures instead)

*Enjoy* :)

Our AMAZINGLY hardworking team

After cleaning out an entire trailer full of trash and things the family did not need from the garage, we were given the opportunity to paint it.

One of our team members, Mike, painting.

John painting the house.

Sadly, I did not get any before pictures. But imagine....this whole backyard was FULL of trash, bushes and such.

The house AFTER it was painted. Before it was a pink color that was peeling off. It really needed to be redone.

Ok ok, I will share a quick story with you.

As I was painting the back door, one of the children in the house was so excited that we was able to have a new painted house. He would not stop talking about how grateful he was and kept saying... "Wow it looks so good!" When we were leaving, I went in to say bye and the little guy gave me the biggest hug. It was so amazing to do something for a family in need.

I can honestly say, I felt more blessed being able to serve, step out of my comfort zone, and join in a vision.

For more information on the Compton Initiative, go to justdogood.org

half marathon training .....

2011-04-29T16:50:00.001-07:00

Officially started today with my first 30 min tempo run.
30 min 2.9 miles.
Would have been 3 miles but had to walk a bit because of a killer side stitch.

Next time.....next time!

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"yummy"

2011-04-28T21:57:00.001-07:00

From the mouth of the cutest 22 month old.
I am not the only one who loves popsicles on a hot day!

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a personal record....

2011-04-25T18:06:00.001-07:00

But not what you think....ran 5 miles 55 minutes. Ave 11min mile....not my best.

BUT after my run I stretched, showered with washing my hair, got ready and walked out the door for dinner in 8 minutes flat. Now that's a personal record. :)

Now to foam roll and lay in bed and read. I am EXHAUSTED!!!!

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time to celebrate....

2011-04-23T13:06:00.001-07:00

My dear friend Kamar! More pictures to come of her party.

Happy birthday girlie!!!!!

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Unsettled

2011-04-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

If someone told you they promised to give you a million dollars, but you just had to be patient and wait 1 year....if 364 days later someone offered you 1/2 a million, would you settle?

If you trained for a full marathon (26.2 miles), 2 weeks prior to your race would you settle to finish only a 5k (3.1 miles)?

If you were promised to graduate college with your Doctorate as long as you tried, would you settle for only your high school diploma and never attempt college?

Of course not right? Think about it, patience and trust are key elements of these scenarios. You need to wait to become a millionaire, trust you finish a race you have trained for, and attempt to do something you know you can do.

So let me ask you this question? If God promised you that he would bless you with a spouse specifically designed for you and you for him/her, would you settle for something less because you were not patient enough to wait or lacked the trust?

UGH right?!?! What a loaded question huh? I bet you did not know this post was going this way right?

Well, I have to share this with you because it is something near and dear to my heart. Too many times I have sat down to write this post but I was afraid I would do one of the following; offend people, be questioned what "experience" I had, or be held accountable for every thing I put in this post (meaning I cant settle despite waiting for what seems like forever.) I mean, I am about to stir up the pot, but hope to encourage those who are single and waiting.

So....ready GO!

What personal experience do I have? Well....absolutely none. Never been kissed, never dated, never been married, no kids. BUT I do have the wisdom from the Lord and his Word. So, instead of you just getting my opinion on something, I want to bring in the Truth.

Why is this dear to my heart? I have seen too many people lose hope and faith that God has someone out there for them. I have seen too many of my friends settle or desire to settle for something that is less than what I truly believe God has set up for them.

To me, marriage is something to be highly valued and treasured. Marriage is not about me and what I can get out of it. It is about selfless desire to serve the Lord together. I went through a really depressing period of my life where I NEVER wanted to get married. I was so confused what the purpose of marriage was. I recall a conversation with my good friend Heather where we talked for a while and she encouraged me in this. Marriage is the closest thing to unconditional love we can show the fallen world. In a corrupted world, people need to see two people who love and care for one another on a deeper level than the lusts of their flesh.

So if I am to show the fallen world unconditional love and be united front with my spouse, how could I possibly do this with someone who does not believe this charge from the Lord? The answer is, I cant. It is impossible.

So does that mean that when I get married everything will be perfect? Will I automatically know what to do as a wife and he as a husband? NOPE, not one bit. I have not a single clue what it is going to be like to live with someone for the rest of my life. I am not going to fully know what he likes/dislikes and how we can live together....and well, he is not going to be the perfect husband either. I loved how my friend Julianna put it. (click her name to see her full blog) Here is what she had to say about an epiphany she had on marriage "Then one afternoon, in conversation with my momma, I had an epiphany. I had been "expecting" my Ty to be an experienced, well-rounded, perfect husband. I expected him to be a perfectionist at husband-ing. Even though he'd never done it before. He'd never been a husband before. What was I thinking? And I wasn't good at wife-ing. I have never been a wife before. Ah it was so freeing. It was like all the burden of perfection was released from us. We allowed each other to make mistakes. We allowed each other to grow and learn and get better at this whole marriage thing. " Read the whole blog post HERE.

So sure, marriage is hard, I do not doubt that, but can you even imagine settling because you gave up on what God had planned for you? You are selling yourself short from the blessings God desires to give his children.

Here are some verses I have found that explains further why it is so important to marry someone who has the same understanding of marriage.

2 Corinthians 6:14 talks about not being "yoked with an unbeliever." I have heard this so many times, but it has only recently made more sense since I am a runner. If I am going to run a 3 legged marathon, I sure as heck am not going to be paired up with someone who has never run in their life. They will hold me back, they will get tired and slow me down. Likewise, I am running a race toward Christ and what He has in store for me. If I pursue a relationship with someone who is not pursing the same thing, I am going to have to slow down and wait. There is no time to wait. There is a Kingdom to pursue.

Ephesians 5 talks about the role of a husband and a wife. The husband is called to love his wife as Christ loved the church and the wife is called to be submissive to her husband. Now I know for me, if I was in a relationship with a man who did not love the Lord and share the same convictions that I had, it would be really hard to trust him and be submissive.

Lastly, this verse has spoken to me in SO many aspects of my life, but I think it also is important for marriage. Romans 15 talks about being an example of Christ and that together with one voice we can glorify God. I want to be united together in one voice with my husband.

We will run a race together to pursue the Kingdom and until then....I am still running. One day my path will cross with someone else, but I will not divert from my path to find him. I will not settle but wait on the Lord for I know that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father, but only in His divine timing.

So my prayer is this, 2 Samuel 22:37 Give me a wide path for my steps under me and my feet will not slip.

Here is not settling and waiting on the Lord. Psalm 27:14 "Wait on the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage. Wait on the Lord"

day late....

2011-04-21T18:49:00.001-07:00

And $1 short!!!!! Yahoo I won!

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one of my favorite times with my dad....

2011-04-21T18:14:00.001-07:00

Is playing cribbage. It is the only time trash talking is encouraged.

Truth be told my dad taught me how to play and I have kicked his butt almost every time.

Tonight...the wager is high 20¢ a point.

We shall she how it all turns out. But if I learned one thing from my dad "never make a bet you can't win"

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this is what happens....

2011-04-20T15:31:00.001-07:00

When I leave my bag of chapstick at home.

$3.25 later at a gas station is even steep for me and Burts is my absolute fav.

Me-0 Chevron- 1 for the win

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nothing is cuter....

2011-04-19T17:57:00.001-07:00

Than this little girl doing her "core exercises."
Joy is being an auntie!!!

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death by frosting...

2011-04-18T15:46:00.001-07:00

This.is.so.good!!!! 'Nuff said!!!!

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this is what happens in my free time....

2011-04-16T15:53:00.001-07:00

I clean/organize/get rid of junk.

Fresh sheets on the bed.
Cleaned out drawers.
Organized drawers.
Huge bag of clothes to get rid of.
Clean shower/sink/toilet
Laundry clean/folded/hung/put away

My reward: ICED COFFEE (made at home of course) why you ask? Because with spending $120 on coffee last month, I realized I needed to cut back...A bit/LOT!

HAPPY SATURDAY. How have you filled your day?

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a minor setback

2011-04-14T17:06:00.001-07:00

A diamond valley "death hill" run x2 experienced a minor upset (stomach edition) and landed me sleeping here for three hours.

I guess the flu or something like it happens to the best of us. No amount of fluids and hand santitizer could of fought this one :(

Take two tomorrow. (Fingers crossed)

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Everything in Moderation....

2011-04-12T22:26:00.001-07:00

But I can honestly say....this is far from moderation.

Maybe it was playing Candyland with my kids all day....

Or a monthly visitor that made its debut this week.....

Or maybe I was really hungry.

Regardless, these bad boys made it into the trash tonight.

A short lived life. Better to waste $10 instead of 10 pounds :)

Me-1 cookies- 0

WIN:)

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Gilligan's Island and Red Bull.....

2011-04-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

We all know the Gilligan's Island theme song... "A three hour tour, a three hour tour." Well today, I felt like I was running to that theme song...."A three mile run, a three mile run."

That is all I planned on running today. Truth be told, I have not run since last Monday and it was a piddly little run. My Cardio trainer keeps track of my calories burned in the last 7 days and gives me "medal" on my phone that is color coded. Usually I am in the 2000-3000 range and get a "gold" medal. Well today something tragic happened, I dropped down to blue and 800 calories. I HAD to earn that gold medal again, so I planned to get out and run a short run around the block.

I felt like a Red Bull commercial...."Red bull....gives you WIIINNNGGSSS!!!!" But today, my Sauconys were like rocket ships.

I rounded the corner of my run and about to turn around when I thought to myself "This is easy, let's keep going." So that is exactly what I did! And it was GLORIOUS! I got back to my street where I should have turned but my rockets were still blasting....so I went another block....then another....then another.

As I was getting tired, I realized that the place I was supposed to cross was marked "no pedestrian crossing" forcing me to run up another block. At this point, I was getting pretty darn tired...so I did what any normal runner does....count my steps to 100 then start over. Well, that got pretty boring since I had quite some time left and I had already counted 500 steps, so naturally a caboshed that idea:)

But, finally with quads burning, knees aching and out of breath,

I made it back feeling great only to map it out..... 5.6 unplanned miles. My feet led the way and my heart and soul followed! I am feeling super great:)

Let's see where my feet decide to take me tomorrow.

Until then.....I will be nursing a bit of a blister on the side of my foot.

re-uniting with some old friends

2011-04-11T16:17:00.001-07:00

Dear sauconys:
Sorry I have neglected you. Sorry you have stayed in my gym bag for the last few days.
Today....we meet again. Be prepared to be pounded into the pavement (only in the context of running is this a good thing)
Don't fail me kay?
<3 you running enthusiastic

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ch ch check it out!!!

2011-04-05T17:58:00.001-07:00

Just trying out new contacts:) you can see my true colors now. Ain't I purdy?!?!

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ahhhh this is the life:)

2011-04-05T10:43:00.001-07:00

Day two of spring break is a blast from the past. Sitting at Coffee Bean in San Diego reading a book in the beautiful weather.

On tap today....meeting with a plastic surgeon about getting my extra skin removed, lunch with a dear friend, an eye doctor appointment to get contacts (YIPEE!!!!!!) then dinner with the pops and the boxing:)

It is a great day!!!!

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A PR and a great dinner:)

2011-04-02T20:58:00.001-07:00

After yesterday's running failure, I knew I had to hit the streets hard but with some success looming. My 5 mile run ended up to only being 2.8 miles but I knew I was going to have to punish the pavement with each step. That is precisely what I did. 26 minutes later at a 9:26 pace I finished my run victorious!

So...I decided to reward myself with a wonderful home cooked meal. I cooked quinoa for the first time and put some lemon juice and salt on it. I ate a spinach salad with parmesean cheese and balsamic vinegarette dressing. And I think I was most proud of my garlic curry shrimp. MMM MMM MMM

Now off to paint my nails and eat some SF butterscotch pudding.

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HOT AIR conditioning

2011-04-01T16:54:00.001-07:00

Good thing I decided to run semi-incognito today. In 87° weather let's just say it was a rough run...and to be more honest ....I was a long run/walk.

I inadvertently signed to condition my body to HOT HOT weather. Its the hottest day we have had ALL month. (Ok so I realize it is only the first day of the month) *wink*

But man I tried to run my typical 4 mile route...easy peesy. I even drank extra water but a run just wasn't happening.

Dissatisfied for sure but I gave it all I had. Guess tomorrow's run will be an early morning run.

Off to an ice bath I go. My legs are hurting from not only my run today but a hard core bootcamp training sesh on Weds.

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In the dark.....

2011-04-01T07:19:00.001-07:00

Cant see? Me neither because apparently I am too small for my own good. My office at work does not recogonize that someone(me) is in here so the lights turned off. Haha I guess that is a good "small" problem to have.

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food faux paux

2011-03-28T15:57:00.001-07:00

So I learned a very important lesson about always having food on hand.

I NEED to grocery shopping and since I have not gone, this morning proved to be quite difficult. I packed my lunch no problem but snacks were a big bust. I had some pretzel thins that I packed, not knowing they would back full force. Well the plethora of pretzels got "stuck" in a big hunk in my stomach, thus causing a serious case of the "foamies." Just in case you are new to this blog, the foamies are when you eat something unfavorable and your stomach acids have a hard time digesting thus causing you to burp up foam. This has happened only one other time and needless to say, it really sucked.

To add insult to injury today...I got really shaky today most likely due to a lack of protein so I had to go to GNC to pick up some protein powder and decided to try a new protein bar. Well let it be known....sadly "muscle milk light" protein bars are a no go. No matter how shaky I got, I could not choke it down. :( ....
..lesson learned.

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"it" has arrived ....

2011-03-26T18:35:00.001-07:00

And by "it" I mean my torture device ....a foam roller that is!

I was so convinced it was my hamstrings that were tight until I rolled this little goodie on my body. It actually is my lower back, ITB's, and my calves causing me problems.
So not only have I adopted ice baths as a running regime, I will now be rubbing this stupid foam thing around my muscles everyday.

Everyone tells me it will help, but until then....OUCH!!!!

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crazy 8's

2011-03-26T18:27:00.001-07:00

looking good
Feeling GREAT
and now I'm wearing a size 8!!!!!

That's right I have gone from a size 24 down to an 8.

Here is the debut:)

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Running Naked (not what you think) wink

2011-03-22T16:23:00.001-07:00

So I did it today.....I ran naked! Without my Ipod that is.

Why the heck would I do that?!?!?! You might ask? Well, I rely so much on my music...and dont get me wrong who doesn't like to run to some Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas, Britney Spears....ect ect ect, but I wanted to prove to myself that in the event that my Ipod was not with me, malfunctioned or whatever, that I could in fact run.

I did not want to feel like I HAD to run only to music. Additionally, I had a ton of "sorting" out to do in my head today and I felt like I needed to spend some time in prayer and leave my stressors on da' streetz! Hehe

For the record, I found that I actually ran a faster pace today then I have with music. A fluke? Maybe. I am getting faster, that is for sure, but I was impressed anyway.

I ran 4 miles in 41 minutes which is an average mile pace of 10:25. I must say I was pretty stoked about that:)

On another note, I got this new shirt....

My sister turned me onto this AMAZING blog Ben Does Life(click link). He was selling these shirts and I pretty much think it is awesome. Remember this post(click link)? Yeah well living is a commitment. So what am I going to do???? I am going to DO LIFE:)

DOING LIFE!!!

Dear Iya:

2011-03-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Celebrating YOU!!!!

Dear Iya: (In case you did not know, that is what I called my sister when I was a kid)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I thought I would get that out of the way before I begin the much needed letter of thanks to you!

Thank you for always being there for me and protecting your little sister in the times she needed you most!

Also, thanks for also sharing in the most AMAZING 90's fashion. Ace of Base and Paula Abdul were inspired by us:)

Thanks for the random skating shows we were always preforming in the backyard and making stew out of our dogs hair, mud, and rollie pollies.

You spearheaded greenpeace for sure with our "Save the Earth Club," which I still fight for the fact that you did NOT steal our dues:)

Thank you for officiating many childhood weddings with the neighbors and cutting and styling my hair.

Thank you for letting me follow you around when you were in Jr. High. You were SO COOL!

As we continued to grow older we became better and better friends to eventually best friends!

You inspire me! You were the instigator of this whole running "fiasco." Look what you have gotten us in to? HAHA

You were always the lover and I the stubborn fighter, but I think this picture proves different. *wink*

But I must say, you for sure got the looks in the family.

Here's to you Iya. You're 29 and let's celebrate this year as another year that we grow closer together! You are a wonderful sister, AMAZING mother, and a loving wife (at least that's what your husband says) hehe.

10K Recap :)

2011-03-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

Ok ok so it is about time I recap my 10K. Afterall, it has been a week and I am guessing you want to know how it went....so here it goes! (sorry for the poor quality of some of the pictures. My camera phone is not the best)

Wake up time: 3:45 am....crazy huh?

Ate this.... Jay Robb protein powder, one banana, soy milk, ground flax seed, and coffee

Wore this.... I am addicted to running shorts. I can not wear capri's or pants any longer. I love my shorts :)

Ran with them.... Yeah I know I look tired!!!

Ok Ok so let 's get to the race already, I know that is what you are thinking.

So, how did I do? Well my goal was to finish in under 1:15 and well....I will let you see for yourself.

It might be hard to see, but I finished UNDER my goal! This time is the gun time, but my chip time was actually 1:07:03 with my mile pace at 10:48.

The race was for sure mentally and physically challenging. 6.2 miles is ummm pretty far, but it was awesome! Our trainer Billy finished the race in 34:59 ( I KNOW RIGHT?!?!) so at mile 5 he came back for me and encouraged me for about a 1/2 mile. That was a good pick me up because I was getting tired. Despite a splitting side ache, I was able to finish! I ran the whole way!!! It was an awesome accomplishment and I was so so proud of myself and my team.

Not to mention I got this super sweet Finisher's Medal....dont worry, I did NOT wear it all day *wink*

Team BabyHawk

This race was sponsored by Domino's Pizza, so they had pizza and beer. BLECH right after a race, so we some of us went to Breuggers (sp?) Bagels afterward and grubbed on some bagels!

We saw this crazy site on our way home....YIKES right?

Got home and my brother in law crashed out....I was not afforded that luxury:( I had stuff to do. Not to mention the fact that he was sick.

So instead, I settled for the next best thing....

So when is my next race? 15k, 4th of July in Coronado...Who's in?

a friday night of fun

2011-03-18T22:12:00.001-07:00

Today was awesome:) went on a 3.6 mile run with a dear friend.
Now going to a movie with these chicks .... we are "limitless"

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Small VICTORIES with the BIGGEST benefits

2011-03-13T21:46:00.001-07:00

So I am going to be honest...the scale has not really been in my favor the last few weeks. To my defense, I have upped my protein by adding in a shake in the am because I was worried with all this running, I was depleting my body of the needed protein, but the scale was headed in the wrong direction!

I will be honest and say that I have consumed a few more sugar free treats than I would like to admit, but today a had a victory that outweighed the scale. (Pun intended) ;)

Last night I made a batch of SF brownies because I found out Pilsbury makes them. They were good but I ate too many last night and picked too much at them today. Clearly knowing I would be the only one eating them in my house, I knew I could eat them all or throw them out....so my friends, I am here to say, the dumpster ate 75% of my brownies and I don't miss them one bit:)

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testing

2011-03-12T04:07:00.001-08:00

Now that I have an awesome phone....I can update anywhere :)

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Pre-Race Jitters???

2011-03-11T18:33:00.001-08:00

NOT A CHANCE!!!!!!!

In case you did not know...I am running my 2nd race EVER tomorrow and my first EVER 10K.

Of course you will get a recap on the race itself, but here are some pictures to mark the pre-race preparations.

Race Shirt...CHECK (though I am not wearing this one, I have one to commemorate the race)

Time chip on shoes....CHECK ( My goal is to finish the race in under 1:15. I think I can do 6.2 miles in that time. Only time will tell....LITERALLY) It is funny, when I read that time I secretly think to myself.... "I am going to be running for over and hour?!?! Holy Smokes!"

Official Racing number...CHECK

Feeling like I can OFFICIALLY call myself a runner....CHECK CHECK CHECK

Next on the agenda:

Shave off some time on my run literally(Shower)

Race Mix

Protein Shake

Going to bed early

Where have I been???? Ensenada???

2011-02-22T12:56:00.000-08:00

Where on earth have a been? Well, according to my Cardio Trainer app on my phone, since the beginning of the year, I have ran to Ensenada, Mexico (106 miles), worked out 53 times, and burned 19,279 calories....That's where I have been....the gym, hitting the streets running, and stretching and nursing sore muscles by taking ice baths. I have never ever seen Jersey Shore, but understand part of the "gym, tan, laundry" phrase EXCEPT tanning is out...and unless washing ONLY gym clothes counts as laundry, I guess that one is out too. My life is running and exercising! Do I love it? YES!!! Does my body love it? YES, but with a fight of sore muscles and such.

Never read the book or saw the movie "Eat. Pray. Love" either, but can relate my life to "Feet. Pray. Run" It is incredibly ridiculous that amount of time that I have spent running since finishing my first 5k. I think I found my niche for sure. Not to mention the fact that my sister and I were sponsored/supported/invited (however you wanna put it) to run a 10k in March with the amazing people of BabyHawk. If you want to join our team, you are more than welcome! The race benefits Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. Goodness, it was not 3 months ago that we were training for a 5k and thinking we were going to die...now a 10k! Oh and not to mention....we are signed up for the Happiest RACE on Earth in September.

Are you exhausted yet? Me too, let me paint you a picture of the most RELAXING day I had yesterday....

If you remember my past blog post, my sister and I finished our first 5k and entered a contest through this AMAZING company Pitaya Plus on Facebook to win a $500 spa package to the Torrey Pines Spa. If we got the most "likes" on our picture we would win. Well, as I am sure you know....because we messaged you and bugged you like crazy, WE WON! Before I get into our amazing spa day that we had yesterday, I want to take time to thank these amazing people and tell you about their juice!

My sister and I have dubbed ourselves "Pitaya's Biggest Fans" and 1 year ago, I may have literally been their BIGGEST fan, now we are their biggest fans with our hearts and support. These people are probably some of the coolest and most genuine people I have ever met. If you go to their website, you can read their story and I am pretty sure you will love them too!

BUT, on a personal note, as you probably know, I can not drink juice because it is too high in sugar and post Gastric Bypass, the sugar will "kill" me. Ok not literally, but will make me super sick. So, when I first got a sample of Pitaya, I was super leery. Up until then, I had only drank water, tea, and coffee and avoided juice at all cost. But, after further researching Pitaya and what they put it in, and how low in sugar it was I actually decided to try it. Not only did I love it, but it settled perfectly in my stomach! YIPEE, something else I can add to my diet that is healthy, tastes good, and I can stomach (no pun intended) *wink*

Ok ok so back to our Spa Day. After we won, we had the privilege of picking up our prize in La Jolla and met the Founders of Pitaya Plus. Here we are...

Needless to say, we were pretty excited!!

So, our spa day arrived....yesterday.

Our day began like this....

I got to my sister's house at 8 am and we left for San Diego. Before we were going to check in at the spa, my sister and I had to complete our workout for the day...see taking over my life... :) We decided to run the same course that we will be running for our 10k. We ran down in Mission Bay in San Diego. I must say, there really is a different culture of runners in San Diego than there is up here in Hemet. I LOVE running in San Diego. My sister and I did our first 6 mile run! I had never run 6 miles, but I made it in an hour and 6 minutes. I am averaging an eleven minute mile...which is about a minute faster than I have been running. I finished my run and felt like collapsing....I was sore and thirsty, but I DID IT!

After our workout we drove up to La Jolla and checked in at the Spa, grabbed the BEST lunch on the planet at the grill in Torrey Pines and then FINALLY decided to do the whole spa experience around noon. We put on our spa shoes, robes and decided to take a shower...after all we had just run 6 miles. I am embarrassed...kinda...to admit that I LOVED the shampoo, conditioner and body wash so much, I shampooed my hair 3 times! HAHA it felt so good and smelled so delicious.

After the shower, we went in the steam room, dry sauna, and the inhalation room. When we were done with all of those things, we went in the lounge area to wait to be called back for our massage. We lounged and I read Desiring God by John Piper and Heather read her "wifely book." I don't know what it is called, but it is a goody too! We sipped tea, drank cucumber lemon water, ate trail mix and relaxed by the fire.

THEN...it was time for our treatments. We first had the privilege to enjoy a massage. Oh my goodness was it so amazing. I hurt in some parts because my back has been so tight and my legs too, but it was so relaxing. After our massage concluded, we went back in the lounge and waited for our next "treatment" to begin. My sister opted for a facial and I opted for a fruity body peel. Neither of us regretted our decisions. My skin felt softer than silk...and my sister's face was glowing with beauty after her facial.

THEN....well we lounged again. While we were relaxing, I saw a girl that I could have sworn I knew. Well, it ended up being the wife of one of the Pitaya Plus partners! She was the one who organized this whole spa package for us and was one of the kindest people! We were able to chat with her for a while and I do not think we thanked her any less than a million times for allowing us to be there....and the next thing we knew it was 5:30 and they were going to close at 7. SO....we did the most practical thing....SHOWER again:) We showered, got ready for the evening and decided to go out to dinner. On our way out, we ran into one of the Pitaya partners and were able to thank him again too!

Honestly, it was one of the most relaxing and fun days I have EVER had!!!!! I can not thank Pitaya enough for the spa package and each out you reading this who "liked" our photo and helped us win!

Today was back to reality...well kinda, I have a week off work. My sister decided to open up a halfway house for moms who need to acclimate back to reality from the day spa :)

So my friends...there it is...my life for the last month and a half. I hope to make more time to blog. I love it and want to keep it up!

5K....that's a wrap!

2011-01-09T19:50:00.001-08:00

Name: Emily
Hobbies: Running, Jogging, Sprinting, Buying Workout clothes, Making AMAZING music mixes to run to.
Recent Accomplishments: Running First 5K!!!!

THAT'S RIGHT. I did it! I ran my first 5K today. So...here are some pictures to prove it.....

My sister made this sign. My part says "158 pounds down" and my sister's side says "baby weight going." This was our motivation to keep going!

So at 4:01 am I woke up to begin getting ready for our race. I woke up to the sound of my mom singing the Rocky theme song...it was pretty great! I got dressed, made my protein shake and ate my protein bar. Did my hair and was off to be in San Diego and race by 7 am.

As number 677, I was ready set! I got that shirt from this new company. If I wore it, I could be entered into a contest to win a $250 spa package. Details on how you can help me win this in the future:)

So, at 6:30 am, we arrived in San Diego. My sister, Heather, her husband Ryan, and myself. Still dark outside, we were cold and tired already, but amped to start! We attempted to use the restroom before we went, but that was a nightmare and a 1/2 with the line 50 women long. The men's....of course no wait. Lesson Learned! Good thing we stopped at McDonalds to go to the bathroom.

My sis and I ran into some of my sorority sisters who were running too! Venetian and Corvette (as I call them) are the girls on the left and they were running the 15K. Myself, Kix and my sister all were running the 5k. So we see Venetian and Corvette off and our race was about to begin.

I must admit, I was pretty nervous. All I knew is that I could do it and, if it killed me, I was going to run the whole thing. My goal was to do it in under 36 minutes...which would be a 12 minute mile. If you can see in this picture I am right in the middle of the pack. I was pretty claustrophobic, so I decided in the beginning to cut over to the left and run in the grass. As soon as I did this, I felt like I just took off! It was so crazy, but I was passing people left and right.

Here is a closer look at the sign my sister made for us:)

My niece made this awesome sign for me as I crossed the finish line.

And friends, I am here to say that I did indeed cross the finish line! Not only did I run the whole thing, I beat the time I was striving for! By a LONG shot! Was the race hard? Yeah it was very mentally challenging. It was cold and I was tired from waking up at 4 in the morning, but worth every stride! I have really never felt so great! I am still on the running high!

So here are my race stats:

Time: 31:43 WAY better than I expected!

Place Overall: 236/523

Place Women only: 111/328

Place in my Age Bracket: 50/115

So what am I doing now, you might ask? Nursing a busted muscle. I over exerted my hip flexor, so I am icing it.

I better get better soon because.....

Disneyland Half Marathon Training starts TOMORROW!

Happy 5K Eve

2011-01-08T20:38:00.000-08:00

Well this is it! In less than 12 hours I will have completed running my first 5K.

Now, I will post more about the race tomorrow after it is all said and done, but I wanted to share with you a few preparations that HAD to be made prior to race day.

Music Mix. CHECK:) Fully equipped with Black Eyed Peas, Britney Spears, Trick Daddy, Christian Aguilera, Kanye, Beyonce, and of course The Rocket Summer.

Hot bath....CHECK Not to mention "shaving" off some of my time for the race. The legs are freshly shaved. LOVE IT. Plus, a nice sugar scrub to end the evening.

New race clothes....CHECK....though I procrastinated so they are still being washed....BUST!

Protein powder....CHECK. Just bought some new "Jay Robb" vanilla protein powder and thanks to my friend Jackie, I will be mixing it with ice and my coffee in the morning.

Race Bib pinned to shirt and Time Token on shoe....CHECK. NOW I feel official.

Ipod Charging....CHECK

Drinking Tea to relax....CHECK

Hydrated and Carbo "loaded." CHECK....well ok drank plenty of water and my carbs were minimal, but doesn't "carbo loading" sound so official?

Tutu made...UNFINISHED Business....sorry sissy, maybe next race;)

EXCITED BEYOND WORDS!!!!! CHECK CHECK CHECK

So there you have it.....at about 7:40am tomorrow morning these girls will have completed their first 5K race!

ONE YEAR SURGIVERSARY!

2010-12-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

OH MY GOSH!!!!

IT HAS BEEN ONE YEAR!!!!!

HOORAY!!!!!

In celebration of my one year surgiversary, I wanted to post some pictures of before and after. I purposely saved this outfit because I knew that it would come in handy. The green shirt and pants was the last outfit I wore before I went into surgery. The jeans and red shirt was my very favorite outfit...which you can see is much too big now. The jeans are a size 22W and now I am a 10. The shirt was a 3x and now I am a Large or Extra Large!

This belt used to be too small and now look at it! I have so much room!!!!!!

Measurements:

Body Part: Before: After: Total Lost (all measurments are in inches)

Neck: 16.5-13.5-3 lost

Chest: 52-42-10 lost
Shoulders: 54-44-10 lost
Waist: 60-41-19 lost
Hips: 55-47.5-7.5 lost
Right Bicep: 16.75-12.75-4 lost
Left Bicep: 16.5-12.25-4.25 lost
Right Thigh: 29.5-24.75-4.75 lost
Left Thigh: 28.75-24.5-4.25 lost
Right Calf: 20-17.5-2.5 lost
Left Calf: 20-16.75- 3.25 lost
Ring Size:11-7-4 Ring size
Body % Fat: 46.6-30.3-16.3 lost (this measurment is 2 months old. Has not been tested for a while)

72.5 Total Inches LOST!!!!

So, after a whole year of life changing experiences, lets talk about the good stuff! There has been so many changes and revelations this last year that I want to share with you. The list could go on forever, BUT dont worry, I wont keep you too long!

First off, I make a really cheap date:) I dont eat too much, so we could split something. "The drinks will kill you!" as my dad says, but I cant drink while I eat, so you will be saving money there. Plus, I cant eat sugar, so we will not be getting dessert. This makes shopping for food and eating out super easy!

Small plate, big plate, or a platter, when my stomach is full it doesnt even matter! I used to eat on small plates, but what I realized is that no matter what size my plate is, my stomach gets full and I am down for the count.

I can now sit behind the steering wheel and have my stomach not hit it in my car!

I can sit in the back seat and the seatbelts fit, plus I can now ride in my dad's Corvette comfortably. It totally makes sense to me now why he bought it after he lost all of the weight. HMMM what should I buy myself when I hit my goal?!?!?

I do not have to worry about breaking chairs when I sit down.

My butt fits into chairs now! Like really, the starbucks chair actually fit my tushie!

I still have the fat girl mentality though. I get claustrophobic when I sit next to people. I feel like I am taking up too much space....but I really guess I am not.

I wear high heels as much as possible! My feet dont hurt and I dont feel like I am going to snap the heel off!

I have not eaten fast food in a whole year and I really dont miss it!

I love fruit more than anything these days. Give me a pear and I am happy :)

I am running 10-15 miles per week now....by choice!

My money now wants to go to workout clothes and good running shoes instead of food!

This year I "found" my collar bones and the chest bones.

I felt my ribs for the first time.

I thought my hip bones were tumors in my sides. I did not even know they existed until this year:) I can ACTUALLY feel my hips/pelvis.

For the first time, I hurt my spine getting into the bathtub. I laid down to "relax" and thought someone was stabbing me....but no, it was just my spine! OUCH!

Sitting on hard surfaces hurts the "cheeks"

No more missed calls when my phone is on vibrate. The fat used to absorb the vibrations and I could not feel it, NOW I can for sure feel the vibrating of the phone.

I feel like I actually have eyes. I know this sounds really odd, but when your face is so full, it seems like my eyes disappeared. BUT...ladies and gentlemen, they are back in full force!

So I have made it a full year post gastric bypass surgery! I am not done yet, but getting closer to my goal each and every day! The fun thing is this, I am really never done. Health is something that we cling to each day. I will continue to dedicate my time to being healthy. Sure, I will hit my goal weight....eventually, but health continues forever!

So there it is my friends! I made it...one year down....many to go!!!

HIP

Hip

HOORAY!!!!!

Look out 2011 here I come!!!!!!

1 year Post-Op Appointment

2010-12-24T10:37:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a quick post because my TRUE year post op is not until December 28th, but I had my one year post op appointment with the doctor yesterday!

It is crazy because one year ago today I have having my Pre-Op appointment basically signing my life away. I was getting ready for Christmas, very much like I am doing today, and thinking "this is my last REAL Christmas." I was also thinking "well next year I am going to miss out on all the cookies, cakes, and fudge." Now, a year later, none of that really even matters. I took myself to Winco to buy some SF candy in the bulk bins and am ready to enjoy the real meaning of Christmas.

So ok ok back to my appointment. It was WONDERFUL! I am down a total of 155 pounds from the day I was admitted into the hospital for surgery. Though the pounds are wonderful, the really exciting thing is my BMI (body mass index) has decreased significantly. Pre-op my BMI was 53.6% which tips the charts of MORBIDLY OBESE. Looking back now, I am shocked! Some BMI charts do not even have a option for 363 pounds in their calculations. Now, almost one year later, I am at a BMI of 31.01 which is borderline Overweight/Obese. So sure, I still have some ways to go, but I am on the right track.

Because I have lost 69.28% of my excess body weight and have been having problems with extra skin, I am being recommended for plastic surgery to remove the excess skin! I am actually really excited about this. Sparing the details, the excess skin is a medical necessity especially for my arms and my stomach. As time progresses, I may have to get extra skin removed from my legs as well. I am not going to do anything drastically to change my body, but the excess skin makes it really hard to exercise. To paint a mental picture for ya, I dont want my stomach and arms "sloshing" around. I never knew that you could make armpit fart sounds with extra skin! Funny?? Depends what 7 year old boy you ask. ;)

So that is basically the details released from my post op appointment. On my year Surgiversary, I will post all the inches details and new pictures!

Until then, Merry Christmas and thanks for continually supporting me through this journey!

The Tortoise & The Hare

2010-12-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

This is Emily & I after a 3.4 miler. See how refreshed & energetic she looks? See how red & sweaty & ready to die I look? Yeah. So not fair. Oh, and yes, we totally try to match when we run together. Loves it.

My sister has been bugging me (as only little sisters can) about guest blogging again. Honestly, I feel like such a total dork when I guest blog because, as stated in my last post, you come here for her journey & her sense of humor & I don't even come close to being as entertaining as her. I am far behind her in the humor department.

I am also far behind her on every stinking run we have ever taken together. We are training together for our first 5K. We are following the Couch to 5K program & highly recommend it. The thing is, for Emily it wasn't exactly couch to 5K. It was more "gym 5 days a week & meeting with a trainer 2 of those days" to 5K. Me? It was "on the couch getting winded walking to the kitchen for another brownie" to 5K. So maybe I was setting myself up for feeling like a failure. I'm not the most competitive person but I am very comparative. Meaning, I often compare myself with those around me. So, when my sister & I headed out for that first run I figured she still had 40+ pounds on me & that I would be the one encouraging her not to give up. Ha! The pride comes before the fall, right?

I did not fall, literally, but I sure fell behind. I remember our very first run. It was a gorgeous & cool day & we headed out with our iPods synched to the second with our Week 1 Mix Down (our own music with Emily's ghetto fabulous impersonation telling us when to walk & run). We did our 5 minute warm up brisk walk & I was winded. Then came time to run for 60 seconds. 15 seconds into it I thought I was going to die. I made it the full 60 seconds though & was surprised that Emily was right beside me. (Remember, I thought she'd be eating my dust). 3 minutes of walking followed the first run & at the end of the walking I heard "RUN" in my ears & I guess (according to my sister) I said some very un-Heather-like words & got to running.

The first week we kept pace with one another but by week 2 she was much faster than me. I remember her saying something along the lines of..."um, well, when we run do you want to try & pick up the pace a little?" I probably would have died had I tried to run faster but I told her she was more than welcome. Ever since then we have kept pace during our warm up & cool down but during the run she is always about a block ahead of me. Emily & I joke about this tortoise & hare situation but it's not just us who have caught on! My dad gave Emily a card for her birthday & on the front of the card were two women running. The blonde was in front & the brunette was in back. Emily says "Oh, look, it's me & Heathy" and dad says "Yeah! & look who's up front" ha ha ha. Thanks dad!

I could be annoyed & jealous at her speed but instead I just choose to remember that this means that on race day she will finish first...and be there to high five & hug me at the finish line!

----Heather----

Times are a Changin!

2010-11-24T20:10:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!

It is Thanksgiving Eve and I can not believe I am almost 11 months post op. Boy have things changed since last Thanksgiving.

Lets paint a picture here...Last Thanksgiving, I was so eager to eat EVERYTHING in sight. That's right; turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, green beans, trying yams...again, apple pie, ice cream, pumpkin pie, pecan pie! I ate myself into a ridiculous stupor. And....if I remember correctly, actually threw up because I ate too much and was so so so sick. But, I guess 3 platefuls will do that to you.

I was not physically active and sure was not planning on doing that any time soon. I mean come on...being 363 pounds is not conducive to exercising...and for me it was not really conducive to doing much of anything.

BUT...THIS YEAR.....Things have changed!

Tomorrow will be quite a different day! I look at the list of foods I ate last year, and my perspective has totally changed. Sure, I will eat a little turkey, a few bites of mashed potatoes and some stuffing, but my heart is set on the veggies and the Sugar Free Pie. Instead of eating 3 platefuls of food and getting sick, I will be eating one child's plateful. Oh, don't get me wrong, that plate will be full....but it is a SMALL plate. I think it is more of a psychological thing to have a full plate on Thanksgiving, but mine will just me a much smaller plateful.

SO....lets now talk about some of the physical activity changes that have occurred this year. Never in my life would I have dreamed that I would go running on Thanksgiving Day before we eat. And not just any run....but my 5K training run which is 3.4 miles. That's right...on Thanksgiving, not to mention that today I woke up at 5:00 am to take a spin class and walked my butt off at Disneyland all day!

I feel like a "self made athlete!" Ok ok so I can't take all the credit, I have an AMAZING personal trainer, but I work so hard to stay fit and take care of my body.

Who would have even imagined I would be where I am at this year as compared to last year?

For that I am so grateful!

So my friends, enjoy your Thanksgiving and be truly grateful for the air in our lungs and the ability to be active!

Gym Rat Rants Part Deux

2010-11-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

I get asked sometimes if I have a favorite post...or which one makes me laugh still to this day? I would have to honestly answer that as YES for sure. THIS POST...day in and day out proves itself to be true. I run into these people who do these things all the time! I guess they have not been reading my advice for them.

Well, joyfully for you readers, but sadly for me, I have to report I have issued my second letter to the attendees at the gym....*wink*

So here it is...

Dear Gym Members...

First and foremost, the last 9 months have been quite a pleasure working out with you. You see, I completely enjoy seeing you work out and it is quite inspiring to work out with the same people every week. BUT there are some of you that need a bit of an intervention. So...this letter is for you. I have made it quite easy. I will now give you a list of things that I would appreciate you NOT do at the gym while we work out.

Lets discuss proper workout attire. I am sorry to report that Toms, Keds, and Ecko Whites are not appropriate footwear. If you want to develop shin splints...please do that at another gym. I do not want to see you limping around. INVEST in some tennis shoes.

On the topic of attire, I would kindly suggest you not wear jeans or overalls to work out. As far as I know, chafing is not a very good look on you. Save yourself the embarrassment of chafed "areas" and the discomfort.

Please bring a water bottle! The water fountain is for a "quick sip." You look like a camel preparing for a drought when you stand there for 100 years drinking water. I think that hump on your back is due to poor posture, not for holding water. Furthermore, please keep your mouth off the drinking fountain. Thanks :)

If you smoke, wear too much perfume, Axe deodorant, or rub Icy Hot on before you work out...please do not choose to run next to me. If I wanted to smell an array of aroma, I would frequent Purfumania, not the gym. NUFF SAID!

Also, person next to me on the treadmill, I specifically pick out a mix of my own music to listen to. Your singing, humming, whistling or just plain loud music is not necessary.

This one is specifically for men....why do you insist on ripping the arms off your t-shirt and all the way down the sides? I mean really, if you wanted a faux shirt...what I call a dicky, I can get you one, but do not waste a perfectly good shirt only to rip it. Furthermore, I would really prefer not to see your mipples. Thanks:)

Ladies: A sports bra is not considered a shirt. They call them undergarments for a reason...Empasis on the UNDER!

Speaking of undergarments...please WEAR them!

And lastly....Men please do not wear SHORT shorts...I mean sure I have no problem saying "hi" to some thigh, but I have been known to shriek at some cheek!

So there you have it. Fellow gym attendees, thank you for keeping me happy with some minor workout adjustments.

LOVE: A fellow Gym Rat

You may have finished reading this and still curious if you would be considered a "gym rat."

If you ask yourself this, here are three tell tale signs you are indeed a gym rat!

When you hear the word "push up" you know that this is indeed an exercise, not the most delectable Popsicle you will have eaten.
When you hear the word "kettle bell" you know that this means a piece exercise equippment, not the bell that sounds when tea is ready. And it certainly is not for bringing the cows home.
When you hear the word "hamstring" you know that is a muscle, not a ham and string cheese sandwich.

So there you have my dear readers. Do you have any gym rants you want to share? I would love to hear them!

ONE YEAR BLOG-IVERSARY

2010-11-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

That is right faithful readers...today marks my

ONE year blog-iversary!

Can you believe it? I have been blogging for one whole year! I am shocked myself that I still have stuff to say. My life is pretty boring but losing 150lbs is far from boring. Sure I have a little more to go, but I wanted to recap the last year by following up on a list a created 1 year ago today!

It was titled Fry Me Up Some Reasons....Here is my 10 top fun reasons why I wanted Gastric Bypass with my now follow up answers.

#1 I look forward to taking up only one seat on an airplane. (Personal space, please!)

Have not been on an airplane yet, but pretty sure since I can sit in the back seat of a car and only take up my one spot and the seatbelts actually fit, I will not be the dreaded person to sit next to on an airplane. Nor will I be the first one escorted off the plane if they are over the weight limit.

#2 I finally get to sit in the back seat of a car, with two other people.

Like I said above, though I get carsick, it is such a relief not to be a burden to people and always have to sit shotgun. Furthermore, I can actually sit in the middle seat!

#3 Say goodbye bigger water bills for more laundry. (Save the whales:)

I can actually say that this one is true! Since I am smaller, I have smaller clothing, thus smaller loads of laundry. I have gone from doing 4-5 loads of laundry a week to only 2. Not to mention I am adding 3-4 more outfits from working out at the gym. I must say it is pretty cool to only have to fold and do 2 loads of laundry. Shamu and I are buddies:)

#4 I wont have to say excuse me every time I have to squeeze past someone.

SUCH a relief! I mean really....how annoying was it for my belly or other large areas bumping into people. Now the only thing busting people up is my HUGE purse or my boxing punches.

#5 I will save money on replacing furniture I break. ( How do I budget that Dave Ramsey?)

TRUE! I have not broken a single piece of furniture this last year. Let me tell you....those cheap chairs are not even budging.

#6 Better gas mileage in my car.....(I don't know if that is true, but lets go with it:)

Sadly this is not true...Maybe it is due to the fact that at any given time I have my weight in water bottles in my trunk. I do drive a Honda, so I really can not complain about bad gas mileage.

#7 Look out here I come Bounce Houses and Ballet.

Still no ballet! I want to do it so bad...but have not found the time and dont quite have the leotard body;)

#8 Even Rollercoasters will be more fun. (Scared to death, not scared to die)

Most def will not ride one...still so scared!

#9 STILETTOS. I don't have to worry about snapping off the heal.

OH MY GOSH!!! SO fun!!! I love me some stilettes! So hot and so fun to wear. Like I have said before, I have no one to be short for so going from 5 foot 11 to 6 foot 3 is no problem.

#10 SHOPPING SHOPPING SHOPPING! Did I say SHOPPING?

For sure an expensive perk! I have never bought so many clothes in my life! It does get annoying because I buy something cute and wear it less than a month and it is too big, but hey it is fun to shop. Fashion Find Fridays was born because of my love of shopping.

Well so there you have it! I predicted some exciting new things...and there they were!

Hope you enjoyed it:)

All the Single Christian Ladies

2010-10-29T15:13:00.001-07:00

Let me paint a picture for you....Are you....
Single?
Christian?
Waiting for the Mr. Right NOT Mr. Right Now?
Frustrated?
Annoyed?

Do you....
have high standards that will not be compromised?
wonder when the nuptials will take place?
imagine your wedding dress, flowers, white picket fence, children?

THEN THIS POST IS FOR YOU!

Have you ever thought "Come on God I am so much fun...and I am ALREADY 21!"
Or how about this "Come on God I am not nerdy but quite flirty and I am pushing 30!"
Or this "I NEED a man and Lordy Lordy, ...I am passing 40!"
Or "Come on it is about TIME...people say I am in my PRIME!"

Well I am sure that you have thought any number of these things...but lets talk about the actions.

SISTERS, I have collaborated a list of possible signs that you might be getting impatient....trust me...we have all done or considered some of the following. ENJOY *wink* (Just a note...thanks to the girls that have shared in these wonderful ideas!)

So here is my top 10 in no particular order that you might just a bit impatient! (tongue and cheek of course!)

You Might be getting impatient for a Christian Man if....

10. You spot a "not of this world" sticker on a car and you accelerate quickly to see if the person driving is a guy...and of course hot. Sure you ignore that fact that the last 50 times you did this it was a girl driving the car. It only takes one right ladies?!

9. You admire a cross tattoo or necklace and immediately assume the guy is a Christian. Sure you neglect to remember that Madonna wore a cross around her neck in her "like a Virgin" song, the fact that Kanye West thanks God every time he wins an award, and that many clothing logos have some variation of a cross. BUT maybe just maybe they are a Christian. (CLUE: if the only inclination that they might be a Christian is from their tattoo....give it up.)

8. You dream of the day when you will meet your husband. I mean you almost hope your car breaks down so that Prince Charming can change your tire, or you slip in a grocery store and your knight in shining armor extends his hand to help you up....come on girl WAKE UP!

7. You have actually written a letter to him, or considered it. NUFF SAID *wink*

6. You creep facebook for "legit" guys...and by "legit" I mean it says something about being a Christian and his music preferences at least mention 1 Christian band and one Christian book in his "likes."

5. You have ever considered that if you are dressed ugly one day, your story might just end up like Ruth. Working in the field and admired while you are sweaty, dirty and feeling gross. Not to mention being able to "lay at the feet of Boaz." Don't we all wish we could be THAT forward sometimes instead of just waiting, waiting, waiting, did I mention waiting ?!?!

4. You have ever thought it was good idea to dress up in your stilettes (stiletto heels) and cute outfit and walk in to C28 to buy something only if a guy is working. Whether you choose to buy those inexpensive bible mints or a "true love waits" ring, you are sending the message....Christian and Single! AND girl, you gotta know he is going to ask if you need prayer...and you kindly oblige and ask him to pray for your future husband. hehe

3. You have read and studied Captivating and Wild and Heart multiple times...and you think it is time to read and study it again!

2. You have written a list of qualities you want in a husband. But here is the problem....follow with me... your dating ad looks like this....SCW who is a PWWSTGCLBRDDJW Seeking SCM who is a PWWSTGCLBRDDJW

Don't get the jargon? Let me dissect it for you...
Single Christian Woman who is a Prayer Warrior, Worship Singing, Tithe Giving, Children Loving, Bible Reading, Devo Doing, Journal Writer....SEEKING Single Christian Man who is a Prayer Warrior, Worship Singing, Tithe Giving, Children Loving, Bible Reading, Devo Doing, Journal Writer.

See the problem here? Your are seeking yourself in MALE form....Gurl give it up....you cant reincarnate yourself in a man form!

1. The number one inclination that you might be desperately needing to find a husband is the following...you have ever considered "accidentally" showing up to a Single Men's Bible Study...you conveniently have baked cookies, and since you are already there, you might as well offer up your prayers and counseling services to any man that might need them. *wink*

Ok girls so there you have it....Can I get an Amen Amen Amen...not to be mistaken as a "hey men, hey men, hey men"

Girls, don't be sad when yet ANOTHER Christian man gets married....I know I know there really are not THAT many more fish in the sea...but he is there waiting and praying for you too.

Hope you enjoyed this non exhaustive list and it gave you a smile.

Good Night and Happy Waiting:)

Stirring the Pot for a Point

2010-10-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

I do not normally like to "stir the pot." I dont always think it is necessary to be critical of people around me. I live my life and people live theirs. I am always willing to offer advice when asked, but I typically will keep to myself. EXCEPT FOR TODAY!

Here we go folks....I am stirring the pot. I am mixing it up and I am sad, upset, hurt and angry in one big FAT emotion!

Why you might ask...Here we go....(Bring on the rant....and well....some grace)

I was sent THIS ARTICLE (Click and read before continuing) published in Marie Claire magazine from my sister.

Where do I even begin? Initially after reading this article I was sick. Literally pit of my stomach sick....then I was hurt...then I was sad...then I was angry....and now I am just well sick.

Coming from a "fattie" my soul bled for people reading this. WOW really? What a tragic way voice an opinion! SO hurtful and so disrespectful.

Though I would like to spit out a bunch of degrading and horrible things about this author, I realize I would be going down to her level, so I decided to write her a letter...on my blog of course. I am sure she will never read it, but here we go.

Dear Maura Kelly:

I do not even know where to begin with the sadness I have felt while reading your article. I certainly know that we are all entitled to our opinions and as a fellow blogger, I certainly have voiced my own. But you are published for the world to see in an, up until today, respected magazine.

Let me give you some history on myself...10 months ago I weighed 363 pounds and I guess you could consider me a "fattie" and "very very obese." Did it ever occur to you that I already felt judged and uncomforable walking across the room knowing that people like you were judging me, whether is was going back for seconds at the buffet or standing in line to get a skinny vanilla latte at Starbucks? Did it ever occur to you that I wanted to be like you people...thin and admired? Did it occur to you that I would like to go to the gym, but felt as if people judged me because my "rolls and rolls" might offend someone?

What I think you have failed to realize is that people who you would call "fatties" know how they are viewed in the world. We are not oblivious to the fact that we have increased health risks, take up extra room where ever we go, and know that we are judged. But let me ask you something....because we are fat are we not allowed to be loved? Sure, I am not a huge fan of PDA (public displays of affection) but does it really matter whether someone is large or not?

Remember...we "fatties" have taken the same health classes as you have. We know how to exercise and eat healthy. But if we can not even feel free to display affection to a loved one, how do you expect us to go to the gym and want to jiggle around complete strangers? Have you neglected to remember an important word called "metabolism?" How about "genetics?" Are you familiar with these terms? I know many thin girls that eat like crap and their bodies are rotting from the inside out. You do not complain about them do you? No, you complain and are disgusted by the people who probably have been disgusted with themselves at one point.

You have kicked people while they are already down. You have stereotyped a group of people without ever walking in their shoes. You have no idea, therefore you do not know.

Though deep down in my heart I truly want to be mad at you and hate your guts, I actually feel sorry for you. You have missed the mark here my dear friend and potentially destroyed and alienated a group of people who have already felt alienated.

Please, I ask of you...if you are ever given the opportunity to write...which I hope you are not, I hope you think about the effects of your writing on people.

Thanks,

Spectacular Steal Saturday

2010-10-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

WOW I am back for another tardy edition of "Fashion Find Fridays." I have been gone a while because the budget does not always permit shopping. BUT today you are in for a WHOA-MAZING edition! I have found some of the best deals lately....Some of which I am sure are still available.

So here we go.....

Outfit #1....I will begin with saying that this outfit cost me a total of $5.74. Here is the break down. The jeans are Gap long and leans passed down from my sister, so I paid nothing for them obviously. For that I am extremely greatful! Thanks sissy.

The white shirt is also something passed down from my dear friend Jackie. You da best gurl!!! So this shirt is from Old Navy, but again cost me nothing.

So lets get into the accessory department. The scarf and shoes are from no other place but Target. The scarf retails at $10.00 but I bought it for only $2.50! That means I saved $7.50 on this gem.

For the shoes, little story....I have been WAITING for these shoes to go on sale! I loved them but why would I spend $12.99 on them when I can get them on sale for $3.24 meaning that I saved $9.75 on these shoes!

Now I am done with Outfit # 1.

Outfit # 2....I also really love this outfit for a casual day. Nothing too special but cute...and that is what I am going for...comfy and cute. The total for this outfit is roughly $14.74.

So again, thanks sissy for the jeans at no cost to me. As for the purple shirt, it is from Old Navy and cost me around $3.00. I am not sure of the exact price but I know it was marked down from $14.00 and I got it for $3.00 bucks. I bought it in grey (you will see that soon) and in black, as well.

The teal sweater is also from Old Navy costing me $8.00 marked down from $24.99 saving me around $17.00. This sweater is super light weight and comfortable. Perfect for a cold morning or something to just throw on to add a splash of color.

And lastly, the shoes....TARGET again. These casual shoes cost me $3.74 marked down from $14.99 saving me a total of $11.25.

So here you go...a debut of Outfit # 2.

Outfit # 3...Ok and for my last and FAVORITE outfit out of the bunch.... This outfit totals at $24.21.

So here are the deets... I decided to actually try on some Skinny Jeans. I was really scared because lets be real, anything with the word "skinny" can not be something that will look remotely cute. But I think I was wrong. I found these Skinny Jeans at Ross for $12.99 marked down from $40.00 saving me $27.01. Can you believe it? They are even really comfortable and I can wear them with flats or heels (as you will see in a second.)

The shirt is from Old Navy, as you saw above. And the scarf is from Target. I bought it for $3.24 marked down from $12.99 saving me $9.75.

The shoes are possibly my favorite part of the outfit. I know what you are thinking...."why in the world does a girl who is 5'11" want to wear heels....let alone 4 inch ones?!?!" But let me tell you, these shoes are surprisingly comforable and SUPER CUTE! They were even the last pair on the shelf and they were in my size! And I dont have to be short for anyone, so why not wear heels right?!?! Ok so I know you are dying to know... these hotties cost me $4.98 marked down from $19.99 saving me a total of $15.01.

So with glee, I show you Outfit # 3.

And the grand total of savings over the last 3 weeks on these outfits are.....

$119.27

Lesson Learned....

2010-10-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

As a part of my personal training I have taken up the intense sport of Boxing! Though I would like to tell you about how amazing I am at it, I actually have to admit that I am not so good.

If you even know a morsel about me....I am NOT a fighter. I am a wuss. Truly the only physical fight I ever have gotten in was when I decided to fight my sister back when I was in Jr. High. And...well I slapped her across the face with the Espirit magazine we were fighting over...Needless to say...She won!

So what compelled me to actually decide I wanted to try boxing? I have no idea, but IT IS SO FUN! I am really enjoying myself. I dont have a lot of agression to get out, but if I did, this would be the outlet.

But enough about that....here are some lessons I have learned in the process of boxing....

Just because your hand wraps are pink does not make you better at throwing punches, nor does it hurt any less....LESSON LEARNED

Just becuase you have huge padded gloves on your hands does not mean that it does not hurt SO BAD when you punch....LESSON LEARNED

Even though you worked all day and HAD to wear makeup, you probably should take the time to take it off before you sweat it off into your eyeballs....LESSON LEARNED (OUCH) :(

Keep your gloves up or you are going to get socked in the face....LESSON LEARNED (ok ok so my trainer showed me more mercy than socking me in the face, but he could have, but those gloves are heavy!)

You can kiss your hand modeling career goodbye...thanks to blisters, bruises, busted nails, calluses among other things....LESSON LEARNED

Do not even attempt to text within the first hour after boxing because your fingers and arms will not work and it is just frustrating....LESSON LEARNED

No matter how low the pony or how high the pomp, your hair will be soaking wet when you are finished....get over it...LESSON LEARNED

Longish nails might be pretty, but they will get caught on the gloves....LESSON LEARNED

Invest in tight fitting britches....trust me....LESSON LEARNED

So there it is my friends...my boxing LESSONS LEARNED

I hope you do not have to learn the same lessons I had to. :)

Letting it all Go!

2010-10-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever come to a point where you feel a pushing and tugging on your heart and you don't know why? Ever resist the tug?

For me, this tug comes directly from the Holy Spirit and normally I am more than willing to go where he tells me to go. Remember this post where I was called to quit my job? Sure I was scared, but God moved and I knew He would. God is continuing to reveal why he had me quit my job and move home to get out of debt, but that is not the purpose of my post today.

As I type this, I sit in Starbucks waiting to check into a hotel in San Diego for my brother's wedding. I am sitting here actually debating typing this post. I know that I have to be obedient in all things and I really feel I am supposed to write.

To be honest, I have had blogger's block. I have had all these ideas to blog about mostly "funny" things....at least things that I find funny, but I have been burdened by this thing stirring in my heart.

Let me explain....I am probably one of the most secretly prideful and independent people on the planet. (Ok to some, this is no big secret!) I think that I know everything about how my life should end up and I don't need any one's help....sadly sometimes I feel like I don't even need God's help.

I know what you are probably thinking...."wow this girl sucks" or maybe even "why is she sharing this? She should keep it to herself." But my dear readers, this post is not a post to tell you who I am and that I am going to stay complacent in this. God is stirring in my heart and I don't like it!

To cope and sustain my issues of pride and independence I have built up walls around my heart. Because of things that have happened in my life, I am scared to open up, scared to let go. Don't get me wrong, to "guard your heart" as it talks about in Bible is an important thing. We must guard are hearts from things that are impure, and we hear it most to "guard your heart" in relationships. When I think of a guard, I think about a person allowing the right things to come in and out. So in terms of guarding our heart, I think about consciously allowing things in and out of our heart.

Sadly, this is not what I have done. I do not guard my heart but put up walls. Walls, on the other hand, are not meant to allow things in and out, but to keep all things out. Practically speaking, it is much easier to build a wall and walk away than to guard something. To guard your heart, one must always be prepared to discern what should be let in and out. To build a wall, everything stays out and for me, this is MUCH easier.

This is where I have been for longer than I would like to admit and God is trying with all of his might to break down my walls of pride and independence and show me that He wants to be that guard for my heart. But in order for Him to be able to do that, I must allow Him.

So what does that practically look like for me? First off, I had to learn to let go of the notion that I know what is best for my life. Reality is, I don't know what is best, but I was created by Someone who does. I must consciously allow God to lead me and guide me. I must be "patient in tribulation and constant in prayer" as Romans 12:12 says. I must allow God to come to rescue and not think I can do it all by myself.

I am pretty confident that if I let go of my pride, I will have to let go of my independence. I know that I will recognize even more how much I need to be dependent on God and also, to a certain degree, be dependent on other people. This is scary because of my own life experiences it is so hard for me to trust people. What I do know is that God loves me and wants to bless me with no strings attached. I must also learn that people who love God also want to love and bless me, no strings attached.

I know that this is not going to be easy or fun. I am scared, uneasy, and in foreign territory but know that I will come out better on the otherside. So here it is my friends....God's wounded, stubborn and independent princess is letting it all go!

I know this will not be a quick and easy process and I know that I may not perfect it, but it may be something that God continues to walk me through, but He is faithful and loves his children.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his merices never come to an end, they are new every morning; great is your faithfullness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

You might be in Education if....

2010-10-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

As some of you might know, I got a new job in May working for a school district as a Speech Therapy Assistant. I got a little taste of working for a school and then the kids were out for summer.

So....5 weeks into the school year I have realized a few things about working in a school.

If you work with kids, whether in education, speech, special ed...or even a stay at home mom, I am sure that you can relate to this post. :)

Working with kids you can never have enough....

STICKERS- I have found that a sticker heals a boo boo, a sad day and for sure rewards good behavior. (even if that behavior was first instigated by a kid laying on the floor, and now they got up and sat down.)
Hand Sanitizer- I have NEVER in my life seen so much "hunting for gold" in my life! WOW I do not think that I have ever had that many things up in my nose, but goodness these kids find their own "treasures!" Hand sanitizer is fantastic for all things....cleaning hands of course, wiping down Mr. Potato Head, or even sanitizing the McDonalds toys that you have told them 100 times "it is NOT real food" or "only pretend to eat." :)
Health Insurance- You can never have enough insurance just in case you actually get sick from your kids "hunting for gold" or in the event you get hit, scratched, or bit....Health Insurance is a BLESSING!
Running Shoes- If you have kids like mine, running shoes are a MUST. Children go from a sitting position to running out of the door faster than a bullet!
Clothing with some "give"- I am constantly on the floor with my kids...that can even mean laying on the floor with them while they throw a fit attempting to "get into their world." If I had clothes that were too tight or did not move I would be able to relate to Chris Farley in Tommy Boy...."Fat guy in a little coat!" And we know how that ended up!
Blotting Tissue- You know that running around with those kids and sweating profusely, blotting tissue to clean off the greasy face is a STAPLE for working with kids.
Smiles- And lastly, you can not smile enough working with kids. The pure joy in seeing a child light up when you give them a voice or the words to be able to express themselves is such a lasting blessing!

Thank you to all teachers, moms, and those in education. These children need you and we need them!

Flashback: Fashion Fail Friday

2010-09-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

In an effort to purge my mother's closet of horrifically old jeans.... I came across a few gems that surely brought me back to my childhood. Then, I was reminded....what comes around goes around. I found some of todays "fashion" that I would like to see abolished from the fashion industry....and until then, I will hold on to these gems in protest.

Take the "Romper" other alias' are "Coolots" "Shortalls"

Sure I know 2 people who look good in these...but the rest of the world...SORRY but no go is no go....So in PROTEST, I will be wearing these...

Secondly, this "fashionable" item has been attributed to the likes of Hilary Clinton among others who fashion these at local clubs....

The "Pantsuit" or more know to me as "Overalls" "Coveralls" or any type of clothing where the pants and the shirt are connected....

Take this picture for example....

Not looking so good is it? Well in PROTEST of these "gorgeous" items, I will be sporting these...

Now you see friends, not every item you find in Glamour is fashion-forward. I state the case that the above mentioned "Romper" or "Pantsuit" are not new and are not any better than the previously modeled items.

I will continue to protest the fashion flashbacks with my own renditions....

Just pray THESE don't come back..

DO NOT PROVOKE ME FASHION!!!!! ;)

NOT ME MONDAY!

2010-09-13T19:51:00.001-07:00

Ever think you were Middle Eastern because you were Welsh? Ever dance around in your room and fall off of a ladder? Ever scream bloody murder because of a spider in your room?

Ok me neither....so this concludes this post. :) HAHA JUST KIDDING!

Here are the few things that my week did NOT consist of :)

This last week I did NOT accidentally "make eyes" with a guy staring at me while driving in my car. And because I was embarrassed I did NOT just calmly gaze above his head as if to be staring outside. In addition, I totally did NOT ask two of friends what the "driving etiquette" was while at church last night. No way, I know that you are not supposed to stare at people, but cant you feel when someone is looking at you? What do you do?

This past week my email did NOT get hacked and send out ads for Viagra in Canada to many people including pastors among the recipients. OOPS sorry:( And no, I was NOT forced to change my email account because of it. And if you are getting these messages still, sorry.

And lastly, the past few weeks at my Bible Study, the topic of poop was NOT on every one's mind. No way, we totally only talk about bible stuff all the time and NOT about exploding toilets or anything else that pertains to bodily functions. And furthermore, I did NOT almost PUKE multiple times because of this DISGUSTING conversation.

Ok now it is your turn....what did you NOT do?

Fashion Find Friday!

2010-09-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

I have these cute shoes to show you this week! What do you think?

I got them at no other place but Target.

They cost me $6.74 but SHOULD have cost me $25.99

These are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn....plus they are cute!

Note: Some life event blogs are on their way. I had a bit of a writer's block the last few weeks, but trust me...they are coming:)

Oh YOUtube!

2010-08-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

Ever get bored? ME TOO, that is where youtube comes in.

One of my favorite college memories is sitting up late at night and rolling on the floor and peeing my pants laughing at the most ridiculous youtube videos EVER! To this day, my best friends still send me things to look up on youtube.

I thought I would share some of my favorites! These are the best things to quote later!!!

***ADDED JACKIE!

Bub Rub....and lil Sis

Gold at the end of the rainbow

Hide yo Kids

PFFT

In order NOT to overwhelm you with youtube, I will have to post another one of these posts soon, because I have so many!

Hope you enjoyed them!

NOT ME MONDAY!!!

2010-08-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

WHEW!!! What a week! Here are my "confessions."

This week, my computer totally did NOT crash! I did NOT get it fixed and was NOT away from the blogging world for a whole week and dare I say I couldn't even check my facebook!

It was also NOT so ridiculously hot this week that my khaki pants turned into sweat collectors. I totally did NOT have rump sweat that I was lucky to have hidden due to a long tshirt! (This one I am NOT even embarrassed to put this.)

And finally, today at a stoplight I did NOT see a Border Patrol agent straight bust out of his car and pull someone out of the van in front of him and throw him in the back of his car! I was so awestruck that I sat in the car so confused....I did just NOT see that happen!!!

What about you? Anything you deny this week???

NOT ME MONDAY!!!

2010-08-23T19:46:00.001-07:00

Ever do anything stupid that you never want to admit? Well this is the place to deny it all and live to do it:)

I will start....

This week I did NOT wait forever in line at Target to get a few necessities only to see the "10 or less" express lane open. I did NOT count my items determine that I had 12 items and decide to chance it. I did NOT attempt to avoid the stares from the people who I KNOW counted my items and were a bit peeved I broke the rule. I did NOT want to tell them to mind their own business only to think I certainly would NOT be just as annoyed.

On my way home from Vegas we did NOT stop at a place to get beef jerky and SF candy. The candy warns that "excess consumption may cause stomach cramping" but certainly would have been nice if they would have NOT said "minimal consumption may cause extreme discomfort." OUCH!!!!!

This week I met a friend at a coffee shop that had SO MANY sugar free flavors. I was NOT skeptical and did NOT grill the person taking my order to ensure that it REALLY was sugar free. After all that and him knowing I could only have sugar free, he did NOT ask me if I wanted a cookie or a pastry. NO DUDE I CANT HAVE IT! And he also did NOT ask if I wanted whipped cream! Clue: GET ONE! Thanks :)

And lastly, sadly I do NOT have another spider story to scream about. While talking to my mom in her room, she certainly did NOT tell me to stay out of her room because one of these....

A Wolf Spider...

Was in her room! OH MY GOSH RIGHT!!!!!?????!!! Well after spraying it, it certainly did NOT get away...so finding it again and spraying it, it did NOT get away again! So I did NOT attempt to help her. In the mean time, my mom was NOT on her hands and knees looking for this HUGE spider only for me to announce to her it was NOT crawling on her LEG!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Well, so I survived my week....how did you do?

100th POST!!!!

2010-08-22T22:15:00.001-07:00

Can you believe this is my 100th POST?!?!?! I am so shocked I have posted this many posts, but a lot has happened in my life that last 8 months!

Lets quickly recap...
Dec 28, 2009 Gastric Bypass Surgery
January- Dehydration forced me in the hospital for a week and 2 weeks on IV nutrition
February- Got a personal trainer
March-Stressful month of medical bills
April- Quit my job and moved home
May-100 pounds down
June-Chopped the hair that was falling out
July-A bit of a plateau
August- 130 pounds down and feeling AMAZING

NOW for the fun stuff....."The skinny on getting skinny."

Preface: Getting thin and losing weight is a great thing, but there have been some interesting realizations.... I am sure that I will have more to come, but as for now....here is my list.

Getting thin is fun BUT it hurts to sit down on a bony butt! What used to be cush for the tush is now bones of stones. OWIE!

Getting thin is fun BUT you have to be more worried about the food you actually eat to keep the weight off. Fruity Sour Patch Kids have turned in to just fruit.

Getting thin is fun BUT you have now actually worry that the wind might blow you over. I used to be able to plow through a windstorm, but actually was blown backwards.

Getting thin is fun BUT people think that because you are thin that they can "squeeze" by you in a crowd. Lets get real....if I get another elbow to the head or run into, there will be serious consequences....busted lips and 'bows dropped. GOT IT? :)

Getting thin is fun BUT people insist on sitting next you because you offer more room. I can only assume that is how it will be on an airplane...so I have been practicing..."no sir actually someone(thing) is sitting here....my laptop, snacks, and pillow."

Getting thin is fun BUT people constantly offer you free samples of food at stores because the good Lord knows they don't do that to fat people or they might eat the whole tray of beans and weenies!

Getting thin is fun BUT it is IMPOSSIBLE to find a one-piece bathing suit that is cute, appropriate and comfortable! It just does not exist...unless it has cut outs on the size to display your still apparent muffin top.

And lastly....

Getting thin is fun BUT when you here the "thunder down under" you do not think about the Las Vegas show, but the thighs you are still toting around! :)

Well friends, that is it for my new realizations. :)

100 posts down and many more to come!!!

My Absence Explained!

2010-08-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

Dear "Fans:"

Sorry I have been away from my computer for a week, but I have been here.....

And I stayed here....

Relaxed here...

That's right....a jacuzzi tub!

Baller accommodations right? Thanks to my moms friend, we got hooked up with this amazing view!

Can't you tell we are happy?

Visited some great friends.....

Beautiful girl and sweet hotel!

Amazing girl, bummer of a hotel...the port o potties say it all :)

Self Portrait:) FYI, my name in my sorority is Flamingo

Got Snow Cones:

No Sugar Free syrup :(

So made iced coffee

And went here for a Sugar Free Treat!

Laughed at this....
But decided to do this....

Twerkin my fitness:)

And see this...

HAHA not really, but if any one of you thought I was serious, SHAME ON YOU! ;)

Found out my Grandparents eloped here in 1950! (Sorry the picture is sideways...it will not let me flip it)

Yeah you read it right....get married with Elvis or Tim McGraw!

This dynamic duo decided to take a night out on the strip....

She got ready for the John Mellencamp/Bob Dylan Concert...

What a beauty right?

I got ready for a night on the town :)

Highlight of the trip.... winning $10 on the StarTrek slot machine and my seat vibrated and made this really obnoxious noise! Everyone was looking at me....I felt like a doofus, but it sure was fun!

So friends, like my dad told me "what happens in Vegas ends up on facebook!" I conclude this post with "anything that happens, ends up on the skinny."

Little Known Facts....

2010-08-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

Continuation from this post... where I talked about my little quirks. Now for the unknown little facts....

If you have actually sat down and talked to me, you will know that I LOVE TO TALK. I know that I mentioned this once before, but really, it is an obsession! I am trying to learn to have the "quiet and gentle spirit" with an emphasis on the quiet :)

Like I mentioned before, I love to ask this one little question...."tell me something about you that I dont know?" What is funny is that people are always taken back by this question. People look at me like I am crazy....and typically I get an answer like "you know everything about me." My answer to that is simply...."ummm no I dont!" Like I dont know what you ate for breakfast this morning or when you last painted your nails or anything of the sort.

Basically my reason for asking that question is to open up communication and to really get to know someone instead of scratching the surface. People say that makes me a "deep" person but I just think it possibly just makes me nosy. :P

But just to give myself a taste of my own medicine, I have compiled a list of things you might just not know about me! I hope you enjoy these....

My brother is half black. I know that this is an interesting fact but let me elaborate as to why this is funny. When I tell people this, they automatically assume my step mom is black, when I inform them she is white, people ask me if my dad is black. I, in turn respond, to them with the most compassionate(sarcastic) answer "ummm yeah he is and I am half black too!" If you are scratching your head....so am I! Remember, I look like this.....

I dont think it can get any less black than that :)

When I was a little girl, I always wanted my first car to be a Limousine. It was not until I got older that I realized that it was not cool to drive the Limo, but be the person in the back not having to drive. Oops!

I always wanted to be a ballerina! It was up until a great uncle caboshed that dream, but at 24, I still want to learn ballet.

When I was in the fifth grade I decided to follow in my sisters footsteps and enter a talent contest. Well, as a result of that contest, I won 4 tickets to Raging Waters water park. My talent you want to know?? I peeled and ate a banana with my feet. So GROSS, I know....but my talent earned me much bragging rights....plus I tried doing it in college...and well my friends...this girls still got it :)

I have a metal jaw. In 2007 I had a tumor removed from my jaw, so now I tote around this nice piece of metal.

To answer your question, sadly I do not set off metal detectors....though it would be cool if I did.

When I was 12 I decided it would be cool to try out for the Oscar Meyer Wiener commercials. So I did it! I totally think that I should have won! I was the epitome of the "all american girl" red gingham dress, pigtailed french braids and all! Sadly, Oscar Meyer Wiener was not looking for me....some little baby won that year.....not bitter, not bitter, not bitter....hehe.

I am NOT athletic. I really try and really enjoy playing sports, but in fifth grade I had a different agenda. On my small town soccer team, I would sit in center field and build daisy chain necklaces with the flowers in the field rather than playing the game. Needless to say, that was the one and only year my parents decided to pay for the soccer team. :)

And last my not least, my desire to nurture and teach had to have been influenced my this event. In 1st grade I won enough "kitty cat points" to earn the coveted "teacher for a day." That is right....I was a teacher for a day. My mom dressed me up in the cute little teacher dress and a bow in my hair and I got to teach the class. I EVEN got to eat lunch in the teachers lounge. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was one of my favorite moments in school, second only to being the narrator in the "Three Little Pigs" in kindergarten.

So there you have it, I have told you a few things about myself you probably did not know.

Now it is your turn....share something about you that I dont know.

Unforseen Sabbath

2010-08-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

Today I nursed my body back to health. You see, I have been sick the past few days and have been really bummed out. I was supposed to work Wed-Sun and my job got cancelled, which initially was a bummer, but then I got sick. I realized...."Ok God, your will over mine." So yesterday I laid low and woke up today feeling worse...so today I literally stayed in bed until 5 pm, when I decided to shower and make myself get out to go to Starbucks to feed my coffee addiction. :)

Though today could have been a wasted day, the last few days have eluded to the very strong need I had to spend with the Lord.

Last Wednesday, I was driving home from my Worship Community Group and flipped through the radio and was really frustrated that nothing was on! I had heard Katy Perry's "California Girls" enough that day and Eminem's new songs were played out...and the rest of the radio did not suit me, so I did something I NEVER do. I turned off the radio and depended on my own thoughts and to listen to what ever God wanted to speak to me about.

You see, I knew he wanted to teach me and speak to me. I had been up until today, when I finished it, reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. If you have never read the book, I STRONGLY recommend it. It is based on the book of Hosea in the Bible and conveys God's love for His children through a love story of two opposite characters. You see, this is the second time I have read the book. ***SPOILER ALERT (I am going to talk a little bit about the book, so you might want to skip this part) The first time I read the book, I was enthralled by the love that Micheal Hosea had for Angel. I felt like "Oh my goodness, I NEED a man like that!" I took the story as a desperate plea to find a guy just like Michael. I feel like I totally missed the point of the book. This time, though, I was so amazed by what was shown to me this time! First off, the personality of Angel was searing truth of who I am! Sure, I am not a prostitute, but my stubbornness and independence mirrored Angel's. I realized that sure I have never physically run away from love and affection, I have emotionally disconnected from love and affection and certainly am positive I would be in the same position as Angel was...receiving love from a man that loved the Lord and wanted to serve her like Christ served the church.

(STILL SPOILING HERE) But beyond the fact that I looked straight into the face of Angel and saw myself, I was in awe of the relationship that Christ had with each of the characters. Michael loved Angel because He loved Christ first. Angel eventually loves the Lord because of the love Michael shows to her. Just as Michael takes Angel back, and looks for her when she runs away, is the same as Christ does when we turn from Him. I was so humbled and in awe of the Lord while reading the book.

So, going back to the car ride home, I realized that God wanted to speak to me and I needed to speak to Him. Turning off the radio was just the beginning of a long silence and training to listen to what the Lord wanted to teach me and show me about myself.

On the way home, I was reminded of this video that I bought a while back that totally changed my perspective. See it below....please watch all of it. It is 10 min but totally worth it. (Dont mind the Spanish subtitles, it is the only one I could find)

WOW right? I mean really how much of our time is spent filling our minds with noise? Sure, it is not bad to listen to music, listen to sermons, or read your Bible for that matter, BUT to have the discipline to spend time in silence with the Lord is so valuable.

So today I started....Silence before my Father. Listening to Him. Putting my needs aside and listened to Him. Did he say anything to me? No, not today, but I felt so immersed in His love. Just to sit in silence with my Father felt like such a gift.

So I must say it is a bummer being sick, but such a blessing to be able to sit at my Father's feet and listen and be filled with thanksgiving for all He has done and will continue to do in my life.

Good night my friends and enjoy the silence :)

Fashion Find Friday (Tuesday Edition)

2010-08-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

Ok So I am SO SORRY!!! I have been hyping this darn thing up and then failed to put it up.

So this edition of "Totally Tubular Tuesday Treasures" come with many deals I have found at New York and Company.

So lets save my pointless ramblings and move onto the good stuff..... hehe :)

THE DEALS!

Let's talk about the goodies of this outfit.

Shirt- From Target
Originally $25
I Paid $17
Saved $8

Leggings-Target $6 (not on sale, just cute)

Purse-New York and Company
Originally $36
I paid $14.99
Saved $22

Outfit #2

Shorts- New York and Company
Originally $26.95
I Paid $6.79
Saved $ 20.16

Shirt (Given to me by my sweet friend Jackie)
Shoes (Already owned)

Next outfit features the same shirt and shoes. Also, the sweater was given to me by awesome Jackie. BUT.....the pants New York and Company.
Orignally $36.95
I Paid $6.80
Saved $30.15

(that's my "jazzed on a deal" face )

The following 2 dresses were the same price and SO CUTE, that I knew that I could not pass them up. So here they are from New York and Company.
Originally $52.95
Paid $12.74
Saved $40.21 x 2= $80.42

CHECK THESE BABIES OUT :)

Now that is it for me, BUT.....my fashion finds are paying off for other people too:)

After my dad saw all of the things that I bought for so cheap, he decided to surprise my stepmom with new clothes.

He and I went to New York and Company, and my dad spent $70 on all of these clothes, but saved $200 on all the sale items. So here is what he bought.....

Just in case you cant make all of them out.... (Ignore the multi-colored bathing suit on the far left) One dress, yellow pants, white sleeveless top, ocean green top, white pants, blue and white striped shirt, brown pants, and a red button down shirt.

We hit the motherload this last week!

Hope you had fun viewing all of my Totally Tubular Treasures:)

Postponement of FFF!

2010-08-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

Due to playing nurse to my dad who just had knee surgery, Fashion Find Fridays for tomorrow will turn into Saturday's Super Savey Sales.

See you guys tomorrow with pictures of everything that I have found for the week. Trust me, it will be worth the wait!

Night!

Confessions of Yours Truly

2010-08-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

If you have even spent a little time with me you would know that I love to talk! I guess I am in the right profession, teaching people to talk. But really, I love talking with people and getting to know them. I tend to be a bit "nosey" and ask a lot of questions. The reason I do this is because I really truly want to know you, where you come from, and how you have become the person that you are.

One of my favorite questions is "tell me something about you that I don't know?"

So I guess now it is my turn:) I will share with you some things you probably do not know.

The biggest confession I have is this.....I am very quirky.

Case and point....The next various facts about myself.

SIDE NOTE: Don't judge my honesty...because I know you have a few quirks up your sleeve too, you just dont want to admit them to yourself or the world. :)

Let the list begin:

Every night before I go to bed, I MUST close my closet doors. Ever since I can remember, I did this, BUT if given a choice, I would keep my bedroom door open. Isn't that weird? I mean honestly I have not a clue why I would need to close the closet doors...maybe Monsters Inc. scarred me for life.

I HAVE to answer my cell phone or texts as soon as I get them. I feel bad if someone texts me and I dont respond after I have read it. To me, I feel really rude. If I have the time to read a text or see someone is calling, I have time to take the call or respond to the text. And I mean it....EVERY text....EVERY call. (True story, just got a text from a friend....I took and responded...yep Kix it was you) :)

Funny enough though, I hate email.....I am so bad at responding to email.

Ever since probably Jr. High School I have had my toe nails painted. I can not STAND having my toenails bare! It is for sure a compulsion! It is even a stretch for me to have french tips because only part of the toe is painted. I know....weird right?

Every day I make the bed! That is right....EVERY DAY! If the off chance I do not, I must certainly have to make it before I climb in it for the evening.

I HATE being LATE!! Even 1 minute late! I prefer to be early, which I think can frustrate people too. I have to physically try to be late, and even if I try, I am still early. I get so frustrated sometimes, because I fail at being late!

I have taken a very strong stance on how the toilet paper should be positioned on the roll. It rare cases, I might just switch the roll if it is not done right. I can not stand it being on the roll wrong...it makes life so hard! Just in case you were wondering: TP should be over, NOT under! :) Under is a blunder!

So, I guess we all have our quirks. As for me, I am willing to admit them. They make me who I am and make me smile in the funniest of times.

Now it is your turn...you have any quirks or weird habits?

COMING SOON: Secret Talents and Unknown Facts!

FASHION FIND FRIDAYS 7/30/2010

2010-07-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

And we are back in business....

Here are some of the latest finds....

Forgive the pictures...but the first find is the brown skirt.
Bought at of course Target....
Sadly I lost the tag, so I dont totally recall how much it was but I know it was around $3 originally $19.99

As a side note, because I know I will get flack from some of you, I DID get rid of the shirt I am wearing. Yes I was aware that it was too big and was not flattering to my body. So bye bye shirt and HELLO cute skirt! So comfy too! I am wearing it right now as I type this.

And for the next buy...This one was out of my comfort zone and trying to find a good excuse to wear it! I am also experimenting with different shirts to wear with it. Your opinion of cute colors or shirt style would be appreciated. Please no comments if you dont like it...SISSY! ;)

The black skirt has some cute pleating or ruffling at the top of it, so I am assuming it is meant to be worn with a shirt tucked into it. I am thinking either a cute button down top or something a little less form fitting than this white one. Any ideas?

Same story, lost the tag, but it cost the same about $3 and originally cost $24.99. So I must say it was quite a deal.

And for some shoes....
These babies from Target as well were $10 and I loved them so much that I also bought them in white.

I will have to add more pictures of these outfits later because they are all really cute!

So that is it for this weeks addition to FASHION FIND FRIDAYS!

NOT ME MONDAY

2010-07-26T20:38:00.001-07:00

Oh the things I refuse to admit that I did this week!

First off, for the past month I have NOT noticed this ever growing spider web in my bottom drawer of my dresser with all of my shirts. I did NOT keep destroying the web only to see it begin to grow again and again. And no yesterday I did NOT finally decide to ask my mom if it was a black widow web....and no she did NOT say it was indeed a black widow web. And no she did NOT proceed to find the very culprit...the widow crawling around my shirts!

At this point, I did NOT scream and jump on my bed like a little baby. I did NOT curl up my hands and toes and scream even louder as it began to crawl around as it was being killed. I did NOT cry....ok I did NOT start sobbing because I was so scared! Once it was dead, I did NOT make my mom carry out my drawer out of my room and no it is NOT sitting out in our living room.

Also, I did NOT call my mom last night in the middle of the night because I was too scared to get out of bed, for fear the widow might come back, and make her assure me that it was dead.

NOPE NOT ME!

Also, in attempt to watch one of the best shows on the planet (see picture below) I do NOT pretend to use our "at home theater system."

Let me explain what our "home theater system" does NOT look like....

This is NOT our DVD player....

This is NOT our "big screen."

This is NOT our "viewing platform."

And no, this is NOT our complete home theater system.

As a note: We do have a bigger TV but the DVD player does not work, so we opt in for "home theater system" viewing pleasure.

OK, your turn to deny it all!!!!!!

PALM SPRINGS VACAY!

2010-07-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a vacation so I asked my mom who did not hesitate one bit
So to the Spa Resort Casino, we went

On one Wednesday Night the girl and her mom went....
On a vacation to Palm Springs that must have been heaven sent...

We went to the dinner buffet for many good eats...
To my surprise they had Sugar Free treats...

Then to the Casino for free play...
Ended $30 ahead HOORAY...

The next day was hot, but quite grand...
I decided to discover the land...

I knew I needed coffee but it was no easy task...
But I needed it now and I needed it fast...

I saw one...then I saw two...
But I had not a clue what to do...

Then I thought "oh this is it!" ...
Better yet, it matched my outfit!

The coffee and walking was quite fun...
I knew this day had just begun...

Off to the day spa, what a delight....
White robe and no make up, what a sight...

Sugar scrub, massage, saunas good grief...
My body said "thank you" what a relief...

Then out to the pool to get a tan...
To the room to sit under the fan...

The night life began so out to say hi...
Little did I know it would be Christmas in July...

I saw many things small and big...
But cutest of the night was this little black pig...

The end of the night deserved an applause...
But was made complete with the appearance of Santa Claus...

I had a great time even though it was hot...
But I must say....What a great vacation spot!

***FUNNY STORY: During my sugar scrub and massage I got the giggles. I was thinking..."oh no, I cant have sugar." "Maybe they should invent a splenda massage for people like me!" I dont know why it gave me the giggles, but I could hardly relax because of it.

ALSO, I decided to take a Yoga class while I was there. I also got the giggles there too. Why? Because the guy was tying to make us relax my repeating this mantra.
"Relax your toes...your toes are relaxing...relax your toes." And he kept this up for the following body parts....

legs
hips
booty
torso
chest
arms
fingers
neck
head
whole body

I was thinking....COME ON!!!!! I GET IT ALREADY!!!!

All in all we had a great time, but as you can see, were sad to leave!

EXTRA WHAT?!??!?!

2010-07-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

OK OK OK, so I have been enjoying this guessing game on Facebook probably more than you guys, but it is about time to tell you what I have 41 extra of!

I guess it is time for me to reveal what it is....but first I wanna highlight on my favorite guesses.

Heather N-41 inches of extra skin! (COME ON!!! that is like 3 1/2 feet. I do have extra skin, but not as much to make a dress for your four year old. SHEESH!)

Melanie T- 41 extra numbers on the dial of a scale I will never need again (that is such a good one! I only wish I were so clever!)

Audrey N- 41 extra gift certificates to See's Candy I am not going to use. (Who are you kidding....I would have used those on a pre-surgery binge! It is not like me to forget something so valuable)

Ok, so what you have waited for!

After cleaning my room and getting rid of many many many items of clothing....I have 41 extra

COAT HANGERS

***SIDE NOTE: I would have many many many more, but I just scored huge from my friends Jackie and Kamar for new clothes...I got straight hooked up! (enter ghetto voice there)

NOT ME MONDAY!!!!

2010-07-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

Oh man do I have a list of things I totally did NOT do this past week. I have been a bit rusty, but boy oh boy do I have a lot to share.

For instance, I certainly did NOT want to see what my hair would look curly. I totally did NOT wash my hair at night and put curlers in my hair, cover it with a shower cap and go to bed. I did NOT lose sleep because the curlers were poking my head and no I did NOT have scrapes on my scalp and bruises from them. And of course my hair was NOT still wet in the morning and no it was NOT straight when I removed the curlers. :( Twas NOT a sad sad waste of time!

Also this week, I did NOT let my sister sucker me in to watching a youtube video on tonsil stones. If you have no idea what those are, save yourself and avoid googling it! And no, I did NOT literally gag and come so close to tossing my cookies....well in my case SF cookies! I really do NOT fall under peer pressure like that and totally do NOT have a weak stomach.

I did NOT have a "blast from the past" moment and look up some funny fave youtube videos...NOT to name a few: Saturday Night Lives Penelope ...."umm so I guess that makes me better than you", and Dane Cook Koolaid "I dont like when juice wears tights." NOPE totally had more things to do than spend time laughing hysterically at youtube.

While hanging out with a friend yesterday, I did NOT see Twilight's Eclipse. To make matters worse, I did NOT cut it extremely close to make it to church on time. No way, I did NOT spend 2 whole hours admiring the abs of a 16 year old boy. I am way more mature and would NOT really enjoy the entertainment the movie brought.

While on my way to the gym, I did NOT forget to bring my shower flip flops. I did NOT have to go to Walgreens to buy some cheap ones. I want my body to be considered athletic not just my feet....Athletes Feet is a no go for me:)

And finally, in order to remember all of these funny stories, I did NOT have to text myself to remember them all. I have more important things to do than plan and laugh at all of the ridiculous things I certainly would NOT admit this week!

Ok your turn....anything you will NOT admit to these readers????

Enjoy your night;)

Fantastic Food Find Friday

2010-07-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

Blogging Service Announcement:

Due to budget issues, fashion find fridays will not be occurring week. Yours truly has found some fashionable finds all week that existed in her closet. :) BUT I am here to announce a "special friday edition" of Fantastic Food Friday.

Because I had no money to buy new clothes this week, I spent some time in the kitchen. If you know anything about me....I am not a good cook. I can bake (which is virtually pointless since I cant eat sugar) but cooking is not my specialty. But, I would like to share with you some of my new food finds this week.

This week, a coworker brought in a ton of apples from her tree. I love apples, but because of my jaw, I cant really eat them raw. I decided to try to find a recipe for Sugar Free Apple Crisp. I figured that it cant really be that hard.

Sugar Free Apple Crisp

Topping:

Directions

Mix first four ingredients and place into 9-inch (square or round) baking dish.
In small bowl, mix Topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over the apples.
Bake at 325 degrees until apples are soft and topping is golden brown (about 30 minutes).
Number of Servings: 9

I decided to double the topping because I really like the crisp on top.

My consensus with the apple crisp is that it was good. It continued to get better as it sat in the refrigerator. The cinnamon and the splenda really could be tasted as the days went on. My only complaint is that it was a bit dry and that it is all gone. I wanted to make the apples a bit "saucy" and they were kinda dry. Next time, I will try to add something to make it a bit more "soupy" for lack of a better word.

Here are some of the pictures:

The apples I used. I was going to use plums too, but they were too mushy.

Putting cinnamon and sugar on them.

In the pan without the crisp on top. (see how it is not soupy?)

Making the crisp. It was SO GOOD!

All put together and baking.

I also ventured into actually cooking a good dinner for myself. I worked out super hard at the gym this evening and was not hungry for a little while after. By the time I was hungry, my mom had already eaten....meaning I was on my own for dinner. :) I decided to make some pasta, veggies and turkey meatballs. Super simple meal, but so yummy, not to mention really healthy.

Since we are all in the battle to be healthy, I thought I would share this one with you.

Yummy Pasta Dish:)
I think it is called pasta primavera....maybe:)

I used turkey meatballs from Fresh and Easy and followed the baking directions for the back of the bag. I baked them at 375 for 14 minutes

While this was cooking, I boiled the water to make angel hair pasta. I really like this brand because it is high in fiber and protein. How, I have not a clue, but it tastes the same as regular pasta.

To make the "sauce."
I picked tomatoes and broccoli to put in it. I cut up fresh tomatoes (still cold) and steamed broccoli.
Combine your selected veggies with the following and let sit while pasta is cooking to allow flavor to soak in.
1 Tbsp of butter
1/4 Parmesan Cheese
1-2 Tbsp (depending on preference) Garlic
A pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Once meatballs and pasta are finished, slice up meatballs and combine all ingredients.

Serve it up and enjoy:)

Again, super simple pasta recipe, but if you are anything like me, I NEED ideas!

Enjoy making these easy, yet super yummy recipes!

No Exception to the Rule

2010-07-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

Being over six months post op and 115 pounds down, I have realized many things.....But, this one is the biggest ones....

I am so exception to the rule and need encouragement sometimes!

What do I mean by this?

They say: "There will be hairloss."
I say: "Maybe not me....probably not me."
The Truth: THERE WILL BE HAIRLOSS! I started losing just a little at a time and even now that I have cut my hair off, the hairloss has not stopped! It still comes out a ton...enough that I need to clean out my hairbrush every other day. I am no exception, and boy does hairloss suck! I mean really, wow it is scary to have your hair come out in chunks with every time you brush it or run your fingers through it.

They say: "At six months you will begin to have an appetite and be able to eat more."
I say: "uhhh I cant even think about food or eating more than one bite" (post surgery)
The Truth: YES, you can eat more and yes food starts to taste good again! Of course, before surgery I could eat an entire box of Ricearoni or Scalloped potatoes and chicken strips, immediately post op, I could only eat 3 bites of food, now have upgraded to being able to eat about 3/4 cup of denser protein rich food.

I know that 3/4 cup of food really is not that much, but it is scary to know that I can tolerate more food. I have to be extremely careful as to what I am putting in my body! Since I can eat more, I really need to follow the rules of eating protein first, then veggies, then the carbs. Initially I cut out carbs completely, until the dietitian told me I need to eat more carbs for my brain health. It has been a challenge to not overdo the carbs though.

They say: "It is completely normal to have a stall/plateau, but you will start to lose again,"
I say: "There is no way I will plateau! I go to the gym and eat healthy."
The Truth: You will have a stall or a plateau. Yeah, I still work out at the gym and still eat healthy, but the reality of it is that I have been losing 20 pounds per month for the last 6 months. It has to slow down eventually....and it is beginning to.

Honestly, it scared the heck out of me and was a bit discouraging! To go a whole week and only lose 2 pounds was scary, but I had to think about why this could be the case. Well, I am able to eat more food, so I need to be more careful. I was not at the gym as often as I wanted to be. Plus, the thinner I get, it is harder to lose weight.

So how did I fix that? I signed up for another day a week of personal training. I need that extra push and accountability. I threw out my SF icecream I had to make smoothies with. Though the SF icecream was low in calories and fat, it still had empty calories. So bye bye icecream. Truthfully, I am not sad to see it go. I know that I need to do this for me!

How do I remedy the fact that I love food? I am still working on that part because I do love food. I am a bored eater and a group eater. If people are eating/snacking....I will eat/snack. It is time to continue to break that habit.

The best advice I can give anyone who has had Gastric Bypass, Lap Band, or is just trying to lose weight....Be inward focused! Why do you eat the food you eat? What emotions trigger eating? Food for so many people is a comfort. For me, food was the only constant in my life. It was something that I knew would always be there for me when my life was not always going right. I have to break that habit and know that food is something that has been given to me to fuel my body.

I know that I must realize that Gastric Bypass or any modified eating was never meant to be a quick fix. It is NOT a sprint to the finish line, but a lifelong marathon.

And this is one marathon that I know I will WIN!!!

Do not lose hope, you can do it! I can do it!

Sure, I am no exception to the rule but I am doing something about losing weight.

Will you continue to join me in this journey of health?

What are you doing to stay healthy?

Please share and encourage one another!

Because I need the encouragement too! :)

NOT ME MONDAY!!!

2010-07-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

This post could be titled many things this week.....

Here are some of the alternate titles....

Denials of a Frugal Eater

I certainly did NOT go out to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen with a friend this past weekend and we did NOT eat extremely frugally. No, our bill for 2 certainly was NOT $9.33 and no I was NOT full and she was NOT satisfied. No way, we totally ate more than that! Furthermore, our waitress was extremely supportive of our frugal habits and did NOT look at us quite oddly when we ordered. I promise miss waitress, we DO eat!

Denials of Retail Therapy

I most definitely did NOT do some retail therapy after some frustrating news at the doctor. I certainly did NOT contribute to my eyeshadow and lip gloss collection at Sephora, nor did I contribute to my Bath and Body Works Collection. I did NOT buy an anti wrinkle micro-dermabrasion scrub or lotion....and my bedroom certainly does NOT smell like a lavender bush blew up in my room!

A Near Miss

This evening while getting ready for bed, I certainly did NOT almost awkwardly kiss my mom goodnight. No, I certainly saw her coming at my to give me a goodnight kiss, and no I did NOT back away confused as to what she was doing. And no we did NOT laugh about it and reenact it about 10 more times laughing harder each time. No way, we are much more civilized in our house!

Now it is your turn....what have you tried to sheepishly deny this week? Come on, I know you have got something!!!!

Rants from a Gym Rat

2010-07-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

Ok Ok Ok, So I have had it with a few things that occur at the gym! I thought I would share them with you and maybe you can relate to me! Please feel free to contribute to this "rant." I know that certainly I can not cover it all in this simple post. But, I am sure going to try....and probably add some more at the opportunity presents itself....

I hope you see the satire and sarcasm in it.....remember who is writing it....ME!

Here is my letter to anyone who goes to the gym...

Dear Fellow Gym Rat:

It is FINE not to bring a towel....BUT please do not leave the 2 "cheek rings" on the seat when you get up. Sure, dude, your cheeks may be nice to look at, but the ring of sweat is not too fun to look at on the place I am about to sit. It is perfectly fine to shimmy your knee across the seat to wipe it away.

It is FINE to socialize with you buddies at the gym...BUT please do not crowd my space. If I am lifting weights....I would really appreciate if you did not rest your arm on my piece of exercise equipment. And please do not think about resting your back on it either. I am pumping iron, and these arms certainly could bust a lip if you are not careful. :)

It is FINE to ride the bike...BUT if you are doing less RPM's than I did in physical therapy for my knee because you are reading Cosmo, maybe you should pick another exercise. Sure, I would totally understand if you were older or outta shape, but I just saw you run on the treadmill....so what exactly are you doing wasting your time on the bike? Just wondering.....still wondering.....

It is FINE to use the mats....BUT if you are just sitting there talking to the hot guy that works there, I would prefer you get off the mat. Don't worry, I totally am not trying to stretch now on the hard ground...and no I totally did not just slip while stretching and almost fall on my face. Yeah don't worry, I do not REALLY need the mat to stretch, please sit there and look pretty for the hot guy.

It is FINE that you push yourself....BUT if you are going to make loud noises or grimaces that only belong in a rough bathroom sesh, please think twice. Not only is it really loud, but really awkward.

It is FINE to look around the gym and scope out what is going on....BUT please don't stare at me or eye how much weight I am lifting. I dont look at you...unless you are the same person I described as grunting above.

It is FINE to flirt....BUT please don't do it at the gym. Most people want to work out and get in shape and get their sweat on...and your flipping your hair and giggling is not gonna cut it here.

It is FINE to change in the locker room...BUT please do it away from me. There plenty of room in our locker room and I don't want to be at risk of a frisk.

It is FINE to stack on the free weights on the leg press machine....BUT could you please stack them when you are finished? I am trying to work out my quads, glutes, and...well whatever the other muscles in your legs are called, not bust my back taking off the six 50 pound weights you stacked on.

And lastly....it is FINE to run on the treadmill (shoot I do it)....BUT if there is 10 treadmills open around me....please don't decided to "one up" me and run faster, breathe harder, and last longer on the treadmill RIGHT NEXT TO ME. It is just inconsiderate...and makes me feel a bit incompetent.

Thanks, A Fellow Gym Rat

Fashion Find Fridays

2010-07-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Everyone!
Well I guess technically it is almost Saturday, but regardless, I present to you my fashion finds for this week!

First up....of course....you guessed it from Target!

I have been watching these shoes for quite some time admiring how cute they are! I was waiting and waiting for them to go on sale. But, not only go on sale, but a sale price that I knew I had to snatch them up. You see, I get pretty lucky because I wear a size 11 shoes, so I usually find my size quite easily at Target. Anywhere else, a size 11 is near impossible!

So first up these floral shoes.....
Should have cost $12.99
Cost me $6.74
Saved me $6.25

Next up....from Target as well! I have also been waiting for these purple shoes to go on sale. You see, I own very few "good quality" shoes that were actually expensive. The styles come and go and so do my shoes. So....I do not mind buying a bunch of fun flats for a little bit of money. I know these purple shoes will not go with everything, but they are sure fun to wear around with a sassy black dress or jeans and a t-shirt. And, luckily they cost me the same as the shoes above.

Here is the breakdown:
Should have cost $12.99
Cost me $6.74
Saved me $6.25

Now the fun part! I actually can not take credit on this fine looking find. My mom found it at Ross and it was too short for her liking so I snatched it right up! Plus, she got a good deal on it and I am a proud daughter. I actually learned all of my frugal smart shopping from her, but I guess I can take the credit for what I find...but she gets all the credit for this dress.

Every girl needs a little black dress...and my "little" black dresses are now looking like trash bags of large nightgowns, so sadly I have had to donate them. So, it was quite a delightful sight to see that this dress not only fit, but was flattering as well. I can be paired with anything and worn anywhere.

So here is the financial breakdown:
Retails in store: $59.00
Cost: $13.99
Saved: $45.01

So that is it folks....another week, another deal!

The Skinny on Getting Thinny

MOVED!!!

sometimes you just have to...

giveaway winner...and the agreement

turning in my fashion card

Let's make a deal....

interval run week 2

training recap...

Spectacular Steals Sunday!

6.1 miles =…

today....

teacher appreciation week.....

first day of interval training ...

Relay For Life

Compton Initiative

half marathon training .....

"yummy"

a personal record....

time to celebrate....

Unsettled

day late....

one of my favorite times with my dad....

this is what happens....

nothing is cuter....

death by frosting...

this is what happens in my free time....

a minor setback

Everything in Moderation....

Gilligan's Island and Red Bull.....

re-uniting with some old friends

ch ch check it out!!!

ahhhh this is the life:)

A PR and a great dinner:)

HOT AIR conditioning

In the dark.....

food faux paux

"it" has arrived ....

crazy 8's

Running Naked (not what you think) *wink*

Dear Iya:

10K Recap :)

a friday night of fun

Small VICTORIES with the BIGGEST benefits

testing

Pre-Race Jitters???

Where have I been???? Ensenada???

5K....that's a wrap!

Happy 5K Eve

ONE YEAR SURGIVERSARY!

1 year Post-Op Appointment

The Tortoise & The Hare

Times are a Changin!

Gym Rat Rants Part Deux

ONE YEAR BLOG-IVERSARY

All the Single Christian Ladies

Stirring the Pot for a Point

Spectacular Steal Saturday

Lesson Learned....

Letting it all Go!

You might be in Education if....

Flashback: Fashion Fail Friday

NOT ME MONDAY!

Fashion Find Friday!

Oh YOUtube!

NOT ME MONDAY!!!

NOT ME MONDAY!!!

100th POST!!!!

My Absence Explained!

Little Known Facts....

Unforseen Sabbath

Fashion Find Friday (Tuesday Edition)

Postponement of FFF!

Confessions of Yours Truly

FASHION FIND FRIDAYS 7/30/2010

NOT ME MONDAY

PALM SPRINGS VACAY!

EXTRA WHAT?!??!?!

NOT ME MONDAY!!!!

Fantastic Food Find Friday

Directions

Running Naked (not what you think) wink