My workout breakthrough

I did it.  I successfully ran three miles without stopping.   I’ll start from the beginning.  My bff, Carich has taken up the hobby of running. She’s ran races and really enjoys it.  I, myself have never ran.   I even walked the mile  in P.E. when I was probably in the best shape of my life  so I couldn’t understand what was/is so great about this form of exercise.   Carich raves about it and since I was going to the gym anyways I decided to give it a try.  I HATED it.  I was running and could barely make it one entire lap.  I was out of breath, my legs hurting and my chest burning. One time at the end of summer I ran three entire laps (3/4 of a mile) and was ecstatic but was never able to do it again.

Last Sunday while on the treadmill I was power walking as usual but was starting to get shin splints. I decided to up my speed a bit and do a light jog…and before I knew it I had ran a mile and a half.    There it was, the breakthrough I’d been waiting for and it hadn’t ever dawned on me that I could possibly be running too fast.  So…when it came time for me to do my treadmill routine again I thought to myself that I would run two miles.   Two miles came and just like Forrest Gump I kept on running.  With the help of Rage Against The Machine I was able to run three miles without stopping to walk.  I did it!  I could have kept going, but I didn’t want to run so much that I would never do it again.

There were only about six people in the gym when I was there last night and during my stretches at the end of my workout I came this <—-> close to shouting out “I just ran three miles without stopping.”  I was so proud of myself and finally caught a glimpse of what Carich had been talking about.

I hope to continue my new found exercise.  I’m a part of a four man team who is competing in a local weight loss competition.  I have a good feeling about this. My momentum is high and I hope it continues.  2010 is going to be my year!

From that day on, if I was ever going somewhere, I was running!
- Forrest Gump

 

My Top 10 in 2009

It’s been two months since I’ve last blogged – WOW! I can’t say that I’ve had too much to say – and the thing is I’ve wanted to blog but I don’t think many people read this. Maybe it’s because I don’t update it enough.  Sorry folks. I am going to make a real effort (I’m serious this time!) to keep this blog updated for your entertainment purposes.

Since I had so much fun blogging about my Top 10 in 2008 which you can read here, I’ve decided to do it again this year.   So, in no real particular order here it goes, my most memorable moments of 2009:

1. Cooper’s Firsts

My baby boy turned one on March 11.  This first year flew by literally in the blink of my eye.  He got his first tooth, took his first steps, said his first words and I was fortunate enough to be able to witness them all! Jared and I have made many sacrifices in order for me to stay at home with him full-time and it has been quite a challenge, but being able to see all of these firsts has been worth it.

2.  The BIG move

“Well I was born in a small town
And I can breathe in a small town
Gonna die in a small town
Ah, that’s prob’ly where they’ll bury me..” – “The Coug”

It was Memorial Day weekend and the hottest one I can remember. Temps were in the high 80’s and maybe even in the low 90’s.  Jared and I rented a U-haul truck, packed up our things and made the Hillsboro move all by ourselves.  Since we hadn’t found a  house by moving time, we moved in with his parents.  Although it was challenging for everyone living under one roof, we didn’t have to think twice about it and we are forever grateful to his parents for welcoming us with open arms.

3.  Eagle Hurst Ranch

In July our closest friends, the Sweets along with their families and the rest of our family packed our things and headed to Steeleville, MO for an entire week of vacation at Eagle Hurst Ranch. I’d never heard of this place, but Jared’s family has a history here.   His mom vacationed at Eagle Hurst as a child and continued the tradition with Jared and his sibs when they were kids.  It had been quite a few years since they were last here, but it was like they had never left.  This place is summer camp for families.  You sleep in a cabin and all of your meals are cooked for you.  Games, tubing trips, square dancing, marshmallow toasting and swimming are just a few of the things you can do at this ranch.  It truly is a vacation. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do and you get to drink and lounge in your pajamas all day.

Farkle

One of the highlights of this trip was Farkle.  Farkle is an old dice game and is pretty simple to play. For those of you who need a quick tutorial you can watch this video starring Fanny Farkle.  It became a necessity to play Farkle every free moment and everyone began using the word farkle as  much as possible.  Farke you!, I just got farked and I’m farked are just a few of the phrases that were coined, but because of all this Farkle madness, I am currently farked out.

4.  My High School Reunion

UHS class of 1995

1-9-9-5 we’re the class of 95 gooooooooooooo rockets! It doesn’t seem like it’s been 14 years since I’ve graduated high school.  Typically you are supposed to have a 15 year reunion, but since our classes are so small I thought what better idea than to have a joint reunion with the class ahead of us.  My classmates agreed and in August we joined forces with the class of 1994 at what better place than the Philo Tavern.  It was great to see all of my old friends from both classes.  I spent the night reminiscing those high school days and saying “remember when…” I had the best time and I wish high school reunions could happen more often, but it also made me realize how much I enjoy where I am at currently in my own life and that I would not trade places with anyone.

5.  Farm Aid

Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, Neil Young, Wilco, Gretchen Wilson, John “The Coug” Mellencamp and various other artists once again came together to put on this concert to help raise awareness of factory farming and the imp0rtance of organic food.  It was an all day festival held at Riverport (I know, I know it’s now called Verizon Wireless something or other but come on, it will always be Riverport) just outside of St. Louis.  The beers were $9.50 and the organically grown food (which was delicious!) was $10 but the memories that were made by all are priceless. We claimed our spot on the lawn, played Farkle in between sets and sat back to have one of the best times I’ve ever had at a festival.

6. Homeward Bound
“Home where my thought’s escaping,
Home where my music’s playing,
Home where my love lies waiting
Silently for me…” – Paul Simon

Ahhhh, finally our own place right here in Hillsboro.  We looked at a variety of houses in town and they fit in one of two categories:  a dump or way out of our price range.  My sister-in-law, Brandi had been trying to get us to look at her friend’s house whom was considering selling.  The house was a bit on the smaller side, but needed NO repairs or updating.  I repeat NO repairs OR updating.  We weren’t exactly excited about the neighborhood it was in therefore, we refused to even take a look.  But, after looking at a bunch of dumps (houses that is! HA!) we agreed. As soon as we step foot in the house we were sold. I immediately started picturing where I would put our furniture and how I would decorate this and that.  It just felt like home.  We took a look, made an offer and three months later moved into our new home.

7.  Hot Nuts!

I had a blast this past summer in my new hometown with my new friends and family.  What’s great about this place is that even though it’s pretty small (Pop. 6,000 or so) there are lots of bars here, two of which are open till 3:00 am and a winery in the next town over.   Every weekend tends to be the same.   You see the exact same people at the exact same places.  It is in no way ever exciting and don’t ask me why I like to go back, but I do.   One night I was out with some friends and we noticed a little nut warmer on the bar (pictured above).  Now, keep in mind I’ve been to this bar hundreds of times and have never noticed this thing.  For some reason one of the people in my party actually ordered some for a snack then left them on the bar.  My friend, Dan and I thought it would be a great ice breaker and conversation starter if we went up to random people whom we didn’t even know and ask them if they wanted some “hot nuts”.   For some odd reason we couldn’t get enough of this. We asked people for hours and laughed until we cried.  Now  every time  Dan I see each other we simply refer to each other as “Hot Nuts!”

Hot Nuts!

8.  Back to School
This past summer I made the decision to go back to school to fulfill my dream of becoming a RN/midwife. I will begin that long journey in March when I will take my first class to become a CNA. I’ve got years of classes ahead but it is a journey that I am extremely excited about. You can read more about this here.

9.  I joined the Gym

I grew up in a household where diet and exercise weren’t important.  Mix that with a sugar addiction and a lifelong struggle with weight and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.  I joined the gym seven months ago and have been going religiously. Granted, I haven’t lost one single pound, but I am beginning to accomplish my goal of getting healthy.  I hope this time next year weight loss is on my top 10 list.

10.  Guiding Light Comes to an End

Bye-bye to my TV family

As most of you reading this know, I was a dedicated fan of the longest-running daytime soap opera, Guiding Light.  I watched the show for over 20 years and was sad to see it go.  I was even quoted in Springfield’s newspaper, the State Journal-Register for a piece that was written about the show going off air (I’m such a nerd sometimes!).  I will always remember how the show ended (it was left up in the air) and the fact that it indeed did come to an end in 2009.

There you have it.  My top 10 in 2009.  I am truly fortunate to live the life that I do.  I cannot wait to see what is in store for me in 2010.  What’s on your top 10?

 

A new house, a new career, a new life!

A new house.
Well, we’re finally here.  We’ve pretty much settled  into our new home in Hillsboro, IL and I have to say that I LOVE IT!  Although I really, really liked my old house in Chatham it doesn’t hold a candle to my new place.   This house is half the size of our old one but it just FEELS like home.  I always felt like the house in Chatham was lacking something and it never felt like home to me.  I love that we can drive across town for family gatherings.  I cannot say it enough….we love it!

A new career.
When I resigned from my full time position as the Director of Development and Communications 19 months ago my goal was to be able to be a full time stay-at-home mom while doing some freelancing on the side.    I am very passionate about publication design, copywriting and graphic design, but as Bob Dylan  once said, “the times they are a-changin.’”

Competition in the land of freelance is fierce and you have to be up-to-date on all the current trends, not to mention make cold sales calls, visits, attend networking functions and constantly “pitch” yourself.  Not that I mind at all doing that (as I love to brag about my talents!), but finding work just isn’t doing it for me anymore.  Don’t get me wrong,  I love the communications field but now I am ready for a new challenge.

I’ve always had an interest in the nursing profession, particularly in labor and delivery.  There is something about childbirth that gives me a thrill. I spent a day job shadowing a LD nurse at Memorial in Springfield and got to sit in on a natural birth. It was fantastic!  So…I’ve decided that starting in January I will enroll in classes to start working on a degree in nursing.  My end goal is to be a registered nurse as well as a certified midwife. I’ve talked with a few nurses in the field and have an advising appointment with a nurse researcher this week. This isn’t something that I am jumping into.

I’ve told a few people here and there and I mostly get a positive reaction although some have laughed at me and said, “it’s another one of your crazy ideas.”   Maybe so, but you know what? I like to take chances.  I love to try new things.  I’m 32 years old and am fortunate enough to be able to try these “adventures.”   I do not want to be 65 and think to myself, “I’ve always wanted to do _______ or try _____.”  It’s going to be quite a long process as the program has a wait list.  The time line is perfect for me and I cannot wait to start my new career.

A new life.
With a new house and a new career in the works I am looking forward to my new life.  A  life as a part-time nursing student and a stay-at-home mom. A new life in a new town.  Life isn’t about waiting for the storms to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain!

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.
- Bob Dylan

 

Jonathan Randall is BACK

Eleven months ago I said goodbye to my favorite soap opera – Guiding Light.  I never got used to the new camera work and I felt as if the story lines were bor-ring.  This soap – which is the longest running soap is officially going off of the air September 18.  Even though I gave it up it makes me sad.  Last week I was channel surfing and stopped on CBS and there he was (angels singing in my head hallelujah!) Jonathan Randall (real name – Tom Pelphrey) has returned!

When I let go of the show last year I said that I would come back if he ever returned and he is back my friends! Even though there are only a few weeks left of the show I plan to start back up and watch until the bitter end.

 

Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin

Ahhhhhh. An answer.  Here is a great article that has been published in the latest issue of Time Magazine. It does give me some answers as to why I am not losing any weight during my new exercise program.  I have set small goals. The goal this week is to cut out any non low fat desserts during the week. I’ve had a couple of slips but have not consumed nearly as much as I usually do.  It’s a start!

 

5-10-15-20-25

My online and real life BFF Carich posted a blog titled 5-10-15-20 which highlights the music she was listening to at various stages of her life. As soon as I read this I knew I had to do a post of my own.

Those who know me know that I love music. All kinds of music. I was the girl who just HAD to buy a tape/cd as soon as it was released. I had to have all the latest releases from all of my favorite artists. Times have changed and I have slipped away from running out to purchase the latest tunes. It was fun to reminisce for this blog and made me realize that I have to make some purchases on iTunes to get these on my Pod.

Age 5 – Little Gypsie
Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks, Stop Dragging My Heart Around

My mom bought me the Stop Dragging My Heart Around 45 record which I played over and over again on my little record player. This was the coolest song I had ever heard to date. I couldn’t get enough. I would pretend that I was Stevie Nicks in my bedroom. Something about this song still gets me today and sometimes I still pretend I am Stevie Nicks. Stevie is my favorite female artist hands down.

Age 10 – Hard Rocker
Bon Jovi, Slippery When Wet

Ahhhhhhh fifth grade. Bon Jovi was the newest and most hip rock band around. When I saw him on MTV during the “You Give Love a Bad Name” video I fell in love. I got the cassette tape and wore it out. Everyone of my friends had it. I listened to Wanted Dead or Alive at least 10,000 times and wanted a boyfriend who wore leather pants.

Age 15 – Hood Rat
Dr. Dre, The Chronic

During these years I was gangsta. I fell into the hip-hop culture. I wore baggie clothes and learned Ebonics. I listened to hard core rap. It had to have the “parental advisory” sticker on the package in order for me to buy it. Although there were a few mainstream tunes that I did enjoy (i.e. Back to the Hotel -N2Deep, Baby Got Back – Sir-Mix-Alot, Jump – Kriss Kross) I preferred the hard stuff. The cuts with hard core lyrics where women were referred to as “bitches” and drug references in every track.  The Chronic has been labeled as the best rap album of all time and is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential albums of the 1990s. It was the beginning of the east coast/west coast rap phenomenon. I would ride around in Brian Neverman’s car (I didn’t have my license yet) and we would blast this cd over and over. I knew (and still know) all the lyrics to every song. Ain’t Nutthin But a G-thang was the hit of that summer.

Age 20 – Chill
The Verve – Urban Hymns; Sarah Mclachlan – Surfacing; Portishead – Portishead; Erykah Badu – Baduizm

At this stage I was smoking a lot of grass and spent most of my time in a “chilled” state of mind.  I slowly climbed out of the rap phase and started paying more attention to song lyrics. I took them to heart. They were deep, very deep.

Age 25 – Frolicking Hippie
Grateful Dead – AOXOMOXOA

Carbondale is hippie country. That hippie smell is everywhere.  Patchwork pants, glass blowers, twirl dancing and hair with dreads are the norm here.  Although I’ve never considered myself an actual hippie I do like hippie music.  In fact, “jam” is my favorite genre.  When I was 25 I was still in Carbondale.  I attended hippie parties where the Grateful Dead was always being played.  I was immediately turned on by the improvisational tunes  (and still smoking lots of grass).  It always put me in a good mood and I could listen to it at anytime and in any situation.  I attended Dead shows and made friends with lots of Deadheads.  I still listen to the Dead today and bands who have followed their lead.

There you have it! My tastes have changed over the years but deep down I  still like all of my old favorite music.  What are your tastes?

 

A frustrated weight loss update

Here I am nine weeks into this exercise thing. I’ve been exercising religiously five days a week. Intense cardio workouts and I’m still attending the Rock Your Body class (see previous post). Are you wondering how much weight I’ve lost…..hold onto your seats folks….because I’ve GAINED 8 lbs! Now, when I started gaining weight I did some research and found that it is fairly common at the start of a weight loss program/exercise program. As frustrated as I was that this was happening I knew that it was normal and thought that if I kept up my routine eventually I would start to see some results. Not the case.

Granted – I do not have the best eating habits and this is something that I need to focus on (it is my biggest challenge) BUT my habits also have not changed. I can understand staying at my starting weight…but gaining?

As you can imagine I have become super frustrated about not losing any weight. I have been doing loads of research and have come to the conclusion that the reason I’m not losing any weight is due partly because of the method of birth control I am taking. Currently, I take the Depo shot every three months. I read that this method is not recommended for women who are wanting to lose weight (just great!), and in fact, not only do 70% of women gain weight while taking it, but an average of 7lbs a shot. I’ve had five shots! I won’t go into further detail on Depo as I’m saving it for its own posting, but I will say that if I had known these long term side effects I would have never agreed to take it.

I’m going to continue my exercise routine and work on my eating habits. I’m going to stop taking the Depo shot (next one is due at the end of Aug) and hopefully I will start to see results. My three month gym membership expires at the end of next month. I plan to renew. When I signed up I had hoped that when the time came for me to renew that I would have lost at least 10 lbs. A girl can dream can’t she?

 

Let’s get physical…physical…

I did it. I convinced Jared that I really would put a gym membership to good use.

For the past three weeks I have gotten up at 6:00 am to drag myself into the gym. Three days a week I do an intense cardio routine. I alternate between three miles of running/walking on the treadmill followed by five miles on the stationary bike or 40 min on the elliptical machine. Then I hit the weights. The other two days a week I attend an intense exercise class. “Rock Your Body” is designed to tone muscles through muscular endurance training while raising your metabolic rate for rapid fat burning.

I have two goals in mind. One: finally lose all this extra weight – for good. I would like to lose 50 pounds. Twenty-five pounds by Christmas. Two: enter and complete a running race by the end of summer. There is no doubt in my mind that if I keep up what I’m doing now I will be ready for a race.

Now, I know that losing weight will not be an easy task. I have struggled with my weight for my entire life. It has never has been an easy task for me, especially now that I still have some baby weight to lose. It’s been three weeks, I’ve worked out religiously, but when I step on the scale not only have I not lost ANY weight but I’ve actually gained four pounds! Deep down I know this is a good thing. After doing some research I found that this is an “initial weight gain.” My body is building muscle. I have a good friend who recently had great success with losing weight. He assured me that this weight gain is good and if I keep up my routine in due time it will pay off. Scotty you had better be right!

Until then I’m going to keep at it and hope these pounds start to melt away. This is something that is long overdue. It is not going to be an easy battle for me and I know it will be a lifelong struggle. I will be attending my high school reunion this summer and a college reunion this fall. I want to be able to buy new clothes in a size that I am happy with. I want to be able to feel comfortable and proud of all of this hard work!

I am going to do my best to track my progress for any of you who give a rats ass and who are actually reading this. I think if I put myself out there I will be forced to be held accountable. I have no desire to turn this into a weight loss blog, but hope that all of my internet readers can offer some encouragement and advice from their own experiences.

Now, if I could only put down the candy……….

Cooper in his new workout outfit.

 

SOLD!

After only four short months of being on the market and over 60 showings, the house of my dreams sold last week.  We accepted an offer on the contingency that the buyers sell their house which hadn’t even been put on the market yet.  Then to our surprise two more buyers wanted to place offers.  Two short days later we received the call that the couple’s house had already sold! We will be out of our house and living in Hillsboro by Memorial Day weekend.  We’ll be staying with Jared’s parents until we can find a house that best suits our needs. Although I loved that house in Chatham, I love being able to stay at home with Cooper even more. It is yet another sacrifice I will make and not look back!  Now – onto packing and moving….

 

My baby is 1 year old!

Can you believe it? Cooper turned one year old last week. We celebrated last weekend by inviting family out to the house for chili, vegetable soup and ice cream cake. Cooper had his very own cake and he didn’t waste any time eating the cake with no hands by digging in face first!

Man, the time has flown right by us! It has been an amazing year! I have put together a slideshow with pictures from the last year. I’m having some copyright issues with the songs and posting on the Web. As soon as I can get that figured out I will post for all to see!

Cooper got his first pair of shoes this week! Poor thing had to wait because we could not find any to fit his enormous feet! Those of you who know me well, know that I myself have struggled with finding shoes my entire life. Big feet run in my family! But low and behold, I was able to get him fitted and he is now strutting his stuff in a pair of 5 1/2 extra wide white Stride Rite walkers!

Coop's new car