Just Another Manic Monday

Aren't Mondays so much fun?  Don't you wish every day could be Monday?

No?

My Monday was especially crazy.  Like most Mondays lately, I got up at 4:30 am to get ready and drive down to Pratt.  So of course I didn't sleep at all last night because I knew I had to get up so early.  I just lay there waiting for my alarm to go off.  I finally get out of bed and in the shower, just as I get out of the shower my hubby leaves to get to Pratt before me.

Not five minutes after he leaves the house do I hear Cooper throwing up in our bedroom.  Let me tell you a 75lb dog throwing up is not petite.  He pukes twice in our bedroom and I finally drag him out into the hall and he pukes two more times on the tile.  Now I have 4 puddles of puke to clean up at 5 o'clock in the morning.  Awesome.

I finally get everything cleaned up and everything in the car, including the dogs, and we are off, 40 minutes later then I wanted to leave.  On the way down to Wichita, Cooper is very antsy, and keeps getting up in the back and looking around.  I am pleading with him not to puke in my car.  I am not sure that Cooper understands what I am saying, but I would like to think he does.  Luckily, he makes it all the way down with out another incident.

Just to add on to Cooper's puke I got to clean this morning.  On Friday, we are getting ready to leave the hotel and head back home and I am taking the dogs outside.  Cooper decides to pee on my foot!  I was wearing ballet flats, so not just on my foot, but in my shoe.  So gross!

Needless to say, Cooper is not on my favorite dogs list right now.  I can't take any more from him.

Challenge - Week 2

Slow and steady wins the race, right?  I think this tortes needs to go a little faster.  I am about to be lapped.

By the way, sorry this is so late.  I did weigh in on Saturday morning, I just didn't sit down in front of a computer until now.

My starting weight was 157.4

My weight last week was 156.0

And my current weight is . . .155.4

Only down 1/2 a pound from last week and 2 lbs. total.

Not extremely happy with the speed of my weight loss, but I also didn't try that hard last week.  I didn't make it to the gym, really all I did was eat a little better.

But this week is a new week, and I am going to put more effort into doing the right things.

Keep up the good work Laura!

Clean or Dirty?

I have noticed the new diet/healthy lifestyle on the block is Clean Eating or Real Food.  Where you eat only whole, natural foods that have not been processed or chemically altered.  Some of my friends have been doing very well with this diet.

I agree whole heartily with the philosophy behind this dietary lifestyle.  I know I feel 100% better on days when I eat lots of fruits, vegetables and fish or lean meats.  And you know it the long run it cannot be good for you to be eating all the chemicals they put in food these days.

My brother works on an organic farm in Pennsylvania, and is always telling us about the different produce we should be eating.  He introduced us to fresh beets this summer.  When he lived with me, he worked at Whole Foods and would always bring home fruits and vegetables I have never even heard of.  I feel like I should expand the fruits and veggies that I buy.

Now to the point of this whole post.  I have to laugh at the name of this food trend.

Clean Eating / Real Food

Does this mean that when I stop at my beloved Taco Bell, or come home to an empty refrigerator and make myself some Mac and Cheese, that I am Eating Dirty or Fake Food?  Let's be honest, we all know I am not perfect (well almost), and I will not stick to just healthy foods (why am I on a diet in the first place).  And really all I have been craving lately is some delicious, dirty, fake donuts, chips, fast food, french fries. . .the list goes on and on.

So here's to Eatin' Dirty.  

Girl Time

This past weekend was my chance to catch up on some much needed girl time.

On Sunday I got to see some of my best girl friends.  They are all ladies that I meet while working at Brooke Franchise Corp.  Sadly, we all got laid-off from there and the company went under.  But we all ended up better in the long run.

These women are more then just former co-workers, they are my true friends and confidants.  It is so nice to just have girl time.  Where we can rant about husbands, kids (or dogs in my case), family, work and just life in general.

One of these ladies is the reason I met my husband.  Without her and her husband, I never would have met Will. Sometimes it is crazy to think how the people we meet shape our lives.

On Monday night we had a Mother/Daughter get together with some of the women I grew up with.  All the mothers are like my second mothers, and I have learned so much from being around them.  All the daughters and I grew up together.  We are all about the same age, and although we have all taken different paths in life, it is nice that we can still fall back together.

I really learned the importance of girl time when I started traveling with my husband for work.  We work in a sometimes male dominated field.  I took for granted getting to see my close girl friends on a regular basis, until I had to go for months without seeing them.  I now know how important that time is for me emotionally and psychologically.  It's like it recharges my batteries.  It makes being on the road all the time and away from my family, friends and home seem bearable again.

I need to remember that for my own sanity I need to make more time for my girls.

The Challenge - Week 1

Week 1 of the "Lookin' Hot for Our Hunky Husbands" is over and. . .

I did okay.  Not quite as good as I would have liked, but I am moving in the right direction.  I went to the gym twice last week, and took a walk around the neighborhood.  But if you read my previous post, you know how well my walk went.

Food has been my number one challenge.  I am trying really hard to make good choices, but sometimes stress and lack of options makes me make bad choices.  Like the Chinese buffet for lunch should probably be avoided in the future.  Food would not be as big a deal for me if I was at home during the week and I could cook for myself.

But I knew all of this going into the challenge, so I need to suck it up and try a little harder.  And now for the Week 1 results.

My starting weight was 157.4.

My current weight is (I feel like I should make you wait for a really long time, like on Biggest Looser). . .

156.0


I lost 1.4 lbs.

Well, at least it was a loss, and a start.  I still have three weeks to go.  Time to get my rear in gear!

Walk This Way

On Monday it was really nice outside, so I decided to take the dogs for a walk.  I needed the exercise, they needed to burn off some energy, and it was a beautiful day in January.  This was the first time I have taken the dogs for a walk in our new neighborhood.  Here is how our walk went (and really every walk I take them on).

The dogs know that if I put my shoes on there is a good chance they might be going some where with me too.  So Derby tries to bite my hands and feet the whole time I am putting my shoes on, not very helpful.  Then I go pick up their leashes, and they go crazy.  They get put on their leashes at least 4 times a day in the hotel, you would thing they would be used to it by now, but no it still super exciting every time we do it.  They also start circling me like sharks, so as soon as I get one leash on, they are tying me up with it.

I finally get everyone on a leash and ready to walk out the door.  I open the door and they both go running out at full speed.  With Cooper (75lb) and Derby (40lb) both on the leash I have 115lbs of dog pulling me down the street.  Now you would think that going for a walk would be a nice aerobic activity, but not with my dogs, it is more of an upper body strength activity.

So, we start our walk and Cooper has to smell everything we walk by, and by everything I mean EVERYTHING!  And when Cooper really likes the smell of something he locks on to it.  He uses every muscle in body to make sure that his nose does not move from that smell.  Derby on the other hand is trying his very hardest to keep going forward as fast as he possibly can.  So I end up in the middle with my arms straight out, trying to pull Cooper along and keep Derby from choking himself.

In addition to our constant start/stop of Cooper locking on to things.  He must also mark his territory as many times as possible (the neighborhood is now Coopers).  Cooper could have just pooped at home 10 minutes before we leave on a walk and will poop again at least once and up to four times.  Being the good dog own that I am, I have poop bags to pick up after my dogs.  But while I am trying to do the oh so fun job of picking up poo, both dogs are either trying to pull me over as they continue their walk, or have turned into sharks again and are tying my up with their leashes.

Now doing all of these activities while on a walk can start to try my patience.  So, I am usually talking to the dogs to try and make them behave.  It goes something like this: "Keep Walking! Keep Walking!"  "Not there, don't poop there!"  "Derby slow down!  Cooper keep up!"  "Why can't you guys just walk like normal dogs!"  So now all my neighbors, that are also outside on this nice day, think that I am the crazy lady that just moved in.  Awesome

Luckily, on this day we did not see any squirrels or rabbits.  Let me tell you how fun that is.  All 115lbs of dog pulling as hard as they can to chase after the furry creature.  The whole time jumping and crying and straining to get off their leashes.  I have to lean back as much as I can and use my whole body weight, just to keep from flying down the sidewalk face first, as they drag me along behind.

They do get a little bit better the longer a walk is as they run out of energy (and poop).

Anyone want to sign up to walk my dogs?

I Can Cook!

Despite what my family may say, I can cook.  They think I only like to stir, and while it was and still is my favorite kitchen activity, I can cook.  I just don't get to do it very often any more because will live in the hotel so much of the time.  So, when I get to go home to our big, beautiful kitchen, I can't wait to whip something up.

Last weekend I decided to try some of the recipes I have collected on Pinterest.com.  Now that I have said that, the first meal I made was not from a recipe.

I made some brussel sprouts. . .

And sliced and roasted sweet potatoes. . .

And to keep my hubby happy, steak! (I did not eat all of my steak)

Sunday morning I decided to do a little baking, and made Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins.  I am not sure of the actual nutritional information, but they have to be pretty healthy, they are mainly pumpkin and oatmeal.  And they used egg whites.

Sunday night I made Chili Rellenos Casserole.  I lightened it up a bit by using ground turkey, instead of beef.  It was okay, not the best thing ever, but not bad, and it was quick to throw together.

  

Monday, I made Avocado Chicken Salad.  I LOVE anything with avocado in it, or on it.  The chicken salad pretty much tasted like guacamole with chicken in it, but that was alright with me.  I would eat guacamole with a spoon if it was socially acceptable.    

In the past when I have wanted to loose weight I always was very meticulous about counting calories.  For the "Look Hot for Our Hunky Husbands" Challenge I have been just trying to eat healthier, unprocessed foods, and not counting calories as much.   I recently read the book Cooking Solves Everything by Mark Bittman.  He talks about how we all would be healthier if we just cooked our own food.  That way we know what is going into every meal.  And when we cook for ourselves we use much less butter, fat, sugar and salt then restaurants or prepackaged meals do.  

My goal going forward is to eat as little processed food as possible, eat more organic foods, and exercise on a regular basis.  While I hope I win the challenge, I will happy with just getting on a healthier lifestyle.  I think cooking more, and eating fewer processed foods will help me more in the long run then closely counting calories just for the next month to drop pounds quickly.

Laura, don't think for a second that I am slacking.  You are still going down! 

The Challenge

If you didn't know already, I am slightly competitive.  Ok, I have to win, and hate to loose.  But I am not a sore looser.  My good friend Laura is also competitive.  And to use our competitive powers for good and not evil, we have come up with a weight loss challenge for the next month.

Welcome to the "Look Hot for Our Hunky Husband's" Challenge.

Our husbands will kill us when they find out this is what we named our challenge.  But I don't think they really read our blogs, so I think we're safe.  I guess this will prove if they read them or not.

The challenge starts today and runs through Valentine's Day.  And to make it a true competition there has to be a prize.  In keeping with the theme, the winner gets a $25 Victoria Secret gift card.  Watch out hunky husbands.  We will weigh in every Saturday and update our progress here on our blogs.

Today was the officially first weigh in, the starting point for the competition.  And here is where I am going to make excuses for my current weight.  I was so proud of myself a year ago when I lost 10lbs. before my wedding.  I felt great, I looked great.  But sadly, six months of living on the road, eating badly and not working out has not been good for me, I have gained all of that weight back and a little more just for fun.

Drum roll please. . . My current weight is. . . (Not sure how I feel about posting this on the internet.)

157.4


Now for the good news.  I have already started to eat better, more fruits and veggies, and less fried foods (yesterday doesn't count).  This week we joined the gym in Pratt, and I have already gone once.

So watch out Laura, I am winning this challenge!
Check out Laura's progress on her blog.

Quick Doggie Story

You haven't heard any crazy stories, about my crazy dogs lately.  Surely you didn't think they were actually being good all this time.  Let me fill you in on what they have been up to.

Our morning routine in the hotel goes like this.  Will gets up, showers, gets ready and leaves for the office.  Then I get up, shower, get ready, take the dogs out, and leave for the office (the bathroom is not big enough for two people at one time).

Well, this morning Will had already left for the office and I was in the shower.  I heard Derby crying (he cries when Will leaves) and I was talking to him while I was in the shower.  Then I got out of the shower and was getting ready, and all of a sudden it dawned on me that it was very quiet in our room, too quiet.  I look on the bed, no dogs.  I look on the floor, no dogs.  I see their leashes on the floor, so Will doesn't have them.  I call for them (silly I know, if I don't see them they aren't there, it's a small hotel room).

Then it dawns on me again, Cooper may have let him and Derby out of the room.  I am still not dressed yet, so I crack the door to our room and peak my head out.  There at the end of the hallway are my two dogs just hanging out all by themselves.  I call for them, and they come running down the hallway to our room.  They run in and look at me like "What?  We were having a good time."

The even weirder part of this whole story, is it kind of happened earlier in the week.  I was drying my hair, and when I turned off the dryer I hear our door open and close.  I run around the corner and Cooper has the door half open, but hasn't gotten out.  Cooper has learned that when I can't hear them, he can let themselves out of the room.

I guess I am going to have to start dead bolting the hotel door while I get ready.  Just when I think I am still smarter then the dogs, Cooper has to go and prove he is one step ahead of us.

Cotton Bowl Weekend

The hubby and I traveled down to Fort Worth, TX last weekend to cheer on K-State in the Cotton Bowl. We went because Will LOVES K-State and I love to drink and party with friends (and now can be seen sporting purple on a regular basis).

We drove down on Wednesday night and listened to the Cats loose to the Jayhawks in basket ball on the radio. I am not going to comment on that fact one way or another as to not offend any family or friends, I am Switzerland.

Thursday everyone headed to the pep rally at Ranger Stadium, Will and I did not.  We used to live in Fort Worth, and knew how bad the traffic can be at that time of day and decided to pass.  So we went to the bar to save a table for everyone.

Yep, that would be 6 buckets of beer on our table.  The bar actually ran out of Bud Light at two points in the evening.  K-Staters are drinkers.

Friday was game day.  We tailgated with our friends the Lockharts, and then went into Jerry's World a/k/a Cowboy's Stadium to watch the game.

There was a band playing outside the stadium.

The view from our seats.  We were on the top deck, thanks K-State for the awesome seats and selling out of the tickets we paid for (not that we were bitter or anything).

The band played before the game.  Here they spelled Big XII.

And here they spelled K-State.

And here they spelled K S U, they are so talented!

The giant American flag for the National Anthem (I have no clue who sang).

And just in case you forgot we were in Jerry's World, the worlds largest TV!

Unfortunately, it was not the Cat's day, and we lost.  But K-Stater's don't cry in their beer.  The next day we bounced back and embarrassed and unbeaten Missouri team in basket ball.  Have fun in the SEC!

Saturday night Will and I had an amazing steak diner at Bob's Chop House, sorry no pics.  And then we hit the town with some friends.  

  I don't know if you can read it or not, but that sign says "Burgers and Coldass Beer"  I need that sign for our basement.

Finally, some other drunk people from a wedding at our hotel ordered this monster sandwich.  Can you see the size of it?  Those are dinner plates sitting next to it.

It was a little weird being back in Fort Worth as a tourist after living there for almost two years.  The hotel we were staying at was only 3 blocks from the apartment we rented.  But one of my favorite things, was the view from our room overlooked the Water Gardens, where Will proposed to me.  It has always been a favorite spot of mine in Fort Worth and now always will.

Taking the Good with the Bad

The last week of 2011 came with some happy and some sad, as life always seems to do.

I got the best phone call last week from my best friend.  Her 1 year old son has been courageously battling cancer since he was one month old.  She called me last week to say that he is now officially in remission.  I could not be happier!  I wanted to shout the news from the roof top.  I wish for continued health and happiness for their family and all my friends and family in 2012.

I also received some very sad news on New Year's day.  A long-time, close family friend of ours had passed away.  I have so many amazing memories him I will never forget.

Hooray for Bob.

Hooray at last.

Hooray for Bob,

He's a horse's ass.

We will miss you.

A Resolution or Two

It is that time of year.  The time when we all make lofty goals for ourselves, break them in a few weeks and forget them all together in a month.  I am going to jump on the resolution band wagon too.  And in a few weeks, when I have totally abandoned these goals, you can all remind me.

1.  Eat more fruits and vegetables.  This used to not be so hard, but since I have been on the road that last couple of months, they have become more scarce in my diet.  Not Good.

2.  Eat less fried foods.  You may have guessed it, I have replaced fruits and vegetables with french fries, among other fried goodies they seem to sell everywhere in Pratt.

3.  Exercise at least twice a week.  I know I should exercise more then this, but I am trying to be realistic.  Twice a week will still be a vast improvement over my current workout schedule of. . . never.

2012 Here I come!