christmas updates

Merry Christmas Bloggies,

I havent been on here in awhile but I have been traveling. First, last week I was super busy getting ready to travel. I had so much to do. Finally on Sunday the 19th I left for KY to go to Mike and Heathers. I was able to spend two days with my son and DIL. We went to dinner a couple of times and exchanged gifts since this year is the year that they spend the holidays with Heathers parents. I left KY to drive to KS on Tuesday. It was a horrible drive because I was so sleepy. On Monday I barely got any rest and after lunch I was stopping at least every hour to get out and get air so that I wouldnt fall asleep. I was so happy to drive in my parents driveway that evening. When I got here mom had a wonderful dinner of potroast and carrots and potatoes made. I was starved and it was really good. The next day my sister and myself took my neices to town and we had lunch at Taco Bell. We didnt do too much that day because the winter storm was coming and we knew mom would be worried if we had been out in it. We did get some snow, about six inches but that wasnt the big deal. Mostly its the temperature outside. It is frigid. I have not been this cold in a long time. Living down south has me spoiled. I can hardly take the cold anymore. Yesterday was christmas and it was nice but so bittersweet since I didnt have the boys or Paul with me. I missed them all so much. I did get some good things. Lots of cozy pj's, a makeup bag with some really good quality makeup and my mom got me a Wii which I have been wanting for ages. I am so excited to get home and hook it up. Paul didnt send me anything but I reckon he wasnt thinking of gifts this year. No biggie, it didnt bother me and I was so happy that we were able to see him on skype that day. I ate and ate and ate yesterday. I am not worried about it though. If I gained then I gained. I will get it together when I get home. Tomorrow my mom, me and sister are doing a girls day. I am excited for it. Dad is babysitting the little girls for my sister. LOL. The next big thing I got going on is for new years eve and we are going to do a 5k run. We will walk a considerable amount of it because my sister cant run at all. After the run the family is going for a new years eve dinner at eight at a local mexican restaurant which my mom says is fabulous. I plan on leaving to go back to KY and see the kids again and pick up my pup on the 1st. I dont need to leave super early so I will get some rest. I need at least six hours of sleep in order to drive that distance. I will spend the night in BG and then head home on the 2nd. I dont need to hurry so I likely wont get home until late that night. It will be nice to get home and start preparing for Pauls leave in February. I have lots planned to do so that I stay on track with food and also to help pass the time. One thing I am doing is painting my bathroom and the bonus room window wall. I also need to touch up lots of other walls in the house. I am also going to shampoo the carpets and really clean the house up super good. i am also going to have Stanley Steemer come to clean my furniture. Oh yeah, the office really needs to be organized so between all that, crossfit and running I should stay busy. Speaking of crossfit I plan on paying for unlimited during January. I would love to take advantage of all the opportunitys to go in the month before Paul comes home.
well I should go now. I think I am having some pie.

Updates

Whew, what a busy couple of weeks this has been. I have been swamped with FRG and Christmas shopping and other committments. I think this week is going to be a lot less hectic.
Lets get to the important stuff: my shopping is nearly complete! Woohoo! I have to get gift cards for the son and DIL and then a couple of small things for my hairdresser and my trainers but other than that, I am done!!!
Another thing I am really pleased about is that I have been on track with my eating and exercising this month and the scale is reflecting my hard work. I have a goal of 140 before Paul comes home in February and I am not far from there:) If I dont be a total idiot at my moms I can do it! My main goal though during Christmas is to maintain my weight. No gaining. If I lose great but if I stay the same, also great. This week I have hit CF 5 times. I am going to miss 7 of the groups being gone so I am trying to stockpile exercise. Especially exercise that I pay for:)I also signed up for a 5k to do at my moms and I plan on bringing my workout journal so that I can do some at home crossfits while I am gone.
I have been cooking quite a bit and stocking the freezer with soup and chili and sauces. I made a meatloaf and did the same. Sadly, its all gone now but I enjoyed it so much that when I get back after Christms I am going to do another one. So now, I have one more spaghetti sauce and I think 4 taco soups left which are wonderful since the weather here has forced me to up my heat. Boo, hiss on the electric bill which will be so much higher.
Paul is doing well. He does have a bit of a cold and is trying to get better. He comes home on leave between the 8th and 16th of February. I am hoping that he can be home for Valentines Day and we can be at the cabin. Tres Romantico! I miss him like crazy. I just cant wait to wrap my arms around him.
Well bloggies I need to jet so I can get to SOS today. John and Ali are not here today... Who is running it? Guess I will update later to let you know. Enquiring minds and all.

Have a super day:)

Wreaths

Wreaths wreaths wreaths! I am so sick of Christmas wreaths. I am still working on the ones from FRG and I am running out of time on them. I am going to have to take my day on Monday and finish up all the FRG Christmas stuff. Even then I may not finish until Tuesday. I must have it done by the 4th though or we miss the mailing deadline. I really need help with FRG. I am overwhelmed and with D not up to helping right now it is all falling on me.

I am going to go buy a small tree to decorate. I would like to have that done by Friday as well as the rest of the decorations I plan on putting up. It wont be many but at least it will be something. Honestly, since I am leaving to go to mamas on the 20th I dont need to do anything at all but I feel so out of the spirit this year. I hate not having anyone here. I miss the boys being around as much as I miss not having Paulie here.

I went to cross fit this morning and boy did I get smoked. I wore my HRM for the first time in months. I burned tons of calories today. The SOS was 3 RFT of 800 meter runs, 25 kettle bell swings, back extensions and hollow rocks. We also had a cash out of 25 sit ups and 20 push ups as well as another 400 meter run. All told with the W/U we ran 2 miles today. It was a great workout and I finished in 26.41.
I am planning on doing some active recovery tomorrow by walking the HM trail or the CFRT with Meg.

Well thats my update and I plan on trying to get more into the blogging again. I have just been so busy and not really had a lot of time.

Its the holidays and I am feeling a bit bah humbug

I went today and got the things for Pauls Christmas box and thought that perhaps if I do some decorating around here I may get in the spirit. So, I think I will get out those Christmas CD's and some decorations for the house. I just miss Paul so much and I hate that he will be away yet again for another Christmas.

I am hoping that we finish the FRG boxes by this weekend since I really want to hand them over to Rich on Monday to go out.

Saturday me and some of the ladies are going to go out to dinner and a movie. It is me and Pauls wedding anniversary and I am glad to be able to not be at home that night without him. I cant believe that we have been together so long. 18 years is a lifetime for many. I love him and cant imagine my life without him.

I have been doing so well with my diet. I have incorporated some grains back in because I like them and because I think I cant give them up for the rest of my life. I eat the healthy grains and I dont eat them a lot but if I want a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast when it is cold then I am going to have it. I also prefer pasta over spaghetti squash with my marinara. Doing paleo is great but for me doing all of it is just not reasonable. I need to lose a few pounds and so I am going back to what has worked for me in the past and that is to eat a balanced diet with all food groups.

Exercise I have also been doing well. I am trying to get in more cardio and so I have been doing more than cross fit. I am excited to start doing more spin and kickboxing. Fun classes.

Well, gonna go for now. My shows are on.

More as it happens.

I think I am back on track with my diet

finally and it feels so good. I have been uber good as of late and I am finally beginning to see it. My tummy doesnt look as bloated and that is where I notice that I have had too much of those yummy but nasty carbs. Just laying off of them in the form of grains has helped tremendously. Hopefully with my new mojo I can lose a few more pounds before I discuss the plan of attack for skin removal with the plastic surgeon. Ive already talked with them but nothing defininte on what I am going to do since I still would like to lose some weight. Also, I would need to find someone to come help me out pretty consistantly for at least one solid week and possibly two. I dont want to do this when Paul is home because I want to spend our leave time enjoying each other and not having him play nursemaid.

The deployment is nearly a quarter of the way through. The 9th will be three months. There are days when I think it is going by rather quickly but other times when it seems to drag. Today is a dragging day. Weekends always are. Also, I have been struggling with trying to not be angry with Paul. He tells me he has written me at least 8 letters but I have yet to receive any but one from way back in early September. Part of me doesnt believe him but he doesnt lie to me so I dont know where that comes from. Yes, I do actually, it comes from deployment stress, loneliness and being human. Still it doesnt make me feel any better about it and it just isnt something to be angry over in reality. I just feel a bit resentful at times because I do write him snail mail once a week and email him at least once a day most days. Ugh, its just so frustrating. I should hit my knees because in the past whenever I let go of things and give them to God I feel so much more at peace. I should but will I? Maybe I will later but right now that stubborn girl in me wants to continue to wallow.

Shannon from crossfit sent me a huge pdf of nothing but paleo recipes. I am excited since it will get me out of my cooking rut. Also, they arent all dessert recipes which is super wonderful. I was looking at a coconut chicken recipe that I may try next week.

well, gonna jet for now. Will check in later.

sore is for sissies!

So, with that said I am a big old sissy. I am back from Wilmington in one piece from the half mary but let me tell you, I aint 20 anymore and that sucker kicked my arse! Seriously, we all did great in that we all finished. I did fine during the marathon with some running and walking until mile 6 when my feet started burning pretty bad. Actually at mile 4 I told Michelle that I was getting a hot spot. Still, until mile 6 we kept up a decent pace. I fought the urge to take off my shoe at mile 8 when I knew I had a decent blister on my foot and my toes. I knew I would not put the shoe back on if I took it off and then I wouldnt have finished. So, instead we walked and were ok until about mile 11 and then we both were practically limping with our feet pain. We would try to run and maybe get 200 feet when we had to walk... It was sad. When we were about 400 meters from the finish we sprinted it in, took off our shoes and waited for Meg to come in. The only thing bothering me after the race initially was my feet. I felt fine otherwise. It wasnt until we got to the room, showered and relaxed some that I felt EVERYTHING ache. OMG, I hurt everywhere. My abs, gluts, hip flexors, back, hammies, quads, etc. You name it and it hurt! The next day I still felt like I had been run over and today I still feel really sore but much better.
I went to CF this morning and I am so glad that I did. Ali modified my WOD for my feet and then she showed me some awesome stretches for my still very sore hip flexors and gluts. Ive been doing them off and on all day and I can tell a difference in my soreness and stiffness. I figure by end of week I should be feeling fine and as long as my blisters are gone then I will start running again on Saturday morning. I have a plan to get in more cardio and I am going to run it by JV to see what he thinks of it. I know I need more cardio but I also need to have days of rest as well and that is what I dont plan very well so I end up getting burnt out.
I am still working on my nutrition. I have been doing well the last couple of weeks and today I cooked a turkey breast and made some puttenesca sauce for meals over the next couple of days. I plan on serving the puttenesca over some egg plant one night this week and then over some eggs another night. I had some turkey for dinner tonight and it was really good. I had some zucchini with it. I paid close attention to only eating as much as I needed to feel satisfied so I was really proud of myself.

Paul has finally made it to his new place. He says it is much better and for me it is. We have much better commo so far and we have even gotten to see each other on the webcam a couple of times. I miss him so much. He is my best friend and I know that sounds really corny but its so true. He is amazing and the one person I know always has my back. Our anniversary is this month. Sometimes I think that we act ore like we have been married 8 months versus 18 years. Its amazing and I wish everyone could know the relationship we have. I can honestly say that I go to bed every night knowing without a shadow of doubt that my husband loves me with all of his being.

Ok, gonna go for now. I want to soak in a tub for a bit and read before watching some TV tonight.

Pics are of myself, Meg and Michelle pre race and then one of me with my medal post race.

TTFN

October end of month

Well Guys or should I say Ghouls! Happy Halloween to ya! It is a warm Halloween morning here in the Carolinas and feels more like an early summer day. Supposed to get up to 82 degrees today.
things here have been hit or miss in many areas but over the last week I feel like I have come to a new understanding of many things and am back on track. Mainly with my diet. I weighed myself a little over a week ago and was up nearly 10 pounds from the spring. Talk about depressed. I worked really hard to lose the weight and I dont want to see it creep back up so I once again began journaling and eating as clean as possible. This meant also no eating out which was difficult for me in that it forces me to cook if I dont want to put processed junk in my gullet. Anyhow I did it and upon waking this morning and weighing myself I am down 4 pounds from that awful high. I am more determined than ever to lose the rest of it and even a few more as that was my original goal. Once I get there if I find it too unobtainable to maintain I will change it. All this means that I have to do more cardio because while CF is great and I love it it doesnt last long enough for me to enjoy the fat loss benefits of cardio. Dont get me wrong, cardiovascularly I am in great shape from CF but I do think I need more than I am getting from my sessions. I am aiming for at least 2 extra hours of cardio each week on top of CF which should not be a problem since I am going to start going back to spin class at least once a week.
I am also letting go of how much I do. I find myself exhausted at the end of the day and I dont even work but I am always super busy. So, I am relinquishing command of some things and praying that they are still done and done well. If not, I am just going to have to give it to God because I cant take on anymore.
Today is the day we leave for the half mary. Our shirts may not be in but thats ok. It would have been cool to have them but lets face it,shirts dont make one run or walk faster. We just wanted to match since we are such girlie girls. I am hoping to have an injury free day and to complete the thing in under the time limit. I have been going pretty fast in my walking and I can run some so we shall see what happens. When this is over I am looking for a 10 kilometer that I can train for so that I can see if in a few months I could possibly run the entire thing.
Well, its time to get some last minute things done before heading out. I will update when I get home.
TTFN

curvy chicks and handstands

do not go well together. Ok, maybe I should just say bottom heavy chicks... More on this in a bit.
This last week has been really busy for me. I did a lot of stuff with the FRG and then had some friends who I needed to visit due to operations and such. I also really deep cleaned my house. Can I get an AMEN on that one please!
On Saturday I went to Gillis Farm with some gals and their kids. It was a nice time but cold! I had some homemade ice cream while there (pumpkin flavor) because there isnt any kind of cold that can keep me from some creamy homemade ice cream. I will say that I only had half of the small size because we were going out for pizza afterwards. We went to CiCi's and I had two pieces of pizza (would have had three but a cute little 3 year old snagged my slice of pepperoni off my plate)and I also had some cavatini which is this pasta with marinara and pepperoni in it. NOM! When I got home that night I crashed hard. I think it was that I dont eat that many carbs anymore and then the fall from the sugar really got me. I slept so well though. Sunday after church I met up with Meg, Michelle and Brigitte from CF and we did 6 miles on post. That last mile was not very effective since I was laughing my head off most of it which interfered with how fast I could go. Seriously, these ladies are pee in your pants funny! It was a good time though which goes to show that exercise can be fun:)
Beginning yesterday I started eating in reverse. Large portions for breakfast, medium for lunch and small for supper. Yesterday I had 2 eggs for breakfast, bacon and 2 paleo waffles with maple syrup and I didnt eat again until 3:30 in the afternoon because I wasnt hungry until then. Crazy! At 3:30 I had three large stalks of celery with some peanut butter and jelly on it. When I ate dinner at 6:30 I had a chicken drumstick and some oven roasted veggies. Today I had steak, eggs, protein smoothie and one slice of whole grain toast for breakfast. I dont know what I will have to eat for lunch because I have chicken chili but if I dont get hungry until mid afternoon again I will just eat something smaller so I can eat at dinner which I am planning on tuna and greens but we'll see.
This morning at CF we did handstands. Actually most everybody else did handstands! I think it is harder for me since I am big on the bottom and it takes a lot of energy to propel my self up over my head... At any rate JV says we will work on them more often and I am going to practice with Meg on Sundays... Hopefully within a year I can do them. Well, at least one of them. I hate when I cant do things in CF. Nobody judges you so that isnt the issue. It is all me! So friggen Type A!
Deployment still sucks. Paul and I have sporadic commo which is depressing. Hopefully once they make the move to the new FOB at the end of the month that will change. I really miss him and just want to talk to him face to face.
Ok, gonna jet for now. I will update in a few.

TTFN

5K day

Well today was the AHA walk/5k. I did ok. Not stellar but not horribly I suppose. My friend Ashley ran with me and I was glad because I probably would have had a worse time had I did it myself. We ran most of it. When the thing started we walked the first 5 minutes really briskly and then took off. We ended up walking up the hill on I think Hillside and then again on Hay Street as you leave the Sp. Ops Museum. Our finish time was 40:24. Poor Ashley was almost hurling at the end of it. It was really humid and the people who put on the race didnt use cups for the water stops. Rather, they gave you 16oz bottles of water which obviously if you are running the thing you cant tote around with you so we only grabbed water at one stop near the end and only drank a few little sips. At the end of the run they had Subway. When we got to the food table we got a veggie sub which was what was left and the only thing on it was lettuce and tomato. There was not any fruit or juice available. It was really pathetic. I kept thinking that possibly since the AHA put the thing on they secretly wanted someone to have a coronary so they could practice and show how CPR saves lives.... LOL.

I ate miserably today. I overate because I allowed myself to get famished. When I was finished with the run and had that mini sub I went to Megs to help her paint. I was there all afternoon and had no more food or water so by the time I got home needless to say I could have gnawed off my arm. I ate and ate and ate. Now I feel yucky. Lesson learned. Next time I need to do as I do after crossfit and properly fuel my body with some healthy protein within 30 minutes after I work out. That always makes me eat better during the day and I feel better the rest of the day.

Tomorrow is the 10miler for the marathon training. It may just be me and Michelle. Meg wasnt feeling well today.... I am pretty proud of myself with my walking/running because I have really stepped up my walk speed and while my run is still slow, I do have an easier time with it. After this marathon I am really going to focus on what that crossfit website John sent me has to say about endurance training.

On the deployment note, we hit 60 days!!! We also found out that Pauls unit is leaving where they are within 3 weeks and going to another FOB. They were hand selected for this mission which is permanent for the duration of their tour. I dont know what it is or exactly where they are going due to OPSEC and Paul wont tell me anything that is just speculation besides. I try not to worry.

Okie dokie, gonna go. I need to shower, shave and figure out what I will wear to church tomorrow. Will TTYL!

Getting to be a habit

this whole taking two weeks off from blogging! Sorry bout that! I have been uber busy though and really honestly needed to take a break from some things in my life that dont take high priority. I heard a sermon at church about hanging onto the dead in your life called holding on to your Moses. The preacher kept saying, "people, Moses is dead, D E A D! Hold on to the things that are living." I have been thinking a lot about this and therefore I am going to be weeding out many things in my life over the next few months. Some if these things unfortunatly will be people. I have a tendancy to want to mother everyone, to fix everyone and I just cant do it. There are people who will be resistant to help forever and it will do nothing but tax me physically and emotionally so I have got to put an end to it. I will pray for them but I can do no more without compromising my own personal growth and happiness.

Marathon training is going. We are walking although not as diligently as we should. We are cross fitting like crazy though. I am confident we will complete the thing in the time alloted and I am treating this one as a learing experience for the most part. I am also really just proud of myself for taking on the challenge. We have decided to do another one in late March in Virginia and John is going to take on a more active role in our training for that one. I think with his help we can really see a huge improvement in time and in motivation. He is a great motivator and trainer. Hopefully by that time we will also be able to run a large portion of the marathon as well. At least that is our goal.

Nutritionally I am doing ok. I have my days when I do very well then days when I suck and dont eat enough, eat too much, eat the wrong things, etc. I am consistant in my weight though so I suppose I shouldnt complain too much. I would just love to see a more happy medium. Last night I did eat some cookies without guilt and that was a true victory for me. Usually I will feel so horribly if I have something like that. I just told myself that I would have them, enjoy them and I wouldnt make it a habit or everyday thing but once in awhile it was all good. I guess that is making progress.

No CF for me tomorrow. I strained my groin yesterday and I am still in some pain. Bummer though because I love Saturday CF so much. For real! I cant believe I did that and am still not sure how it happened. All I know is that I was coming up from a burpeee and slid somehow which hyper extended my leg forward. It was really a clumsy thing...

I am hoping to hear from Paul again. I have been super duper lonely for him. Our commo is really sucky lately. They have hardly any phones or computers and its so depressing to go day after day without word from him.

Ok, gonna get going. I need to get moving. Its nearly 10:30 and I still need to get my dogs to the groomer. I am not even dressed:( Uhoh!

TTFN

oy vey

Wow, what a couple of weeks it has been. Not so much in it terribly exciting but I have been so busy. FRG, errands and church are really taking a lot of time in the day. I am also really working hard at cross fit and the run/walking for the half marathon so I stay tired.

Missing Paul is still there although I am getting used to him not being here. I dont guess that I even still have a nightly routine yet since I am doing something different most nights. This is due to the fact that I have had something going on most evenings and by the time I get in, eat and get cleaned up its almost time for bed. I have decided now though that since the rawness of his leaving is gone I am going to taper back on my committments. I need to focus on my marathon for now and also want to get my applications/resume out there in the near future so other things will need to be put on hold.

I have to say that the best stress relief I have found has been cross fit. There have been many mornings when I dont want to go for whatever reason but in the end I do. This morning I actually had to jump in the shower just to wake up so I could go sweat but I did it. When I get there I am encouraged by the others there and also by myself and what I find I am capable of doing. It makes me feel so much better and it also empowers me to take on the rest of the day. I mean if I can dead lift 135 pounds which is only about 12 pounds lighter than me, I feel like what the hell cant I do!!!

Today was a CF morning. WE did shoulder presses. I maxed out at 55 lbs. John says I got 60 but I hesitate and think too much rather than drive the weight up right away. I need to be more aggressive. He is probably right but I am telling you, that is heavy!!! I will get there though. I am getting stronger and stronger each and every week.

Foodwise I have been doing really well. No grains for the most part. When I say for the most part I mean absolutely no rice, bulgur, or pasta. I have had some bread but not a lot and that in itself is a victory for me. I also threw out a frozen meal yesterday. I cooked it and everything but after I looked at it I thought, what am I doing? This is crap or as John would say, poison. So, I tossed it and instead made me some homemade stir fry veggies with chicken breast and chili sauce. Much better for me and definitly more filling. I was really proud of myself for that. I also cooked a huge dinner for some friends last night. (The hubbs had surgery) I had some fudge for their dessert and I only kept me 4 little pieces of it and have only eaten one of them. I am making progress. There was a time I would have maybe not given them as much so I could have kept more than four little pieces.

well, thats about it for now. I will try to be more diligent about updating.

TTFN

Labor Day

Well, it has been several days since I last posted. Not too much has been going on anyway other than I have been really hungry lately. I am not sure whats going on with that. I have also had a couple of really poor food choice days but today I made a decision that I can either get with the program or get fat again. I decided to get with the program so today I marinated some chicken breast for the week which I will use along with the food I made a couple of weeks ago. I also made some egg cups for breakfasts this week and I went to the grocery store for some fruits and veggies for the week. I plan on making a menu for tomorrow here in a bit and sticking with it!!!

I spent the long weekend with my uncle, aunt and granny. I had a nice visit but I was somewhat bored. It was nice though to be away from F-ville although I was out of the loop for internet and cell which I hated. I also started to sleep badly the last night I was there. My back was killing me from the bed so I will be happy to get in my own bed tonight.

Speaking of beds, I bought a new quilt set for my bed and I love it. It is really a room brightener.

I bought a few new shirts this weekend as well as a cordoroy skirt. I am trying to get my fall/winter wardrobe going so I need to check out what I have and dont have. I am going to make it my personal goal to get a few pounds off by the end of September. I feel so heavy and I know that I havent been exactly paleo or diligent with my diet lately. Pauls absence has really affected me this time in a bad way. I am looking forward to this week beginning our training for the half marathon since I think I will lose a few pounds.

Ok, gonna jet off here and get my menu going and then read for a bit before bed. Crossfit in the morning!

Grrr

I am grouchy and lonely tonight. I ate too much this afternoon also. Maybe tomorrow will be better:( One can only hope!

A few days

Its been a few for sure. Oh well, I am here now and trying to catch up. Actually there hasnt been too much going on. After the Saturday workout I went to a friends purse party where I designed my own purse. It ended up costing $160.00 but its one of a kind and still cheaper than Coach so I am justifying the expense. Later that day I went to dinner with Kendra and her kids. We have so much laughs when we are together. She really cracks me up. Sunday, was church and I did my Sunday school lesson. It went ok and I had more input from the kids than usual but I am still so thankful for the break this weekend!!! I also went to lunch with Marie Buck. She is a really nice lady and we had a great chat. I enjoyed her company very much. That evening we had choir practice and that was fun. I enjoy the folks in the choir very much and had forgotten how fun it is during the practices. I miss Emily though. I need to get her and Kevins address as college and drop them a line. Yesterday I spent the majority of the day cleaning the house and doing laundry. Oh yeah, I made homemade applesauce and it was wonderful. I dont think I will ever buy the store stuff again. Its easy to make and the taste is out of this world. I walked with Meggy last night for 5 miles and then came home and ate. I also had some ice cream later. It was delicious and I dont regret it one bit. Today I am paying bills and running a few errands but taking it easy this evening. John thinks we shouldnt walk tonight. My legs hurt ALL THE TIME and he says its because I dont give my body time to rest in between workouts.
So anyhow, thats it in a nutshell for the day. I will check in later.
After while crocodile:)

CVS reward

So, I go into CVS to get some pictures made off my thumb drive and when I get rung out the lady says to me that my receipt has given me an opportunity to register for a 1,000 dollar gift certificate and that I also get this lovely candy bar. I may register for the gift certificate, who knows I could win... As for the candy bar, it isnt bad taste wise nor nutritionally. A serving is 4 of those squares but as you can see in comparison to my hand that is a rather large serving so I am having half a serving which makes the calories 95, fat 7 grams and 2 grams of fiber! Not bad. I got lots of stuff to add about my day today but I am tired so I will update again tomorrow or Monday! Nighty night!

crossfit Saturday

Just going to post the workout so I dont forget it. I was really sweating cause it was really hard. First, the warmup has changed from a 400 meter run to 200 jump ropes. I hate jumping rope!!! Makes me feel like I am going to pee my pants. There are some other changes but that was the big one. The workout today consisted of an 800 meter run, then 5x5 of back squats followed by another 800 meter run and then 100 more jumpropes and 100 kettlebell swings. Pretty tough! My last two sets of back squats were at 95 pounds which I thought was pretty heavy. I started my first set with just the bar so we kept gradually adding weight. For now, 95 is my max. I dont know how long the workout took because it wasnt for time but it seemed to be close to at least 50 minutes.
More later but got things to do today:)

Food food and more food

It has been a day of cooking here at Casa Crawford and I must say its been productive. I did have one dud however (the zucchini crust), but in the end I used it up and it did taste really good. I would have preferred it to be a crust for pizza but oh well. I suppose that pizza crust made with flour is just one of those things I need to just suck it up and eat it every once in awhile. All in all though today was a banner day of cooking. I made enough to eat several meals and I even have enough to share with some of my crossfit peeps. Like I mentioned in the previous post I made the cookies yesterday but today I made the weirdo pizza crust crepe thing, asian burgers, thai chicken curry egg rolls, and the banana coconut cake. I followed the recipe for that straight off SOG rather than Megs variation because we both wanted to see if making it his way would make the finished result more cakey and less pie like which is how Megs turned out. Mine did turn out cake like but I made it in a pie pan and cut it into squares rather than pie slices just so I oould have more of it. I am finding that a little bit of these types of treats are as satisfying than a large amount of the traditional cakes and cookies we are all used to eating.
Ok, thats it for today. I hope you enjoy the pictures and maybe get inspired to cook something healthy for you and your family this week.

nummy nummy in my tummy

Well today I am one cooking lady. I started yesterday with my paleo cookies that I must say turned out totally great. I cant wait to bring them in to my CF peeps tomorrow. Meggy wont be there so I am saving her some of the goodness for Tuesday.

Yesterday I was really tired and didnt spend as much time on the computer as usual. This was likely due to the agonizing CF workout Stacy had for us. 4RFT of walking lunges (10 each leg), 4 point pushups with a renegade row (10 lb dumbells) and 10 thrusters (12 lb dumbbells). I might add that with the lunges we had to use a weight held at the shoulders. I used my 12's. Today my back is a little sore. Not sure what that is all about but I am sure its from the WO. I think today I am resting and not doing anything unless I decide later to do a leisurly walk. I have CF in the morning and its always harder on the weekends so I need to save my energy.

Back to the cooking I am doing today. I made Ali's thai chicken curry and opted for using the filling for egg rolls. I had one for lunch and lets just say that they are really good. Even baking them they tasted really good. I also made what was supposed to be a pizza crust out of zucchini and parmesan but it turned out to be more like a crepe. It tastes good (I will eat it for supper) but it isnt suitable as a pizza crust. I am going to make 2 servings out of it an then have it with some sliced tomatoe and mozarella. I am getting ready to make (this afternoon) the banana cake and some asian inspired chicken burgers. I love having some ready made food in the freezer for nights like last night when I get late getting home I have some healthy food to eat. Last night, I ended up eating a banana, glass of milk and a cup of dry shredded wheat. Ugh.

On my way to Destinys and the commissary so I can pick up the one thing I forgot yesterday (coconut milk) for the banana coconut cake. OH yeah, I am bringing Destiny the other half of the crepe, some egg rolls and a few of the cookies. She hasnt been eating well so hopefully this will help. She is giving me some organic apples and carrots. I think I may cook some natural applesauce with the apples and parboil carrots to use later in soups, stews and side dishes.

Pictures in the next post of all my food:)

My dogs are killing me

I am not getting enough sleep at night because Molly is waking me up at 5:00 am nearly every morning to go outside. I let her out at 10/11 the night before and would think she could manage until at least 7:00 but, noooooo. I tried going back to bed but she wont come in the house and just as I get back to sleep she starts howling which reawakens me and then I rush to get her back in because I dont want her to wake the neighbors at 5:30 in the morning. Ugh, when Paul was home it was great cause he always let them out before he left for work and then when he was off, I could pretend to be asleep and he would still get up with them. For some reason Molly comes right back in for him.
Inglorious Basterds was so good last night. I am glad I got to go. Since I ate so light last night though I woke up starving for breakfast. Because I had already eaten a sandwich this week I didnt want to have bread last night so I had a couple pieces of sausage and some veggies for dinner. I was totally satisfied with that when I ate at 5:30 but come 10:00 when I got home I was grumbly in the belly so I had handful of cherries. I didnt want to eat heavy and then go to bed. Anyhow the cherries worked fine but OMG, this morning I thought I could have eaten off my right arm. I made a great breakfast though of 2 eggs scrambled with chopped bacon, veggies and some sharp cheddar. I also sliced up some cantaloupe and strawberries to go with it. It was very good but I know I will need a decent snack before lunch. I am always so much hungrier the day AFTER crossfit. I realize this and so I have stopped trying to wait out my hunger. I eat when I am hungry and stop when I am not. It seems to be working out.
Going on a visitation for church today and getting in a walk of some sort. I think I will do the Hope Mills trail because Meg wants to rest today. I dont like to walk the River Trail alone. If I do the Hope Mills path twice that gives me 3.6 miles anyhow. Also, I can make it to church if I do this.
Gonna run so I can finish the yardwork and get this day going.

movie night

Getting ready to meet Meg and her hubby for a movie night. We are going to go see Inglorius Basterds with Brad Pitt. It will be the first time I meet John, Megs husband. A bunch of his co-workers will also be going so I wont feel like a 3rd wheel. It was really nice for Meggy to ask me. I had wanted to go so I am glad for the opportunity. It does put our walk off tonight but thats ok because I did actually mow the front yard today. I still need to do the back and I may do that tomorrow if I have time. I want to buy a new weedeater and a blower before I do it again so I may get those on payday. Pauls pay for the 1st is much more than usual and it didnt contain even all of his entitlements since he deployed mid month. Him beiing gone sucks but the pay is so much more what it should be all the time.
I am going to make a paleo cake and a paleo pizza crust this weekend. I have been craving pizza and what gives pizza the calories is the crust. A veggie crust may be just the ticket.
Ok, need to run:) Have a good night.

MIA

Well I didnt post for two days. I was really tired and sort of busy. On Saturday evening my friend Tammy and I went to dinner and then to the mall. I bought a couple pairs of pants and a new skirt and top. I also got something for Paul. I dont want to mention what it is since I dont want him to know and he sometimes reads the blog. Lets just say, its cute and cuddly. Later, I will divulge more on this. After I got home that night it was late, nearly 9:30, but I had to work some more on my Sunday school lesson. I was so tired though that I ended up going to bed and then getting up at 6:00 on Sunday to put the finishing touches on it. The lesson went ok. I got some new kids in the class and I am not sure if I am misreading their personalities or what but they come across as disrespectful... I called them out on it but then second guessed myself on it. When I told Paul about it he said it sounded as though they were rude as well. Anyhow, after church I met some of the ladies from the unit at Ruby Tuesdays for lunch. WE sat and ate and talked for a couple hours and then I came home and relaxed a bit, had a small dinner of a sandwich and some light chips before heading to church. At church was 4th Sunday and the men were in charge of refreshments. I tasted 6 different things with a teaspoon so I was really proud of myself for not getting full servings of all the desserts. When I got home from church I put on my jammies, watched Army Wives and sipped a cup of Morracan Orange Spiced tea. It was really good. I slept so good that night and woke up really refreshed on MOnday morning. ON Monday I met Denise and Mary for lunch at Tripps. Again, I made a good choice. I got a baked potato and ate half of it, a salad without bacon or croutons (kept the almonds), tomato dressing which is heavenly, and some grilled shrimp. The shrimp was an appetizer but I ordered it as an entree with my potato. The order contained 6 large shrimp and I ate 4 of them. Later, I had some blue berries for a snack and then a beef stick before meeting Meggy at the river trail to walk. We walked 5 miles. I was completely exhausted when we were done not to mention starving! I came home and had me some dinner about 8:00, a cup of tea and was in bed before 10:00. I slept so good except that I had to get up twice to pee last night:(
This morning I was really tired when my alarm went off at 5:05 for crossfit. I hit the snooze once and then got up and microwaved a cup of leftover coffee to revive me somewhat. Once I was up and had my face washed I was fine though so I made my way to crossfit and was on time at 6:05. I did the warm up and then we did the work out. The WOD was 50 situps the 4 RFT of 6 single arm db snatches, (I used at 15 lb the first round and then 20 lbs for the remaining 3 rounds) and 400 meter run. Capping that off with 50 hollow rocks. My time was 29:04. We have been doing a bunch of running in CF lately. I dont mind because it really is helping me lose body fat. I can definitly see a difference in my endurance too. So, all in all today I ran 1.25 miles counting the warm up. Tonight Meg and I are walking again. I think we decided on 3 miles but I suppose we could go farther if we arent too tuckered out. We are planning on doing the entire 8 miles on Sunday because we need to build up our endurance for the half marathon we are doing in November in Wilmington. I am excited and nervous at the same time about it. I just want to do it and I dont care if I walk it, run/walk it or whatever. I just want to do it. So far, its Meg and I. Denise says she wants to but she hasnt registered yet. I hope she does though. I think it would be a good thing for her and we would all have a good time for sure.
Ok, gonna go. I am meeting someone for coffee at SB in a bit. They are donating greeting cards to the soldiers to send home to their spouses:) More on this later!
TTFN

Soaking Saturday

Well today is turning out to not be such a crappy day since it started pouring rain as I was going to mow and saved from the dreadful task until Monday. Monday will be a better day for it anyhow since after cross fit this morning I am TIRED as all get out. Our WOD was in honor of Sweet T's birthday and Ali made it very painful. The workout really challenged me today for sure. I dont think I have ever posted what our warm up is in cross fit so here goes: a 400 meter run, 25 air squats, 20 pushups and situps, 5 mobility swings, and 10 dislocates. We do the warm up on our own before the group begins. I do my run outside as soon as I park unless it is raining. I hate to run on the track inside. Anyhow the WOD was 800 meter run followed by single arm pushpress, hollow rock, turkish situps, and squat jumps. The reps were 22/18/8. Once you were done with your last reps you finished with another 800 meter run. Our cashout was 50 pushups. I used 15 lb dumbbells for the first set of push presses but on the second and third set I went down to 10 lbs which was in hindsight too light and I should have used 12 lbs. For my turkish situps I did the first set with 10 pound dumbbelss but the remaining two I went down to 8 lbs. They are much harder than they look for sure and because your arm is up in the air you really must use your abs. My time for the workout was 25.28.
Anyhow, now that the weather has prevented me from mowing I have nothing to do for the afternoon. I am meeting Tammy Peters for dinner tonight at Ruby Tuesday and I am having the salad bar. I am working really hard to get down to where it is I want to. I would love to see a loss this coming week. This morning I had a chocolate pumpkin smoothie before crossfit which held me until lunch. I love the smoothies for that reason but I do get tired of drinking my meals so that is why I switch things up. For lunch I had 3 oz of white meat rotisserie chicken, one la tortilla and 1/4 of onion and peppers sauteed with a T of salsa. It was very good and filling. I am trying to not have a snack this afternoon but if I do, I will have some watermelon because I dont want it to go bad.
I have planned a lunch for tomorrow with some of the ladies. So far I have a good response. It looks like of the 7 I have invited I have for sure 4 coming. No one has said no but the other three just havent responded. We are going after church to once again, Ruby Tuesday. LOL. A couple of us are watching our food intake and since RT has a wonderful salad bar it seemed like a good choice. Also they have a wonderful regular menu for kids and the other ladies.
This evening I have to finish up my Sunday School lesson. I hope it goes well. I dread doing it because I think I suck at teaching.
ok, going to rest for a bit. I may hit up Target before meeting Tammy because I really could use another pair of workout pants. I love the shorts Paul got me before he left. They are knee length and super comfy for working out.
TTFN

For snakes alive!

Today was a productive day for me as far as getting some things done in the house that I usually neglect. I cleaned the dogs room up pretty good, vacuumed the carpets and when I was finished doing that I went ahead and emptied the cannister. Paul would be so proud! I also swept the hardwoods and took care of the dishes in the dishwasher before I actually needed things out of it. I went to the postoffice and mailed a few things to Michael and I even went and bought new air filters and changed them. I also got the frames needed for the pics that Paul and I had made before he left. They turned out so well and I will post some pics of them in this post.
I ate pretty well today which was good since I ate a lot last night for whatever reason. I need to get off the few pounds I have gained just because while I look the same sometimes I feel larger. I know that many times it is because of certain foods I eat so I am trying to be more mindful of what I am eating. Breakfast was light for me but I am trying to eat as light as I can and then eat more if I still need it. I had an english muffin with some tomatoes and one slice of ff bologna on it. A little later I had and EAS drink. For lunch I had 2 skinless chicken legs and a tortilla. My afternoon snack was a cup of watermelon and 1 and half cups popcorn. Before dinner I went on my 4 mile walk with Meg and we ran across ANOTHER snake. That makes one on each day we walked this week. I think it a copperhead. Anyhow, we survived the walk and then when I got home I had my dinner of a large spinach salad with Italian and 3 oz of flank steak on it. Totally yummy!
In a bit I am making some whole grain banana muffins to bring to CF in the morning. It is Daniel Parditas birthday (he turns 18) and I told him I would bake him something. Meg may bring her paleo banana cake as well. That sounds so good and I want to run the nutritional information on it to see how fattening it actually is before I make it.
I got the call today from WW to start my training as a receptionist. I am leary of it but I am going to give it a chance and then make a decision. Although I am not really following their plan I think being a receptionist would be ok and it would help me to stay accountable with regard to food and activity if nothing else.
I heard from Paul today on the phone. I am glad to talk with him but disappointed that he hasnt emailed me in a couple days. He did this last time he was deployed as well... He promised this time would be better but only time will tell. I do know he is busy right now so I am going to cut him some slack for now.
Ok, I am going to go so I can get to work on the muffins. No muffins for me though unless it is at breakfast if the smoothie I make before crossfit doesnt hold me through lunch.
TTFN

Burpees...not a problem but seriously, 100 of them!

Good Morning!
I just got back from crossfit with the devil! Honestly, Stacy had us working hard today. I saw the WOD on the board and my heart sank. For time-40,30,20,10 of burpees and situps. I hate burpees with a passion but I did the workout. It took me 20.28 to complete it and I was dripping by the time I was done. I came home and made myself a chocolate cherry smoothie and heated up 2 pieces of sausage I made yesterday for my breakfast. The sausage has just the right amount of spice and I wanted to eat more than 2 pieces but I controlled myself. OMG, the smoothie is heavenly. I used milk, chocolate protein powder and a cup of thawed out frozen cherries and their juice. I really love it. Before crossfit I had a tablespoon of my walnut/cranberry mix since I woke up starving which surprised me only because when I got home from church yesterday evening I was famished and had to eat a banana with some pb and a bowl of fiber one twigs with skim. I tried to just get by with a cup of tea but I was legitimately hungry so I had to eat. At least I did make some good choices.
Oh yeah, at crossfit this morning Stacy gave me a great compliment by saying that everytime she sees me I look smaller. WOW! I feel so much heavier but I suppose the tone I am developing is making me look smaller even with a few extra pounds. It really made my morning and gave me the motivation I need to keep on keeping on.

Oh yeah, my dinner last night was really good. I didnt mind not having pasta at all but that is because the sauce was so good. I ate all of it on my squash. The only thing I did miss was garlic bread... Oh well.

Today for dinner I plan on having a taco salad without the chips. I have an avocado just begging to be eaten so that will go along nicely with the salad. Lunch time I am not sure of yet but it will include fruit since I still have a bunch of melon left and I dont want it to go bad.

Ok, getting off here now to get some things done around the house. I am aiming to get the floors cleaned and a load of laundry done. I should mow the yard or finish up with the pool but I reckon I can save that for the weekend so I have something to do because I decided not to go to Raleigh. I have enough F/V and so there really isnt a need.

Pics are of the sausage I made yesterday, my fruit plate and my dinner.
TTFN

MMMMM, marinara sauce

Marinara sauce, homemade is bubbling on my stove top right now. I got the basic recipe from Ali at cross fit and made it today. I added some hot Italian sausage (just a small amount), peppers, onions, zucchini, olives and mushrooms. I even took a few of my farmers market cherry tomatoes and added those. I am going to serve it over some spaghetti squash for dinner. I cant wait. I havent had marinara in a long time. I hope I dont miss the real pasta though.
This morning I was feeling very cravy for carbs so I decided to let myself have some oatmeal and a slice of whole wheat toast for breakfast. I added some applesauce with no added sugar, a bit of skim milk and some walnuts to it as well for the fat/protein I should have when I have a carby meal like that. Now, I feel fine. I think that I do well when I dont eat as many carbs but once in a bit when I crave them I should have them, especially if they are the better ones, just so I wont binge on something unhealthy later on. I am really trying to pay attention to what my body NEEDS rather than what my mind wants but sometimes what I WANT may be exactly what I NEED. Does that make sense?

Last night I walked 4 miles on the trail with Meg. We came a bit too close to nature for our liking as we saw a snake on the trail. It looked like a rattlesnake without rattles. I didnt get a picture because I was too afraid to get close enough. I took video but I am not posting it because it isnt that clear anyhow. We also saw 2 deer which I did get a picture of and I will share here. It was a nice walk and then I came home and had dinner. It was really delicious but almost too spicy and I almost thought about just making a salad halfway through it. The bulgogi meat was tender however and next time I make it I will forego the korean barbecue sauce on the veggies as that is what was setting my mouth on fire.

Nothing pressing on the agenda today. I may head to post this evening as the main body is set to depart tonight. I am not sure yet. I want to be there for the other ladies but Pauls departure is still too fresh in my head and heart so I dont know how supportive I would be if I am losing it right along with them. I have bible study tonight anyhow. Other than this I just plan on reading through and putting together a plan for my next Sunday school lesson. I also need to get in some exercise today but I am still on the fence as to what I am going to do... A brisk walk, run or some at home crossfit. I will do something though.

Gonna run. TTFN

Hello

I got up very reluctantly for cross fit this morning:( I did go and am so glad that I did. It was a short workout and I feel so much better for going. We did 4 RFT of thrusters (6), kettle bell swings (15) and 200 meter run. I finished in 10:28 and I was happy with that. My running is getting so much faster. I always feel so slow but I am able to keep up with the gals in the group. The boys run waaaaaay faster than me though. Meggy and I made a date to walk on the trail this evening which will be good for us. It is the extra activity that I need to really jump start my weight loss again. Oh how I long to be in the 130's. LOL. I am healthy now at 145 and dont look half bad I reckon. Its a numbers thing or a girl thing I suppose. Plus, even after losing all this weight I still feel chubby. Will I feel thin in the 130's? We shall see.
I made a magnifico omelette for breakfast along with my ghetto frappacino. All delicious. I love the veggies I got in Raleigh and I may go out there again this coming weekend if I am bored just to restock. Oh, in case you are interested the frapp is just 10 to 12 oz of cold coffee, a splash of milk or creamer, and one EAS or muscle milk carton. I use the low carb versions of the EAS and the light version of the muscle milk. You can add protein powder if you like or peanut butter, almond butter or even a banana and blend it for a smoothie. I like mine with the coffee, milk and EAS or muscle milk only and then served over ice. On days when I use it as a meal replacement is the times I add the additional protein powder and a nut butter or banana.
Well, gonna get the ball rolling on today. I will check back in this evening.

(note to self- change the date on your camera)

walkin in the park, eggs and Paul

Not a bunch planned for today. I got some housework to do and I have already started with my laundry. I think I have one load due to Paul being gone. I miss him but less laundry is something that I can definitly handle:)
I am going to go and walk/run the park in Hope Mills here in a bit. I need to do more activity than cross fit group. I may stop by my gym at some point today to talk with them about my membership.
The most pressing thing on the agenda as far as housework is getting the side door fixed and getting the pool taken care of. I let it go too far and its beyond fixing this season. I dont even know that I will open it up next year. In hindsight, Paul and I went to the beach more often than WE got in the pool. I was in it alot initially but that gets boring. Anyhow, we'll see how it goes. I asked Larry about fixing my door at church yesterday but he didnt seem too eager to help me out so I reckon I will try and figure out something myself and then if I cant, I suppose I will have to call someone. Do I call a locksmith or a carpenter? Things like this are what makes me want to lose it emotionally. Even now because I am so clueless as to what to do I feel like crying... Get it together Jo!
I had eggs for breakfast this morning. After two days of smoothies I was ready for some solid food for breakfast. I made a scramble with one whole egg and two egg whites, some onion, peppers, mushrooms and my tiny little orange tomatoes. It was really good. I also had a huge cup of coffee and now I am drinking a bottle of water prior to going to the park so that I am somewhat hydrated. I plan on having some bacon wrapped in a low carb tortilla, veggies and fruit for lunch. I cant wait since I love love love bacon. I pulled out some ahi for dinner and I think I will do some bulgur and brussel sprouts with it. I havent had any cooked grains in a long time and since my menu seems fairly lean today I think 1/2 cup sounds like a good thing.
Paul emailed me at some point after i went to bed. I loved waking up to find his email in my inbox. I swear I just miss him already and holy cow its only been a week:( Still, trying to stay positive but it is so hard when all I want is for him to wrap his arms around me and fix the side door. hhehhehehehheeh.
Ok, gonna run-literally.

Sunday makes one week down

Well, tonight marks one week that I have been without my honey. I havent cried and dont think I will. I was sad at church today as it was my first Sunday alone without him in the pew next to me. Speaking of church, Sunday school went ok. It wasnt as good as I had hoped. The teens arent responsive to me even when I ask them questions they just sit there. I will give it a little more time but I was really upset because I worked so hard on the lesson this week.
After church I went to the commissary. While driving there I ate a banana and a kashi bar so that I had something in my belly prior to shopping. At the commissary I spent just over $50.00 and my cart was nearly only produce. Now I have so much yummy things to eat for the next week or so. The only things I didnt get there was muscle milk and a small melon. I got those things at Walmart. Actually I decided to try the carb advantage from Body for Life rather than the muscle milk because nutritionally it was comparable but it was also nearly $2.00 less than the muscle milk per 4 pack.
Food wise today I did really well. I ate so corelike from WW. Breakfast was a vanilla smoothie with pure pumpkin and half of an english muffin and tomato. Once I got back from the commy I had cucumber salad and the other half of my english muffin. Before church I had yogurt, strawberries, and fiber one. I also had an apple. When I came home from church I was really hungry and I had half of my leftover chicken breast and some more roasted veggies- okra, zucchini, mushrooms and butternut squash. It was really delicious. I especially loved the squash fries.
I had sliced up some melon for a snack but I didnt have it, I had a cup of my new cherry vanilla tea instead. It is so good. I am really loving tea and think that when it gets colder I will drink it much more often. Paul likes hot tea as well so that is a plus. We can try different flavors in the evenings...
I think I am going to run tomorrow and do a mini crossfit routine for some exercise. I also am going to see exactly when my gym membership expires. I should go there if I still have quite a bit of time left. If I dont, well ok cause either way I am not renewing. At any rate I do need to move my hiney doing something tomorrow so I can continue to burn some fat off my body before Paul comes back. I know I wont look dramatically different when he deployed last time since I dont have much weight on me now but it would be cool to tone up so much that I could go down a size. I just want to knock his sock off-among other things. hehehehe.

I wish that Paul were here. Thats how I will end this for tonight.

Raleigh day

Oh what a day! It started off with my meeting which was ok and then crossfit which was so hard today. In fact, I nearly had a brush with the pavement. If John hadnt caught me I would have gone down. I dont think it was anything serious (seizure) just that I had too much blood going to my head from the crab walk and that it was really humid outside and I overheated. I hadnt properly hydrated prior to group so that was my own fault. I was incredibly embarrassed but I stayed and finished the workout with a slight modification in that for the 1st round I skipped burpees and did squat jumps. Todays workout was 3 rounds for time of clean and press, crabwalk for the first round then could do walking lunges, burpees, 400 meter run. The sets were 17, 14 and 11 which are weird numbers but it did make you think. The cash out was a farmers carry of your clean and press dumbells. My weights today were 15 pounders. I was pretty proud of that since I usually use 12 pounds. After crossfit I came home and cleaned myself up and had a protein shake with some muscle milk while I waited on Meg to come over. When she got here we headed up to Raleigh to meet up with Marci and Terry at the Farmers Market. OMG, I wish we had one here in F-ville. I loved all the fresh stuff. I got some tomatoes, okra, a sprite melon which while it tastes like a melon it has the texture of a pear, and some fresh bacon. Afterwards we went to lunch and I had the most wonderful salad with grilled chicken and an amazing tomato and bacon dressing. Next stop was TJ's and Whole Foods and I bought some ahi, some grass fed beef, some free range eggs and a few other things. I was really proud of myself since I didnt eat everything in sight at Whole Foods today. I did have a couple spoons of some ice cream made with coconut milk with Meggy but really that was pretty much it as far as non healthy stuff goes.
When I got home I separated the meat I bought and cooked a dinner using some of the beef and veggies. It was very good. Okra is delish broiled with just a bit of garlic powder and some olive oil on it. Up until tonight I had only had it fried. I really liked it and wish now I had bought more of it. I am excited over the next couple weeks so cook some of the other things I bought.
The highlight of my day was that I was able to speak with Paul today. He called on the way to Raleigh and it was as usual so good to hear his voice. When I got home I found out that he also had emailed me a lovely 'letter'. I have a good man for sure.
Well, I am going to shower and then take care of some household chores before bed.
Catch you tomorrow!

Nothing to do

OMG I really need a job. I have nothing to do. This life of leisure is killing me. Last night I overate. I couldnt stay out of the kitchen to save my life. I ate sooo much out of boredom and loneliness. I am going to get a book today so that I have something to read this evening. Maybe I will even get a needle point or something... I am going to the mall in a bit to get my nails done. I love that. I am thinking of actually getting a color on them this time rather than just doing clear. On the first of the month I may do my toes as well.
I have decided to buckle down in the diet area and really watch my food. I want to eat better and lose a few more pounds. I like that I am maintaining right now but honestly I am not where I want to be. I would love to get down another 15 to 20 pounds depending on my body fat and inches lost. I am going to do crossfit as hard as I can for 3 times a week and then hit the gym 2 times for either spin or the treadmill. I am also going to go and do the WW plan of core eating since I hate to count points and while I am not actively doing WW it does work.
Ok, gonna actually get some makeup on today and do my hair. TTFN

Evening check in

I ate a good homecooked dinner tonight. I feel so much better for doing so. I had some yummy barbecued chicken, sweet potato and broccoli. The most wonderful thing is that I dont feel like I am still hungry which has been happening to me from eating all the crap I had been eating since Paul left.
I didnt get in a nap. Not for lack of trying though. Why is it that when you plan on doing nothing nobody will call you but the second you decide to lay down it never fails; your phone wont stop. I am also unable to put my phone on silent in the event Paul were to call which he did:) He had a half hour phone card and we used all of it. I could have continued to talk with him and was sad when we had to end the call. He should be leaving Kuwait and heading into Iraq soon so I dont think I will hear from him again until that happens.
I finally finished my Sunday school lesson. I am done with it and all that I plan on doing now is going over it again on Saturday to refamiliarize myself with the key points. Hopefully it goes well.
I also got all my bills together today and balanced the checkbook. Now, tomorrow all I need to do is get online and pay them. I need some groceries but its mostly perishables so I am waiting until Sunday afternoon since I am not sure what I will end up buying at the farmers market and Whole Foods and Trader Joes on Saturday when I head to Raleigh with Meggy.
On Monday I am going to the unemployment office and to one of the temp agencies to look for work. I may even check out AAFES and see what they are offering. I definitly think I will apply for work at the Bragg credit union since I am pretty sure I would get hired. If I can get on and get part time that would be perfect. We shall see what comes of it all.
Well, gonna go soak in a tub, get ready for the evening which may include some popcorn as a snack. I REALLY want to go to bed early tonight. Maybe that will happen. I will try to keep out the amphibians tonight. By the way when I told Paul the frog story he laughed and laughed. I really miss that man. We always have so much fun together.
Ok, later days-

When it rains, it frogs

At my house anyway:) Last night I had full intentions of hitting the sack at 10:00 but as I was locking up I saw a frog in the house. I tried to get him but was having no luck, he was a speedy little thing. Eventually I chased him upstairs and just shut the door thinking I would go ahead and go to bed and deal with it this morning. No way, knowing he was here got me back up and so I headed upstairs to deal with the stupid thing. I finally found him sitting on Pauls desk. Rather than trying to catch him with my hands I took off my pj shirt and threw it over him. I brought him downstairs and tossed him out the door forgetting that my house alarm was set so... anyhow when it was all said and done it was after midnight before I got to bed.

I got up this morning and went to crossfit. I had a hard time getting up at 5:00 with so little sleep but I managed and know I can take a nap later if I need to. Its rainy here so the weather is perfect for napping. Crossfit was good. My neighbor Jocelyn came with this morning. She is really liking it too. Aside from the usual warmup we did 4 RFT of 20 wall ball (I used a 12 lb ball), walking lunges across the basketball court and squat jumps on the wayback from the other side of the court. I finished in 12.30.

Today, I am cleaning the house. It really needs it and I want to be able to not have chores tomorrrow so that I can workout and get my errands ran before Saturday and heading to Raleigh with Meg. I also need to make time to finish my Sunday school lesson today and tomorrow. Its almost done so it shouldnt be an issue. Hopefully it goes well.

I am cooking for me for the first time since Paul left. I put a chicken in the crockpot with some barbecue sauce. I plan on doing some broccoli and perhaps a baked sweet potato with it. I need to eat healthy because Im afraid if I dont I will get the Epstein Barr virus again. I just hate having dinner alone. I miss Paul the most in the evenings from dinner on. Hopefully I will hear from him at some point today.

Gotta run and get this day going. TTFN.

(pic of the frog. Just one but for some reason got a double exposure.)

why is it

That Paul has never deployed anywhere in the winter when things are dead? Today I must mow the lawn. Ugh! Its hot outside and I really dont want to do it. I get used to him being here and taking care of it and then he goes and well you know.

I got a lovely phone call from him this morning. It was nice to wake up to and even though it got me up an hour earlier than I wanted, it was so worth it.

I bought two identical kitchen clocks yesterday so that I can have one with my time and one with his time in Iraq on them. I like being able to just look up and know the time over there without counting forward. When I look at his time I imagine what he is doing at that moment and somehow it helps with the pain of the separation.

Well, I suppose I need to get out there and take care of the yardwork. Maybe if my pool is ever able to get right again I can get in it again before summers end. It would be so nice to hop in after the yard work but this entire year I have had issues with the chemicals...

ok, thats if for now.

new blog

Well, as you may know now, I wont be hearing the words to the title of my blog for quite some time. Paul deployed on Sunday for another year to Iraq. Boo! I miss him already and find so many things each day that remind me of him. Some things make me sad, others bring an audible laugh or wide smile to my face.
Anyhow, today hasnt been too bad. I am trying to stick to a routine so that I can pass the time more constructively. This morning I got up reluctantly for crossfit. I was so sleepy and considered not going but as usual I am glad that I did go ahead and go. The workout was great and I felt so good for going especially when I was so depressed and still so tired from Sunday. The workout was 8 RFT of a 100 meter shuttle run, 5 pushups, 10 situps and 15 squat jumps. It took me 15.30 to complete my rounds.
After CF I came home and had a yummy breakfast of a ww tortilla and an egg with a cup of strawberries. Its late in the season for them here but they were really good. I also had a mega cup of coffee. Later for a snack I had a muscle milk light and then I showered and went to Walmart for some pool chemicals and better hair products. My hair has been really dry the last couple of months. I am hoping that putting lower lights in my hair rather than the blonde will help with the dryness. For lunch I had a delicious homemade mozzarella and tomato panini, a bowl of chicken soup and some brussel sprouts. I was still feeling a little munchy for something really sweet so I had a vita top in the chocolate peanut butter flavor. Later in the afternoon I put together the agenda for the FRG meeting tonight and also researched and worked on my Sunday school lesson. I am hoping it will be good. Its on spiritual urban legends and how we need to guard against believing everything we hear blindly without checking the facts. By the time I finished with that it was time to head to post for the FRG meeting which went well. Not alot of ladies but at least there was more than a couple of them this time. After I got home I had a lean cuisine and a salad for dinner. It was really good and I was really hungry. I also had a half cup of ff frozen yogurt in a waffle cup to cure my sweet TOM munchies. It really hit the spot! Now, I am just watching some DVR'd Army Wives then going to hit the hay. I have a full day of work planned for tomorrow and its outside stuff so I need to get up early and get it done since it will be really hot outside. I want to run or do an at home CF workout as well as mow the yard. I am trying to keep busy this week and I have some physical activity planned for each day so that I can be tired enough to go to bed at a decent time at night. Next week the job hunt is on but thats another story...

(the picture of Paul and I is from the night he left. The date is incorrect because I never change the date on my camera. The actual date was 8/9/09)