TGIF

Wow...what a morning!  I got myself out of bed this Friday morning for some CrossFit goodness.  When I got to my car, it had a notice for an "abandoned vehicle" blah, blah, blah mess.  So dumb.  Anyway, after talking to the apartment complex people, it seems to have been a rogue tow company.  What I did figure out  in the whole debacle is that I don't have a registration sticker.  I have had the car almost a year.  Oopsie! 

Then I got to CrossFit and it was an all guy kind of morning.  It's okay, I can hang.  We did our 400m warm up.  It's funny how I think of a 400m as "short" these days.  Lawdy.  Who would have thought?  Then we did some squats, jumping jacks, stretches, push ups, mountain climbers, inch worms, you know...no big deal.  Seriously, still in the warm up.  I was proud that TD used me to show the new guys how to do an inch worm.  That's a first!!

WOD:

• Front Squat - 2x5 & 1 Max Reps
• Push Press - 2x5 & 1 Max Reps
• 1 Mile Cool Down

What do you think was the first thing I saw?  Anyway, I squatted 75# and maxed out at 10 reps.  I push pressed 55# and maxed out at 15 reps.  I ran the mile at the end.  I only run at one pace so it didn't feel like a cool down to me.  :)  I think it was punishment for telling Bach the other day that there was no such thing as an 800m cool down.  She showed me!

Did I mention that I'm wearing 10s today?  I had worn a pair a long time ago...September maybe?  But they didn't really fit and think I wore them unzipped most of the day.  Ha!  They fit great today, I think.  I certainly don't fit into every size 10, but it is a start!  I've never been a 10, not even in high school.  This is a really big deal.  YAY!!

I wonder if they will still fit after dinner at the Melting Pot tonight?  I guess we will see. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

HUGS!

What day is it again?

I'm still annoyed at Blogger because I can only comment on about 1 in every 10 blogs I read.  Bleh. 

Yesterday and today, I have been so slammed at work.  Yesterday was really bad because everything seemed to be so negative.  I ended up going to bed at 8:15pm last night.  After several excellent hours of sleep, I was ready to face things again.

Today is busy as well, but it feels a little more positive.  :) 

I have a really fun and busy weekend to look forward to.  BFF & I are taking one of our friends out for dinner tomorrow night and we are going to the Melting Pot.  YUMMO!  Then Saturday morning brings Jazzercise which always helps start the day right.  Saturday night we are going to a hockey game which should be super fun!  Then on Sunday we have tickets to the John Paul Gaultier exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. 

My busy days and weekends are so fun and great, but they aren't conducive to getting anywhere with my goals I set for organizing, reading and practicing the piano.  Sigh.  Oh well...I said I would LIVE this year, right?  At least I'm not wasting a lot of time in front of the TV like I used to.

Hugs!!

You want me to what?

First and foremost, Blogger was insane for me yesterday and I couldn't comment on all the posts I caught up on last night.  Phooey!  How am I supposed to tell you all how awesome you are if I can't comment??  I hope it fixes.  Bleh.

So I had decided that I wasn't going to blog so much about CrossFit and then today happened.  It was Gymnastics Day!  Super.  WOD:

• Weighted Chin-Ups 5x5
• 10-8-6-4-2 - Ring Dips and Toes to Bar
• Hold a Pancake Split for 3:00
• 3 Rounds:  15 Standing dumbbell inverted cross and 15 true push ups

Hmmm...okay.  I knew going in that it was going to be a modification sort of day!

So we started with a leisurely (eye roll) 800m run warm up.  After loosening up, we starting in on the WOD.  Since I can't do chin ups, I knew I couldn't do weighted chin ups.  Instead, I did negatives (where you start in chin up position and slowly work your way down) and dead hang chin ups (with the assistance of a giant rubber band.)  The very first time I tried to do a negative back in July, I didn't even hover at the bar for a second before I plummeted down.  But this time, just as I was telling Bach I couldn't do it, I totally did one!  I'm sure the face I made was hilarious.  Look at that!  I did a negative!

Then we did ring dips and toes to bars.  Ring dips are just that.  You hold onto rings with your feet off the ground and dip down and push back up.  I can't do that either, so I worked on them with the assistance of a band between the rings.  I would put my knees on the band to help hold some of my weight. 

Toes to bar - from a dead hang, kick your feet up and touch your toes to the bar.  Can I do that?  No.  The very first time I tried one, I was in a dead hang and when I kicked my feet, it is possible that they moved 2 inches.  I couldn't even really keep myself in a dead hang.  Today, I kicked and I got them just above parallel to the floor.  I was ecstatic!!  I will touch that bar someday!

By this time, my arms were starting to shake.  But it was time for the pancake split.  Ahem.  Yeah, right.  Basically, I sat with my legs as wide as I could get them and then pushed my hands out as far as I could.  Bach gave us heavy kettle bells to put in front of us to help us stretch more.  After 3 minutes, my legs were crying.  Well, they would if they had eyes!!

The last part of the WOD consisted of inverted crosses (which I really didn't think would be as hard as they were) and true push ups (which just means you pull your hands up off the floor between push ups.)  I tried 10 pound weights since that is what I have been using at Jazzercise.  I ended up using 8 pound weights the middle round because it was SO FREAKING HARD!  But I made it through.

Just as we were ending, Bach said to do an 800m cool down.  I informed her that isn't a thing.  800m cool down?  WTF?  But it's good.  The extra cardio helps with the weight loss, right?  So, I left CF absolutely spent.  But that's how it is supposed to be! 

Like my shirt says, "CrossFit, I hate you.  C U tomorrow!" 

Today is another "regular" day, so I should be able to make good food choices.  I did okay yesterday.  Today I want to do better!

Hugs!

Weekend recap

It's Monday!  I was glad that it was a regular Jazzercise Monday so I didn't have to get up early.  :)  That will come soon enough tomorrow. 

Friday night, BFF & I went to see The Iron Lady.  It wasn't the most exciting movie ever, but Meryl Streep is extremely talented and I love historical movies.  I was glad we went, plus there was popcorn.  Mmmmm...I love popcorn.

Saturday morning, I went to Jazzercise and after we practiced our Mavericks dance.  I told you all that we are going to perform in a halftime show again this year, right?  Me and a few hundred of my closest Jazz friends.  It was a lot of fun last year and I'm looking forward to it again.  It is a really fun routine this year and I think it is going to look cool for Khloe Kardashian.

After that, we got ready and made our way to the campus of SMU.  Somehow, I had gotten my hands on some vouchers for So You Think You Can Dance auditions.  We LOVE that show!  I wasn't sure if we were going to get in because it was first come first served, but we did and it was fun.  We sure do some random stuff!  Nigel, Mary & L'il C were there.  If Cat was there, she must have been downstairs or something.  We only stayed for a couple of hours, but apparently tryouts go on through the night.  3am they said it would probably end.  We saw three dancers go straight through to Vegas.  I really liked a couple of them and I spoke to one of the guys on the way out.  I will totally squee when I see him on TV!!

Saturday night I watched football and went to bed.  Sunday brought church, breakfast and then a McDonald's birthday party for a 4 year old.  I lasted about 30 minutes before I had to bail.  Yowza.  Last night I cooked another gluten free meal.  Oven fried chicken with sauteed veggies (eggplant, squash, zucchini, onion and tomato) and a baked potato.  Oh, and rum.  I had a little more of that than I anticipated and I believe that it might be possible that I went to bed a little tanked.  Oopsie!

But I was pleased this morning that I had actually lost weight for the week.  Goodbye TOM!  I feel back to normal and the hormones are all back in whack.  Can I lose 3.5 pounds in 2 weeks?  I hope so.

I'm totally changing the subject here.  I had some pictures taken in December.  I never posted them anywhere because they were surprise gifts for my family at Christmas.  After the excitement of the holidays, I totally forgot about them.  I finally put them out on Facebook Friday and I could not believe the response.  It totally made my day!  Here are few of the best:

Happy Monday, Y'all!  Here's to a great week!

HUGS!

Friday is my happy place.

It has been a busy week!  With Group on Monday, Dinner on Tuesday, Jazzing Wednesday & Thursday, my days and nights flew by.  Work is crazy busy, but in a good way right now.  It is just that time of year for Accounting.  Plus, my company is starting some new business.  We haven't had that much over the last few years, so that is nice.  You don't mind being busy when it is creating something!

I have worked out 6 times this week and I expect to Jazzercise tomorrow to meet my stretch goal of 7 times.  I feel really good about that.  All of my water goals have been met as well.  I haven't done super well with my eating, but I have been logging everything and trying to bargain with myself for some better choices.  I'm hoping that will get a little easier next week when TOM goes bye-bye.

It was below freezing when I got up this morning and I was screaming at myself in my head to stay in bed where it is nice and cozy.  But I didn't.  I dragged myself up and got myself there.  We didn't have any portion of the workout outside, so that's nice.  We rowed 1000m to warm up and then mostly warmed up our shoulders for the WOD. 

• 5 rounds:
• 9 Deadlifts
• 6 Hang Power Snatch
• 3 Overhead Squats

You do all this with the same weights on the barbell.  I have never Snatched over 55# so that's what I went with.  I finished in around 6 and 1/2 minutes, I think.  I know I was doing better with the 55# than I have in the past, but I also know my snatch form sucks.  I think I will stay with this weight a little while longer while I work on proper form. 

Tonight, BFF & I are going to see the Iron Lady movie.  I love those kinds of movies, plus Meryl Streep is in it.  I feel sure I will love it.

Have you watched the show So You Think You Can Dance?  I LOVE that show.  In fact, when the first tour didn't come to Dallas, BFF & I headed up to Chicago to go.  That's how we roll.  Anyway, I somehow got voucher tickets for the auditions that are being held in Dallas tomorrow.  After Jazzercise, we are going to head over and see if we can watch.  It is first come first served, so who knows.  It's worth a shot. 

Sunday is my godson's birthday party.  Hmmm...I really need to go shop for that!  And then I'm cooking Sunday night, so I need to go shop for that.  I'm sensing a theme here.  So much to do and so little time!!

Hugs!

Interesting Dinner

Howdy folks!  (Just had a flash of Vacation. "Park's closed.  The moose outside shoulda told ya.")  So, yesterday was nutballs (tm Laura Belle or Draz) at work.  Not necessarily in a bad way, but I'm in accounting and it is January, soooo...  Things would just be easier if everyone would do things that I think they should do in the way I think they should do them.  Agreed?  :) 

But after work, my girls and I escaped!  It was Interesting Dinner night and KK chose a winner.  We went to Del Frisco's Grille in Uptown.  First off, they had a valet which made me happy because parking in Uptown always stresses me out.  Second, the place was so cool.  It was definitely set up for the movers and shakers.  The bar had a lot of hotness in suits lined up in a row for me to see.  Now Uptown is Gayborhood adjacent, so it is highly possible that much of the pretty in the room wasn't interested in our table, but it doesn't keep me from checking it out!

We had a semi-circle booth so we were able see each other and chat together.  Cowgirl had to miss this month because her super awesome hubby is in country from Iraq.  Can you believe her priorities??  Ha!  I ordered a drink to start.  They had a tequila shot called the honey badger and thinking of a couple of bloggers, I almost got it.  But then I remembered that I am 38 and I had to work the next day, so I decided on a bourbon drink called an M-Line.  It was delicious!  In fact, it was so good, I had two!

For dinner, I ordered the chicken schnitzel with zucchini and egg noodles.  I also ordered a side of macaroni and cheese, because if macncheese is on the menu, I must try it!  The chicken was out of this world to die for.  I LOVED it!  The macaroni and cheese was very good, but was totally eclipsed by the schnitzel.  My bill was *ahem* hefty, but since I think I should get at least two more meals out of it, it isn't crazy bad.  Plus, those drinks were worth it!  My imaginary boyfriend should totally take me on a date there!

How precious are we?  While waiting for the valet, we started talking to a dirty old man.  You could tell he had a lot of moolah and I'm guessing he makes a super awesome sugar daddy for one of those hotties at the bar.  Anyway, he threw something that looked like a nut onto the ground and told us to stomp on it.  Well, some guy asks me to bust his nut (grody, Beth Ann!!) do something, who am I to say no?  I stomp and viola!  Out pops a condom.  Hahahahahaha!!  A couple of my poor conservative friends just about died on the spot.  Poor girls.  I thought it was hilarious!  I mean not necessarily the joke, but that he actually did it.  Silly boys.  Even when they are geriatric boys.  :)

All in all, it was another lovely night with my friends.  I'm back at work today and still working the "eating every 2 hours" thing.  It seems to be really alleviating my hunger issues, so that's really good.  Until TOM is gone, I won't know how I'm doing weight-wise though.  I feel good, so it's all good.

Today my plan is to walk at lunch and Jazzercise after work.  Wednesday is Two-fer Day!

HUGS!

Today, I'm giving myself a medal.

It is a bronze one but I deserve a medal.  Let me tell you why...

1. Did I mentioned that I sliced my left forefinger and thumb open while trying to cook on Sunday?  Yeah, no stitches, but the forefinger is still bandaged and out of commission. 
2. It is that time.  Lady Time.  TOM.  Aunt Flo.  Menses.  Period.  Red Flag.  Japanese Flag.  Ride the white pony.  On the Rag.  High Tide.  Whatever.  Sufficiently grossed out yet?  Me too.  But as a woman, it is part of life.  For those women that "celebrate" it.  Good for you.  That ain't me.
3. It rained all day yesterday.  It rained all night.  It is supposed to rain all morning.

I got home from Group last night (side note:  I got to see my BBF Debi which was awesome!) and packed my little bag for CrossFit in the morning.  I sat down to wind down a bit before I went to bed and checked the CrossFit Workout of the Day (WOD). 

1 Mile Time Trial

Seriously?  In the rain?  During "the time".  At 6am.  Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!  I admit.  I had a moment of brain flurry trying to figure out if there was an alternative to going.  But tonight is my Dinner night, so Jazzercise isn't an option.  And running at lunch is a stupid alternative to a one mile run in the morning.  Sigh.  Fine.

I went to bed and the child that lives above me decided to dance the watusi right above my head for the first hour.  I finally fell asleep though.  Then at 3am, the child decides to do laps around the bed upstairs.  Seriously.  I could hear it.  Around and around and around for about 5-10 minutes.  That isn't that long, but it is enough to wake me up where I couldn't fall back asleep right away.  Some where between 3:25 and 3:33 I fell back asleep.  You wanna know why I know that?  Because I saw the clock at 3:25 and then I saw it again when thunder clapped so loud I jumped.  Time on the clock then?  3:33.  Sigh.

The thunder apparently upset the kid too because there was some commotion for another 10 minutes or so.  But then it quieted down and I went to sleep.  I woke up to the TV Traffic lady talking about the weather caused wrecks.  But I threw myself out of bed and I went.  Woohoo!

I got there and there were 6 of us for the class which is an average size group for that time.  TD was training today and I would say that he has the hardest warm ups.  We rowed for 500m then did back and forths.  That is my name for them anyway.  We start at one side of the gym and make our way to the other side and back doing various things:  bear crawls, inch worms, butt kicks, high knees, high skips, broad jumps, backward lunges, forward twisting lunges, etc.  Not sure if I missed any, but there were a lot today.

Then we stretched a little and it was time for the WOD:

1:00 AMRAP Front Squats

1 Mile TT

I squatted 75# (which is why I didn't give myself a gold medal...I could and should have done more.  But I got scared, I think.) for 16 reps in the minute.  Then we immediately dropped the weights and took off running.  I was all by my lonesome, but that's okay.  I'm used to it.  I feel like I ran well, but I still think I left some out there which is why I didn't give myself a silver medal.  I finished the workout in 12:39 which means a sub 12 minute mile.  That's good, but I could have done better. 

But through all the crap, I got out there and I did it.

Then I got to work and went to the locker room to get ready.  I forgot a towel.  Seriously?  Seriously?  Do you know how annoying it is to MacGyver your way through getting ready with some paper towels and sweaty clothes?  THAT is when I decided I deserved the medal. 

Now it is all over.  I got my great workout in and I have already been busy at work this morning.  In the end, if it gets you closer to your goal, it is worth it!

I'm looking forward to dinner with my girls tonight! 

Hugs!

London & Olympicness

Transportation

London/UK friends, how reasonable is it to consider bicycling as a means of transportation during the Olympics?  The communication I'm getting from the USOC and the London organizing committee regarding transportation is starting to give me heartburn.

I have absolutely no issue with using public transportation, in fact, I prefer it on vacation.  However, now I'm worried that it will get too crowded.  My hotel is on the Central line, as is Olympic Park.  I envision trying to get on the train at Marble Arch but it consistently being full.  BUT...maybe I'm just being silly.

Since London is so compact, it ran across my mind, that maybe I should rent a bicycle.  Work out and transport all in one.  Ha!  But that is probably a dumb idea.  (This is why it takes me a year to plan a vacation...)

Communication
Also, I want to "blog" about my experiences, but I know I won't be logging on here regularly during that time.  Plus, I want my non-weightloss oriented friends to have access.  But there is no way I'm starting another blog.  I thought about setting up a Twitter account for it.  That way I could post pictures that I might take with the athletes or of the different events.  The bad part of that is that I have to learn Twitter. 

I know this has got to seem like madness.  But my 2012 word is LIVE and I want to live every moment and experience everything I can while I'm there.  And when I get home, I want to see it all!

Meeting People
I've been also thinking of something I could do to help push myself to do things.  I.E. to get a picture with as many different types of athletes as possible.  Or to take pictures with people from as many countries as possible.  Or have them write a word in their language in a book I will carry...or have them sign it.  I don't know.  Just something that will get me to talk to people or at least get a conversation started.  Any thoughts?

6 months, 2 weeks and 5 days!

Let's get it started...

It's Monday...weigh in day.  I'm annoyed with myself for being up this week.  Yes, last week was PMS week.  Yes, I'm bloated.  But I also knew that I let the cravings get the better of me and I made some B-A-D choices last week.  Especially over the weekend.  If I'm going to get the scale moving in the right direction then I have to do more than want it. 

Fitness is not my issue.  It is food.  One of the big problems I have is that when I get hungry, I make bad choices.  That's been a problem all my life.  Usually, I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and have an afternoon snack.  Today I'm going to try something different.  I'm going to have something small every two hours.  I have added up the calories of today's plan and it is roughly the same as the usual plan.  I will let you know how it goes!

BFF is trying gluten-free this month.  She has LOTS of tummy issues and wanted to see if this would help her.  So far, so good.  Since she typically comes over on Sundays when I cook, I want to make sure I stay gluten-free.  I'm focusing on protein and veggies anyway, so that's a good match up!  **Do you have a vegetable you particularly like?  If so, how do you like it prepared?**  I haven't had brussel sprouts since I was a little kid (HATED!), but Amy made me think of them, so I tried them yesterday.  I put them in a crock pot with some butter, garlic & dijon mustard.  Delicious!  Who knew?  I think that maybe since I liked brussel sprouts, that there are all sorts of things out there I might like.  Bring it on, folks!  

Back to what I do well...Fitness!  I went to CrossFit this morning.  It was a lot easier this week to get up.  I just have to keep doing it!  Today wasn't particularly cardio intensive.  Although our warm up was jumping rope:  100 forward, 50 backward, 50 right foot, 50 left foot, 50 forward.  The WOD was 1 Max Rep Deadlift.  So basically, we spent the whole class trying to lift as much as possible (without hurting oneself).  A Deadlift is done by lifting the barbell off the floor and standing up.  Your arms are straight and not lifting.  It is all done from your legs and core. 

The most I have ever done was 175# but that was with 3 reps.  Today, we just had to do one rep (at a time).  PR ALERT:  I did 205#!!  Woohoo!  Maybe my goal should be to one day deadlift my heaviest weight.  HAHA!

It is important to find your one rep max in CrossFit because a lot of the daily workouts are a % of your max.  So, I might go in next week and the workout will include deadlifts, but it will say 80% of max.  So, I know then that I should lift around 165#.  If you don't know your max, it is harder to judge where you should be in your WODs.

Tonight is Group, which means I get to see Debi!!  YAY!!  Hopefully, Andrea will be there too! 

Hugs!

BYOC

I can't remember the last time I did a BYOC.  Woohoo!

 

BYOC - Bring Your Own Crazy!

Duuuuuuuuudes….BYOC is back after a small holiday hiatus.


Yup, Bring Your Own Crazy returns! It is 5 little questions you can answer in your own blog to give your blogging brain a break and to get to know each other better.

Copy, paste and enjoy!

Let’s do a holiday/new year themed BYOC today!

1. How do you feel about NY resolutions? Do you make them? Do you forget about them quickly? Do they help you?

I sort of made them in the past, but I'm pretty sure it was mostly, "Lose Weight."  The past few years, I have been getting more specific and setting reasonable and attainable goals.  I accomplished a lot in 2010 & 2011 and I expect to do the same in 2012!

2. Did you put up a Christmas tree? How many? Is it still up?

I put up a Christmas tree in my apartment every year even though I never actually spend Christmas there.  Interestingly, last year I did spend Christmas Day at my home with my parents, but I was recovering from a tonsillectomy and the tree never made it up.  :)  This year I took it down on New Year's Day as I watched football!

 
3. How many total Christmases did you choose to have to attend outside of your home?

With family, I just had the one in Florida.  But I also celebrated with two different Jazzercise groups, my work, my dinner group and my church friends. 

4. What are you most looking forward to this year?

Nothing special.

 

HAHAHAHAHAHA...just kidding.  The Olympics!  London 2012!

5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in real life and in blogland this week.

Real Life has been busy but wonderful.  I'm loving Jazzercise and CrossFit which helps me keep to my goals.  I am in constant contact with my Leapsters which brings me so much joy that I can't even put it into words.  Also, TX BOOBs mini meet up is scheduled for February.  Oh and Air Supply!  Woot woot!

In blogland, I have actually been keeping up somewhat in this short new year.  :)  Have I mentioned that I dream about you guys a lot?  Because I do.

FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!

It's Friday!  Woot!  I just realized that I never did blog yesterday.  Times are crazy busy, but I know I need to make just an itty bit of time to get it done.

Yesterday I got a new dryer.  I went for one on clearance and it happens to be a steam dryer.  Sounds interesting!  After the delivery, I went to Jazzercise.  I know I talk about CrossFit a lot because it is new and different, but I do love Jazzercise.  I'm going into my 10th year of it and it is just part of my life to go.  (FYI...the semi-annual sale is going on this weekend.  If you are interested in Jazzercise, this is a good deal!  Start for ZERO DOLLARS...your first payment would be for February.  AND you get 5 free friend passes so you can   Go to Jazzercise.com for details!)

When I got home from Jazzercise it was time to watch the IU game.  I'm so happy they are good again!  It has been a loooong five years.  Unfortunately, I had to go to bed before it was over if I was going to get up early. 

But I did get up for CrossFit this morning.  Our warmup was brutal!  1/2 mile run followed by as many as possible in one minute: wall balls, squats, deadlifts with the balls.  I was dying after that!  But then we moved on to Squat Balances which is the first thing demonstrated in this video.

We did five rounds of three.  I started out with just the bar (35#) and ended at 60#.  Not too bad considering my personal best (any kind of) snatch was 55#.  Going up is always good!

To end the workout, we did Tabata Kettlebell Windmills.  Tabata means 20 seconds on then 10 seconds off, 8 rounds which ends up being 4 minutes.  I used a 10# kettlebell which was somewhat light for me, but the next size up (18#) was too heavy.  One side was MUCH easier than the other.  I did 74 overall.

I finally feel caught up on sleep.  Just in time for the weekend so I can screw it all up again!  :)  I have a lot of fun things coming up over the next couple of months including (at the end of February) a Texas mini-BOOBs!  That is going to be so much fun!!

Have a great weekend, all!

Hugs!!

You have really got to want it, don't you?

Let me start off this post with a random:  I'm freezing.  That is just so weird.  I spent my first 35 years being hot ALL THE TIME.  It was annoying sometimes, but at least I was consistent.  Now, not so much.  I freeze, but the second my heart rate starts to rise...I'm super hot again!  I guess I'm still consistent, I just move around a lot more.  Ha!

I stole a quote from Andrea that I posted to my Facebook yesterday. 

Don't Give Up What You Want Most For What You Want Now.

How amazing is that quote?  It sums up the person I want to be.  Unfortunately, it doesn't accurately reflect the person that I am.  I'm back on the wagon and I have all my good behaviors in place.  All is well, right?  Last night, I had a PMS attack and filled my belly with some BAD stuff.  I didn't NEED that stuff.  Shoot, I wasn't even hungry!  I just wanted it and I lost sight of my goal after 2 seconds.  Sigh.

But the good thing about me is that I'm resilient.  :)  I logged the bad stuff, took my punishment and started a new day.  Today, my goal is to not lose sight of the real goal and to make good decisions. 

Speaking of...I did go to CrossFit this morning.  I had a hunch it would be a cardio intensive day and I wasn't wrong. 

7 rounds:

• 10 Dumbbell Renegade Rows
• 10 Dumbbell Thrusters
• 200m Run

Um, in case you were wondering...7 rounds of anything is a lot.  If, like me, you didn't know what a renegade row is:

I will throw in a Thruster for good measure:

And of course...running:

I used 15 pound dumbbells, so I'm proud of that.  But it took me over 20 minutes to finish all 7 rounds.  But you know one of my super favorite things about CrossFit?  Everyone had lapped me, so as I left on the 7th round to finish my run, I was alone.  No biggie.  Happens all the time. 

Well, as I rounded the corner and I could see the door, I saw several people standing there.  Bach and 4 of the macho 6am workout stud boys were out there cheering me in.  These aren't your gym rat jerk offs that want to show you how much better they are than you.  These guys recognize that while I cannot do what they do, I give everything I've got.  What more could you ask for?  If you are considering CrossFit...go. 

Speaking of CrossFit, did you all hear that the Biggest Loser is going to be doing it this season?  Bob has started doing it and he loves it.  I can't wait to see how these people go from extremely modified WODs to doing them as prescribed.  I want to see Santa pulling a sled, people!  I mean, really.  How awesome!

Sorry for the fitness-heavy post, but you all know that's how I roll.  <3

Hugs!

It's 2012!

Here it is...2012.  Wow.  I felt like it would never get here and now that it is here, I couldn't be more excited!  This year is going to be filled with happiness, fun, hard work and good rewards.

I have had a nice little holiday break, but it is time to get back to work.  Before I do that, let me tell you about my holiday.  I had last Friday off and BFF & I went to see Les Mis during a matinee performance in Dallas.  We had lunch before and it was just a lovely day.

After the show, I dropped BFF off and headed to Kohl's.  I wanted a shirt to wear with the sequined skirt I bought for NYE.  I didn't find exactly what I wanted, but I settled on a plain black turtleneck and tights so the focus would stay on the blinged out skirt.  When I got home around 7:30pm, I tried it all on and realized that the skirt was slightly too small.  Drat!  It wasn't horrible, but I knew that I would be uncomfortable all night, so I headed back to Kohl's.  I had seen a 14 on the rack when I was there, so I just needed to go back an switch it out.

I ran into Kohl's and as I was walking to the JLo rack, I saw a girl walking away with sparkle in her arms.  Uh.  Oh.  Sure enough, the 14 was gone.  I stalked her for a little while.  Finally, I went up to her with the biggest, most friendly smile on my face and asked her if she had tried on the skirt yet.  She said no, but she would try it on and let me know.  I told her thanks and proceeded to mill around the racks close to the fitting room.  THIRTY FIVE  minutes later (and after numerous people went in and out with stacks of clothing), I started to realize that she ditched me.  How mean is that? 

Just as I decided to leave, she came up to me almost disbelieving like and asked if I was waiting for her.  I put on my brightest smile and said yes.  She said that she liked the skirt and was going to take it.  I smiled really big and told her to enjoy it.  I honestly think she had been hiding in the fitting room because she didn't want to tell me.  I mean I could be wrong, but that is what it felt like.  So I wasted FORTY minutes! 

At that point, there was no way I was going home.  I checked with Customer Service who called a nearby store.  By nearby, I mean that it was another 10 miles in the opposite direction of my home.  But they had one and put it back for me.  I went there, tried it on, exchanged it and headed home.  I finally sat down to dinner at 9:30pm.  Nuts!

Saturday, I got up and went to Jazzercise.  The instructors dressed up a little for NYE, so I did too.  We look a little clownish, but it was a fun class!

After class, it was time to clean up, grab Lizard and head for Oklahoma.  We had lunch on the way at this cute little restaurant in Gainesville called Sarah's On The Corner.  Delicious local spot that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend! 

There was a little glitch when we got to the hotel and it only had one king sized bed.  I was so frustrated because I had reserved a double.  Thank goodness our 4th friend didn't come or we would have been screwed!!  Lizard was able to sleep in a big chair with an ottoman.  I don't think she was that comfortable, but she is a trooper and I love her dearly.

We went to the casino for a little while and I managed to gamble the whole time on one $20 bill.  Sweet!  Then we went back to the hotel to change for the concert.  After getting all cutsied up, we decided to take the shuttle to the casino because parking was getting difficult.  We got lots of compliments on our Blingness.

The concert was fan-freaking-tastic.  Adam Levine is just the hottest thing on the planet.  I love him.  The whole show was spectacular! 

Too bad we didn't get to party with Adam, Anne V., Blake Shelton, & Kelly Clarkson who apparently were all there.  How fun would that be?

After the concert, we ate dinner at the Toby Keith Bar and Grill where we didn't hear Red Solo Cup even once.  WTH?  We rang in the new year over fried catfish and black eyed peas.  I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else!

Did you notice that we kept getting more accessories as the night went on?  :)

When it was time to leave, we went outside to catch the shuttle.  HOLY CRAP!  It was FREEZING out there.  What happened to the 70 degree weather?  We stood and waited and the shuttle never came so we decided to try the main entrance.  We waited there for a long time too.  No shuttle.  Luckily, BFF can make friend with the wall and started up a conversation with a couple that was waiting on the bus to take them to their car.  Before I know it, we had convinced the guy to run out to his car and come get us.  He did and they dropped us off at the hotel.  We never did see the shuttle!  Thanks Dan-O and Tonya!!

We headed home the next morning and stopped for Mass at a cute little church in Gainesville.  I was so glad we did as it started my year off in the right frame of mind!  After a quick stop at Starbucks, we were on our way home.

That afternoon and the next day, I tried to get a head start on my 2012 goals.  I practiced the piano, I organized and I read.  So far, so good!

This morning, I got up for CrossFit.  It was a lot of gymnastics today.  My chest was burning on the 800m warm up.  I hate running.  :)  I certainly wasn't the best in class, but I held my own.  My arms and legs were shaking by the end of class which I guess is what it is all about, right?  I look forward to tomorrow!

Happy New Year, everyone!  I KNOW this is going to be a good one!

Hugs!