Life is Good

I think I'm coming to terms with the fact my life won't ever be completely routine. I just like doing stuff. So I'm going to have to figure out how to make it all work.And by work, I mean having all this fun and enjoying life while not regaining tons of weight or allowing myself to live in an overall unhealthy way.

When last I left you I was working for the weekend. I did end up going to Jazzercise Thursday night and I have to say that after that, my soreness melted away.

Friday afternoon, BFF & I headed off to WinStar Casino in Oklahoma for the Pitbull concert. Cori was having good luck at the slots, but it was zapping me big time. Anyway, there was a lot of day drinking, flashing lights and jingle jangles until it was time for the show. As always, the dude put on a performance...

Mr. Worldwide

BFF & I ready for the show...

We danced and danced. It was awesome! After the show we stayed at the casino hotel. The next morning we ate breakfast and did a little more gambling. I'm happy to say that I hit the mid-sized jackpot on the last game I was playing and ended the weekend pretty close to net zero. That is a WIN in my book!!

Saturday afternoon we drove home and stopped for pedicures. Rough life. We went straight to church after. I have to say that I'm absolutely loving my new church. The message this weekend was that we are all God's children and all good people of the world can get to heaven. I love that inclusiveness.

Anyway, after church, I cooked for us from my Home Chef delivery. It was French-cut chicken breasts with a Caprese type salad and spinach. It was delicious!! We also watched the Frank Sinatra documentary on HBO. Dude was totally hot.

I got up yesterday morning for CrossFit. It was rough. I don't usually have an issue with muscle cramping, but my upper quads/hips were cramping so badly that I was having trouble with the WOD. But I got most of it in. Lots more burpees.

I went again today.

Today, we did 5 sets of 5 lunges on each leg. I started to add weight to the barbell but realized that I was breaking form. So I ended up dropping the weight for the last two rounds. I'm determined to ramp up the weights properly.

The WOD: 16:00 AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible)

• 400m Run
• 20 Kettlebell Swings (25#)
• 20 Push Ups

I know I have talked to death about what a slow runner I am. It is just how it is. But the more I work at it, the less slow I get. Today was a little tough. The guys run literally twice as fast as I do, so they were lapping me like crazy. But I just kept focusing on moving. I ran the whole way...no walking. I did my KB swings, I did the push ups...no knees, I pushed my body up off the ground every single time. I know that I'm working as hard as I can. ME. That is what matters and when I'm done, I feel amazing. I don't care that they got in 4 rounds or whatever...I did two full rounds and another run. And I worked hard the whole damn time. Next time, I will do a little better. One workout at at time.

Today my parents are driving to Texas from Kentucky. They will be in sometime this evening and will be visiting through Monday. We always have a great time and I look forward to it! But things will be hectic. Again...no routine. That's okay. I'm running a 5K on Saturday and I will be back to CrossFit on Monday.

Saw this on somebody's wall today and loved it...

Hugs!

Life is Happening

I came in early this morning just so I would have a few minutes to check-in. My life is a whirlwind right now. In a good way though!

First and foremost, I re-joined CrossFit. They opened a new box just blocks from home, so I felt like it was a sign. They had an open house last Saturday, I went and signed up on the spot. It is expensive, so I might have to drop yoga, but I'm going to wait a month to decide. Even though I could only go twice this week, I wanted to start right away and went Monday and Tuesday mornings at 6am.

Monday was a lot of rowing, back squats, burpees and kettlebell swings. My legs were jello! But I made myself get up the next day and get right back at it. Day #2 was running, presses, pull ups (I did ring rows instead) and wall balls. After class, my upper body joined my lower body in Painville.

Today is the first day I can walk normally since. Ha! As one of my employees said, I'm now "functionally sore". I'm planning to run today, but if the weather is any indication, I will need to stay inside. I hate the treadmill so we will see how much actual running occurs. As long as I'm doing something! I will go back to CrossFit on Monday. Hopefully I won't leave quite so sore this time...

This picture is a very good example of me not getting to pose in a flattering manner like my selfies. :-) It's okay though. I honestly am feeling really good about myself these days.


Next subject is work. I just hired a new person directly from college. She is super smart and catches on fast, so I know she will be fantastic. But she is very green and it takes a lot of my time to train. No question though that I would prefer to spend time up front to train a great employee. It is an investment that pays off. But that is another reason I don't have any extra time.

And finally, today is the day that the lottery for tickets to the 2016 Olympics starts. BFF, our friend KJ and possibly one other person will be coming with me to Rio this time. For those of you that don't know, I went on my dream vacation to the 2012 London Olympics and had the most amazing time of my life. I convinced BFF (who has never traveled internationally except for Canada which obviously doesn't count) to go with me and KJ wanted to tag along. Planning an Olympic trip is complex when you are doing it on your own and have a limited income, but it is almost like a hobby for me. I couldn't be more excited!!

The fill did its job. I can still eat most everything, but I'm satisfied with a little less. I still have to make good choices. I haven't lost any pounds, but I do think I'm retaining water in my poor sore muscles. :) I feel sure as I get back into intense workouts and continue eating my healthy Home Chef meals, the weight loss will come.

Hope you all are doing well and I promise I will be back more consistently when things settle just a bit.

Hugs!!

Getting Back to It

My little vacation break is over and it is time to get back to bidness. I will talk a little more about that tomorrow, but for today I will just tell you about my Vegas getaway!

Thursday evening, I had dinner with a couple of work friends and kicked off the Drinking Weekend Extravaganza. We went to the Grilled Cheese Company yet AGAIN. Hopefully I won't be back super soon. That place is lethal. In a super mega yummy way!

Friday morning, BFF & I got up bright and early to head to the airport. As you may or may not know, I have a phobia of flying. In my head, I understand that it is the safest way to travel, but my body seems to disagree. So, I had some eggs with a side of bourbon. No worries after that!

We got to Vegas relatively early and checked in. Our lunch was just so eventful that I can't even remember where we ate. Wherever it was, afterward we went to a Stripper 101 class. Now this was just F-U-N!! First we learned a chair (lap) dance and if I had a boyfriend, I would totally rock his world with that. Then we learned a quick pole dance. I have to say that I was way more talented with the chair. Although I was able to jump up and spin around on the pole. 74 bruises later, that was done.

But we had our very own stripper licenses!

We picked our own names. Do I seem like a Willow?

Anyway, after that, we gambled a little, snacked a little, shopped a little, etc. etc. etc. We had reservations for three for dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, but our friend was late flying in. Luckily since there were only two of us, they seated us on the patio and it was the most gorgeous night! We sat for a long time while we watched the Bellagio Fountains and the passersby.

It was an early night because BFF had a meeting the next morning. After she was up and gone, I leisurely got up and made my way downstairs for breakfast. I ate eggs benedict for the first time, which seems odd, but it always looked so gross to me with all that yellow sauce. Turns out, it is quite delicious. Then I made my way to the spa...

When choosing my spa visit, I was pragmatic. I needed to take up several hours while BFF and the others were in their meeting. I started pricing services along the strip and then looked into the spas off-strip. I will say that I think you need to decide why you are going to a spa before you make an appointment. I would rather pay for services than atmosphere. I would gladly give up the opulence and grand feel of the strip spas for cheaper services (provided they are good.)

After a search, I settled on this place. It was located in a strip mall on the backside of the strip. Not within walking distance, but a reasonable cab ride. (If you schedule it right, they also offer free shuttle service, but my appointment was too early to get a ride to the spa.) The place itself is not fancy, but it is functional. They had me change into a robe and gave me a locker in the restroom. My first service was a scrub followed by a wrap. I had never done this before and thought I would hate it, but was willing to give it a try. I'm so glad because it was awesome!!

After the wrap was done, she had me take a shower in the restroom to rinse off all of the gook. That shower was fantastic. I could have stood in there all day. But alas, it was time for my massage. I may have never gotten a wrap, but I definitely know about massages. I almost never get them at the spa because I find them ineffective and overpriced. I have a couple of therapists that I go to in the area that are reasonable and actually very helpful. I had set my expectations low. But it wasn't necessary! It was the best spa massage I think I have ever had. Score!

After the massage, I only waited a few minutes in the lounge for my facial person. I have had a few facials in my life and this one was what I expected. Nothing earth shattering, but good and relaxing. If I went back, I would do it again.

I was there for over three hours and spent just a little more than I would have on a massage in one of the big spas. Totally worth is in my opinion! Especially with the free shuttle back to my hotel.

Not too long after I got freshened up, BFF's meeting was over. We went with our friend Jazz to Caesar's for a drink. After we went to see Elton John. The ticket was expensive, but the concert was great! Probably one of my top five ever. We had so much fun!!

 After Elton, we made our way over to Mesa Grill and had a delicious dinner.

The next day, BFF, Jazz & I went to Hash House a Go Go for breakfast. I didn't realize it was a Man vs. Food joint. The portions were HUGE. The food was okay, but nothing too exciting. BFF did have a guy ask for her number, so that was interesting!!

After breakfast, Jazz stayed behind because her flight was that afternoon. BFF & I went downtown and ran out of gambling money quickly. We headed back to the strip and piddled around watching people and looking at the things. We had dinner at Jaleo at the Cosmopolitan which was AMAZING and then finished with a drink at Scarpetta (which is my most favorite restaurant...if you are there, order the gallardo drink. Delish!)

Monday, after another balcony meal at Mon Ami Gabi, we went to the Bellagio. I actually won a little bit for once at the casino. I'm sure I will spend it (and more!) when we go to WinStar in a couple of weeks. After, it was time to head home and back to reality. We did have a final dinner with some of the girls we knew (I had to have my bourbon, you know.)

And now I'm home. No more day drinking!

I'm ready for some routine! But less than two weeks and my parents will be in town and we are going on a quick roadtrip next weekend. Honestly though, I wouldn't have things any other way!

Hugs!

Eating and Hunger

I was just reading a post by Lori and she said something that really got me thinking:

"After all, alcoholics don't have a sip of wine on weekends or special days.  Addicts, don't have a hit of heroin on their birthdays."

That is SO true. Unquestionably. And if they were surrounded by people that would tell them, "go ahead, take a hit. It is a special occasion." We would tell them to flee from these people. Don't surround yourself with people who would encourage your bad behavior.

I think there are major similarities with unhealthy eating (or any other bad habit.) When I hung out with lots of other people that smoked, I smoked more. Once I started hanging out with people that didn't smoke, it took a while, but I was able to quit. When I started taking better care of myself with my nutrition and fitness, I surrounded myself with like minded people and it helped me change my overall behavior.

I will concede that someone will occasionally tell me to "splurge" when I shouldn't. Or (even worse) make me feel guilty when I do something like skip a workout or eat a piece of cake. I can really rebel against that sh*t. :-) I'm learning to make decisions for myself instead of for other people. It really does make a difference.

Another thing on a related but different subject. Does your stomach hurt when you are hungry? I mentioned to my mom that before my Lap Band surgery (and one of the main reasons I got it) was because of the pains I get when I'm hungry. She said she didn't think that was a thing. Heh. (Not mean like or anything!) Anyway, back then, trying to be on a "diet" was horrible because I would get so hungry that my stomach would actually hurt. Not like cramps, but more like an intense version of a stomach growl. It would be so bothersome, I couldn't think of anything but eating.

After my surgery, I would still get hungry, but it is more subtle. My stomach will growl or I will feel headache-y or fatigued. I definitely know I'm hungry but it is WAY more controllable.

Since I went through that reflux issue a few weeks back and had to take a lot of fluid out of my band, I have been feeling more like the old (pre-surgery) me. Not the severe "painful" hunger, but something more reminiscent of that than what I have had in the years post-surgery. I had hoped that after all this time of eating better, things would be a little different. Apparently not. I'm scheduled for a fill on Tuesday. Nothing major, but hopefully it will be enough to help me stay on track.

All of this made me wonder if other people ever had the stomach discomfort from hunger? Thoughts?

I wasn't going to work out this week but after not doing it yesterday I was feeling really draggy. I ended up running today at lunch even though it means I will look a bit disheveled for the show tonight. I'm going to see The Illusionists with an old CrossFit friend. I know she won't care and I reminded myself that I don't make decisions for other people especially random people at the theateranyway. :) I'm so glad I did. I feel a lot better. I'm not sure when I will do the errands I was supposed to do at lunch, but I will figure it out.

Hugs!

Weekend Wrap Up

It has been close to a week since my last post and I'm still plugging along. Work was busy Wednesday and Thursday as I prepared to leave town. My company had a picnic on Thursday for lunch and then I headed to the airport.

If you know me, you know I'm phobic of flying. I never let it stop me and yes, I do know that it is the safest way to travel. But when I'm actually on a plane, no matter what my brain says, my body might react very differently. So sometimes I take an Ativan, but other times I just have a drink. I was plenty early for my flight, so I sat at the bar at the airport. There was a set open between two men, one older gentleman super focused on his laptop and the other a "my age" very good looking guy, I'm shy. I know it's weird, because I'm an extrovert. But it's true. So I didn't talk to either, just pulled out my People magazine.

I ordered my double bourbon and sipped away. Eventually Good Looking Dude asked me if there was anything in the magazine he needed to know. We talked for a while and something got us talking about our parents age. I told him my dad was in his early mid-70s and he said that he must have had me very late. When I told him I was 40, he was visibly shocked. He was 42 and thought I was more like 10 years younger than him. Heh. I will take that any day. It didn't lead to anything, just some flirting, but it was nice. It had been a long time since I had a cute guy flirt with me like that. Score!

I spent Thursday evening with my family at my brother's house. I cannot express how much I love time spent with my family. My parents, brother, SIL, nephews, niece and even my nephew's girlfriend, hung out and really enjoyed talking. At least I think we did. I'm pretty sure that I had my full daily allotment of calories just in bourbon and rum that day so it is a little hazy. It happens. :) This is my favorite photo of the evening:

My mom was so mad at me when I posted to Facebook, but I couldn't resist. It was an awesome photo bomb and it gives you an idea of how silly we were being.

I did get up Friday morning and run, so that is a plus. The neighborhood is super hilly so I was ridiculously slow. Doesn't matter, I did it.

The only negative of the weekend was between my new eyelashes and my brother's dog, I woke with swollen eyelids. I had never had that happen before and it freaked me out! Benedryl took care of it after a few hours, but sheesh!!

Friday, SIL and the kids headed to Spring Break while my parents and I headed toward southern Indiana to meet up with my extended family. My cousin rented a house and it was the greatest thing. Several of us stayed there and the other family members staying in hotels met us at the house for dinner on Friday night. Saturday was the funeral and then we gathered again for dinner. All of my cousins but one were able to make the trip.

I can honestly say that I had a great time and I'm so glad I was able to go. I shared an L-shaped couch with one cousin while another slept on another couch. It was a slumber party! I was worried I wouldn't sleep but I did. I got some really good family time in AND I got to watch UK get beat. Not a bad weekend.

Yesterday we drove back to Louisville and I flew back. BFF picked me up from the airport and we went out for crab legs. We love crab legs. :)

I'm tired (but happy!) and I leave for Vegas on Friday. There will be no time for working out so I'm focusing on not going off the rails food-wise.

One day at a time!

Hugs!