Jon's Mom got Aiden this big John Deere Tractor for Christmas- he loves it!
Christmas Eve- getting ready to go outside and ride the tractor in the driveway.
Jon was constantly having to push him back into the driveway b/c all he wanted to do was ride it downhill and into the road! Thank goodness it's a culdesac!
We all tossed the football around for a bit too.
This was a quick shot of Aiden once he reached the bottom of the stairs and started running for all the presents. It was so much fun this year seeing how excited he got by everything. I'm looking forward to the years when he knows about Santa and can have all those exciting feelings I had as a kid.

It was a great day...we opened presents and then made a big breakfast. This is the first year that it was just us...no travelling, no relatives, just us. We had rented movies and lounged around all day. Sooooo nice.

That being said- I'm SO ready for January to come so we can get moved and settled in our new place. I'm officially job hunting now and have sent my resume to several preschools and gyms, hopefully I'll snag a couple interviews! Spoke with my SIL today and we're both planning to start a new BFL challenge on January 8th! Anyone else with me on this?!

South Bend, IN

Well, I'm finally able to eat again- and I'm not sure that's a good thing! LOL I've definitely been enjoying MORE than my fair share of Christmas goodies this season. We went back to IA last weekend to have Xmas with both our families and I think I went up a pant size over the weekend!! I shouldn't laugh, it really isn't funny. I'm probably enjoying the holidays a little more this year than I should, but we haven't had a good Christmas in quite a while, so I'm splurging. I know I'll regret it come January, but for now I'm not going to sit here and bitch about how fat I'm getting...I'm completely aware that my pants are tighter and I get winded going up a flight of stairs. No newsflash. But things are looking up, finally!!

Jon accepted the position in Indiana and we found a place to live, YAY!! We'll now be calling South Bend, IN "home". At least for the next 6mths. It sucks b/c they want to train him for 6mths and then move him to be in charge of one of the smaller companies either in South Bend or West Lafayette and it's looking like it will be the latter. I'm still hoping they'll just keep him in South Bend, but only time will tell. It would be nice to stay in the town we get to know rather than picking up and moving, yet again to a town we're completely unfamiliar with.

I have something to keep me focused again! South Bend has a big Marathon/Half Marathon race on June 2nd through the city...finishing at the University of Notre Dame. I'm really excited about this. It will be exactly one year after my 20K! I just may have convinced Jon to do it with me too!! Another cool thing is there's a running trail just behind where we live along the river...very nice. OH- and we're getting Murphy back too! That's our beagle, he's been living with my parents since the start of the deployment. I miss that little guy, he's so lovable and is a big cuddler. Just love him.

There's a quick update. I hope everyone's having a great holiday, and thank you so much for the well wishes regarding my wisdom teeth. It royally sucked, but....IT'S OVER!

Merry Christmas!!

All I Want For Christmas

Is to be able to eat normal damnit!! I guess I'm taking longer than normal to...uhhh...get back to normal. I'm still in pain and all out of percocet. I'm downing a lot of Motrin every 3-4hrs to help with the pain. I'm hoping I don't have a dry socket or an infection, I should've been better by now. I'm so sick of eating pudding, jello, & ice cream. Let me tell ya, I love me some ice cream. lol But I'm getting soooooooo tired of slurping my food, I miss texture and chewing my food! Oh yeah, I had my wisdom teeth out on Friday, so that's what this is all about. My face is starting to look more human and less chipmunk. You should've seen me Sunday- my cheeks were puffier than they EVER were during pregnancy. Looked like I'd stuffed my cheeks with every last malted milk ball in the candy store.
Ok, I need to go pop some more pills. This sucks. Sorry...no upbeat and positive post here today.

I tried to post more pictures but I guess it was a one time deal, no such luck getting anymore to post. :(
The company Jon is trying to get into just made him an offer yesterday. It's looking as though we'll be moving to Indiana after all, probably just after Christmas, maybe the first part of the new year. I'm excited, nervous, and a bit stressed about all of this. I'm thrilled that we are getting out of the army and that he won't be going back to Iraq. His 4yr commitment is up but I guess they could still call him back up sometime in the next 4yrs if they had to. He's looking into going into the guard for a couple years and getting stabalization (which means they can't deploy him). This would bring in some extra $$ and keep him home, so I'm ok with that. ;) I'll probably be looking for a job once we're settled in Indiana. I'm NOT going to just take any job that comes my way. I want to find something that I'll really enjoy and I only want to work part-time, around 20-25hrs/wk. I really hope I can get something good. Right now I'm hoping for a job at the new gym or a teacher's aide position. I'm still thinking I want to go back to school to teach and this job could give me some insight before doing all of that. There's a surprisingly good paying part-time teacher's aide position in South Bend. I just hope it's still available once we're there. To be honest, I don't want to work, but the extra income is needed. We really want to have a 2nd child soon and would like to be a little more stable when that happens. Ahhhhhhh a 2nd baby.... I would like to get pregnant now, but it doesn't look like that will happen for a while. Plus we need him to be in this new company for a couple months before the insurance kicks in.

The HH training program is going well, and I've scheduled day care for all this week and next, minus Friday. Friday is when I go in to have my wisdom teeth removed. Not looking forward to that. Maybe this is a good thing though, b/c I won't be able to shove crap into my mouth, lol. I'll look at it as a couple days to detox all chocolate that made it's way into my mouth when TOM was here. hehe

Finally!!

I switched to Beta today and was FINALLY able to get photos to download!!! Couldn't believe my eyes... Well here are 3 pictures from our Vow Renewal in October. The weather was absolutely perfect and the photographers were incredible!!

Well I survived the root canal. It was my third one...sad isn't it?! I've had a lot of dental work done, it's amazing I don't have dentures yet, lol. I still have my widom teeth removal to be excited about next Friday, just can't wait.

I've started a 1/2 marathon training program by Hal Higdon. The last time I can remember being extremely focused on a workout regimen (aside from BFL C1) was when I started training for a 1/2 marathon that turned out to be the 20k last June. I had the training calendar and did NOT want to miss one workout. I religiously crossed off each workout with a black marker as it was completed. There were days when the wind was blowing so hard and so cold, yet I got my butt outdoors for that run b/c I couldn't leave that day's workout unmarked. So this is what I'm doing...I'm starting it again. I haven't researched a 1/2 marathon to run next spring but if I can do this training, I will be all the more prepared for one at that time.

It's looking extremely possible now that we'll be moving to NW Indiana very soon. I'm excited to live so close to many things we enjoy. Chicago is only about 90 miles away and we'll be very close to Lake Michigan! Seems that Mari lives fairly close too, so maybe we'll be able to meet sometime and possibly run some type of race together! How exciting. Now THAT will be some serious competition for me! hee hee

Jon left today for another on-site interview...this one in Belvidere, IL with General Mills. He doesn't seem too interested in this position, but they want him for an on-site now and he figured it was worth giving a chance since they are covering all expenses. We're just waiting for a salary offer from the other job.

That's about it for today. Today's workout was 3miles + strength training. Eating has not been 100%...for the PMS monster planted some Lindt milk chocolate balls in my hand and were forced into my mouth. You know, it won't be long before Jan 1st gets here and you hear everyone talking about their resolutions to get in shape and workout. I'm sure I too will be more dedicated at that time...I just don't want to have to start by losing the 10lbs I gained over the holidays! Enjoy your Xmas cookies and PMS chocolates...just don't enjoy them all day everyday. And remember, if you want to do the crime, you have to do the time- IN THE GYM! ;)

Let me say a big thanks to those who have checked in on me. :) I'm sorry I've been out of the loop for so long and haven't updated in almost a month! I feel like there's so much that's happened and I want to catch up with everyone else too. Looks like I broke my promise of pictures coming soon, lol. I'll try to download some into this post.
Where are we living?- Currently still in TN and in the same house. We were supposed to get an apt but they kept moving back our move-in date and we finally said F-IT! We'll be moving again in January so there was no sense in getting a place for just 2mths. Jon's jobsearch has been going very well. It doesn't look like we'll be living in Iowa, but we should be closer than we are now. He's had a job offer near Indianapolis that he may be turning down and he just had an interview in South Bend, IN and this job is looking very promising. Right now it's very possible that we'll be moving to Plymouth, IN for about 6mths and then be settled in either South Bend, IN or near Champaign, IL. I'll be happy with either area.

I'm praying that this company will offer him more $$ than the last company. I'm a little nervous that I may have to go back to work, which I reeeeeally don't want to do. We were planning to start trying for a 2nd baby early next year and I'm just not ready to put Aiden in daycare. As much as his fits and tempers drive me crazy, I can't bear to think of someone else getting to be there for them. ;) I was trying to think of something I could do to make $$ from home but nothing has struck me yet. If we do end up in Plymouth, there is a brand new gym opening up the first of the year and I would try to get a job there. I wouldn't want anything full-time but if I could work around 20hrs and week and get my membership for free, I'd be content. Another thing I've been thinking about is going back to college. I don't want to go back into the workforce until my kids are in school, but I just don't know how that will pan out. I've been considering going back to teach, preferrably from around 2nd-5th grade. I took a few early education classes in college and it scared me away from teaching....but I think that was only because it was dealing with kids age 2-4yrs. Yikes. lol Love em but don't want to do that all day. I think I could do well with kids a bit older, but not junior high age....that scares the bejesus out of me. I hated that age and have NO desire to teach them. Thank God for the men & women who do! :) Kudos to you Sundie, you are a strong woman!!

Fitness/Diet?- Don't ask. Workouts have been extremely inconsistent and the diet has been ok but nowhere near what it needs to be. You know what that all adds up to......tighter clothes and dwindling self esteem. And there's noone to blame but myself. Damnit. lol That being said....I sucked it up and forked out the cash for the gym daycare ($2.50/hr and only M-F 9-noon). Did I mention you have to preschedule and prepay? Oh and if you can't make it one day you have to call a day in advance to reshedule or you lose your $$. They really getcha. So if you add that up and I go every day M-F, that's $50 a month. Just INSANE. And this is on top of your membership. Highway robbery I tell ya. I started going last week and have this week paid for as well. Luck would have it Aiden got sick over the weekend and I had to reschedule today's for another date. Jon should be home around 6pm so I'm going to try to get my ass out the door for a run then.

Just when things seem to be getting better.......I have a root canal on Wednesday. Oh yeah, and next Friday Dec 8th I'm having all 4 wisdom teeth removed. That should be a weekend of hell. Lucky me =) The weekend of the 15th-17th we'll be back in IA for Christmas and then the following weekend is Christmas Eve. I don't know if ya'll know....but I love Christmas. I'm one of those women who puts up the tree and all the decorations the day after Thanksgiving. (This year I did it that night...I was bored, lol) I can't get enough of this holiday. I find myself like a giddy little 5yr old waiting for Santa. I love looking at Christmas lights (especially when they're dusted with snow) and I still set out cookies for Santa....and don't forget carrots for the reindeer. ;) I hope to make this holiday as special to my kids as it always has been to me.

Well...I don't know what else to say to update you all. I'm so sorry I have been out of it for so long. I know everyone has fell back on updating blogs, but I do hope that we all get back into it again. I miss checking in on everyone daily and hearing what's going on in your lives. Coco- I don't know what's going on the the blends biggest loser challenge either. I've checked in there a few times and haven't seen much from anyone. I need it back, I really do. Sometimes I catch myself thinking "it's the holidays" when I really know that's a load of crap I'm feeding myself. I mean, I will ALWAYS enjoy cookies & chocolate on Christmas and my share of drinks on New Year's Eve. I just need to make sure it's not every day of the last few months of the year. ;)

Ok now if there is actually anyone reading this, get back to your blog and update it so I have something to read!!

**Ok I have tried at least 5 times now to download photos to my post and cannot get it to work. If anyone else knows what's going on or what I should do, please let me know!! =)

Pictures from the trip coming soon, I promise! I'm finally back in TN. We drove all night last night after feeling the effects of a hangover from Saturday's tailgating festivities. Having your first drink at 6:30 in the a.m. can really be tough on the body. We'll be in this house for the next 2wks and then hopefully in a new apt by Nov 15th. We should be there until about mid-Jan when we'll be moving to God-knows-where. Jon's been interviewing and having many companies wanting him back for 2nd interviews. Several of the jobs are in Wisconsin, so that's a big possibility.

Halloween is tomorrow, I'm so excited about dressing Aiden up. He's going to be a lion this year. Jon and I thought about dressing up as Dorothy and the Scarecrow and calling Aiden the cowardly lion. I don't think that I want to go costume shopping for anything today, but it was a fun idea.

Boy I'm just all scatter-brained today...what a jumbled mess of thoughts! I'll get a bit more organized one of these days. ;)

I've just joined a challenge on myblends called "The Biggest Loser Blends Edition". I desperately need something to get me back in the healthy "mode". The hardest part for me is getting into "that mode". I think many of you know what I'm talking about. Once I'm in it, I feel strong and confident, and find myself not having problems turning down a chocolate chip cookie. I'm proud to say I've eaten clean all week. Ha, it's only Wednesday morning. Well it's 2 days more than I'd been eating clean! I'm having a bad craving for something sweet immediately after lunch. Either I'm not eating quite enough or I need to include something sweet to satisfy that urge. Maybe some SF pudding, I'm not sure. Or maybe I just need to chug a liter of Crystal Light right after I finish eating and then head straight for the bathroom to brush my teeth.

Yesterday I ran 3.5miles outdoors, on those same hills I used to run on. Whoa, it does NOT take long to lose your endurance! I never stopped to walk and I incorporated some sprints in the last .5 mile. It's a bigger challenge these days, but I didn't lose it in a day, can't expect to get it right back. Baby steps.

Boy I'm getting boring. I'm sorry I can't think of anything more interesting to write about. lol

I've been trying for days now to download pics from the ceremony and no such luck. If anyone is able to tell me why this is happening, I'd love to hear it. Damn blogger!

On the diet/fitness side of things, I'm trying to get back at it. I didn't do very well the week before the trip and I certainly didn't workout or eat clean while in St. Lucia. I don't regret that, lol. It was my first vacation with my husband, ever, and we had a lot of fun. Ok, I'm getting off track. I've been trying to make healthier choices with my eating and I've been squeezing in some running. I feel so out of it. I ran 2 miles the other day...my first run in weeks. I can't believe how much ground I have lost! Use it or lose it, that's for sure. Baby steps...that's what I keep telling myself. The next day I ran 3 miles and it didn't seem quite as hard. It wasn't easy, but my body seemed to handle it a little better. I'm feeling it in my legs, so I know this is a good start. I'm in IA right now and my weights are in TN, so, no lifting yet. Basically all I can do here is run and do bodyweight exercises (abwork, pushups, plyo, etc). If I can just get some of this is, it will be a good start.
I really want to get into a good routine to get me through the holidays. I need it. Every year I feel uncomfortable in my clothes and I always overeat at family get-togethers. I know now that I can easily make this work by making those days free days, but I have to make sure that I am working out and eating clean on the other days. I want to feel sexy this year in my jeans. I don't want to feel self conscious about my stomach bulging over my pants and seeing it through my shirt/sweater. I want to feel confident. I want to be HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS! ;) That being said, it's time to be the person I want to be and stop dreaming about it. I know what I have to do. Why is it that we can educate ourselves and try to learn all there is, yet lack the ability to follow through on it? Maybe I need to buy some of those cd's or read a book about this. Any suggestions? Maybe I'll look into the book Jennifer had suggested.

Today I'm going to visit my new little neice Ava. She's 1wk 3days old today. When I see her I just think about when Aiden was that age and how incredibly tiny and precious they are. It gets me thinking about a second baby. Whoa. Maybe I shouldn't go visit! LOL

St. Lucia

We're back from St. Lucia! It was absolutely gorgeous there and we had a great time to say the least. The Renewal Ceremony was beautiful and we were so lucky to have some FANTASTIC photographers. My photos from that aren't downloaded onto the computer yet, but these are a couple pictures we took while out exploring the island. We visited the Piton Falls and took a dip in the water, and took in some amazing views of the Piton Mountains & the awesome blue ocean below. I've never seen such beautiful sites.
We stayed at the Coconut Bay Resort on the southern part of the island. It's the only resort on this half of the island at the moment. The busiest part of the island is in the city of Castries in the north. When we first arrived, it was a rainy & dreary day, and I was second-guessing my choice of resort. Everyone we'd met on the plane was staying at Sandals, Windjammer, or another resort in Castries. No one we spoke to was going to our resort. I was starting to worry about this trip. Needless to say, I was making stupid assumptions WAY too early. It was great. We ended up making friends with the only other American couple there. They were on their honeymoon. The majority of folks staying at our resort were from England. We made friends with a man named Amin & his wife, as well as Mark & Paula...all from England. I enjoyed getting to know them and hearing everyone's thoughts on americans, lol. On Monday the rain left and the sun came out, and with that brought some pool volleyball. We joined in the fun pretty much every day. Our team consisted of the people mentioned above. It was quite funny by the end of the week....we'd gotten fairly good and were hard to beat. ;)
Tuesday was the vow renewal (I will go into that more in another post) and on Wednesday we rented a car with our american friends Jesse & Heather to explore the island on our own. It was a fun experience driving on the other side of the road (happy to say JON did that for us). I sat in the passenger side which is normally our driver's side, and I caught myself a few times reaching for a wheel. The roads there are SO windy and hilly. I managed to get very motionsick but tried to enjoy the view along the way. The ocean had the most gorgeous shades of blue. We drove through a couple towns, visited the Piton Falls for a dip in the water, saw the world's only drive-in volcano (where it STUNK like no other! The sulfur made it smell like rotten eggs), and visited the Botanical Gardens. It was fun to speak with some of the locals and see how they live. Quite a big difference from America.


The rest of the week??? We soaked up some rays :) Oh, and I can't forget the couple's massage we received under the palm trees next to the ocean. It was awesome, I loved hearing the waves crashing. I need to get massages more often I tell ya. It was great. So that's about it in a nutshell! So if you're looking for a trip to the caribbean, St. Lucia is a beautiful island. The northern resorts are a bit pricey for my liking. Our resort was honestly about 1/2 the price since they have only been open a year and they're trying to draw in more visitors. Looking back, I'm glad we weren't at Sandals or any of the others b/c we were able to experience a much different atmosphere with different cultures. Overall, a wonderful trip.

MIA??

I'm still here and I haven't fallen out of blogland...promise! Everything has been so crazy these past few weeks, I've been concentrating on us and haven't spent much time online. Here's a pic I caught of Aiden the other day while he toted his backpack around in the front yard. :) I wanted to leave a note for anyone still reading my blog....I won't be updating for a couple weeks, as we are leaving for St. Lucia on Saturday!! The dress was altered and fits perfectly, and everything seems to be fitting into place. I've been thinking about this trip for the past year! I will be taking LOTS of pictures to share with you all!! We should be back to TN around the 17th-18th, and I plan to update you all sometime shortly thereafter. Thanks for checking in!! =)

I think things might start to slow down soon! *I hope!* Jon has been home for a week & a half now. It's been so nice having him back. All I can say to all of you is APPRECIATE YOUR HUSBANDS/WIVES/FAMILY...etc. It's so easy to take things for granted, even for us once things seem to go back to "normal" around here. I try to remind myself what it was like having him gone and how important it is to be thankful for our time together. There are still the little arguments over my driving or who changed the last poopy diaper...but getting mad over something just seems a lot less worth it now. I'm sure I'll be venting before you know it, but for now, I'd like to say I'm working on letting things go that used to bother me. ;)

Anyway, onto some fitness talk. I need to change the title of my blog. Anyone have any suggestions? I'm SOOO not creative with this kind of thing. I need some help. Good news is my eating this week has been great! I stepped on the scale Monday morning....holy hell. After a week of eating like crap (and keep in mind I WAS working out) I had gained SIX pounds. That's a lot of pounds in a week people. I know, I know...water weight, blah blah blah. But still. Whoa. LOL After 2 days of workouts and a good diet, I'm down 2.5lbs so that feels good. I'm lifting with Jon now and he's really pushing me. I've been doing new exercises and definitely lifting heavier. He brings out the stronger side of me, LOL. You know, having me do something I really didn't think I could do. On Monday I was doing pull-ups, UNASSISTED. It was pretty damn hard, but I did 4! Only one was completely unassisted and the next 3 he held my waist a little to help. He said he didn't do much but it felt like he did. I'm sure it's all mental!! I was also doing wide grip jumping pull-ups. I liked these better, I had some momentum damnit! LOL When you start out just hanging it's soooo hard. I'm such a weenie I tell ya. My biceps have gotten stronger and are showing some development, but my chest & tri's....puny. I was doing bench press today with Jon, I thought he was going to laugh. He mustered up the words "ummmm, yeah let's just say that's your weak area". BAAAHAHAHAHA!!! Ok so yeah...need to work on the chest. Point taken.

We're leaving tomorrow to head back to IA for a 4-day weekend. He hasn't been back there to visit family yet so that's the plan. My Mother will have strict orders to tape Grey's Anatomy and The Office for me b/c there is NO WAY I will be missing those shows. Jon knows how much I want to see them & I know he wants to too, so.....worse comes to worst, we'll be stopping at a hotel for the night. LOL

I won't be back until Monday night so I'll try to update again early next week. BTW- we're hoping to have an apt sometime next month, so once I am settled into our own place, I will be much better about updating and checking in on all of you! I miss my blends and reading about all of you! xoxo

PHOTOS!!

Here's a picture of a happy boy around 7am, waiting for Daddy to get to the hangar.
Once the guys all made it into the hangar and into formation, I was able to look at Jon, but couldn't do anything but that. It was so hard to watch him standing there and not run to him. He's the one right under the "H", smiling at me. :)
By this point, Aiden was getting tired, cranky, and upset. He wasn't in the mood for pictures and wouldn't go to anyone but me. It was a little hard seeing him like that around Daddy, but it's getting better now that we're home.



Eating- BAD. Workouts- DECENT. The weekend was pretty much gluttony, but I did get to the gym this morning. My eating has been better today, but not 100%. Still missing some protein here, some good carbs there. I don't want things to get too out of hand b/c there's only 1 month until St. Lucia!! I've got to look great in a bikini AND fit into that dress that was just taken IN around the chest, hips, waist...all over! LOL I'm just feeling really good right now, it's hard to let some poor choices in food get me down. I'm such a lucky woman to have all that I have, sometimes you just have to sit back and take a deep breath- to realize just how blessed we really are.

The flight kept getting delayed...so I was up at midnight, his flight didn't actually get in until 7:30am, and I was able to see him by about 7:50am. We were waiting in the hangar for about an hour for the plane to land, it felt like forever!! Aiden was such a trooper being woken up around 5am, but by the time all the guys were there and with all the cheering, he was a little scared and wasn't in the best of moods. Nothing could've made me sad though, it was the best day of my year. :D

OK, blogger sucks. I can't get my pics to download right now. I'll try posting them soon!!!! Thanks everyone for all the great compliments! All I can say is...

LIFE IS GOOD.

Time's a tickin!

Eleven hours folks!!! That's right, 11hrs until his flight lands. I have to be up by 2:30am to shower, look cute, and be at the hangar waiting for the plane to land. You better believe I'll be posting pictures of this. :)

Hey ya'll, thanks for the compliments on my two favorite guys! They're pretty special to me!!! Guess what, I am now counting DAYS. That's right, days. Can't say how many, but it's coming up soon. I've been making Welcome Home posters with photos on them as well, and Aiden has colored on a couple posters too. I'm going to put up balloons & streamers in Jon's office along with the posters, and next week I'm baking sugar cookies with yummy frosting to decorate and leave on his desk. I'm going to try extra hard not to eating too many during the baking process, lol. I'll try to take some pictures to share once everything's decorated.
Workouts are great. I've been doing my plan to a "T". Heading back to the gym on Tues, Thur, & Sat for my 2nd workout hasn't been as fun as I'd like, lol, but I'm doing it. Yesterday I was supposed to go back for my UBWO and was soooo drained. My energy took a major fall and my mood was in the gutter. I was so emotional and then Jon called, I was a mess. Along with this, I've been getting nosebleeds! What's up with that? I haven't had one in years and yesterday I had 2. One was so bad I didn't know it (b/c I was crying on the phone with Jon) and there was blood dripping from my face all over my shorts & my hands. Nice huh. Anyone know what could be causing these?
My diet has been clean, in exception of one slip-up yesterday. I was having major cravings, the worst since moving here. I opened the freezer and STARED at the ice cream. I went back and forth about eating it. I settled for ONE EL Fudge cookie. Not too much damage I don't think. Other than that, I've been drinking water constantly and eating very strict. The Syntrax Nectar has been great. I'm mixing the flavor Roadside Lemonade with lemon propel and it tastes great. I have this a couple times each day. Such a great way to get in the protein without a lot of calories.
I hope everyone is doing well, I haven't had a lot of computer time since moving here, and when I do, I'm checking email from Jon or jumping on the blends forum. This next couple weeks are going to be crazy (in a GREAT way) but after that I should be settled a bit and be able to update more often. =)

I really did try to update my blog this week, but blogger was NOT cooperating! So here I am, finally posting something new. What? You want to see more photos? LOL The very first picture was taken the day Jon deployed last year. The rest were taken within the past two weeks.

This was taken last free day after making brownies. =)

Hey ya'll, happy Monday. =) You're right Casey, we need breaks from our blogs but not too long! LOL Oh & I was cracking up about your comment on the pic of my hubby. Isn't he totally weighed down with all that equipment?! Just think, there's also a bullet-proof vest under the uniform that weighs 30-40lbs (can't remember which). I've tried that thing on before and OMG, it's so heavy and then you add the uniform and the rest of the equipment. Oh, and the 130degree heat. WTF? I would pass out.

I can't say the date of my husband's return, but let's just say I am finally saying "weeks" instead of "months". Wooohooo! I can't believe I'm actually counting the days now. I'm afraid to though b/c of what happened last time we had a date (it was postponed a month), but what do we have if we don't have hope? I need to hang on to something. I can't wait until I'm telling you all about the homecoming ceremony. It's going to be pretty cool. Remember the butterflies you get when you're first dating, that first kiss, etc... I swear it's like that all over again. At least that's how it was when he came home for his 2wk leave in Feb. I was shaking & my heart was racing in the airport, I was that excited.

I was very hesitant to post this photo since I have the same suit as Lori & in NO WAY want to be compared to that hot bod!! She looks incredible! I just wanted to see how it looked since I'm taking it with us on our trip to St. Lucia. I don't see much improvement in muscle yet, but I think I'm leaning down a little. I've been "on it" 100% since getting to TN. My workouts are intense and my eating is clean clean. These next 2wks I've started new goals (working up to Jon's return, =) ). I'm cutting out dairy & I'm not eating any starchy carbs after 2pm. I'm doing 45-60min cardio 6x/wk on an empty stomach and am lifting 3x/wk. My lifting sessions have been around 75-90min. I want to lean out as much as possible before he gets home. This girl wants to look HOT! hehe

Just looked at my blog title, funny....the countdown is really closing down now. Will have to change that verrrrry soon. =) Thanks for checking in on me ya'll. Can't describe how much the support means.

I know I've been slacking BIG TIME on my blog, so I wanted to post something today. This is a pic my hubby sent, he is the hottie on the left. ;)

Workouts- CHECK! Clean Eating- CHECK! Go me. See how boring I am? I don't feel like I have anything with substance to post, so I'll just share a pic for today. =)

Being back in TN is going to be GREAT for my health, lol. My eating is right on and my workouts have been awesome. I did a LBWO yesterday and am having soreness in all the right places today...love it. Since I arrived here on a Tues evening, we started on Wed and I wanted to workout each bodypart this week. It looked like this:

Wed- Chest & Tri's, 40min cardio
Thurs- Back & Bi's, 30min cardio
Friday- Shoulders, Calves, & Abs, 40min cardio
Saturday- 10min warmup on treddy, Leg workout

I'm going to put together a new routine today for the next four weeks. The challenges on the new forum are going to help me too. I haven't had much computer time here, but I've been able to check in right quick here & there if Aiden is napping, or after he's gone to bed. I need to update my blog more now, or get into a routine of listing my workouts each day or something. I know things will get crazy next month when Jon gets home though. Keep saying next month, don't I? I hope to get to say next WEEK or TOMORROW someday soon! LOL

My friend has been doing great on her workouts & eating too, and today is.....FREE DAY! LOL I'm going to try not to overdo it (we say that a lot don't we? hehe), we'll see. We've planned to get some cheesy pizza & a DQ Blizzard at some point. Yum Yum.

Getting settled

Well I made it safely and I think I'm finally getting settled in. I unpacked the rest of my things today and even got in a great workout this morning! I've missed being able to go to a gym. It was nice to have access to all the equipment & weights...but I don't miss having to sign up for a stinkin treadmill! UGH. Some chick asked me to get off b/c she signed up for the 10am slot. I said, ummmm my watch says 9:54 *said somewhat in a smart ass way*. She says yeah well my watch is a little fast but it's time. I'm thinking "whatever" and just got off. I only had about 2min left and I was pretty annoyed that the end of my workout was so rudely interrupted. See, it will take some getting used to. No one on those country roads ever told me my time was up. LOL
So we're planning to wake up early every morning and take turns hitting the gym. I've eaten super clean all day and even went grocery shopping so the kitchen is stocked! My friend is totally on board with the clean eating, so this may be my time to really lean down. =) I wasn't too good last week, so it felt awesome to have a great workout AND eat clean all day. Feel the fire burnin... ;)
I also joined the mini-challenge on the blends forum. Look out peeps. hehehe

Ok I'd better get ready for bed. I haven't had a chance to relax since...umm...couple weeks ago? lol Nah it just seems like it's been go-go-go since we got here. I hope everyone is doing great & working out hard....eating clean....drinking water...all that jazz. =) And thanks for checkin in on me.

Quick Update

Sorry I have been MIA for a while now! I've been packing and packing....and packing some more. I've felt so overwhelmed trying not to forget anything. The truck is almost fully loaded and I've just got some last minute things to pack. I'm planning to get up early and finish loading the truck then get Aiden up, dressed, & fed....then hit the road. Only 9hrs on the road tomorrow! LOL I bought a very nice portable dvd player yesterday so this trip will be much easier. Aiden will get to watch Blues Clues & other movies all day long. This HAS to make the road trip better. Poor kid has to be strapped down for that long in a vehicle, the least I can do is give him a good show to watch ;)
Ok, I'm off to pack more and then get to bed. I'll update once I'm in TN and settled. I can't wait to get back into a good routine.

I think maybe I need to start doing either 7wk or 8wk challenges rather than 12. I always seem to go to crap around that timeframe. lol In other words, it's Tuesday and I'm acting like it's still free day (which was actually Saturday!). No workouts and eating has been pretty lousy. No bingeing, thank goodness, but not the best quality choices. I've snuck candy here and there, and even some ice cream yesterday afternoon. BAH! I was on a roll for about 2wks there, gotta find it again. I'm loving the new Blends Forum too, big thanks to Jess for setting that up. =) Maybe seeing all the motivation there will give me a nice kick in the butt to get back on track.

I had the 5K Saturday & then played slowpitch softball all day. We lost our first game @ 4pm, and then won both games at 9pm & at 10pm. After that I went home and showered up to head back to the bar for my best friend's birthday party. There was a band with a street dance so it was a good time. I only had 2 drinks but was feeling pretty good. That's right, I'm a lightweight. Ever tried SPARKS? It was a new beer or something but that stuff tastes just like Red Bull. YUMM-O. I'm sure it was full of sugar but damn was it good, and I was feeling pretty good.

Sunday we had another softball game and lost. I wasn't too bummed b/c if we'd kept winning, we'd have to play up to 4 games, ugh. I love sports and I'm very competitive, but in that 100 degree weather, I was fine with playing only one game. Plus I played in left-center field so I was running my ass like crazy. I had some great hits too. Nothing feels better than cranking over a guy's head in the outfield b/c he'd moved in thinking "a girl won't hit it this far". hehehe

Alright, enough rambling for today. Not much going on as you can tell. Only a week until we leave for TN. There is just so much to pack. I hope I can get it all squeezed in the truck. I'm ready to get there and get settled into a routine. My friend has been calling, excited for me to get there and start working out. :) I'm ready for it too.

24:32

That was my time today in the 5K. I finished 1st Female Overall, and 7th Place Overall. I'm not sure of the exact number, but they said there were 60-70ppl who ran. What a runner's high! It felt great. My cousin Kurt finished 1st Place Overall. Of course we had to take pictures!

Carb Cycling

Ok, some of you need to update your blogs! What is a girl to do when her toddler is sleeping and she's bored out of her mind? Clean? Do something productive? Nope. Just not feelin the vibes today. lol
The past few days I've been re-reading through BFFM and going through different articles on fitness websites....various diets, workouts, etc. I found some great webpages, had them all up on my screen......and I'll be damned if the power didn't go out of me. Fun times. Anyway, I've been reading up on carb cycling, and I just might be willing to give it a shot here soon. There's only about 1 1/2 wks until I leave for TN though, so I think I'll wait until I'm there and settled to begin. I'll get there on a Tuesday night, so that gives me the rest of the week to settle in, get into a wake up & workout routine, and shop for some healthy eats. I know it can be key to count your calories and figure out your C/P/F ratios, but I had the biggest headache today trying to write up an eating plan and get all the ratios just right. One article on Bodybuilding.com states to have High, Low, & No Carb Days. One way to carb cycle in BFFM has you doing 3 Low Carb Days followed by a High Carb Day. The Bodybuilding article took me by surprise when I read that it lists "mayonnaise" and "heavy whipping cream" in the FATS section. As in, the fats you can eat while doing this. Wow. Never thought I'd see those on the list. BFFM kept it more like you'd imagine for your fats- Fish oil, Flax oil, natural pb, avocado, etc... other than that, they were pretty similar. I don't usually count calories, and I think this may be why I feel like I've stalled. Could I be under eating? I know the whole "Eat to Lose" thing but I wonder if I'm missing the mark. I feel like I'm eating a lot but when I tried adding it up, I really think I'm falling too short on the calories. Time to eat up.

A small piece of advice-

Don't eat meatloaf before a workout. I didn't think I was going to be able to go to the gym until around 6pm, and I found myself ravenous around 3pm, so I thought I'd eat a portion of meatloaf for my mid-afternoon meal. Normally I stick to something light like a protein shake and some fruit...nothing too big or heavy. Well around 4pm I was able to go to the gym, and mid-workout I thought I was going to puke up meatloaf. I don't know if it was that intense of a workout that I wanted to puke, or if it was just the food not settling well. I think it was the latter, but I'll try to tell myself I was really working that hard. LOL I felt sick the whole drive home and was so light-headed and sick for about 20min once I was home. Finally I had a protein shake and then a shower, and I feel a lot better. My workout was a good one though, and different than anything I'd done.

I started out with 10min on the treadmill to get warmed up. Next I started in with some walking lunges and wall squats. Those wall squats are so hard! I had to really focus to keep my hands from going to my thighs, and my back from leaning away from the wall. I kept alternating those and then started in with pull-ups. The only rest between any of these was when I'd walk to one side of the gym and back, then I'd start in on the next exercise. I threw in some jump squats...I did hanging leg raises and ball crunches....bicycle crunches and reverse crunches. More wall squats and walking lunges...more pull-ups. I'm not sure how long I did this but I was gasping for air. Next I went into leg presses followed by seated leg curls. I finished the workout with squat thrusts, jumping in between. I'm glad no one saw me doing those b/c I looked pathetic! By this point my body was so drained that I probably looked like a rag doll. The meatloaf was begging to come up. I may have been in the gym for about 45-50min and it was enough, I felt like collapsing. And here I'd only planned on running on the treadmill today. Running on the treadmill would've been a cake-walk compared to this. I'm going to be hurtin tomorrow.

Did I mention I'm running that 5K on Saturday? I've been nervous about meeting my goal of 26min. I'll be happy if it's under 27min. ;) I'll run some hills tomorrow and don't plan on doing cardio Friday. My legs should feel good by then too.

Hey guys, thanks for all the compliments on my dress. I hope my hubby has the same thoughts! =)

I've been thinking a lot lately about next month. Aiden & I are planning to leave IA on the 8th to drive down to TN. We'll be staying with my friend and her son. We decided to go down then even though Jon still won't be home until mid-Sept. Her husband deploys to Iraq on the 7th, so this will help her from being lonely too. I was thinking about how I was going to keep up with my diet & workout routine while there. I was talking to her on the phone and I've got her convinced to do BFL! She asked what she needs to buy to get ready for it and I told her just to get the book and read it. I know that's what got me excited. The only thing I'm worried about is that she's going to see me doing things a bit differently and I don't want her to try and change the program. She's looking to lose about 35lbs and I'd like for her to stick to the program before trying to make tweaks. It will be hard to explain to her that it's totally fine and GOOD to eat a potato at dinner....yet I'm not. Know what I'm saying? Why would I tell her it's ok if I'm not? That may be very hard to explain. It's just that I've lost the weight and I'm just looking to lean down right now. How exactly will I explain to her why I'm cutting down on dairy and not eating starchy carbs later in the day....or how I'm trying not to eat after 6pm when BFL states to eat just before bed if it means getting that 6th meal in. Hmmmm, or why I'm doing a heck of a lot more cardio than 20min 3x/wk. I don't want her to worry about these things in her first challenge. I stuck to those things my 1st challenge and had great results. I just don't want to confuse her.
The great news about this is that I will have a babysitter! We've agreed to be each other's childcare for workouts. I only hope this will work in the morning since I like to workout on an empty stomach. I'm ok with it though, if I have to wait until mid-morning or afternoon. A good workout later in the day is so much better than no workout at all!
My eating has been going great lately. Last week was the best I'd had in a long time and this past free day was probably the best too. I didn't plan any cheat meals, I just grazed on a few things here and there...and I wasn't sick that night! Imagine that. LOL I almost didn't take one but I knew come mid-week I'd be craving something and I'd remember "hey I didn't take one on Sunday so it's ok" and that could lead to a disaster. So, I'm going to add a clean week to the books! One tiny confession, last night I had a couple fireballs, so after all that talk of clean eating I can't say I was 100% yesterday. But other than that, I'm doing GREAT! I will be in wk9 when I drive down to TN and I really want to make the last 3wks good. This is so similar to C1, I was in wk9 when Jon deployed and everything just went to crap! Not this time folks. I WILL finish this challenge with a BANG! I won't let the travel and being away from my normal surroundings destroy my goals! I'm counting on my blends to keep me accountable!!! ;)

The Dress

I tried my dress on last night for my Dad. It just didn't feel the same this time when I tried it on. Maybe it was because I wasn't standing up above everyone and surrounded by mirrors? LOL Just seemed different. I think I'll like it more once I'm on the beach only a few feet from the OCEAN!!!

I wanted something simple and didn't want to spend too much- this dress was originally $400 and I got it at their $99 sale! I was very excited about this bargain buy. Of course the veil I bought cost $99 all on it's own, the same as the dress! Just crazy. It's not in any of these pics though b/c it just didn't look right. I'm sure it will be beautiful outside on the beach though.


I'm getting it fitted next month in TN (has to be taken in around the hips. It's a sz6 & the consultant even said they run small, WOOOHOOOO!), so I'll have to keep my workouts going and my diet clean. Boy would that suck if I couldn't fit into it come October! LOL

Ok, pity party over! Sorry for the depressing post, I just had a shitty day. Today at least brought some better news- I was able to postpone the trip so that we'll be flying out of Chicago on October 8th, just 2wks later. Someone just pass the whiskey if this date falls through. I was so stressed about this and now that it seems to be ok, I can breathe again. I can also say that I didn't fall into any tubs of ice cream and no packages of oreos have made it into my possession. Not that I didn't think about it, but I didn't act on those thoughts. Go me. Thanks for all the support guys. It was so good to read all your comments and you did cheer me up. I'll confess that I did miss my workout but my eating has been squeaky clean.
I've spent the better part of today on the phone making appts, changing dates, etc.- my yearly exam (oh how fun), a fitting for my dress, Travel agent, emails to the resort... Oh yes and IM'ing Jules! You are the BEST!! I'm trying to learn this whole digital scrapbooking thing, so we'll see how it goes. I'm strongly considering purchasing the software this weekend.

Did I mention that I bought my dress yesterday? Yes, after hearing that shitty news, I went on to try on several wedding dresses at David's Bridal. Now I know what you're thinking, "she's already married???". Well I never had a wedding dress and felt I deserved one, so I bought one at their big sale to wear when we renew our vows in St. Lucia. I felt like a princess and I'm so glad I got it. I couldn't believe the deal I got, it's just insane. It's funny b/c I went in there wanting something strapless, that's what I've always had in my mind that I wanted. I told the consultant that I wasn't even interested in halters. Ha. Well the dress I ended up buying is a halter. It's just gorgeous and I have to say I felt beautiful in it. Very simple, very elegant, yet sexy. Another thing, I didn't want a veil b/c I'd heard that's inappropriate for a vow renewal. Well all the consultant's disagreed & said it's gorgeous for a beach ceremony so I agreed to try one on. I fell in love. I can't believe what a difference it makes. It's the cathedral length, for some reason the short one just looked silly or something. Anyway, my Dad wants to see me in it, so I'll try to have a couple pics taken to show you all.

Ok I've spent WAY too much time on the computer today. I hope everyone is having a great Friday, and have an even better weekend. Hugs to you all for the incredible amount of support.

I don't even know how to feel right now. I'm sad, I'm angry, I'm lonely, I'm frustrated, and I'm just all-out pissed. Jon called today & this morning they were told to stop getting ready for the redeployment, they're not coming home for yet another month. So....sometime mid-late September. That's past the one year mark. All of the men who thought they were coming home to their families- their wives, their kids, their parents, etc etc...were told it just wasn't going to happen for another month. My take on this is that a serious mission has come up and they can't leave. Just yesterday I had officially booked our renewal ceremony at our resort & was beginning to plan the details. Today, my mother, Aiden, & I were shopping for my dress to wear in the ceremony, the closest thing to a wedding dress I've owned. I feel like I was hit with a ton of bricks. I was so close to stopping for ice cream & oreos. Thank God I didn't b/c we all know it wouldn't make me feel any better. I've really been working hard, believing that I'll be seeing my husband in a matter of weeks. Looks like that thought is now shot to hell.

I'm happy to say everything this week is going great. I was hesitant to post about my eating, because it seems like once I do, I start to slip. I'm feeling good though, so I'm going to anyway. I haven't had any binges and my eating has been right on. I've omitted starchy carbs from the last 1/2 of the day and since reading Jennifer's post, I've stopped eating after 6pm. Well, my last meal of the day is at 6pm. She's so right about feeling lean the next morning. I swear I actually have nice abs in the morning! LOL

Todays workout:

Treadmill-
20min- 15%incline, 3.8mph
20min- 2%incline, 7.0mph
Jump Rope-
500jumps

Pull Ups-
10 overhand
10 underhand
5 L arm over, R arm under
5 R arm over, L arm under

Abs-
Hanging leg raises- 10, 15
Hanging knee crunches- 10x2
Hanging side knee crunches- 2x5/side
Ball crunches- 25


On August 8th, I'll be driving down to TN and staying with a friend. We're hoping Jon's flight gets in sometime within that next week. I'll be there until Labor Day weekend and then we'll be coming back to IA, then back to TN again until around Sept 20th. Jon & I leave for Chicago on the 23rd and our flight leaves for St. Lucia that next morning. August & September are going to be so busy, but I look forward to every minute of it.

Good news on the VS clothing, I've finally received it, and I love it all! The brown dress only came in size Medium and it is a little big especially in the chest area (damnit) but with a nice padded strapless bra, it works. The sandals are cool but are going to give me blisters I can tell. I ordered 2 tanks also and absolutely LOVE THEM. They both have sequins, I can't quite describe them, but one is going to look so good going out for dinner or something, very sexy. I can thank the ever so wonderful Donna for the tanks, since she gave me a VS giftcard for my bday. SHE ROCKS!!!

I've got a question for the BFL'ers out there. Think about when you first started BFL. Have you noticed that since then, you find yourself being so much more strict with dieting and with your workouts? I don't know if it's just me or if other people have noticed this too. I used to eat out of the EFL book daily and just worry about eating 6x/day. Now, it's like I want to eat for a competition or something but the problem is I can't handle that type of diet. Helloooooo Melissa you're not competing, don't expect to be able to eat like that. I try to then when I can't I get discouraged & of course that leads to a binge. I remember being able to eat SF jello and not worry about it being a processed food. I remember eating a banana without worrying about the amount of sugar in it. It's a piece of fruit! WTF? I don't know, sometimes I think I just need to cool it and cut myself some slack. Only problem is, when I do that, I think it means I can eat trail mix & pb all day long.

Heat Wave

Is the heat & humidity ever going to end? Here I am bitching about the heat when Jon's in 130 degree heat overseas, lol. It's been between 95-105 here the past week & I'm ready for it to cool down already! You know what that kind of humidity can bring too.....STORMS. Our satellite is out now and I'm hoping the power doesn't fail while I type this. I hope it doesn't hail like the news said it's supposed to. Hail damage SUCKS.

About the Barlean's Flax Oil- I purchased it after reading on Skwigg's site that taking the capsules is pretty much worthless. You have to take 14 capsules to equal the amount in 1Tbsp of the oil. I compared it to my bottle when I got it and, yup, 14 capsules! So I've started taking 1Tbsp early in the day. The first day I tried putting it in my shake. NASTY. I could taste it the entire time and for at least 4hrs afterwards, I was burping it. BLECH! I dreaded taking it again! I tried again the next morning, but this time I just plugged my nose & took it straight from the spoon...tried not to breathe...and chugged a ton of water. Then I immediately started in on my protein shake. Problem solved! Couldn't taste it afterwards & no burpies. I think it's helping curb my cravings, but who knows, I might just be hoping it's having that effect. I'd thought about taking another Tbsp with lunch, but realized that my $20 bottle only contains 31 servings. One month. That's a little expensive for me, especially when you consider the other supplements.

I had a mild freak-out last week when I stepped on the scale and it had jumped up 5lbs. Now I'm not trying to bulk up here so I about shit myself when I saw that # on the scale. I know where my weight generally hangs out at, and I hadn't seen this # on the scale since C1. DAMN. The wheels started turning and I realized I had started taking Betagen again, and that had to be the reason. I'd never experienced this before while taking it, so I didn't understand the gain. I started thinking about it and was wondering why I was taking it now anyway? I just want to lean down for the trip. I think I just really liked how fast I recovered from workouts while on it. Anyway, I stopped it and will resume that later.....AFTER the trip. I really hope the scale goes back down. It stayed up for about a week which I don't understand (even after free days or cheats I've always managed to get it back down after 1-2days of clean eating), but I think it's finally moving in the downward direction. I think I've hit a plateau in my workouts too, it was time for a change. So on Saturday I did a full-body lifting routine and it kicked my ass!! Today I hit the gym (avoided the 100 degree heat!) and had a pretty good workout, & was dripping in sweat!

jump rope- 300jumps
treadmill 15%incline- 10min
jump rope- 300jumps
treadmill 15%incline- 10min
jump rope- 300 jumps
upright bike- 10min
jump rope- 200 jumps

Pull-ups
Abs

I was in a bit of a time crunch today as I only had about 50min of childcare. It felt great and I'm hoping that by changing up my cardio a bit, I can bust through this plateau. I have 3wks until Aiden & I leave to drive down to TN, and just under 4wks until Jon gets home. I'm also running in a 5K on July 29th so I can't cut out my running altogether. The course is on a big ass hill so I'm nervous about my goal of 26min. I'm hoping the race day adrenaline will carry me through it.

Last night we went to see "You, Me, & Dupree". Very cute movie. Here are a few pics we took before going out. BTW- We did NOT plan on dressing so much alike! That was pure coincidence!


Isn't Melanie beautiful? She's been like my sister since I was born. Her mother & my mother are sisters so of course that makes us cousins. I grew up with boys & she has one brother, so we became best buddies at a young age. I'm happy to say we're still close & I'll always see her as the sister I never had.
We started the evening at Applebee's. We ordered an appetizer & drinks. I had a glass of Sangria (YUM) and then a mango martini. It was nice to sit with a friend and have a girlie drink. Whenever going out I usually stick to beer b/c I don't get nearly as sick as I do with liquor. At the movies we snuck in some munchies from the gas station (bad, I know!), but we've done that since we were kids...you know, with the big purse? Ok so we learned that from our Moms. LOL I had about 1/2 of the small bag of trailmix & some chocolate she'd bought. I think I just had a free day, haha. I had a good time, it was just what I needed.

I headed out and ran 5K this morning to try & sweat out some of my indulgences. I feel so much better in the morning after a good run! I'll still lift today as well. My Barlean's Flax Oil arrived yesterday so I'll start taking that today. I hope it will do just what I've read it will do: cut down on the cravings & speed up fat loss! I figure it can't hurt and I know it's good for me, so I'll start taking 1Tbsp of that early in the day. Does anyone know how much you're supposed to have a day? I've heard to take it 2-3/day and I've read just to take it early in the day. Not sure which is best. Alright, well, I'm off to feed the little guy. I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend!!

Any Input?

Hey thanks for all the Happy Birthday's yesterday!! I feel so loved. hehe =)

Unfortunately I didn't do much of anything yesterday. My cousin & I were going to go to the movies, but she didn't want to be out late on a Thursday night b/c of work the next morning. So....tonight we're going to a movie. Yes, that's right. I have a date. I may not get any action tonight, but I'm going outside the house without a kid! I'll take it! ;)

Question: Which movie indulgence would be worse? Popcorn & chocolate or Trail Mix (the kind with m&m's in it). I know that it would be more wise to choose niether and drink water throughout the flick, but I'm just not in the "be smart & healthy" mood today. I'm going to the gym this afternoon for lots of cardio & lifting (which we all know is no excuse for eating crappy), but at least I won't be sitting on my ass all day AND eating shitty tonight. I'm trying to tell myself that the trail mix isn't too bad b/c it has nuts in it which offers some kind of nutritional value, but let's not fool ourselves, there's a lot of fat there when you overdo it, & that's a strong possibility. Hmmmmmm....what would you do?

Another year older

Well tomorrow is my birthday and I have absolutely no plans. But good 'ol Birthday Reminder online sent me my astrology report. I think it's pretty dead on to be honest...

Section 1: How You Approach Life and How You Appear To Others
You are very strong-willed and proud, but intensely private and not easy to know well. Behind your quiet exterior lies a great deal of emotional depth, sensitivity, complexity, and also fierce determination. When you want something you go after it rather quietly but insistently and wholeheartedly - and you usually get it. Find out more with your full-length reading...

Section 2: The Inner You: Your Real Motivation
You have powerful emotional attachments to the past, your family, your childhood, those places you associate with safety and security and your beginnings. Maintaining a connection with your roots and heritage and keeping family bonds strong are very important to you. Loyal, devoted, and sentimental, you tend to cling to whatever is dear to you, be it person, familiar place, or cherished possession. Find out more with your full-length reading...

Oh and I also received a lovely bday package in the mail from Jon...some clothes from Victoria's Secret! Wooohooo! I'll try to take some pictures soon to post and show you all what he sent. He did send a few things though, that I certainly won't be posting pictures of me in. LMAO!!

One Year

Well today marks my official one year anniversary of BFL. I remember borrowing my SIL's BFL book and reading it over the 4th of July weekend, promising to start it on the 11th. It's funny to look back at my first "before" photo, b/c I remember dimming the lights to take it, thinking that would help me from looking too terrible. I walked out covered in a towel and dropping it only for the few seconds required to let Jon take the picture. I was so embarassed, standing there bulging out of the only 2-pc bikini I owned. I felt like the chubby wife next to the very fit & athletic husband. I NEVER want to be that wife. I know you've all seen it and thought "Wow, wonder how SHE got HIM?" or "he could do so much better". Well, that's what I had going on in my head anyway. I didn't want anyone to look at me and think that. So, I started my first challenge. I was doing so well, I never cheated and did everything exactly as the book states. I was doing really well, until week 9 hit and Jon was preparing to deploy. I went to a deployment briefing and left so depressed...and stopped at the convenience store on the way home for Jack Daniels & oreos. LOL What a combination huh, of course the oreos were my idea. I know a few of you were reading my blog back then, and you'll remember me talking about how many oreos I ate that week. It was terrible! Week 10 didn't get any better. I tried going to the gym and just sat on the bike in tears...so that workout didn't go so well! LOL I finished that week by packing up the house and cleaning to move out, then moving everything back to IA for a year. Needless to say, I was a pathetic mess for a little while and never took my final 12wk pics for C1. I was disappointed in myself, but proud of what I'd done in 10wks. I'd never stuck to anything that hard and kept everything so strict. Go me. =)

Onto C2...and C3. What a joke. I was cheating by day 3 and free day always lasted more than a day. It was sad. I never really wrote down any goals or anything, nor did I finish either of them. C4 actually didn't go too bad. I didn't make too many drastic changes in pics, but my running improved tremendously as I prepared for the 20k. This brings me to my current challenge, which is actually going pretty well. I've gone back to my daily check-in's on tracker and reading fitness sites to stay motivated. It doesn't hurt that I know Jon will be home in ONE MONTH and in TWO MONTHS we'll be getting ready to hit the beach in the caribbean!! You hear that folks, NEXT MONTH MY HUSBAND IS COMING HOME FROM IRAQ! I can't believe it's only a month away. What a year.

I know that I wouldn't have made it through this year as well as I did without the support here. I've made so many new blends, I remember starting this blog with only, maybe, two or three people reading my blog occasionally. But those 3 people who commented would just make my day with each little "you can do it" or "I'm here for you". You know who you are & I can't thank you enough. Now I've found my list of blends really adding up and when you all check in on me and offer words of encouragement, it really means a lot to me.

So, one year down and I think I've made some pretty big improvements. I wonder what I can do in the next year??

The Verdict...

You all are awesome! I ask for opinions, and VOILA! OPINIONS! This is funny though...I had kept the whole "backordering" thing in mind b/c I don't want to order anything that's on backorder. These things WERE available when I chose them. Well the one that I decided was the best (and was definitely a favorite by you all) was the brown one. It must be a favorite by other shoppers my size as well. DAMNIT. In a medium, it's on backorder until 9/5! In a small, 7/22. I just don't want to mess with backordering. So I found a dress that isn't quite as pretty, but very similar. (Of course this one is more expensive!) Oh, and the yellow one was on backorder too. Sigh.
I'm sticking with these sandals, although they are the most expensive item! Maybe I should use Jim's idea and go barefoot. That sure would help out the 'ol bank acct.
I ordered this skirt in the color white. I wanted something to slip on to go out to the beach over my bikini bottoms.
I stuck with the green dress b/c it's available in my size, LOL. Unlike the others! UGH. I was thinking about getting it in a different color, but, I really don't own anything green and it's vacation, so what the hell. It's a pretty green, I think.

Thanks for all the input!! I really appreciate it. Now I just hope these things fit when they get here, otherwise it's back to square one!

Opinions Please!!!

Ok ya'll, I know you all have such FABULOUS taste, so I need your help! I'm looking at dresses to buy for our trip, and these are a few that I like. I really like the shoes too. For the last pic, I would get the color "natural", b/c I could wear it with several different outfits. Which dresses here do you like? I will probably get a couple different ones...just keep in mind that my boobs have shrunk and some dresses need a nice rack to look good. ;) So let the opinions fly!!!

Happy 4th!

After having practically two free days in a row, I'm back to clean eating for the week. I went to a big BBQ on Sunday for a 4th of July celebration, so not much is planned for today. I think I need to hold off on taking pictures for a while. After taking those last ones, then reading all the incredibly nice comments, I seemed to think it was ok to pig out both Sunday and Monday. Now I feel bloated and I swear my stomach is ballooning out. I won't dare bring a measuring tape up to my waist right now, lol. I even *gasp* stepped on the scale this morning. I'm not one to look at it and think "oh well I might as well keep on eating". Instead it makes me get my butt out the door and start running! HA. I was up 4lbs after two days. I'm fairly aware of my weight range and where I should be at most times. I'm usually anywhere between 135-140. So if I start to creep up into the 140's, I know I've been slacking. I know 2 days isn't much, but boy does my stomach feel like it was at least a week. Today I woke up and ran 4.5 miles and it felt great. I've learned that I cannot take a day without cardio AND without lipo6. LOL It has baaaaad effects. So today I took my happy dose of energy and ran.

I realized that some of you have asked questions that I haven't answered. First, I apologize it's taken so long to answer! As far as which protein mix I use, it's been Optimum Nutrition Gold Whey- flavor Rocky Road. I just ran out so I've reordered some in Chocolate and a 2lb tub of vanilla. I had bought some cheap vanilla and it SUCKS. Don't stray from what you know when it comes to vanilla. I really liked the rocky road but want to go back to chocolate as it's always been a favorite. One kind of protein mix that is absolutely OUTSTANDING, is Chocolate Probolic-SR. It's made with water and when mixed in the blender with some ice, it's fantastic. I would've ordered it again but in a 2lb tub, I swear the sucker was only 1/2 full. It didn't last long. But if you are willing to pay a higher price, it's de-lish.

Amy, you'd asked if I'd changed anything lately. To be honest, I've just actually been sticking to my exact plan, rather than missing a workout here and there. I've been doing around 40min of cardio on an empty stomach on Mon, Wed, & Fri...60min on Saturday...and 20-30min of interval training on Tues & Thurs. My lifting days have been M, T, TH, & Sat. I do Chest, Shoulders, Tri's, & Abs on Mon & Thurs...Legs, Back, Bi's, & Calves on Tues & Sat. I hope this makes sense!!

My diet has been similar to this:

M1 is one of these, 45-60min post w/o:
1) protein pancake w/ SF syrup
2) 1whole egg, 3whites (scrambled) & 1/3c oatmeal
3) protein shake & 1/3c oatmeal

M2- I choose one of these proteins & add a veggie & sweet potato
1) tuna w/light miracle whip & relish
2) chicken breast
3) fish
4) turkey meatloaf

M3- I add a piece of fruit
1) protein shake
2) protein pudding
3) string cheese

M4- same as M2

M5- protein shake


Sometimes I may add a meal between 1 & 2. It all depends on what time I'm able to get M1 in. I've always taken one free day/wk. I'd like to cut down to 2 free meals once August hits. We think Jon should be getting home around mid-Aug so I'd like those last couple weeks to be focused on leaning out. I'm not sure how some of you do that. I'll be honest, I can't handle just 2 free meals yet! LOL I hope this answers all of the questions, if anyone else wants to know anything, please feel free to ask.

Hope everyone is having a safe & happy holiday!! :)

3 weeks down...

New suit from VS just arrived

Hair pics

In this picture you can really see just how dark the bottom layers are.
I pulled it up to try and show the highlights...


Can you even tell that my hair is different? It's probably not that evident until you look close or see the bottom. It's supposed to lighten up a bit. I hope so b/c it still seems pretty dark (underneath, the bottom layers). Well, it's not that much of a change, but I like it and it always feels good to have a fresh cut. I just had the layers trimmed up so the ends aren't all dead. Again, nothing big, but something new.