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Monday, May 26, 2008

Training: Week 1/Day 1

This has got to be the hardest day in training right? The first day... going from nothing to running/walking was tougher than I thought. I figured: 5 minute warm up, alternating 60 seconds running, 90 seconds walking for 20 minutes then a 5 minute cool down, piece of cake! Reality check.. not as easy as it sounds. The first couple minutes was easy and I thought " wow, see I can do this!" Then I keep going for a few minutes " whew.. this is getting a little harder". About 3/4 of the way through it I thought " what in the world was I thinking!?" I was so far into that I absolutely refused to give up. And I didn't! I finished 1.92 miles. Not too shabby for a rookie. I feel good about it. I feel like it was a good work out and I didn't over do it.

I am making great progress on the second baby blanket! I am over half way done. I have about 10 days to get it done. I can't lose momentum now.

I have a couple days left in a 5 day shift at work. So many people ask me if it is a stressful job. I guess it can be but there are quite a few calls that end up being funny and a great story. Here's one from early this morning:
Me: "Fire, Medical Emergency"
Reporting Party (RP): Hello?
Me: Hi this is the fire department, what is your emergency
RP: Hello?
Me: Sir, this is the fire department, what is your emergency
RP: Hello?
Me: Sir, can your hear me?
RP: well, yes!
Me: Ok, what is the emergency?
RP: well, Im clammy
Me: Clammy?
RP: yes! and I have pain in my chest. I suffer from Ang.. uh ang.. you know.. that thing in your chest
Me: Angina? (pronounced an-j-i-na)
RP: ya! that's it! and I took one of those pills. those little ones.
Me: Nitro?
RP: Yes!
Me: Did it help?
RP: Well, no. Should I take another one?
Me: probably not. What is your address?
RP: Im getting to that.
Me: Ok..

It is a never ending guessing game being a dispatcher. But it keeps life fun and entertaining. I really do love my job! Non stop fun.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Going the Distance

I've been learning that weight loss is a lot of hard work. I want results now but I know that isn't the answer. I am stoked that I have lost 8 pounds so far. It has taken about 5-6 weeks. I fear I have hit a plateau of sorts. I know weight can fluctuate with water weight gain and such. People have given me plenty of advice. My biggest struggle is sticking with it. I have slacked on going to the gym lately. Im going to get back into it though. Someone told me it is best to measure your waist. It makes sense. Afterall, the goal is to feel better and look better. Weight is just a number.

In an attempt to increase calorie burn and strength training, I have decided to take up running. Crazy huh? Never in my life have I been a runner. I mean, ask my dad.. When I played soccer as a kid I spent more time chatting with Shannon Brown than I did actually running up and down the field playing the game. I did try a little bit harder with basketball. The only time I some-what enjoyed running was my freshman year of high school when I was on the track team. Brian and I did our warm up laps together. That was the extent of the enjoyment. I hated "running" the mile in high school. Why did they put us through that kind of torture? How mean! I walked most of it. Leasurely walked that is.. It was more of a social time and bonding with my friends though. Freshman P.E. was the beginning of a long, beautiful friendship with Jessica. A couple friends of mine back east have started running and gave me websites that have beginner training routines. 5 min warm-up, run 60 sec, walk 90 sec. Do that for 20 minutes 3 times a week. Not too bad right? My goal is to eventually run 5k (3 miles). So monday is the beginning of training.


Atleast I can go to the gym and run on the tredmill and I don't have to worry about this crazy weather! It is absolutely pouring right now. Isn't it usually africa hot during Memorial Day? I can't complain too much. It is a great day for sitting on the couch, crocheting baby blankets and watching reruns of old family favorites like Full House, Saved By the Bell, and Gilmore Girls. Brings back the memory of watching "TGIF" every friday night with the whole family. Full House, Step by Step, Family Matters. ahhh memories... They may be somewhat cheesy with their tender music and life lesson at the end but I still love them.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

The Sweet Taste of Victory

Yesterday was a full day of anticipation. What would happen on American Idol? I joined the LaTour's and Kristina for dinner and dessert. Jess made the yummiest Enchiladas! I savored each and every bite. She had me pick up some Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream. I wont lie, it was to die for. I still have about half the carton sitting in my freezer for a little treat tonight.

Being the smart one that she is, Jessica, had saved the audition episodes. While we were waiting for the show to start we walked down memory lane and watched the auditions. We laughed at those that thought they were something but honestly..my cat could sing better. Then the the others that were actually pretty good, made it to hollywood and then mysteriously got beat out by the not very talented Kristy Lee Cook. I honestly was not looking forward to the long 2 hour Finale show. I just wanted the results. I have been waiting all season for this moment. Speed it along people! However impatient I may have been, I did enjoy the show. I really loved both Davids. Their version of "hero" was awesome. It gave me chills and it was so fun seeing the top 12 again.

Of course there was plenty of trash talking going on from my paramedic friend. The ever sweet victory came at around 9:57pm when Ryan Seacrest said the most wonderful words I have heard all year " The 2008 American Idol is.. (dramatic pause) David (another pause) Cook". In a matter of 1 second I went from 27 yr old woman to 15 yr old high school girl. I leaped off the couch screaming and jumping around. I looked over and jess was jumping up and down on the couch screaming. I had a short flash back to the days me, jessica and our other high school friends had a "small" obsession with NSYNC. Then the text messages started to come in from brian.. "Jeff is sheepishly awaiting your text..." I relished the feeling of victory. Heck, i am STILL relishing the feeling of victory. You would think I won american idol. I know my 150-160 votes made a very very small dent in the 97 1/2 million votes that were cast tuesday night. Being the nice person I am, I told Jeff I would still make him his peach pie. His response: "You're the greatest. And I will be eating the humble pie in your greatness". Let's just hope he remembers that when I wake them up in the middle of the night for calls.
On the pie front... we will see how they taste. Out of all the goodies I have made, I have never made a pie from scratch. I bought the crust but everything else was fresh. Did you know it is a little difficult to peel a peach? I mean really, they are juicy, squishy, slippery and those little peels just want to hang on for dear life. I also made a caramel apple pie. I think that one turned out a little better. What a great day to make pies! It is a little cold and raining like crazy. The smell of cinnamon, brown sugar and warm desserts is filling my little apartment. Pictures: Peach Pie on the left, Caramel Apple on the right

It is the perfect time for a nap. I never have to nap alone though. As soon as I bring out a blanket some kind of sensor goes off that wakes Hunny up and she makes her way to the living room (meowing) and she hops up to join me. She cannot ,however, just lay down and go to sleep, she has to do "happy paws" for a good 5 minutes before she decides the spot is comfy enough to lay down. I just want to say " for the love, just lay down already" but if you disturb her it is like she starts all over. Its best to just suffer through and let her do her thing.

This evening I am off to the fire station to deliver their beloved pies then going to join Katie for a movie night. I love spending time with my sister in laws. They are both incredible people. I am so thankful that we are close and truly like sisters. It will be fun to kick back, play with my niece and watch a movie that I swear was based on my life story... 27 Dresses. A great movie about a woman that has been a bridesmaid 27 times. She runs around like a chicken with her head cut off to help out her soon to be married friends. A bunch of us girls saw it in the theater and I haven't watched it since. I can't wait! yay!



Wednesday, May 21, 2008

A case of insanity? nah..

Some people call it insanity.. I call it dedication! I voted my heart out last night for David Cook! I sent somewhere around 150-175 text votes. He better win! I think Simon was on drugs last night when he wasn't loving DC's songs! He did an incredible job. David A. was good though. The originality was lacking from David Archuleta. I just think David Cook has such an original sound. And let's be honest... that raspy voice is super hot!!!

As the hour of 8pm approached I was getting pounded with 911 calls. I was just praying everything would settle down by show time. Things finally slowed down around 830 or so. Didn't miss too much. I was trash talking to Station 81. One of the medics said from day 1 that David A. was going to win. I did create a little jealousy with the wonderful american idol star cookies. I told my brother,Brian, I would make " David Cook Rocks" cookies WHEN he wins and deliver them to our medic friend at the station on thursday. If David A. wins however, I may have to make humble pie or maybe some crow.

On the crocheting front I made some good progress. I can't lose momentum now. I have 17 days to finish. That should be plenty of time. I must commit to doing atleast 2 sections a day and I am good to go.

This was my first shift back to work after 3 weeks out of the office. Most nights I am consistently busy through out the night and there is little time for TV. Last night was fairly slow. My newest late night discovery is the food network. I know it has always been there and I have been know to watch "Ace of Cakes" but there are SO many more good shows to watch. "Drive Ins, Diners and Dives" for example. The food at the places the host went looked amazing. It made me want to hop in my car and try some of it. You better believe my DVR will now have scheduled recordings from the food network.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

It's Time!

Here we go.. "D" day in essence. The final performances on American Idol. I can't wait! Just over 2 hrs until the festivities begin. It is always a challenge to watch it at work but hopefully the night will start out slow. My co-worker and I are having a little "American Idol Final performance" party. I made taco 7 layer dip, "american idol" star cookies and we are having ice cream "microphone" cones. Call me a dork but I am SO excited.
Tomorrow night is the 2 hr finale. Im headed to the LaTours for a Finale Party. I am just slightly annoyed that the final show is 2 hrs long. My little heart just can't take all of the anticipation. Just tell me already!


I desperately want David Cook to win. My gut says David A. has a good chance because he has the teeny-bopper following. Hopefully the rest of our votes will over power the 12 yrs olds! My cell phone is charged, fired up and ready to text "vote" for David Cook. The voting lines should be open for a couple hours. You better believe I will texting my little heart out. Thank God for unlimited texting AND that AI uses AT&T. I sometimes I wish life came equipt with DVR so I could fast forward to the performances, watch them, then fast forward to the results.


While being distracted by the ending of American Idol, I realized I have two baby showers to go to on the same day in june. Luckily they are at different times so I can make it to both. It is crunch time however.. 2 babies means 2 baby blankets need to be made. I finished one and am am crocheting like crazy to finish the second. The second one has had a shakey start. It just wasn't looking right. I unraveled it atleast 3 times to start over. I think I finally got the pattern down last night. Time to kick it in high gear and get it done. I can't wait to go shopping for these little ones. I am even more excited to meet them. Just about 6 wks to go!

Monday, May 19, 2008

Is it any wonder..


I have often wondered what it would be like to get married and have so many parts of your life come together in one day. Each of these parts have built you up to who you are today. Being a bridesmaid and involved in wedding festivities this past weekend made me think of it even more. Watching Shelli walk down the aisle was a surreal and overwhelming momnent. Realizing all of us standing up there as her attendants have played a role in who she is today. And on this day she was finally marrying the love of her life.

Had I not met her at Vanguard, I would have never been around to support her after a car accident, hug her when she was down, pray for her when she was sick, fall into her lap crying because someone had broken my heart, ran down the hallway from her as she was trying to grab my butt, sitting for hours in the outreach ministry office just talking, dressing up to represent and compete for the "west tower spirit cup". All of these things helped her become this wonderful person she is today. Wow.. I was part of it..

Meeting the other bridesmaids this weekend, I could see how she was friends with each of them. They are all amazing people. I loved hanging out by the pool just chatting with Natalie and Tabby, sharing a toast, joking around with Hiromi,chatting with Marleen at the spa, laughing with Tabby, navigating through the streets of Long Beach trying to find Chili's. In some ways these girls have changed my life. More little pieces in the puzzle of my life. It was a great weekend and I am so thankful I was part of it.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

The power of a U-Turn

Have you ever thought of how convenient U-Turns are? I mean, with out them.. I would STILL be driving around Long Beach looking for my hotel.

Here I am in Long Beach for my friends wedding. I don't know the area all that well and addresses are not clearly marked on buildings. After passing by my hotel (twice) I finally see the entrance. I have decided that signal lights that do not allow U-Turns are completely inconvenient. I am obviously lost and all I need is ONE signal light to allow a U turn. If I make too many turns then I am WAY off course and who knows if I will ever get back to where I need to be. I finally get here, unpack and get ready for the rehersal. The good news is that my hotel is right next to where the wedding is. I can walk to the rehersal.

Next stop, rehersal dinner. Thankfully the "Macaroni Grill" has a large sign and it is easy to spot. Dinner was fabulous and I managed to get through it without any mishaps.. well, except for my little tumble in the parking lot. No one saw me so it will be our secret ok? Give me a break.. new shoes.. high heels even. Much higher than I normally wear and a hurt foot from a few days ago.

After dinner we all went to someone's house to hang out. Again.. poorly marked streets and addresses. Is it a luxury to have LIT street signs in San Diego? It must be because none of the street signs were lit up. Not to mention the private streets that have signs that are 3 inches x 5 inches! I pass the street once, not knowing it was the street. I get the the end of the main street and had to turn (no u turns allowed). Went up to the next street.. at the point I just don't care and I make a U-Turn. I made it convenient for ME. I figure if I got pulled over I could start crying and pull the "im not from around here and Im lost" card. I get back on the main street and .. woops.. there goes the street I need. Dang it! Next light "No U Turn". I decided to be a good girl and look for a legal place to make one. Let's not push our luck.

I finally get there to hang out and we have a wonderful time. finally it was time to go back to the hotel... I know what you are thinking.. I did just fine this time! Made it on the first try!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Snap, Crackle, Pop

Most people know that I am not always the most graceful person. I can trip on everything or nothing. This morning was no different.

I have been working really hard at losing some weight and I decided to weigh myself. I was super excited when I stepped on the scale and saw that I lost 4 more pounds! So excited in fact that I did a little "happy jump" off of the scale. Bad idea....

Because I hadnt weighed the consequences of the "happy jump", I paid big time. I landed on my feet but in one swift move, my right ankle buckled, made a popping noise and I continued straight to the ground. Pretty sure I bounced a little. I just laid there on the floor thinking "please dont let anything be broken. i have a wedding to be in on sunday". I could just picture myself hobbling down the aisle on crutches.

I picked myself up off the floor and made my way to the freezer for some ice. Its amazing how one happy moment can be ripped away by one simple little jump for joy.

Atleast the bruise on my right ankle will match the one on my left leg that I aquired during our mothers day celebration last saturday.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Reality.. Its almost Summer

They're ending.. the reality shows I love to watch weekly are ending. What am I going to do? One week left of American Idol. The Hills and The Bachelor ended last night. Beauty and the Geek ends tonight. Extreme MakeOver ends next week. Only a few weeks left of Farmer Wants a Wife. Thank goodness The Bachelorette starts again next week.

Oh lord.. what has happened to me. How did I get sucked into Reality TV so much? Is this what my life has become? ahh.. who cares! I LOVE IT!

And speaking of reality TV.. did you watch the end of the Bachelor last night? Really didn't love Shayne at the beginning but she grew on me a little towards the end. I think I even got a little teary during Matt's proposal. Isnt it crazy how it feels like these people become part of your life? You wonder what is happening in their lives and how things are turning out. Am I the only one that feels this way?

Who's idea was it to have these shows end for the summer? Why do we have to wait until fall (or later) for them to start back up? Its dumb. Im already having withdrawls.

May Days

May Days I sometimes wonder when life got so crazy. The month of May for instance.. how much can we cram into 31 days? Let's have a contest to see who can do the most! Burn Institute Boot Drive, Ride out at Deer Springs, 4 Birthdays, Mother's Day, Friends anniversaries, going to a wedding, baby sitting, Sea World. The list could go on forever.

The family celebrated Mother's Day on Saturday. I thought it would be fun to do something a little different and since mom absolutely HATES doing Burgers and Hot Dogs at BBQ's, it worked. I thought Kabobs would be yummy. I have this perfectionist and people pleaser side to me that gets me in trouble. We couldnt have just one kind of Kabob.. no, Shannon has to find 4 different recipes and make all of them.

Oh, wait.. we have birthdays too. CRAP! That means we need cake. I decide to make 3.. yes THREE different kinds of cupcakes w/filling. I think to myself "well, I am making Jimmy and Jessica's wedding cake, we can do cake taste testing for that too." There's this adorable decorating idea in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Each cupcake has a little ribbon tied around it. SO cute!( in the end I ditched the ribbon idea. Barely got them frosted)

In the midst of this I am still racking my brain to figure out what to give everyone as gifts. In an amazing moment of inspiration on Friday morning I think "SCRAPBOOKS!" I high tail it BACK to the scrapbook store. (The lady knows me by name now. That could be a sign that I have been there too much)I am there for hours... not good cuz I have a ton of cupcakes to make. I get home, throw cupcakes in the oven and break out the scrapbooking supplies. Then I just sit there...

Where did my inspiration go? What happened? Come back! I am on limited time! 24 hrs to complete 4 scrapbooks, 3 kinds of cupcakes and 4 kinda of kabobs. I am just staring at blank paper. Someone HELP! Finally, I get a few ideas and start working on my moms. Saturday I started working on sandy's but I couldnt find half the paper I had bought. Where in the world could it have gone? Its GOT to be here! Could I have really lost it between my car and front door??? Wait.. I was cutting it at the scrapbook store. Seriously, I didnt leave it there did I? OF COURSE I did! Way to GO! Go back to the store and there it is.

I still need to go to Costco and WalMart to pick up pictures, gift wrap, and bday gifts. Meet Brian, Katie and Peyton for lunch at Costco.. hey.. we are big spenders! I get home and its like 4 pm! I have 2 hrs to finish everything. Whew.. time is just flying by! Why couldnt I have thought of the scrapbooks a week earlier?

At this point I am pretty sure I have lost my mind! Load up the car, take it all to mom and dads. Print the notes from each kid and glue it into the scrapbooks then start the kabobs. Did I really buy that much meat? It took Brian and I nearly an hour to do them all. Everything turned out great though. Except I didnt finish the books for Katie and Jessica. Overall I had fun... Until I came home and it looked like the pillsbury dough boy trashed my kitchen and the scrapbook store blew up in my living room...