and of course...ultrasound pictures :)

 Here's Sweet Pea's debut...

Sweet pea's head to the bottom left and belly top right.  Little hands in fists.

Those are sweet peas teeny tiny feet.  2 weeks ago the measured at .59 cm.

I know these pictures aren't very clear...but seriously it was the best EVER to see little sweet pea so clearly.  Moving around like crazy, sort of surreal knowing that I can't feel a thing yet.

Oh My Goodness....I'm PREGNANT!!!

For all of you that didn't know, it's TRUE!

I had a moment two weeks ago at my first doctors appointment that I will never forget. 

A couple of nights before my appointment I had emailed/texted two of my dear friends and asked for some sanity and reasoning.  I was, according to my cycle and consultation with my doc over the phone, 10 weeks pregnant.  HOWEVER, I didn't feel pregnant AT ALL.  I wasn't sick, I was hardly ever tired, I didn't have any aversions or cravings, nothing.  I was so nervous to be telling everyone the 'good news' and then I was going to find out that I wasn't really pregnant...seriously had a nightmare about that moment.

Anyway, I'm in the doctor's office, with the wonderful open-front gown and the awesome bed that if anyone opened the door right now, they would be in for one helluva shocking scene.  I had just told the doctor my fears about this whole pregnancy and I remember she had chuckled a little bit.  She hooked up the ultrasound machine and within seconds, there was my beautiful baby dancing for all of us to see.  Sweet pea moved around SOOO much that the doctor had a hard time getting a clean shot to measure the length.  I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.  I was captivated by the black and white screen.  Then, the cherry on top, the doctor turned on the sound for the heartbeat.  Oh my goodness, I could have died and gone to heaven.  That was the most precious little sound I've ever heard!  I didn't want to leave that room for anything.  I could have stayed there all day.  It was the second greatest moment in my whole life.

I'm PREGNANT!!!

you know it's December when...

I haven't updated anything for 2 weeks plus!  Yikes, well, here's the run down of what's been going on in my life and why I haven't been available...

I get to work around 6:45am every week day morning.  I walk to work so that requires me getting up that much earlier.  I work for 9 - 10 hours, however long my schedule permits and then I'm off to a Dicken's Carolers gig.  I LOVE caroling, but it can be quite taxing and exhausting.  I usually get back to my house (on week nights) around 8:30pm.  That's 14 hours of being "on" either working or singing (which is more work than working! :).  I LOVE caroling...promise...not complaining.  I get home feeling completely worn out and have just enough energy to sort through mail, heat something up in the microwave (hopefully nutritious) and fall into bed! 

Then on weekends I usually spend a chunk of singing or between gigs away from home.  Sunday's are pretty mild but Rolando and I usually go up to the parents house to visit with them and therefore don't get much time at the house. 

So, have the dishes been cleaned?  Has laundry been washed?  Has the grocery shopping happened?  Does the car have gas?  Probably not...and you know what.  I'm okay with that.  This baby of mine needs me to sleep rather than stress about doing the dishes and making myself exhausted sitting at the laundry mat.

Wow, I feel good just saying it.  It's amazing what writing can do for the soul.  Even just the small, seemingly insignificant, blog post.  *sigh* 

Thank God for forgiveness

I find myself daily humbled by well...myself. :)

At least I can smile about it right.  I swore to myself I would NOT be the out of control, emotional, pregnancy-hormone driven, excuse maker, pregnant woman.  HAH!  Then God decided to show my just how humble I can feel.  *blushing*  Thanks, God.

Today was one of THOSE days.  I couldn't take anymore 'real-life' drama so I just exploded at my boss (always a good thing to do, right?)  Since we're in the thanking God mode...thank God for forgiving bosses.  She was so kind and gracious.  Phew!  I couldn't ask for a better boss because, really, I need a lot of grace and patience.  I think my mom jinxed me when she named me Charissa (full of grace).  Why would you do that to your child?  That's just asking for trouble.

I am very thankful for many things but I thought I'd give a shout out to the top three today.

God, grace and my boss.

no more apologies

One of my best friends and I have a pact that we can't say we're sorry for not keeping in touch as well as we'd like.  I'm going to put that into play now with my blog.  Life is busy, blah blah blah...I'll be better next time, yada yada yada.  We all know the truth.  I'm not the greatest at blogging, but I keep trying and that's all that matters.

Rolando and I are moved into our new apartment and mostly settled.  I say mostly because we're not completely out of the other apartment yet, our contract is up Dec 22 there and we'll clean/totally empty the other apt next Sunday.  Also, there aren't any decorations hung in the new place and that's when it finally starts feeling like home, ya know?  I just forwarded our mail this morning and have officially changed addresses with all the necessary companies we are connected to (changing addresses can be a hassle).  Other than that, we LOVE our new apartment and can't wait to really start enjoying the benefits of living so close to work and not having to put so many miles on the jeep.

Ugh, the jeep.  We've had such a month with that vehicle.  Our radiator went out for the 3rd time in 2 years...that's right!  Then the person who fixed it didn't catch a little thingy thing (don't know the technical term for what happened) and we almost lost our transmission on the way home from getting it fixed.  The person (BLESS HIM!) came to our house at 5AM to fix the jeep (LOVE YOU!).  I didn't ask or anything, he's such a saint (but don't tell him I said that....hehehe).  After a couple of bottle of transmission fluid, we are all back to normal.  For one night I thought, "We're selling it! That's IT!"  But now, I'm back to loving it. 

I've not dug out the Christmas decor yet, but I'm planning on doing so tonight (mostly because a co-worker is counting on me to bring the tree stand I told her I had).  :)  I'm thinking this year, instead of having a tree, we're going to make a tree shaped wire hanger contraption and hang ornaments on the hangers.  My Christmas season is so busy with work and Dicken's Carolers (www.thedickenscarolers.com - public events - humbugs if you want to see my group for free) that I just don't see the joy of having a tree, only work.  When sweet pea arrives, we'll be all about decorating.

To quickly catch up on other items:

I'm 9 weeks pregnant.
I've not been as good as I hoped about diet/exercise.
I go to my first doctor visit on Dec 6th.  I've never been SOOO excited to see the doctor before.

moving

our house is a disaster....moving tomorrow

we don't have many dishes hear and so we ate ice cream with forks....moving tomorrow

accidentally packed make-up and hair stuff (NOT digging it out) so my face and hair will be presenting themselves al fresco tomorrow at the clothes swap...moving tomorrow

did i mention busy day...moving tomorrow

SO ecstatic to be getting out of this apartment...moving tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the day.  I have such wonderful friends and family support.  I think we'll be done by 5:30 and at Burgerville for dinner by 6! YES! :)

before i forget...

I wanted to put down in writing that we found out that we were pregnant on Oct 31st.  :)  That's right....Halloween.

Rolando and I came home from a weekend trip to Idaho with my aunt and uncle.  I hadn't even been thinking about being pregnant, but I realized when I got home that I was about 10 days late. YAY!! :)  I went to the store and got the test and took it without Rolando knowing! :)  Sneaky!  It was positive.  So excited.

I hid the test from Rolando.  I knew he'd take a shower soon (we hadn't showered all weekend because we were hunting and you know the whole sweet smelling thing...hehe). So, he gets in the shower and I take the test out and put it on the bathroom counter.  I write a note that says, You're going to be a daddy!  When he gets out of the shower, he starts laughing so hard and he said, You're not joking right? Are you joking?  Tell me your serious! :)  It was so cute.

Perfect way to celebrate!

Bring it on!

Today I had my first TINY bout with morning sickness.  Here's my story:

I was sitting in my office.  I had just opened the box to a new lamp I bought for my office and bent down to throw some things away in the trash.  The second I sat up I realized, "Oh my word, I'm going to throw up!"  I sat at my desk for 5 minutes without moving a single muscle.  I stared at my computer and willed that feeling to go away.  It did pass.  Luckily I didn't actually throw up.

I went to the fridge in our department and got my yogurt out (bring on the protein).  I ate it all, even though half way through my stomach was protesting.  After about 10 min I finally felt better. 

If that's it, I can take that every day.  I hope that's it! :)

So very thankful for the low level of morning sickness so far.  My mom told me that she was throwing up before she could take a test and that's how she always knew.  OH MY!  I haven't come close to that yet.  I pray every day that I will not be that sick.  So far, so good.

The only other symptom I'm battling is exhaustion.  I can't even explain how I feel for the most part.  I can say it is completely unlike me.  I could literally (and 2 times actually have) lay my head on my desk and take a 30 minute nap.  The only thing really stopping me is the fact that I can't stand my pants being so constricting.  I want to go to bed the second I get home, but I will myself to stay awake until 9pm.  Otherwise I wake up at 4am.  I can't think straight sometimes (words come out wrong, or no words come out at all).  I feel like such a dope (yes, I did use that word).  I think I'm going to start utilizing my 2 10-min breaks at work for nap times.  Even if I just shut my eyes and lay my head down for 10 minutes, I think it will help. 

Let the journey continue! 

workin' it with snack time

I think the day I found out my stomach decided to be constantly hungry.  It's partly all in my mind, but seriously, my stomach has never growled so much in my entire life.  I'm blessed to have always had enough food that's for sure.  I still am blessed to have enough food, just now, I like to be more picky because I want my baby to be super-dooper healthy baby!!!

With that being said, I'm working on a list of really good for you snacks.  I want to be able to have a stock of really good snacks to reach for when I need them.  I'm hoping for suggestions.  :) 

So far here's my list:
hard boiled eggs
tuna salad
homemade granola
yogurt cups
carrots
homemade bran muffins (with extra goodness like flax seed)
applesauce cups (too much sugar though)
100 calorie snack packs (because lets face it, a women needs chocolate sometimes!)
apple

Okay, short list.  I need a variety.  What do you do to get creative and still stay healthy with your snacking?

New addition

Rolando got really excited tonight as I was at a singing rehearsal and spilled some news on facebook way before I could tell a lot of people that I really wanted to tell.  I'll be doing all the phone calls in the next couple of days still, because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings but I thought, since it's out for the world on facebook, I might as well say it here too! :)

WE'RE EXPECTING!!!!!!!!!  My little ticker guy says baby-j is the size of a sweet pea.  I think that nick name just might stick! :)  Our little sweet pea! :)

So excited.  Please keep us in your prayers.  It's still early, but I know God is good and will take care of all the details.  Thanks so much for all the prayers.

weeks progress report

Well, I am happy to report that this past week (Mon - Sun) I walked a total of 21 miles! :)  I feel so good saying that!  I hope to continue with this progress!  The rain has settled into my lovely city and I'm thinking the only way I'm going to keep up with this rate is to continue using DVD's.  Of course, any given opportunity to walk outside with as little rain as possible, I'll DO IT!!!!!!!!

I have officially maintained (give or take less than 5 pounds) my weight for 2 months.  That's a HUGE accomplishment for me.  My pattern as of the last five years is to lose a bunch of weight and slowly gain it back.  I hate that about myself.  I'm super dedicated to something for as long as it takes to reach my goal.  However, once that goal is reached, I forget about maintenance, I remember what ice cream tastes like (every other night) and enjoy food to it's finest! Well, so far this time, I've been able to maintain.  I'll strive for that goal from here on out!

Thanks all for your contined support in my journey.  This week at work we'll be doing the same walk video and I'll be continuing my devotion to only eating as much as my body needs.  {such a novel idea!}

Blessings!

Whirlwind

Catch you all up:

Two Saturday's ago - rear ended someone (I'm okay, just upset)...totaled car = $300 at junk yard

Last week - business trip to Miami. It rained and rained.  Only one workout that week and WAY TOO MANY calories consumed due to the amazing conference food!  Off work-out routine = 4 lbs gained

This past week - Back on exercise regime thanks to coworkers!  4 amazing workouts during lunch break.  Motivated, energized, refreshed (from 3 day vacation), dedicated.  Re-dedication to work-out routine and healthy eating habits = 2 lbs losed!! :) 

Happy day!

Today I bought a Droid X!!!!! :)  I'm happy!
On top of that, I got to hang out with my good friend Kelli.

On top of THAT, I went fishing with my hubby on the Columbia River (I'm a good wife!)

Isn't he handsome?!?

Happy Happy Day!!

walk on the columbia

Today was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day!  I got off work early (I have to work tomorrow, but that's okay) and decided to call my friends and borrow their dog for a long walk!

Rocky is so cute and lovable!

My favorite dog and I walked 5 miles today along the river.  We started right at the 205 bridge and Marina Drive.  We walked west for 2.5 miles with Mt. Hood at my back and airplanes taking off right over my head.  I had no idea how far I was walking because there aren't any mile markers, so I just walked to enjoy myself.  When I got to a good turn around spot the sun was just coming down over the west hills.  As I walked backed to the jeep, I got to enjoy the majestic Mt. Hood the whole way.  So gorgeous!  The river turned pink as the sun set and the mountains turned blue.  At the end, I let Rocky drink from the river.  He was so funny lapping up the water quicker than I've ever seen.

It's been a long time since I've spent time reflecting on God's blessings.  It was so nice to be able to walk and appreciate all that God has created.  It was such a spectacular hour and a half.  I am so refreshed and rejuvenated.  Such a great evening!!

I'm stuck

I've not posted anything because well I'm not exercising and I feel bad.


There I said it!! *sigh*

I have to get back into a routine.  Maybe I'll sign up for another run/walk.  I think that's what my brain needs to jump start the motivation.  There is a run happening the week I'm in Florida that some of my coworkers are doing.  I joking told them that I would do it in Florida, but maybe I should seriously do that!  I have a coworker going with me that would hold me to that goal.  I'll tell her today and we'll aim for that!  Okay, done!

Also, I have cookie dough in my freezer.  It's killing me!  I'm baking it tonight and bringing the rest in to work tomorrow to get it the HECK out of my freezer.  It is such a bad thing for me. 

Okay, all of the ghosts are out of the closet...now I can deal with them!

running with dogs

I had the joy of running yesterday with my wonderful friend's dog!  Rocky is a 2-yr old Laberdoodle and is such a gem! He's trained like a police dog (also knows commands in 4 languages), although he is currently going through his teenage years of being a little rebellious when it comes to following commands.  But all in all he is a keeper and I LOVE running with him.  I think I've said before that I'd rather run with a dog than with a person.  Rocky is the most non-judgemental dog around!  I ran two miles with him yesterday and the WHOLE time he was pulling ahead wanting to go a little faster.

I experienced 2 funny moments yesterday:

1. I've lost enough weight that my favorite running pants are now too big.  They fell down...luckily I caught them just in time and proceeded to hold them the rest of the time.  It totally put me off balance and I had to switch hands from time to time in order to use both sides equally.
2. There were two women that were slightly ahead of me as I started on the track.  As I tried to pass them (obviously they were deep in conversation), one of the ladies pushed the other lady lightly on the shoulder (I can imagine it was a kind of "get outta here!" push that friends do to each other every so often).  Well, they didn't know I was there and the poor lady that just received the friendly shove, went kartwheeling over Rocky (he's quite tall) and landed softly in the grass.  In my defense, I did call out "LEFT" as I was supposed to (Spanglish just flashed into my mind).  They started laughing so hard, I'm trying to figure out if I've just broken this lady's hip or something and poor Rocky is beside himself not knowing what just happened! 

Such a great time and it made the rest of the running experience so very enjoyable.

Blessings

Today is an emotional health day!  I'm remembering all the wonderful blessings I have in my life. 

1. I have an all-powerful, all-knowing God who loves me
2. I have a wonderful (HOTTIE) husband (sorry ladies, mine's the hottest!)
3. I have a job
4. I have a loving/forgiving/supportive family to rely on
5. I have a roof over my head and food on my plate (most of the time too much food)
6. I have an amazing group of friends/mentors/confidantes
7. I have a church family that always knows when to pull me back in :o)
8. I have a savings account that has concurred babystep #1 of Dave Ramsey's plan
9. I have vacations planned in the near future that are going to ROCK
10. I have friends visiting that I am counting down the days until I get to see them
11. I have been gifted with my singing abilities and for that I am eternally grateful (see #3)

I want to come up so many more but my brain has quit on me....

I am blessed beyond measures!

Dinner Menu

I'm thinking more and more about getting out the crock pot every morning, throwing a bunch of stuff in there and seeing how it tastes that night!  Coming home after work and having to prepare something to eat is way too time/energy consuming!  :)  Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy making dinners from scratch already, but it would be nice if it was done when I got home!

What are some of your favorite recipes that you make in a crockpot with very random ingredients? 

I'm reminded of a line from my favorite TV series, Friends:  You're a chef, what can you make with Baking Soda and Beer?  :)

everything in sight

The last few days have not (I repeat NOT) been good eating days for me!  I won't traumatize myself or you for that matter with listing all the things I've chosen to eat over the last 48 hours, but I will give you guys some hints.

Co-worker brought amazing trail mix into work (includes resee's, cashews, animal crackers)
Mom gave me guacomole (and you know you can't eat just a little, then the chips with which you enjoy them)
Hubby made me lunch (SUPER sweet) consisting of breaded chicken, fried potatoes, and fried polenta.  SOOOO good...not so healthy
Other co-workers stock their desk with temptations (dark chocolate dove, kit kat bars, mints)

All in all, not so good of a diet and my stomach is paying the price for it!!  Ouch!

Tomorrow will be better, it has to be! :)

Progress Report

Beginning record: March 1
Current stats: Sept 12

Beginning weight – 223

Current - 199

Beginning waist – 35.5

Current - 35

Beginning hips – 45

Current – 42

Beginning chest – 42.5

Current – 41

Beginning thigh – 22

Current – 24

Beginning calf – 15.5

Current – 15.5

Beginning bicep – 15

Current – 14.75

Total weight loss: 24 pounds

Total inches lost: 5.25 (but 2 inches gained in thighs, really!?!?!)

So there you have it.  A progress report.  All in all, I feel like I'm going fairly well.  I still could stand to lose many more inches, but I'm very happy with results so far!! 

Thanks for all the encouragement!

Is financial health even possible?

I have no idea what that would even look like.  As my hubby and I sit down to estimate the cost of moving into a home (finally getting out of an apartment), I'm scared to death about the possibility of not actually being able to do it.  Most of my friends live in a house, how do they do it?  I'm paralyzed with the idea of not being able to pay all the bills.

Hubby and I have been on a journey of being debt free and we are so close to paying off the last of our credit card debt.  Just the other day I told him we are 10 months from being freed of that burden.  HOWEVER, that is based on what we have been paying the last 3 months.  We couldn't possibly keep up that kind of payment if we moved into a house.  We would have to resort to paying the minimum balance plus $20 - $30 extra.  That puts us back in the bracket of paying off the credit card debt in 5-10 YEARS!!! What the heck? 

I don't want to be a person that dwells on finances, but seriously it's so hard not to when you live in today's world.  I've been sitting on my couch for 30 minutes mapping out our 'house-dwelling' budget and it looks like we would just barely survive month to month if we moved into this house that is so cute and so perfect.  That means minimum balance payments on the two debts we have left and putting barely anything into savings month to month.  Lets not forget that hubby and I are tithing on a regular basis and loving being able to do this freely.  {I feel the tap on my shoulder to remember that God will always provide and that we are called to tithe especially in the "money's tight" times.}

On top of that, hubby and I want to have a family at some point and how the HECK are we supposed to find money to fit that in.  I hate that I just naturally typed 'fit that in'.  It's not supposed to be that way, it's supposed to be a joy and a blessing and....ugh, let's not go down that road (tears are sure to follow).

I don't know if you can tell, but I'm a little overwhelmed by this and am having a VERY hard time figuring out how to begin to handle all the information that my brain tells me I need to work through.

Here's what we are looking at:

+Income
-Rent
-Water/Sewer
-Trash/Recycling (p.s. - how the heck can they charge for recycling? I don't get that)
-Electricity
-School Loan payment
-Credit Card payment
-Groceries (to include our gleaning community payment)
-Gas
-Tithe
-Savings
-Things we want (internet,  monthly allowance, entertainment)
---------------------------
=not a whole lot left over (i.e. why Charissa is stressing!)

Obviously the things we want would be cut back.  The gas would be less because the house would be closer to work and hubby and I would be able to walk/bike to work.  But that still leaves us with little to no money left over.

I pray about this and daily give it God...then promptly take it back from him.  Why is this such a hard item to hand over? 

What are your thoughts on this?  How do you handle the 'stress,' the unknown, the urge to just crawl in a hole and ignore it all?

Week One finished

After week one

Well, one of my readers has requested pictures.  If there's one thing I know, you give the readers what they want! :)

Here's the week one results.  You can see (squint your eyes and put your face about 6 inches from the computer screen) a little bulge of a bicep on top.  While I like those results, what I'm really going for is to tighten up the triceps!  We'll see if this really works.

I'm telling you, if you ever decide to purchase this thing, it really is challenging at first.  My shoulders and back muscles are still screaming at me!

Please don't judge before trying.  It really can work for you too!!

day 5 of shake weight

I CAN totally feel the difference.  Can't see it yet, but I can totally feel it.  I love my 'getting-sculpted' arms and the fact that Rolando says I'm getting too skinny (yeah, right). 

I can honestly tell you that I look at my reflection in the mirror and am happy with what I see.  It's been a long time since I've been able to say that.  In fact, I think this might be one of the first times I'm truly happy with who I am.  God has been so gracious to me over the years as I struggle to find myself in the world.  I've pushed him away (more like I've walked away), but he's there right when I need him.  I'm learning to rely on him more and more and it is amazing what we can do together! 

Thanks, God, for the many blessings and all the patience you show me!

the opposite of what you want...

Today, I was going to spend most of the day just sitting at home relaxing, reading all my books that i'm reading (i'm currently reading 3).

Instead, I got the opportunity to help one of my friends continue the process of moving out of the house she's lived in with her husband for the past 18 years (they're know legally separated) and spend the evening chatting with her.  Seriously, knowing that what she needs right now is love and support and just to be 'normal' around other people, I feel blessed to be able to give that to her.  I love this women so much, as a friend, as a mother (i'm sorta like a daughter to her), as a sister in Christ!  She just wants to be past this stage in her life.  I totally get that.  I get the true joy of knowing that just spending time with her blesses her.  YAY! 

Being a friend can be so easy, even when it's the exact opposite of what you wanted to do all day!

Shake weight!!

I gave in.  I succummed to the temptation of buying the new fad!  I had a coupon so it was just a bit cheaper!!

The Shake Weight is all it's cracked up to be!  6 minutes today and my arms and shoulders are burning.  I decided to bring it in to work and have it be an office fad for a while.  A co-worker of mine tried it and she agrees that you can totally feel the burn!  BUT, there's a 4 day weekend coming up and I think I'm going to bring it home with me.  Should I take a picture of my arms now and then keep an updated picture going every month?  I'm really excited about this working.  Let's hope it does.

I'm not a hugely vain person.  I do let my mind wander every once in a while and think about what I would do if I had the money (and vanity) for plastic surgery.  I kid you not, I would get my arm/upper back fat removed.  That is the top on my list of self-concious areas.  Hence the shake weight. 

Has anyone else tried it?

i thought it had to be all about running

The first couple of weeks of this blog have not been very impressive.  I read other friends blogs and get discouraged.  Am I a blogger for real, or just a wanna-be?

I can do it, I can do it, I can do it.

I realized that I thought that this blog should be all about running.  Well that's not the case.  This is a healthy life blog.  So what does that include? 

Mental, physical, spiritual, emotional health.  I can do this! :o)

The other day, I was so proud of myself.  I made a really good, healthy dinner for Rolando and I.  Steamed veggies to include carrots, beets, potatoes, broccoli, green peppers.  Seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper, a bit of cumin.  We had a feast! :)  It's fun to cook when you have choices.

My new favorite website: www.allrecipes.com.  It's so great!  You can search by ingredients you have in your cupboards and come up with a nice treat for dinner that evening. 

I'm currently reading Maria Callas: An Intimate Biography.  Man, it is so incredible to read about her life.  Anyone interested in singing (mostly classical/opera) should read this biography.  It's fascinating and hilarious!  She was an absolute diva!  Next time the Dicken's Carolers quartet gives me a hard time about being a diva...I'm quoting her!!!!!!

Speaking of Dicken's Carolers, I have a call-back to go to today!  I can't believe it's that time again!  I really hope that I get to be with the same group that I've been with for the past two years.  I'm really trying not to get my heart set on that, but it's so hard.  I've been with the same quartet for two years and have thoroughly enjoyed my time with them.  I can't imagine singing with another group of people.  I know that I'll make the best of whatever circumstance I'm given.  I'll focus on that part. :)

Well, I'm signing off to practice the two songs that I haven't sung in 9 months.

Run entry

3.5 miles
45 minutes

I felt this horrible side cramp about half way through and had to speed walk the rest of the way.  The two other girls I was with finished about 5 minutes before me with there walk/run combo.  I think I did okay.  Man, I've never experienced something like that.  I thought my insides were going to come out!!!

well...i'm really bad at blogging :)

Today, I realized that I haven't tracked my runs in a week! Yeah i'm that good! :(

So, today I walked 2 miles, ran 1.5 miles and walked another .5 miles.  It's not that I didn't feel like running a long time, but I felt more like walking :)  I think it's because I'm not feeling like myself these days.  I feel happy, healthy, energetic, and all that.  But also, I feel an undercurrent of unsettledness (that's right I said it!)  It's all good and I don't really want to write about stress or sad things.

Do I like running?  I'm not sure yet.  I think I like running, but then on days like today, I like walking so much better.  Maybe I'll switch it up a little and do some cardio videos or something.  Do I like cardio videos?  YES!  :o)

On a different note, I made a TON of baba ganoush last weekend and had a TON left over :)  I brought it in to work today and everyone liked it EXCEPT my boss! :)  I thought that was pretty funny!  She didn't even try to save face a little! She came right out and said "No, not really!"  At least I can always count on knowing what's on her mind.  Tonight I made fruit smoothies for Rolando and I (yougurt, honey, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries)  YUMMY!! I'm enjoying a bit of it right now and I must say they are so good.  Being healthy can be so good sometimes!  It just takes a little bit more work than unhealthy stuff.  So worth it though.

Okay, I think that's it for now.  Don't want to go over board on the blogging.

Ape Caves

Wow!!!

Tom Susan James Jack Rolando and I went on an amazing hike today.  It took a total of 2.5 hours and 2 of those hours were underground in these amazing caves.  It is a lava tunnel that's 2000 years old! If you live in the Oregon/Washington area, adventurous and okay with climbing up rock walls you should totally look this up!!!  I'll write more later, but I just HAD to get this on here before bed.

Goodnight!!

Run entry

7:05a - 7:40a
3 miles
max heart rate: i'm getting a new heart monitor
Hot and humid
Felt okay, made it up all the hills without walking

I do not like heat.  I liked running on Tuesday because it was cool.  Today it was hot and humid. Literally like Indiana humid.  I got back in the car after running and heard it was up to 92%.  What the heck!?!  Oh well, I survived and so did Kristy.  It's nice running with her.  There's no pressure to run faster.  She and I are on the same tempo. :)

Run entry

7:02a - 7:42a (8/3/10)
3 miles
max heart rate: stupid watch wasn't working!
Overcast and cool
Felt good, but had a rough time getting up the hills
 
I'm already a day behind, but I'm brushing it off and catching up now!  Yesterday I ran with my friend, Kristy.  She's decided to run the Portland Half Marathon as her first race in a while! :)  So excited for her.  I decided that I would support her in her training adventures.  She's the same height as me so it was super fun to run with her.  I'd say we are pretty evenly matched as far as how fit we are.  We kept good pace. 
 
I ran in the morning for the first time ever!  I felt good all day, had good energy, I knew my metabolism was flying because I was burning up all day.  I think I like running in the morning.  Now if I could just convince myself to get out of bed to do this in the mornings....one step at a time, one step at a time! :)

Run entry

7:48 - 8:32
3 miles
max heart rate: 172
Sunny day
Felt sluggish

I haven't run a second since my 8k last Wednesday.  I wasn't at all good today.  In fact, it took me almost the same amount of time today to run 3 miles as it did a week ago to run almost 5 miles.  Just goes to show what a week of laziness will do to a girl!!!

Let's get caught up

Three years ago I moved to Portland, OR and began my life transformation.  At the beginning of my journey (the most I'd ever weighed), I clocked in at 256.  Now I'm 6 feet tall but, that's still heavy!!  I was totally unhappy, always uncomfortable, and totally embarrassed when I couldn't fit in the roller coaster ride.  And thus the transformation begins.  :)

I started on the NutriSystem plan/working out every workday on my lunch break and lost a lot of weight (very quickly).  I was down to 192 and loving every minute.  I ran my first race ever (a 5k in 49 minutes).  I had picked up an awesome hobby of salsa dancing thanks to a couple of my friends pushing me to do something different.  I was salsa dancing almost every weekend for hours at a time.  But I hadn't learned how to be a healthy eater and started gaining weight the second I was off the NutriSystem plan.  I met my future husband at a salsa club.  We went out all the time and I gained a few 'love-pounds'. :)  We got engaged and I gained more, during the stress of planning the wedding I gained more.  I woke up one day and my skinny pants were TIGHT!  What happened???

I started exercising.  I hired a trainer to help me.  I started running a little at a time.  Next thing you know, I'm losing inches...not pounds...but I'm still happy!! I start running longer amounts.  I start watching what I'm eating (watching as it all goes in! just kidding)  and I started losing pounds! Woohoo!  Now I'm down 18 pounds and have lost about 10 inches all over my body.  I'm trying Medifast right now just to jump start my metabolism and it's really working.  I'm trying to teach myself to be a healthier person, to learn how to eat better and in lighter amounts.  I'm trying to train my body to enjoy running (I just finished my first 8k and it took me 61 minutes).  For me, that will be a major accomplishment.

I think the one thing I want to get from this blog is tracking my running.  I'll be very impressed with myself if I keep it up, but I'll be very happy if it actually happens!  Wow, I could be on the break of having another good habit! :)  Let the running begin.