2 miles with a side of lightning?

1. Eat out less then 20 meals:  Thankfully, even though Joe had the day off & hadn't planned dinner we still ate at home.  It's nice that in the summer we can just grab a few burgers from the freezer and throw them on the grill when necessary.  5 total meals out.  

2. At least 25 days with a 750+ calorie burn:

     Breakfast: oatmeal w/milk, brown sugar & banana = 310 calories

     Lunch: strawberries, greek yogurt & smartfood = 269 calories

     Dinner: hamburger w/swiss cheese, pork roll, lettuce & mustard on a sandwich thin plus salt & vinegar chips = 689 calories

     Snacks: frosted mini wheats and pretzel m&m's (I had a little bit of a snack attack in the evening) = 125 calories

     Totals: 2236 burned - 1393 eaten = 843 total burned, 4 days total.

3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes:  Joe promised we would do some form of exercise but he wanted to work on the outdoor lighting first which was fine by me since it was like 90% humidity out.  So we ate dinner then I blogged & watched Ramona and Beezus (very cute, reminded me of reading the books when I was younger) while he toiled away under the deck until almost dark.  Finally around 8:30 we headed out but decided to only attempt exactly 2 miles since the weather was not looking good.  We were really moving at the beginning because we didn't want to get rained on.  At one point my garmin put us at an 8:30 mile!

We weren't fast enough though, it started raining when we were a little over a 1/2 mile from home.  We pushed through and I'm really proud of my time, I guess I'll have to run against the weather more often.  I was super sweaty and panting when we got to the front door.  This is the screen shot of the radar from Joe's phone when we got home...

4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  I still needed 2500 steps when we finished our run & we had a pretty decent grocery list going on our phones.  Now, normally we would have walked on over to ShopRite but if you'll recall there was a thunder storm raging outside.  I convinced Joe I could definitely get all my steps in walking around the store so we hopped in the car and drove across the street.  And it's a good thing we did because I don't think we could have carried all this stuff home even if the weather had cooperated.  10776 steps.  4 days total.

5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of house work:  Joe is such a great cleaner that there's not usually too much left for me on his days off.  I mean I suppose I could have done some laundry or something but I just didn't.  4 days total.

Outfits of the Week ~ July 5-8

Another 4 day work week!  I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I have to go in a whole 5 days next week...  Good news!  I'm down another pound to 136, that's 44 total!  I was concerned for a little while there because I had gone down to 137 then back up to 139 then bounced around at 138, 139 some more.  I thought I may have hit a roadblock around this 140lb mark and I really don't want to make any huge changes to my diet or exercise right now.  Luckily I won't have to because things seem to be back on course!

Getting ready was really easy this week.  I don't think I changed once I picked something out either.  That's crazy, I guess I'm just getting more comfortable in my new skin.

Tuesday ~ I got this grey cardigan with floral detail at BJs on Sunday while visiting Joe at work, it was only $12!  They really have a decent amount of cute items but the inventory doesn't change very often so I've been seeing the same stuff each time I go, oh well, guess that's one way to stop me from buying.  The black cami is from New York & Company, charcoal pants from The Gap and black peep toe sling backs are from Naturalizer.

Wednesday ~ I threw this dress on and then spent about 15 minutes trying different necklaces, hahaha.  I got so many compliments when I got to work you would have thought it was a fancy evening gown or something.  It's just a purple faux wrap dress I got on sale from The Limited, shoes are Steve Madden from Macy's & the necklace is from a Premier party.

Thursday ~ This is just another example of how I am feeling more comfortable in my own skin.  I NEVER would have worn a fitted, slightly cropped cardigan with a tucked in shirt before.  But I felt great in this, definitely a skinny day.  The teal pointle cardigan is from Old Navy, grey cami from New York & Company, charcoal pants (same as Monday :-/) from The Gap and grey peep toe snake skin heeled pumps are Naturalizer.

Friday ~ I have been scoring very highly with Brittany in the dress down department lately.  The last two Fridays she's been raving about how much she loves my outfits.  I'm not gonna lie, I like it, lol.  The cream colored tiered tank and silver moccasins are from Old Navy and the sateen khaki pants are from The Limited.  Obviously I'm wearing a cardigan at work because it's like the arctic in here, it's chocolate brown & also from Old Navy.

I don't have much planned for the weekend.  I think I have Jack tomorrow morning & I'm thinking we might attempt the beach.  Some friends are coming by that evening, nothing fancy though.  Then I'm still contemplating riding some portion of the ACS bike-a-thon on Sunday.  But we shall see...

Five for Friday 7/8/11

1.  You high fived me after a successful beach trip with Jack.

2.  You thank me, doesn't matter what for.

3.  You sang about the backyard lights for most of our 2 mile run.

4.  You are kind & generous toward my friends.

5.  You're still talking about how good the swiss chard was.

Shana's Birthday 4/11

locked out

Wednesday didn't go nearly the way I had planned.  My plan had been to come home from work, eat left overs for dinner, go for a run with Joe and/or Nicole then call it a night early.  Things changed (some may say for the better depending on how you look at) when Kat asked if I could pick her up at the train station around 6pm.  She and her fiance have been sharing a car while his jeep is in the shop and he had a class and couldn't pick her up.  Joe ended up getting stuck at work so she suggested we go for a run too.  We stopped at her house to change and were surprised to find that she was locked out!  After a few frantic calls to Mark and a couple of attempts at breaking & entering we gave up headed to my house.

1. Eat out less then 20 meals:  As a thanks for driving Kat around & entertaining her, Mark bought us dinner.  We went to Baia in Somers Point and split a few different meals.  5 total meals out.  

We started with the Chopped Greens, Tomato, Gorgonzola, Cucumber & Honeyed Pistachios With Champagne Vinaigrette

 Followed by the Gorgonzola, Roasted Tomato & Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushroom.

 And finally the Grilled Rare Tuna, Braised Spinach, Lobster Ravioli, Balsamic Tomatoes & Spiced Virgin Oil.

2. At least 25 days with a 750+ calorie burn:

     Breakfast: oatmeal w/milk, brown sugar & banana = 310 calories

     Lunch: strawberries, greek yogurt & smartfood = 269 calories

     Dinner: vodka, salad, stuffed mushroom & tuna = 697 calories

     Snacks: m&m's = 120 calories

     Totals: 1946 burned - 1396 eaten = 550 total burned, 3 days total.

3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes:  Our run went out the window when Kat couldn't get in the house and I was so proud of myself for packing a bag so that I'd be prepared!  71 minutes total.

4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  Spending the evening at a bar was definitely fun but didn't do anything for my steps.  By the time we got home it was almost 10pm and Joe was exhausted from work so there was no convincing him to walk with me.  5147 steps.  3 days total.

5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of house work:  I didn't get a chance to clean with all of the spur of the moment plans.  4 days total.

Happy Birthday Nicole!!

1. Eat out less then 20 meals:  Tuesday was Nicole's 31st birthday!  We told her we were game for anything she wanted to do for dinner and she's such a good friend that she double checked that I wouldn't mind using one of my meals out.  I assured her it was worth it, and then she chose the Bonefish Grill for dinner.  4 total meals out.

They have the best appetizers!  We order 4 different options, 2 salads, 2 soups & 4 side dishes to share.  Everything was delicious!

Joe made sure to pick up an ice cream cake on his way home from work to surprise her with at the end of the meal.  I think she knew one was coming but maybe at home...I love embarrassing people at restaurants!

Jack thoroughly enjoyed his ice cream, it's so nice of Carvel to use blue icing.

2. At least 25 days with a 750+ calorie burn:

     Breakfast: oatmeal w/milk, brown sugar & banana = 310 calories

     Lunch: peach, greek yogurt & smartfood = 258 calories

     Dinner: small tastes of crab corn chowder, caesar salad, ahi tuna, bang bang shrimp, bread, mussels josephine, mashed potato, saucy shrimp & ice cream cake = 951 calories

     Snacks: 0 calories

     Totals: 2333 burned - 1519 eaten = 814 total burned, 3 days total.

3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes:  I knew I needed to get a work out in and Joe agreed to go for a run with me after dinner so we didn't have any alcohol at the restaurant.  We were finally feeling good & digested around 9pm so we headed out for a quick 2 mile run.  It was super humid and we were both dripping by the time we got home but it felt good to burn a little after such a big meal.  71 minutes total.

4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  I would have thought that our run would have been enough to get my steps but it wasn't.  I spent about a half hour folding and putting away laundry piece by piece around 11pm trying to knock the steps out.  Joe even fell asleep waiting for me to finish!  10029 steps.  3 days total.

5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of house work:  We spent some time cleaning up the kitchen before going out to dinner and then I did all that laundry before going to bed.  4 days total.

Happy 4th of July!!

By some wonder or wonders Joe managed to have July 4th off!  We made plans to spend the day on the beach with a bunch of friends.  We were headed to the cove in Brigantine and our friends assured us that we needed to be there around 7am to get a good spot.  We told them we'd do our best but there was no way I was getting up before 6:30am on a day off.  Joe could tell I was nervous getting ready as this would be my first time publicly wearing a bikini (check that off my goals for the year!).  We arrived around 8am and everyone else trickled in shortly thereafter.  We had a nice big area with plenty of room for everyone to spread out.

Shana and I took a couple of sisterly pictures while we were still comfortable in our cover ups.

Not soon after we arrived I was bummed to learn that my friend Amy was wearing the same bikini I was!  Now, normally I would find it funny to be wearing the same thing as a friend but c'mon, did it have to be the same tiny scrap of clothing as the super tiniest person there?!?

We spent the day lounging on inner tubes...

and tanning with tasty drinks...

The plan had been to stay for the Atlantic City fireworks shows at 9:20 & 9:45pm but when we started thinking about the logistics of getting home we knew we wouldn't be in bed until after midnight and that's no way to start a new work week.  So around 7pm Kat, Mark, Joe & I headed off the beach towards the mainland.  After a quick shower Joe and I headed over to a local dock to try and catch whatever fireworks shows we could.

Shortly thereafter we were joined by Lou, Nicole, Jack & a friend of theirs, also named Lou.

We could see Margate, Ocean City & both Atlantic City shows from our spot so that was nice.  I tried to get a picture of Nicole & me but my camera flashes twice and I just couldn't seem to keep my eyes open for the actual photo.  Here are just 3 of the attempts, there's probably 5+ on my camera just like them...

I even tried holding my eye open at one point...

almost had it...

While we double over in laughter Joe held sleeping Jack and made it obvious he thought we were totally insane...

1. Eat out less then 20 meals:  All of the food we ate was brought from home and carefully prepared by the men of the group.  3 total meals out.

2. At least 25 days with a 750+ calorie burn:

     Breakfast: breakfast wrap = 519 calories

     Lunch: cheddar wurst = 310 calories

     Dinner: cheeseburger & chips = 470 calories

     Snacks: peaches, mimosa, sangria, pretzel thins = 623 calories

     Totals: ? burned - 1922 eaten = ? total burned, 2 days total.

3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes:  I would like to say that we were lounging on the beach and no one was working out, but that would be a lie.  Sean & Amy brought a paddle board and a few people gave it a shot.  I was not one of them.  It was enough that I was wearing a bikini in public, I was not about to stand on a board and row in my bikini for all to see.

And my lovely sister made like a good camp counselor and entertained one of the kids that was there in a borrowed kayak.  40 minutes total.

4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  While I did bring my fitbit to the beach with me, much to Joe's dismay, I didn't wear it the whole time.  I left it on my cover up so anytime there was a chance I was getting wet it was in my bag.  Unfortunately this doesn't give me the most accurate measure of my steps, oh well, that's what the 6 cheat days are for I guess.  7783 steps.  2 days total.

5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of house work:  Hahahaha, I was out of the house for about 14 hours straight, no cleaning got done at my house.  3 days total.

it's raining it's pouring

1. Eat out less then 20 meals:  I had lunch & dinner out on Sunday.  It wasn't planned that way but I'm really bad at saying no to a meal out.  3 total meals out.

I met Joe on his lunch break and we had a quick bite at Taco Bell.

We met my dad & Judy for dinner at Godfather's in Mays Landing.  I ordered tortellini in vodka sauce with broccoli, it was so good!

2. At least 25 days with a 750+ calorie burn:

     Breakfast: peach = 38 calories

     Lunch: beefy melt burrito = 470 calories

     Dinner: dinner roll, side salad, tortellini = 952 calories

     Snacks: oatmeal cookie w/blueberry ice cream sandwich = 266 calories

     Totals: 2028 burned - 1726 eaten = 302 total burned, 2 days total.

3. Complete 1250 fitness minutes:  We were woken up on Sunday morning by a huge thunderstorm, the rain was coming down and it felt like the house was shaking.  Now, I normally love a good storm but not on a holiday weekend when I'm planning to go to the beach!  I hoped that maybe it would clear up after an hour or so but that wasn't the case, it stayed crappy until almost 3pm.  I tried to entertain myself around the house but that didn't last too long.  I even reached out via Facebook to see if any of my friends wanted to see a movie or something.  After not receiving a favorable response (it sucks when you get older and everyone has kids, they can't drop everything to entertain me anymore) I decided to head out to do some shopping on my own.

I started at Target and planned on heading to the mall after that but I got enough of a fix that I didn't need a second destination which was definitely good for my wallet...mostly I just wandered the store grabbing odd and ends that I knew we needed at home.  Then I hit the clothing and accessories departments.  This is where it all goes down hill.  I decided on a couple of beach cover ups and new workout pants, I even tried on this floppy hat but didn't buy it because I knew I would never wear it in public.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I'm a small now, I used to be a tight XL at Target!  After parting with my hard earned cash I went over to BJs to visit Joe at work.  He was helping a customer so I wandered around the store and picked up a couple of things.  I was happy to run into Christina (and her family) who I haven't seen in like a month because I've been working out outside instead of at the gym.  I had a real hard time not to buy all the giant bags of fruit, they all looked so yummy!  But I know I can't finish it all before it goes bad so we have to stick to the grocery store size bags.  Once Joe wrapped up his deal we wandered over to grab some lunch.

Where, we ran into Christina again!  I didn't get a workout in because of the weather although I know I could have done something if I had really been motivated.  I need to get my butt back in gear or I'm going to start gaining!  40 minutes total.

4. Walk at least 10,000 steps for 25 days:  I did a decent amount of walking around Target but still had about 2000 steps to go when we got home from dinner around 8pm.  We needed to stop at ShopRite and pick up a few things for our marathon beach day and debated whether or not we should walk because they sky wasn't looking so pretty.  Of course we decided to chance it because god forbid I don't get my steps!  We stayed dry on the trip over, tried to make our visit a quick one but when we reached the check out line it was pouring.  We had run into Kat & Mark doing some shopping for the next day as well and they offered to drive us home if we needed a ride but we decided to check out the storm before trying to find them.  It seemed to be a quick mover and we were pretty sure it would stop soon, we were right, within a few minutes of leaving the store (walking under the awning) the rain stopped and we were able to get home without getting soaked.  10372 steps.  2 days total.

5. At least 20 days with 30 minutes of house work:  With all those hours stuck inside you better believe I got my cleaning done!  I did cleaned the upstairs bathroom, did laundry, cleaned the kitchen and living room, unloaded & reloaded the dish washer and vacuumed downstairs.  Joe even commented on how much work I must have done when he got home.  3 days total.