Welcome back summer?

I didn't have any plans to recap my days but when I thought about it, Wednesday was a busy day and deserves it's own post!

After getting my bad news on Tuesday, Joe wanted to do something nice for me so he suggested we go out to breakfast on Wednesday morning at Shea's.  Because it's about a 25 minute drive from the house I had to get up a little earlier then usual and there was no time to dilly dally but it was worth it.  I had a single pumpkin cheesecake pancake with a side of scrambled eggs and it was worth every single calorie!  I was so full that I didn't get hungry for lunch until after 3pm!

Joe dropped me off at work after breakfast and took my car for the day so he could pick up some plants and things for the yard.  We've been having really nice weather lately, the high was 76 yesterday!  I couldn't wait to get home and spend some time outside in the sun!  After work we made a pit stop at a local garden center and picked up some 1/2 price shrubs since a few of ours hadn't made it through the winter.  I'm excited to see all the different flowers blooming as spring progresses!

Once we got home I ran upstairs to change and we were back out the door for a quick 2 mile run.  I really didn't push myself at all because I was more concerned with making sure my hip didn't act up, and it didn't!  We also took a slightly different route then usual, it was almost exactly the same distance but it was nice to see a different part of the neighborhood and do a little more then run up and down the same street.

Joe was starving when we got home and hadn't taken anything out for dinner so he suggested we head to the Custard Hut for $1 hot dogs and ice cream.  I agreed under the condition that we walk since it was still so warm out & I needed steps.  We stopped at picked up Nicole & Jack then off we went.  I had a New York dog with sauerkraut, onions & mustard and a cappuccino crunch cone.

Jack enjoyed his vanilla soft serve with crunch coat and kept things interesting while we ate.  We also ran into John & Kristen who had stopped for a snack on their way home from running some errands.

After "dinner" it was time to walk back home.  Luckily it was still early because I needed to take care of workout B from my bootcamp program.  My quads are killing me!  I'm seriously considering taking tonight off to rest but burning all those extra calories is so hard to pass up!  It was such a great night and it has me jonesing for the real spring/summer when we start walking everywhere!

1. 10,000 steps for at least 20 days.  15321, 12 days total.

2. Exercise at least 20 times.  2 mile run & bootcamp, 9 days total.

3. Eat out less then 20 times.  breakfast & dinner, 2 meal out, 11 meals total.

4. Put laundry away as soon as I fold it.  No laundry done.

5. Book at least 4 Thirty-One parties for April.  1 show total.

I broke my hip!

There's only 3 more days until my first big race of the season, the St Patty's Day 10 miler in Margate!  The only problem was the longest run I had done was 6 miles of intervals on the treadmill.  Which is why at 9am this past Sunday, Angela, Kat & I headed out for an 8 mile run. My thoughts are, if I can do 8 then 10 is totally doable.  It was a little chilly when we left the house but we were warmed up in no time and the sun was out to keep us that way.  I really had a great run! I only took 2 walk breaks and they were at miles 3 and 6 to suck back a GU packet.  I was really proud of myself, and then I hit 7.9 miles.  

We were about a 1/2 mile from the house finishing up and as I came across the street something happened to my hip.  I have no idea what, it just started hurting, badly.  I didn't roll my ankle or trip, nothing popped, it literally just started hurting like nothing I've ever felt before.  I tried to run through it like I do any other ache but it wouldn't go away.  I started to walk but got mad at myself and pushed to run through the end.  The minute my watch beeped that I was finished I stopped, right in the middle of the road.  Kat & Angela were about 1/2 a block ahead of me and turned around to ask if I was ok.  When I told them what was going on we tried a couple of hip stretches but nothing helped.

We still a 0.40 mile walk home...all I could do was walk about 1/2 a block then stop and try to stretch again, it was excruciating!  As we were walking in the front door my phone rang, it was Joe telling me he was on his way home from work super early (someone had too many drinks the night before).  Kat headed home pretty shortly thereafter but Angela hung out until Joe got home.  I had been playing it cool and telling the girls I would be fine and not to worry but the minute Angela closed the front door and it was just me & Joe, I burst into tears.  It hurt so badly, I literally could not move anything from my waist down without this horrible pain.  Joe helped me get upstairs and out of my clothes so I could shower.  Once I was clean he propped me up in bed and we watched TV for a while but it didn't get any better.  Every time I shifted my weight or tried to sit up it hurt.  

Eventually we started to get hungry so Joe half carried me downstairs and deposited me on the couch then went to get some lunch.  While he was gone I hobbled into the kitchen and took 3 Aleve then hobbled back to the couch.  We had yummy chinese food for lunch and watched some more TV.  At some point I had to pee and when I went to get up it didn't hurt anymore, it was tight but there was no more terrible pain, it was a miracle!  I still made sure to take it easy the rest of the day but it was so nice to be able to move again!

My favorite part of the entire day was looking out the front door at 6:30pm and seeing that the sun was still out! Gotta love day light savings!

Since Joe and I were both home we took the opportunity to take care of some things around the house.  We took down all the winter decorations that were left.  Now that it's practically 70 degrees every day it didn't make sense to have snowmen hanging out around the living room.

We also put up the bud vases we picked up at the Philadelphia Flower Show the previous weekend.  Aren't they cute?  I'm super excited for all the plants in the yard to start blooming!

It took hours for us to get hungry again after our delicious chinese lunch.  Finally around 8pm we wandered into the kitchen and foraged around for something to call dinner. I made myself a ham, egg & laughing cow sandwich on an english muffin with an apple and a glass of Trop 50.  I love breakfast for dinner!

 

I still have no idea what happened to me on that run.  On Monday I went for a walk with Lorie & Nicole and everything felt normal.  On Tuesday I went for a bike ride and I'm still fine. The real test is tonight, Joe & I are planning an easy 2 mile run.  Hopefully everything is fine and I'll be able to run the race on Saturday...

 

1. 10,000 steps for at least 20 days.  20474, 9 days total.

2. Exercise at least 20 times.  8 mile run, 6 days total.

3. Eat out less then 20 times.  chinese lunch, 1 meal out, 8 meals total.

4. Put laundry away as soon as I fold it.  No laundry done.

5. Book at least 4 Thirty-One parties for April.  I might have another show in line, just waiting on the girl to let me know what date (fingers crossed), 1 show total.

bad news bears

I know I've been alluding to some exciting news for a while but unfortunately things didn't go according to plan.  So, I guess I can let the cat out of the bag.  

I applied for a new position in our company's Foundation/Marketing department.  I was very excited about the opportunity, I pictured a new, more rewarding career.  Things were looking really good; my interview went extremely well and I was getting positive feedback from everyone involved.  Then, yesterday I got THE call...they have decided to go with another applicant.  

I'm not going to lie, I was devastated (although I held my shit together pretty well until I got outside and on the phone with Joe).  I'm keeping a positive attitude though.  It was actually a very nice rejection call, the Vice President of the department called me directly to give me the bad news, she was very upbeat and told me not to be discouraged.  Apparently there may be more changes in that department over the next year and she thinks there will be more positions available that I would be even better suited for.  She even said that NOT getting this position may be better for me career wise.

Well nothing motivates a girl to get her masters faster then finding out the chosen applicant has an MBA.  Within hours of that phone call I was online researching the process for applying to get my MAIT.  I requested updated letters of recommendation for my references and contacted the MAT testing center closest to my home.  I'm hoping to start classes in the fall.  This is the same degree my mom just received and my sister is currently working on.  While they are applying their work to teaching I will take the non-profit track.  I can take classes in Grant Writing, Web Design, Project Management, etc.  

I'm also extremely proud of how I handled myself once I got home.  In the past, I would have gorged myself on unhealthy food and lounged on the couch feeling sorry for myself.  Yesterday, the weather was beautiful so I hopped on my bike and rode 10 miles with my dad!  I had a healthy dinner at Applebee's and went to bed at a decent hour.  I'm such a big girl!

Happy St Patrick's Day??

For some reason Atlantic City decided to have their St Patrick's Day parade a week before 3/17...I have no idea why.  If a holiday falls on a Saturday why not celebrate it on that actual day?!?  I shouldn't be complaining though because this worked out better for us anyway.  Joe randomly had the day off from work and was able to take part in the festivities for the first time is years!  We started the day by picking up Jack and heading to Fitzpatrick's for breakfast.  Aren't the boys so cute in the greenness?

I ordered 2 eggs over easy with pork roll, tomatoes instead of home fries and rye toast.  This has become my go to out for breakfast meal lately and I'm not sure why, it's not even particularly delicious.  On our way out of the restaurant an older lady at the table next to us looked at me and said "he really can't deny him huh" about Joe & Jack.  I didn't have the heart to tell her we're just the babysitters and not related in anyway.  People never give a second look because there is a resemblance between the two of them but this was the first person to actually say something.

After breakfast we went back to the house to get ready for the parade.  Joe took Jack out back to feed the birds and I went upstairs to knock out my bootcamp workout.  This one was much harder for me then Thursday's had been, I was dripping sweat by the time I finished.

I hopped in the shower and quickly got ready to head out.  We were meeting some people at Shana & Bill's house before the parade and I had some errands to run for my Thirty-One party that night.  It was a good thing we had some extra time in the car too because we were close to Jack's nap time, this way at least he got a solid hour in.  Soon we were on Brigantine and ready to party!

After an hour or so it was time to get to the parade.  Shana & Bill brought Shaggy which made me feel better about bringing Jack.  I didn't want to hold anyone back from really partying but there's no bringing babies or dogs into bars.  

We found a spot in the sun and waited for the festivities to begin.  Soon we saw the flashing lights and heard the sounds of bagpipes.

We were all decked out in our finest greenery.

Shaggy even made a friend with a doberman marching in the parade.

Jack was particularly taken by this mini horse.

We took pictures of our crew in between floats.

Joe made sure to get in the Irish spirit with his flask of Jameson.  And I was super excited to see the Rita's water ice mascot!  The store by us opened for the season on Sunday!

After the parade was over we let Jack out of the stroller and he ran around the boardwalk collecting all the candy that was thrown.  I swear he was having a great time no matter what this picture looks like.

Soon we were ready to get back to the house for some snacks.  I can't believe I didn't take any pictures!  The real stand out for me was a Reuben Dip that Kelli made, it's pinned on my food board if you'd like the recipe.  It was so good!

Shana & I only hung out with everyone for an hour or two before it was time to head to Manahawkin for her co-worker's Thirty-One show.  It was a great show, over $700 in sales and I booked another show from it!

It was a long day, after dropping Shana off at home I didn't get back to my house until almost 10pm, that's means I was out of the house for almost 12 straight hours.  I was ready for bed but was surprised to find Joe had brought some friends home with him from the party.  We were up for another 2 hours or so visiting before finally going up to bed just after midnight.

1. 10,000 steps for at least 20 days.  10010, 8 days total.

2. Exercise at least 20 times.  bootcamp, 5 days total.

3. Eat out less then 20 times.  Fitzpatrick's for breakfast, 1 meal out, 7 meals total.

4. Put laundry away as soon as I fold it.  No laundry done.

5. Book at least 4 Thirty-One parties for April.  1 show booked, 1 show total.

Weekend Update

Since I haven't figured out exactly how I want to talk about my goals and what not I've decided that this week you're going to get a week long wrap up on how I did with little tid bits that I think are interesting...

Monday

I've decided to switch from Calorie Counter to MyFitnessPal.  I decided new iPhone new weight loss program, I'm hoping that maybe a new program will help get me motivated again.  So far it seems to be working...  What I like best about MyFitnessPal is that I have friends that use it, it's sort of like Facebook Weight Loss Edition.  Because I've allowed my friends to see what I eat and when I work out I'm more motivated to actually do it.  If you're using it feel free to friend me: LFdimples.  It also syncs with my Fitbit, I just enter food and exercise into the MyFitnessPal website or iPhone app and it adds in my steps and does all the calculations for me!

1. 10,000 steps for at least 20 days.  I had a lot going on and didn't get a chance to walk, 2949, 3 days total.

2. Exercise at least 20 times.  I had a Thirty-One meeting after work which zapped my evening, after a long day the last thing I wanted was a workout, 1 day total.

3. Eat out less then 20 times.  0 meals out, 4 meals total.

4. Put laundry away as soon as I fold it.  I washed, folded & PUT AWAY two loads!

5. Book at least 4 Thirty-One parties for April.  Nothing booked yet.

Tuesday

1. 10,000 steps for at least 20 days.  11067, 4 days total.

2. Exercise at least 20 times.  I went to spin at the gym, 2 days total.

3. Eat out less then 20 times.  1 meal out, 5 meals total.

4. Put laundry away as soon as I fold it.  I washed, folded & PUT AWAY two loads, again!

5. Book at least 4 Thirty-One parties for April.  Nothing booked yet.


After spin class I went out to Target with Thea, there were a few things I'd been coveting online and when she said she was heading over there I couldn't hold myself back any longer.  Luckily most of it wasn't as cute in person so I didn't buy much.  Since I was out by the mall I stopped in to see Joe at work (and get some steps).  Unfortunately he was busy so we didn't get a chance to talk or anything.  By the time I headed home it was almost 8pm and I hadn't eaten.  I was in no  mood to cook so I stopped and picked up a wrap, when I got home I saw that it was made wrong and had warm lettuce on it, I HATE warm lettuce, such a waste of a meal out!

Wednesday

I'd had a container of cubed butternut squash and a spaghetti squash in my fridge for over week that I knew I needed to cook.  I had planned on cooking on Tuesday but time got away from me so after a 5 mile run with Kat it was time to hit the kitchen.  I pulled up a recipe up on Pinterest for Hungry Girl's Cheesy Butternut Bake and got to work.  While the casserole was cooking I got started on the spaghetti squash.  This was my first time working with spaghetti squash so I used this tutorial on how to cook one.  Once the spaghetti squash was all packed up in a bowl to be used later in the week I finished making my dinner.  Joe was working late so I just stuck 2 garlic mozzarella chicken sausages in the toaster oven and let them cook while the casserole finished up.  Seriously, I'm a pretty decent cook when I actually apply myself!

1. 10,000 steps for at least 20 days.  A five mile run makes short work of 10,000 steps, 13434, 5 days total.

2. Exercise at least 20 times.  5 mile run, nuff said, 3 days total.

3. Eat out less then 20 times.  I cooked!  0 meals out, 5 meals total.

4. Put laundry away as soon as I fold it.  Didn't do any laundry

5. Book at least 4 Thirty-One parties for April.  Nothing booked yet.

Thursday

I had some of the spaghetti squash for lunch and I'm a fan!  I prepared it a way I've seen online a million times, just like spaghetti.  I scooped out a cup of squash topped it with marinara sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese then stuck it in the microwave for 2 minutes at lunch time.  So good and less then 200 calories!  I will be adding spaghetti squash as a must have on grocery list from now on! 

I had plans to go to Lorie's house for dinner that night so I was planning to come home and tackle workout A of bootcamp quickly before I went over there.  Well the gorgeous weather changed our plans, Lorie came over to my house instead and she, Nicole, the kids and I went for a 2.5 mile walk around the neighborhood.  I was absolutely starving by the time we got home so I pulled out some chicken breasts that needed to be cooked and another Pinterest recipe I'd been wanting to try for Easy Garlic Chicken.  It turned out pretty good, I probably should have made the glaze in the morning and soaked them all day, oh well, next time.

After dinner I headed upstairs to knock out my workout.  It felt so good to lift a little again.  I really need to start doing more then just cardio, I can really feel how weak I've gotten.

1. 10,000 steps for at least 20 days.  10052, 6 days total.

2. Exercise at least 20 times.  45min walk & bootcamp, 4 days total.

3. Eat out less then 20 times.  I cooked again!  0 meals out, 5 meals total.

4. Put laundry away as soon as I fold it.  Didn't do any laundry

5. Book at least 4 Thirty-One parties for April.  Nothing booked yet.

 Friday

I lost 2 pounds!!  Apparently counting my calories and holding myself accountable to the total still works, who'd a guessed it?  All week I've been shooting for about 1200 calories a day and I've managed to burn upwards of 500 calories 4 out of 5 days!


I had big plans for working out on Friday, the first plan was an 8 mile run with Joe.  But once I saw the weather report (high of 53 and windy with 30mph gusts) I decided to put that off until Sunday when it'll be nicer (high of 60 and clear).  Then I was planning to do my bootcamp workout but the night got away from us so I had to push that to Saturday which means no real exercise on Friday...  I didn't make sure to get my steps though!  Joe and I walked over to Wendy's for dinner and I still needed 6000 steps so we wandered the plaza across the street for a while.  I wish I had taken a picture of my awesome outfit, I was rocking Ugg boots, leggings, an Under Armor sweatshirt and my long puffy winter coat, Joe said I was a little over dressed but at least I was warm!  



Even after all of our walking I needed another 2000 steps so we went next door to visit.  Lou & Nicole were working on a spreadsheet for Lou's new business so we entertained Jack for them.  He chased me around their living room playing "hide & seek" for a while which helped push me over my step goal!

1. 10,000 steps for at least 20 days.  10092, 7 days total.

2. Exercise at least 20 times.  no go, 4 days total.

3. Eat out less then 20 times.  Wendys...1 meal out, 6 meals total.

4. Put laundry away as soon as I fold it.  Didn't do any laundry

5. Book at least 4 Thirty-One parties for April.  Nothing booked yet.

Philadelphia Flower Show

I didn't sleep very well in Philly.  The mattress was a little harder then I'm used to so I couldn't get comfortable. That paired with all the new sounds coming out of my iPhone and I was tossing and turning all night.  We pried our butts out of bed around 8am, mostly because we were hungry, and got ready for the day.  I was pretty proud of my outfit that day so I had Joe take a picture so I could share with you guys.  I didn't really love the vest but it was pretty chilly on Sunday and I would have frozen without it.  It's also too bad my boots are in the shadows, so well...

We headed downstairs to eat and picked over the cold continental type breakfast that was served.  I went with a HUGE cheese danish, a banana, some orange juice and a cup off coffee.

We hadn't made any definite plans for Sunday other then wandering around the city.  It was definitely a happy accident that the uber popular Philadelphia International Flower Show was starting the same day.  We hopped on the iPad, found a deal for tickets, printed them on the hotel printer, packed our bags, dropped them at the car, then walked the 1/2 mile or so to the show.  There were already a lot of people there by 10am and it only got more packed as the day went on.  I took full advantage of my fancy new iPhone and took a bunch of pictures then played around with them in Instagram.

We did some shopping. I picked up this adorable owl ring and we bought a bunch of glass and ceramic vases for displaying bunches of flowers Joe planted in the yard last fall.

We wandered through the floral displays and noted which plants we liked best so we could add them to the garden next year.

And we even found a display from a local orchid grower in our town!

A little after 1pm we started to get tired and hungry so we knew it was time to call it a day.  We'd seen most of the displays and bought way more plants then we had intended so we headed back to the car.  We joked about how we could have taken a horse drawn carriage and Joe demanded that I take a picture of the horse...I obliged...

Obviously we headed to Tony Luke's for lunch.  We were so hungry, having not eaten in more then 5 hours that our eyes were bigger then our stomachs.  We ordered cheese fries and buffalo chicken bites as an appetizer and scarfed them down the minute they hit the table.

Which meant by the time I got to my sandwich I was pretty full.  I managed to take down 1/2 the roast pork italian (with broccoli rabe and sharp provolone) but had to wrap the rest up for later.

Once we were sufficiently full we headed for home, but we had to make a pit stop at the liquor store on the way.  Joe wanted beer to drink during the Flyers game and I decided to finish the weekend with a bang and picked up a few bottles of Cupcake wine.  I am now a GIANT fan of the Red Velvet flavor and can't wait to try the Angel Food Cake (when I find a bottle).  I also learned that Cupcake makes vodka in fun flavors like Chiffon and Devil's Food, I'm excited to try them once I deplete the stock of flavored vodka in our liquor cabinet (which could take a while given how rarely I drink).

Joe and I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening on the couch watching tv, drinking and laughing.  We  decided a thumb war was necessary at one point and I couldn't get over how much smaller my thumb was, obviously I had to take a picture!

1. 10,000 steps for at least 20 days.  Even with my broken feet the Flower Show paid off, 10291, 3 total.

2. Exercise at least 20 times.  Nope, we planned on doing a long run but my blisters weren't allowing that, 1 total.

3. Eat out less then 20 times.  2 meals out, 4 total.

4. Put laundry away as soon as I fold it.  Didn't wash any clothes.

5. Book at least 4 Thirty-One parties for April.  Nothing booked yet.