Well week one is done. I was supposed to work out 6 days. I worked out 5. When Saturday rolled around and it was 80 degrees outside, I just couldn't be inside working out. So instead I spent 5 hours outside doing outdoor "chores". I was exhausted after that and didn't have it in me to then do a workout.
So what I have discovered about myself this week:
- I can get up in the morning and workout
- When I am tired I don't workout quite as hard as I could
- I can power through
- No matter how good I want to look, I HATE WORKING OUT!
- These dvd's are hard!!
So the workouts are hard, and there are a few moves that I can't even do. Most of those moves involve pushups. I do not have the arm strength to the regular pushups in the manner that Shaun T has us doing them, so I just do girl pushups until I get myself strong enough to do "regular" pushups. I do have to rest more than they give you time to. I am realizing that 6 days a week is A LOT. But I have mentally committed to doing at least 5 days a week.
Next weekend I have a Relay so I won't be sleeping much that weekend so the weekend workout isn't going to happen. But Monday-Friday will.
I know I said that I would post a before picture, and I did take it, but when I saw it I decided it didn't need to get posted.
I did weight myself to start and I was at 203. I am currently at 199, so it has been working (that and combined with no wheat.)
Week #2 to start tomorrow and I will keep you posted!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Results are in!
Well the results of the elimination diet are in. I have a "sensitivity" to wheat. That was the only item I had a reaction to when I re-introduced it. Eggs, milk and corn didn't show any signs at all. So I will be spending a large part of today (Saturday) going through my cabinets and removing anything that has wheat in it. Some will go in the trash, some will go to my sisters and some will go to the office. This way I don't have to throw it all away.
Then I will go to the grocery store and start to buy some items to "replace" or supplement items. I don't want to just replace items with gluten free stuff, but I will need items for my lunches.
My insanity DVD's came this week. I read the items that came with DVD's and they suggested to start on the day that the calendar starts on (Monday) so that is when I will start - Monday. Stay tuned for before pictures (maybe) and the blog on how much pain and misery I am in. Should be an interesting read.
Then I will go to the grocery store and start to buy some items to "replace" or supplement items. I don't want to just replace items with gluten free stuff, but I will need items for my lunches.
My insanity DVD's came this week. I read the items that came with DVD's and they suggested to start on the day that the calendar starts on (Monday) so that is when I will start - Monday. Stay tuned for before pictures (maybe) and the blog on how much pain and misery I am in. Should be an interesting read.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Am I insane?
Since January I have decided I need to work harder at losing weight. So I started hitting the gym pretty regularly. I have been semi-enjoying going, but it has been so easy for me to slack and just not go. I haven't been seeing results, and that is when I realized that I need so see results or else I get bored with doing it. So I started looking into other classes, workout routines and things I could do at the gym. All I kept finding was what I had been doing.
Then one night I couldn't sleep and I saw a commercial for the Insanity work out videos. They claim to be able to get you in "the best shape of your life" in 60 days. I know this isn't going to be easy and I FULLY understand that these workouts are HARD. But I am willing to try it. To try it for 6 days a week, for 2 months. That is it just two months! I have read comments, heard from friends of friends that this is one of the hardest things I might ever take on, but I am ready! I want to see results, I want to challenge myself. So I am putting it out there for the world - I AM DOING THIS 6 DAYS A WEEK FOR 2 MONTHS!
I will blog about my workout, pain, suffering, misery, happiness, and most of all pride every week. I am doing this to hold myself accountable! If I have to blog and say what weight I am starting at, how many days I did them and where I am at hopefully it will keep me motivated and moving!
So if you read this and want to help - post comments, ask me on Facebook about my journey, and most of all put me in your thoughts and prayers b/c if this workout is anything like they say I will need them.
I will post my next blog when the dvd's come and it will include my weight and hopefully a before picture. See you all in 3-5 business days... wish me luck!
Then one night I couldn't sleep and I saw a commercial for the Insanity work out videos. They claim to be able to get you in "the best shape of your life" in 60 days. I know this isn't going to be easy and I FULLY understand that these workouts are HARD. But I am willing to try it. To try it for 6 days a week, for 2 months. That is it just two months! I have read comments, heard from friends of friends that this is one of the hardest things I might ever take on, but I am ready! I want to see results, I want to challenge myself. So I am putting it out there for the world - I AM DOING THIS 6 DAYS A WEEK FOR 2 MONTHS!
I will blog about my workout, pain, suffering, misery, happiness, and most of all pride every week. I am doing this to hold myself accountable! If I have to blog and say what weight I am starting at, how many days I did them and where I am at hopefully it will keep me motivated and moving!
So if you read this and want to help - post comments, ask me on Facebook about my journey, and most of all put me in your thoughts and prayers b/c if this workout is anything like they say I will need them.
I will post my next blog when the dvd's come and it will include my weight and hopefully a before picture. See you all in 3-5 business days... wish me luck!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Is it Christmas without snow?
So let's be honest I am really slacking on this whole blog thing. Life gets crazy and I don't give this the time I should. So as one of my New Year's resolutions (which I have never kept before) is to keep this up better - we will see if it works. In the interest of full disclosure - I am only writing this right now because this is my last day of a 14 day vacation, I have a ton of "house chores" to do and I am delaying the inevitable. But no matter what got me on here - I am here.
This Christmas was my first Christmas not in a snowy atmosphere. Back in the summer my sister came to me and told me that the Grieshop family was going to Puerto Rico for Christmas and she wanted me come along. I jumped at the chance. How could you not?!
So the planning and hectic pre-holiday life began. Getting ready to bring some presents for the boys, figuring out what to pack, finding someone to deal with snowfall at my house, and making sure my house looked lived in for two weeks. Thanks to a good friend Molly Joyce, who drove me to the airport at 3am so my car could remain in my driveway, my stress level was less and to the Mason's for watching/taking care of my house.
On December 18th, I flew out to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I had no idea what to expect. We had a total of 12 people on this trip til 12/24, and then our number when down to just 8. Until 12/24 we were in Luqillo, Puerto Rico with the ENTIRE Grieshop clan. Then on the 12/24, Matt, Amanda, the boys, Andy Grieshop, his fiance Marge and I all traveled to the Mountains of Puerto Rico, Utuado - to stay with some friends, Warren & Olga, of Matt and Amanda's.
The first 6 days of the trip were wonderful. They were filled with beach days, Rainforests and family.
Before we new it the first half of our trip was over. It was time to say goodbye to some and hello to some new friends. We arrived in Utuado on Christmas Eve. There was already a party underway, the party included lots of family, friends, rum and pork.
Warren & Olga's house sits on top of a mountain in Utuada and over looks some amazing views.
The house has a wrap around porch and on it is an amazing hammock that I have to admit I laid in, read my book, and took a small nap... what - it was my vacation.
Warren is a local guide for an adventures touring company. One day when he had a tour he took us into the mountains, gave us a hand written map to a river that flows through a 2,000 foot cave that you can swim through. The hike to the river was amazing. The river was incredible.
The river was incredible, it was also freezing cold. But once you were in, it didn't feel so bad. We swam through a cave, we jumped off of rocks and watched people who were on the tour zipline over our heads. It was a pretty incredible day.
Waking up early is not something I love to do, but getting up early in Utuado meant getting pictures like this:
Every morning we were so high we were above cloud level. To see the clouds roll in over "lower" Utuado was beautiful and worth waking up for.
The trip was amazing, of course it was hectic with some bumps (come on there were 12 people at any given time) but I wouldn't have traded it for the world.
I kept having to remind myself that it was December, that Christmas was upon us. I was in a tank top and short, not scarves and a winter coat, the kids were playing the sand and sea not the snow and cold, Santa didn't get cookies and milk, he got Wine, Cheese and Rum (yes - this will be a tradition I adopt). But overall the sense of family was there, the Christmas morning excitement was there, the fun was there, and memories were made. So is Christmas still Christmas without snow? Yes, just a different type of Christmas.
I cannot thank the Grieshop clan enough for letting me invade their family vacation. I cannot thank Irizarry family enough for housing us, entertaining us and feeding us some amazing foods and incredible fresh off the tree fruit. However, I think it will be a long time before I eat more pork :).
This was a once of lifetime trip, that I will never forget!
This Christmas was my first Christmas not in a snowy atmosphere. Back in the summer my sister came to me and told me that the Grieshop family was going to Puerto Rico for Christmas and she wanted me come along. I jumped at the chance. How could you not?!
So the planning and hectic pre-holiday life began. Getting ready to bring some presents for the boys, figuring out what to pack, finding someone to deal with snowfall at my house, and making sure my house looked lived in for two weeks. Thanks to a good friend Molly Joyce, who drove me to the airport at 3am so my car could remain in my driveway, my stress level was less and to the Mason's for watching/taking care of my house.
On December 18th, I flew out to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I had no idea what to expect. We had a total of 12 people on this trip til 12/24, and then our number when down to just 8. Until 12/24 we were in Luqillo, Puerto Rico with the ENTIRE Grieshop clan. Then on the 12/24, Matt, Amanda, the boys, Andy Grieshop, his fiance Marge and I all traveled to the Mountains of Puerto Rico, Utuado - to stay with some friends, Warren & Olga, of Matt and Amanda's.
The first 6 days of the trip were wonderful. They were filled with beach days, Rainforests and family.
Seven Seas Beach, Puerto Rico
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| Mangrove forest we found when we hiked around the beach |
The first few days the weather was great. The next few is was slightly overcast and very windy. From what we heard from the locals that is very common for their winter. Once the wind started the beaches were very windy and hard to swim in.
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| The boys watching the large waves. |
With the wind setting in we ventured out and explored the Rainforests and caves in the area. The Rainforest was amazing - we hiked around a beautiful waterfall. The family enjoyed being right next to that.
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| The beautiful waterfall |
| We spent the day in the Rainforest - we hiked around, took in some amazing views and enjoyed the rivers and warm rains. |
The next day all twelve of us took a bit of a car ride to head closer to the mountains and hike to an amazing cave. Once we got there we took a ton of pictures and just hung out for large chunk of time.
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| The entire Grieshop Clan! |
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| View from inside the cave. |
To make the most of our time we wanted more beaches - since the ones on the east side of island were too windy & wavy we headed to the southeast area. We took a boat ride to what ended up being one of my favorite places, the Island of Culebra. The boat ride was very hard - pretty much everyone got some sea sickness, even me and I have never had that before.
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| The Island of Culebra |
We came here to snorkle, but before we could do that we needed to eat some lunch. But we didn't eat alone.
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| Our lunch visitors. |
Before we new it the first half of our trip was over. It was time to say goodbye to some and hello to some new friends. We arrived in Utuado on Christmas Eve. There was already a party underway, the party included lots of family, friends, rum and pork.
 |
| Christmas Eve dinner - now that is a lot of Pork. |
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| View from the porch. |
Warren is a local guide for an adventures touring company. One day when he had a tour he took us into the mountains, gave us a hand written map to a river that flows through a 2,000 foot cave that you can swim through. The hike to the river was amazing. The river was incredible.
 |
| The River. Behind the two rocks was the cave. |
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| The bridge we crossed to get to the river. |
The river was incredible, it was also freezing cold. But once you were in, it didn't feel so bad. We swam through a cave, we jumped off of rocks and watched people who were on the tour zipline over our heads. It was a pretty incredible day.
Waking up early is not something I love to do, but getting up early in Utuado meant getting pictures like this:
Every morning we were so high we were above cloud level. To see the clouds roll in over "lower" Utuado was beautiful and worth waking up for.
The trip was amazing, of course it was hectic with some bumps (come on there were 12 people at any given time) but I wouldn't have traded it for the world.
I kept having to remind myself that it was December, that Christmas was upon us. I was in a tank top and short, not scarves and a winter coat, the kids were playing the sand and sea not the snow and cold, Santa didn't get cookies and milk, he got Wine, Cheese and Rum (yes - this will be a tradition I adopt). But overall the sense of family was there, the Christmas morning excitement was there, the fun was there, and memories were made. So is Christmas still Christmas without snow? Yes, just a different type of Christmas.
I cannot thank the Grieshop clan enough for letting me invade their family vacation. I cannot thank Irizarry family enough for housing us, entertaining us and feeding us some amazing foods and incredible fresh off the tree fruit. However, I think it will be a long time before I eat more pork :).
This was a once of lifetime trip, that I will never forget!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Bittersweet!
Well it is the change of seasons, it was 66 degrees at it's warmest today, which makes for the perfect day for the first day of school. Sam started 2nd grade today. He is 7 and already a 2nd grader, my how time flies. He picked out his clothes, black jeans, plaid shirt, suit jacket, a stripped tie and a pocket square to match. He was in love with this outfit. And why wouldn't he be - he look so adorable...and grown up... and older than 7!
Arlo will start pre-school next week, hard to believe how quickly they grow up. I feel it was just yesterday that I moved here and Sam was in Kindergarten.
Bonnie took the plunge and moved to D.C. She seems to be glad to be out there with Scott and enjoying the city, for the most part. Minus the two natural disasters that happened in her first week of living there. So with her gone that means I have no roommate, and a lot of extra space to fill. I thought it was going to take me months to fill these rooms, but out of no where great deals on furniture have fallen in my lap. Just before she moved I found some awesome end tables and a coffee table, all 3 for $90. They are large and have great storage.
So that was great to fill the living room. Then my office was going to be completely empty... I mean totally - the house had an echo because nothing was in there. So after MONTHS of looking craigslist for just the right desk, at just the right price I found it! And I was glad that I held out because this is exactly what I pictured in that room.
Now I still have Bonnie's old room, the guest bedroom to fill. I have two guest bedrooms but Amanda and Matt were nice enough to let me store a twin bed of theirs in my third bedroom. They had it in their basement so why not put it up here where it can be used. But her bedroom is big enough to hold a queen or larger bed. I knew that my bed was getting old (I bought it 10 years ago for $300) but I still love it and wasn't sure I would be able to part with it. Until a co-worker offered me her king bed, head board, foot board, box spring, and posterpedic pillow top mattress all for $250. Can't pass that up. So the king will go in my room and my queen in Bonnie's old room. Pictures to come once I pick it up on Saturday!
The last thing I bought was a love seat for some out door seating. I had fallen in love with this seat a K-Mart earlier in the summer. They wanted $340 for it - CRAZY! There was no way in hell I was paying that, but I knew I loved it. So I stalked it - once August hit I checked back about every other weekend to see if or how much it was marked down. Finally about 2 weeks before labor day they marked it down to $100. I couldn't resist, it was mine. I have it set up out front so you can sit in it and watch all the happenings on the corner. Don't worry it is chained in place to the tree behind it. No one is stealing this!
With Bonnie gone it has been a little lonely here. There are times when I come home and think that it would be great to have someone here. Overall I like having my house to myself, but I miss having my friend in town. The whole thing is bittersweet.
I have loved watching Sam, Arlo and Otis grow up. They are amazing kids and I am looking forward to watching them discover who they are going to be. But having them little is fun, fun to watch them enjoy life, find the pleasure in the little things and remind me what it was like to be a kid. I don't want to lose that as they grow up. Bittersweet!
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| Isn't he so cute? |
Arlo will start pre-school next week, hard to believe how quickly they grow up. I feel it was just yesterday that I moved here and Sam was in Kindergarten.
Bonnie took the plunge and moved to D.C. She seems to be glad to be out there with Scott and enjoying the city, for the most part. Minus the two natural disasters that happened in her first week of living there. So with her gone that means I have no roommate, and a lot of extra space to fill. I thought it was going to take me months to fill these rooms, but out of no where great deals on furniture have fallen in my lap. Just before she moved I found some awesome end tables and a coffee table, all 3 for $90. They are large and have great storage.
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| Here is one end table - yes they open up! |
So that was great to fill the living room. Then my office was going to be completely empty... I mean totally - the house had an echo because nothing was in there. So after MONTHS of looking craigslist for just the right desk, at just the right price I found it! And I was glad that I held out because this is exactly what I pictured in that room.
Now I still have Bonnie's old room, the guest bedroom to fill. I have two guest bedrooms but Amanda and Matt were nice enough to let me store a twin bed of theirs in my third bedroom. They had it in their basement so why not put it up here where it can be used. But her bedroom is big enough to hold a queen or larger bed. I knew that my bed was getting old (I bought it 10 years ago for $300) but I still love it and wasn't sure I would be able to part with it. Until a co-worker offered me her king bed, head board, foot board, box spring, and posterpedic pillow top mattress all for $250. Can't pass that up. So the king will go in my room and my queen in Bonnie's old room. Pictures to come once I pick it up on Saturday!
The last thing I bought was a love seat for some out door seating. I had fallen in love with this seat a K-Mart earlier in the summer. They wanted $340 for it - CRAZY! There was no way in hell I was paying that, but I knew I loved it. So I stalked it - once August hit I checked back about every other weekend to see if or how much it was marked down. Finally about 2 weeks before labor day they marked it down to $100. I couldn't resist, it was mine. I have it set up out front so you can sit in it and watch all the happenings on the corner. Don't worry it is chained in place to the tree behind it. No one is stealing this!
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| New place to read my Kindle! |
With Bonnie gone it has been a little lonely here. There are times when I come home and think that it would be great to have someone here. Overall I like having my house to myself, but I miss having my friend in town. The whole thing is bittersweet.
I have loved watching Sam, Arlo and Otis grow up. They are amazing kids and I am looking forward to watching them discover who they are going to be. But having them little is fun, fun to watch them enjoy life, find the pleasure in the little things and remind me what it was like to be a kid. I don't want to lose that as they grow up. Bittersweet!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Summer... Summer... Summertime!
Last summer my sister and I took the boys to Virginia for a week to visit our 3 cousins, their families, and our Aunt and Uncle (my mother's brother).We loved it so much we decided to try to make it an annual thing. We just got back, from what I hope will continue to be, our annual trip. Back in the 70's my Aunt and Uncle bought a plot of land and built a house on Hyco Lake in northern North Carolina. It is always a fun family hang out.
I have many memories of Mom, Dad, Amanda and I going to Virginia to visit as a child or them coming to Maine to visit with us. We didn't get to see them every year, but when we did get time together, we have always had a blast. This year was no different.
We have grown very close to this side of the family over the years. When I lived in Charlotte, NC I would drive up to Virginia for long weekends, football games, or just to hang at the house or Hyco Lake.
We always stay with my Aunt Pat and Uncle Bill. Our cousins live just a few miles away with their families.
This year we went to visit for 6 days. We stayed Monday and Tuesday at Aunt Pat and Uncle Bill's. The boys loved that, they have a pool. Or as Otis calls it a "cool". They pretty much spent all day of those two days in the pool. Amanda, Matt and I worked some from a patio over looking the pool, swam with the boys and laid by the pool.
I have many memories of Mom, Dad, Amanda and I going to Virginia to visit as a child or them coming to Maine to visit with us. We didn't get to see them every year, but when we did get time together, we have always had a blast. This year was no different.
We have grown very close to this side of the family over the years. When I lived in Charlotte, NC I would drive up to Virginia for long weekends, football games, or just to hang at the house or Hyco Lake.
We always stay with my Aunt Pat and Uncle Bill. Our cousins live just a few miles away with their families.
This year we went to visit for 6 days. We stayed Monday and Tuesday at Aunt Pat and Uncle Bill's. The boys loved that, they have a pool. Or as Otis calls it a "cool". They pretty much spent all day of those two days in the pool. Amanda, Matt and I worked some from a patio over looking the pool, swam with the boys and laid by the pool.
The view while working
Wed-Saturday night were spent at the Lake house. We went tubing, jet skiing for boat rides. We filled our days with dockside, water fun. And of course some great southern cooking. There is and will always be an abundance of food at their house and it is fantastic! Until you get home and your pants don't fit. But I am willing to work out a little harder this week to make up for it, well worth it.
Amanda and the boys taking a paddle boat ride.
Cousin Brandon teaching Sam how to drive the Pontoon Boat.
The house Aunt Pat and Uncle Bill built in the 70's is great. I mean come on, who is really in the house when at the lake? But the families are getting bigger and the house seems to be getting smaller. So they are building a new one. It wasn't done yet, but should be by our trip next year. We are so excited.
Old Lake house - where we stayed this year.
New lake house we hope to be in next year!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Busy Time!
Well, it is that time of year again... Relay Season. It is my favorite season and also the most exhausting. So to add more to this exhausted time, I have decided to start another blog with some friends of mine. Dessert Girls... we will travel though Lansing, order just dessert and then blog about how great (or not so great) those desserts our. Our goal, to get more women to eat dessert and to eat more dessert. :)
No really, no goals, we just thought it would be fun. So check it out, I will be writing our first post soon!
http://dessertgirls.blogspot.com/
No really, no goals, we just thought it would be fun. So check it out, I will be writing our first post soon!
http://dessertgirls.blogspot.com/
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