Long time

Wow its been almost a year since I last blogged. How time does fly. Here is whats been happening in the past year with me:

I got married March 13th 2010 (I'll post pictures soon).
I was indeed able to fit into my size 4 wedding dress. I got down to 141lbs for the wedding. Then in June I discovered I had put on 20lbs. I think it was the holidays catching up with me as well as a mix of wedding stress then the relief of it being over. Good news is I lost about 10 of that already.

My son turned 18 June 5th then moved out a month later. And here is the BIG whammy of the year. The beginning of August he tells me his girlfriend he pregnant. That's right I am going to be a grandma! By the time the baby gets here I will be 34 1/2 years old. I had him very young and have always stressed how hard being a young parent is but he didn't take it to heart.

I am sure there is alot more to post but I cant think of all of it right now. I just wanted to touch base since it had been so long.

Wedding Update

170 days to go! YAY.

This is our venue for both the ceremony and reception: georgetownballroom.com

Jerry who runs the show is wonderful! It's located right around the corner from work so that makes it real easy to get things done.

Our caterer/baker (we are not doing cake but pies instead): twotartes.com

Lori and Sue are wonderful also. They are very easy to work with and they have a delightful woman who works at the deli/bakery part who always know how what to say to make your day!

I have my dress, garters and shoes so far. I need to get a modesty panel for the back. I don't think my guests want to see my butt crack. The dress must be made for a taller woman but I can still rock it. I want to get a birdcage veil but I am very picky so that part will be hard.

Here is a picture of my shoes or I should say a shoes:

This week I finally got my 10% award from WW. It took way to long but its done and now I can move on to my next mini goal of 141lbs, then I wont be in the overweight category.

Other then wedding planning I started to learn how to play the guitar, from my dad for my birthday. AND now I want this:

I am studying the DOL motorcycle manual and looking into taking a course. Super excited and cant wait till that baby is mine!

Most Excellent

I’ve had a wonderful week! I am super excited for many reasons. For starters I made it to the gym Mon, Tue, Wed and Thur of last week. There was a reason for not making it Fri but I have managed to forget what it was. Though I did do my work out routine at home in the evening. I was going to get up and go Sat but Randy thought that would be insane since we were going to be climbing/hiking Guy Peak that day. Guye Peak is an obstacle I had to over come. Let me take you back…

We joined a group called the Mountaineers back in 2007 and took their Alpine Scramble course. I was very new still to hiking as it was. This involved hiking in the snow. It was very intense. After learning first aid, all about gear and making it up Cowboy Mt. (Stevens Pass). Then they take you to Snoqualmie Pass and separate everyone into 3 groups. Easy, moderate and difficult (which Randy was in of course). I was put in to the easy group which was all girls. We would be going up Guye Peak. I had been stressed and was not off to a good start as it was. Our leader, I shall call him Subaru (that’s all I can come up with for him) seemed to have it in for me from the start. We hiked up in the snow which was very steep. You have to stop constantly to navigate with your map and compass. I was always the slowest, as I said I was still new to hiking. My legs hurt a lot and it seemed every time I caught up with the group, they had stopped for a break but as soon as I got there they would start moving again. Close to the top we stopped in a clearing and practiced ice axe arrests. These are very stressful. You pretty much throw yourself down a hill and stop yourself with the ice axe. You do this many times, with out your backpack on, sitting, lying down, head first and backwards. Then you do it all over again with your pack on! I wasn’t doing as well has I had before. As I mentioned Mr. Subaru was picking on me, and no I am not just as baby as you will read later on. By the time we were almost on the top I was very weak, oh by the way I am afraid of heights. We came to an area where you have to climb a rock, which was wet and at an angle that would send you flying down a cliff. I attempted this 3 times and gave up; I started having a panic attack. The rest of the group continued on and I was left going back down with Mr. Subaru. He be littled me all the way down. Asking why I was there if I was afraid of heights, I am not cut of for this stuff, bluh bluh bluh. I vowed never to return to Guye Peak since I was not capable.

Randy thought I was being too sensitive that Mr. Subaru cant possible be like that. Then our last get together in the class he was walking around looking lonely while everyone else mingled. I felt bad and thought maybe he is just a geek and has no friends. I suggested we go talk to him about one of the scrambles he would be leading. The first thing out of his mouth was that I would not be able to do any if “HIS” scrambles. He said a few other things but I can’t remember them. After we were done Randy realized I was correct about the man. Either he hates brunettes or I reminded him of a woman who hurt him or maybe he just doesn’t like the weak trying to overcome their fears. I don’t know and probably never will.

About a year ago Randy and I attempted this Mt of fear in the snow. He felt I needed to overcome it. Every time we would drive by it on the way to some other hike I would feel panicky just looking at it. We didn’t make it very, it was very steep and we came across an area that had had an avalanche not long ago. But it was a fun trip.

THEN…

This weekend we went back. No snow of course. We made it! 2 hours up and 1 hr 40 mins back down. I can’t remember the elevation, never been very good at that but it was still very steep. Randy told me he was proud and impressed with me. I love it when he says that! :)

Here are some picture, enjoy:

This is me doing an ice axe arrest on Cowboy Mt.


I made it to the top of Cowboy!


This is the only pic of my Guye Peak group. I am in the middle.


And on to this last weekend. Can you see the top?


This is my explaning what the rock looked like on that frightful day.


This bird took bread from my hand and on top of my boot.

The bottom. I just found out we were at 5000 elv.


Me! :)


Us! :)



Me, eating lunch.

Been stuck

I have not posted in a while because I have felt defeated. I hate it when I am doing SO well then it all seems for nothing. The whole month of July was a waste. A few times now I have been a pound away from finally getting my 10% award from WW. But now I have to work even harder because during the month of July I put on a few pounds I already lost. Of course there have been a lot of changes so I don’t know which one has done the damage. Here is my list of changes:

1. Quit smoking (again)
2. Changed my meals a little by adding more to breakfast
3. Changed my workout routine, could be muscle gain
4. And of course (the end of the month is my favorite time of the month
could be bloating.
5. Camping, we have gone camping a couple of times. Could be the smores.

All I can do is keep on going. I know it takes 4-6 weeks for your body to acknowledge when you have changed things. I am noticing my body changing though. Even my fiancée said that my body is getting harder and to keep up with what ever I am doing because it is working. I really need to stop letting the scale get to me.

I will say that I wanted to wait till I got to my goal to quit smoking. Yes I know that is a bad thing to say. But every time I quit I put on 10 pounds and I am very scared. If I was to my goal at least I would be able to monitor the weight but as it is I have to worry about what I have to loose plus not putting on the extra. Anyways, just wanted to get that off my chest. It was my fiancés idea to quit. It was not a pretty first week either  we just about killed each other.

I just noticed its more then a few pounds. Here is my weight in’s for the last couple of months (I really like lists):

6/9 147 total: 12.8
6/16 145.8 total: 14
6/26 146 total: 13.8
7/7 147 total: 12.2
7/14 145 total: 14.8
7/28 150.2 total 9.6

I need to loose a total of 15 pounds to get to 10% and as you can see I was close 2 times. How frustrating is that?? VERY. Maybe I am just stuck in the 140’s for a couple of months. I can see that happening since I did the same in the 150’s, up and down, up and down, over and over again. I even cried last week after weigh in at WW (at home of course). When I saw that I was back at 150.2 it was like someone punched me in my tum tum. I thought I was finally rid if the 150’s, thought I kicked them out the door. Not only was a looking forward to getting to my 10% by the beginning of August but I was hoping to get out of the “over weight” category. 141 is my max and I was so looking forward to that. I’ll just have to look foreword to it this month because I tell you what, I WANT IT!

Now I just need to think of an award to give myself. I am having a real hard time with this part. I am thinking that if I have something dangling in my face like that I might try a little harder.

I don’t have many followers but I am wondering what kind of awards other people give themselves??

Here are some new pictures of summer fun.


Randy showing Izzy how to shoot a 22. This is both mine and Izzy's first time shooting.

Izzy at the picnic table.

Me shooting our friend Nik's .40 Glock

Randy shoing Izzy how to shoot a 22.


Izzy shooting.


Our Dog Nikki, she is so sweet!


Me, getting ready to put up targets.


Our friend Aaron and our crazy dog Zane.


Randy and I walking back to camp.


Me, last Friday. Getting ready for the gym at 4:30am.

Lost

I have lost myself on the trail but have found a connecting trail. So here I go trekking again. Here's my story and I am sticking to it.

A few weeks ago I weighed in at my WW meeting and managed to gain 2lbs. This might not seem like suck a big deal but when you get up at 3:45am 5 days a week, it is. You feel like its all for nothing. Not to mention that it took you 14 weeks to lose 10.6lbs, it gets a little discouraging.

Then to top it off my fiance was informed they were shutting down his division. He has been there a year and was brought on to start and run his division on his own but now they decided its not the direction they want to go. He could stay but he would have to learn a whole new trade from scratch. But have no fear he has found a new job or I should say old job. He is going back to his previous job which happens to be where I work. It was scary for a moment because we thought we might have to post pone the wedding.

So whats gotten me back on the path you ask? Well, to tell you the truth it because I skipped out on my WW meeting last night. I felt that if the scale didn't show something good then I would be a disappointment to WW and myself. I felt very bad for not going. I have not missed a meeting since joining again. I was thinking before I fell asleep that if I did it once it will be to easy to do it again. I am not going to let that happen again unless I am VERY sick or something. If I can go to work I can go to my meeting.

This week I am going to focus on one day at a time.

The good news is most of my summer clothes are to big, bad news is we are on a strict budget. Good news, my thighs no longer rub together while walking, bad news I have not gotten them toned enough to not slap together while walking.

Another thing I have learned over the past couple of weeks is my weight has a zone of 3lbs. What do I mean? Here is an example:

One week I might range between 150-153 then lose a bit
Now it ranges between 149-152 lose a bit
then 148-151

Noticing this is a little encouraging. I feel like I am finally starting to understand my body. That is not always good, I have also noticed that I have a very wide upper back. See my sunburn pic below.

Speaking of pictures here are some that I finally for from my fiances side of the computer.

(This is me rock wall climbing)




(Me at the top)




(Izzy 6ft off the floor)



(Randy)






(Randy teaching Izzy how to ride her new bike)



(This is what heppens to you when you garden for 4 hrs and not able to reach all the way. No one was home to help with the sunscreen)



(Me on my bike)



(Randy and I)



(Izzy and I on the bike trail)

A BIG Thanks

First off I want to say Thank you to Jodi and Dawn for leaving such nice comments. You guys made my week, THANKS!

Lets see...Gym wise I did awesome. I went Wed, Thur, Fri, Mon and Tue (My weeks are Wed to Tue). I up'd my time a bit. I was getting up at 4am but between getting ready, eating my banana and driving a couple blocks to get there I wasn't starting my work out till 4:15am then ending at 4:55am. So now I am getting up at 3:45am and arriving there at 4am and still leaving at 4:55am of course if I am having a real good work out I will stay till 4:59am but that's pushing it. I have to leave the house no later then 5:35am for work so I tend to cut it real close. Luckily I work with all men and rarely see anyone else so I just wear jeans and t-shirts.

I use to just walk on the treadmill and do some time on the elliptical. I walked mainly because I was paranoid about running with other people around. I thought that:

1. I looked funny running (when Randy would go with me I would always ask him if my running looked ok).
2. I was making hella noise with my heavy self.
3. I felt to many body parts were swinging this way and that way and it was noticeable.

Now I do weird stuff on purpose and I don't care. Of course I am there so early it doesn't matter. Here is my latest routine. I change it every now and again.

Warm up
incline 6 speed 3.3, 1 min
incline 8 speed 3.3, 1 min
incline 10 speed 3.3, 1 min
incline 12 speed 3.3, 1 min
incline 15 speed 3.3, 1 min

After my warm up is when it gets weird
Decline to 12 speed 3.8, 1 min I stretch my legs so I am working my butt (at every 12)
Decline to 10 speed 3.8, 1 min I do a strange circle motion with my legs (at every 10)
Decline to 8 speed 3.8, 1 min just a normal walk
Delcine to -2.0 speed 6.2 I run for 1 min

Incline to 8 speed 3.8, 1 min catching my breath
Incline to to 10, 12 doing to same routine
Incline to 15 speed 4.2, 1 min I then run/jog/scoot or whatever you would call. Its a very hard one for me but makes me feel good.

So I do that over and over till its time to go. I really think its making a huge difference. I can see the changes in my body. I even tried on my wedding dress again to see if it fit differently. It did, I can button all of the buttons, if I had hand that reached back there that is. I just need to do some toning in the middle.

I cant remember if I already wrote about my dress but its a size 4. I found it at my local Goodwill for $40. I couldn't pass it up. Its a brand new Issac Mizrahi. It doesn't fit like a 4 since I cant even fit in that size so I dont know whats up with their sizing. I will need to get some alterations done on it once I get to my goal weight. Dresses always seem to fit funny with me, they tend to be real lose in the belly area. I guess that's because I am pear shaped. I just found that out this week, lol.

This week I lost .4, that brings me to 149.2 total loss of 10.6. Once again I didn't mind that it was little. I'll take little ones over gains any day. I really hate saying 10.6 because its really more then that. Thats just from when I started over again.

I was told today that I have birth giving hips. If I hear that one more time in my life I think I will either scream or eat a cupcake. I am sure I wont hear it when I am in my 50's.

Tonight my daughter has a RC car race. We had to buy some new parts because the cheap one the car came with broke last time. Oh, I almost forgot Izzy had her first bike ride on a trail. We went from the wineries in Woodinville to Marymoore. About 10 miles round trip. It was a bit much but she kept saying lets go lets go. There was one close call. Her brakes are not that great. We got her a simple inexpensive bike from Target till she gets better. We came to a bike over pass and then the trail goes down. The bike trail runs along a river. So she is pushing real hard on her breaks but they are not working. She goes on the other side of the trail, over some rocks, and stops inches from some sticker bushes with the river right on the other side. Scary stuff.
She did very well till we were headed back. By then she was getting tired, making her weave all over the trail and getting in peoples way going the other direction. Most of them were cool about it, there was one guy who started swearing and telling her to stay on her side of the trail. Luckily she didn't hear him.

So that's my week in a nuts shell.

Random Excerises

Do they work? I have no idea. I randomly exercise through out the day. For example, every time I use the bathroom at work I do triceps dips and squats while I am there. And if know no one is around I will do some jumping jacks and some other things I can think of off the top of my head. I don't know if doing this kind of thing is worth it but it makes me feel good so I suppose it is worth it.

This week has been most excellent. I went to the gym last week Wed, Thur, Fri then This week I have gone everyday. Last Friday we went on a bike ride from Lake Forest Park to the Husky Stadium (I think that is about 20 miles round trip) then Sunday we went the same way but to Gas Works Park (25 Miles). So needless to say I feel fabulous this week.

Eating is going well also. I am still only cooking WW recipes, that is helping a lot on my weight loss. If you are doing WW and having a hard time like I was I suggest making a couple of WW recipes in the week.

I lost .4 this week, of course I blame that on stopping at Ivar's on our way back from Gas Works (I had fries). The lady who weighed me was too funny. She said "Oh you are down a little.....is that OK?" I said yes, thats great. It was weird that she asked me that, yes it was only .4 but it was something and it put me at 149.6 total of 10.2lbs gone plus I got a star. I think I was OK with that small amount because I am feeling so good lately.

Isn't amazing how working out really hard makes you feel? I am to the point that if I think I am going to miss a workout I start getting a little cranky. I did that last night. We were going to watch a movie but it didn't start till after 6pm and as you know (those who read my posts) I wake up very early to go to the gym. Randy ended up turning it off and announcing that we will finish it another night. I am sure that me getting up and getting things ready for the next day had nothing to do with it :)



Lets see, what else is going on this week.... Oh my ceiling at work is dripping all over my desk. My bosses solution was to put buckets on my desk and some of the guys went on the roof to scoop water off but the drip drip was still going on. Drove me nuts!

I know, my week is boring. I always have a ton of stuff I want to write but by the time I sit down to do it, I have already forgotten most of it.

My daughter the other day came up to me and said she needs to lose weight because her clothes are to tight and the kids at school tease her. This broke my heart. She is almost 8 just over 4ft tall and about 86 pds. She has always been a bit chubby, her dad is a big guy. Every time she mentions this kind of thing my answer to her is that she just needs to eat better, more healthy stuff like fruits and veggies. The problems is she eats good healthy stuff here at home with us then goes to her dads and eats junk. I have talked to him about this and even said that her doctor says she needs to eat better but he just says OK but doesn't actually do anything. I am at a loss with this one because I feel like she is just to young to have to worry about losing weight and that she is to young to even attempt to go on some kind of diet. But I am also worried about her health. Diabetes runs in my family and hers, get this, her dad has diabetes. Yes that's right, yet he still gives her chocolate chips as a snack. He is not a single dad so its not because he doesn't know what he is doing. I thought that when he got married that his wife would encourage better eating habits but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I guess I can only hope that by Randy and I continuing the life style we have will be a good enough example for her. Does anyone else have this kind of problem?