3-day weekend!

Happy Saturday!  I'm watching the Aggies play at Auburn.  Right now, they are looking good!  But there are still 3 quarters of football left this evening.

I took off yesterday to go to Fort Worth for the Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering at the Fort Worth Stock Yards.  I slept a little late then headed north.  Of course, I stopped for kolaches in West!  Yum.  I met up with Dad and his gf at about 11 at the Stock Yards.  It was a little chilly and I think I got a little wind burned on my cheeks but it wasn't too bad.  We watched the chuckwagon "parade" as they arrived at the Stock Yards to set up for the chuckwagon cook-off which was scheduled for today.  I even wore my sister-made custom cowboy boots!

My uncle RL riding in on the JB Chuckwagon.

My aunt flew in from Amarillo so it was fun to see her!  We wandered through the trade show where I found an awesome headband/ear warmer for our outdoor adventures this winter.  I'd love to have more in other colors - like purple and green and a bright yellow or orange, maybe with some sparkle! (hint, hint for Christmas or Halloween or Thanksgiving gifts)  I also got a new bulb for my Scentsy warmer and a new scent to test out in my A&M Scentsy warmer!  It's always fun to see my uncle RL and his wife too!  Fun times!

I came home last night because Gus and I had plans to walk/jog in the Monster Match Mile this morning.  It was a fundraiser for the Scott & White Marrow Donor Program. 

We woke up to a chilly morning this morning - not freezing but probably the coolest morning we've had this fall.  So I dressed in layers and put on my cool new ear warmer and headed to Pepper Creek Trail. 

We wound up walking with a lady and her dog, Daphne, who had done the Drool in the Pool in September.  It was fun to talk to her!  She is already signed up for the Run for the Rovers in Round Rock next month so we'll see them again in a couple weeks.  So I didn't even pay attention to our time.

On a completely different note, this is the first picture of Gus that I have where the gray hair on his chin is super obvious.  My puppy dog is getting old.  :(   He is the oldest dog in our family's pack by at least a couple years, which is crazy to me.  It kind of makes me sad, but it is a good reminder to keep him healthy and fit, keep his joints moving, and get the extra few pounds off his frame. 

Aggies are still leading Auburn! 

Reset and Wednesday Weigh-In

So my Wednesday weigh-in went a lot like my sister's did.  Not well.  According to the stupid scale, I gained 3 pounds, which puts my weight firmly back in the middle of that range I've been stuck in for months.  Here's hoping it's just water weight or hormones or something.  Because I feel better/fitter and my clothes are fitting better, so something is changing.  Just can't let the disappointing weigh-ins derail my progress.

And while I'm on that theme, I reset my goal in my bodymedia fit profile, because I was supposed to weigh 160 pounds by December, which is obviously not realistic at this point.  So it is reset.  It still keeps track of all-time weight loss but has a new timeline for weight loss.

Tomorrow, I'm going to Fort Worth to see my dad and some other family.  I just had to ask for the day off because my dad "mentioned" this weekend to me several times, so I got the hint that he wanted me to go.  It'll just be a day trip, because Gus & I have plans Saturday morning.

We are doing the Monster Match - a 1-mile walk/run benefiting the Scott & White Bone Marrow Match program.  The other option was a 5-mile run, so I opted for the shorter distance.  I also want to find out if I'm eligible for the bone marrow donor program.  There are restrictions for people who have back problems, and while I don't consider my back problems to be severe, I'd like to know more about their guidelines.

Better get some sleep.  Good night!

Pretty sunset this Sunday

Gus and I got to see a beautiful sunset as we walked home from the park this evening.  It was pretty breezy, but that was actually a good thing as the temperature got higher today than it has been.  We walked down to the park, then around the disc golf course and back.  We jogged a little bit.  Gus does so well on the leash when we jog!  With the hands-free leash and the Gentle Leader, we make a good team.

This morning, we went to the Nolan Creek Hike & Bike trail to check it out.  I'd never been there, so I wanted to see what it was all about, because I've been to a restaurant with a patio that overlooks Nolan Creek.  I think it is about a mile long based on the number of steps I took, but the website doesn't even have a map of the trail and the signage along the trail has great historical information about Belton and the Chisholm Trail, but not about distance.  We parked in the middle and walked to each end, so we walked about 2 miles.  It wasn't a bad walk - fun to listen to the creek and see the ducks.  And squirrels - you should have seen Gus go into hunter mode when he spotted a SQUIRREL!  I love seeing his ears go up.

I need to get back to taking pictures.  So here are a few from an evening this summer when Gus and his friend Bruno got to run off-leash in the new subdivision they are building near the park...

Remember that resolution?

The one about completing six 5Ks this year.

I registered for 2 more!  The 2 in the same weekend.  The hardest part will be waking up early both mornings, because they both require about an hour drive to get there.

The Saturday one is in College Station and is a fundraiser for the Texas A&M's vet school's cancer research program.  It's called Paws To The Pavement.  http://vetmed.tamu.edu/pawstothepavement

The Sunday one is in Round Rock and is a fundraiser for a local dog rescue group.  It's called Run for the Rovers.  http://www.runfortherovers.org/

Then, the plan is to do the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. 

I love that Texas is pretty dog friendly and that Gus is able to participate in most of these with me!  It's a perfect reason and great motivation to get out and exercise with him! 

'skipping around on the clouds'

Lots of stressors today, but God gave us a beautiful day in central Texas, so Gus and I were able to head out for a long walk/jog this evening.  We walked down to the park and then took the trail down to the doggie water fountain so Gus could get a drink before we headed back home.

We followed up the walk with a trip to Petsmart to get glucosamine for Gus' elderly joints.

So...
my awesome cousin ran her first half-marathon on Saturday.  She trained for this race for months - years, probably - in addition to being a wife and a mother to 3 kids.  That takes dedication.  While she was running, at about mile 10, she had a sudden onset of severe pain (tendonitis).  She's on crutches now.  But she finished.  She was crying.  But she finished.  She was disappointed.  But she finished.  What an inspiration.

Then yesterday, she posted this on facebook (I hope she doesn't mind me sharing but I don't want it to get lost in her timeline):

"I didn't use the crutch today. I did a little hobbling. And I believe I had a lot of help in doing so. The second of two special, amazing ladies in my life went to be with the Lord, leaving bodies that would not allow them to walk freely here on earth, literally. You might say they both "lost" their battle against MS, I say they won. And I believe, silly as it may sound, they are teaming up right now to help me get over my own tiny little injury. To teach me, it ain't the end of the world. Bon Voyage Kim, say hi to Kim for us ♥."

One of those Kims is my mom. 

My sister followed it up with this post:

"My sweet cousin posted about the passing of her Aunt Kim today. She got to take the journey to Heaven today to join my mother Kim, who was also Jaimee's aunt. Which brings up a good point that I think of often, but am also guilty of taking advantage of... the Gift of having healthy arms and legs, the gift of being able to do something as simple as walk across a room or pick up items around the house... Whenever I get in a workout rut, I just remember that I have the ability to do things and I Should take advantage. Kim and mom (Kim) were both awesome ladies with BIG hearts. Its very true that The Good Die Young! They are enjoying skipping around on the clouds of Heaven this evening!!! God Bless"

So much truth in those posts. 

Good night.

Wednesday Weigh-In - October 17, 2012

So I'm back to weighing myself daily.  Some days, that is rewarding.  Some days, it is not.  Today was one of those days.  If I compare my weight today to last Wednesday's number, there is no difference.  If I compare Monday's number to last Wednesday, I lost 1 pound.  So it's probably somewhere in between 0 and 1 pound.  But it's not a gain.

I have been stuck on this plateau long enough!  I have to change things up and get started sliding down the weight-loss hill again. 

I'm thinking of signing Gus and me up for two 5Ks in the same weekend in November.  It's hard to find 5Ks that allow dogs - figures there are two in the same weekend.
He and I have been jogging more lately.  Slowly but surely getting in better shape.  He does such a great job with the hands-free leash!

I wore my new sneakers to work today.  I need to break them in so I can start exercising in them, because my other ones are pretty worn out. 

But now, it's bedtime.  Good night.

Back...again...

My sister said I need to start blogging again... and she's right!

So here I am.  I'm going to keep this post short-ish.

I'm getting closer to my resolution to complete six 5Ks in 2012.  The Howell Social Club participated in the Dodge City Days 5K again this July.

We had a great group of people!  Most of us walked, but it seemed easier this year than it did in 2011 so we are progressing.  Next year, we will jog more than we walk!

My sister was brave enough to post her real weight on her blog.  I should do the same but that is a huge thing to share with the "world" even if only a couple people might read it right now.  So that decision is pending.

Good night for now!  (see, short-ish, but hopefully it will get me back in the blogging state of mind!)

Boil Water Notice

Our city's water treatment facility suffered a power failure/transformer hit by electricity Saturday night.  So residents and businesses were not allowed to use water at all yesterday.  Today, businesses are open and water usage is allowed.  But there is a boil water notice in effect.  What a pain.  (I know there are worse things that could happen).  It's hard to clean/wash fruits and vegetables without using running water.  I did boil some water earlier and rinse off some cherries (yum!) but I am definitely hoping the boil water notice gets lifted soon! 

Handwashing is also a pain.  I hate hand sanitizer - the first thing I want to do after using it is to wash my hands because I hate the way it feels.  But right now, we have to wash with soap and water, followed by a healthy dose of hand sanitizer - fun. 

Received my interval timer in the mail today!  Need to get to bed so Gus & I can go walk/jog in the morning.

Once the water situation is back to normal, I'm headed out to buy another watermelon!  I've been eating a bunch this summer and I've picked pretty well until the last one - it was not great.  I know everybody has their own trick for picking but generally, I go for one that has an obvious yellow spot (where you can't see lines) and feels heavy for its size.  I probably won't cut it like my cousin did, but I hope the next one tastes great!

Howell Social Club Running Team 2.0

My sister and I did a crazy thing again this year and decided to train for a 5K during the hottest months of the year.  The Howell Social Club Running Team will be participating in the Dodge City Days 5K at the end of this month.

I'm still stuck in a rut of sorts.  I need to refocus my efforts and get off this plateau I'm stuck on.  I haven't gained weight, but I haven't lost any either. 

Gus and I went to Kansas last weekend for a cousin get-together.  All the cousins from my mom's side of the family traveled to my oldest cousin's house for a Saturday afternoon.  We had a fun time - hanging out, catching up, chatting, eating, etc.  The kids enjoyed the pool and the water slide. 

My youngest sister's dog died yesterday.  RIP Hooley.

Not enough dirty laundry

So when I did laundry this weekend, I discovered that there were not enough dirty clothes.  That's because there were not enough workout clothes in the basket. 

I'm doing better already this week.  Gus and I have gotten up early to walk the last couple mornings.  Walking/jogging in the mornings is going to be our best bet as I prepare for the DC Days 5K.  My sister(s) and I decided to do the 5K again this year. 

Gus gets to go spend tomorrow at the kennel at the vet's office tomorrow.  He is going to spend a couple days there for doggie day care, then overnight one night next week, all in an effort to acclimate him before he has to go spend 3 nights there while I'm at a conference in a few weeks.  I'm just glad the conference is during the work week so there will be people around the kennel all day and he'll only be left to his own devices at night.  He tends to get creative when he has spare time on his paws, but I've toured the kennel and it will be hard for him to work his escape artist skills. 

Short entry tonight.  Getting up early to walk/jog tomorrow!

Travel followed by misery

I spent several days out of the office at a conference in The Woodlands last week.  It was a preparedness conference hosted by several state agencies - it was nice to put faces with names I've heard over the last couple years.  It was a good conference.

During the evenings, I got to spend time with my last college roommate, Aa.  The first evening, we got pedicures at The Colour Bar, a fun nail salon in Spring.  My toes are a pretty mermaidy, sparkly green-blue color and my feet were nice and happy after the pedicure! 

The next morning, my boss called me and said that our hotel was pretty close to where the conference was and asked if I had comfortable shoes.  So I put on my sneakers and we all walked to the conference - it turned out to be about a mile through the Target and mall parking lots.  Not bad in the morning.  It was definitely a warmer walk in the afternoon, but we detoured through the mall so we had a couple minutes of a.c. on the way back to the hotel. 

That evening, I walked back to the mall while I waited for Aa to make the commute from downtown Houston to where I was.  So lots of steps on Wednesday!!  I did a little shopping at Lane Bryant while I waited for her.  Nearly everything I bought was on clearance - I got a pair of jeans for $10 and some slacks for $7.  When I was finished shopping, I sat outside the store on a bench to people-watch for a little while.  As I watched ladies enter LB, I couldn't help but notice how frumpy many of the shoppers were.  And I was reminded that I don't want to be frumpy any more.  LB is known for having fashionable plus-size clothing but how fashionable can it be if it's trying to hide something?  Don't get me wrong, I don't expect to be perfect and I'll always see flaws, but I don't want to be frumpy and hiding in baggy clothes. I also want to have more clothing options - I shouldn't be restricted to shopping at plus-size clothing stores.

After shopping, we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  Avocado egg rolls and mushroom pizza.  yum.

It was nice to come home on Thursday and sleep in my own bed. 

I was looking forward to the long weekend, taking some walks with Gus and maybe even heading to the lake to let Gus play in the water.  Unfortunately, a stomach bug hit me like a freight train after I went to bed Friday night.  I was up most of Friday night.  It's been years since I've been that sick.  I hate throwing up, but I definitely felt better after I did.  Saturday morning, I went out to get 7 Up and saltines and chicken noodle soup.  It was one of those moments I wish my dad was closer.  When we got stomach bugs as kids, Dad always got the sick day supplies.  Mom took care of us, but Dad was the hero who brought home the 7 Up and saltines.  :)  I finally felt better on Sunday, but I still haven't eaten much "real food" yet.  I still have a headache but I'm guessing that is dehydration more than anything else.  Back to work tomorrow, I guess.

Hopefully, I'll feel up to walking again tomorrow evening.  Gus is a little stir-crazy after this weekend.

Thirty-One

Well, it's official --- I'm 31 years old. 

Me on my 31st Birthday

Most of my birthday was spent at work, of course. 

Several of my friends took me out to dinner at BJs Brewhouse that evening.  Good times, great conversation, and yummy food.

Birthday Dinner

Saturday, my roommate and I took Gus to the lake.  He had a 'ball' playing in the water and bouncing through the waves to retrieve his bumper.  I think he swallowed half of Lake Belton based on the number of times he wanted to go outside after we got home, but he managed to make it through the trip without vomiting.  The fish didn't get any dog food from him yesterday.  :-)

This evening, Gus and I walked down the street to the park/walking trail.  We even got to see the first little bit of the solar eclipse before the sun set on this birthday weekend.

Busy week ahead, but planning to get some exercise in and hopefully get back into this blog!  :-)

Almost 31

In just a few short hours, I will be 31 years old.  31 years.  Hard to be excited when there was so much that I was supposed to have done with my life by now.  I've had great experiences, but life has certainly not followed a path I would have imagined for myself.  The road less travelled and all that, I guess.  blah, blah, blah. 

It'll be ok.  I'm going to keep losing it (weight and my mind).  And hopefully, find who I'm meant to be in the process. 

Me and my mom on my birthday

Plateaus suck

My sister has been bugging me to update more often and I know that I should.  I just feel so stuck.  I need to figure out how to bust through this plateau I've been on since her wedding.  My weight has fluctuated in the same 5-6 pounds for the last 6 weeks. 

Anyway, life has been a little crazy since my sister's wedding.  When I got back to Texas, I had to start prepping my apartment for my new roommate to move into my second bedroom.  My new roomie is a coworker who lived in the same apartment complex and has loved and helped out with Gus since I moved here.  Her lease was ending, and in an effort to save $s and pay off some debt, we decided to split the rent in my apartment.  I think it has been an adjustment for both of us to share our space and work out our different schedules.  The thing that worried me most was mornings, but it turns out she is totally a morning person and is out the door before I'm even out of the shower.  Since I am totally not a morning person, it is probably best that we don't usually see each other.  :)  We rented a garage in the complex for storage.  Now that I have an outdoor storage space, I'm hoping to grill more and to get a bike.  Totally inspired by my sister who has been cycling around her little town in Kansas for the last several weeks!

Empty-ish living room before roommate's furniture was moved in.

Empty second bedroom.

Then, we dogsat for a lab mix named Gus for a week.  His owner was in the process of moving and searching for a dog-friendly apartment so I agreed to keep him for a week.  (I got put on the spot and couldn't say no, but it was actually really good for me.)  My Gus wasn't sure what to think of little Gus but they got along well.  Little Gus stayed in the crate when I wasn't home and to sleep.  The first couple nights, big Gus slept out in the living room with him, but he got over that and moved back to his (my) comfy bed.  While little Gus was here, we (he, big Gus, and I) walked over 20 miles.  We were walking before work, after work and some more before bed to try to tire little Gus out.  Big Gus was exhausted.  So was Bonnie.  :) 

Big Gus and Little Gus

The first weekend in May, my littlest sister came down for a visit and we headed to Galveston to celebrate the 10th anniversary of my roommate's 30th birthday.  A whole group of us stayed at her family's beach house for a couple nights.  We mostly just hung out Friday night.  Saturday morning, I got up early and watched the sunrise on the beach. 

We spent most of the day at the beach.  It was the first time that my sister had ever been to the beach, so she and I played in the water with wake boards.  The water was choppy which gave us some decent sized waves to play in without having to go too far from shore.  Whenever you got tired of swimming and fighting the waves, all you had to do was stand up!  It was tiring but lots of fun! 

After showers and application of aloe to sunburns, we all snacked and donned our hats for the Kentucky Derby.  

yes, there is a peacock on my hat.  Too bad you can't see the feathers.



Our hats




My sister's pretty hat and my pretty sister.

 A cool setting on my new camera allowed me to capture some pretty cool pictures of the full moon that weekend.

I will try to do better about updating!

"go back to the gym"

That's written on my bathroom mirror with dry-erase marker right now.

After a week at home for my sister's wedding and a week recovering from the week at home, it's time to get back to work!

Luckily, I have some motivation in the form of Walk Across Texas which starts tomorrow.  The goal is for our team of 8 to walk the 830 miles across Texas in 8 weeks.  That averages out to about 13 miles/week per team member.  I managed to "pull my weight" barely last year, so I plan to do better and contribute more this year!  At the end of the 8 weeks, if our team has reached our goal, I'll get 4 hours of leave! 

I need to write about my sister's wedding.  For now, I leave you with these pics from the wedding week.

My sister's bridal shower

Last weekend, my sister and I drove to Kansas for our other sister's bridal shower.  As the maids of honor, we were the hostesses.  Let's just say it's not easy to plan a bridal shower from 2 states away.  But with lots of help from the bride and the other bridesmaids and some friends, it turned out really fun.  I think people enjoyed themselves and my sister got some fun gifts!

Our cousin made the cake!  She did an awesome job!  She is so creative and her media is cake! 

The whole cake was edible, even the boots on the top.  It was covered in purple marshmallow fondant, which tasted way better than regular fondant.  Each layer had a different flavor.  Plus, she made strawberry and chocolate cake balls.  We had other yummy snacks too.  Thank goodness I was pretty busy and didn't get a chance to snack too much!

The main activity was our "photo booth" and I was a little worried people would not participate but everybody seemed to enjoy it!  Here are a few examples of fun pics:

Wednesday Weigh-In: 02/29/2012

Minus 1 pound this week.

Poor Gus is all SnuffleUffAGus right now.  There must be something blooming that he is allergic too.  Lots of Benadryl for the puppy dog.

I got my new camera in the mail today - super excited!  It's another Canon.  I need to get the battery charging so I can take some test shots before I head to Kansas for my sister's bridal shower this weekend!

I still have lots to do to get ready for the above-mentioned shower.  Lots of little projects, plus a couple big things.  I think we'll have fun though!

Here's Gus wearing a couple of the props for the "photo booth" we'll have at the shower.

One month 'til my sister's wedding

It's officially less than one month until my sister's wedding!!  She tried on her wedding dress today so our awesome aunt can alter it.  She said it fits even better than when she bought it!! 

March will be a very busy month, so I have to remember to focus on my goals and continue to eat right and exercise.

I also have to really watch my budget this month.  My motto is going to be "live the whole month like it's the end of the month."  Since I only get paid once a month, I am usually almost out of money by the end of the month and have to seriously prioritize what I spend my money on.  So I have a feeling this month will include meals with lots of kidney beans and diced tomatoes, like Santa Fe chicken and Dad's award-winning chili, since I already have hamburger and chicken in the freezer.

In May, it looks like I'll have a new roommate.  It makes me a little nervous - I haven't shared my space with anyone (besides Gus) since 2006.  And we'll be sharing a bathroom.  I'm hoping it will help me pick up after myself.  She is going to be moving into the teeny tiny bedroom in my 2-bedroom apartment so I'm going to give her lots of decorating freedom in the living room too.  That will be an incentive to actually put things on my bedroom walls and to finally get some bookshelves.  I'm also going to buy that chest freezer I talked about a couple months ago.  My sister and I noticed a couple options at SAMS when we were scoping out snack food prices for the wedding reception.  The big motivation for becoming roommates is financial - we both really want to pay off some debt!

I better get to sleep.  I'm supposed to meet a friend at the gym in 6 hours!
Good night. 

Wednesday Weigh-In: 2/22/2012

Minus one-half  of one pound this week.  But a minus is always a positive thing.  (haha - I know I'm a nerd).

Gus and I have been walking a lot this week.  He is doing SO well with the hands-free leash!  He is not pulling nearly as much because he can't yank my waist like he can yank my arm.  He has a lot less "give" with this leash. 

All the invitations are ready for the bridal shower.  I need to mail the rest of them tomorrow.  And then, I need to spend some time this weekend figuring out props for the "photo booth" and bridal shower decor.

This was a fun article called Zombies:  Bad for Brains, Good for Workouts that I found the other day.  It makes me wish I had an iPhone or iPod touch! 

See Spot Run 5K - College Station, TX

Beth and I and the dogs did the See Spot Run 5K on Saturday in College Station.  It started raining on Friday evening - leading to thunderstorms and flash flooding around central Texas.  There was the possibility of a rain delay so we kept checking the website and email the night before and the morning of the 5k. 

Our travel time to College Station took longer than anticipated (rain + slow traffic) and we arrived at the park as the 5K was starting (I believe they started it early to beat the rain.), so by the time we checked in and got our numbers and packets, the clock was at 7 minutes.  So all the runners and walkers were gone.  And they changed the route due to flooding on some of the trails in the park and did not mark the new route very well.  So Beth and I made up our own route around the park.  I don't think I walked enough steps to have walked 3 miles, but I forgot to put on my armband display before the race so there was no way to know how far we had gone while we were walking. 

So no official time, but Beth and I enjoyed ourselves and the dogs got a good walk!  We're super glad we didn't get rained on, although we were prepared with rain ponchos and lots of towels. 

Looking forward to trying it again next year!

After we finished at the park, we headed to the mall and went to Inspiration and Aggieland Outfitters to check out the newest Aggie gear. 

Lunch was hybirds at Freebirds.  Yum.

Wednesday Weigh-In: 2/15/2012

Minus 2 pounds the week ending 2/15/2012 - finally!!!  It's not much but maybe the scale is finally moving again!

I've been going to Zumba 1-2 times per week.

Gus and I have been training with the hands-free leash.  We're getting better.  He managed to drag me off the sidewalk once today because I wasn't prepared but I still think that having him pull at my waist is better than having him yank my arm.  And when we jog, he does great.  I need to start the Couch to 5K program again now.

Meeting my friend at Gym B at 5:45 a.m. tomorrow.  craziness.

The Vow

I went to see The Vow  with one of my friends yesterday.  Inspired by true events.  Starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum.  It was good.   You have to love love stories.  The premise is about a young married couple who are in a car accident and the wife experiences retrospective amnesia, from which she forgets all the years that she has known her husband.  There are flashbacks to the development of their relationship and it shows the struggles he experiences while trying to help her remember and fall back in love with him.  Anyway, good movie.  I would recommend renting it.  And if you like chick flicks (and Channing Tatum), it may be worth a trip to the theater for a girls' day out!

Among the movie posters was a poster for The Lucky One based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks.  It stars Zac Efron, who I'm afraid I'm going to have a hard time taking seriously after his Disney years.  I still want to go see it, because it is one of my favorite Nicholas Sparks stories.  Probably because it's about a soldier - there's something about those guys in uniform.  :)  The movie comes out on April 20.

None of the previews really caught my attention, but it was fun to go to the movies and eat some popcorn and M&Ms.

Wednesday Weigh-In: 02/08/12

0 on the weight loss again this week.  I'm thinking of changing the day I weigh-in because Wednesday just doesn't seem to be working out for me.

So I have totally failed at the February Photo A Day challenge.  I did well for the first couple days, then the challenges got hard (like hands, a stranger) and I am unwilling to ask people to "pose" for pictures if I don't have a really good reason.  Oh wells.

The hands-free leash I talked about last week was delivered earlier this week.  Gus and I tried it out on Thursday and it seemed to work pretty well!  The only concerns I have are due to the length which will get longer as my waist/hips get smaller.  The leash is 6 feet long and the clip slides along the leash to fit around the waist, so since it has to go to from my waist to Gus' chin, he winds up pretty close to me.  So the concerns are these:
1. That if he darts in front of me, I will either kick him or fall/trip over him.
2. That if he stops to pee, he might end up peeing on my leg/shoes  (ga-ross)
We only jogged about a block and he did well with that.  I loved that I could swing both arms.  I still want to get a backpack for crazy dog so that he can carry my phones, keys, etc because it'll be harder to hang them with a carabiner on the leash because I don't want too much hanging on the leash and banging against my legs.  I'm planning to take him to a local trail tomorrow (if it's not too cold) so we'll test it out some more.  More feedback to follow.

I joined the other gym (I'll call it Gym B, and my original gym will be Gym A, not to be confused with the actual Gym X in Temple) last week.  $32/month.  I still have my Gym A membership.  I need to figure out which one is going to work better for me.  I only went to Gym B once last week for a non-class workout.  The elliptical machine next to my friend was open and it looked like the ones in my Va gym, so I told myself to try it out even though I haven't been on an elliptical machine in a while (because the ones at Gym A are a different brand and there is something about the set up or the stride or something that makes them super hard for me to even balance on).  I set a goal of 20 minutes even though the time on the program automatically set to 60 minutes.  When I got to 20, I decided to try to get to 30 minutes.  Then I wanted to meet the next .5 mile or the next mile or the next 5-minute mark.  I finished the whole 60 minutes plus a 5 minute cool-down!!  Yay me!  My calves could definitely feel it the next morning.

I also got a 15-class punch card to Zumba.  Here's hoping I don't lose it.  I guess that's my plan for Tuesday and Thursday evenings for the next several weeks.  Good for crosstraining, even though I'm still not sold on it.

One week until the See Spot Run 5K!

February Photo A Day Challenge: Days 1 & 2

The neighbor that I went to Zumba with the other night is a photographer, so when she posted a February Photo A Challenge, I took her up on it.  As you may or may not recall, one of my 2012 resolutions is to take more pictures and become a better photog.  So I figured I'd share them here! 

Day 1: your view today
This could be interpreted any number of ways and because I did not find out about the challenge until today, I decided to look at the pictures I took yesterday and see if anything fit.  This a totally random picture, but something about the way my journal landed when I tossed it on my bed caught my attention.

The bible verse on the cover is what caught my attention in the first place when I bought and it still makes me smile so this was my view of the world yesterday. 

For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9

Day 2:  words

I had lots of fun with this one today.  I happened to have a meeting in Bryan-College Station today, so I was able to spot some fun words!

What I feel like I finally have more of!

My favorite sign of the day:

Some good advice:

Where we'll be doing See Spot Run 3K/5K in a couple weeks: