Zits and Other Rambles

How is it already Wednesdsay!?! Bear with me if I'm not little miss sunshine today.  It's been another exhausting week.  The kind where you lay in bed at night and can't shut your brain off.  I don't even work full time.  I'm a whiner.

Can we skip my October goals this week?  Yes?


If you are dying of curiosity:

Monday: pilates with the ball
Tuesday: brisk walk
Saturday: 3 1/2 hours of mowing the lawn (after putting it off for a month)

I have nothing more to say about that.  The end.  I have no food pictures this week, so I'll entertain you with some recent pictures-- including Hunter.

He is so serious. 

This was one of those weeks.  One where you feel like life is just dragging you along and all you do is hang on for dear life.  You go where you are supposed to but you feel like the days are just whizzing by.

Oh, and I am in the middle of learning a zillion bones and their landmarks as well as 50 muscles and their movements.  Only the second number is accurate.  It is interesting, except for the looming dread in the back of my mind that I'll have to take a massive test on this in 2 weeks.  Whee!

How cute is this teapot?

So let's talk about skin.  I actually just learned about skin in anatomy and how acne is a disorder of the sebaceous glands.  Somehow, knowing what causes breakouts isn't comforting.  For a good two months now, I have had worse acne than when I was a teenager.

Nothing takes a hit to self confidence like bad skin.  Lovely, right?

Even worse is I've been getting those really deep, really big and painful cysts that take FOREVER and a day to even come to a head, and double that time to go away.  TMI?

Hopefully my skin clears before pigs fly.

I hope it's finally clearing.  I've tried reducing the amount of dairy and peanuts (both are suspected to cause breakouts), washing my face morning and night (though I always do that), drinking lots of water, taking vitamins, eating clean(er) but I have a hunch it's hormones.  Sigh.

AND NO I'M NOT PREGNANT.

This makes me feel oh, so Canadian.

I do have an announcement though.

While I finish up my prerequisites to apply for nursing school, I am starting CNA school this week.  It's twice a week for 4 hours.  My teacher is the sweetest, sweetest older southern woman.  My classmates are quite the eclectic group, two are from Congo, my desk partner is from Bosnia and one is from Thailand.

This is a big step and I'm both nervous and excited.  Tuesday was my first class and if there is one thing I learned it was: you are the nurses' gopher.  But I'm ok with that.  I can't wait to start taking anyone's blood pressure who will loan me their arm.

I love Pilates

(And my husband of course!)

Especially since he gave me these for our anniversary:

I swear that vase has almost 2 gallons of water in it. 

This was a long, exhausting, busy week.  I had two quizzes and one exam and I only have school twice a week!   At the end of the day, it's nice to feel like I've accomplished a lot.  Now if only my house would clean itself...  :/

But let's just chat for a minute.  How are you?  How about the inevitable coming of fall?  It rained almost all of this week which was glorious (I love the rain) but I couldn't completely enjoy it since I know that soon enough it will be snow and freezing temperatures.  Sigh.  

I kind of got sick this weekend.  Sort of a sore/golf ball in my throat, tired, no appetite.  Seems like it's going around.  

Today, all the primary children got to practice for their program in two weeks.  Since I teach the (now) 4 year old "sunbeams", they had a hard time sitting still... I had a hard time sitting still.  And for so much sitting and wrangling wiggling boys and girls I am bushed.  Bless their wiggly little hearts. 

Then this evening, I got a nice little surprise at my doorstep.

Things like this really make my day.  

Even though I have a tough exterior, I can feel left out sometimes and it was so nice to know I was thought of!

October goals:

Sunday: rest

Monday: early morning weights: arms, shoulders, chest and back

Tuesday: rest (body rested, brain studying in overdrive!)

Wednesday: pilates with the exercise ball

Thursday: cardio hodge podge: 30 min on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the stair climber, 20 min on the eliptical

Friday: sick

Saturday: sick

Wednesday, I almost talked myself out of a workout for no reason other than being lazy.  Instead of going to the gym, I decided to do some pilates with the exercise ball.  It had been much too long since I'd done pilates and this only reminded me that they will always be my favorite.

Best breakfast:

Thursday morning, I was inspired by this breakfast quesadilla.  I changed it a bit by using 2 egg whites plus one egg, colby jack cheese and adding some shredded spicy chicken that I made in the crockpot on Sunday with some red enchilada sauce and salsa.

Best lunch:

Keeping up with the theme of breakfast.  Butter lettuce mix, red beans, spicy shredded chicken, Greek yogurt, guacamole, crushed Food Should Taste Good chips. 

Best dinner:

How about a tie?

Szechuan shrimp + green beans.

Poached eggs + spinach sauteed with a bit of lemon juice.

Just because I was feeling under the weather didn't mean I couldn't do a little fall decorating. 

Remember this from last year?

Back on Track

Well!  Taking a week off definitely put the spring back in my step!  I was worried that I might have a tough time getting back into my routine, but it turns out I just felt energized to get moving.

Today is a BIG day!  It's Jeremy and my 4th wedding anniversary.

Hard to believe it has been so long because, as cliche as it sounds, it doesn't feel that long.  Which I guess is a good thing.

I'm so lucky.  We've been through so much together as any couple will but the thing that really glues us together is two things.

1) Our faith.  Being able to come together to learn and pray really has brought us so much closer.
2) Our laughter.  If there's anything you should know about me is that I'm a total goof ball.  Despite sometimes embarrassing my husband with my antics, we have a lot of fun together.  We need a reality show.

While I could never count all the things I love about Jeremy, here are just a few:

-He always encourages me.  

-He believes in me, even when I don't.

-He makes me laugh.
-He teaches me new things when I least expect it.

-He is patient with me when I am stubborn (a lot).

-He is a good snuggler.

-He is good at fixing things. 

-He stays calm when I panic, like when Hunter took a tumble.
-He is a good cook.
-He helps me clean.
-His smile and his belly laugh.
-His efforts to surprise me-- it's not easy.
-He does sweet things like leave me a note telling me he loves me.

-

Dawww... 

September Goals:

Sunday: rest
Monday: spinning
Tuesday: hot yoga take 2
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 5.48 mi run (truth: ran 4.5 with short walking breaks, cool down walk for last mile)
Friday: rest
Saturday: impromptu rest

Hot yoga take 2:  This week was slightly better than last week because
1) I knew what to expect
2) I remembered to breathe (do you ever hold your breath when you're concentrating hard on a pose?)
3) I wasn't directly under a heating vent and
4) I woke up a little earlier so I didn't feel quite so groggy.
There is nothing quite like finishing up a yoga class to the sunrise.

5.48 mi run: Wow!!  My friend and I set out with her baby in the jogger, and Hunter on the leash.  We planned to try for at least 4.5 miles, to which I promply whined at but grudgingly agreed.  We took a route we were fairly used to and by the time we took a stopping break, we had already run over 4 miles!

At this point, we decided to go ahead and run another mile or so and then walk back home for a much needed cool down.  Hunter completed a new PDR! The farthest he's ever run is a 5k and today we nearly doubled that.  Horray Hunter!

Best breakfast:

4 egg whites + 1 egg + spinach + cheese, bagel thin with butter and strawberry preserves.

Lunches

More sammiches!  Tuna + sprouts + spinach + avocado. 

Falafel with homemade tzatziki.  Salad with dried cherries, feta, blue cheese, sunflower seeds, almonds and cucumber with white balsamic vinaigrette. 

Best dinner:

Rice + sauteed broccoli + kielbasa sausage.

Best snack:

Ms. How Sweet's  Crazy Feta!   I halved the recipe, but it only took me two days to polish off. 

Best dessert:

The lovely Lindsay recommended these to me and they are SO good!  

Sorry Hunter, dairy is a big no no for doggies.  

This post is getting long so I'll try to keep this last part short and sweet.

October:

1.  Keep drinking water.  I kind of petered  out at the end of the month on this one.

2.  Take my vitamins more regularly.  I definitely improved but I still need to be more consistent.

3. Continue exercise 4-5 days a week.  I have no problem taking an extra rest day if I need it. 

4. Do yoga or pilates at least once a week.  With increased running, I need some extra stretching.

5. Kick the scale to the curb.  More on this soon.

6. Keep up with my grades.  So far, I've been kicking it in anatomy, but the hardest is yet to come. 

Ok!  I might add a few more goals to this list but that's all for now!

I was featured on Healthy Living Blogs!  Click here to check it out. :D

Have a fantastic week!


What is something that connects you and your significant other?  Or what is something you look for in a partner?

(Not A) Fail

So if any of you have stuck around after hearing my "Khloe" voice well, thanks.  I'm sure all you dog owners have a special voice for your doggie(s) too!

I went to the women's fitness celebration expo that was going on this weekend and a specialty bakery was selling cupcakes for $1.


Red velvet, yum!  I like the ratio of frosting to cake.  There were so many to choose from: strawberry, lemon, coconut, chocolate, vanilla bean... but red velvet wins every time in my book.

I also got a lot of free stuff like tasty samples, chocolate milk, string cheese and entered lots of giveaways *fingers crossed* I never win anything though, so I am not holding my breath.

I'm usually not a pancake girl in the mornings because I think they too long, but I really had a hankering for them so I used a whole wheat honey mix plus mashed banana and real maple syrup.


Plus over easy eggs.  I eat eggs nearly every morning, no oats for me!


A "snack" of sweet potato fries.

More sandwiches this week!




Turkey, smashed avocado, tomato, spinach and sprouts!  I love sprouts but sometimes it takes some conscious effort to use them all before they get... slimy.  I packed this cute english muffin full of them.  Despite the size of this little guy... it packed a serious punch.

Look at me and my vegetarian salad:


Everything but the kitchen sink: black beans, avocado, tomatos (that were mushy and I ended up picking most of them out, spinach, sunflower seeds, boiled egg, mushrooms, goldfish crackers... did I leave anything out?  I wished I had beets on hand, darn.

Confession:  I did jack squat in the workout department this week.  I have been feeling really fatigued and keep getting headaches about bedtime.  I don't know if it's low iron/protein, sugar detox or stress about school.

Either way, I decided to listen to my body and lay low and get some extra sleep this week.  At first I thought, man! I totally failed my goals this month.  But then I realized that it's better to slow down than get run down.  Sometimes our bodies just need a little R&R.


I did however run kick butt at the 5k for the Women's Fitness celebration.  We sprinted the last oh, quarter of the run and it was one of the most exhilarating sprints I've done in a long time.  Such a blast!


It great sprinting to the finish line.  I really dug deep, because I like to finish strong.  We both finished at 36:17 which is about average for me.  I don't care that I'm not incredibly fast, I only compete with
myself.



p.s. like my sweet new under armour hat?  I hate, hate, HATE running in sunglasses and this had was really lightweight and I didn't notice it at all while I was running.

If my fatigue does have to do with school stress, at it's paying off!  I've been studying my butt off and I got a 90% on my lab exam!  Woo!

Saturday night was Bronco Night!


Hunter was ready with his bandanna.


We beat Tulsa 41-21, Go Broncos!

Goin' strong

Week 3 of September is already here!  Yikes!

In just a month, I'll be tackling a new challenge and I can't wait to tell you about it!  But for now, I'm plugging away at school.

And in case you're wondering, I broke a mug today.  I'm sure by now you aren't surprised.

I don't have many food photos this week.  I feel like I've been eating a lot of repeats.  Especially sandwiches.  I had a bunch of errands to run Saturday, so I bribed myself with a sandwich from Jimmy John's and promise of a new book.




For lunch today, I decided to save myself $7 and make an equally appetizing sandwich for lunch at home:

Egg salad (made with 1 egg +1 white, greek yogurt, mustard, onion powder, S&P) with smashed avocado, tomato, sprouts and spinach.



Plus a fuji apple on the side.

Check out what happened to my avocado pit!

Split right in half when I opened it up.  I am so easily amused.


Goals

Sunday: REST!

Monday: spin class

Tuesday: light cardio + whole body circuits

Wednesday: 6 am hot yoga (ahhh!  I almost died!  Can't wait to go back!)

Thursday: hiking REST! I was quite.. sore from hot yoga the day before

Friday: REST!

Saturday: 2.5 mi run

I FINALLY tried hot yoga!  My dear friend Linzi agreed to get up at the crack of dawn 5 am to get to hot yoga at 6.  Having barely dabbled in non-hot yoga, the class was definitely a challenge. There were a few times where I got overwhelmed, but not sick, from the heat.  It felt really good to stretch and sweat buckets!  It felt so detoxifying.  Oh, and sweat kind of burns when it gets in your eyes.  Just sayin.

Post-hot yoga.  I look more scared than tired, but whatever.

In other news, we've been trying to teach Hunter to swim and each summer he gets a little bit better.  He used to be really scared to jump into the canal behind our house, and we would only throw sticks in the water because 8 times out of 10 he'd chicken out and we'd watch them float out of sight.

Considering he IS a golden retriever that is made for swimming (he has webbed paws!), it's about time that he embraced the doggie paddle.  I hope you enjoy the two videos below!



And no, I do not talk in that pitch all the time, it's my special "Hunter voice".  Hee hee.


Click here if you can't view the video.


Click here if you can't view the video.


Something tells me he'll be doing a lot of this later this afternoon...