So, today I was supposed to give you a starting weight and unfortunately, that will have to wait until tomorrow morning. It was an okay nutrition day. Smoothie in the morning, an apple mid-morning, though the pulled pork sandwich and fries for lunch weren't the best of choices. Dinner was a bowl of chili, glass of merlot and one scoop of pumpkin cheesecake ice cream. While it could have been much better, I could have done so much worse than I did. Some would say I'm justifying. I say I'm being objective and realistic. I know I'm not going to be perfect and today was definitely not perfect. What I'm not going to do is beat myself to a bloody pulp over it. These were my choices today. Tomorrow is a new day with new choices to be made. Tomorrow will be better.
Along the same line, Chris and I did not workout today and it was simply due to logistics. You see, we had an appointment at a wedding venue after work today and that's when we normally work out. We came home, warmed up and ate dinner then headed to Lee's Summit. We had an appointment at the Stanley not expecting much and came away from there really considering it as a possible venue for the wedding. We'll see how the other places stack up, but it is definitely a contender. Doing this fitness thing while planning a wedding is going to be challenging though I think if I can do it during all this plus the holidays, I can make it through anything.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Restart: Christy Fitness Day 2
Today was a good day all in all. I had to be at work at 6am and Chris got up with me to made me a breakfast smoothie. It was great! We also made magic coffee so it was ready for us when we woke up. (Okay... Magic coffee is my terminology for a coffee made in a maker that has a timer. We purchased one with an insulated carafe and it was the best money we've spent to date!) Of course, the smoothie was all fruit with a scoop of plain greek yogurt as well as some honey. It was very yummy, though I ate it at 5:30am, and as you can imagine, 8am rolled around and I was starving, so I ate about a handful of almonds and dried fruit. That didn't quite do it, so I purchased some whole grain wheat puffs (only about 110 calories) around 10:30am. Today was Tuesday and typically, I have lunch with my friend Mary Ann and that didn't happen. I forgot my heating and cooling guy was coming to the house over lunch today so I had to cancel. I was super bummed out about that simply because I very much enjoy the time I get to spend with Mary Ann. Good news on the heating and cooling front! The units are under warranty, so basically, we're getting new units for the upstairs. YAY! Because of this appointment and another meeting I had today, my lunch got pushed back to 1:45pm. I had a medium sized chicken breast and a small cup of chili. Good stuff! After work, Chris and I did the 1st half of the P90x Core Synergistics. It kicked my butt! 1 scoop for a protein shake after should help us recover in a better way. Dinner = 2 glasses of merlot; 1.5 chicken sausages and 1 half of a roasted acron squash. Yummy all around.
Again... a great day. Tomorrow will be better and now I must sleep as my eyes are closing while I type. Sweet dreams everyone!
Again... a great day. Tomorrow will be better and now I must sleep as my eyes are closing while I type. Sweet dreams everyone!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Restart: Christy Fitness Day 1
As you can imagine, with the trip to Seattle, the nutrition and fitness regime took a backseat. Though Chris and I did a ton of walking up and down the hills of Seattle and I also took a lot of movement classes while at the convention, we didn't eat in the most healthy way. Today began our first full week back in town and now I'm doing a reboot. Yes, I understand Thanksgiving is only one week away and I'm confident we'll stay on track. Both Chris and I have goals and we're both committed to making them happen. (Plus, we are hosting Thanksgiving, so we have a bit of control over what is served.) This evening, we did a 45 minute cardio work out and tomorrow morning, I will do my reboot weigh in. I'll be tracking my food with my MyPlate App and Chris and I will be doing the P90x Lean work out. We've both done P90x Classic before and we're excited to get it started. I know that there will be days when I want to eat everything in sight and not work out at all. Actually, today was one of those days and I sucked it up and worked out anyway. I feel so much better for it and I'm so grateful that Chris is doing this with me. It's so much harder to back out of workouts or not eat well when I know my honey is doing it too.
On a different note, I learned a massage and stretching regime at the convention that may help my swelling legs. (Oh, I have an amazing retention for water in my feet and legs. You would think that I was 80 years old and diabetic, but neither is the case.) I'm committed to practicing that regime every morning and evening to see how it affects me. I'll keep you posted.
On a different note, I learned a massage and stretching regime at the convention that may help my swelling legs. (Oh, I have an amazing retention for water in my feet and legs. You would think that I was 80 years old and diabetic, but neither is the case.) I'm committed to practicing that regime every morning and evening to see how it affects me. I'll keep you posted.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
The rest of the Seattle Trip
Ok.. so I've been a bit laxed getting to write but I'm here to tell you, once the conference began, there was no time to breath let alone write. Here's a brief run down:
Day 5 - Halloween. The plan was to get up early, head down to the Pacific Science Center (PSC), do the King Tut tour and explore the center a bit. After that, Jani would meet a friend that lives in Seattle to hang out with her for the rest of the day. Yeah... the best laid plans... Chris and I got up extremely late. By 10am, we were out the door of the hotel and headed to the Light Rail when we should have been out the door an hour or more earlier. I believe Jani had to move the time she was meeting her friend to 1:30pm instead of the 11:30am it was originally. We arrived at the PSC around 11am and noticed several bus loads of pre-pubescent kids filing into the court yard. My first thought was "Oh great! Here we go.." and then I thought, well, it's King Tut, what kid wouldn't want to see this exhibit? It was only mildly annoying taking that into consideration. I do have to say, it was a bit disappointing, though it could have been more about not being able to spend time looking at the artifacts than the exhibit itself. Jani found it disappointing as well. By the time we got out of the PSC, it was past time for lunch and we went our separate ways. Chris and I went to the Armory for lunch and was about to go back to the PSC to explore the rest of the center when we noticed the time. It was about 2:30pm and our friend Jana Jessee was flying in for the conference at 4:30pm. We wanted to be able to meet her at the airport as we did for Jani (It's about to get confusing... I have many friends that have Jan in their names. These are but two.) and we also wanted to do some more hat shopping before the conference started. So we hopped the Monorail to Westlake Center and walked down to Pike's Market and on to Gorrin Brothers hat shop instead. I'm so glad we did that. Chris and I both found hats for each other as 'Christmas Gifts' and got to try on some very nice hats that were way outside of our price range. By the time we finished hat shopping, it was time to head back to the airport to pick up Jana. We hopped on the light rail and headed to the airport. Jana's plane was on time and the plan was to get her settled in the hotel room, then dinner. While Jana was unpacking, Jani called and was on her way back to the hotel. We ended up walking to Roasters and while we got great service when we went with Jani earlier in the week, this time, it was something to be desired. We didn't let that get us down though and went back to the hotel to call it an early night. The convention was starting the next day and we all wanted to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for that.
Days 6 - 10: The convention. This time is so close to my heart that I cannot adequately describe it to you. Let me just say, I learned more about myself than I ever imagined I would. The skills and connections that I developed while there were invaluable. The deeper connections I made and understandings I have with those from Kansas City that attended this conference was an unexpected blessing in my life; one that I will carry with me always. Most of all, the greater love that I feel for Chris through this shared experience was a surprise to me. Every day is new with him and my love for him grows deeper, even when I don't think I could love him more. (Goopy, I know... but it's the way I feel.) Speaking of Chris, you may ask what he was doing while I was off at the convention. He was not participating in the convention and used the time as a writing retreat. He made tremendous progress on his novel. We both feel rejuvenated in our passions and are actively looking for ways to do the things we love (other than each other) more. I'm so incredibly blessed.
Day 5 - Halloween. The plan was to get up early, head down to the Pacific Science Center (PSC), do the King Tut tour and explore the center a bit. After that, Jani would meet a friend that lives in Seattle to hang out with her for the rest of the day. Yeah... the best laid plans... Chris and I got up extremely late. By 10am, we were out the door of the hotel and headed to the Light Rail when we should have been out the door an hour or more earlier. I believe Jani had to move the time she was meeting her friend to 1:30pm instead of the 11:30am it was originally. We arrived at the PSC around 11am and noticed several bus loads of pre-pubescent kids filing into the court yard. My first thought was "Oh great! Here we go.." and then I thought, well, it's King Tut, what kid wouldn't want to see this exhibit? It was only mildly annoying taking that into consideration. I do have to say, it was a bit disappointing, though it could have been more about not being able to spend time looking at the artifacts than the exhibit itself. Jani found it disappointing as well. By the time we got out of the PSC, it was past time for lunch and we went our separate ways. Chris and I went to the Armory for lunch and was about to go back to the PSC to explore the rest of the center when we noticed the time. It was about 2:30pm and our friend Jana Jessee was flying in for the conference at 4:30pm. We wanted to be able to meet her at the airport as we did for Jani (It's about to get confusing... I have many friends that have Jan in their names. These are but two.) and we also wanted to do some more hat shopping before the conference started. So we hopped the Monorail to Westlake Center and walked down to Pike's Market and on to Gorrin Brothers hat shop instead. I'm so glad we did that. Chris and I both found hats for each other as 'Christmas Gifts' and got to try on some very nice hats that were way outside of our price range. By the time we finished hat shopping, it was time to head back to the airport to pick up Jana. We hopped on the light rail and headed to the airport. Jana's plane was on time and the plan was to get her settled in the hotel room, then dinner. While Jana was unpacking, Jani called and was on her way back to the hotel. We ended up walking to Roasters and while we got great service when we went with Jani earlier in the week, this time, it was something to be desired. We didn't let that get us down though and went back to the hotel to call it an early night. The convention was starting the next day and we all wanted to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for that.
Days 6 - 10: The convention. This time is so close to my heart that I cannot adequately describe it to you. Let me just say, I learned more about myself than I ever imagined I would. The skills and connections that I developed while there were invaluable. The deeper connections I made and understandings I have with those from Kansas City that attended this conference was an unexpected blessing in my life; one that I will carry with me always. Most of all, the greater love that I feel for Chris through this shared experience was a surprise to me. Every day is new with him and my love for him grows deeper, even when I don't think I could love him more. (Goopy, I know... but it's the way I feel.) Speaking of Chris, you may ask what he was doing while I was off at the convention. He was not participating in the convention and used the time as a writing retreat. He made tremendous progress on his novel. We both feel rejuvenated in our passions and are actively looking for ways to do the things we love (other than each other) more. I'm so incredibly blessed.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Seattle Days 3 and 4
Day 3 - Chris and I had a less than stellar experience at our gettotastic lodgings the previous evening. So much so that we left the establishment early to check in at the Double Tree. Our friend Jani was coming in early for BurlyCon and agreed to share her room with us. THANK GOODNESS!!
Putting that ugliness aside, we had an amazing time down by the waterfront. We started our day with the ever present Light Rail ride into the city and immediately traveled to Pike's Market. We had a wonderful lunch at the Sound View Cafe. We were treated to an amazing view of the Sound and a fantastic seafood chowder! After lunch, we wandered down Post Alley and interrupted a film crew in front of the famous but kinda gross Gum Wall; eventually we made it to the waterfront. Our goal originally was to take a ride on the huge ferris wheel and at $13 for 3 turns of the wheel, we immediately decided it wasn't worth it. So we walked into a pirate gift shop and fell in love with their abundance of mustache related merchandise; completely thinking of our friends Annie Cherry and Damian Blake. They would love this store!
We travelled down the waterfront to the Argosy Boat Tours. There we bought 2 City Passes and was there just in time to catch their next tour of Elliot Bay. We quickly got some coffee and took our places in line to board the boat. While in line we met a couple claiming to be involved in a love affaire where the woman was married to the guys best friend. You see, this is a case of my curse happening in full force. People blurting out things that are none of my business and something that I really don't want to know. The first half of our boat journey was relatively calm; no rain though a little windy. The second half saw the chairs on deck moving around due to the gusts of wind. We got to see some sea lions, though the whales did not make an appearance this time around. The tour was fantastic and our tour guide was amazing. She did a great job of giving us just the right information at the right time.
After the boat tour, Chris and I headed across the way to the Sea Aquarium. This was my least favorite part of our trip. You see, I do not like animals in captivity and seeing them in captivity makes me sad. Needless to say, this jaunt did not appeal to me in the least, though they did provide great information on how to eat sustainable fish.
Once we left the Sea Aquarium, we started the many, many, many steps up the hill back to the Market and hit the Light Rail back to the Airport to claim our friend, Jani Doyle. Once we got settled into the Double Tree (YAY for non-getto hotel!!) we went for dinner at Roaster's. Not bad food and the beer was pretty good. We came back to the hotel and immediately crashed. A great day to be sure!
Day 4 - Our first night in the Double Tree was wonderful! We both slept like rocks and began the day with showers, coffee and our ride to the city. The day started out with a fine mist and Jani was with us today making the day brighter! We started our adventure at the Armory for lunch and then to the Space Needle. For those that know me, I'm not big on elevators and heights, so I was looking at this part of the trip with a kind of dread that spun my head. I buckled down and got on to the elevator and it wasn't so bad. I'm so glad I didn't chicken out! The views were absolutely gorgeous, though the rain got progressively harder as the day went on.
After our time at the Needle, we went in search of umbrellas. We left the one I brought at the airport the previous evening, so it was the perfect excuse to get new ones. Pricing them at the gift shop of the Space Needle at $25 and knowing we could do better, we priced them at the gift shop across from the Needle; $7. I thought 'Sold!' and then realized we were headed to the EMP Museum next so held off in case there was a nerdy umbrella to be had. Our journey to the EMP Museum was a mixed bag. They had a wonderful exhibit on Nirvana and Kurdt Cobain and the rest was just okay. The main reason we were there was for the Science Fiction exhibit and while they had some cool stuff, it really wasn't all that. The horror exhibit was cool, but not really my thing. My thoughts were mirrored by Chris and after not finding a nerdy umbrella to purchase, we headed back to the gift shop to purchase the less expensive option. By this time, the rain was steady and coming down pretty well.
Umbrellas in hand, we headed over to the Pacific Science Center only to discover that they closed in 30 minutes. We decided to come back to that tomorrow and headed down to the market for drinks. Chris, Jani and I stayed there for the rest of our evening, eating appetizers, drinking beer and chatting while the rain came down. We watched the fish mongers pack up for the evening and then headed back to the Light Rail for the trip back to the hotel. On the way, we stopped at a grocery store for some supplies for BurlyCon and carried them back with us.
Here I sit, Jani on one side of me, Chris just went back to the room and I have to reflect on how incredibly lucky I am. How blessed my life is to have such a lovingly magical man in my life and friends that are downright amazing. Let's see what tomorrow brings!
xoxo
Putting that ugliness aside, we had an amazing time down by the waterfront. We started our day with the ever present Light Rail ride into the city and immediately traveled to Pike's Market. We had a wonderful lunch at the Sound View Cafe. We were treated to an amazing view of the Sound and a fantastic seafood chowder! After lunch, we wandered down Post Alley and interrupted a film crew in front of the famous but kinda gross Gum Wall; eventually we made it to the waterfront. Our goal originally was to take a ride on the huge ferris wheel and at $13 for 3 turns of the wheel, we immediately decided it wasn't worth it. So we walked into a pirate gift shop and fell in love with their abundance of mustache related merchandise; completely thinking of our friends Annie Cherry and Damian Blake. They would love this store!
We travelled down the waterfront to the Argosy Boat Tours. There we bought 2 City Passes and was there just in time to catch their next tour of Elliot Bay. We quickly got some coffee and took our places in line to board the boat. While in line we met a couple claiming to be involved in a love affaire where the woman was married to the guys best friend. You see, this is a case of my curse happening in full force. People blurting out things that are none of my business and something that I really don't want to know. The first half of our boat journey was relatively calm; no rain though a little windy. The second half saw the chairs on deck moving around due to the gusts of wind. We got to see some sea lions, though the whales did not make an appearance this time around. The tour was fantastic and our tour guide was amazing. She did a great job of giving us just the right information at the right time.
After the boat tour, Chris and I headed across the way to the Sea Aquarium. This was my least favorite part of our trip. You see, I do not like animals in captivity and seeing them in captivity makes me sad. Needless to say, this jaunt did not appeal to me in the least, though they did provide great information on how to eat sustainable fish.
Once we left the Sea Aquarium, we started the many, many, many steps up the hill back to the Market and hit the Light Rail back to the Airport to claim our friend, Jani Doyle. Once we got settled into the Double Tree (YAY for non-getto hotel!!) we went for dinner at Roaster's. Not bad food and the beer was pretty good. We came back to the hotel and immediately crashed. A great day to be sure!
Day 4 - Our first night in the Double Tree was wonderful! We both slept like rocks and began the day with showers, coffee and our ride to the city. The day started out with a fine mist and Jani was with us today making the day brighter! We started our adventure at the Armory for lunch and then to the Space Needle. For those that know me, I'm not big on elevators and heights, so I was looking at this part of the trip with a kind of dread that spun my head. I buckled down and got on to the elevator and it wasn't so bad. I'm so glad I didn't chicken out! The views were absolutely gorgeous, though the rain got progressively harder as the day went on.
After our time at the Needle, we went in search of umbrellas. We left the one I brought at the airport the previous evening, so it was the perfect excuse to get new ones. Pricing them at the gift shop of the Space Needle at $25 and knowing we could do better, we priced them at the gift shop across from the Needle; $7. I thought 'Sold!' and then realized we were headed to the EMP Museum next so held off in case there was a nerdy umbrella to be had. Our journey to the EMP Museum was a mixed bag. They had a wonderful exhibit on Nirvana and Kurdt Cobain and the rest was just okay. The main reason we were there was for the Science Fiction exhibit and while they had some cool stuff, it really wasn't all that. The horror exhibit was cool, but not really my thing. My thoughts were mirrored by Chris and after not finding a nerdy umbrella to purchase, we headed back to the gift shop to purchase the less expensive option. By this time, the rain was steady and coming down pretty well.
Umbrellas in hand, we headed over to the Pacific Science Center only to discover that they closed in 30 minutes. We decided to come back to that tomorrow and headed down to the market for drinks. Chris, Jani and I stayed there for the rest of our evening, eating appetizers, drinking beer and chatting while the rain came down. We watched the fish mongers pack up for the evening and then headed back to the Light Rail for the trip back to the hotel. On the way, we stopped at a grocery store for some supplies for BurlyCon and carried them back with us.
Here I sit, Jani on one side of me, Chris just went back to the room and I have to reflect on how incredibly lucky I am. How blessed my life is to have such a lovingly magical man in my life and friends that are downright amazing. Let's see what tomorrow brings!
xoxo
Monday, October 29, 2012
Seattle - Days 1 & 2
Day 1 began at 3am, loading up the car to go to my Mom's place. She'd agreed to take us to the airport that morning for our 6am flight. Our saving grace was that Chris had so many frequent flyer miles, we got to fly out first class (something that I've never experienced until now and it's FABULOUS!!) We had coffee and Baileys the whole trip out and believe me, we needed it. Don't get me wrong, the flight was great, our hotel on the other hand is gettotastic. It is truly a 'Value Inn' with every room having a door to the outside. Our heater makes a horrific noise and we turn it off at night so that we might get some sleep. The bed, while not the worst one I've experienced, is pretty hard. Chris and I focus on the positive though. We're saving money and there is a free shuttle to the light rail station. Needless to say, we spend as much time away from the room as possible.
Thus begins our adventure. The first day, after getting checked into the room, we took the light rail to Pike's Market and spent the whole day there. Visited many independent book stores including Left Bank Books which resembled something out of a novel or movie, the Original Starbucks where we bought some coffee to say we were there, Office Depot where I found very glittery notebooks for BurlyCon in the latter half of the week, found a hat shop where I purchased a very cute cap and payed a visit to Puget Sound. We had a late lunch there and came back to the room and immediately crashed. Sleep was not an issue.
Today marks the second day. Staying true to 'Value Inn' form, the free breakfast consisted of pre-packaged pastries and really bad coffee. So, we showered, dressed and headed to the light rail station for another day in Seattle. Our Chiefs were playing today, so Chris found a Groupon for a local bar and grille called 95 Slide. Once off the light rail, we headed to the Capitol Hill area for lunch and some football. When we finally arrived, (the walk took a lot longer than we anticipated and was all up hill), the Seahawks were playing and the bar was packed. Chris also discovered that the Chiefs didn't play until 1:05pm and it was 11am, so we left the bar in search of good coffee; not a difficult task in Seattle. Victrola is the first in many independent coffee houses we plan to visit while here. The coffee was fantastic and their patries held us over until our lunch. On the way back to watch the game, we stopped at a costume shop and picked me up a sexy sailor outfit for an event at BurlyCon as well as perused an occult bookstore that was kinda creepy. The food was amazing at 95 Slide, however our Chiefs played like poo. The rest of the day consisted of purchasing new jeans for me, (Chris accidentally spilled half of a beer on me while watching the game), walking to the Space Needle and exploring the area surrounding it. We caught a movie and a late dinner. Now we're back in the room and my tummy is rebelling. Our adventure will continue tomorrow but for now, it's time for bed.
Thus begins our adventure. The first day, after getting checked into the room, we took the light rail to Pike's Market and spent the whole day there. Visited many independent book stores including Left Bank Books which resembled something out of a novel or movie, the Original Starbucks where we bought some coffee to say we were there, Office Depot where I found very glittery notebooks for BurlyCon in the latter half of the week, found a hat shop where I purchased a very cute cap and payed a visit to Puget Sound. We had a late lunch there and came back to the room and immediately crashed. Sleep was not an issue.
Today marks the second day. Staying true to 'Value Inn' form, the free breakfast consisted of pre-packaged pastries and really bad coffee. So, we showered, dressed and headed to the light rail station for another day in Seattle. Our Chiefs were playing today, so Chris found a Groupon for a local bar and grille called 95 Slide. Once off the light rail, we headed to the Capitol Hill area for lunch and some football. When we finally arrived, (the walk took a lot longer than we anticipated and was all up hill), the Seahawks were playing and the bar was packed. Chris also discovered that the Chiefs didn't play until 1:05pm and it was 11am, so we left the bar in search of good coffee; not a difficult task in Seattle. Victrola is the first in many independent coffee houses we plan to visit while here. The coffee was fantastic and their patries held us over until our lunch. On the way back to watch the game, we stopped at a costume shop and picked me up a sexy sailor outfit for an event at BurlyCon as well as perused an occult bookstore that was kinda creepy. The food was amazing at 95 Slide, however our Chiefs played like poo. The rest of the day consisted of purchasing new jeans for me, (Chris accidentally spilled half of a beer on me while watching the game), walking to the Space Needle and exploring the area surrounding it. We caught a movie and a late dinner. Now we're back in the room and my tummy is rebelling. Our adventure will continue tomorrow but for now, it's time for bed.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Christy Fitness Day 3
10/26/2012 - Because of my very late work evening yesterday, I had today off of work beginning my vacation week early. Chris and I are taking a trip to Seattle, WA tomorrow and today I'm all about getting things done, running errands, cleaning the house, etc... What happened was 180 degrees from what I described. I did take Fiona (our new 12 week old kitten which makes 4 for us) to the Vet for a check up and her shots, came home and promptly took a nap that lasted until Chris came home at 4:30pm. Then the packing began. So, my day 3 was not a very good example of what I should be doing. Though, I probably shouldn't have started this journey right before vacation.
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