'Eventful' is an Understatement

Whew!! What a whirlwind of events that have gone down in the past 2 weeks! We have been going-going-going since I last posted & we have had so much fun!

The first weekend, we were in Fort Worth in prep for the Warrior Dash. We had a group of 11 people competing together which was comprised of 9 girls and 2 boys. We all had a blast dressing up in our 80's garb & decided to start and complete the course as one unit, so it was a really good time. The Dash wasn't exactly what I had expected & was definitely not as intimidating as I had made it out to be, but it was really fun challenging myself with some new physical obstacles that I had never done before. Don't get me wrong, it was still challenging in it's own little ways, but I really didn't have any trouble getting through it. Maybe that says something for my hidden abilities to 'just get through it', because we all know I didn't train a lick for this thing (or that half-marathon we somehow survived). We got all kinds of dirty & smelled a little funny when we got back to the hotel, but it was a blast. We finished in 50 minutes, which isn't by any means a 'competitive time', but we enjoyed ourselves as we stuck together, went through the obstacles all together, & sang 80's jams at the top of our lungs while we ran. Some pretty awesome pics were taken, but I have yet to post them. Apologies. :)

From there, Kennady & I left for Orlando on Sunday & had a stinkin' blast with Nana & Pop-Pop. We did everything from playing at the park, to going to Downtown Disney, eating at a wine bar, petting puppies, swimming in their pool, & best of all, spending a whole day at the beautiful beach of St. Petersburg. It was too much fun. Kennady LOVED the waves & playing in the sand. Her biggest focus was attempting to push her new rainbow stroller into the ocean. She never made it all of the way because we stopped her, but she sure tried over and over and over. More precious pics can be seen here. We were there until Friday when we flew back & met up with Chad in Dallas.

From Dallas, we drove to San Angelo by way of Abilene to pick up a few Easter weekend essentials we had left behind. We spent the weekend with my family, playing Joker (our latest favorite family board game) & pitching washers, & celebrating Easter in full traditional style. We colored boiled eggs & dyed them hot pink, made Rice Krispie treats with M&M's, had an Easter picnic at the park, & found eggs in our Easter basket that the bunny left at the back door of Mimi & Paw-Paw's house. She had a blast and was really good at finding and shaking the eggs (to make sure there was something in it worth having, lol). Church was really good Sunday morning & Kennady actually behaved herself enough to remain in the sanctuary the whole time. I also found out that one of my best friends & her husband (whom I 'set up' some 5 years ago) are pregnant & I am so happy for them! Very. Good. Day.

Saturday night I said 'Happy Jesus' Resurrection Day' to my sister to which she quickly responded..."Thank God He Did!!" I know it's a cheesy joke & we were probably delirious as it was about 1:00am, but we thought it was HILARIOUS. I'll leave you with that & the statement that Our God is an Awesome God. Happy belated Easter everyone!

Mickey Mouse, please!

Last night my hubby spoke to his parents (who haven't seen Kennady in person since Christmas when unfortunately she was sick) & they all came to the realization that the 3 of us probably wouldn't be able to get to Florida until late August (because of Chad's upcoming J-school training in AR). So, after a quick phone conversation to see when they were available & a little bit of logistics talk, I bought a ticket for Kennady & I to visit Nana & Pop-Pop in Orlando this coming week. Chad will be with his brother in Las Vegas to celebrate Chris' college graduation & Chad's upcoming Master's graduation, so we will be playing with Mickey Mouse while hubs is gambling our savings away (jk...he better not!! :)).

Soooo, now I must wrap my brain around the idea of a crazy Warrior Dash weekend directly followed by a 6-day trip to the beautiful and fun state of Florida. I'm not gonna lie & say that I'm not nervous to tackle traveling with a 16-month-old by myself. All she wants to do these days is go (run) in every direction she's not supposed to. Keeping up with her while keeping up with a stroller & carry-on bags, etc. is already zapping me of energy just thinking about it & we are still 3 days from flying. Ha. My anxiety is so high that while at Wal-Mart today, I actually (for a very quick second) considered purchasing a leash for my child. You know, one of those leashes that they creatively mask with a soft & fluffy monkey or dog. They only add the plush animal so that the parents that buy them feel like they aren't treating their children like pets. I have seen children at the zoo with them on & they were being laughed at by other kids behind them. It was sad. Anyways, I didn't buy one, but I have to admit, the idea of her being 'attached' to me did make me feel a slight bit of relief.

Then, I snapped out of it & decided I'm a good enough parent to manage it all & control my baby at the same time. Please pray that we have safe & uneventful travels...& that she's a well-behaved little lady. Flights with a child on your lap are always challenging., so please, wish me luck!

Dash to become a Warrior

Hey everyone! As you might have assumed from my previous posts, I have been working out frivolously & getting my body prepped for what's going to prove to be a very treacherous & physically demanding experience this weekend, the Warrior Dash...MU-hahahah...I'm a liar. I haven't done a thing...except for my nightly 100 crunches prior to going to bed, but that's not going to help me at all when it comes to bear-crawling, rope climbing, tire trekking, haystack climbing or hiking. AHHHHH. I'm so nervous! Check this out...wouldn't YOU be?!

It's going to be a lot of fun though, or at least that's how I'm talking myself into competing/participating in such a crazy and challenging obstacle course. If I hadn't already paid & committed to a team, I would probably choose not to put myself through this. Ha. I think I am a little bit intimidated since I have seen some of the obstacles on their site, but I'm sure at the end when I'm jumping over the ring of fire, I'll be so happy that I participated & finished yet another physical challenge. Plus, even though we are competing as a group, we don't have to stick together the whole time, so if need be, Chad & I can go at our own pace and just finish the thing. That's the part I'm looking forward to...a nice run/obstacle course experience to share with my beloved hubby. Fun stuff.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that since costumes are highly encouraged at this event, our group has decided to go dressed in 80's attire...if anyone knows me, you would know that that's one of the best and most desired themes for this lady. It's going to be wild & so much fun. I haven't had a theme party in like 6 months which is far too long. :)

Well, that's all I have for now. Wish us luck & hopefully I don't die on this course. If I do, it's been nice, Blogger. :)

Daydreamin'

This is my 'goal picture' for this summer. This picture was taken in the Spring of 2005 at a 70's theme party in college (so much fun, by the way). When I'm working out or thinking back to my 'feelin' hot' days, I think of this picture. Rock hard abs, a slight tan, & a young & confident spirit to go with it. Those were the days that I would love to see again. And yes, MAYBE I was sucking in and flexing at the same time in this picture...but there's no reason to judge me. :) I guess I'll go continue to daydream my abdominals back into shape...Adios.

Bennie!...and the Jets

So sorry for this post being all one continuous paragraph...if anyone knows how to fix this when Blogger refuses to insert breaks, I would love to know! Thanks! This post is for anyone who saw American Idol on Wednesday night and has had Elton John's Bennie & the Jets in your head ever since like I have. Just like the famous scene on 27 Dresses where Katherine Heigl & James Marsden are making up and blurbing words to this song, I have found myself doing the same these past couple of days. So, just in case you are like me, Katherine, & James, I decided to post the lyrics to the song so we could all see how silly they really are: Hey Kids, shake it loose together The spotlight's hitting something That's been known to change the weather We'll kill the fatted calf tonight So stick around You're gonna hear electric music Solid walls of sound (Refrain) Say, Candy & Ronnie, have you seen them yet they're so spaced out, Bennie & the Jets Oh, but they're weird and their wonderful Oh, Bennie, she's really keen She's got electric boots, a mohair suit You know I read it in a magazine B-B-B-Bennie & the Jets Hey kids, plug into the faithless Maybe they're blinded But Bennie makes them ageless We shall survive, let us take ourselves along Where we fight Our parents out in the streets To find who's right and who's wrong (Refrain) I have realized after reading the words that I have been SOOOO off in what I say. Haha. If I didn't change it every time I hear the song, I would try to write my version down for you, but I just have no idea what I say. I'm great at the chorus, though those are often made up words too. Anyways, totally boring post, but NOW YOU (and I) KNOW. B-B-B-Bennie & the Jets (begin piano solo)...:)

I Butt I Can :)

As I sat back and watched tonight's episode of The Biggest Loser (while chomping on a HUGE Valentine's Hershey Kiss, thank you hubby), I began to comtemplate what it would take inside of me to make me push myself to my true limits in the gym like they do on the show. I remember some REALLY challenging and miserable volleyball and soccer practices back in my super-athlete days, some of which I have tried to push out of my memory. Of course the miserable ones were the ones that made me stronger, but still, BAD memories. Ha. I know B0b & Jillian would both easily break me, and I'm really not sure I would ever want to give them the opportunity to do so. But, it still makes me ponder how much it would take and if my inner-strength would shine in those moments. I have about 12 pounds that I would LOVE to lose. I have been stuck at my current weight for going on 2 1/2 years now (of course, including but disregarding prego time). These 12 pounds would put me at the same weight that I was when I graduated college & also at the most healthy weight for my height and build. This feat is taunting me and is on my mind every day. The only thing holding me back from getting this weight off is myself. I realize that. I know I am so capable of getting to the place I want to be, but I have never had the self-motivation and full determination that it takes to truly get after it and make things happen. I did the calculation & losing 12 pounds is the equivalent of burning and/or eliminating 42,000 calories. Just a tip, never, ever, do such a calculation because WHOA, that sounds beyond daunting. Luckily, and probably a direct result of chasing a one-year-old around, I have managed to get back to my pre-baby weight minus 2 pounds. That was a happy day for me. This year, I have really been trying, note the 'trying', to focus more on me than I have in the past year. Once you have a baby, it is very easy to focus all of your attention on their needs while yours get pushed to the wayside. Chad & I competed in our first half-marathon this February and really enjoyed the experience. In 3 weeks, we are competing (for fun) in an ultimate 3.24 mile run & obstacle course with a group of friends. The run is known as the Warrior Dash & looks like so much fun, but a huge challenge too. These are things that I can train for & because we are considering the addition of another child sometime next year (God willing), I want to take this time to really get myself back to what I want to be...comfortable & happy in my own skin. Truthfully, I want to put my one-piece from last year away and be able to comfortably and confidently rock a bikini again this summer (stretch marks and all)! I guess I'm going to have to focus my efforts, get my butt off of the couch, & tape Bob & Jillian's voices yelling at me while I workout. A little everyday gets you one step closer, right? Well, that's all of my workout word-vomit for now. I'll keep you posted on my accomplishments...or not. :) I'm going to head to bed and picture myself skinny...yea, that should work. (Sorry this post is all one paragraph...for some reason Blogger is preventing me from having breaks between my paragraphs...annoying.)

Peevish

I always think that hearing other people's pet peeves is fun, because most of the time I have the same or similar ones. These are just a few that I thought about yesterday & today that drive me bonkers (<--insert Aussie accent here :) :

1. How when I use Pine Sol to clean the bathroom it always makes me have the sniffles. Out of nowhere my nose starts running & that is so annoying. It has always done that to my mom, too. Weird.
2. When hubby leaves the toothpaste on the bathroom counter with no cap on it. Ugh.
3. Weeds & how they grow naturally...can you tell that spring has hit?...my lawn can.
4. How ridiculously SLLOOOWWW my Dell laptop is on an everyday basis. Using Chad's Mac in comparison to this Dell is the difference of a roadrunner and an inchworm...patience-testing & once again, RIDICULOUS is what this computer is.
5. That the first 3 singers last night on my DVR playback of American Idol were all jacked up with echoey words & mouths moving behind the sound. I could jump through the tv when that happens. Grrr...
6. TV & radio commercials...thank God for DVR & iPods. (ironic that I have a Marketing Degree & said this? Ha.)
7. That outdoor malls have pull-only doors when walking in from the outside...now that I have a stroller & a child constantly refusing to keep her hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times, these are sooo annoying. I know it's for fire safety, but still...
8. When other people, especially complete strangers, suggest to me how to raise my child...I'm obviously doing fine on my own or else she wouldn't be alive and happy right now. I would appreciate if you kept your ridiculous thoughts and advice to yourself or share with someone who really DOES need the help (like maybe the parents of the 3+ year olds with pacifiers or those who allow their children to walk through the grocery store without shoes...gross!) My baby doesn't get her independence from just anybody, that's right. :) (By the way, I totally appreciate the advice & words of wisdom from you ladies...I am often desperate for it! Just had to clarify.)
9. How cut flowers die so quickly. Something so beautiful shouldn't have to wilt and lose life so fast. I still love them though.
10. Dust & how quickly it settles. Nothing worse than dusting and 20 minutes later seeing more dust. To a housewife, that is frustrating. Ha.

Ok, I think 10 is enough. I would LOVE to hear some of yours. Have fun and hit me with them! :)