Holidays

Happy New Year everyone! We had a great Xmas! This was the first year that Elliott knew what was going on and she had a blast! She even loved visiting Santa this year! Here are a few photos from our holiday.

Elliott with Santa

Grinch Cookies that I made for Xmas Eve

Elliott opening her Xmas Eve gift from us. PJs, Twas The Night Before Christmas book, and The Grinch DVD

Xmas Morning! Ready to open gifts!

Paul handing her gifts

Paul was Santa and I was the Elf. Elliott had a silly hat too, but refused to wear it!

We had a great Xmas! Elliott got way more toys than she needed. Paul got a new engine for his airplane. I got a new hand held water bottle, a yoga mat strap, and 5 other water bottles.

From Paul's parents, we got tickets to see Cirque Du Soleil: Quidam! We went this past Sunday and it was soooo cool!

On NYE, I ran the Resolution Run 5k. It was a beer run! You had a beer at the reception when you got there, and then there were 3 beer stops on the course, and then another beer at the reception at the end. I thought it was going to be fun, but it ended up being miserable! I had signed up because Kim did and I kind of thought that we would be running it together. Well, her boyfriends SIL went too. They are much faster than me and I couldn't keep up. I actually caught up to them at the first beer stop and was trying to chug my beer as fast as possible. It seemed like Kim was trying to wait for me, when Brandi started shouting "Come on! We have to go!" and they left without me. Not to mention that it was snowing wet cold snow the whole time. Running a beer run with friends= fun. Running alone in the cold, wet, dark, slippery snow without music even= miserable. I got to the 2nd beer stop and they were out of beer, so I continued on. The third beer stop had beer and I chugged one down and kept going. When I crossed the finish line, I guess it was a apparent that I was miserable. Everyone kept asking if I was okay, which I said I was. I was basically just having a pity party about having to run alone.

At the reception before hand- we carried those mugs while we ran

Before the race started- out in the snow

New Year's Day, I had a training run on my schedule, 3 miles. Since the Thanksgiving run, where my goal was 36:52, I've been trying to get that every time I have 3 miles on the schedule. Well, New Year's Day, I finally met that goal with time to spare! I finished 5k in 36:23! I was so stoked! Not only was it redemption from the 5k the night before (45:xx), but it was a great way to start the new year!

Tomorrow is my 29th birthday! I'm going to run 2.9 miles to celebrate! My mom has been on her own weight loss journey, and is doing awesome! She's lost about 15lbs already! She has been walking almost every day! I told her that she should walk 2.9 miles in honor of my birthday as well! She said she will!

Last night I went to yoga at the YMCA. It was crazy! There were over 50 people in class! I was the last person in and there was barely room for me! A lot of people talk badly of all the people in the gym at the beginning of the year, but I think its great! Nobody should have to feel badly about wanting to get healthier!

I signed up for another round of bootcamp again this month too! I really like it! I'm already planning to sign up again next month as well! I got an email from the Y this morning with a coupon in it for bootcamp that said it can be used next month! I feel like yoga and bootcamp are helping me become a better runner as well!

Well, that's all I have for now!

It's Over!

Xmas is finally over! I'm so glad!

Last Friday at work, Taylor brought these cupcakes. I had one. It was good. But I kept thinking about them ALL day! I hate that. I put up a post it note on my desk and on the cupcake plate that said: It's my choice and my choice is NO! It actually helped! Kara came up to me later and told me that the note helped her too, and that's what made me even more happy!

We celebrated with Paul's family on Friday. It was a really good time. I got a food processor, a tea kettle, and Just Dance 3 for Wii! I loved all my gifts, except for the enormous box of chocolate that his dad gave us. I'm doing pretty well with it though. My daughter got a wagon, an Elmo ride on airplane toy, a picnic basket toy, a build a bear cow, some clothes, and a few other things. Christmas Eve was pretty uneventful. Elliott, Paul, and I made cookies for Santa. 

Helping Daddy mix the batter.

Mix Mix Mix!

Mix it up!

Ready to go into the oven (that is my new tea kettle!)

We didn't have any baking soda, so I used baking powder. The cookies came out like this, lol! They still tasted okay... Santa didn't mind!

Christmas morning Elliott opened her presents from Mommy, Daddy, and Santa. She got a play kitchen from Santa. From Daddy and I, she got some play food, a couple of books, a Strawberry Shortcake movie, a cute plush Cinderella doll, a stuffed monkey with a blanket, and some socks and stuff in her stocking. It was a good uneventful day!

I've been playing my Just Dance game and I love it! It's a great workout!

I weigh in tomorrow at WW. Then next Wednesday is our first clinic and group run for the S2F running program. I'm excited to start and work towards more goals.

Elliott is supposed to be napping right now, but I can hear her in her room playing. I better go see what she is doing....

Goal Clothes

I got off of work really early today (10am) and I went to sign up for the Start 2 Finish running program. I got my shoe fitting and my shoes also. I got Nike+ Zoom Structure. I really like them and they feel fantastic! I can't wait to run in them. What really surprised me is that they are a size 8.5! I have never, ever worn any size even close to that! My normal size is a 6.5-7, 7-7.5 since I had my daughter. He said that it was typical for your running shoes to be bigger.

After that I went to the Goodwill and got some stuff! I got a Biggest Loser T-shirt, a Mizuno "tech" shirt, some New Balance running pants, some adidas pants (that are WAY to small! They said XL, but I think they might be children's pants lol!) And I got some goal clothes. I got a couple pairs of jeans, one is a size 16 and one is a 14. I got a size L goal dress. And I got a goal shirt and sweater. I also got a couple of books for Elliott and a hat for Paul. He probably won't like it, but we'll see. I got him a pair of jeans at the Goodwill recently and they were his normal size, but since they were "fashion jeans" (as he called them) they were super tight on him! It was almost inappropriate! I told him that they could be his goal jeans. He said that his goal jeans would be 10x bigger because his goal is to get to 500 pounds and then to go on the Biggest Loser and win. He is silly!

Tonight we are going to my brother's girlfriends house. They have gifts for Elliott. Then tomorrow is Paul's family Xmas. Then we'll have Elliott open her gifts Saturday and Sunday. Then Xmas is OVER! And I will have made it through the holiday season 16 pounds lighter than I started it, which BLOWS MY MIND!

I also need to have Paul take an updated picture of me, because I have lost 10 pounds from my official before picture. 

Have you lost some weight?

Today I hit a milestone that I didn't even know about. I had someone finally noticed my weight loss! One of the women I work with said "You look like you are losing weight!" I was so excited that my hard work is finally coming to light. I have an image on my desk top that has a scenery picutre and says: "It takes 4 weeks for you to notice your body changing, 8 weeks for your friends to notice, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world to notice. Give it 12 weeks. Don't Quit." I feel like it is ringing true as well!

Next Thursday is our company Xmas party. We are going to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I'm excited about the show, but not so much on the dinner. I wish I could just not focus so much on the food, but it seems like it's every which way I turn. Especially since it's "Holiday Time." Before, I felt like the holidays lasted until March. It was Halloween, Thanksgiving, Xmas, my birthday, Paul's birthday, Elliott's birthday, and then I was going to try to start losing weight. I've made a big "discovery" this year in realizing that Between Oct 31 and Mar 17, those occasions are only 6 days, not 6 months. There is no need to be a pig the rest of the time as well.

I started my 4 weeks to 1 mile running plan yesterday. While I was running, I kept telling myself "Don't let your head give out before your legs give out!" and it actually helped. This first week I start with a 5 minute warm up walk, run for 45 secs then walk for 2 mins (and do that 4 more times) then a 5 minute cool down walk. Yesterday, I felt incredible afterwards! My goal is to be able to run 1 mile on my birthday (January 9).