224.4 & THE LIST update

224.4 - that's what my weight is as of this morning.  Pretty disheartening but I needed to find out so I have a starting place.  My fast-food binges MUST stop!  I know that all the eating out is what makes me gain the most weight.  I have a doctor's appointment today so I can get a refill on my meds but I'm also going to ask him about weight loss.  Logically, I know it's a matter of imput vs output and I also know what I need to do to lose the weight.  I am prepared to make that lifestyle committment.  I also know that I have a serious issue with binge eating and food obsession.  It's not just about resisting the urge to eat something, it's about being obsessed with a particular food for days at a time and not being able to concentrate on other things until I satisfy that urge.  I've seriously thought about getting therapy to deal with this problem.  I think it is mostly psychological at this point.  However, I feel like a loser thinking I need therapy for eating and I also can't afford the sessions.  Maybe the doctor knows of a program that could help me that my insurance WOULD cover.  We'll see.

I had a great weekend visiting my grandma.  On Sunday we went to my aunt and uncle's for dinner.  My uncle is a grill master.  No, seriously, he made the best steaks EVER and grilled shimp too.  Then we had roasted potatoes and corn on the cob.  For dinner - banana splits.  Yum!  I drank lots of beer (because when at grandma's do as grandma does) and played games. 

On Monday morning we drove about 30 minutes, into Ohio, and picked strawberries at a farm.  They were so good I'm certain that is what the Bible meant by, "manna from heaven".  In 30 minutes we had picked 20 quarts.  My grandma too 6 home and we took 14 (well, 13 because Isabel accidentally left a quart at the farm when she set it down to pick up some onions).  I also got some beets and asparagus to take home too.  Look at these fan-freakin-tastic strawberries:

Oh yeah - 13 quarts

Now I just need to figure out what to do with all of them.  I think I'll make some strawberry jam and can it, maybe some frozen desserts and....I don't know.  I could freeze a bunch but I think strawberries lose their flavor when they're frozen so I'd like to avoid that. 

I made a tasty asparagus popover and some sauted beet greens for dinner.  Tonight I think I'll grill the beets and some baby romaine lettuce.  I've never had romaine grilled before but I've heard it's good.

Tonight my goal is to:  eat a healthy dinner, not pig out after dinner (as I usually do) and take a 20-30 minute walk outside or on the elliptical (it's super hot and humid today so I may just work out inside).  I also have a Carmen Electra striptease workout DVD that I'd like to get into...just not when my kid's around.  I soooo don't want to explain that one to her!

THE LIST

I've completed:  go to dentist, make primary physician follow up appointment, pick fruit at a farm, take a jewelry making class and I MIGHT accomplish # 15 - make jam - this week!

Come on Friday!

I'm so psyched for Friday!  After an insanely long week at work I couldn't be happier for a 3 day weekend.  I've been stuck in day long meetings since Wednesday and tomorrow is the last day for them until next month.  Not to mention, in between meetings, somehow, I've managed 3 home visits, a training class and a visit to our impending (fingers crossed) new office.  Oh, and I've survived the horror of a committee meeting and a Board meeting. 

I felt good about myself on Tuesday; I got in 20 minutes on the elliptical.  I made a point to go faster than I think I normally do.  It made me feel pretty good inside and out.  On Wednesday our house got hit by the dreaded lice.  My daughter was scratching at her head and when I looked she was infested.  I quickly grabbed the treatment and picked through her hair before bed.  My back was so stiff from being hunched over her for hours I thought I'd cry.  She's short enough that when she sits on the floor in front of the couch I have to hunch over but she's too tall to sit on the edge of the couch in front of me.  After she went to bed I finished up 2 bracelets that she and her friend had made over the weekend so she could take them to school.  Looping that steel wire and cutting it bruised the palm of my hand and scrapped the side of my finger raw.  They didn't look great but they were OK.  I'm just getting started in jewlery making so this was only our second attempt.  Not too bad if I do say so myself.

Today was another long day at work but when I got home there was dinner waiting on me in the kitchen.  My wonderful, thoughtful husband had gone to my FAVORITE restaurant in the next town over and bought dinner for me.  It was soooo good - eggplant parmesan and salad.  I just finished a beer on the front porch and now, as I am typing this, I have the urge to get on the elliptical for a few minutes.  I feel like a slacker for not exercising yesterday so I'm going to try and make up for it by doing some tonight.  Hopefully, all goes as planned tomorrow and I can come home early and get a nice 30 minutes in before the evening festivities begin.

My goal is to make myself get up early enough in the mornings to take a nice 20-30 minute walk but the road to hell is paved with good intentions so that hasn't happened yet.  Eye on the prize, eye on the prize.

Biting Off More than I can Chew

Yesterday was my first day of "training".  Let's just say I pictured myself being much more fit than I actually am. 

I waited until about 7:30p to go to the local college track and practice running.  Thankfully, it had cooled down by then and I could excercise without worrying about the heat and humidity.  It gets insanely humid in West Virginia (like 70% humidity) and hot - typical summer temps are in the 80's.  I took my daughter, Isabel, with me as well as her friend and my friend, Ashley.  She has been working out with a personal trainer for a while, so she is in much better shape than I am - plus she's a non-smoker. 

It started out pretty good.  We walked a lap  and on the second lap I was preparing to run but Ashley said I should walk one more before I started.  She said since I wasn't used to running it would be better to do a longer warm up before I tried.  I figured that after working with a personal trainer for over a year she would know better than I so I listened to her advice - I'm so glad I did! 

Ashley is a pretty fast walker and her legs are longer than mine.  Needless to say I was on the cusp of jogging just trying to keep up with her.  As we finished our second lap I told her I was ready to jog a lap.  Well, "a lap" was a giant over-estimation.

I think I made it about 200 meters.  Pathetic.  I was really ashamed of myself at first but then I realized that at least now I have a starting point.  Next time I will make it a little farther and maybe in a week or so I will be able to run/jog the entire lap. 

We finished that third lap, and a fourth, walking.  Before we started I thought I'd be able to go for, about, 6 laps (1.5 miles).  But, after the fourth lap I knew if I didn't stop my legs were going to boycott and I'd just end up on my face in the middle of the track.  My calves and ankles were on FIRE!  I had to sit down and stretch for a good 5 minutes before they stopped. 

Despite these set-backs I was feeling pretty damn good when I got home.  I'm looking forward to a nice walk this evening in my neighborhood.  I decided that I'll go to the track 3 times/week and the other days I'll just walk where I live.  I like using the track because I can judge the distance better, track my progress, and not have to think about where I'm walking.  But it is nice to walk around the neighborhood and not have to drive to the track.

After I got home I made a chicken salad and it was quite tasty.  I am disappointed in myself, though, because later that evening I was still hungry and ate a bunch of oyster crackers.  I need to ban oyster crackers from the house, they are my weakness.

My List and I

The make-up of this blog will mirror who I am - a mishmash of interests, bouncing back and forth as the mood strikes me.  My  hope is that by blogging daily it will keep me on track and motivated to finish projects I start, help me learn more about myself and maybe help others learn from my experiences, too.

Shortly before I turned 30 I decided that I didn't want to fall into the "Oh-my-God-I'm-30-I'm-so-old" mindset.  Logically, I know 30 is NOT old and I also know that I am in a good place in my life, for the most part.  I have a beautiful and sweet 10 year old daughter, wonderful husband, a job I love and good friends.  But, there is always a part of me that wants to shake things up, make life unpredicatable and break out of the box.  Unfortunately, in my family, unpredictable = the apocalypse; so, I decided to come up with a list of "30 things in my 30th year"as a compromise.  It's a list of projects, tasks, stuff that I want/need to do sometime during my 30th year.  Some of the list is responsible goals (like make a dental appointment, which I've avoided for 2 years), some is designed to help me reach a goal (quit smoking - for a goal of healthiness) and the rest are just fun stuff that are actually doable in a 1 year time frame.  I'm hoping this list will make me more aware of the kind of person I want to be and give me an excuse to do things a little different.

I'll be posting a list of my 30 things (even though I haven't thought of all 30 yet) and writing about my successes and failures (plus other stuff in between).

One of the things I'm working on right now is to slowly quit smoking and complete a 5k.  Both very hard tasks (I've been smoking for about 8 years and I am horribly out of shape).  Both things I would be proud to accomplish.  So far, I have made a new rule for myself to NOT smoke in the car.  That is my first step to quitting.  I've stuck to it (for the most part) for about 1 week.  Next, I need to start preparing for a 5k so I am going to work up to running a mile.  I think I can run 1/4 mile, I think.  We'll find out tonight - I've made a date with myself to go to the local college track and see how far I can get.

Applesauce and Lieutenant Dan

OK - now a few things about me:  I live in the same small town that I grew up in and my daughter goes to the same school that I did (and has some of the same teachers - strange), I have 2 younger brothers - 26 and 18 years, I like to cook and I LOVE to eat, I am a book whore and have the ability to tune out a nuclear attack if the plot is good, I work for a child welfare nonprofit agency and my idea of an awesome vacation is a trip to Whole Foods (we don't have one anywhere close to where I live so I usually get to go in my dreams) and I have 3 spoiled cats.

The Queen, herself, Forrest

I plan to post everyday and welcome and comments/suggestions!