I'm Motivated!

Well, I’m doing it! I have found motivation and I have found the will to make a change. It is almost the end of March and I still haven’t given up. I won’t give up and I’m hoping this will lead to a new passion and a better me.

I signed up for the Danskin Sprint Triathlon in Seattle, it is in August and I’m already in the swing of running. I am focusing on running first because that is my least favorite activity in a triathlon. Thankfully people have been giving me advice and support so far and one of the best piece of advice that I have received was to look into the Couch to 5K. So I did and it looks interesting and then I heard about the podcasts….well there are a lot to choose from. I went back and asked more about the podcasts. There is an awesome site called Inside the Mind of Suz @ kissmyblackass.org/podcasts/couch-to-5k/ and she has podcasts that she has created but with really cool music. I’m not a hip-hop or rap fan but I’m lovin the beats and they keep me going.

I have had some setbacks but what I’ve learned is figure out what is going on and deal with it. I had strep throat for my first time ever and it was horrible and I didn’t treat it right away so it got bad…I was out for about a week. A couple weeks later I got a cold and then wrenched my back. I took a break, got myself better but I also kept my goal in mind. Never in a million years would I ask my doctor how soon I can run again, but that is exactly what I did. I’m back to running and it has been great!

Now my big problem is figuring out the gear I need that will be the best by for my use. (See up above) I got a great pair of shoes for my flat feet and I love them. Here they are in case you care. J

Next I need to find some great bike shorts for my butt and I think I’m set for awhile. Wish me luck!

Oh…and I’m starting a diet but I’m not sure how it will work with my workouts so we will see. It’s the 17 Day Diet and it is mostly protein and veggies so I think if I just make sure to keep up with what I need to workout and not starve myself then I should be good. Looking forward to some major changes….I’ve lost about 10 lbs but I think most of that was because of Strep.

Bucket List

So I have a few things on my bucket list that I’d like to accomplish in the next year… a trip to Europe and to complete the Danskin Triathalon.

Well, if you don’t know me or haven’t seen me….I am fat. Yep, I am! I know it and I’m tired of it, but as a first year teacher I’m exhausted at the end of the day. I’m not a morning person either, so it makes it hard to workout or feel like working out. I’m also lazy! At the beginning of blogging I was saying that I wanted to be a yes woman…but I’m not.

I’m telling you all this, because I need to do something about it. We are going to Europe this coming summer for two weeks and we are planning on taking trains and walking a lot. I need to get in shape to be able to do this comfortably and not feel like I’m dying everyday. So what do I do to get going, because I’m still not super motivated.

This is where bucket list item two comes in...the Danskin Women’s Triathalon. I have dreamed of doing this since I heard about it over ten years ago. It is a ½ mile swim, a 12 mile bike ride and a 3.1 mile run…and I know I can do the swim, but the rest would be a challenge. I’m nervous about making a fool out of myself but I want to make a change.

This is my plan, I’m going to get my butt walking. If I start walking then hopefully I’ll lose weight and then I can also add in some running to my walking (hopefully). There is an 8 week training schedule for the rest of it and so I can focus on that in the spring. I am going to hold myself accountable using this blog…so keep checking back and feel free to give me a bad time. Also, if you are interested in joining me in this venture…let me know!

What I've learned in First Grade...so far!

~ For some families saying "F**king" is okay. :#

~ They cry a lot and for no reason!

~ Chairs are for leaning in....leaning in chairs causes them to fall over and children to fall on the floor.

~ It's funny to talk about bloody noses....bloody noses are not really funny...they are bloody and first graders get freaked out by lot's of blood!

~ The kids need a nap and so does the teacher by the end of the day!

Not sure about this blogging thing.....

I love the idea of having a blog! I struggle with sitting down to blog and trying to say something witty and interesting that would be worth you all reading. I apologize for any lapses in time...but that's how I roll!

Summer Fun in Pictures!

This is the one thing that I get to do during the summer....get my hair done. My other half's mom is a hairdresser so I get to go and pick out a color or style and then she makes it happen. For the summer I went a bit blonde with some highlights. We always have to go see her at the beginning of the summer and end of the summer to get our fresh new haircuts for school. We will see what color I get this next time!

I'm sure most of you who have kids will understand this, traveling in the car with animals or kids. It is imperative to be flexible and have space for each of them. Well, this last trip to Idaho we were taking along the niece who is way taller than me, our two dogs, all our stuff for a week in Idaho and camping. Therefore, our Jeep was packed!

We had a 9 hour drive and the teenager with the dogs got a break part way through....so my short legs moved to the back. What a different view! It was funny to see how the dogs tried to find their own space and one of Murphy's favorite places was on my lap....well the both wanted to be on my lap even if it was just their head. On the way home Murphy

discovered that she could climb into the back and sleep on top of all our bags. So cute if I do say so myself.

Camping in Wallace!

So while in Idaho we went camping in Wallace, Idaho. It was a very different experience for us, we had the dogs with us

and we spent most of our days out riding on the 4 wheeler. We went with our family and some new friends, and had a blast. I do have to say that I'm not looking forward to spending that much time on the back of a 4 wheeler for along time....my back was very angry with me for that!

This was a house project that has been on our list since we moved in, but we just couldn't decide what we wanted to do. We ripped out the carpet and then had to try and get all the stuff underneath removed. Then the other half put down this awesome laminate that looks like tile. I love it! The "downstairs" actually feels like a room in our house now and it looks like it has a style rather than the first place we come in and drop our stuff.

What now? Well, school starts in a few weeks so we will be off to Idaho to get our hair done and to celebrate a big birthday! I'll add some pictures of our other camping trip later.

Thanks for coming back and I'll try and post more often....I'll try:)

Pictures!

Midway through our Dunes ride...notice the hands on the seatbelt straps!
At the start of the ride!
Some bank for Huxley!

Summer Vacation Begins!

So we began our summer by picking up our favorite teenager from the airport and heading to the Portland Zoo. I think this is the first time in fifteen years that I have gone to the zoo and actually looked at all the exhibits and visited all the animals. I also have to say the one thing that bugs me about zoos is that sometimes you can't see the animals, didn't I pay to see animals. Well, it started out poorly but we quickly found the animals and got to see a lot of them. I wish we had timed it a little bit later in the summer because they are opening a red ape area and the babies look really cute!

Next up was the paint your own pottery! Normally we go to Brush Fire in Eugene, but this time we decided to go to Potter's Quarter (it's next to Coldstone). I think we will go back to Brush Fire next time but I'm happy with what we made and how it came out. I made a bank for my nephew, it is a puppy and I painted it to match his bedroom. It turned out super cute and I have already added some pennies to it....now just to give it to him.

The most fun we had was going to the Oregon Dunes in Florence. We decided to give the dune buggies a try...but we don't know how to drive them ourselves. We booked a trip with Sandland Adventures and waited for our time. We had no idea what to expect, but we dressed warm. Our trusty driver Roger got us all strapped in and off we went! It was AWESOME! It was like a rollercoaster on sand and it was amazing! We got a little tour but we got a lot of adrenaline! I highly recommend it and I can't wait to go back and try out the hour long tour....it goes out on the beach!

We've had lot's of fun these last two weeks and we are heading out here soon to take the niece home and go camping in Idaho.