Thursday, February 24, 2011

30 Days Of Hell

Hellooooooooooooo World!!!

Long time no write, eh? I think I warned you before though, I am awful at these things. Really hard for me to keep on track.

Anyway.... Aren't you curious about what I've been up to???

Sure you are!!!

*everyone groans and clicks the back button*

Well, recently, the fiance and I are trying to get healthier. Yes, yes, I know it's cliche and that every bride-to-be tries to look better for her wedding. But do you know why it's cliche? Because it's so popular/everyone does it! So, yes, we are trying to look our best for the wedding. We'd always wanted to look better, and there's been a few half-hearted attempts in the past, but the wedding really gives us motivation. It gives me the ability to paint a mental picture in my head of what I want to look like on my wedding day. In the past, when I've worked out, there's just been a vague picture of "I want to look healthy sometime in the future." But now... now my picture is specific. And sure, I might not actually get to that point before my wedding. I understand that and I'm not going to stress out about it. However, it gives me something to focus on when I'm pushing out that last lunge/curl.

So, organized me, of course, has a calendar written out of when I exercise and what I do. It hangs on the back of my door. So...

Sunday
Walk the dogs (0.5 miles each, so a total of 1 mile for me)
Arms (alternates every Sunday)
Rest

Monday
Walk the Dogs
Wii Fit Strength (do all the strength exercises on Wii fit in a row)
Cardio (this means use my crappy elliptical in my room which wears me out horribly)
Crunches (100 of them, alternates every Monday)

Tuesday
Walk the dogs
Zumba Beginners
Zumba Abs
Arms

Wednesday
Walk the dogs
Crunches
Rest

Thursday
Walk the Dogs
Cardio (for this cardio and Fridays I go to Stewie's house and use their nicer stuff)
Arms

Friday
Walk the dogs
Cardio
Crunches

Saturday
Walk the dogs
Zumba Beginners
Zumba Abs
Arms

Sunday
Same as before, only now I do crunches instead of abs.

So, all planned out, written in ink on my calendar. I have two rest days, Wednesday and Sunday (the days right after Zumba) though I still walk the dogs on those days and I do either arms or crunches daily (alternating each night). I've also been watching what I eat, making sure I don't go over my allotted calories, though, truth be told, I'm more focused on exercise than on dieting (on the other hand- Mr. Fiance is more focused on dieting than exercising)

But then..... a snag in my nice pretty calendar.

The zumba I have includes Zumba Beginners, Zumba Advanced, and Zumba abs/thighs/glutes. I turned on Zumba advanced... and it's way too hard for me. It's just the guy on stage and an audience full of regular people dancing. And there's no directions, they just all seem to somehow "know" what to do. So, I turned to Zumba Beginners. Now, this one, I can do. But, it just doesn't seem like a workout- it's more just teaching you how to do the moves so you can eventually move to advanced. For example, you tend to only do movements on one side. So you'll work on the right side for awhile, and instead of switching to the left side to work, he would move on to a different move. As fun as Zumba is... I just wasn't feeling like I was getting a workout. Now Zumba Abs was a pretty good workout, but it just wasn't being paired with another good workout.

So then I started looking for new options. And then..... that's when I met Jillian Michaels.

I'd already been hearing about the 30 Day Shred from Wedding Forums that I hang around in. People talking about how sore they were, how they really felt the exercises, how Jillian Michaels is the devil sent up from hell into a lean human woman form sent to torture us until we sold our souls for 10 seconds of rest. And for some reason I still don't know.... I decided to try it.

So, a few days ago, I popped in the DVD and did level 1. And I sweated, panted, grunted, cried throughout all 27 minutes of it.

Yesterday, I woke up and my muscles (wait, there's actually muscles in my body?) were so tight that I really didn't want to get out of bed. Plus, I had so much going on that day, did I really have time to do a half hour workout? I didn't want to get all sweaty before leaving the house. And yet... I popped in the DVD and did level 1, Day 2.

This morning, I woke up in pain. Stiff muscles, sore arms, tired. I dreaded getting out of bed. And yet... Got out of bed and popped in the DVD. And yes, once more, Jillian tried to kill me. But, once again, it is about an hour and a half later and I'm still alive. Still achey...but alive.

And guys.... GUYS.... I have a bump!!! My arms have always been my weak spot. In fact, my calves aren't too horrible looking, but get to my upper body and I've got so many wings, I'm more like an insect than a bird. But... I can now run my hand across my arm and there is the beginning of a bulge!! There IS a muscle up there under all that flab! I guess those science books WEREN'T lying when they talked about the muscles in the human body. It's all I did yesterday and today, rubbing my arm. In fact, I think that's part of the reason my arms hurt is cause I couldn't stop flexing and rubbing. Sure, maybe nobody else can tell or feel it (and believe me, I tried to get everyone to feel it and all they did was touch it and roll their eyes) but I, who has lived with this body for 24 years, can definitely tell a difference. There is something there and it's getting stronger.

Today was Day 3 of the shred. 27 more days to go. I've taken Zumba out of my weekly plan, and I'm doing the shred daily. But if I'm getting these results in the 17 days that since we started this "get healthy kick"..... I can live past the pain and keep up with it. You know what they say... No Pain, No Gain.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

How I Eat: Part 1

Hellooooooooooooooo Strangers!!!!

It is I, that person that last updated a little less than a month ago. I know, I know. I kind of suck at this whole blogging thing. I need a shtick. Something that I can be known for, something to get me to blog regularly. Like Allie and her cute drawings and funny life observations. Or Mark and his amazing book reviews. Anyone out there have any ideas for me?

Anyway- while I have been away, I've been writing down blog topics on my iPod. And thus, we come to today's subject- How I eat food.


I am a very particular person. I do things weird. Mainly because I over think EVERYTHING I do. Especially at meal times.

Here's the story. When I was in Jr. High, me and my friends would sit at the lunch table happily eating our lunches and enjoying life. Well, one day, I noticed that I was always the first person done eating. Which, in my young, ever thinking head, made me believe that it made me look fat. Like, I was such a pig that I just had to scarf my food down.

That moment has now ruined my ability to eat normally.

Since that day, I made it a purpose to slow down when I eat. I started watching others eat, matching them bite for bite. I took smaller bites.

I started finishing at the same time as people. I felt good about myself. But... I couldn't stop. Instead of finishing at the same time as people, I started finishing after them. I wasn't trying to- it was subconscious.

Nowadays, it is impossible for me to NOT be the last one at the table. I don't do it on purpose, I just can't help but eat slow- it is physically impossible for me to eat faster (I tried the other day- we were at a restaurant and everyone else was done eating and I still had half my food left. Rather than just leave the food since I HATE wasting food, I ended up scarfing it down real fast and made myself sick.) Most times, when we eat family dinners at the table, my family will actually start putting away their plates and such and move on to watch TV.... all while I'm still at the table eating.

I can't lay all the blame on myself. The BF takes huge bites of his food when he eats (like, one bite and half of it is gone- how am I supposed to compete with that??) But yes, the majority of the blame is on myself. For being so anal.

But hey, at least I get to savor my food!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Thursday Thunks

The TT questions are brought to you by Kimber, the color of absolute black granite and the number 16.




101. When was the last time you went to the doctor? Do you like your doctor?

Wow.... ummmm.... I really don't remember. It's been a LONG time. I hate going to doctors because basically they always tell me that I'm not really sick, it's just a sinus infection, or whatever, and I just need some rest and fluids. So, time after time of being told that, I just never go to the doctor. I probably should have gone last year when I had a 103 temperature and puking... but, I had a job interview that day and I have priorities....


Actually, though, I did go to the dentist two weeks ago. Does that count?


201. My back is itching, will you scratch it for me?

Yes, because I'm a nice person who likes to help people. However, sadly, I'm never around nice people who will scratch my back, so I have to do it myself.


301. Do you have nice handwriting?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

no.

Though, I think I do. Sometimes. When I work at it. But others disagree.


401. We are sending you to either New Zealand or Canada, which one do you choose?

New Zealand!!! In my head, it's so pretty there, and Canada's so close that I can just take myself some other day, whereas New Zealand is somewhere I probably wouldn't be able to afford on my own.


501. Do you sing in the shower?

Of course!! I love to sing.... just not in front of people. Which means the shower is the greatest place to sing because no one's ever there with me.


601. Have you ever been streaking? If so, how far did you streak and did anyone see you?

No. Never been streaking. Unless you count all the times I run around my house naked with the windows open. Then, yes, I have been streaking several times.


701. How soon is too soon for Christmas decorations and music playing in the stores?

No Christmas anything till the day after Thanksgiving.

(much to the BF's consternation.)

801. If you celebrated Halloween as a kid what was the costume you wore at 5?

Oh goodness... I don't remember. I wanna say Captain Picard from Star Trek? That may have been 5. Don't judge- my dad picked it out.


901. How many cavities have you had in your life?

When I was a kid, I remember having to get my cavities filled. I don't remember the actual number, but I wanna say around 4 or 5?


1001. Berleen and Bud come to Arizona to visit Kimber. Who do you think will decide it's too hot here first?

I'm gonna go with Bud.


1101. Who do you think will ask TT questions next week?

A surprise celebrity guest!

Turtle Turtle

So, while I know I have been failing on frequent blogging, even more so than that, I have been failing to provide you wonderful YouTube videos!!! So, to combat that, here is the next video in the series of useless, cute videos.


This one is courtesy of my cousin (once removed). She is in the Dog Agility world and posted this gem of a video on her Facebook account the other day. Enjoy!


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

You say Potato, I say Potatoe

So, every once in awhile, I get cravings for certain foods. Okay, actually, that's a lie. It's a lot more often than "every once in awhile". It's more like, all the time. I promise I'm not pregnant!!! I'm just unhealthy.

ANYWAY

So, my current obsession is Baked Potato Soup. Growing up, I was never a fan of soup. Salad either, but that's a story for a different post. But as I've been getting older, my taste buds have been changing quite a bit. Foods I used to hate are now "must-haves". And soup has just recently made the switch over to good food.

Last week, I went with the BF and the BF's mom to the Cheesecake Factory. First of all, yummm. Second of all, while there, I got their Baked Potato Soup. And let me tell you- It. Was. Amazing. I could have eaten nothing but that (but if you know me, you know that didn't happen. Instead I had that, bread & butter, chicken salad sandwich, a salad that I didn't like, and warm caramel apple cider. Oh, and when I got home, I had some Dutch Apple Streusel Cheesecake).

Here is the wonderful, delicious item-



Doesn't that just look Scrum-diddly-umpcious?????

So now, I have been craving more Baked Potato Soup. The other night, I made a mock version by taking instant mashed potatoes, adding onion and garlic powder, a couple dollops of sour cream, cheddar cheese, and bacon bits. It was miiiighty tasty if you ask me. Still not potato soup, but a good substitute :)

So how about you? Do you like potato soup? Have you ever had the Cheesecake Factory's baked potato soup? Can you get me the recipe :P ? Any other places have some good versions? What's your favorite recipe for this delish dish?

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Thursday Thunks: The One That Almost Didn't Happen

Thursday Thunks: What's in a Name?
The TT questions are brought to you by Bud, the color of Kimber's hair (where did she go?) and the number 333.


1. We are changing your name. You have no choice. You get to pick it, but we must approve it. You must have a good reason. Ok, what is the name and reason?

Well.... I've always loved the name Kairie (phonetically Kyrie.) I've always planned to name my first born daughter that. But I guess if I have to change my name, I would change it to that just in case I don't have a daughter.


2. I say Shotgun, you say?

"Screw you" then I would get in the front seat anyway.


3. We are sending you away. Africa or Mexico?

Africa!!! I wanna go on safari and see the animals!!!


4. When you're home alone, do you still close the door when you use the restroom?

Would it gross you out too much if I say no?


5. Berleen told me that I have to ask a mean question. Tell us about a horrible memory.

One time my sister ran away from home. On my birthday. So instead of eating cake and opening presents, we were searching the corn field by our house and the rest of the town.

Turns out, she was hiding in her closet.


6. What are your plans for October?

Well, the second weekend, I'm going away for a bachelorette party weekend. Third weekend I'm camping- it's Halloween at the campground! Fourth weekend, I'm ushering at my boyfriend's brother's wedding. 5th weekend, I'm not sure, but something Halloweeny (most likely end up at the local bar.)


7. Is there anyone that you regret ever meeting ?

Hmmm...no, not really. Haven't met too many people that I hate.


8. You have 3 months left to live, what do you do?

I would visit all my friends that live elsewhere in the country! And then I'll go visit Liechtenstein and Australia.


9. You wake up in an unfamiliar place, what is your first reaction?

"Oh Shit, now what?"


10. Your phone rings at 4am, just before you kill this person, who do you expect it would be?

Most likely my sister (the middle child). She's always calling at random times, plus, she's the only one awake at that point and wouldn't realize not everyone stays up that late.


11. You're having a bad day, what one thing can make your day better?

Singing out loud along with my itunes


12. You are doing a meme written by the blogosphere's shadiest character. Is there anything else that you should be doing right now?

I'm supposed to be at my boyfriend's parent's house for Family Dinner night. Shhhhhh


13. If money were not a problem, (and it never is, right? Yes, I stole this f$%*ing question. Sue me.) where would you like to live?

I would love to live somewhere on the east coast, like over by Washington DC or New York (the state) or something. Either that, or nearby Chicago.

Friday, September 17, 2010

There's a Worm in my Bedroom!!!

Today, I would like to talk to you about books.

I love to read. Like, love it. It's one of my favorite pastimes. I can spend a whole afternoon curled up in bed, reading a book. I can start a book in the morning and stay up till the very next morning just to finish it. Some books I put down and digest for awhile, other books, once I start, I just can't stop.

As you can see, I've added a widget to my blog up above (in about a week, I will move it to the bottom of the blog, but for now, it's up top so you can all see it easier). This is a list of all the books I have ever read. I am extremely anal, and I love lists. So my goal is to create a list of every book I've ever read. Now, I know that my shelf doesn't have everything I've ever read. The problem is that I have a hard time remembering titles. But it's a good start.

My favorite books tend to be YA/Teen books. Yeah, yeah, I'm in my 20s, I should be reading "adult" books..... but I like the younger books because there's less thinking. It's easier for me to escape into their world and not have to think about the "symbolism" of things. Plus, they tend to be a lot less stressful. Adult books use real life situations, which I'm trying to escape from when I read. DOn't get me wrong, I love adult books too (Some of my favorites are On Fortune's Wheel, My Sister's Keeper, and The Forgotten Garden) but YA books will always hold a special place in my heart.

My favorite genre of books though has got to be fantasy. What can I say- write a YA book about dragons, wizards, creatures, demons, gods, or aliens, and I will probably read it. I love that there's a mystery element that can change the whole game, yet, they're just normal people like you and me. I love the Eragon series, and hell, I am obsessed with the Harry Potter world. As a kid, the first book I got seriously attached to was the Animorphs series- yes, I own (still) all 64 books, and would run to the bookstore once a month when they came out. After Animorphs, I moved on to Applegate's other book series- EverWorld and Remnants- and thus, my fantasy addiction today.

As time goes on, I might write some blog posts about some of my favorite/least-favorite books. But for now, check out my shelfari book shelf!! Have you read any of the same books as me? Do you like/dislike those books? Do you have a shelfari account/willing to get one? If you do, let me know your username!! I want to add more friends onto my account (I only have 2 right now). What are some of your favorite books? Do you like to read?

INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW!!!