busy...Busy...BUSY...

That was a really long break. My appologies to the three of you that read this blog. I'll try not to let it happen again.

I have some bad news. Remember that whole "30 Day Shred" Challenge business? Well....I fell off the wagon, indefinitely. In all honesty, I got a little bored with it. Plus, it wasn't helping (at all) in my weight loss journey...it was actually causing me to gain a little. I know it was muscle because for the week that I didn't do it at all, I lost somewhere around 6 lbs. So, I'm going to try to do it a few times a week instead of every day. I mean, it really does wonders for toning.  No one said that I'd complete all of my challenges, right? Right.

Anyway...life seems to have taken over...well...my life. Seems a bit strange to say, but I feel like life has gotten kind of intense over the past month. Not all bad, but definitely not all good. Here's a rundown of current/upcoming events:

School/Work:
I work at a University, so it's kind of exciting when school starts back. Campus is pretty dead in the summer--with the exception of a few summer class students--so it's nice when everyone comes back and the campus is buzzing again. But along with the students comes more work for me! Contracts, and chapels, and events...it's busy. I still love my job and I'm SO blessed to work with such great people!

Sickness:
I've felt a little like death for like a month now. It comes and goes, but I haven't felt 100% in a while. I'm hoping its just the weather--which has been BEAUTIFUL this week, FYI--but we'll see. I'm not going to let it get me down, even though all I want to do is sleep. :)

Sleep:
I just want to sleep always! Until last night, I haven't slept an entire night in about 3 weeks. Last night was great though. I slept like a rock (however rocks sleep). AND I took a fabulous nap yesterday as well. I think sleep will be returning to me soon!

Dreams:
I've been remembering my dreams a lot more recently. I'm not sure if they're real dreams though, or simply 'almost-asleep' thoughts. Either way, they've been relatively good dreams. And some of them have had really cool 70's-esque lighting...weird, right?

Friends:
Had a little girl's night outing with a few lovely ladies (one who was visiting from Houston--Shout out to "Mir") which was a blast...even though we ended up at a shady karaoke bar.  Some random dude told me (had a friend tell me) he thought I was pretty...yay? haha.
I've reconnected with some old friends. :) Facebook is a magical thing. :)
A great friend from high school/college had a labor day cookout (complete with smoked meats and such) and I got to see TONS of people I haven't seen in a while. It was really fun and much needed!

Phone:
Plugged in my phone a few weeks ago to update my software....and well, it decided to purge EVERYTHING. Pictures...gone. Messages...gone. Contacts...gone. Apps...gone. Everything...gone. I cried for about 20 minutes, then realized that I was being silly. It's just a phone. I'm not dead. It'll be okay. I'm slowly rebuilding my phone life. Little by little.

Family:
My Cousin is in town for a few weeks (she has one week left here). Then she's off to Marine boot camnp! I'm so proud of her! I think she'll do great.
My dad's pending nuptuals....
I've seen my nephew a lot recently....He has to be the quirkiest kid in the world. I love him to pieces!! AND I'm ready for another niece or nephew...Here's lookin' at you, bro!

Future:
My dear friend Elisabeth's birthday is this weekend (expect a special (heavy photo) blog post about that. I'm not sure what I'd do without her; she's amazing! I'm excited to celebrate her...youth!
It's September, which means that October comes next, which means that HALLOWEEN IS SOON!!!! It's my favorite holiday and I'm SO excited! Also, I will be doing some sort of Music challenge starting in October. I know I originally had a Couch-5k routine planned, but I might push that to the spring. We'll see how it goes....

Well, that's about it. Nothing too major happening, but I think some good things are on the horizon. I'm ready for cooler weather and cardigans! and boots! and scarves! I have a feeling we're going to have a few more weeks of warm weather though before I get to enjoy fall...but I will celebrate when it finally arrives! Until next time...

  Peace.

-M 

Getting into a routine...

Technically, I'm on day 11 if the 30 Day Shred and I think i've done pretty good thus far. I've only missed two days. They were both Wednesdays (I have a lot going on Wednesday evenings and I just don't have time). I've even done Level 2 a few times and I didn't die! [my abs hurt like I was goign to die, but I didn't]

 So...If you read the previous post, just ignore that schedule. ha. I've decided that I can do the workout everyday, but i'll just skip Wednesdays. If I feel like doing some other form of exercise in addition to the 30DS then so be it. But I'm not going to be a workout nazi...that's just no fun.

That being said, i've noticed a lot of differences just in the 9 workouts i've done (I haven't done it yet today). I'm not losing all that much actual weight, but i'm stronger and definitely more toned...and I've already lost about 1.5 inches around my waist! It's a work in progress for sure, but I'm getting to where I want to be.

This was a very boring update, but it's what I have for now. Until next time...

   Peace.

-M

I Fell Off the Wagon....

It's true guys...I've fallen...but i'm going to get back up! I skipped day three of my 30 Day Shred Challenge. Completely SKIPPED it. [even the Fonz disapproves of this].  I could make up a number of excuses (letting my muscles heal, i've had a cold for a week, yada yada yada) but the truth is, I just didn't have time, nor did I have the energy. It's lame, I know, but I'm not giving up.

It wouldn't be a challenge if it were easy, right? I will continue with the 30DS today and add another day to the end of the challenge (or perhaps use one of my "free" days as a 30DS day). It'll work out.

To be honest, I enjoyed the day off. haha. My legs were pretty sore yesterday...so I guess because of that, I let myself be a slacker for a day.  I will survive, and so will this challenge! I owe it to the Fonz!

   Peace.

-M

A Future of Challenge...

Hello All!

I've been absent from the blog world for a little while, but I decided today was as good a day as any to find something to write about...

I have decided that I really enjoyed having a challenge in my life. (a fun challenge, not a tough life challenge) That being said, I think i'm going to try to do a challenge every month (at least until december). I already have them planned out...sort of. It's going to be exciting!

August is going to be a tough one, but I figure it never hurts to start out with something that won't be easy...I mean, country music WASN'T easy and that turned out pretty great!  During the month of August (1-30th) I am going to do Jillian Michael's '30 Day Shred'. I'm hoping it kicks my butt, in a good way! It seems like the perfect time to start a more intense workout routine. I've been jogging/walking/biking pretty much everyday for about a month now, and I seem kind of stuck in an almost boring routine. This should be just the boost I need! Plus, it will help tremendously (I hope) with the "weigh down" we started at work a few weeks ago (I'm 7 lbs down so far!).

Not all of my future challenges will be exercise challenges. I have decided to alternate them between music and workout and whatever else comes to mind...and if anyone has any ideas on other challenges that could be fun...Let me know! I'm always open to suggestions.

Here is a tentative schedule of challenges:
August--30 Day Shred
September-- Four, week-long music challenges [Four bands/artists I don't love. One week each.]
October/November--Couch to 5k
December--???

I could probably do another challenge during October and November, but I'm not sure what I want to do. Maybe learn a new skill or something? Ideas are welcome! Until next time...

  Peace.

-M