on one hand...

Well, yes it's been awhile since I last posted (well over the 7 days I said). Punta Cana was incredible!!! Mike and I had a fabulous time and the wedding we went to was beautiful. We did pack workout clothes and Tony with good intentions of working out everyday. However, when you're at an all inclusive resort for a small period of time you really have to cram it all in. So, as I'm sure you've guess we didn't workout. Our day consisted of drinking, swimming, and walking back and forth from our ocean front room to the lobby. With that said I will said I didn't gain any weight!!!! That's an accomplishment considering all we drank!:) We celebrated the Fourth of July on the beach and then carried the celebration over to the bars:) It really was a great trip! I have been doubling up this week and I'm proud to say I have 4 days left!! Wahoo! Here are some pictures..

7 days left...

You're probably thinking... Kendayl 7 days left, can you count? Yes I can count... and I can also count the horrible days I've had that I haven't wanted to count, so I've left them out. Which means where I should have already been done, I'm behind a few days trying to make up for my lack of discipline!

So... 7 days to go and I'm really excited about them. Reason 1: I leave for the Dominican Republic on Saturday with Mike and I can't be more thrilled!!!! Reason 2: We're bringing workout videos to do in the morning TOGETHER (which is so great and awesome accountability). Reason 3: I'M ALMOST DONE!!!! Not to mention when this is over I'm starting Insanity... which will hopefully give me something different and boost my enthusiasm! He's insane, hint the name but I'm really excited! Not to mention that Mike has been doing it so that will be another person that can hep me stay on track and relate to how I'm feeling.

Wahoo!! I'm not feeling well today: eye infection and sinus infection:( booo! So I'll be resting and packing the next few days and I'll post before I leave! Wish me luck in my last 7 days!!!

Slump Month

I have no excuse to be honest why I haven't posted. I could tell you I've been busy with school ending and what not and while that's extremely true I must tell the truth... The last month has been a long, stressful, and emotional month. The main reason for the stress is because my team at work is the GREATEST team in the whole world (no joke) and we're splitting up. It's hard when you spend all of your time with these people and you share so many personal emotions and events in your lives. Then one day, although it's a part of life, people go down different paths. That's where we are today. One of our team mates is leaving to start a family, the other is moving to another school that is closer to her house and family and then one is moving up to 2nd grade with her kids form this year. I am extremely happy for all 3 of them but at the same time I'm sad. My team has been my rock and a true blessing in my life for the last 2 years. So the last month has been my "slump month" as I refer to it

While I haven't slacked off on my working out, in fact I've been double dipping and going to the gym in the morning before work (with my friend Kelli who is a team mate as well) and then doing Tony most days after work. However, it's so true that to be/get in shape it's 80

% what you eat and 20% what you do. Well my eating has slipped... the treats that come at the end of the year are ENDLESS! I of course had my days of not walking away fast enough. Needless to say I've been feeling really down on myself lately and as I've said in the past I'm going to get back on the horse. (I say that a lot! Sheesh). I realize how dedicated I was the first 2 months and the changes I saw... but more importantly how I felt. I'm realizing now this isn't just a 90 day program it's a life style change that I really struggle with. I love food and it loves me and sometimes I don't always make the right choices or stick to the correct portion

size for that matter. I know I've said it before, and who knows I may say it again, but I really want to work hard on watching what I eat and if I feel an urge to splurge I need to work on my portions.

I feel so much better when I'm disciplined and I know that I just need to keep that in mind.

So the honest truth as to why I haven't blogged is not only because I've been swamped but I haven't wanted to admit my faults. Yes, I know it's a part of life to have good days and bad days but my "bad" days were too close together. I didn't record some days on my workout calendar so while I should be done with my 90 days I'm still a few days away. BUT I WILL GET THERE!!!!! I will meet my goal!!!!

On a positive note, I had a really good day today and a great workout so I'm feeling that "workout high" and I feel prepared to get back on and make the permanent changes I need to make. In addition to my good day I wanted to keep my "full steam ahead" mentality going so I ordered "Insanity" today!!! I was tempted to get p90x but I need a little break from Tony and I've heard awesome things about Insanity so I'm going to give it a try after I finish with Tony. Wahooo!!

I'll try and be better with blogging I promise!!

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER!!!! I start nannying tomorrow:)

Punta Cana in 9 days!!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!

end of the year craziness

So sorry I haven't been posting regularly; I have two reasons for that. 1. I haven't been the BEST on my diet so posting about it really isn't what I look forward to and 2. I've been so busy/tired with end of the year things I just don't have the energy.Where to begin...

So I admit it'

s been tough recently sticking strictly to the diet. Going to the boat every weekend, while SO much fun, it also is a place w

here saying NO to an Italian woman is forbidden! :) I really haven't been terrible while I'm there but I definitely have room to be better. Last weekends indulgence was goat cheese! YUM O! Our friend Peyton se

lls goat cheese for a market and he gets to keep the left overs. He decided to b

ring

some left overs and well we ATE it all:

) oops! It was also the first weekend I didn't run/workout while I was there so I felt double guilty.

On Sunday when we came home the Italian store pizza got the best of me... those

darn Italians really know how to m

ake good pizza!!! That brings me to Tuesday and today. These two days have been really good. Yesterday I did a Tony sweat video and ran about 3 miles. Today I did the Tony sculpt video and had

a very

delicious (and normal) veggie burger with baked potato fries. Now, honestly I thought by this

time in the game I'd be sick of this meal but honestly it's so good I love it!

Because I was so bad the last week/weekend I decided to NOT count those days in my 90. So while I should only have 11 days left I now have 16 days left. Oddly enough by the end of the 90 days school will be out! Wahooo!!!! However, with the end of the year quickly approac

hing means lots of birthdays, treats, and teacher celebrations. This poses a big prob

lem for a person who snacks a lot like myself. If it's there, more than likely I'm going to try it or eat it. NOT a good quality. So I'm going to work v

ery hard i

n the next 1

6 days to stick to my diet as best I can and really work out hard (adding running into the week more than I am now). Doesn't seem too hard does? But after 10+ hours of work with 20+ first graders and the end of the year testing and madness I just lack the energy and motivation. However, instead of making that an excuse I'

m going to keep my eye on my goal. Finishing the 90 days is my ultimate goal and I'm almost there!!

I've been pre

tty consistent with my weight durin

g the 74 days I've

been on it. There have been days that it has gone up (NEVER past the weight I started at) and days where I've gone down and stayed at my lowest weight. I am beginning to believe that unless I stick

religiously to the diet planned out in the book I can't lose anymore weight and realistically keep it off. Not without being miserable and starving myself. That being said, doesn't mean that I won't continue to try to break that number.

On a more positive and proactive note, I've already

got the P90x videos ready and when I finish Po

wer 90 I'm going to start that! However, I'm going to take a week or so off so that I can get back into a regular running routine and maybe go and visit the gym I pay for:) I'm definitely excited to continue my routine and see even more results. I k

eep telling my

self that I'm almost there... 16 more d

ays and I'll have completed my first workout/eating program EVER! I'm excited a

nd also nervous. I'm not sure why I'm nervous I guess because I'm scared I won't be satisfied with my r

esults and

think that I didn't try hard enough but I keep reminding myself that I've lost weight, lost inches, and more importantly I completed my goal! After this 90 days I'll be able to focus more on my triathlon that's coming

up in August! I know I'll have lots to blog about then! :)

I'm keeping my eye on the prize and I'm really going to try and push hard the 16 days! (Did I mention I'm

having a girls weekend with my mom, aunts, and sister next weekend?) I"M SOOOOO EXCITED! However, we like to eat and drink... a lot! So next weekend wil

l REALLY be a challenge in my home stretch. But I know I can do it!!

Any advice/tips you have for motivation or how NOT to always be hungry would be great! ahah

I'll blog sooner I promise!

I'm working on wake boarding! I'm getting better! LOOK! :)

wakeboarding too!!!

Way over due

Sorry for the lapse in posting it's a busy time of the year! I'll start with the weekend...

Memorial Day weekend was a BLAST! We left Friday afternoon and sat in Anacostia traffic for 2 hours along with everyone else who was trying to "leave before the traffic got bad". I'll admit I was slightly scared; however, it was also very eye opening to drive through those parts. They're trying really hard to fix it up so we'll see where that leads. We finally made it to the bay house and it was perfect weather. We sat out on the deck and had some cocktails, appetizers (Mike mom is famous for appetizers) and a delicious dinner! She made this incredible couscous that I'll have to get the recipe for and share. Matt came after dinner and it was great to see him and catch up! Mike, Matt, and I slept on the sailboat just because we wanted to and it was a perfect night for it.
We woke up with the sun and while they had their morning coffee and breakfast I started out for a little run... when I say little I mean 3 miles because it was soooo unbelievable humid I was sweating before I started running. However, I felt great afterwards. I made my oatmeal for the day and we were off on the boat before I knew it. We started the day off with a long sail which was so nice. It was a gorgeous day in the 80's. After we sailed we ate lunch and then switched boats (yes, switched... we have options now that Mike and Jeff bought a jet boat) and we wake boarded and tubed all day long. It's amazing how tiring those activities can get plus being out in the sun all day long! We came back around 4-5 and showered up and got ready for Mike's moms appetizers... YUM-O! We caught a couple crabs so we had those which are always a delicious treat. We grilled some chicken and shrimp up and had quite a yummy meal. We all showered up and enjoyed the evening on the deck. Later that night we all took the boat over to the Tiki Bar and Calypso which are 2 bars nearby on the water. We had been to both during happy hour times which has always been really fun; however, as soon as happy hour is over we realized that it's not that fun. It was a weird scene with trashy people... which I will admit can sometimes be a great time but I think we were all just not in the mood for that. We headed home and found our way to the sailboat beds:)
Sunday we all woke up and Matt was as red as a lobster (probably because he didn't wear ANY sunscreen and he was pale... like really really pale ha!) So he headed home early on Sunday because the heat was killing him. I again, went for a run in the horrible heat but felt great afterwards. Just then George and Christen arrived and yet again we hopped on Mike's boat while the sailboat went out beside us and had an amazing day of water sports! We were out on the bay the whole day! We ancored the sailboat in a little cove and had some lunch. I pulled out the kayak and went for a nice little cruise around the inlet until Mike decided to hopp on and sink us:) Because we had a big group and Mike's boat only holds 7 people at a time we had to take turns wakeboarding and tubing. So some of us stayed on the sailboat while a group went on the jet boat. We all swam in the inlet and had a great time! The water was a bit chilly at first but it felt amazing with the 90 degree weather we had. We switched groups on the boat and had one last round of tubing and boarding until we headed home for Happy Hour and Appetizers (do you see the trend? :) We had a great night of booze and board games (Apples to Apples!)
Monday morning I decided NOT to go for a run because it was hot and frankly I just didn't want to. We headed out early so we could get a good run in before we had to go back home to reality. George, Christen, Mike, and I took the jet boat out for a couple of hours and wakeboarded and tubed. We got a beating that day! We had a great time just relaxing on the water and enjoying the last few hours of what was a great weekend! Before we left we all went to Calypso for lunch and had crab cakes which were delicious!!! Finally, we set out for home and waved goodbye to the water... at least until this coming weekend!:)

Now on to this hectic week! Tuesday was a rough day at work just because the weekend was long and sooooo much fun! After school I rushed home and did 1/2 a Tony video because I ran out of time... why you ask?? Because I went to see Taylor Swift in concert with my friend Kelli!! . Let me just say she puts on a GREAT SHOW! We had an amazing time but didn't get home until pretty late so it was a long day! My goal was to get up at 5:00 am and workout but I was just too tired so that didn't happen. Wedenday was a normal day with a great workout at the end and a little "Toddler and Tiara's New Season" to top it off! ahah those little girls are ridiculous! (Heather do NOT become a stage mom please:) ahahah jk)

I will successful say that I am still maintaing my weight loss from the beginning. I'm not losing anymore at this point but I am toning more which again is my main goal! Some even said that I had Kelly Rippa arms! Clearly they were over inflatting their compliment to me but HEY I'll take it!! I was a little nervous about bathing suit season starting but after spending the weekend in a suit I really felt confident and great! I've worked hard and I can tell it's paying off! I think I have about 17 days to go and then I plan on starting P90x which is the next step up of the Tony Horton videos. So I'm really in the mind to keep this all going because I feel great and I'm really seeing changes so why not?!

I'm sure you can guess what I'm doing this weekend so I won't brag:) hehe But yes I'm going to the bay house again and plan on having more a relaxing fun weekend to recovery from last weekends awesomeness and this weeks hecticness! 16 days of school left!!!!! wahoooooo~!!!

Not sure when I'll post next... and sorry I haven't posted pictures in a while but my camera is not being cooperative and decided to delete my photos from Memorial Day Weekend. Clearly I'm not happy about this... I'll get some this weekened and post as soon as I can!


*Side note: My friend Heather finds out if she's having a boy or girl tomorrow... CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!

no more squats!

Just as i suspected... I'm sore. Day 1 of level 5-6 was great... because I was excited. Then I woke up and realized I was sore and Tony had given me a good workout. It wasn't the worst kind of soreness I have ever felt but I was definitely feeling it in my butt, legs, and quads in a different way than normal. (No pain no gain right?) When I got home yesterday I popped in 5-6 sculpt and got to work. OUCH. I definitely need to get some lighter weights because it's A LOT more reps and smaller muscle groups so my 8lb. weights are going to cut it. Not to mention I really need to work on doing a normal push up instead of only girl push ups. Now, while Tony says girl push ups are completely OK I really want to try and do some regular ones. I knew as soon as we started lifting that I was going to be sore... and boy was I sore. My shoulders and arms really got a workout which feels great and I feel like I'm getting stronger but it sure does hurt a bit.

Moving on to today. I got home a little later than normal and had a "spa" date with my pal Sarah so I had to get home and get straight to work. As much as I wanted to skip the workout because of being sore I knew I needed it. So I did sweat 5-6 and it definitely wasn't as simple as it was on day 1... that might be because I was really sore, just a thought. Not only that but I really did sweat more than normal. Why you ask? Well our A/C is not working and it was 90 degrees today. So basically you can imagine the sauna that I call my apartment was a great place to be doing a "sweat" workout.Sarah and I had a great time catching up, pretending we were in a spa (minus the part of someone else doing our nails) and have a delicious dinner. :) I've done really well this week with my workouts (pushing myself) and my eating. I'm very proud of myself!

I know I could write more because a lot is going on with work and preparations for this Memorial Day weekend but I'm just too tired. I'll post tomorrow:)

Night!

Day 65... Day 1 of levels 5-6

Let's recap since I haven't blogged since Thursday...

Friday I took the day off from work because I had a GI doctor's appt. I'm on new medication and things are looking fine... WAHOOO!!!! Hopefully I won't be going back to Dr. Adams for another year (check-up). After my appt. I went camping with Mike, Sarah, Joey, Doc (their dog), Trip (Mike's friend) and Peyton surprised us later on in the afternoon. We had a fabulous time! However, I think I walked away with a little poison ivy... ick!

Now on to Saturday... We woke up, had breakfast and headed back home. I napped most of the afternoon because sleeping on the ground, while fun, is not the most comfortable sleeping arrangements. When I woke up it was time for Samantha's Birthday festivities! We loaded up on a Reston Limousine Bus and headed to Maryland to Medieval Times for dinner and a show. We all had a great time, even though our Knight didn't win. We loaded back up and hung out the rest of the night at Samantha's house. Great times with great friends!!

Sunday consisted of an extremely lazy day with Mike. We watched Avitar which was a great movie but very long and then grabbed lunch and laid around. I started to not feel so hot so I went home and laid low the rest of the evening. I didn't get a good nights sleep because our A/C was not being cooperative but I think it's ok now so I'm praying for a cool and restful nights sleep. Lord knows I need it after today.

And that brings me to today..... While today is day 65 out of 90 (25 to go!!) it's the first day of Level 5-6 sweat. I'm very surprised. I got a great workout but it wasn't as hard as I thought... it wasn't hard at all really. It was challenging and muscle burning but not what I was expecting; however, I did really enjoy it and I got a great leg, thigh, quads, and butt workout. I did really miss (I can't believe I'm saying this) the Abs 200 at the end of the sweat workout. On levels 1-2 there was Abs 100 and on levels 3-4 there was Abs 200 but on 5-6 there was nothing! So, I decided to do Abs 200 (from memory might I add) at the end of my workout... it felt great!

I was going to add in a run as well but I'm not feeling 100% (dag on mother nature) and I feel like the workout was "easier" then I had expected because I was excited so I don't want to over do it and be sore/out of commission for the rest of the week. I'm going to see how I feel tomorrow and/or Wednesday and add on more from there. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous all week and weekend so I'm really hoping to get in some runs and enjoy it!

I'm starving so I'm going to go make some jerk chicken and veggies so I'll post pictures of this weekend later on!

Save your car, ride your bike

The day has come. While tomorrow marks the official "Bike to work" day, my friend and I can't do tomorrow so we decided to bike to work today!... I'm so excited; however, I'll admit I'm a little nervous. We're meeting at 6:15AM and heading out! We should be at work within 45 min.-1 hour. I have my clothes, shower supplies and lunch all in a backpack so that should make things a little interesting considering it's not the lightest but we'll see how it goes! Here's a little preview of the before picture...

I'M ALIVE!!!! Let's start with this mornings ride. I was tired and my legs were sore from running but I had a great time! Kerri has an amazing road bike that is carbon fiber (which means her bike is light as a feather) so she flies. My bike on the other hand, while awesome, isn't carbon fiber so I'm pulling a little more weight around not to mention I just stared biking again after 12 years. The point is, even though my legs were sore and tight and I couldn't get my gears to adjust right I had a blast!!!

I debated riding my bike home because I was tired and I wasn't looking forward to the hills (I left my car at work yesterday b/c I was supposed to give my friend Regina a ride to the metro today but instead she just drove my car to the metro by my house and parked it). But I decided what the heck! I rode it there I can ride it back. Surprisingly the ride back seemed easier! I'm not sure if it was because I was awake and it's gorgeous out or what but it was beautiful! Poor Kerri is like a bullet and I'm more like a snail but I'm working on it!

Needless to say, we're alive, we had a great time, and I definitely plan on riding to work again! Everyone should try it! It really was fun. My GPS watch stopped tracking time/distance (or maybe I forgot to start it... ooops!) but we are guessing that it's about 7 miles each way. So we rode a total of 14 miles (+ or - a few miles) today! Great way to start the day!

Early bird catches the worm

I'm happy to say that I woke up at 5:00AM this morning and did sweat 3-4 with Tony! It was great!!!! While it took me a few minutes to get out of bed and ready to go once I was ready I kicked it hard! It really starts my day off right, despite the agony of getting up at 5:00AM I really do feel like it helps start my day off on the right foot! I realized that I have 4 more days until I have to take more photos which I'm not thrilled about but it is what it is...

I don't really have much to say today I was just so thrilled that I didn't hit snooze until 6:00AM (when I normally get up) that I had to share!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Weekend Recap

Well I must admit this weekend was exhausting but so unbelievably fun!! My roommate turned 25 and her sisters and cousin came to town Friday night. So, upon their arrival we made sure our house was spotless... it looked great! I also made sure to get in a run before everyone showed up! It was in the 80's with ridiculous humidity but I was determined! We made dinner and sangria and played games with them and some of our girlfriends; it was fabulous! Unfortunately I wasn't feeling chipper so I sat out from the sangria and called it an earlier night then they did... so I thought. Some of our other friends stopped by after being out and they brought Mike with them. He was in rare form.... none-the-less I was excited to see him:) He fell asleep sitting up so the when the girls went him he retired to my bed instead of attempting to make it home without falling asleep on the metro and missing his stop... again!

Saturday morning I woke up at 7:30AM and went for a run. It was absolutely gorgeous out! There was no humidity and at that time it was in the low 60's which is perfect running weather! I felt great and proud to start my weekend off refreshed. Mike and I spent the day at Paradise Springs Vineyard (the same vineyard I took my parents to for Mother's Day last weekend) and had an absolute ball! We packed a picnic, picked our spot, and enjoyed the incredible weather, good wine, good music, and better yet great company... each other:) Tomorrow 5.17.10 marks our 3 year anniversary and I've always wanted to go on a picnic so that's how we celebrated and it was perfect! We had a great day!

Later that night we all wen to that National Harbor for a Clam Bake in honor of Bailey's 25th birthday! Not only was the weather perfect but the food was delicious! It was my first time trying lobster since the last time I said I hated it and surprisingly it wasn't too bad! There was a creepy guy that was the entertainment music and let's just say he had a ball entertaining all us ladies! After that we ended the night at carpool. It was a great day seeing friends and celebrating a great roommate!

This morning I slept in until 9:00! That's huge!!! I normally can't sleep past 7:30 so today was a treat! After Friday and Saturday nights I really needed a good sleep and I sure got it! Mike got me all these new fun accessories for my bike for our 3 year AND he bought me a Tiffany's necklace. Now, this isn't any ordinary necklace this is a very special one. In fact, he bought me the exact same one on our 1 year anniversary; however, I lost it...:( He knew how upset I was over losing it that he got the exact same one (that's now discontinued) and gave it me:) I know it's just a necklace but it really meant a lot to me and it was perfect! It's the kinda of necklace that you can wear everyday and well for the last 2 years I haven't had one so it's nice to have it back!

We (he) also put my new water bottle on my bike and my new bike seat. My originally bike seat was way too hard so now I have a nice gel one that's super comfy! He also got me a basket but it doesn't fit right so we had to order another one. I can't wait until it comes in because then I can bike to the grocery store, take my basket (that has a handle) in the store and then hook it back on and be on my way! So fun!! After that we went to Tyson's to get my David Yurman ring cleaned (it's soooo sparkly it's like I got a new ring!) and to get my necklace lengthened and watched cleaned and a new battery put in. It was a very productive day!

After all the errands I made my way back home and rested for a bit. Then, I jumped back up and went for a run. I normally don't run the route I did because there is this GIANT hiLL that I have to go up and I really despise it. But I wanted a challenge and getting up this hill was a challenge but I promised myself I was going to get to the top without walking... and I did! wahooo! I felt great!

Ok... enough rambling. I said last week that tomorrow I would start levels 5-6. However, I'm going to start next Monday. Here is why: I haven't been as strict/dedicated as I have wanted to be with my eating/motivation the last few weeks. While I have done all my workouts and what not I just feel like I need to get back on track before I push it harder. So, my plan is to use this week as my "Get your butt in gear Kendayl" and then "Up the Ante" next Monday and have the last 30 days (HOLY COW!!) to push it hard. I really watched what I ate this weekend and while I did indulge I did it moderately, GO me! So I feel pretty good tonight. I feel like over the last few weekends I come to Sunday feeling gross and disappointed but today I really am proud of myself. I'm learning:)

With that said, this is my week to really get back on track. I want to push my workouts hard and stay focused on my eating... NO sweets! Lord knows I've had enough treats the last few weeks to last me the rest of my life. So I figure I can hold off for a week. I want to add biking and running in more this week so I'm hoping to get some Tony workouts done in the morning so I can add that in after work. I'll keep you posted!

Rise and Shine

(Clearly this isn't what I wake up to but since I'm getting up so early I'm going to pretend that this is what I look at)

As school begins to come to a close my days get longer and I get more stressed out. The time I get home from work I'm so exhausted that hanging with Tony for a workout seems impossible. So, I've started getting up at 5AM to workout so that I know I get a workout in for the day in case I'm too pooped to do it in the afternoon. I'll tell ya, as good as I feel afterward, it really is hard to get up at 5AM and jump around. I'm getting used to it but it's rough. My idea is that if I do a Tony workout in the morning I can run some errands after work and still go for a run or bike ride.

Now, I'm NOT saying I'll be waking up at 5AM everyday... that's not going to happen. But on the days where I know I'm getting home late or have plans after work I'm sure to get up and start my day off right.

As far as this week goes, it needs to end. In fact, in 9 hours it will be over. It has been a LONGgggg and tiring week and I'm ready for it to be over. Tonight B (my roomie) and I are having a dinner party (I love saying that) for her sisters who are coming in town and for Dara and and Bethany or are also coming in town. Last week was her birthday and Saturday we're going to the National Harbor for a clam bake. So, in order to start the weekend off right were making dinner, preparing the games and making some sangria! I'm really excited to have a girls night in and be at my own house:)

Saturday will be a fun filled day because not only are we going to the clam bake but in the early afternoon Mike and I are celebrating our 3 year anniversary! :) Wahoo! 3 years! My have they flown but they truly have been amazing! We're going to the winery that my parents and I went to last weekend and we're going to have a nice little picnic and enjoy a little one-on-one time together; which has been few and far between lately:)

As for anything else, I'm going to start levels 5-6 on Monday which will really kick things in high gear and hopefully get me back on more of a strict path. Like I've said/complained about I've been very lax lately and it's frustrating me. I'm hoping with a workout change and a 35 day countdown (the end of Tony and the END of SCHOOL) will really motivate me to work my hardest.

That's about all I have for now... I'll be sure to take pictures of our dinner party and the clam back to share!:)

Have a great weekend!

Mother's Day weekend

Fran and Trubs came into town on Saturday morning and let me tell you, we had the greatest weekend! I surprised my mom in their hotel room with flowers and a ready-to-go picnic basket. She had no clue I was hiding in her hotel room so when she walked in and turned the corner her squeal was heard round the block! :)

As soon as we hugged and kissed and I showed them the picnic I had planned we were out the door and on our way to Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA. It just opened in January and it's so cute! It's a small vineyard with lots of places to sit (patio seating, picnic tables, and rolling grassy hills). We started out in the basement for our 7 fight wine tasting, which was great! We ended up buying a case of wine and 1 extra for our picnic. We chose a cute little patio furniture set in the middle of the grass right in front of the tent where the band was about to play. We pulled out the hummus, veggies, crackers, brie, and grapes and nibbled on that for about... 5 hours! We didn't get to the strawberries and angel food cake I had brought or the turkey sandwiches:) However the 1 extra bottle of wine turned into 3 extra bottles of wine, so the last thing we needed was more food... or more carbs!

Fran (I call her that more as I joke, I really refer to her as my momma or MA!) and I played corn hole. She just had rotator cuff surgery so she played in front of the corn hole board so it wasn't as far to throw. To my dismay she beat me. Because it was mother's day I was a good sport but believe me we WILL have a rematch!

After our friendly game of corn hole we enjoyed hours of great music and looking back on wonderful memories we've made as a family (we missed my sister, Hilary, but she just got back from vacation so I don't feel that bad! hehe) I honestly cherish every moment I get with my parents. I wasn't the nicest, easiest, or easy to love child but I like to think I'm making up for my rough childhood. My parents truly are the 2 greatest people I know and I love them more than words can express. Sunday was also their 29th wedding anniversary! They have a marriage that anyone would be lucky enough to have one day:)

After the vineyard we went back to the hotel, napped and then went to Flemings for dinner. It was delightful. My dad wasn't feeling well so he didn't get to enjoy his ribeye and wedge salad as much as he wanted to but we still had a great time! I stayed over that night (yayy for sleepovers!) and we slept in which was a great feeling! We went to the Eastern Market Sunday afternoon and my dad was a trooper while my mom and I shopped around. I bought her 2 new pair of ear rings and treated myself to a new necklace and stud ear rings. We met Mike for dinner and then said out goodbye's.

We had a great weekend!!! I puddled around my house the rest of the evening and called it an early night. Only to wake up for a new week... whining and complaining about everything I shouldn't have consumed that weekend. BUT, like I always say, if you fall off the horse, get back on. The thing is... I seem to be falling off a lot! It's a work in progress I guess:)

Here's to another week at getting it right:)

I ended today with a 3 mile run and sculpt 3-4 with Tony; already feeling a little better! :)

Training wheels schmaining wheels

I have to admit I've very excited about today! As I told you last week I got my first bike since I was about 8 years old. She's yellow and her name is Buttercup (lame... yes, amazing, YES!). Anyways, I've been really nervous to ride because I don't have a helmet, I don't know where I'm going, and lets face it I'm not the most graceful person on earth. However, I faced my fears today and went for my first ride with my friend Kerri.

We were both unsure where the WO&D trail met up between our houses so we both took our phones and attempted to meet at the same place. But of course we didn't. I ended up a good mile or 2 in the wrong direction; SHOCKER! So I turned around and went back the other way and finally met up with her. She had an extra helmet for me which calmed my nerves because riding without one in Norther VA traffic is horrendous! She was all decked out from head to toe in riding gear and I rolled up with no helmet, running shorts, and running shoes on... I'll work my way up to being a cute rider one day!

We set out on a ride and while I was already a little tired from going the wrong direction and having to come back up hill I was determined to stay with her. We had great weather and we had a lot of fun! Before I knew it we were at 6 miles! I was only a few miles away from Mikes house in Vienna! We stopped at 6 miles, took a water break and chatted, and then hopped on each others bikes to check them out. Her bike is awesome! It weighs next to nothing (carbon fiber) and has a great seat! Now, I never really thought that the seat really mattered but let me tell you IT DOES! My butt and lady parts are definitely feeling sore... I can't imagine what they're going to feel like in the morning. So I've decided I'm going to start looking for a new seat that better suits a woman and invest in some biking shorts with what I call a "grundle pad" in them. Yes, that sounds ridiculous gross but you need them in order to ride.

We parted ways at our meeting point and I biked the rest of the way home by myself. I honestly felt so accomplished when I was done. I have ridden a bike in over 12 years I'd say and while I did almost run into one man which I was trying to focus on switching gears, I made it safely home and had a great time! I am proud to say that I biked 12 miles!!! My sprint Tri. in August is 11 so I think I'll do great. Once I train more and get used to the gears and my bike more I really think I can push it hard on race day.

*Just as a side note the picture of me is right after I rode and the only reason I lifted my bike is because I couldn't fit it in the picture and not cut my head off... I'm not trying to show off my the strength I've gained from Tony** :)

At any rate, Cinco de Mayo was fun! Chevy's had no specials which was a let down but we managed to have a great time. I got mahi mahi fish tacos and barely ate half of it... probably because I had more chips then I should have and because I was full on drinks. Overall I'd say I did ok! I love me some Mexican!!

Tomorrow night is my school's basketball game against our "rival" Elementary School. I got suckered into playing again this year; more so because we didn't have enough players because lets be real I am terrible at basketball. However, it's a fun night and lots of kids come out and support so it's a great time! My parents won't be here until Saturday morning for our fun weekend of Mother's Day activities so Mike is coming to my game tomorrow to be my cheer squad. (poor mike!) :) I keep telling myself, as competitive as I am, it's all for fun and fun community outreach opportunity for my kids and school:) All in the name of KIDS! :)

Gooooo WESTLAWN EAGLES!! (one of my kids asked if I could to a "slamp dunk". I said, Ryan I'll try just for you buddy... Oh geez!)

"I'm going down down down"

Well, I told you I'd post some numbers of what I have lost thus far and until today I hadn't taken the time to measure! But, since I went to get my bridesmaid dress for Sarah's wedding today I learned some numbers that made me happy!!

Starting vs. Now Total inches Lost

Bust: 35.5 in. 35.5 in. 0 (these puppies aren't going anywhere!)

Upper Arm: 11.4 in. 11 in. .4 (losing fat and getting tone muscle!)

Waist: 29 in. 26 in. 3

Hips: 39 in. 37.5 in. 1.5

Thigh: 23.5 in. 21. 5 in. 2

Total inches lost combined: 6.9 inches!!!

I'll admit, while the weight isn't coming down as I was hoping the numbers above show that things are working and I'm toning! I'm really happy and proud!!

I had a busy day but managed to work in Tony at 9:15 pm. Boy am I tired!

Tomorrow is CINCO de MAYO and I plan on having some fun but staying in control! (aka going easy on the chips and salsa... my ultimate weakness:)

Adios!

K

Day 42

It's day 42 and while my weight isn't going down any further I do feel a lot more tone and in shape! I know the weight isn't dropping like I would like because I'm not being as strict as I was in the first 30 days. I'm enjoying the weekends... maybe a little too much:) so as I've said before I really am trying to enjoy the weekends in moderation. Still working on that:)

Speaking of the weekend... We had such a great time! The weather was PERFECT and it was great to have friends up at Mike's boat. Perfect weekend:) We scoped out a bar and BOY oh BOy was it interesting. The 2010 Vera's Bikini Contest Winner was there and struttin her stuff in what was called a bikini but left NOTHING, I mean NOTHING to the imagination. There was maybe 1/2 in bathing suit covering her Hooha! None-the-less we had fun! Check out the pictures.... it explains it all...

Normally I stress out about wearing a bathing suit and this weekend I really didn't. Of course I was thinking in my head that I could have worked harder but overall I felt great and confident which is a BIG step in the right direction for me! It's so hard to say no when there are just so many goodies around tempting me! However, I will add in that even though I was BEYOND tired when we got home Sunday I did manage to work up the energy to workout before bed!:)

Like I always say, it's a new week and another week to keep on my journey. I keep telling myself that if I want more changes and numbers to go down I have to be able to enjoy things but I have to know when to say no... or just when to stop.

On a brighter note their are Capri's I own that I bought last year that are too big. I thought, what the heck I can at least wear them to work, I don't really care that much. BUT the whole day I was pulling them up. Part of me is annoyed because they're really cute but the other part of me is really happy! Not to mention it gives me an excuse to go get new ones (not that I need to... my LOFT bill last month was out of control)

Any who, I'm really trying to focus this week on "tightening the belt" a bit. Saying "just one" all the time isn't helping me so I really need to keep myself in check and work on that. I just did sculpt with Tony and I'm on my way out the door to go for a run, distance to be determined (at least 3).

I hope everyone had a great weekend! (Everyone meaning the 1-2 readers I have! HAHA)

Love/Hate

These last 2 weeks I have been in a rut. I've been doing my workouts really hard adding in running when I have the energy but when it comes to snacking and sweats my goodness I'm outta control! I realize it's "that time of the month" but I'm making a lot of excuses as to why one more mini milky way won't hurt...and while it doesn't hurt one bit it actually tastes quite delicious going down BUT it's not helping me in my journey to doing the best I can. A treat every now and again (I emphasize A meaning 1) is ok but I'm struggling on those sweat treats.

Being a teacher there are treats everywhere all the time! The first couple of weeks I was SOOO good and I resisted the temptations but now I see myself being a little too lax with the goodies. I gotta get back on track and really focus on my end goal... getting in better shape!

Ok...ok... enough of that. I am feeling stronger and toner which is my ultimate goal! I still want more though so it's time for me to get focused again and kick it in high gear! I'm feeling good and more confident but I still want more and as much as I wish it would happen over night I have to keep telling myself that this is a marathon not a sprint. I just wish that you could workout and see instant results that would be incredible; however, very unrealistic! :)

We're going to the boat this weekend (yes again... it's my "vacation home") and my goal is to really stay focused on my eating after the cocktails go down. This is my downfall recently... drinking and snacking. So I'm really going to try hard not to snack after dinner, which really is only a problem when I drink. I'm also going to try and limit my appetizers. I love Mike's mom to death but she's a cute little Italian that loves forcing food on people even when they say no! For most people this would be heaven (and it used to be for me) BUT since I'm trying to trim down it's not helping. So, my game plan is to sit farther away from the snacks:) AHAHAH! No but really I'm just going to stay focused and only have a little (I"m going to remember my potions for snacks... 3 oz. and them I'm going to move on.) I feel like I think I'll never see the snacks again. Like it's my only chance to have those snacks EVER. Ridiculous I know! Not to mention my eyes are bigger than my stomach and I always end up eating more than I want. I really got get myself in control. I have such a love /hate relationship with food. Arrgggg!

Since I'll be away this weekend I probably won't be posting again until Sunday unless I have an awesome day and I want to brag about it! :)

Have a great Friday and a fabulous sunny weekend!!

one more than you think you can...

Today brought me back to my childhood. Long story short (because I'm tired)... we made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches today at school to introduce "How To" stories.

I completely forgot how DELICIOUS PBJ's were! I nibbled on a PBJ at snack time today and couldn't resist a whole one for dinner at 5:00pm (I couldn't wait!!) There's something about yummy peanut butter and sweet jelly that makes me giddy. I didn't really have them a ton when I was a kid (at least nothing out of the ordinary) but today for some reason I felt like a kid eating it! (It may be because I was eating them with 20 6 year olds:)

Anyways, after I indulged myself in the small delicious sandwich I popped Tony in and busted out a good sculpt 3-4 workout. The chair lifted push-ups were tough today but I stuck with it as long as I could and pushed out 8. Matt told me before I worked out that since he was feeling so determined and revved up from his workout that I should be too. So, his words of wisdom for the day were, "I'm feeling pumped up today, you should push it to the limit til it burns!! Until you can't go any harder... one more than you think you can do!" So I pushed hard through Tony and knew that I could push harder and add a run in today. After hangin with Tony I went and ran 3 miles. Normally 3 miles would be no big deal, a warm-up at best. But I'll tell ya what I am out of running shape! Shheeeesh! I've been so focused on Tony and not doing much of anything extra in this first month that throwing running back in the mix was tougher than I thought. I'm hoping by adding it in more to my workouts will help me get back up there with the best of them and back where I used to be... not so tired after 3 miles!!

After my run I walked to the grocery store (my favorite!) and proceeded to pick up things not on my grocery list. I'm really good at that! As I was tempted to get some more ice cream I quickly turned my cart around and avoided the temptation. Let's face it, I've had enough ice cream for a month. A quick walk home with my recyclable bags and I was home and making my lunch for tomorrow. It was a busy day and I'll be glad to lay my head down.:)

So before I call it quits for the night I wanted to talk about my GREAT NEWS! I have the hardest time finding cute bathing suits to fit my rather larger top. (it really is a problem) They are either ugly, ugly, or made for old women and ugly. So I've hunted and hunted and finally found a suit that I thought was cute and affordable. So I took the plunge and ordered online last week and it came today! I'll admit that I was slightly scared to open the box and try it on because I was expecting the worst: it not fitting or it being ugly in person. Much to my surprise it's really cute and it fits! IT FITS!!!:) The top fits perfect and the bottom does too and that NEVER happens! HiP hIp HoOrAy!! It's boating/sailing inspired which is funny since Mike just got a boat... I thought it was appropriate and more importantly in my size and cute! :)

What a day:) Off to bed... Goal for tomorrow is to actually wake up at 5:00AM and workout and not hit the snooze. I'm hoping if I can do a workout with Tony in the morning I can do my run after work and have more time to relax:) We'll see how it goes!

Day 34

Today marks the 34th day of my journey and I'm feeling ehhh. I had a long but FUN weekendand getting back into the swing of things after 3 days of not working out is harder then I thought it would be. For over a month now I've been gone on the weekends. Not only is that draining (but FUN) but it throws my routine off (and leaves me pooped come Sunday). I've been good with getting runs in on the weekends but I struggle to refrain from all the weekend treats. GUILTY as charged! Summer is right around the corner which means a lot of barbeque's, parties, and trips which = many opportunities for me to derail.

I'm trying to keep positive and realistic. After this weekend I felt gross. However, waking up this morning to a fresh week helped quite a bit. I work really hard during the week to stay on track with my eating (which I'm getting really com

fortable with) and working out hard! It's still the weekends that I'd like to reign in a bit. :)

My workouts, while still exhausting, are becoming more tolerable for me. I'm holding strong to the weights and resistance bands on the sculpt video and I'm keeping up right along with Tony and his high speed cardio workouts. As for the Ab Ripper 200... it's a tough one but I'm able to make it the whole way without stopping (whereas when I started I had to pause a few times because it hurt so good) With that said, I'm hoping that by day 50 I'll be able to bump up to Level 5-6 and really get things going. I'll keep you posted.

Good news.... I got my photos back that I took in

March for my 25th birthday. They will NOT be posted on here for many reasons but I will tell you that I was very pleased! Of course I was knit picking some of the pictures and wishing I was toner or sucked in more but overall I was so happy and proud that I did them. I feel that from those pictures until now I definitely feel and see a difference. I feel like my stomach is tighter and my legs and bum are getting toner. I still have a ways to go and I'm sure I'll always feel like I need to do more but the point is that I'm progressing and seeing change. I've had friends give me compliments which have made my day! There are many days I work really hard and I feel like no one can notice. So when a compliment come

s my way (as much as they make me slightly uncomfortable) I'm starting to really appreciate them.

Ok... so here's the fun part. I've recently bought a bike (HOORRAAAY!) and I've recently gone on the shopping spree of a life time (thank you tax returns). I'm an Anntaylor LOFT aholic and just recently upgraded my LOFT card to a LOFT Master Card. (I get double the points, how could I turn that down?!) I've bought a lot of really cute things that I'm excited to wear once the weather decides to stay warm more then 2 days. I also just bought my first size 4 dress!!! Most of my dresses are 6's and I think I just got lucky with the fit of the dress but it didn't matter to me:) People keep commenting on my bust. Now if you know me, you know that I'm busty. Unfortunately my bust is not shrinking (I WISH!) so I don't know what they look smaller but I'll take it! :)

Back to my bike. It's YELLOW... yes YELLOW (w

ell more like a creamy yellow)! If you can't tell by my blog I love yellow. It's a Fuji Absolute 3.0 Flat bar Road Bike. It's not a hybrid but it's not a full road bike either... it's in between there somewhere. I'm excited to add some biking into my workouts along with running. Not only will it be so much fun but it will help me get ready for the 1/2 Tri I'll be doing in August. I haven't ridden a bike since last May (and that was disastrous). Mike and I did the Muddy Buddy together and let's just say I walked with the bike more then I rode the bike. So, I've enlisted Mike as my teacher on "How to ride a bike at the age of 25". Pictures and details to come... I've got 4 months to learn how to ride a bike, stay on, and go 11 miles... I can do it!!

I can't find a bigger picture of her but she's amazing!

If you fall of the horse, get back on...

This is going to be short and to the point.

I went to Foxfield this weekend and had a fabulous time! HOWEVER, I did fall of the horse in the sense of "good eating". What can ya do?

Jumping back on the horse tomorrow morning with a Tony workout! wahoo!

the end.

Day 30!!!

Today is day 30 which means I get to take photos! (wa waaa!) I left my camera at work because I took it on our field trip last week so I'm off the hook... well just until tomorrow:) I'll let you know how it goes (because I won't be posting those! :)

This week has been a sweet week and by sweet I mean I have been craving them! My sweet tooth has just recently come out in the last 2 years (I never ate them before!) and this past week I've been really craving them! I indulged here and there (maybe a little more than I should). But my meals have been spot on and I've been really pushing hard on my workouts. I checked my weight and that's still the same so I figure it's ok!:) (I also realized that it's the week before my lovely monthly visit from 'mother nature' so this is also another reason for this sudden sweet tooth!) My weakness has been my dessert choice of Low Fat 120 per serving (if I can stick to the serving... eeek!) Moose Tracks. It's vanilla ice cream with mini peanut butter cups and chocolate swirled into it... it's so good and soooo hard to put down. I won't be purchasing it for awhile. In fact, I might get the pre-portioned weight watchers ice cream so that I'm not tempted to "accidently let my spoon fall back in the carton". hehehe

I will say that I'm ready to add more running into my workouts. I know Tony suggests not adding anything else on the side but I miss running and it helps me unwind. So I'm planning on adding in 3-4 days of running a week at about 3-6 miles on those days (give or take a few depending on how I feel). It's weird not having any races to train for right now because I spent the last year running A LOT of races. I did them because I love the adrenaline I get from finishing but boy are they expensive. I would say I spent roughly $800+ in races (including travel/hotel expenses)... it adds up! So, I'm backing off of the race circuit for a bit and focusing on strength and toning with toning. However, I am doing a spring triathlon in August with my sister so I'll be training for that shortly:)

It wasn't a very eventful day so I'm done but I'll take my photos tomorrow and let you know how I think I've been doing/any changes I see and I'll also do my measurements and compare those as well.

Happy Hump day!!

Days 25-28

Sorry for the lack of blogging over the last few days! Friday I woke up early (5:00AM to be exact) and did the Sweat 3-4 because I was going out of town that night. Some friends came up to Mike's boat and we kicked off the Solomon's Island Tiki Party that night. We had a great time... I did partake in a few mixed drinks (most for gin and diet tonic so I saved calories and sugar there; however, I did have one Mi Tai (ewwww!) which was all sugar. I didn't have the greatest strength for dinner towards the end. I had steamed shrimp (not bad!) but did delve into Mike's french fries :) Oops! Of course being a little inebriated when we got home we brought out the OH so healthy snacks of hummus and veggies (I didn't have a normal portion ahah), chips and salsa, and the most delicious port cheese ball. Needless to say I know Tony was not thrilled BUT I did it and I moved on:)

Saturday I ate really well and we went out for my friend Laura's 25th birthday. We started at this new Wine and Coffee bar that's only a few blocks from my house. It's really cute! I think I had about 3 glasses of wine (oops!) Then we went to another bar and I stuck with my normal gin and tonic. Unfortunately they don't serve diet tonic so I was drinking additional calories. Oh well again! :) I definitely drank more this weekend than I have in a long time. But I had a great time:)

On Sunday, Mike and I went to Whitlow's for breakfast. They have a great buffet there! As much as I'd like to go back and forth and have endless amounts of home friends and waffles I ordered their egg white omelet with mushrooms, spinach, and swiss. It came with a side of fruit and home fries. I had most of the omelet and the home fries (I couldn't resist). For drinking as much as I did the night before I was proud I did eat worse! That meal kept me full pretty much all day. I had some cottage cheese and fruit in the later afternoon and hummus and carrots for dinner (however, a bigger portion than normal) I decided that I would allow myself some dessert (not sure why I picked a day where I didn't eat the greatest but I did) so I gave myself 1/2 cup of moose tracks low fat ice cream. Ohhhh man was it good!!! About and hour after I had that 1/2 cup I wanted more so as I made my lunch for today I took a spoon full and another and well you get the point. I went over my allotted amount and whined about it after but by that time it was too late. I proceeded to try on a bathing suit (WHY?) and actually felt really good! So I decided I wasn't going to dwell over my binge eating of ice cream anymore. :)

I planned on waking up early this morning and working out and then working out again this afternoon. Well I found a good show on T.V. that kept me up late so that of course made me want to sleep in this morning... which I did. After I got home from work I popped in the Sweat 3-4 and really worked hard today! The abs are getting a little easier. I'm definitely making it longer without hurting and starting to be able to keep their exact pace! Hooray!

As for my weight goal I'm not 100% I'm going to make it and this is why. I've been steady at my 5 lb. loss since I started and I feel great. I can tell I'm toning which is my #1 goal. I am comfortable with the weight I'm at (sure a few pounds less would be lovely) BUT I want to be able to maintain my weight. I have off days, which is reality, and I'm still able to maintain my weight as it is, so while I'm going to keep striving to hit a lower weight (if it so happens) I really am going to focus on the toning. Sure, if I stick to every meal as Tony says and never cheat I cant totally lose weight (for a period of time) but I'm trying to be realistic here and it's really hard/ impossible to stick to the diet perfectly. I am doing great at watching what I eat and portions but I admit I have those days where I want a little more. :) Weight is just a number and I've been obsessing over that number and not praising myself for the hard work I have been doing. Just because the numbers don't fall rapidly doesn't mean I'm not sculpting and working hard. I'm not over weight or obese (thank the lord) and I don't want this whole experience to be all about a number. I'm still going to reach for the stars but my ultimate goal is to see a toner and leaner me:) It's a slow process to get toned and it's hard for me to be patient but I feel good and I know that things are changing. I may not come out of this looking like a completely different me or even be one of those "perfect" success stories BUT I will come out knowing that I stuck with it and I got in shape!:)

*I have the weight and progress conversation with my friend Matt a lot but realized that all the times we talk about it only helps me to keep going and realize that I'm doing a great job! I'm working on not sweating the small things but to look at and focus on the bigger picture. Thanks Matt!*