Swimsuit Season

... it's coming, you guys.

And I, for one, am excited!!! No, I haven't been taking crazy pills. Or doing drugs. And I didn't hit my head really hard. Nope - I've been working my butt off. Do you guys remember these results?

Well, a small chunk of that was from 30 Day Shred, but a major part of that was from T25. I got really, really bored with Jillian Michaels and her 30  Day Shred workouts, so I decided to find out what the fuss was all about with T25. I'm so glad I did. It changed my life - for real. These results are from a while back, maybe November? I'm about the same size as I was in the "after 10 weeks" group now, maybe a little skinnier from all the running I've been doing.

I've decided lately, though, that I want to get stronger. I want to build muscle and bulk up a little bit. So... I decided to order Body Beast. It's a 90 day program that will help me focus on bulking up and getting stronger. I decided, though, to not just go with the program, but to order an entire Challenge Pack. I'm not just going to focus on my workouts, nope! I'm going to work on nutrition, since that's my biggest struggle. I suck at meal planning, and I have a wicked sweet tooth. I'm excited to start this journey and see where it takes me. I'm supposed to get my Shakeology and challenge pack in the mail either tomorrow or Monday, then my Challenge Group starts on May 12 (although I'm totally going to start this thing sooner... just because I'm a little too excited about it).

Guys. I have had so much success with T25 and also Insanity that I am super pumped to see what Body Beast can do for me!!! My challenge group is open to anyone who wants to get fit or lead a healthier lifestyle, so if you are interested in having a great support group while you get healthy, let me know! I would love to help you out.

My Workout Essentials

Hola!!! 

Okay, so. Most of you know that I'm torturing myself by training to run a half marathon in about 3.5 weeks. In addition to running 3 days a week for my training, I've been spending time lifting weights and cross training 3-4 times a week. Over the past few months of workouts, I've found that there are a few things that I just have to have.

1. Dixie cups. Yes, you read that right - dixie cups. Fill those puppies up with ice and pop em in the freezer. Use them when you get joint pain or shin splints - take them out of the freezer and massage your sore areas with the cups until the ice runs out. This has worked wonders for me. I can thank my little brother's girlfriend for this idea!

2. Polar FT7. I seriously cannot work out without this thing. I love that it monitors my heart rate and tells me how many calories I'm burning during a work out.

3. Good shoes. This is of the utmost importance, especially if you're running. Go to a specialty running store and get fitted for some good shoes. If you aren't running and are just lifting weights, make sure you've got shoes that fit well and offer support.

4. Hydration belt. Again, this is more for running long distances (or hiking, if you live near mountains), but it's been a lifesaver. Total necessity. Mine holds tissues, 20 oz of water, my stun gun, snacks, and my cell phone.

5. C9 Champion Tech Tee. This shirt is great - before I found it, I couldn't wear shirts with sleeves while working out. This shirt changed it all, though - it keeps me cool and dry and wicks sweat like no other.

6. C9 Sports bra. Again, AMAZING! Look, I know I've gone from a D cup to a B cup in a matter of months, BUT either way, this bra holds the girls in nice and tight, and... if I get chilly, no one knows, if you know what I mean.

7. Good socks. I like these ones (I promise this is not a sponsored post for Target). When you're wearing them, it feels like you're walking on a cloud. Basically, you want your feet to be taken care of.

8. Headband. I need to keep my hair out of my face while working out, and a headband never fails.

9. Protein. I'm just getting into this, but you can't go wrong mixing a scoop of this whey protein shake with almond milk, ice, and a banana. BOOM. Delicious - thank me later.

10. MOTIVATION!!!! This can come in the form of awesome music, a workout buddy, or a goal that you're trying to meet. You won't work out if you're not motivated to do so, so download an awesome playlist, find a friend, or sign up for a race or competition. Nothing can be done without it.

What are your workout must-haves? Anything I missed? 

Confess.

Happy Sunday. 

Look, I realize that I'm super late posting a blog post, but... I don't care. I just decided that I wanted to write a post, and just because it's not 8:00 in the morning doesn't mean I'm not going to hit the "publish" button. Who cares if less people see this?

1. After this fitness challenge is over, I'm going to eat an entire gallon of ice cream. BY MYSELF. So part of this challenge is that you can't have "treats." I really like ice cream, so to me, that's considered a treat. It also means that I haven't had ice cream in about two weeks. I think I'm going insane.

2. My poor Girl Scout Cookies. Also treats. Sure, I could eat them, but then I wouldn't be as close to winning $200. This means those poor things will be neglected till June 1st. And then? I'm going to dip my Girl Scout Cookies in ice cream for hours on end.

3. I've lost 2 cup sizes since Elsie weaned herself and I've been working out 5+ days/week. I guess my boobs just happen to be where all my fat stores itself? Still waiting on my love handles to disappear, but now that my boobs have made their exit, those pesky things are the last to go. And... I have to admit -  I won't be sad to see them leave.

4. I am mad that Avicii doesn't credit the people who sing on his tracks. Like the song "Hey Brother?" Yeah, I love that song. And when I discovered that Avicii is also the artist behind "Wake Me Up," I realized that it's not him who's doing the singing, and the people who actually DO sing? Well, they're not given any credit. All that being said, the dude puts together some songs with fabulous beats that are great for accompanying workouts.

5. I think yoga is hard. Yep, call me a wuss or whatever you want - that crap is not easy!!

Any confessions on your end? 

Yo. Yo. Yo.

HIIII!!!! 

It's Tuesday. I'm SUPER excited because my photo backdrop came, but I'll blog about that once I've taken some adorable test pics of Elsie in her tutu. Anyway, it's Tuesday. The day where I keep myself accountable, blah blah blah.

Tuesday: 
- 30 Day Shred
- walked 3.6 miles

Wednesday: 
- Dude. I broke my toe.

Thursday: 
- My toe REALLY hurt.

Friday: 
- I decided to suck it up and do 30 Day Shred.
- Walked 2 miles

Saturday: 
- 30 Day Shred
- Painted house

Sunday: 
- Lazy bones

Monday: 
- 30 Day Shred

Measurements: 
Waist: 29" (down .5" from last week)
Hips: 40.75" (no change from last week)
Weight: 158 lbs (down 1 lb from last week, ONLY 10 LBS TO GO!!!!)

I hear the last ten lbs are the hardest. If I only lose five but can manage to squeeze into my jeans, I'll be happy. I'm SOOO excited to start T25, I can hardly stand it! This time next week, I will be DONE with the shred and I will update with my 30 day pics (because, yes, I forgot to take the 20 day ones. Oops!).

That time of the Week.

Time for the weekly update. I'm holding myself accountable through this here blog, and so far that's been pretty good motivation. I can't have people watching me fail. :)

Tuesday: 
-30 Day Shred

Wednesday: 
-30 Day Shred

Thursday: 
-30 Day Shred

Friday: 
-Walk 3.5 miles

Saturday: 
- Oops

Sunday: 
- Oops

Monday: 
-30 Day Shred

Hips: 40.75" (down .25" from last week, 1.75" overall)
Waist: 29.5" (down .5" from last week, 1.5" overall)
Weight: 159 lbs (down 2.5 lbs from last week, 34 lbs overall)

Today will be Day 20 of the 30 Day Shred, so that means progress pics. I'll post them next week. Hopefully the results are noticeable! :)

Because My Life Is Boring...

It's that time again! The day of the week where I update on my weight loss goals.

Tuesday: 
- 30 Day Shred

Wednesday: 
- 30 Day Shred
- 3 Mile Walk

Thursday: 
- 30 Day Shred

Friday: 
- 30 Day Shred

Saturday: 
- 3 Mile Walk/Jog (week 3 day 3 C25K)

Sunday: 
- Oops! :)

Monday: 
- 30 Day Shred

Measurements: 
Waist: 30" (no change from last week, down 1" overall)
Hips: 41" (down .5" from last week, 1.5" overall)
Weight: 161.5 lbs (down 2.5 lbs from last week, 31.5 lbs overall)

I do think that part of the loss in my hips is my body naturally re-shaping itself. I also think, however, that this process is going a little bit faster than it would if I were not exercising on a regular basis.

I need to get better about walking and jogging, but lately it has just been so dang hot that I have no desire whatsoever to go outside. YUCK!

Anyway.... that's that. Still making progress, which is awesome. I'm really, really proud of myself!

You Know What Time It Is

Tuesday!! 

That day of the week that I update with my workout progress. I will lose this weight, and I will hold myself accountable!!

Tuesday: 
- 30 Day Shred

Wednesday: 
- 30 Day Shred
- 2.2 mile walk

Thursday: 
- 30 Day Shred
- C25K wk 3 day 2 (2.1 miles)

Friday: 
- 30 Day Shred
- 2.85 mile walk

Saturday: 
- mowed lawn/pulled weeds
- painted outside of the house
** You may not count this as a workout, but I was outside at 6:45 a.m. working my butt off and didn't really stop working until about 4:45 p.m., so I am counting it, dangit!!

Sunday: 
- 30 Day Shred

Monday: 
- 30 Day Shred (day 10!!)

Measurements: 
Waist: 30" (down .25" from last week, 1" overall)
Hips: 41.5" (down .75" from last week, 1" overall - I will give part of these hip results to time working its charms and my body reshaping itself)
Weight: 164.0 lbs (down .8 lbs from last week, 4 lbs since this post, 29 lbs overall)

I'm really happy with these results so far. I'd like to get down to pre-pregnancy weight, but I'm more concerned about getting into my pre-pregnancy jeans, so inches are more important right now.

The day I gave birth, I weighed 193 lbs. I lost 12 of that when I gave birth. Over the next couple of weeks, I lost about 10 lbs of water weight, give or take. Knowing all of that, I am pretty dang proud of myself.

Someday I'll Have a Real Post

I know what you're thinking - Ugh, ANOTHER freakin' workout update. Get a life and blog about something I CARE about, alreaady! 

I know, I know. But seriously. We were gone AGAIN from Wednesday to Sunday (this time in Sioux City visiting Mike's parents), so I'm proud of myself for getting anything done. And once you scroll down to the bottom, you'll know why!

Tuesday: 
-- 2 miles with C25K
-- Day 1 of the 30 Day Shred

Wednesday:
-- 2 mile walk
-- Day 2 of the 30 Day Shred

Thursday: 
-- Day 3 of the 30 Day Shred

Friday: 
-- I suck.

Saturday: 
-- Day 4 of the 30 Day Shred

Sunday: 
-- I smell like fish.

Monday: 
-- Day 5 of the 30 Day Shred
-- 3 mile walk

Waist: 30.25" (down .75")
Hips: 42.25" (no change from last week)
Weight: 164.8 lbs (down 2.2 lbs from last week, 3.2 lbs overall - I weighed the same both yesterday and today, so I'm guessing it's pretty accurate)

I will have you know that I lost that weight even WITH eating BBQ three times, Mexican food (a HUGE burrito), and lots of cookies. Working out really does wonders, people! I can't imagine what my results would be if I was actually paying attention to what I eat! I've heard that breastfeeding helps, but I hadn't really lost too much weight before I started working out, so I don't know how much I believe that. Everyone is different, though, so there you go.

Oh, and this is pretty embarrassing, but here are my "before" pictures for the 30 Day Shred (ignore the messy house, please... we still haven't figured out how to hide those hideous cords!). I really want to see how much of a difference this program makes! I will take pictures on Days 10, 20, and 30 so that I can see results as I go.

Week One - Taking it Off

Happy Tuesday!!! 

We are leaving for Utah today, so I'll let you all know how that goes. Just wanted to pop in and update you all on this plan to lose the weight. I haven't had the chance to weigh myself just yet, but I'm hoping to be able to next Monday, and hopefully I'll see some results.

I'm happy with all that I was able to accomplish as far as working out this past week, but I know I can do better. We'll see if I'm able to stick with it all while we're out west (hopefully the extra elevation won't totally kill me). No pictures because I'm just here to keep myself accountable and keep track of what I've done.

Monday: 
-Walked 3.2 miles with Elsie and a friend
- 30 normal squats, 20 wide leg squats
- 4 sets of 20 leg lifts (2 sets on hands and knees, 2 sets laying on side) on each side
- Week 1, Day 1 of C25K with Michael and Elsie (1.7 miles)

Tuesday: 
- Walked a mile
- 50 normal squats, 20 wide leg squats
- 2 sets of 20 leg lifts on each side

Wednesday: 
- Walked 3.3 miles with Elsie and a friend
- 55 normal squats, 20 wide leg squats
- 2 sets of 20 leg lifts on each side
- Missed C25K today, plan on making up on Thursday

Thursday: 
- Walked 2.2 miles with Elsie and a friend
- Week 1, Day 2 of C25K with Elsie (Mike mowed the lawn instead... that's definitely a good substitute) 1.6 miles
- Rest day for squats & leg lifts

Friday: 
- 60 normal squats, 20 wide leg squats
- Walked 3 miles with Elsie

Saturday: 
- 60 normal squats
- Drove to Sioux City/Wichita, so didn't have time to walk or jog. :(

Sunday: 
- Walked 1.5 miles with family

Monday: 
- 90 normal squats
- Walked/jogged 2.7 miles (about 1.5 miles total jogging... YAY!!!) --> I'm counting this as week 1 day 3 of C25K because the longest amount of time walked was 90 seconds.

Total miles logged: 20.2/avg of 2.5 miles per day

Sunday Confessions Link Up

Yo yo yo. 

It's Sunday, and you all know what that means - time to dish it. Or confess. Or spill it. Or whatever you want to call it. Whatever it is, get it off your chest! Grab a button and link on up!
  <center> <a href="http://itsalyx.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6701442513_4c7153a301.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></center> 1. I appreciate all of you. I know this isn't really a confession, but I want you all to know how appreciative I am of your support while I've been dealing with some stuff the past few days, and while I was off somewhere in the blog abyss before that. You all are great, and I would hug you if I could.

2. I think it's ridiculous that I spend more time with my coworkers than my husband. Who decided that the work week should be 40 hours? Because that is definitely not the amount of hours I actually need to get my work done. Let's take 8 hours off of that week so that we can spend a little more time with family. Who's with me?!

3. I hate grocery shopping alone. It's so boring - I much prefer going with Mike.

4. I deleted every email in my inbox and checked "mark as read" on every blog post in my feed. I'm starting over this week. I hate playing catch-up, and I absolutely refuse to. So if I haven't visited your blog lately (or at all), leave a comment and I promise I'll stop by.

5. I didn't work out this week. For 9 (or is it 10?) consecutive weeks, I worked out faithfully. This week was the first that I didn't. Do I feel bad about it? A little. Will that stop me from getting back on track next week? Nope.

What do you have to confess? 

Favorite Things Friday

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!! 

Thank goodness it's Friday. I can honestly say that this was the longest week ever, even if it was only a four-day work week. I can't celebrate too much, though, my department has one person work each Saturday from 8-noon, and guess whose Saturday it is tomorrow? Mine. 

Anyway. Time for my favorites from this week!!

1. Combined cardio and weights. Guys. I am like, an exercise nerd. It's pathetic, really. If I had to choose between exercise and sleep, I'd choose exercise nine times out of ten, and I'd love every second of it. It's almost sick how much I enjoy the soreness after a hard workout, or feeling like I'm going to die while pushing myself to the next level. I could talk about it for hours, so I'll just shut up now and tell you that I'm really loving combining my cardio workout with weights.

PS This is week 5 of working out regularly!!!

2. How involved I get with fictional characters. This may be a weird favorite, but I love the way I read - I see everything as it's happening, I feel the emotions of the characters, and I imagine myself as they are. It's like an escape to an alternate reality.

source

3. Banana and Walnut granola. SO. FREAKING. DELICIOUS!!! And filling. And healthy. Did I mention that it's delicious?

find it here

4. Not feeling guilty for taking a couple days off from blogging this week. I didn't blog Tuesday OR yesterday, and you know what? I don't feel bad about it. Instead I spent that time working out, reading, and cuddling with Mike (wipe the disgusted look off your face - I almost never get mushy on this here blog).

5. FAMILY TIME!!!! Yep, I saved the best for last. We got to go down to Kansas and spend time with my parents and younger brother, and it was great. I love them all so much, and was glad to spend the weekend away. My parents are amazing, and I love them more than life. Mike loves them too, which is definitely awesome. None of those silly "I hate my in-laws" feelings in this house!
 I don't have photo evidence because I didn't think about it.

What are YOUR favorites from this week?? 

Favorite Things Friday

Happy Friday! 

YES! It's finally the weekend. This week went by way too slow.

So... time for my Favorite Things Friday. 

1. It's Husker Casual Friday at work today!! I get to wear a Husker shirt! Casual Friday usually just means jeans - no tshirts. NOT TODAY. Today I'm rockin' my Husker gear.

2. Working out. Yes, I'm still going steady. I don't know if it's week three or four. I think it's four. Either way, I'm going about 4 days a week, and it's been glorious. My skin has cleared up and stress has gone down.

3. Trips home to see my parents. We are taking advantage of this long weekend and going home to spend some time with my parental units. I'm so excited. I miss them a lot.

4. Raspberry sherbet. Holy cow. So delicious.

5. Reading. I haven't had any time to read this week, and it's driving me crazy, especially when I was able to read three books last week. Not fair, life - you can't spoil me then take it all away!
The book I'm attempting to read. Honorable Mention (because I can't do a number 6): These girls. I love and read each of these blogs and think you should, too!

My name is Amanda, and I'm the chica behind Dragonflight Dreams (both blog and shop). I freelance full-time as a graphic designer here in Austin TX, and pursue screenprinting and blogging in my off-time, if there is such a thing. :)  My interests span a pretty wide range, but include: design, photography, screenprinting, cooking, reading, playing piano, movies, game nights with friends, hanging out with my boyfriend and puppy, daydreaming about dragons and flying, learning to sew, fashion (as I see it/like it), and more. Come by and say hi! 

shop//twitter//facebook

I'm Kristen from Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. I am a stay at home Army wife // Blog designer. I'm married to my high school sweetheart of 8 years and we just moved to Germany this year. It has been a crazy adventure! I'm obsessed with Harry Potter, The Office, and our Puggle, Monster. I hope you'll follow us along on our journey!

twitter//pinterest

Hi, l'm Samara from over at The Secret Life of Samara. You can probably tell from my picture that I am a bit crazy about my rabbit Nibbles. When I started writing my blog I assumed it would just be a collection of all my photos of Nibbles. I have been pleasantly surprised that I actually have more things to write about than just my rabbit (although she does feature a few times here and here). I tend to write a lot about fun stuff I have been doing, things on my mind and what it's like having a 6"8 husband (click the link to see our height difference- you know you want to!). Come over to my blog and say hi, I'd love to meet you :-)

bloglovin'

Peppermints & Pixie Dust is a blog about the happenings of my life. Being a junior in college, in a sorority (and living with 59 of my closest friends) and dealings with a kind of large family. I started this blog for my mom, so she could keep up with me while in college and afterward, and along the way I've picked up a few others. 

Twitter // Bloglovin // Instagram

We are Harley & Jane. {best friends} We met on our way to Austria where we became cultured and fun; it was there that we decided we love all things cute and quirky. Thus, we started our blog to show the world how much better life can be when you add some glitter, a feather, or simply find inspiration in beautiful things every day. Here is our tribute to the loveliness that surrounds us, to share the things that bring us inspiration, and to show you what we decide to do with it.

pinterest//twitter//pinterest

HI folks, I'm Rosie and Craftbotic is my little corner of the blogosphere where I can hang out, meet new folks, share my life, craft, drink tea and many bloggy projects. If you want to you can come join in with a book club, Blog Angels or my monthly link-up. I'd love it if you would scoot over and introduce yourself. XO

hello cotton//instagram

What are your favorite things this week? 

Favorite Things Friday

Yo homeskillet french fry faces. 

It's been a while since I've done a favorite things post, and that is soooo not cool. Just sayin'.

1. Chicken Alfredo roll-ups. Another excellent recipe from my pinterest. Try it, love it. You're welcome.

Source: mmmcafe.blogspot.com via Alyx on Pinterest

2. Getting back in shape. I'm writing this on Thursday night... so I obviously haven't worked out for Fri yet, but the plan is to go tomorrow morning. If I do, I will have worked out four days this week. I missed Tues because I was sick on Monday night. It's a good feeling, though (working out, not being sick)!
I mean, look at these guns. I just almost wrote buns. That would have been awkward. No, I'm not modeling my butt for you. Sorry, sickos. Kidding. I love you. Unless you think that's weird. Now I'm just going to shut up.

3. My husband. Just because. He's a pretty cool dude.

4. Baby goats. Have you seen how cute they are?

via

5. Candles. I love candles. What else is there to say? They smell good, they make a room feel cozy... they're just awesome.

via

CAN I GET A FREAKIN, "YAAAYYYYYY FRIDAY!!!!" 

Sunday Confessions Link Up

Happy Sunday! 

Another weekend has come and gone, folks. You know what?! This makes me a little sad. But also a little glad, because this is the week my training ends and I can actually start working! Who knew that real jobs involved so much training? Not me. Anyway. 

Grab a button, think up some juicy confessions, and link up! 
  <center> <a href="http://itsalyx.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6701442513_4c7153a301.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></center> 1. I saw the new Bourne movie yesterday and was kinda disappointed. I mean, I guess it wasn't bad, but I definitely didn't think it was great. It was really good up until a point, and then it was just like, What is the point of this? 

via 2. We did absolutely nothing for our anniversary, and it was perfect. No fancy dinner, no gifts, no flowers - nothing. We are low on the cizzash right now, and decided to just keep it simple. You know what, though? It was easier for us to remember what the day is all about, and we didn't argue or get stressed out about anything. That's the way it should be.  3. I found my cycling shorts. This is not a confession, just a public service announcement, because I think the world needs to know that I've been reunited with those spandex beauties. I'd model them for you, but I think your eyes would never forgive you. 

4. This confession will be gross, so don't read it if you want to continue to think that I'm even slightly normal. I have to pop my pimples. I can't just let them be. I also feel the need to pop my husband's. I know, I'm disgusting.  5. I made it to 5 days of working out this past week. Friday's workout may have been squats and a short ab workout, but something is better than nothing, right? 

That One Time...

Hey guys!! 

I hope everyone is doing well! I'm so ready for the weekend to be here, it's not even funny. Hey, speaking of fun and funny, I was just thinking that it would be fun to tell you about that one time. 

I got flipped off for brake-checking a girl who was tailgating me, speeding, and talking on her cell phone in rush hour traffic.

I locked myself in the bathroom and no one could get me out for a good two hours. I was six.

I puked in the Home Depot parking lot after a hard swim practice. High school Alyx was mortified, even though no one saw.

I wore khakis to school and got my lady times, then wore a lost and found sweatshirt around my waist for the rest of the day to hide the evidence.

I won a pizza-eating contest against a bunch of 14-year-old boys. 

I won a pie-eating contest at the pool. I was eleven.

I bawled over cupcakes. No, not the breakdown in Germany, but the time I dropped a box of cupcakes on the ground and they landed frosting-side down. They were for my kids at church. I'm ashamed to admit that I've cried over cupcakes more than once.

I walked into the wrong apartment in the middle of the night. This resulted in a very scared and confused Asian man pushing me out of his apartment while yelling indecipherable words. If you want to know more... I'll dedicate a vlog to this story. Just because it's that good.

I had my third successful day of working out and made sure to get photo evidence.

I ran over a turtle that was crossing the freeway and earned the nickname "Turtle Killer." I was devastated. I was in driver's ed, and yes, my teacher came up with that winning nickname.

I cried like a baby because Mike walked by and scared the crap out of me. No, he wasn't trying [this time].

And that's all I've got. 

Except not really. I just remembered that I have to tell you some really exciting news. I'm going to be co-hosting the vlog linkup with a bunch of awesome ladies who I am too lazy to name. BUT. We will be talking about one of my favorite topics - shoes. The What's on Your Feet vlog linkup will be live in one week (August 15th), so mark your calendars!!

Happy Thursday!!! 

Oh, How Pinteresting. Because I forgot to get dressed. That's a Lie.

Hiiiiiii frans! 

So... I thought about writing some inappropriate thing about how I didn't get any pics for WIWW because I walked around naked all day, but that was a lie, and not blog appropriate, so I decided against it.

Instead, I wanted to share some of my favorite recipes from Pinterest with you guys. That place has become my cookbook - I turned to it when I made our monthly meal plan, and so far I've been happy with almost everything. Here are my top five choices from the past two weeks (except the sesame chicken - I already shared the link to that one here).

1. Crockpot Broccoli and Beef

Source: laaloosh.com via Alyx on Pinterest

2. Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili

Source: skinnytaste.com via Alyx on Pinterest

3. Mexican Pizza

Source: traderjoesrecipes.net via Alyx on Pinterest

4. Slow Cooker Breakfast

Source: justapinch.com via Alyx on Pinterest

5. Crispy Southwest Chicken wraps

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Alyx on Pinterest

OH!  One last thing - I made a pact with Kristen to wake up ridiculously early every morning this week and work out. Yesterday I made it to cycling at 5:30 (and then almost fell asleep at work a grand total of one million times). And... the husband and I went on another short bike ride after dinner. I feel like posting photo evidence, just for my own sake - as sort of encouragement to myself.

Note: that's a "2" for "day 2," not a peace sign. sheesh. I may do duck lips, but come on - even I have limits.

What It's Like to be a Giant. Oops.

Yo. 

So I hope you all are fabulous. And yes, I did wake up at the butt-crack of dawn to go to cycling yesterday. And yes, the husband and I did play sand volleyball by ourselves for half an hour then go on a bike ride (hey, 5 miles is better than nothing). I'm back in the game (because, you know, getting back in shape is a game - it makes it more fun).

And yes, that is me all sweaty and disgusting with a duck face. I needed to document the first day back to working out.

Because I've been so busy working and stuff, I may or may not have decided to use one of my posts that ran on Kim's blog yesterday. Sorry. I promise you will laugh at my misfortune, though, so read on.

You guys, I'm a giant. 6'1", to be exact.

 I feel like it should be in my blood to slam dunk, spike, and high jump like no other mother.

I feel like I was born to be a star volleyball or basketball player. I feel like I should be collecting medals at the Olympics right now.

The only problem? I'm less coordinated than a friggin' chimpanzee. Okay, that's actually an insult to chimpanzees, because have you seen those guys? They're talented.

via

How about... a hedgehog. Yeah, I'm more clumsy than a hedgehog (note: I googled "clumsy animals," and those poor hedgehogs were at the top of the list).

via

Anyway, I feel like I should give you proof, so... STORY TIME!

I was the tallest girl in my high school at one point, and the volleyball coach tried to recruit me. We did some one-on-one coaching over the summer, and things went well.

I showed up to the first day of tryouts feeling pretty confident.

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Then my graceful side decided to crash the party. Within an hour of tryouts starting, I had sprained my ankle. It was bigger than my face.

That, my friends, was the beginning and end of my olympic dreams.

Okay, let's be real - I never had olympic dreams. I just had dreams of being able to walk down the hallway without falling on my face.

Someday, someday. 

In other news, how bout them ladies on the USA gymnastics team?? They're the exact opposite of me. Short, strong, and very graceful.

Have you been watching the Olympics? I sure as heck hope so, because they are the bomb dot com.