It's been a week, but So much has happened!

I have had such an amazing spring break! I don't remember the last time I had such a good time. I really do have amazing friends and thank God that I have been blessed with such great people in my life. We were down in Creole Springs, Illinois on Lake of Egypt. I just realized that I took zero pictures of the lake. What a dummy I am! The house we stayed in was right on the damn thing, you'd think I would have taken a picture! I guess I have one with the lake in the background!

Garrett's uncle let us use the house for a few days. The house was way better than I expected. It was four bedrooms, two baths, it had a down stairs sun room and an upstairs screened in  sun room. It had a huge deck that faced the lake. It was just wonderful.

We arrived late on Wednesday evening and just chillaxed. We drank a little and just hung out and had girl talk. This girl talk might have been a little uncomfortable for Garrett!

Bill and his friend Sam arrived on Thursday morning and we immediately decided to go geocaching. Go to this Link to find out more about geocaching. When we were looking for one of the geocaches we came across a washed out road. Well we thought it was washed out, but really it had a waterfall. It's hard to explain. Here are a few pictures to help you see.

It was quite an amazing sight to see a road just end and then a waterfall where one would think there should be a guard rail or something. After this, we got back on the road and found more geocahches and then saw the signs. The signs for wineries.Oh yeah, it was on! We visited two wineries. One was Bella Terra and the other is Windy Hill. I loved the wine at Bella Terra, but the wine at Windy Hill was yucky! I bought three bottles of the wine from Bella Terra. We went back to the house and started drinking. It was 4 pm. Yes, 4 pm. Needless to say, we were all in bed by 10 that night. That's a lot of drinking for me! I hardly ever drink, ya know! It was a lot of fun!

 We were supposed to go climbing on Friday but the weather was just too iffy. We decided to go hiking instead. We headed out to Molly's camp where she worked for a few years because there are a couple of waterfalls on the grounds.

Beautiful, right?

It was just a wonderful experience altogether. Three years ago I wouldn't have been able to do any of this stuff. I wouldn't have even gone. I was just too large and could not have done what I needed to do to get up and down the hills and through somewhat small crevices. I am so glad that I made the decision to change my life three years go.

Today I had a six mile run on my agenda as well as my cousin Morgan's baby shower. I knew the minute I woke up that this run was going to be a difficult one. After hiking up and down tough terrain and driving several hours, my knees were so sore. I was hoping to get a better time than I had last week, but I ended up getting the same exact time. Well, give or take a few seconds! I had to ice my knees after the run because they were hurting.

I then got ready and headed to the city to Morgan's shower. She is a very cute pregnant girl! I didn't take any pictures of her, but she is so adorable. I think I looked pretty as well today.

BTW- I totally omitted how much I overate this Spring break. I feel disgusting and DO NOT want to weigh myself. I will tomorrow, but I know I probably gained 5 pounds. This week will be a workout nightmare for my body!!!

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Holy SHIT! I ran six miles today!

Sometimes I amaze myself. I do things I never thought were even possible a few years ago. Today, when I was about to finish my run, I had a moment when I almost started crying. I think I was just overwhelmed with the feeling of accomplishment. I know that I am very fast when it comes to running. I know that sometimes that I have to walk, but I did it. I completed six miles. It was hard, but it felt amazing. 

I ran the Perry Farm Trail, which is a pretty flat trail. There is a small loop that is 1.13 miles and a large loop that is about 1.55 miles. I chose the large loop. I would have to run four of these bad boys to get my six mile day in. A few weeks ago when I ran my first five mile run, I was scared and  dreaded it. This morning I was so excited. I knew deep down in my core that I was going to get this run done and I knew it was going to be a great run. It was warm, but not too warm, it just rained, so there was a fresh clean smell in the air, and there weren't too many people out on the trail yet. I can only assume that these people were at church. It's funny because I feel a whole lot closer to God while I'm out running than I do at church. ANYWAY-- my first three miles were awesome. I was able to get my 5k time down from 37.30 to 35:00. That was pretty awesome. At about 3.5 miles, I hit a wall. I was pretty tired, but I pushed on. At the five mile mark I was like Oh yeah baby! I'm almost done! It was such a great feeling! I finished the six miles in 1:18 minutes. That is a little slower than I wanted, but I did not stop the clock right away. I am not sure how long I let it go, but at this point, it doesn't matter. Overall, today's run felt great.

After my run I had to go to Kennedy's 3rd birthday party. What a great little girl Kennedy is. I bought her a small Lalaloopsy doll. Hopefully she will love it! Here's the birthday girl. 

The theme to the party was The Hungry Little Caterpillar. Bethany, Kennedy's mom and my good friend, made a caterpillar cupcake cake... I didn't take any pics of it, but it was adorable. It was a cute party all together.

Here's a picture of my Shamrock shirt that I wore on Friday.

And a picture of the headband Allison made for me.

Damn, I'm adorable!

Well, it's officially spring break this week! Woo-hoo! I am doing something so important to me on Wednesday. I have been working up the nerve to actually do what I am doing. I will be going to a plastic surgeon for a consultation for skin removal on my arms and stomach. I don't even know if I will be able to afford this, but I have to find out if this is even an option for me. I will also be going to Southern Illinois to go camping with some friends. I have been looking forward to both of these things for awhile now. I couldn't be more excited!

=) 

SHAMROCKIN!

My roommate is pretty f-in cool. I love that she us so artsy, because you all know that I am not. A few days ago, she asked me if I wanted to make St. Patrick's Day T-shirts. UM YES! So this evening we made the best most sparkly shamrock shirts! I cannot wait until tomorrow to wear it. I want to post a picture, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. It cannot debut the shirt just yet!

Tonight I also ran a quick 1.5 mile run. It was already dark out and I knew there was going to be bugs because there were bats all over the place. I decided I was going to run three miles.... that was until I swallowed a giant bug. I felt it fly in and right away I spit. I thought I it was out of my mouth, then I swallowed and felt it in my throat. I didn't know what to do at this point. I mean, the bug was already down my throat, should I have stopped running and gagged, or just kept going? I decided to just keep on keepin on! What's a little bug going to do to me? NADDA!

I'm going to keep my fun list going. Here it is for the night!

What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now? 

5. Watching the best show in the world, Once Upon a Time, It's so different and inventive and always keeps me guessing!

4. Running- I still am not that happy about running, but it makes me feel competitive again.

3. Hanging out with my Kankakee family. These are some of the best people in the area and I am lucky enough to have them in my life.

2. Being able to fit into smaller clothes. I don't think I need any more explanation other than that!

1. Being able to date! It's very fun!

=)

Five Greatest Accomplishments and two great runs

There are so many thing in my life that I am proud of, but there here are the five I am the most proud of.


5. Earning  a college scholarship for softball.
     When I started playing softball at the age of eight, I had no idea the different places the sport could take me. I have visited 35 or so states in this country, met and made friends with so many great athletes, play softball against and with arguably some of the best softball players in the late 90's and early 2000's, and was lucky enough to do it all while doing the one thing that made me the happiest. I truly was one lucky lady.

Me at age 8 playing softball

I'm the tall one on the right with the red hat

Me at practice my senior year at Adams State

4. Graduating from Adams State with my Bachelor's of Arts in English.
     Earning an English Degree is no joke. It is seriously a difficult thing and I did it. 


3. Never being afraid to be myself no matter who is around.

2.  Losing the weight that has held me back for so long.

1. Being an educator in a world where education is second to everything else in the world. I really love my "kids". I cannot imagine doing anything else in life!


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On Sunday I ran another five miler. It was ACTUALLY a decent run. I finished it in just over one hour. I didn't start struggling until 2.5 miles in. It wasn't much of a struggle really, I just stopped and walked for a bit and then kept on keeping on. I did see one of my old softball players getting in her car. She messaged me on facebook, "g, you look fucking fantastic". That makes a girl feel pretty good! Seeing her actually gave me a small boost. It was funny passing the same people over and over. I took the long loop at the trail, so if people were on the short loop, I might pass them twice. It's hard to explain, but they kept looking at me funny. I'm guessing because I kept passing them. OR, maybe they are not used to seeing someone as large as me kicking ass as I ran by! Woo!


Today I ran another 5k. I was trying to better my 5k time, but I seem to always get the same time. 37 minutes. Oh, well. I wonder if running intervals or something will help me make progress with my time. I am pretty happy with 37, but would like to get it to 35 minutes. Maybe I should make that my goal for the 5k I am running at the end of this month. What do you think?


=)

Admitting my addiction

I can't believe I am doing this, but I am going to admit something I have kept hidden for sometime now. It's embarrassing to even admit this, but I am completely and utterly addicted to CRAISINS! Yes, you read that right, Craisins. Little jeweled colored delicious craisins. They are so tatsey. I am not even joking around. I finished off my bag this afternoon and have been thinking about getting more ever since. 
My extreme tiredness is the only thing that is stopping me from running to the store to buy more. 


For about three weeks I was addicted to Cuties. I finished those off on Monday and my craisin addiction started. I have stop eating these things. They are not on my die, not even close. It's a good thing that I ran three miles today. 


It was so beautiful outside today. I love the coolness and the slight breeze. It feels so good against my skin. 


I set off for my run and was feeling great. I finished my first mile at an 11:30 mile pace. That is when I felt a little grumble in my tummy. It's funny how exercise is a natural cleanse. At this point I was thanking the good Lord that I was running at Perry Farm because there is a public bathroom. I had to run about a half a mile and found the restroom. I paused my workout and, well, you know... I continued on my way and felt pretty good. I took my time on the last mile. I stopped a few times, but that was no big deal. I headed home feeling pretty good about my 36 minute time.


My 5K is not that far away, 23 days actually. I am just a little nervous. I have never done anything like that before. I know I can run a 5K, so it will just be a mental thing with me. 


OH, man.... I really, really want some craisins. Ugh! I will not go to the store and buy some! i WILL NOT!


I did wear my new bondi band and running jacket. Yeah!

=)

20 random facts (list 2) and the DREADMILL!

Here are 20 random facts about me that you may, or may not know!


20. I despise gift cards. I hate giving them and receiving them. They are so impersonal. Please take the time and buy people gifts that you take time and think about. It makes a person feel very special.


19. I love Christmas Carols. I mean LOVE them. I look forward to the holiday season all year round. I have at least 15 Christmas CD's and have downloaded several as well. They just make me happy and make me remember my childhood. Christmas time with my family was and is the best time in my life!


18. I love mascara. It makes my eyes look wonderful and amazing. I get so many compliments about my eyelashes. Thanks maybeline!

17. I love Britney Spears. I mean, I wish I were her. Well, I guess I had her body, not her face or her craziness. I love her AWESOME music that I dance to in my bedroom. Yes, it's true, now shut your mouths!

16. I didn't learn how to tie my shoes until I was in the middle of the second grade. I don't know what happened, but I guess someone forgot to teach me. I remember one of the neighbor's mom's making fun of me because I didn't know. I was a little girl, It made me feel so bad. 


15. I sleep on one side of the bed. If I don't sleep on that side, I simply don't sleep. 


14. I am a pen hoarder. I WILL "borrow" your pen and never give it back if I like it. It will go into my stash of pens. I have two cup fulls and a full bag. I also just bought a new set of 10. Pens are so fun!


13. I "broke-up" with my childhood best friend. It was a few years ago and it was really hard. I miss her sometimes, but I absolutely don't regret my decision.


12. I have REALLY big feet. I wear a size 12 1/2. Huge, giant, enormous. 


11. I once had a concussion  from hitting my head on a shelf while bending over to flush a toilet. I had a knot on my forehead the size of a golf ball. Yes, I was drunk, and yes, I kept drinking that night. Damn, I miss college.


10. I hate puzzles. They hurt my head. This was before the above concussion.


9. I hope to one day be a mom. I hope it's sooner rather than later, but I will wait until I find the best man for me.


8. Every summer I promise myself I will grow a garden of beautiful flowers; however, that has yet to happen. I always forget to water, or over water, or spray weed killer on the flowers. I really should stop trying, but that is not in my nature, to quit I mean.


7. I once owned a hedgehog. It was the weirdest and coolest pet ever. One day I will own a hedgehog again.

6. I want to get skinny enough to get my belly button pierced. It is something I have always wanted, but never thought I could have. I have a lot more to lose, but at least now it's something I could possibly do.


5. I love singing karaoke. I pretend that I am amazing and on a big stage. Maybe, just maybe, a talent scout will see me and give me a record deal. Hey! It could happen.

This is an oldie, but a goodie!

4. When I was a child I wanted to change my name to Cynthia. I thought that was the most beautiful name in the whole world. Now it's just a name, but when I was 12 I thought I would name my first born daughter Cynthia.


3. The sound of an alarm clock makes me want to kill myself. The "eh eh eh eh" sound makes my heart palpitate and  I get scared. About ten years ago I had to switch to an alarm clock with a radio or I would have an anxiety attack first thing in the morning. Hyperventilating is not so cool in the morning.


2.  I I love owls. They're so cute and stuff. If I see something that has an owl, I will most likely buy it.

1. My family is so important to me. I moved back to Illinois from Colorado to be closer to them. I have never regretted that decision. I have been a much happier person since then.


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Ugh, that took so long. I never thought writing 20 random facts about myself would be so hard!  I might regret telling some of those things!


Since there were 174 mile an hour wind gusts today, I had to run at the gym. The DREADMILL (cue the sound of thunder and a woman screaming). Ugh, I hate running on this thing. It's modern day torture. I don't know what it is about the treadmill, but I just hate it. After running on it my back and knees kill me. It makes me sad.  I ran 3.1 miles in 38 minutes. I had to stop a few times and walk. The treadmill makes me have to run faster or something. I just plain and simply hate it. Tomorrow is a cross training day. I will probably do the elliptical and lift weights. So f-in exciting.


In other good news, I have been given an interview for the Junior High Dean's position. I know that everyone that turned in a letter of interest was probably granted an interview, but I am still stoked. I think it would be rad to actually use my Master's degree. My interview is on Monday. Keep me in your thoughts and send me your positive vibes that day.


=)


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Five Miler and a weigh in

I know some people think that running five miles is no big deal, but for me, it is an amazing thing that I never thought I was going to be able to do. Yesterday was a monumental day for me. I DID IT! I ran five miles. 

Here are a few pictures from yesterday. You can see that my face is VERY red! Despite my smile I was so tired! I guess I was pretty happy. I mean the f-in run was over and I don't have to do it for another whole week! 


I was told that if I lengthened my stride my knees wouldn't hurt as much after. The problem with longer stride is the fact that it means a faster pace! I tried it and felt good for the first two miles, but at mile three, I was more tired than I usually am. I tried to keep up the pace, but it was getting harder. I was still making faster time than I did last Sunday on my four mile run, so that felt pretty good. At mile five the bottom fell out. I was done. My stride was all f-ed up and I was exhausted. My last mile felt like it was the slowest I have ever run since I started the running the program, but it wasn't at all. The thing that I must remember is that I completed the five miles. I did it and it feels pretty great knowing that! Here are my split times for the run.


Mile one      11:32
Mile two       11:52
Mile three    14:44
Mile four      13:09
Mile five       13.21


On Saturday I bought myself a pre-five mile run gift. I love it!

Isn't it the most adorable thing ever? It almost makes me want to bring home papers to grade. Yes, that was all bullshit!


I have to edit this post because I forgot to mention my weight loss. I lost another pound. I wasn't too upset. I actually thought I was going to gain weight this week. I am really glad that I didn't gain!


=)

Oh to be 16 again... List One of Many

List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could


10. Exercise. Do it. Even though you hate it do it. You will save yourself so many problems in the future.
9. You will be moving to Colorado, make friends.  Don't pout that you are not going to be spending your senior year with your friends. Once you learn to make the best of a situation, you will learn to live, to really live.
8. Keep laughing and smiling. You sometimes forget to do these things. Laugh out loud. Smile so bright that it can be seen from across the room. 
7. You will get a college scholarship to play softball. Take your Freshman year seriously. Don't party. Play ball with the love you have always have had for the game.
6. Never, never, never, drink so much that you cannot remember things. You will regret what happens after, and you will never be the same again. 
5. You will meet people in your life that you believe are your friends. Although they were, and were only around for a small amount of time, they have changed your life. You are a better person because of the small amount of time you have spent with them.
4. Your heart will be broken so badly that you will think that you will be unable to recover. Although it will hurt, you will be able to move on. It will not be the end of the world.
3. Don't get a credit card. EVER!
2. You must learn to control your emotions. You keep everything bottled up for so long, that eventually you blow up. This is embarrassing and completely unnecessary. If you tell people how you are feeling, you won't have the crazy blow ups.
1. You are beautiful. You are. Don't you ever forget that.

This is me at 16. Man, I pretty much look the same!

What would you tell your 16 year old self? Leave a comment and let me know!


=)

Still feeling bummed

I don't know what's up with me. I have not been feeling myself for the past couple of weeks. I have been been he typical emotional eater. I have gained 4 pounds. I am so disappointed with myself. I guess if I have to look on the bright side of this, I have identified what I have been doing and know how to fix it. It is just so frustrating because I am so close to a major milestone. I can TASTE the , 100 pound weight loss and now it's even further away from me. What's wrong with me? The last 20 pounds have been so hard. I have been trying to lose them since July. Well, I know what happened in July, we all do. "The Break-up" happened. I have been struggling with the weight loss since that point. 


I did run today. It wasn't a great run. I ran 3.2 miles in just over 40 minutes. The State Park does has a lot of hills, so I guess it wasn't that bad. I felt good, and more importantly I only stopped for maybe a minute stretched out over that 40 minutes. I felt proud about that. Tomorrow is non-running day for me and Saturday I am off from working out all together. Sunday is the day of the five miler. I am so nervous. I know I can do it. I need to find somewhere else to run. I wonder if there's somewhere else near here that's pretty flat, yet safe, that won't be too hard on my knees. Ugh, my knees are really starting to feel beat up from all these miles I am putting on them. Think about it; I am still pretty heavy. I have all that weight and pressure on them for a long period of time. I am just so achy. My back hurts. I just don't want to give-up. The thought has passed my mind when I can barely stand up because my back is in so much pain. I have to do this. I only have 9 weeks left! NINE WEEKS! That can't be right. {checking calender} It's not... I have SEVEN more weeks. I guess that's better. Well it's less because I have a 5K at the end of this month. Man alive, what in the hell have I signed myself up for? Oh man. I better get to bed. Long day of sitting in the teacher's lounge. I am SOOOOO ready to get back in the classroom! This is one of the reason's why!

I found this in a book earlier this week when I was working on curriculum with a few colleagues. Sometimes you just know you're doing something right in life. 


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