My Friday Ramble

So yes, it's Friday and I am more then motivated to go exercise. I am somewhat sore from Body Pump...but when am I not???? When I walk outside its raining...are you kidding me????? I hate...no correction, I loathe running on the track at the gym. It is so boring and the scenery stinks.

I instead have all the candle's in my house light and keep watching for the rain to stop. For those who don't know  I am a candle whore in the same way that I am a horror movie whore! Yes, that time of year is once again upon us and I can't wait to hit the movie theater.

So Adam, my 8 year old decided to bring home his drama club form yesterday....as his aunt says he is a "Drama King" he comes by it naturally....I am a "Drama Queen" of sorts. So he is all ready to be an actor...this is the same kid who got sent to his room last week for talking back and his response you ask, in his most Adam like tone he says "Fantastic.....That is EXACTLY what I wanted to go do!" He has a bright future as an Actor/Scientist/Musician/Artist/Dad....I think that is his list thus far!

Cole hasn't eaten much in three days! I wish I could be like him, live on freezer pops, lays, grapes, apples, water, and the occasional meal from McDonald's and still have rock hard abs! He has turned around in school though I think!

Looking forward to the Bears this weekend! Urlacher is my honey!

Happy Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I still feel FAT!

So this fat girl is down 63 pounds which is awesome right...yet there are times when I still feel fat. I was so excited to go to Chicago last weekend and do my 5K...My best friend Neal walks faster then I can run! He always has, in high school that wasn't a big deal cause I could easily keep up....well Not...any...more!

He kept turning around asking if I was coming....I was not complaining mind you. He can go as fast as he wants! I will just meet him wherever we are going LOL. It just made me feel fat!

Feeling fat moment number two...looking at the pictures. I realize that they are a lot different then this time last year...yet I still see "fat girl"! I wish that she would just leave already.

My Aunt and Uncle were full of compliments on how great I looked and how proud and fierce I am. It's not that I don't believe them, or that I am not thankful for the uplifting comments.....I just don't always feel that way.

Fat moment number three...oh wait this is a skinny moment....I ran to catch the bus and the train and kept up with Neal...now this was just a dash. However, when we were up for my birthday last year....which yes was at the same time all the wonderful ladies were up....I couldn't run to save my life!

So today I dragged the "fat girl" back to the gym and we did Body Pump together! I ran into my high school counselor whom I LOVE! She is awesome and hopefully convinced her to join Zumba....tomorrow morning I shall start my three mile run/walk training for my next 5k Dec. 1. I am pretty stoked about it. The count down is nearing ladies....I cannot wait to meet you all! I workout so I can drink...so if anyone wants to join in some Chicago running or something let me know! 

I promise to try and leave "fat girl" at home and not bring her to Chicago with me. But no guarantee's the damn bitch seems to sneak up on me at times!

My 5K PLUS weekend

So Saturday morning I woke up and got ready and my dad and I headed out making our way to Chicago for the Make A Wish 5K. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts....I LOVE their coffee, I haven't had a donut in probably a year until Saturday...but we all deserve a treat now and then.

I drove ALL the way to Chicago which I have never done before, I have always rode. My best friend Neal lives right off 90/94 aka The Dan Ryan for those of you that know which is high traffic! I only ticked one person off and lets face it....she had no reason to be mad! LOL Once we got to his Condo we decided to head down town for lunch and walk to Navy Pier....which I had never been too!

Neal took us to his fave mexican place downtown and they made fresh guacamole right at our table! The food was amazing. I wish I had taken a picture of my taco's...but oh well. After lunch we walked three miles to Navy Pier. Which was AWESOME! My dad and I also shared a funnel cake which was yummy! Afterwards we headed back to Neal's condo.

 This is the view from the top balcony of Neal's. I sat up here with my book and some water reading while the guys ran to the store for fish and things for dinner. It was peaceful and the view is even better at night. I can't wait to go back....with the boys soon!

I think I actually walked/ran a 10k over two days LOL.

The morning of the Make-A-Wish 5k we headed to Montrose Harbor and met my Aunt and Uncle.

It was a beautiful morning!

Before the race!

At the start line!

at the finish!

I didn't finish in 45 mins like my goal. But I did do it in an hour. I am just glad I was able to do it a year ago I don't think I would have been able. I am thinking of doing another 5k December 1st! The accomplishment feels amazing. I did learn that I need to hydrate better before and after. I ended up with a killer headache Sunday night!

My Week in Review

So, I have been a major slacker this week in just about everything! But Hey, we all deserve to have that at least every so often right?

Sunday- We started out good, taking my boys on The Rock Island Trail near our home. Cole was already tired when we started and I could have easily done 6 miles or more....Adam wouldn't have been happy but he would have done it. So we went 1 1/2 and then turned around and went back. However, Cole did not like this idea one bit....for those who don't know...Cole is autistic and he will walk FOREVER sometimes. My dad has had to call me to come pick them up because Cole won't turn around and head home! SO.....I carried him for about a 1/4 mile. Cole weighs about 50 lbs....I can't believe that I carried that on my body!

Monday- I spent the day around the house. I actually cooked dinner that night....we had bacon and eggs LOL if that is actually cooking. I had great ideas from pinterest...just no energy to actually do them. Helped the boys with some homework...fought with Adam about reading! DIDN'T GO TO ZUMBA, I am going to hell for sure.

Tuesday- Over slept! Got the boys off to school, got my self ready and headed to get gas and pick-up Subway for me and Adam to take on his field trip to the ZOO. Our Zoo sucks....although we do have 4 new baby Tigers. But the rest is nothing to get excited about. When you are a third grader though it doesn't take much to impress you! I spent the day with them...it was fun! Came home and had to get ready for Back to School Night, I am the PTC Secretary so I had to go. But even if I wasn't I think that this is important...it's a great time to meet the teachers and other parents in the class! We went to Culver's for dinner....Epic fail! But I only had a Tenderloin so it wasn't so bad!

Wednesday- Cleaned most of the day and had to pick the boys up from school so we could make it to their Hair cuts at 4! Cole did his whole hair cut without any electronics! It was amazing and he looks great. If I wasn't going to hell for not going to Zumba on Monday.....today will get me there. Not only did I not go to Zumba AGAIN.....I picked up Chinese and McDonald's of the kids.....nothing more to say.

Thursday- I hardly ate anything....ran some errands with my mom. I actually cooked tacos for dinner and still didn't work out! My first 5k is approaching on Sunday and I am not ready! I will do the best that I can....maybe I will redeem myself from going to hell. It's for Make-A-Wish which is an awesome organization. My Aunt is doing it with me which should be twice as fun! Getting excited about BOOBS!!!!!!!!! Hope you all are too :)

My Best Friend

I have two best friends and I am one lucky gal. But for this post we are going to be getting to know Brandi, she is amazing! I met her when I was 18 and she was 16. While we had gone to the same high school I didn't know here. We started working together at a video rental store. Man was she annoying, she was a giggly girl, which lets face it I NEVER was. We worked together for about a year before I switched jobs and she ended up dating one of my friends. We drifted apart, cause we really weren't that close.

My boyfriend and I ran into them at the movies about a year later, and that was all she wrote. We got really close. I went away to Illinois State Univeristy and she would come visit. I got engaged that fall, I was rooming with my best friend from high school, but I was miserable there. She tried to commit suicide after her boyfriend broke up with her and we started to drift a part. I started sleeping at my friend Neal's dorm (he will be a whole other post). I went home for Thanksgiving break and was at Brandi's house one night.....I was in the bathroom puking from nerves of going back to school. She caught me and convinced me to talk to my parents and even offered to go with me. After talking to my parents we decided that I would come home at the end of the semester. My roommate didn't take it well. We had a blow up fight because she wanted to control my life!

I moved home and got a job. Brandi and I spent a lot of time together and I asked her to be my maid of honor, she cried and said yes. We have been through breaking up with a fiance, two weddings, a few deaths, a divorce, the birth of four kids, her father's amazing recovery from alcoholism, going to college together, and numerous other daily life struggles. When I need to cry, she is there. When I need to have a drink, she is there. There isn't anything she wouldn't do for me and I for her. My mom told me once that if you have one friend like this in a life time, you are lucky. Well I must be blessed because I have two.

Brandi always supports me and we will forever be connected. She doesn't judge me. We are totally different people when it comes to some things, but I make her laugh and she makes me laugh. She is my therapist and I can't imagine life with out her. She became a nurse last summer and I am so very proud of her. She use to call herself stupid, and she isn't. She is one of the smartest people I know....Even if she doesn't know that a DVD doesn't need to be rewound and sometimes hits a fridge driving down the interstate. I trust her with my life and the lives of my monsters!

My 30th Birthday....in the midst of nursing school and having a baby that wouldn't stop crying EVER......she stayed home from going to a wedding with her husband and oldest son so she wouldn't miss my day. I love her! Yes she provided me with the lovely accessories that I am wearing. Her turn is coming in May and man I am looking forward to payback!

What Happened to Halloween Costumes???

One of my favorite holiday's is Halloween!!!!!!! Part of that is because it's my mom's birthday and it was soooo much fun growing up. She often dressed up with us and it was made into a big deal. I have carried that tradition on with my own children. When I got divorced and moved back home I figured why not use my wedding dress as a costume.....it's beautiful and my son LOVED the idea! So for the past four Halloween's I have worn my dress and been several different things....bride, fairy, Queen.

Well yesterday my sister and I were hanging out and decided to try on my dress....it doesn't fit. It fell completely off, there were mixed emotions. I was excited that I am smaller then I was when I got married. Yet, I love this dress and I feel so pretty in it. My son also was disappointed to find out that it doesn't fit and was concerned with what I would dress up as. I assured him that I would figure something out.

Now, I am not so sure. My sister and I spent yesterday going to the Halloween store, Target, and a couple of other places. I was thinking that Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz" would be perfect....however this is what I found....

I mean I am not going to take my kids out trick-or-treating in this outfit! And they are all like this, witches, fairies, princess'. I am looking for something more like this....

This is how Dorothy truly looked...but apparently she has gone slutty along with everyone else. I just don't understand why costumes have taken this route. I am now thinking something from the 50's....I don't know...dressing up is suppose to be fun...but I don't want to flaunt all my goodies!

The prices are also outrageous for the quality of the costume! I don't want to break the bank with Halloween costumes this year! I think that I will hit up Goodwill and see what I can find there!

Another Reason I am not a Wal-Mart fan

Wal-Mart is not my favorite place to shop, lets face it they always have long lines, shelves are always empty, the quality of clothes are not great, trying to return or exchange something practically requires your first born....and the employees leave something to be desired...but my experience their this morning topped them all. Granted this wasn't really Wal-Mart's fault just another reason in the already long list as to why I don't wish to shop there.

My Grandma is 76, she doesn't like to grocery shop anymore, so she gives her list to me or my mom and we go pick up her things and drop them off to her. It is just a much more pleasurable experience for us all this way. So here I am, at Wal-Mart which is unusually busy for a Tuesday morning. I have almost everything on her list, except fresh produce and PRUNES! Why aren't the prunes with the canned fruit, I don't know, so I go and check the baking isle and again....nothing!!!!! I keep seeing this same guy, but really think nothing of it, I am after all on a mission....then ta da with the mixed nuts we have struck gold.....Prunes but wait just then I feel someone touch my back....

I turn around to see this guy standing there, he says "Hi sweetie, I just had to come up and say that I think you are extremely beautiful" I was caught off guard a little but I did smile and say Thank You and then tried to go on about getting my prunes. He then asks "I don't normally do this, but would it be possible for me to get your number?" now, even if he had been the hottest guy around, I am not one to hand out my number to random strangers, but this guy gave me the creeps. I stated "I am sorry, but I have a boyfriend" yes, this is a lie....but I thought it was the easiest way to get away.....boy was I wrong. The next thing he asked was "Ohhhh ok, well could I maybe persuade you into a hug?" YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I hardly hug the people in my family....excluding my children.....let alone a complete stranger. I smiled and said "I am sorry, I don't think that is a good idea" all the while scanning the empty isle...no one to help me! He said "Ok, well you are very beautiful". Now is a good time to tell you, I had not yet showered, we had a hectic morning getting off to school, I was in torn jeans, t-shirt, and a hat, with no make-up. I was not looking my best....I grabbed my prunes and ran for the produce!

Maybe I have seen way too many murder mysteries or true crime shows, but I wanted out of their as FAST as I could. I had visions of him following me to my car, or watching me and then following my car. Thankfully I don't think any of that happened. I shall now shop with a fake wedding ring on, especially at Wal-Mart....granted that isn't a turn off to some...but maybe it will help.

10 Things I Have Learned Thus Far.....

So I love lists....and I thought that I would post about everything that I have learned in the last year. I have lost 60lbs in a year, and it could have been more....but I slacked off for a few months...4 months to be exact.

1. I am beautiful. At any size!

2. I am strong. I can do anything I put my mind to.

3. Food is my friend, not my enemy.

4. Exercise is goof for the soul.

5. Food doesn't help my emotions, simply hides them.

6. 'Nothing Taste's As Good As Skinny Feels"

7. My actions affect others. Specifically my children. I don't want to pass my eating habits on to them!

8. Eating healthy gives me more energy.

9. Less processed foods and limit diet foods.

10. Water is my best friend.

Just these few things have changed my life forever, I will never go back. It feels good to be able to walk into a store and know that something in their will fit. It feels good to be able to take my boys out walking and still have energy after. I never thought that I would be able to do this, my only regret is that I didn't do this years ago!