Rambles

-There is nothing better then when my i-pod is on shuffle and Garth Brooks comes on. I will always love that man and his music.

- My older sister cracks me up. She is so much more funny now then when we were younger. She's a bitch though cause she lost weight and didn't work out nearly as much as I did. I hope she eats a whole cow this weekend - or gets prego so she can get fatty again. :) Heehawed.

- My younger sister is a really good mom. If I knew I could have a baby like Boston, I'd be popping them out left and right. (not really - sometimes, he cries, I want a non-crying baby).

-My mom has become a drill sergeant. Yelling at me when I don't go to workout class, or when I'm making food that is not healthy - even if it's not for me! I think next to her, a real drill sergeant wouldn't be scary at all.

-To every friend, ex-boyfriend, old-friend, new-friend, close family, far away family, co-workers old and new: You have all had an impact in making me who I am today. So if you don't like me - it's your own fault. :-)

-As 2010 comes to an end - one of the best years of my life - I can't help but think how lucky I really am. Great family, great friends. Loving, supportive extended family. I work for a caring company at a job I happen to love. Even in my darkest hours, I am and have been very lucky these last 30 years.

Update on GIM!!

On October 18th I started my fitness challenge at Goals in Motion. Every other day is resistance and kettle bell work outs and the other days are kick boxing/cardio workouts.
I was feeling incredibly out of shape, my clothes were fitting tighter and I wasn't feeling very good mentally or physically. I had bad eating habits that I believe caused many sick days, due to no nutrients entering my body. I had to do something different before I turned 30.
Class was hard every morning, we were working our butts off, literally. The classes have never been boring, always changing and the coaches you have keep you motivated and trying harder. The food was hard to get used to. Planning in advance, eating every few hours and picking whole foods. GIM provides recipes, idea's and continuous support and my eating habits have improved tremendously.
At final testing I went from 25.4% body fat to 19.9%, dropped 12 pounds, increased crunches from 33 to 70 and modified push ups from 25 to 47. I lost inches from my tummy, thighs, chest and arms. I am in better shape now at 30 then I was in my late 20s! I even fit in to a pair of my jeans from high school!!!

I have signed up for maintenance for the next year - so I plan on getting even more fit and toned! It really is amazing how working out and eating right can change your whole out look and it truly does make you happier!!

hehehehe

I have noticed when writing an email, if I write "hehehehe" (laughing), the spelling correction comes up as "heehawed".

I wonder how people would react if instead of writing an email like this:

"Blah blah... and it was so funny! hehehehe!"

I would write an email like this:

"Blah blah... and it was so funny! Heehawed!"


It might make people laugh.... heehawed!

30th Birthday Pictures

My friend Michelle decorated the side door of my house on Wednesday! It was so sweet of her!Joe is my friend and was also the waiter for my party! He was great to have there! Dan - my DD for my ride home!

My good friends that were slightly more intoxicated then me! :)

Kelly and me - he was so nice and made me do a shot. :-)

Eboh!!! I was lucky he was in town for Christmas and able to stop by - I hadn't seen him in forever!

Me and my beautiful sisters.

Thank you everyone that came and celebrated with me! Thank you for the gifts, beers and shots! Love you all!

Tomorrow I turn 30.

Tomorrow I turn 30.

I'm not sure how I feel about that landmark age. Currently I am in better shape and healthier then I was at 27, 28 or 29. So that is a plus. I feel happier then I have in years and have continuously been a very lucky person. I have some of the best friends I've ever had in my life. I've been traveling more. I have a job I love and work with great people. I make enough money to pay my bills with some left over to play with. So what would I have to complain about? 30 is just an age.

I think my problem with turning 30 is that when I was 20 - 25 I thought by now I would have met 'the one', gotten married, had a kid or two. My thoughts on 30 when I was younger was this adult life with responsibilities of a family, as a wife. I may not be where I thought I would be when I thought about this age, years ago. I'm not the person I thought I would be, but that doesn't mean I'm unhappy with where I am. I own my own house, didn't end up needing a man to make that happen. I have a dog that I love and as much as I love my niece and nephew, and that is a love I can't possibly describe, don't have a yearning to be a mom at this point.
In the last 2 years I have seen more of this world then I had in the 28 years before that. (My sisters became moms; traveled with my dad on a road trip to Utah, Arizona seeing the Grand Canyon and Arches National Park; took a spring break trip to St Croix, US Virgin Islands with some great friends; Iowa Games; cousins graduations; the best Frederick Family Reunion ever.)
Although I may not be where I thought I would be at the age of 30, I'm doing and seeing a lot more then I would have ever dreamed. Next summer I am traveling to Peru and I'm sure I will have many other adventures a long the way too. Maybe I'll meet 'him' this year, maybe I will get married, want to start a family…. Then again maybe I won't. I can safely say that I am happy either way. My life is anything but ordinary; my life is anything but boring and I am ridiculously lucky for everything I have experienced in these 30 years and look forward to experiencing even more wonderful things in the next 30 years.

Baked Potato Chips

Are not worth the calories.
Eww and ick.
I rather eat one regular Ruffles then a whole bag of those baked ones.
Nasty, icky, grossy, never want againy.

Mr. Mousekowitz

Mr. Mousekowitz found a nice warm home in a friendly colorful atmosphere – in my kitchen. He obviously was not scared of the vicious Rat Terrier that roamed the halls of this house.
I bought a trap that would not kill him so that I could set him free outside. I really didn’t want to hurt the poor mouse that was only trying to survive by eating my bananas and living in a warm environment. I’m sure he would have moved out on his own in the spring.
Well the little guy was either very smart or the non-killing traps don’t work. He got in and out of the trap 3 different times; stuffing his belly on the banana pieces I left in there.
So it came down to waiting until he moves out on his own or buy a trap that is going to end his little life. I couldn’t decide.
Sunday as I looked for a dish cloth under my sink I saw signs that the mouse had been there and he had eaten/torn apart some of the dish cloth my grandma had made. Now I was mad. He can eat my bananas, but not my dish cloth. So I made the hard decision to get a deadly trap.
I stood in the isle at Target looking at the traps that kill, the poison traps, sticky traps, slice their heads off traps, and I had tears in my eyes trying to decide. I even called my mom to discuss with her how badly I did not want to end this Mr. Mousekowitz life. This was very upsetting to me. Reluctantly I bought a trap that he would crawl into and never escape.
Last night at some point Mr. Mousekowitz passed away. (RIP little guy). I’m not sure how the trap worked - broke his spine, decapitated him, pulled him until he ripped apart – not sure. But this morning with a horrible feeling in my tummy for killing this poor defenseless animal, I picked up the container he was in and carried it outside to the trash, but not before seeing his little mouse paw dangling from the trap. I almost puked and cried at the same time.
I will never be the same.

Ramblings

I prayed, God didn't help.
I guess I don't blame him - he's a busy guy with lots more to do then listen to an almost 30 year old beg for something.

I have less then 3 weeks of my fitness challenge and I'm feeling pretty damn good. I have more energy. I sleep better. I am more motivated and I think all around happier on a day to day basis. Granted I haven't done the BEST at the eating part of the challenge but my eating habits have changed for the better and I even took a healthy cooking class to learn somethings. Greek Yogurt - use it instead of sour cream - it has a lot of protein and is just all around better for you.
There are these things called spices.... use different ones on chicken each time you cook it... and it's like a whole new experience for your tongue! (thatswhatshesaid)

I have realized in the last few months that I have some of the greatest friends a girl could every ask for. I went to MN for the Hawkeyes football game and stayed in a hotel with my friends Tami and Todd. They said they would 'bill me' after the trip for the hotel and football ticket... then when we got home they informed me I don't have to pay them back - it was my birthday present!! They are sooo good to me. My friends Sandy and Katrisha are also incredible people with big hearts. They go to GIM and have kept me motivated, make me laugh and include me when they can! My friend Nicole, who I keep getting closer and closer to is one of the most real people I have ever known. She is easy to talk to, fun to be around and her confidence helps me be more confident too. It's great to have friends that would do as much for me as I would for them. (I of course still have my sisters, mom and Michelle from high school, but this was a shout out to my other good friends).

Oh... and I think there is a mouse in my house - more on that later.

BACK TO WORK I GO - HIHOHIHO!