Same shit. Different day.

I feel as though I’m stuck in the movie Groundhog’s Day, which is ironic since I was actually born on Groundhog’s Day…joke…I really was born on G day, but I’m not complaining about my meals being exactly the same for the past 3 days because truth be told – they rock my socks off!!

For real.

I’m claiming my idea of adding fresh minced garlic to the zucchini lasagna is responsible for making it soooo delish and sooooo addicting.  Garlic makes everything better.  Garlic and wine.  Little Italy anyone?  I swear I was born with wine flowing through my veins…and garlic coming out of my pores.  .  My family has become immune to the stench of garlic and the effects of wine. {watch out vampires}

That’s how much we consume of them.  A LOT.

Anywho, I’m feeling better and better each morning I wake up after another day of my new eating habits.  I’m still feeling like a cow whale at the end of the day, but I’m hoping praying like crazy that this goes away because lesbehonest, who likes feeling like a whale without even having some yummy junk food to blame?!  Not I!  Speaking of junk food, I am counting down the days until I can have my first cheat day…12 in case you were wondering.  I can practically taste the Espana that I missed out on Sunday :(   Gahhhh, still upset about it!  But, that’s a story for another day.

Hope you all [you all as in the few people I think actually read this thing] have a great Thursday!

And seriously, if you haven’t introduced your taste buds to all that is Walden Farms yet…

You’re insane :)

Numero Dos

Day 2 is done and in the books!!  {mini happy dance}  My meal plan was exactly the same as yesterday and the zucchini lasagna was equally as amazing!!  Seriously, make it for dinner tonight.  Your husband and boyfriend will thank you and you will thank me :)  Side note:  If you find that you don’t have enough zucchini yellow squash works equally as well.  I promise.  I tested it out and zero difference in the yum factor.  At this point the only real thing I’m struggling panicking with is the feeling of bloating and fattiness at the end of the day…Even though I’m eating SUPER healthy, the pure amount of food I’m supposed to be consuming is astonishing.  Like I feel as though I’ve consumed another human by the end of the day.. Okay, maybe not that much.  But close!  And let me tell you, I don’t like it ONE BIT!  But…I’m doing it because coach told me to and coach knows best.  Let’s hope all of this continuous eating is really going to get my metabolism revving so I can be a babe like her!  Now that, I would be 100% a okay with!  I’ll leave you peeps with a little motivation to power through

XOXO,

No Turning Back - Day 1

     Hellllooooooo everyone!!  My apologies, I know its been awhile too long since I last blogged.  Life has been absolutely crazy.  Like head spinning, I can't believe its almost Halloween, where has the freaking time gone CRAZY!!  Still, no excuse for my neglection.  All of my life happenings and extremely interesting busy updates will have to wait just a wee bit longer for another day in lieu of an announcement   

     If any of you are friends with me on Facebook, then I'm sure you're well aware that come next spring I am going to be competing in a bikini competition.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I will be strutting my goods in an itty bitty, ruched butt, sparkly bikini along with sky high clear stilettos, all in hopes that the judges like what they see.  Anyone who knows me personally knows I come from a very competitive and workout oriented obsessed family.  Throughout college and soon after graduating I was always training for something whether it be the starting spot on the UNK volleyball team or being able to successfully complete my first half marathon.  Obviously I've graduated so volleyball is done and unfortunately my bum hip also sidelines and long distance running.  Sigh...  I've still continued to workout like crazy, but lately have found it harder and harder damn near impossible to drag my lazy butt to the gym, all because I'm getting burned out.  Sure, I love the feeling once I get done with my workout and God knows I LOVE the effects working out has on my body, but let's be honest...I'm calling a big ole bullshit on anyone the claims they love to workout.  I'd be willing to bet if doctors invented a pill (praying they do!) that would give you THE SAME EXACT RESULTS that working your ass off in the gym did with no side effects, all those people who claimed they genuinely love to workout would be in line to get one.  Hell, I'd be pushing and shoving my way to the front of that damn line!!  There may be that teeny tiny percentage of people who actually do love working out and I applaud you...while also thinking you're completely insane.  And I mean that in the nicest way possible.
     So, what my ramblings are trying to get at is I need something to train for, set my sights on, some end goal.  That's where the bikini competition comes into play.  Now mind you I've had people tell me I should do them before and I politely told them to go jump off a bridge.  Just kidding.  But, I never, ever in my wildest dreams thought I would be doing a show mainly because of the discipline it takes to get in absolute peak condition.  Well, I'm doing it and I'm pretty damn excited about it!  (Did I really just say that?!)  I've not only decided to compete, but I've also decided to document every step of the journey through my blog.  I'm partially doing it for myself.  If I someday decided to compete again I want to be able to go back and look at the progression.  I'm also doing it for any girls out there who are considering competing.  WARNING:  This will not be all butterflies and rainbows and unicorns.  I will disclose everything, including all the nasty, nitty gritty, horrible deets and trust me..I know there will be!  So there you have it folks!  Welcome to my journey in becoming a Bikini Competitor.  Oh, and I have this awesome, hot, stud of a coach.  

I told you she was a stud!  There is no way in hell I could do this without her help.  And by help I mean I text her close to every hour with questions.  She's amazing.

Day 1
     I got up extra early to prep my meals for the day.  My coach said I need to eat every 2-3 hours in order to keep my metabolism going.  This totally freaks me out!  I normally don't consume that much food throughout the day, so instantly I think holy shit I'm going to pack on the lbs!  I really wasn't too hungry throughout the day, but stuck to my meal plan and got all of my meals in.  Go me!  My workouts are also changing from a circuit type workout to more lifting.  At the end of the day I was feeling overly stuffed and bloated.  I feel as though I gained 10lbs just from eating yesterday, even though it was all extremely healthy!  I'm hoping today goes better!  Here is what my meals consisted of:

     Protein shakes, rolled oats and blueberries, egg white (lots of them!), chicken breast and green beans, greek yogurt with protein, blueberries, and sugar free pudding mix, turkey and zucchini lasagna, and a protein pancake.  

     The zucchini lasagna was auhmazzzingggg!! !  It was simple to make too.  First, brown ground turkey in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.  I also added chopped onions and fresh minced garlic.  In a separate pan I sprayed Pam, threw in thinly sliced zucchini with a bit of garlic powder and pepper and cooked them until they were soft and slightly brown.  Add enough tomato sauce to the turkey just to cover it.  Grab a small loaf pan or casserole dish and spray some Pam around the edges and bottom.  Throw in your zucchini then turkey.  Lightly sprinkle non-fat cheddar cheese on top, stick in the over until it melts, and Voila!  Yummy in my tummy!

     Also, any of you who have not heard of/tried the deliciousness that is Walden Farms, leave now!  Just kidding, but seriously as soon as your are done reading this post drive to your nearest Hy-vee  (other places may carry it, but this is where I've had the best luck) and get yo self some WF!  It's calorie free, sugar free, fat free, carb free, and gluten free heaven in yo mouth!  Seriously.  I love, love, love adding their pancake syrup to my oats and protein pancakes of course and their thick and spicy BBQ sauce is fantastic on veggies and chicken, and prior to my competition diet I would dip my apples in their caramel sauce.  They have soooooo many different choices.  Go. Get. Some.  I'm ending my post now so you can leave.  I promise your taste buds will thank me :)

XOXO,

So much for blogging more...

I know, I know.  I have been absolutely MIA this entire summer!!  I promise I have been busyyyyyy!!  Once things have started to slow down for a bit I will be back with a long post of all my summer shenanigans.  In the mean time here is what I have been up to since my last post...

• July 9th Saw Graffiti6 in concert
• July 14th Ran the Color run and saw Chris Young at the Madison County Fair
• July 15th FINALLY saw Eric Church at the Madison County Fair
• July 21st Ran 5k the Hard Way
• July 28th Had a good friends golden birthday party
• July 31st Left for South Carolina for 5 days for Daniel's graduation from Basic Training!!
• August 10th Left for Colorado for 3 days to go ziplining and climb 2 mountains
• August 18th Ran in the Glow Run
• August 20th Went to the Mumford and Sons concert in Lincoln - It was LIFECHANGING
• August 25th Had my 5 year high school reunion 
• August 28th Celebrated my dad's birthday
• And here I am now getting ready to head back to my old stomping grounds for the Billy Currington concert and the state fair!

     Hellllooooo heat advisory.  Nothing I crave more than a heat advisory until 9 freaking pm!! NOT!  Its days like today I thank God I work in an air conditioned facility.  Hopefully the AC doesn’t go out or we could have big problems.

     Yesterday I had a first.  Yesterday I ran 4 miles.  Straight.  Without stopping once.  

     Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve ever done this, but it is the first time I’ve accomplished this feat since running my half marathon 14 months ago.  Andddd with a bum hip.  Sidenote:  After running my half marathon it was discovered that I have hip dysplasia and an almost completely torn labrum in my right hip.  Shockingly my hip felt pretty damn good throughout the whole run.  Today, well today it’s a different story…

My body does not want to move a single inch.

     Yesterdays run followed an ass-kicking upper body workout on Monday.  I tend to have this problem where whenever Will gives me an exercise to do, my immediate response is “How many reps?”  Monday I tried something different.  I did as many reps as I could possibly manage, then I stopped.  I found that I could push my body much farther than I thought, which gave me the motivation I needed to do it all over again 30 seconds later.  Talk about feeling the burn!  Next time you’re at the gym , try it.  Try not having a number that you’ll quit at.  I promise you will be surprised at what your body can accomplish.

Things I'm currently crushing on...

My oh so fabulous ombre hair.  Seriously, anyone in the Omaha area needs to look up Melody Foster and get your bootay into her chair.  She. Works. Wonders.

My coral colored shellac.  I finally got a mani and pedi for the first time in foreva and thought I went to heaven for a bit. 

Andddddd the fact that its FRIDAY!!!

Happy Weekend Loves!

Well hey there.  Long time no blog, huh?  Don’t you worry I’m still here.  Still alive.  Still kicking.  My blogging world has taken a backseat to reality.  Sigh.  Let me update you on all of the things keeping me utterly busy. 

The next happening since my last post was a fabulous trip to DC.  After initially hearing this is where my work conference would be I was less than excited.  DC?  Meh.  Boy was I wrong.  DC was spectacular.  Will and I spent the majority of our trip (when I wasn’t in meetings) walking around and being typical tourists.  In fact, we were walking so much that my shoe broke.  In the middle. of. downtown. DC.  Trying to hobble around with a broken shoe in the middle of summer = not fun.  Thank goodness for my stud of a boyfriend who worked his handyman skills and glued them back together.  What a lifesaver :)

Dinner on top of the W hotel

The final night at The Museum of American History

After we returned home, any spare time I had was spent studying for the GMAT.  You see, they (as in whoever creates this godforsaken test) decided it would be a great idea to add in an extra section starting June 1^st.  This put my butt into high gear, because who really wants to have to study for and take an extra section when they don’t have to?  Not me!!  Fast forward a few weeks, a couple gallons of coffee, & loads of studying and I PASSED!!  And passed with a good enough score to get me into a top 30 business school.  I was pleased, as is my dad/boss.  The original plan was to start grad school this fall at UNO.  Since I’ll be working full time this was the only option I thought would work.  After doing some research and talking to some family friends, I’ve decided to start grad school next January at ASU.  They have a fabulous online program that only requires me to go out there once.  This will allow me to continue my full time job here in Omaha and still get an education from a great school.  I’m trying to just enjoy my time right now, because once next January hits I will be busy.

We finally received our first phone call and letter from Daniel!!  It was so good to hear from him and to see how everything is going.  We sure miss him and are so proud of what he is doing.  It definitely gave me a whole new perspective on Memorial Day.

Lastly, Will, Maddie and myself (along with 17,000 other people) ran the Warrior Dash.  It was a blast!!  I absolutely cannot wait to do it next year!!  It was also Maddie’s first ever race and I was so happy to be a part of her experience.  We had so much fun that we’re signing up for several other obstacle/mud races this summer and fall.  I highly recommend trying one out if you haven’t before.  There were people from all walks of life and it seemed as though they all enjoyed it…except maybe the girl who broke her leg. She probably didn’t enjoy it as much!

The CWS has officially invaded Omaha!  Will, Maddie, her friend Hil, and myself took in a game last night.  It was my first game in the new TD Ameritrade park and it did not disappoint!  This was also the first game I've been to since my sophomore year in high school.  Definitely an entirely different experience, in a good way!

I’m going to try my hardest to be better at updating this thing.  I know it will be worth it someday when I can look back and read about all my crazy doings.  Sometimes it’s just hard when the pool and a cool drink are calling my name.

Until next time…

XOXO,