A New Purse!

Stop the press - I WENT SHOPPING THIS WEEKEND!

No really, I hate shopping.  But every once in a while, I get in the mood to go.  That's what happened this weekend.  So, I took my gift card left over from Christmas to Kohl's and bought myself 3 new shirts, a new wallet, a new purse, and then a shirt for the hubs.

But the thing I'm most excited about?  The purse.  Check it out.  Ya'll, I love giraffe print.  LOVE it.  My planner is in a giraffe print, too.  Anyways, here's my lovely purse.

Isn't she beautiful?

Monday Musings

It's Monday, which means it's time for a random post, bullet style.  :)

• We went biking Saturday afternoon at the Two Rivers Trail.  It's basically a LONG trail that goes along side the river.  It's a really nice trail with the exception of the wind.  It seems that it's always windy.  So, I went 14 miles in 1:09 (12mph) and had the wind in my face the entire time.  I know I can improve that time, since it was my first outdoor ride since last year.  Plus, I wasn't really putting a ton of effort out - besides fighting with the wind!
• Some of ya'll asked if I get tired of eating the same stuff day in and day out.  Um, yes!  But, mostly I get tired of the same breakfast.  Like this morning, I'm in no mood to eat oatmeal, but I'm eating it anyways. 
• There has been a ton of changes at work and it's totally stressing me out.  Not to mention, it's stressing my coworkers out as well.  Argh.  I'm usually decent with change, but this change sucks.
• I have to work this Saturday.  Double Argh.  But that means I'm off on Wednesday.  That's a plus.
• This Friday is dubbed "Cupcake Friday."  Some coworkers and I are going to Cupcakes on the Ridge for the BEST cupcakes EVER.  I'm so excited and ready for a delish Turtle Cupcake.  And yes, that will go on my calorie count....
• Oh and apparently we had yet another Earthquake last night.  I didn't feel that one either.  Man, I must sleep pretty well!  ha!  No, but seriously, there have been some earthquakes in our area, thought to be caused by all the oil drilling in our neck of the woods.  I've yet to feel one though.  Apparently this one was a 4.7??  Who knows...

Counting Calories

I've been counting calories off and on for the last 6 years.  It helps to keep me motivated, in check, and lose weight when trying.  Well, I haven't been counting them for the past 6 months or so and it's time to start back up.  The other day Rust Belt Runner told the blog world about Calorie Count.  It's a pretty cool site.  I've used the Livestrong calorie counter and to be honest, I just didn't like it. 

Anyways, I  thought I'd share with you what a typical few days looks like for me. 

Keep in mind that I'm not really giving it my all.  I'm just trying to see exactly what I'm eating and making a few adjustments here and there.  I'm basically keeping myself in check.  Also, this is only my calorie count up till dinner.  Whenever I cook, we eat "healthy-ish" meals (read: low in calories and fat, with steamed veggies).  Most of the recipes I've cooked, I've done a calorie count on and it's always, always, always under 500-600 calories for each serving.  And honestly, that's pushing it.  I usually cook Weight Watcher meals and we all know those are low in calories for the most part.

I'll shut up now and show you Wednesday - Today.  You'll notice I have a few cheat items in there.  I'm an emotional eater and we're having very rough days at work.  Also, I know that not everything is healthy.  There is all kinds of artificial sweeteners in my drinks and foods.  Again, I'm not a uber healthy, gluten free, vegetarian eater.  Judge away.  :)  Also, I drink my minimum 64 ozs of water each and every day.  I don't put that on here, but I do it.  I live with a water-holic.  :)

One Day...

Did any of ya'll ever have swingsets growing up??  Our neighbor has a wooden swing set similar to this and I've never seen their little boy play on it.  When I was little, I had a metal swingset when we lived in the trailor.  We left it behind when we moved.  I then had a tire swing which was pretty cool, except when it filled with water after a good rain.  But, I always wanted a swing set that had the fort on top.  That would've made the perfect hiding spot!!  Of course, I'm pretty sure I would've broken my arm from jumping off the top or something... I loved climbing trees, so I can see myself climbing one of these.

I cannot wait until we have kids one day.  I know we're probably going to spoil them {within reason} and I can't wait to play with them.  And you can bet that they'll have a swing set with a fort area!  :)  One day...One day!

3 Things Thursday

1. I'm lusting over this Opi nail color called Brunette on the Internet (or something like that) on Sephora.  It's on sale for $5 and I'm thinking it would look great with my skin tone, etc.  But, is it too dark for spring/summer??  I'm totally not a girly girl and it's been MONTHS since I've painted my toe nails and YEARS since I've painted my fingernails.  I can't believe I just admitted that....
2. I ran by Starbucks this morning for another Skinny Caramel Macchiato.  Yes, I'm a slight addict.  I have the app on my phone and checked this morning to make sure they were open before driving by.  :)  But the drive thru lady called me her friend and it made my day.  I know she probably says that to everyone, but it honestly made me want to come back again.
3. We are having our 3rd house showing today.  Our house has been on the market 3 weeks.  The crazy thing is, I prayed yesterday morning that someone would NOT want to see our house yesterday because it was a mess.  Then, hubs gets the text (yep, they TEXT you) to let him know they're showing it today at 1:30.  The Man Upstairs definitely answered my prayer by holding the showing off a day!  The house is spotless and ready to be seen!  Now, peas and cornbread, let it sell! 

Starbucks Saves The Day!

Once again, Starbucks has saved the day.  Seriously.  Skinny Caramel Macchiato, you're a life saver.

Let me set the scene....

• We've been working 10 hour days at work.  I hate overtime - except the paycheck.
• I have a group case study due tonight.  I'm in a group with 3 guys.  Need I say more????
• I've been taking 30 minute lunches due to the overtime... I need more time to RESET.
• And then lots of other random crap that I can't put out here.... *sigh*  {Not to worry, all is great on the home front.}

I'm Not A Biker...I'm A Runner

Remember when we bought those bike trainers?  Remember how we're signed up for our first bike race on June 4th?  I've been riding the bike trainer 10 miles about 4 times a week and no matter what I do to try to occupy myself, I still hate it. 

{Hubs, on the other hand, does 16 to 18 miles each morning and seems to love it.....}

I've played on Facebook.
I've played Words with Friends.
I've checked my email.
I've read a book.
I've read a chapter for class.
I've watched tv.
I've listened to music.
I've looked out the window.

I still hate it.  I'm hoping that once daylight savings time hits and it's still light outside in the evenings that I'll be able to ride outside and maybe I'll enjoy it.  Maybe. 

Next week Women Run Arkansas starts back up and I'm super excited.  I'll be running with a group again on Monday and Thursday nights!  I love running in a group on designated nights - it gives me something to look forward to while getting back into shape!  And here lately, it's been super hard for me to find motivation to exercise when it's dark outside by 5:30-6pm. 

Training with My Dad!!

Meet my Dad.  This picture is from my little sister's HS Graduation in 2009.

Well, you see, my Dad is on a weight loss journey.  He's tried several times through the years to lose weight, but this year is different.  I recommended a nutritionist and he went and spoke with her.  He's changed his way of eating and he's working out.  So far, he's lost 25 pounds this year.  The big thing is, he's doing it the right way.

Well, as I was studying/writing my paper yesterday, he called.  I could tell he wanted to do something, I just didn't know what.  He finally told me he wanted to go run a mile outside.  You see, my dad used to be in the Army.  He used to run 6 minute miles everyday.  Then, 30 years and weight gain happened.  Life happened.  Well, he has started running on the treadmill at the gym.  He's been able to run a 12 minute pace for about 23 minutes or so without stopping.  You can't even begin to understand how proud I am of him.

So, when my dad called and said he wanted to run a mile outside, I stopped everything I was doing and went and changed into my running clothes.  We went to the trail and we ran.  He did pretty good, too.  He wasn't able to keep his pace and run the whole mile, but he made it that mile in 13:47.  And proud doesn't even begin to explain how I felt!  He was a tad disappointed, but I told him that running outside and running on a treadmill are totally different.  Plus, he started out running WAY too fast (8:54).  So, we're gonna keep working on it and working towards his goal.

His goal?  Running a 5k the first week of May.  You better believe I'll be running that 5k with him, no matter what pace he's running.  :)

ABCs of Me

I have nothing new going on really.  Yesterday someone came and saw our house!  Yay :)

(A) Age: 29, I'll be 30 this year.(B) Bed Size: Queen. Although when we move we're buying a King.

(C) Chore You Hate: Vacuuming.

(D) Dogs? We've got two.  Jack Russell named Rocky & Golden Retriever named Bear.

(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: Caffeine or food.  It's a tie.  I need both!

(F) Favorite Color: Blue 

(G) Gold or Silver? Silver.

(H) Height: 5 ft 7in right on the dot

(I) Instruments You Play: I played the Clairnet in Middle School.

(J) Job Title: Network Analyst II

(K) Kids: I wish.

(L) Live: Central Arkansas

(M) Mom's Name: Mary & my stepmom is Sam/Samantha

(N) Nicknames: Shan & Shannie

(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? None, but I did get discharged at like 7pm once.

(P) Pet Peeve: Negative People.

(Q) Quote from a Movie:  "And in the morning, we're making waffles!!!"  (Shrek, said by Donkey)

(R) Right or Left Handed? Right

(S) Siblings: 1 Sister (19) & 2 brothers (24, 22)

(T) Time You Wake Up? 5am

(U) Underwear: VS Pink

(V) Vegetable You Dislike: I'm not sure that I have one...

(W) What Makes You Run Late: Other people.  Seriously, if I'm ever running late it's not my fault! LOL

(X) X-Rays You've Had Done:  The better question is what hasn't been X-Ray'd?  I've had an MRI on my brain, a few dye tests on my heart and bladder, a few ultrasounds on my heart, X-Rays on both of my shins, my collar bone, my ribs, and I believe that's it....

(Y) Yummy Food You Make: ha, that's funny.  Um, I make a good Mexican Chicken Casserole!

(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: I love the monkeys and giraffes!  Love, love, love them!

3 Things Thursday

1. I'm taking a week off on the weigh in challenge thing.  Last week we were "snowed in" which caused us to eat crap.  Sorry excuse, I know.  Then this weekend we're helping family move, I have a project due, and I'm back to working 10 hour days.  So, I'm taking this week off.  I'm still going to try to eat well and exercise, I'm just tired of worrying about it.  This morning I weighed in at 143.6, so I'm up .6 for the week.  Arg. 
2. It looks like the people who "forgot" to see our house earlier this week are coming back today.  Or maybe it's different people?  Who knows.  At any rate, I'm just happy people are coming to see it! 
3. It's been a very challenging week at work.   But, I need some good vibes sent please!  It's been causing me a good deal of BAD stress and if you add that in with the 5 page case study that is due next week....then you can just imagine how stressed out I am. 

Wow, this was a happy post, wasn't it?!  Sheesh!

Bullet Style!

• We had our first showing of the house yesterday afternoon.  The house was spotless thanks to my wonderful husband who took an extended lunch break to make sure things were perfect!!!!  But, we just found out that they "forgot" to see our house while looking at the other 6 in the neighborhood.  Ugh. 
• I have class tonight.  Blah.  We have a group case study due next Wednesday and we haven't started yet.  Awesome. 
• We have some marketing peeps coming over to our building tomorrow to film a small commercial for our company.  They're looking for people to do one liners.  Hmm.  What to do, what to do.
• And last but not least, Chapters of Our Life is having a wonderful girly giveaway here.  Don't go enter, I want to win it!

Mumbo Jumbo

Well, the first 5k of 2011 is in the books.  It was rough!  It was icy, slick, and cold!  And well, I hadn't ran leading up to this race.  But, I finished and my time wasn't my worst ever - so that's a plus.  As you can see in the picture, I was dressed in layers.  I had my jacket wrapped around my waist starting at mile 2.  My friend took this picture at the finish line with his iPhone.  I swear I was running and I swear there were people around me.  My friend finished like 5 seconds before me and another girl was right on my tail - you can kind of see her shadow.  I came in 10th in my age group.  One of the perks of a smaller race.

So I've climbed back on the fitness train.  I ran a short 1.25 miles before cooking dinner yesterday and then biked 10 miles before bed.  Not too bad!  I'm slowly going to build my running base back up.  And slowly I will kick these extra pounds to the curb!

Pictures!

We got a total of somewhere around 7 inches the last few days.  The hubs and I drove around town both Wednesday and Thursday night.  We liked seeing what all was closed and how the roads were.  Truth be known, we just wanted to see how slick things were.  We also drove out to my grandad's in Vilonia yesterday evening and rode 4 wheelers out there with my sister and dad!  We had a blast!! 

The snow will be melting soon today and I'm glad to see it go.  I'm ready for the warmer temps this next week brings and I'm ready to drive!  Hubs has been doing all of the driving and I'm ready to get behind the wheel and buy a new pair of running shoes!  Yes, tomorrow I'll be breaking in a new pair of shoes at my 5k.  But, I really don't have much of a choice.  Wish me luck!  I'll be sucking wind the whole time!  ha!

3 Things Thursday

1. Yes, today is weigh-in day.  I weighed in at 143.  So, I've gained a pound back.  I'd like to thank Super Bowl Sunday and 6.5 inches of snow for that.  Argh.
2. I'm working from home again today due to said snow.  I really don't mind though.  Why?  I guess I'm just learning to deal with it.  I'll more than likely going to be here again tomorrow, too.  (btw, I have some snow pictures to upload, maybe we'll see those tomorrow.)
3. My first 5k of 2011 is Saturday.  Um, I've ran 3 miles since November.  And with 6.5 inches of snow on the ground, I can't run outside nor drive to the gym.  Such is life.  I'm hoping to get out tomorrow evening to get a new pair of running shoes.  Then, at least my knee wont be hurting due to old shoes.

Thank You Old Man Winter

Dear Old Man Winter,

I want to say Thank You for coming through for me.  You've cancelled class for me tonight and I couldn't be happier.  I'll deal with working from home today, because I'm so excited that I don't have to go to school.  Plus, this is suppose to be the most snow we've gotten in YEARS.  It looks beautiful and you didn't let me down.  We're now officially BFFs.  Let me know what color string you'd like your bracelet to be. 

xoxo, Shannon

On a different note, we had an exciting time in the neighborhood yesterday afternoon.  Two cop cars, cops on their speakers telling some guy to put both hands out the window of his car, cop cars blocking his car so he couldn't escape, towing the guy's car away after searching it, and the guy leaving in the back of the cop car 45 minutes later.  Don't worry, I got a picture with my phone (while standing in my doorway).  And no, the guy didn't live in our neighborhood....

A Letter To Old Man Winter

Dear Old Man Winter,

They're calling for 5-8 inches of snow here in good ole Arkansas for tomorrow.  Can you please come through with that?  Yes, I know I've been asking for Spring here lately, but I have class tomorrow night and frankly, I don't want to go.  So, if you could snow enough (or more) to close UCA tomorrow night, then I'll be your BFF.  And while we're being frank, you and I both know you don't have any BFF's in Arkansas right now.  Just sayin'.

xoxo, Shannon

P.S.  Yes, I realize I'll still have to work (from home) and we both know how much I hate that.  But, I really don't want to do my homework.

A Bargain!

Remember that clean house that I had on Monday?  Well, it's no longer.  Don't get me wrong, it's clean - all except the kitchen!  We had to bring the dogs inside on Tuesday and they've been inside ever since.  It looks like they might be inside for quite a while, too.  I had no idea that they were calling for snow today, Monday, and Wednesday (or so my coworker said, I haven't looked).

So, yesterday I had to stop by Sam's Club to pick up more dog food.  While there I found a HUGE package of rawhide bones for $9.97.  Ya'll we usually pay that for 4 bones at PetSmart!  So, I couldn't pass up this huge bag!  The dogs were loving me for it, too! 

They love their rawhides!  Now, can spring come soon so I can send these two outside?  I want my kitchen back!  Not to mention, I want people to come see/buy our house and they kinda can't with two dogs in the kitchen!  LOL

Week 3

Beginning Weight:   145lbs.
Week 1 Weigh-In:  142.8lbs.
Week 2 Weigh-In:  144.4lbs.
Week 3 Weigh-In:  142.4lbs.

Woohoo!  Finally, we are seeing some weight loss!  :) 

I made a lot of conscious efforts this last week.  We did still eat out a few times, but I refrained from some foods and made a few better options.  For example, when we went out for Mexican food Sunday evening (while getting lost house hunting), I didn't have my usual huge burrito covered in cheese dip and then with chips and cheese dip as an appetizer.  Instead, I had the soft tacos and chips with salsa as an appetizer.  I know, it still wasn't the best - but I enjoyed my dinner, didn't over eat, and didn't cover everything in cheese dip.  :)

There were other efforts put forth this last week, too.  Avoiding certain treats and exercising much more than I have in the previous weeks! 

Let's see what this next week brings!

How did ya'll do??

Our House Is For Sale...Again!

On Monday our house went on the market officially - again!

Here's a refresher of what our house looks like...

The front of the house - yes, everything is dead. LOL  It's winter, folks!

 The Living Room

 Our Eating Spot.

 Our Master Bedroom.

 This is how the living room used to look.  I changed out the pillows, added a blanket, and made him keep the curtains shut!

 Our old master... I changed out the bedding, curtains, and curtain rods.  I love the new decor!

That's just a few of the pictures.  The realtor took 14 pictures, but those are just your standard kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, backyard, etc pictures.  Our house is 3 bedroom and 2 bath.  So, if you're looking for a clean, freshly painted, starter home in Central Arkansas.... email me! ha!  No, but seriously, we want to move asap :)  Send the quick home selling vibes our way please!