Playing Catch Up.....I mean, I forgot I had a blog

Did anyone else think I forgot I had a blog?  Because I did.....seriously, the last couple months have been SO crazy. Hopefully I will have more time now to update on a more regular basis....hopefully. (because obviously y'all have been sitting on the edges of your seats waiting on a new post.....right? RIGHT??)

So, in a nutshell....right after I got back from my Daytona work trip....

Headed to Guatemala on a mission trip with Tulsa First Baptist. Met this precious kid (excuse the bluriness...), and worked in the medical clinic, 1st day as a dental assistant (extracting teeth, filling cavities, and teaching proper teeth brushing), and the 2nd day I was in la farmacia! Ol' Larry would be so proud.

On our last day, we made a trip down to Antigua, where we took a small hike to this beautiful old cross! It was an amazing view.

Another pic of the kids in Guatamala playing on our bus...stole this from one of the other ladies on the tip. Excellent photographer.

I got back from Guatamala JUST. IN. TIME. to make it to Stillwater for The Greatest Homecoming Celebration in the Nation!

Got to see these kids.

...and this kid!

...and 3 of my favorite people in the world. Mom, Dad, and Nick!

And finally, this good lookin' bunch! The whole family!!

Then, after a day of rest and lots of sleeping, and months of praying over it, I made the firm decision to go back to school....yes, I said it, I'm going back to school....full time, working part time (hopefully), and living in the booming metropolis of Kingfisher, America.

Next up, Thanksgiving!  My absolute FAVORITE holiday!!! I mean, c'mon! It's got the best food, the best colors, the best weather, the best family time, the best smells (pumpkin, general smell of fall, the "leaves" scent from Bath and Body) Went home to Kingfisher and celebrated with both sides of the family.  I seriously LOVE when my family from CO gets to be with us! It just makes everything complete!  So late Thursday night/early Friday morning, we were Black Friday shopping at Wal Mart.  I was on the hunt for the $19 printer/scanner.  The Roarks made a killing and got amazing deals....but most importantly, I found this beauty...

That's right...this little slice of heaven is very difficult to find, but if you try it, trust me, you won't be sorry. I had been searching for it for about 3 weeks. I even looked for it the day before at this very Wal Mart.  But Black Friday magic is where it's at. I walked by, just to look, and there it was.....Ahhhhh, delicious. THIS is MY Black Friday deal of the year! (I might be slightly addicted. but I'm okay with it)

...And finally, I helped Mom put up the tree and Christmas decorations while I was home over the weekend....okay, I helped decorate the tree, and then took a nap, passed out on the couch, while she finished decorating the rest of the house.

So, that should pretty much catch everyone up on my life since mid-October, when I last updated.  Basically I'm still happy, blessed beyond belief, and yet somewhat scared and stressed about all the huge changes coming up in life.  But I know God has the answer...

Tornadoes, Hurricanes, and what I Learned.....

So this past week I was able to check off a place on my list of places I HAVE to visit; Daytona Beach, Florida.  Now, before you go gettin' all jealous or think I'm rubbing your face in it, it was for work, I was inside a majority of the day everyday, and was on the beach once.....at 10 p.m......for about 30 minutes. So it was mostly work and no play.  BUT, here's a list of new things I learned/saw while in/traveling to and from Daytona last week.

6. Tropical storms are MUCH scarier than tornadoes!  We experienced one day 1 of the trip.  They said it was close to becoming/being (I don't know how these things workd) a hurricane.  SCARY.  The people on property laughed that we were scared and I said "Okay, yes, we do have 90 mph winds in OK, but they typically don't come with rain and water and flying debris, and even when they do and it's a tornado, it last for about 10 minutes and it's over.  This is 48 hours of it!"  Where do you go? further inland?.....I'm such a true Oklahoman.

5. Bikers.  It's possible to see thousands and thousands of bikers, and it's totally normal.  Okay, so it was Biketoberfest in Daytona this past weekend.  It was CRAZY the sheer amount of motorcycles we saw!  There are so many, every hotel sections off a part of their parking lot just for bikes.  Daytona International Speedway had a big setup with different booths and all that, and then down by the beach, on Main St. was where ALL the action was.  Bikes lined up for at least 1/2 a mile, parked on the sidewalks and bikers driving down the street like they're in a parade, showing off their bikes and makin' the drag.  There were more booths, food vendors, concerts going on every couple blocks, etc.  It was awesome.  Let me tell you, you haven't lived until you've walked down a 1/2 mile strip and back through bikers.  The people watching is amazing, and you make lots of friends along the way.

4. Five Guys burgers and fries.  This place has THE BEST burgers.  It was recently named like the top fast food burger in America, and for goot reason.  It's both delicious and totally greasy goodness.  My favorite burger of all time still has to be the Belle Isle Burger at Republic, but Five Guys has my vote on a more fast-food choice.

3. If you can't tell from #3 I ate A LOT of really bad food.  I'm definitely a foodie, especially when it comes to visiting new places.  C'mon, you just HAVE to taste all they have to offer.  I wasn't going to go to the place the locals said has the greatest BBQ and order a salad!  And the seafood was absolutely delicious!  So, basically, lesson learned here is that I still have a TON to learn about eating healthy while traveling and vacationing.  Any tips?

2. This was the most glorious looking meal when I finally got home.  Again, lesson I'm still working on learning.  Find fruit and veggies and find a way to work them into your "unhealthy" meals so you don't fill up on all the fried stuff.

1. Despite the tropical storm the day before, Tuesday, this is what the view from my room was, proving that God. Is. Great. He can overcome any adversity, weather any storm.
""Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Jeremiah 1:2-4

Becoming a Morning Person

So, like many people in the world, especially fresh out of college (...or 3 years, whatever) I've always been more of a night owl....followed, of course, by this phrase on most mornings: "DON'T talk to me until I've had at least 2 cups of coffee."  However, I've found myself recently turning into.....A MORNING PERSON.  I know, I will wait a moment for the shock to wear off........

Okay, c'mon. It can't be THAT shocking.  Anyway, after doing a boot camp class every morning at 5:30 a.m. for a solid month, I've realized just how AMAZING morning workouts really are.  Not only that, but if I do my workout early enough, I have plenty of time to get ready, and not my previous routine (which was basically; wake up late, jump out of bed, 5 minute shower, brush my teeth, hair in a ponytail, and go. NOT cute).  Morning workouts give you more energy, bump up your metabolism for the rest of the day, and basically set you on track - AND your workout for the day is done and you don't have to worry about it again.

Oh, another great thing about morning workouts.  It gives me time to actually eat breakfast.  And let me tell you, not only is breakfast the MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY, but its also the most delicious, in my opinion.....anyone who knows me can tell you that 1. I LOVE brunch and 2. I am a carb-o-holic so breakfast is pretty perfect in my eyes.  I know, you're thinking "breakfast foods are so high-calorie and bad for you. Why are you ruining all that hard work you just did in your workout."  Au contraire, not all breakfast foods are bad for you!!!  Here's a list of some really healthy breakfast choices. My personal favorites will, of course, be in bold (because I try to force my opinions on anyone who will listen)

Oatmeal - I make mine with milk (or water and a scoop of protein powder) and cinnamon!  Then add either frozen blueberries or sliced bananas (only add sugar if you have to)

Cereal - top a high fiber cereal with a sprinkle of granola and bananas, strawberries, or your favorite fruit. Choose either low-fat milk or plain yogurt.  Gives a good combo of fiber, protein and calcium.

Smoothies - great for on-the-go!  Add a scoop of protein powder after a workout (or if you just don't typically eat a lot of meat, like me)

Eggs - scrambled eggs (1 whole egg, 1 egg white) and a piece of whole-wheat toast, with some fruit on the side.

Breakfast burritoes - yes, breakfast burritoes can be healthy! Scrambled eggs (1 whole, 1 egg white), turkey bacon or turkey sausage, in a low-carb whole wheat tortilla, with salsa, low-fat sour cream, and a little bit of cheese.

Whole grain English muffins - with peanut butter! (Whole Foods has the fresh ground peanut butter - DELICIOUS) with some fruit and a glass of milk if you need some calcium

Cottage cheese - with fruit or nuts. It's high in protein and has calcium.

Vegetables - yes, they too can be breakfast.  Add them to eggs (mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, etc) with salt and pepper (and ketchup, if desired) for a scramble or an omelette.

Enjoy your day by getting off to a great start!!

Dash here, dash there

Yes, I survived the Warrior Dash.....and I do mean SURVIVED!!  They weren't lying, it's 3.2 miles of hell.  Actually, the part I was the most nervous about, the obstacles themselves, weren't that intimidating at all.  What WAS hard was that the running part was mostly trail running.  TRAIL RUNNING IS HARD, PEOPLE!  There's a whole different training method for trail running as opposed to just plain running.  And, with my (un)gracefulness and lack of normal balance, trail running is probably not for me.  I was looking down the entire time, making sure I wasn't going to trip over a rock or branch or something.

And, oh the pictures.....again, further proof of my beautiful lack of grace.

Okay, and in honor of the Warrior Dash, here's a quick list of 3 ways to get the most out of a workout (and make it fun):

1. Kick up the cardio.  Kind of a no-brainer, huh?  Get the heart rate up = burn more calories = better workout.  There are other ways to get in cardio besides just the treadmill too (just plain ole' running gets really boring for me after a while); Jumping jacks, mountain climbers, bear crawls, ski jumps, and one I just recently learned that also will work your arms and shoulders at the same time: Get in a pushup position and jump your feet from side to side, keeping feet together and "jumping" the feet as high as you can each time.

2. Confuse your body.  Switch up your workouts. Doing one thing over and over (isn't this also the definition of insanity?) will slow results and sometimes, if your body gets too used to it, you'll stop seeing results and stay in one place.  When you switch it up, you're making your body continually adapt and change, so you're, in a sense, keeping it confused.  So, do cardio one day, strength training the next, or go play tennis, do a zumba class, try pilates or yoga, spin class, or kickboxing (personal favorite)

3. This is my jam!!!  Find 5 new, upbeat, fast-paced songs to add your iTunes workout playlist.  Or they can be oldies ("Groove Is In the Heart", anyone?)  One of my favorites, oddly, is Limp Bizkit's "Rollin'"....yeah, I know, my music taste no longer counts....but there's a great list here (Tone It Up blog)

A quick pic from right before the Warrior Dash!

Competitive Drive - Shut Up and Run

I like to think it's because I'm such an easy-going and laid back person, but I'm not incredibly competitive when it comes to sports....of any kind really. (It could also have a tiny bit to do with that whole "lack of balance and torn ligaments in my knee" thing)  In fact, I'm fairly certain my best friend, when we were in high school, totally jumped at the chance to never ever have to be my tennis partner again after about 2 matches (And for good reason. She's super competitive and a natural born athlete).  I was the kid who "played" softball in 5th grade and stood out in the outfield picking weeds flowers out of the grass.  Yeah, I think we've established me and sports-related comptetition don't mix (yes, I'm tall. yes, I played basketball in high school)

Now, don't go thinkin' I have no competitive drive whatsoever.  You would be sorely mistaken.  When it comes to school and clubs and leadership roles, be prepared to lose, Mr. AnyOneWhoDaresGoAgainstMe.  Seriously, just try writing a better research paper, because mine has zero spelling mistakes, minimal "be verbs", God-forbid ever a fragmented sentence, and my first draft is most likely the final draft. Boom. Consider yourself "schooled". (I believe the word you're looking for here is "awesome")

And now everyone knows what a big nerd I am.

I've recently also become very competitive when it comes to fitness.  And, fortunately for my own benefit I'm mostly competitive with myself.  I joined a really awesome boot camp I found out about through a LivingSocial deal.  It was only for a month but, if I was going to have access to a kick-ass trainer for a month I was going to make the most of it.  In less than a month I lost over 5% body fat and said to my month-ago-self "Booyah! Take that...myself!!"  So, now that I'm on my own, I have goals set for the next month (the first of which is continue to get up every morning at 5:30 of my own accord.) so that I win against myself again and again and again.

Oh, and speaking of competitiveness, check out this race  obstacle course 3.5 miles of hell I'm doing this weekend!  Warrior Dash - Oklahoma Course!

And here's a pic of one of the obstacles....for your entertainment

I'm baaaaaack!!!!.....hopefully

Okay kids, I'm back at blogging.  I can't seem to get the look and feel that I want, which could have something do to with not being quite as tech-savvy (or as patient) as I need to be to get it there.  So, if anyone would like to offer up their services, I would be much appreciative.  What's that you ask? Don't I work for a software company and thus should know what the heck I'm doing?  Oh you're so funny. Don't be ridiculous.

So, with that said, I'm revamping a little bit so that I can blog about more stuff, and (hopefully) more often. So, not only will I be adding fitness and nutrition, but there will be lots more on working patience (which I need endless lessons on) and hopefully some other fun stuff as I get back into the swing of things. As always, I would LOVE feedback, especially if I EVER get super complainy, or if you'd just like to tell me "be funnier".  My life at work is seriously like an episode of "The Office" so there will no doubt be some fun stories there.

With that said, I'm heading into some new, exciting (to me anyway) changes in life, including a mission trip to Guatemala, moving, and going back to school full time (yikes!) so any words of advice are gladly accepted!  Thanks and please be patient with me while I work on mine....

Sore Muscles = Water Retention

Over the past couple weeks (okay, week and a half) I have been doing some intense workouts.  Actually, after Easter, I set a goal that for 30 days I will wake up early and work out.  So, I started out totally gung-ho....maybe a little overeager, because I started "Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred".....first day, I did the workout in the morning, no problem.  Well, that first morning workout was followed by the first night of kickboxing classes.  Again, no problem......until the next day.  I was SO SORE!  And continued to be sore for the next 3 days (needless to say, for the following 3 days my morning "workout" consisted of stretching out my sore muscles).

So after several days of this, my muscles are still way sore, but feelin' relatively good (My favorite phrase being "hurts so good"), the rest of my body doesn't feel so good.  How can that be? I've been working out like a crazy person and eating healthy food, so why do I not feel much healthier right now?  Well, I found the answer!

runner's blog

My minor freak out - especially when I saw a 5 pound gain in a matter of a few days - was quieted by the above blog:

- You can gain anywhere from 2-4 pounds after an intense workout or event.
- When you're muscles are sore, it means there are tiny tears in the muscle.  In order to repair themselves, they retain water.  This is why you may feel bloated or "sloshy" for a few days after a hard workout.
- After an intense workout, the glycogen in your body is depleted, so when you eat sugar (from either simple or complex carbs) your muscles soak up a lot of it (along with all the water) right away.
- Once your muscles start to heal and feel better, they start getting rid of some of this as waste, causing you to lose the weight you "gained".

Oh yeah, and any time you start a brand new workout, especially if it's more intense than you're used to, your metabolism is known to go a little wonky at first.  So don't get discouraged!  Keep on keepin' on with the workout! It will pay off!