grace, it's amazing

another AWESOME giveaway!

2011-08-14T19:25:00.001-05:00

These selfless ladies are amazing, check out another awesome giveaway here:
http://longlegsontheloose.com/raffle-2/

The Tinkerbell Package

2011-08-14T18:45:00.002-05:00

Who's going to Disneyland? I am!
Check out my Virtual Team in Training teammate's virtual raffle and support her in her fundraising efforts for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:

http://www.runfastermommy.com/2011/08/pixie-dust-for-cure-raffle.html

100 Hour Fundraising Challenge Winner

2011-07-31T09:08:00.006-05:00

Because I LOVE a challenge, I challenged my TNT teammates to a 100 Hour Fundraising Challenge! They were to challenge each other (to challenge their friends) to see who could raise the most funds in 100 hours and they surpassed all my expectations! I am so proud to announce that in 100 short hours we all raised $4472.94 in support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! What an amazing group of people I had the opportunity to lead. We are all winners, but as in every challenge a winner must be named, here are the results of the money we raised in 100 hours:

1st place Melissa Buentello $878.44
2nd place Laurile Higgins $855
3rd place Stacie Sanderson $475
4th place Joshua Hodgkins $455
5th place Celeste Lushkins $380
6th place Victor Chevalier $285
7th place Heather Miller $175
8th place Debi Cone $144
9th place Beth Loftis $120
10th place Allyson Maldonado $111.50
11th place Tracy Higgins $25
12th place Courtney Franson $10

Melissa will be receiving a check for $100 made payable to LLS.

These are amazing totals and we certainly could not have done this without the help of our AMAZING friends! Thank you all so much for contributing to this successful event! We hope you will join us next time! :)

And, in case any one is wondering, I was able to raise $559! If you were unable to make a donation, don't worry- I am still accepting! Make an online donation here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sctx/nikesf11/gmontalvo13I truly hope you will donate today, either in honor of someone fighting cancer, in memory of someone who has been lost to cancer, or in appreciation of yourself or others you love not affected by cancer. Until there is a cure, there is no guarantee that our lives will go untouched by cancer.

For the Cure,
Grace Montalvo

valentine day swap

2011-02-02T09:03:00.003-06:00

so, i have joined Melissa's Valentine Swap and these are the questions i have been asked to answer:

1. Handmade gifts? Love or hate?
i love handmade gifts! gifts given from the heart that have lots of thought put into them are the best!

2. Gift cards? Love or tacky?
impartial.

3. What type of theater do you frequent (like Cinemark, etc)?
regal cinema.

4. Coffee? addict, like, can't stand? Starbucks, home, other?
love, love coffee! starbucks is great as any other...

5. Do you read? Books you've been wanting to read? Type of books you like?
love books! wish i had more time to read them. love self-help, audio is best! :) ebay & amazon are my friends for great deals!

6. 3 Favorite running accessories:
bondi bands, drifit socks are always nice, anything sparkly :)

7. Kids? Ages?
no kids

8. Pets?
2 dogs, german shepherd named justice (right) and rescue dog named rusty (left)

9. 3 things you can't leave home without:
blackberry, laptop & purse

10. 3 Favorite magazines. Current subscription?
runner's world, women's health, people...currently subscribed to all

11. When you are in a running slump, what motivates you?
self-talk

12. Complete the sentence, "My favorite thing about running/exercise is __________"
not feeling guilty for the good eats!

13. Shoe size/t shirt size?
shoe size 7, shirt S or M

14. 3 Favorite Valentine's candies?
anything chocolate

winner, winner, winner

2011-02-01T08:20:00.003-06:00

i want to thank you all for participating in my fundraiser benefiting the leukemia and lymphoma society; together we raised $310! thanks so much to my sponsors:

Bondi Band

Lift your Sole

Laura Elaine Designs

Allied Medal Displays

this could not have been possible without your support! and now, drum roll please.....

TMB Endurance Band (green)- Allyson Maldonado
(black/pink)- Katye of Long Legs on the Loose

Bondi Band (pink 'put your big girl panties...')- Rose of Eat, Drink, and Be Meiri
(black & purple TNT)- Katye of Long Legs on the Loose (yes, again!)
(blue flowered pattern)- Katye of Long Legs on the Loose (i swear i shook them real well)

TNT Necklace- Katye of Long Legs on the Loose (she is one lucky girl!)

Race Bib Book- Kelley Callanen

Allied Medal Display (1)- Allyson Maldonado
(2) Julie Arts of Adventure is out There

$100 Flemings Gift Card- Anna Rando

i wish i had prizes for you all as i am so grateful for your donations! congratulations to the lucky winners! please send me the address you would like me to send your prizes to. i will be emailing you shortly as well.

thanks again for joining the fight against blood cancers!

race recap

2011-01-31T09:22:00.005-06:00

i did it! i finished my first half marathon of the year and PR'ed!! finished in 2:32:11. it really was my best race ever! the majority of my races are done with TNT as a part of the leadership team which usually requires helping the participants do their best. while i try to do my best, i usually find myself just enjoying the race and the company-- not really pushing through. but this race, i gave my all! i ran when i wanted to walk and i sprinted when i thought i couldn't run anymore--it was awesome!

race was in houston; went with my boyfriend, 2 of my TNT teammates who ran & our cheer squad (TNT alumni). i wish i had pictures to share, but the boyfriend stayed w/my camera :( will post soon!

race began at 7am, my friend scott and i started together as we were running the half and our other friend vincent ran the full (with an awesome time of 4:20). the course was congested the first 3 miles so we ran a pretty comfortable pace-- i was able to do these without intervals. after that my buddy was going a little too fast for me to hang on so i told him he was free to leave me. :)

behind him was the 5 hour pacer for the full marathon, so that meant 2:30 for the half which conveniently was my goal! i held on as long as i could, ran to catch up, passed her a few times, then lost her completely. the miles seemed to just peel away as the spectators and the course were awesome!

i met my boyfriend and cheer squad at mile 8.5, i didn't know exactly where they were but knew they would be around there so i did not stop to do intervals again- i knew they'd be watching! they were awesome and just the motivation i needed to run the rest! i felt myself running a little faster and saw buddy scott in the distance, i caught up to him but still could not hang on.

i met him again around mile 10 or so, he was now hurt with a pulled hamstring so was running slower. we kept going back and forth for the rest of the miles and with one mile to go we were at 2:20, i told him my goal is 2:30 i'm not sure i can do it but i'm sure as hell going to try! this would mean running a 10 minute mile, i would have to solely rely on prayer to do this! :)

i ran as hard as i could, then had to walk a bit, then ran hard again, then walked again all the while scott was behind me keeping me in the distance running hard when i walked and trying to catch up to me then said i was going too fast so i was pretty confident i was going to beat him running a comfortable speed the last half mile. that was my new goal since i wasn't sure if i was going to make it at 2:30. well, that sucker snuck up on me out of nowhere and flew by me. i was not having it, i sprint the fastest i had ever run in my life! he came in prob just a half second before me, i really hope they got that on video of photo because that was truly a moment i would like to see! for the first time at a race i was not concerned with my photo finish, all i wanted to do was meet my goals! half a second short of one goal and 2 minutes short of another, i still call that pretty darn good! :)

oh, did i mention it rained the entire time too? real bummer but it was still awesome!

*********************************************************
LAST DAY TO ENTER MY DRAWING IS TODAY! ENTER HERE

I GOT SOME GREAT ITEMS DONATING INCLUDING 2 ALLIED RUNNING MEDAL HANGERS, A RACE BIB BOOK, BONDI BANDS & TMB ENDURANCE BANDS, $100 TO FLEMINGS! AND BEST OF ALL, BEING PART OF SAVING LIVES AS THIS DRAWING BENEFITS THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY!

I hope you will donate today either in honor of someone fighting cancer, in memory of someone who has been lost to cancer, or in appreciation of yourself or others you love not affected by cancer. Until there is cure, there is no guarantee that our lives will go untouched by cancer.
THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE DONATED THUS FAR! COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOUR HELP! **also, there is a change in the time, the drawing will end 8pm central time instead of midnight***

THANKS A BUNCH!

time is running out!

2011-01-28T09:08:00.002-06:00

it's friday! boy, i really hate when people state the obvious but i could not help myself- i am so excited it's finally friday! do you know what this means? it means you have 4 days left to enter my drawing benefiting the leukemia & lymphoma society! if you don't know what's being raffled off, let me share with you once again:

2 TMB Endurance Bands courtesy of TMB.

3 Bondi Band Headbands courtesy of Bondi Band .

TNT Earth Angel Necklace
courtesy of Lift your Sole .

Race Bib Book courtesy of Laura Elaine Designs .

(2)Your choice of any Allied Medal Displays courtesy of Allied Medal Displays.

A $100 Gift Card to Flemings They are Nationwide, check out the locations here. .

ENTER HERE

thanks to those who have already donated! hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
i will be running my first half marathon of the year! see ya real soon!

time flies when you're having fun

2011-01-27T08:31:00.002-06:00

wow, where did the week go? i can't believe tomorrow is friday! great week so far! school is going good, i have to admit i can spend some more time practicing- but that will be next week! my first ACTS meeting was amazing, met some wonderful faith-filled women that i will be meeting once a month for the next 13 weeks. our TNT spring season is underway, all our info meetings are coming to a close and we have kickoff this weekend, woohoo! and sunday, i will be running my first half marathon for the year! yay, me! this is truly going to be a great year!

don't forget just a few days left to enter MY DRAWING!

fabulous items have been donated to include 2 allied medal displays, a race bib book, TNT necklace, $100 gift certificate to flemings, bondi bands & endurance bands! enter today!

spit happens

2011-01-25T10:59:00.003-06:00

the bug is gone and i am finally feeling better! thanks again so much for the well wishes! i'm not 100% but i can run! got my first run in 7 days yesterday...it felt great! yesterday i was able to call myself a "real runner."

you're not a "real runner" until you......spit while you're running! ha! i've always thought it was pretty gross when people do that but noticed many runners do that, it must be a "fast" runner thing because i was going pretty fast! :)
i'm a little ashamed to admit it...but mostly proud! i've always been very lady-like and it was very out of character, but you gotta do what you gotta do! :)
when did you realize you were a "real runner"??

also, don't forget, today is the last week to enter my awesome drawing benefitting the leukemia & lymphoma society! ENTER HERE

blogworld=love

2011-01-21T07:29:00.002-06:00

thank you all so much for your kind words and well wishes. i left work early yesterday and spent the day in bed and taking your advice! you really are too kind, it's like someone took all the nice people in the world and put them in the blogworld! with the exception of those "anonymous" people who write mean comments...looks like we need a super hero to zap them! i am willing to take one for the team, put on my cape and zap them!

while i am feeling better today i am not 100%. i decided to call in and get some more rest. i need that energy to go to the spurs game tonight! :)
i won box seats to the spurs game awhile back and i invited my mom, she is super excited and i can't let her down. i also need my energy for my run tomorrow, yup, i'm going to try it! 6 miles isn't much and lord knows i need the practice! wish me luck!

and one last plug in before i'm off for the weekend, ENTER HERE

for some awesome prizes benefiting the leukemia & lymphoma society! thanks to all who have already donated, it is MUCH appreciated!

wanna win an allied running medal hanger??

2011-01-20T08:57:00.006-06:00

do you need somewhere to hang your precious medals?

be sure to enter my drawing where i am raffling off 2 hangers! thank you so much to allied for donating these gorgeous items!
ENTER HERE

in other news, i have not worked out in 5 days! yes, this is day 5 of not working out for me! :( i am still very sick and what hurts the most is not being able to run or cross train! i have a half marathon in 11 days, this bug really needs to fly away! i hate to be so negative but i can't think of one positive thing about being sick...oh wait, i have no appetite and may lose a pound or two? that's always a plus, right? well, if you can think of any thing else, please let me know because it's no fun being in my position and i really need to be cheered up!

here we go!

2011-01-19T09:37:00.004-06:00

i'm overwhelmed with joy today! i had such a great response to the drawing yesterday; it was awesome hearing the notification on my phone almost all day! i have the best bloggy friends!

remember it's not too late to enter! :) ENTER HERE

also, i won shut up and run's giveaway!

she asked the following questions:

What is your health-related New Year’s resolution this year?
How do you plan to stick to your resolution this year?
What are the best tips you’ve heard to start off right this year, maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle?

and my answers were:
♥ my resolution this year was not lose X amount of weight. it was to loose weight and be healthy by working out daily and eating right. this year i have been cooking most of my breakfast, lunch and dinners!
♥ to keep track i am keeping a calendar with my goals for the month and highlighting them once they've been accomplished. i will also be running at least one race each month for the rest of the year. i have list and am going to cross them off as completed!
♥ to start of the year, i joined John Bingham's 100 day challenge. Its 100 days of at least 30 minutes of movement. After i reach 100 days, I am going to do 100 more and then 156 more to complete a whole year! 356 days sounds like so much, but by breaking it up--it sounds so easy!

so, let me brief you in on the last couple of days! i have lost 3 lbs since the beginning of the year (7 if you want to count holiday weight). i have been cooking most of my meals with the exception of the weekends...i've got to find a way around that!

calendar is still up and running but had to count myself out of john bingham's challenge. after 13 days of working out/training it was becoming a little much. very disappointing at first, but i'm still proud of what i accomplished. on the 14th i had every intention on going to zumba, but a friend invited me to the spurs game. hmmm, workout or spurs game?? that was an easy one for me, i rewarded myself for doing so good by going to the spurs game!

saturday, i hopped back on the train and did 9.5 miles! in 2 hours flat!

sunday, my honey & i went to church (another resolution of mine) & watched football all day. then toward the end of the night felt like i was coming down w/something, so needless to say, no working out then or on monday because i was extremely ill and did not get out of bed all day! that is not how i intended to spend my day off! :(

tuesday, it was back to the grind here at work. although i wasn't 100% i still came & skipped another workout. :(
i did however start school yesterday! very excited about that! i took a year off of court reporting school and i felt it was time to go back and get it done.

i will be carrying a heavy load this semester with school, prepping for a church retreat and training/fundraising for a half marathon but i am ready to take on this challenge!

A drawing benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

2011-01-18T09:03:00.008-06:00

As most of you know, I am entering my 7th season with Team in Training. We train to run marathons while raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This season I am raising money to run the Zooma Austin Half Marathon on April 16th (my birthday weekend)and my goal is to raise $2000! Won't you please enter my drawing to help fight against blood cancers?

Here's how it works, make a donation to my TNT website HERE.

3 Entries for $5.00
5 Entries for $10.00
(this is mandatory to be elgible for the following extra entries)

EXTRA ENTRIES

1. Become a follower of my blog or already be one. Leave a comment.
2. Put a link to this giveaway on your blog and/or facebook page. Leave a comment.
3. Have a blog post specifically mentioning this giveaway. Leave a comment.

2 TMB Endurance Bands courtesy of TMB.

3 Bondi Band Headbands courtesy of Bondi Band .

TNT Earth Angel Necklace
courtesy of Lift your Sole .

Race Bib Book courtesy of Laura Elaine Designs .

(2)Your choice of any Allied Medal Displays courtesy of Allied Medal Displays.

A $100 Gift Card to Flemings They are Nationwide, check out the locations here. .

Drawing will close on January 31st at 8:00pm (central time) and winners will be announced February 1. Prizes will be drawn in order. Help me spread the word, and raise tons of money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!!

Thank you so much to our wonderful sponsors for donating these fabulous prizes! Also, many thanks to Rose and Ronda for entering the sneak preview, each get 1 additional entry!

(we'll return to our regular scheduled blog tomorrow) :)

feeling a little crummy...and not the cake kind :)

2011-01-13T20:28:00.002-06:00

left work early today because i wasn't feeling well. turns out i just needed rest...rest, what a concept! i was just thankful that i had a morning workout because you could not pay me to do anything! rest is just what i needed, felt so good to be curled up snuggled in between blankets! i truly love this weather!

day 13 of 100: 1 hour of zumba & 45 minutes of spin! well, it's no wonder i was tired...woke up at 4am to make a 5:30 class!

don't forget to check out my giveaway HERE

crumbs don't have calories

2011-01-12T21:03:00.003-06:00

so let me just start off by saying, i've been a very bad girl! my coworker decided to bake cookies and brought them in on monday. i resisted the first day, but by day two, i had three --maybe four. then today, i finished them off in addition to cake! lots of cake! had it for breakfast, after lunch and some after that! ...after eating a yummy lunch at paesanos! but, it was the judge's birthday and i just had to have it! isn't it darling? i know, still bad, bad, bad! luckily, my coworker assured me that "crumbs don't have calories." yes, she did catch me eating crumbs of the delicious cake! ugh! i sure hope i don't gain too many pounds for that! that is definitely the last time i do that!

day 12 of 100: awesome 4 mile run on the riverwalk! it was 31 degrees out and it was perfect running weather for me! absolutely loved it! most people in the SOUTH would say i'm crazy, but i would take cold of hot and sunny ANY day!

don't forget to check out my giveaway HERE

that workout totally counts!

2011-01-11T00:25:00.002-06:00

i am so overwhelmed! so much to do and so little time! i've made an executive decision and will be posting a "thank you letter update" every friday rather than every day. i may even write all the letters on friday, not sure yet. the problem is, i have 3 letters written and ready to go-- i just haven't made time to mail them. i need be more prepared next week! i will buy stationary and pre-stamp envelopes and will be ready to go next week! who knows, maybe then you'll get a daily update :)

speaking of thank yous, i have yet to finish the book '365 thank yous.' the book i am basing this idea off of.:( i stayed late again at work and did not pack my gym clothes. i decided i would eat, workout (i intended to do my dallas cowboy cheerleader bootcamp video since i would not be going to the gym), wash 5 loads of laundry since i am way overdo and relax & read! the only thing i did was eat and slept! :( i was so angry when i woke up at midnight and realized that i had ruined my 100 day challenge. i thought, if only it were 11:30 i would totally get up and workout! then i thought, NO! this can't be right, i've worked so hard these last 10 days and i will not accept this. today i made a delivery to 2 different buildings and it took me exactly 30 minutes! the rules say 'at least 30 minutes of movement' and that my friends, was 30 minutes of movement! please help me justify this! and an added bonus is, my pedometer read 18,605 steps! that totally counts! right? right!

day 11 of 100: 30 minute walk!

i met a dixie chick!

2011-01-10T21:34:00.003-06:00

highlight of my day: meeting emily robison from the dixie chicks!

dixie chicks are my absolute favorite and i was thrilled to be meeting her!
she was on our jury panel and sadly not selected to be a part of our jury...i'm just glad i got a picture with her! she was so down to earth and humble; very sweet! one chick down, two more to go! :)

day 10 of 100: 30 minutes on crossramp. i stayed late after work because of this jury trial and i was extremly exhausted. it was 31 degrees out and i did not want to go to the gym! my great friend kelley gave me motivation and thankfully i made it to the gym!

needless to say, kelley gets thank you letter no. 10!

weekend recap/SNEAK PREVIEW GIVEAWAY

2011-01-09T23:30:00.000-06:00

weekends are always fun, but this one i particulary was looking forward to because it was the first friday of the month which means, PUB RUN! different running groups get together and take a 3 mile run to 4 different bars in downtown san antonio. our group really goes all out, this time our theme was 'super heroes' (made up ones anyway)

day 7 of 100: 3 mile run
day 8 of 100: 8 mile run! yeah go me!
day 9 of 100: 30 minute swim
day 10 of 100: 30 minute crossramp

thank you letter no. 7 & 8: i recieved the spurs tickets and flemings giftcard that i previously won, so obviously, the thank you letters went out to them!
thank you letter no. 9: i wrote it to one of my very good friends, kelley! yesterday was 30 degrees out, i stayed late after work and was very tired and did not want to go to they gym, she was a great motivator! and she's always a great friend!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SNEAK PREVIEW BLOG GIVEAWAY

yes! you are the lucky few who will get first dibs on these awesome giveaways/raffle. as most of you know, i am entering my 7th season with Team in Training. We train to run marathons while raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This season I am raising money to run the Zooma Austin Half Marathon on April 16th (my birthday weekend)and my goal is to raise $2000!

here's how it works, make a donation to my TNT website HERE. since this is a sneak preview, YOU chose the amount you donate! a set requirement will be made once all the prizes are announced next monday. after making a donation, leave a comment here and you are in!(this is mandatory to be elgible for the following extra entries)

EXTRA ENTRIES

1. Become a follower of my blog or already be one. Leave a comment.
2. Put a link to this giveaway on your blog. Leave a comment.
3. Have a blog post specifically mentioning/advertising this giveaway. Leave a comment.

3 Bondi Band Headbands courtesy of Bondi Band .

Race Bib Book (similar to the ones pictured)
courtesy of Laura Elaine Designs .

TNT Earth Angel Necklace
(circle charm stamped with the words "TNT Earth Angel," a wing charm, and a purple crystal (similar to the ones pictured)
courtesy of Lift your Sole .

A $100 Gift Card to Flemings They are Nationwide, check out the locations here. .

You have until January 30th(midnight central time) to donate/enter and I'll announce the winners and their prizes on the 31st. Prizes will be drawn in order. I hope you'll enter, help me spread the word, and help me raise tons of money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!! :)

just for the bling of it

2011-01-06T10:10:00.003-06:00

hey! who stopped following me? i went down to 49...oh well, it gives me time to think of an awesome giveaway! :)

so, just joined this awesome challenge run for the bling of it.

i heard about people doing this last year and thought it would be cool to try in 2011, when i found out about this challenge i just couldn't pass it!

my first race will be january 30th, the aramco houston half marathon! it came to my attention that i only have 3 weeks left to train! yikes! good thing i started bingham's 100 day challenge :) they gave a sneak peak of the medal today, featured above :) do you love it? i do!

thank you letter no.6: i wrote this letter to a person i recently met last year running a race who was a part of another TNT running group, stacey. she constantly posts positive messages on facebook bright and early in the morning. she REALLY makes my day. some people post negative stuff and its such a breath of fresh air getting her take on the morning, puts me in a good mood. one morning i found myself asking, 'how would stacey turn this negative situation into a positive one? :)

day 6 of 100: went running w/some favorite girlfriends, 3.9 miles. funny how i have a half marathon in just 3 weeks and that is the highest mileage i have reached! i don't have a time for you because ~~i forgot my watch~~
it was a fun run w/the gals! afterwards we worked on our running capes! yes, we are going to do our monthly pub run tomorrow and our theme is super heroes! stayed tuned, tomorrow i will post pics of the fab event!

my first DNF

2011-01-05T22:22:00.003-06:00

50 followers? yay! welcome to my blog, as i promised i will be hosting a giveaway since we reached 50! any ideas, anything you would like to see given away?

thank you letter no.5: "dear cafeteria, thank you for going up in prices by nearly 40% and having a $5.00 minimum to use my debit card resulting in making myself breakfast on a daily basis." i don't think this is what kralik had in mind, but i truly am grateful. my spinach & feta omelet rocked! now, i didn't send the letter for fear that it might offend someone, but i did post on facebook so that makes it legit :)

day 5 of 100: 5k (DNF), yes i really did just give myself a DNF (did not finish)-my first ever! i attempted a 5k, but really did not feel the run. maybe it was the different route, maybe it was the tourist that were on the different route, maybe it was knowing i had to be at a meeting right after......maybe i was just too damn tired! whatever the case may be it just was not a good run and i use the term 'run' loosely. i ended up walking a whole lot! i may not have completed my race, but i did meet the requirements of bingham's 100 day challenge of 30 minutes of movement! :) so i am not a complete failure :)

just another day in paradise!

2011-01-04T22:10:00.001-06:00

what a great day! my morning would have most likely put someone in a bad mood, but not me! it started w/a GREAT zumba workout! we have a new instructor and she was really upbeat and made an effort to get my name. "muy bien, grace" she kept on saying! maybe it was the praise that she gave me, i don't know but i enjoyed it very much! :) next was a spin class, if you've read my posts you know that i HATE spin, but there are so many positive benefits from it and one of my resolutions this year was to try new things. i have to say i LOVED it! this instructor helped me w/the bike and checked on me during and after class. i've always been intimidated by this class, but not today...i really did love it! i can't wait to go back on thursday!

needless to say, thank you letter no.4 went to the manager of spectrum thanking the employee for treating me so kind and also thanking her for changing the mood at spectrum. this is her first year there and she has undoubtedly made a difference!

day 4 of 100: 1 hour zumba & 45 minute spin....oh yes, and the bad thing that happened to me this morning. i forgot my clothes in my truck which is parked 1.1 miles away, i know this because i used my garmin as i ran there in...THE POURING RAIN! ah, what luck! i got my clothes, rode the bus back to the gym and got ready there. thought i was going to be late for work, but clocked in just in time! phew! :)

and the best part of the day was me getting a call from spectrum, my gym, telling me i won a $500 gift card to flemings and 2 box seats to see the san antonio spurs! how sweet is that?! i won for posting the above picture on facebook and getting the most 'likes' from my friends. i really do have the best friends! :)

and just like that...

2011-01-03T22:17:00.004-06:00

another one to add to the 2011 list is to cook more! last night i made chicken fettuccini w/homemade alfredo sauce! i know for most of you it isn't a big deal, but mine is usually purchased out of a jar! anyway, for those of you who are interested, here is the recipe:

alfredo sauce:
♥ 1 pint heavy whipping cream
♥ 1 stick of of butter
♥ 1 can of parmesan cheese
mix all in a sauce pan on medium heat. garlic salt optional.
...and just like that you have your own alfredo sauce ready for eatin'!

thank you letter no.3: this person shall remain nameless for something she did anonymously. this person is such an amazing person and has done so much for me. this letter was much fun to write...hope i don't get in too much trouble for emailing it :)

day 3 of 100: 5k (37:22) well, i improved by 4 minutes--not too shabby

i will learn it if it kills me

2011-01-02T21:34:00.006-06:00

well, i am doing no. 1 on my list to try in 2011, which is learning how to drive a stick shift. my boyfriend's sister taught me yesterday and my boyfriend taught me again today. it's not as hard as i thought it was, but it sure is not easy. i thought i would be able to drive home from houston but i didn't get very far. oh well, i have all year and i am determined to learn! this will not get put on the back burner!

thank you letter no. 2: my second letter was made out to my boyfriend. we had a difficult time towards the end of the year and he didn't give up on me or us. i have been very blessed with the most wonderful man a girl could ask for. he is always there for me when i need him, helps me see the bigger picture and would do anything on god's green earth for me. i am so grateful that we have found each other, kept each other & keep falling more and more in love w/each other! we had a wonderful weekend in houston together and hope to try new things this year! it's going to be a great one!

day 2 of 100: 4 mile bike ride
boy was that tough! i have not rode my bike in almost a year! i've cycled on a stationary bike and took a couple of spin classes...but this is definitely something i do not enjoy! but def new in 2011 so, hopefully by the end of the year i will learn to love it!

happy new year!

2011-01-01T06:00:00.002-06:00

what a year 2010 has been! it got so busy i did not have time to blog anymore...but i am back and want to try a few new things this year! i ordered a book by john kralik, "365 thank yous." it is an inspiring story about a man who was almost down to nothing and his life was completely changed by simply writing a thank you letter every day for the year of 2008. by the time he was finished he had lost weight, run a marathon, raised money for charities, turned his law firm around, reconnected with old friends and relatives, gotten back together with his girlfriend, and realized his dream of becoming a writer with his first book, 365 THANK YOUS.i haven't read the book yet, but am already inspired to write my first and i'll be sharing you parts of these letters.

thank you letter no. 1: my first letter was written to sarah brannon. she is the one who introduced me to the book so it was only appropriate that i write this letter to her. i met her through team in training (my running group who raises money for the leukemia & lymphoma society); she is an honored hero & cancer survivor! she has been an inspiration to me and it gave me great pleasure to write my first letter to her!

another daily feature will by posts from my 100 day challenge. john bingham is challenging anyone who is up for it to commit to "moving intentionally" for a minimum of 30 minutes per day for 100 days.

day 1 of 100: ran 5k (41:00)
one of my goals this year is to become faster, so the next few weeks i will be running plenty of 5ks in addition to my regular training as i will be running the houston half marathon january 30th!

lastly, i've compiled a list of all the things i want to do new in 2011:
♥ learn to drive a stick shift (my bf's sister started teaching me today)
♥ give more
♥ be punctual
♥ a triathlon (sprint or olympic)
♥ try new things
♥ okay, so my list is small but only because i can't think of all the things
i wanted to do. but i will update this list soon :) most people also give up things and its hard for them to stick w/it. this year, i've decided to give up things 1 month at a time. this month i am giving up sodas. next month i will give up...something & sodas. so, hopefully by the end of the year, i will have given up 12 bad habits. wish me luck!

good news, great news, other news

2010-09-17T12:36:00.006-05:00

wow! i can't believe 2 weeks have passed me by! i guess that means i'm having fun! (or been really busy) whatever the case, i've got news to share!

did you see me on

Courtney's blog?

i was this week's featured runner of the week! (2 weeks ago :))

courtney is also hosting a totally awesome drawing

HERE!

the best part is it's benefiting the leukemia & lymphoma society! yeah!

what you missed last week:
♥ honored hero ice cream social movie night! (hosted by yours truly)
♥ an attempt at a 3 mile run (shins still not doing good) :(
♥ wine tasting benefiting the leukemia & lymphoma society
♥ weekend of a waste: sick, sick, sick oh and hurt--but on a positive note, my boyfriend did take care of me and we got to spend all weekend in bed!

what you missed this week:
♥ not much! :)
♥ sports doc on monday
♥ new pair of running shoes

♥ MY FIRST RUN SINCE LABOR DAY! YEAH! it wasn't a great run, but i was just happy to run! need to do more conditioning and speedwork. i need to do a lot of catching up in order to train for my upcoming marathons!

tonight....GREY'S ANATOMY!! i can't wait, can you?

here comes the sun

2010-09-09T16:15:00.004-05:00

well, they canceled practice last night and here's why!
<--------------------------------------

our route was completely under water! i guess that's what we get for asking for rain! well, the sun is finally up and good times await! it's thursday afternoon and the weekend it almost here! i know it was only a 4-day work week, but boy were we busy! i'm finally caught up w/my work and now taking a break to enjoy this wonderful watermelon! ah, this is heaven!

bring on the rain

2010-09-08T14:50:00.004-05:00

i jinxed myself! turns out, i was only able to go 7 days without fast food! but in my defense, it was pouring rain! i did really well to pack my lunches for the week but forgot to defrost something...anything for dinner! :(
oh well, we can try again! even if i eat fastfood just 3 times this month that will be an accomplishment for me!

yesterday was also my first day off my shins. i will say this, not working out= laziness! i ate and went straight to bed! i really hope my shins heal or this will have been a waste! :) at least it was raining so it was very relaxing listening to the rain. i adore the rain!

what i love about rain?

♥ snuggling
♥ white chocolate mocha
♥ the smell before & after
♥ doing absolutely nothing
♥ rainbows

looking forward to my turkey burger & sweet potatoe fries after practice! i will not be running but my teammates will...i think i make a better cheerleader than a runner anyway :)

what a wonderful weekend!

2010-09-07T14:06:00.007-05:00

i would like to begin this blog by telling you that i am 7 days fast-food free!! i didn't say i've been eating healthy, but i have not had a bite of fast food in 7 whole days! that's a huge accomplishment for me! only 23 more days to go! actually, i'm hoping to break the habit!

[friday] i had an early airrosti appointment and decided to take the rest of the day off. the session went well, but still was not able to run on saturday :( i was very productive for a day off. i cooked and cleaned, went grocery shopping, did laundry, did the dishes twice! and if you know me, you know that i HATE dishes! i also spent the day packing my lunch for the week, slicing fruit and putting into containers. i bought these awesome containers (pictured above) at walmart 3/$1.50!! i bought several! i packed turkey, pepper jack cheese & spinach sandwiches, carrots & a small spinach salad in each. i also packed some spinach, grilled chicken w/parmesan cheese in others. a yummy treat!

[saturday] i intended to run 12 miles, but my shins had a mind of their own. they still hurt and i ended up walking only 10. another participant on the team, alyson, had the same problem w/her shins so we walked together- i sure hope we heal soon! after practice i made a mad dash home to shower and change and met mom at the movies. we saw EAT, PRAY, LOVE! such a great movie! i read the book and absolutely loved it! as always the book is way better, but i must say i was impressed by the movie! julia roberts did a great job...and i'm not saying that because she's my favorite actress either! i left the movies and headed to meet the boyfriend to go shopping for his one-year-old neice and then to her birthday party! birthday parties are more fun when you have kids...we have no intention of having kids, but i should have brought my god-daughter! too bad the kid had prior engagements! :)

[sunday] my boyfriend and i spent the day at seaworld. apparently everyone else in san antonio had the same idea! needless to say, we did not stay very long. however, we did have a lot of fun feeding the dolphins! precious, isn't she?

[monday] the annual labor day whine run! and i did whine a lot! my shins hurt sooo much and i think i will be staying off it for awhile. it's only when you're hurt that you notice the other hurt people on the course looking like idiots determined to finish at any expense! here is lila, me & kelley before the race:

and us w/a few fellow TNTers enjoying some wine afterwards! sangria to be exact!

then we spent the rest of the afternoon bbq'ing at kelley's house. we ate and drank and ate a lot more! a perfect way to end the wonderful weekend!

3 things thursday

2010-09-02T11:01:00.007-05:00

hello blog world and "welcome" to my new followers! i've notice quite a few new faces and i'm so glad to have you along! when i reach 50 followers, we will have a giveaway! so tell your friends about me :)

sorry to have been MIA yesterday, but work has been busy! and also, writing a post after guest blogger, katye, now that's very intimidating! thanks again for your wonderful post

katye of http://longlegsontheloose.com/

1. i joined someones challenge, jillian micheals 30 day shred, and had every intention of starting yesterday. i woke up early and put the dvd in...it started playing, but then got to the part where you have to select a scene-- i lost my remote years ago and could not switch selections! so much for that! but while making my breakfast & lunch it did give me the idea to only make food: no more fast food! i am challenging myself not to eat fast food for the rest of the month! i may give myself a little leeway on the weekends, but during the week absolutely no fast food! let's see if i can do this?? can you?

2. last night's practice didn't go too well. now, my other shin is bothering me! (but not to fret, i made another airrosti appt for tomorrow so hopefully i'll be healed for my 14 mile run!) i walked the whole way...and don't think i quite made it to 4 miles. i did ice when i got home and foam rolled. i am completely in love w/foam rolling! it is instant relief...for the moment anyway! will keep ya posted!

3. katye also awarded me with the "cherry on top award." yay for my second award! :)

The Rules:

1. Answer this question: If you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?

that is a very hard question because i truly believe all the choices i have made, right or wrong have made me the person i am today. i think kenny chesney says it best in one of my favorite songs,

a lot of things different.

i would definitely have taken more risks and less chances. after hearing this song, i have made a conscious effort to live by these lyrics.

2. The second thing you have to do is, pick 6 people and give them this award. You then have to inform the person that they have gotten this award.

lindsay of http://www.chasingthekenyans.com/.

april of http://mommysfitfortheking.blogspot.com/.

christina of http://www.sistersrunningthekitchen.com/.

brooke of http://smartstrongsexy.blogspot.com/.

andrew of http://runningmanwannabe.blogspot.com/.

destination 26.2 of http://destination262.wordpress.com/.

3. The third and final thing is, thank the person who gave you the award.

thank you

katye of http://longlegsontheloose.com/.

for the lovely award and again for guest blogging!

HAPPY THURSDAY EVERYONE!

a visit from long legs on the loose

2010-08-31T14:59:00.006-05:00

hey everyone, please welcome my very first guest blogger!

katye from long legs on the lose

her and i met through virtual team in training and ran the princess half marathon! she was also my inspiration for creating a blog so i thought it was very fitting that she be my first guest blogger! here's what she had to say:

Hey all! This is Katye from www.longlegsontheloose.com. When my TNT buddy Grace asked me to write a guest post I had 100 ideas running through my head but decided to funnel down and eventually chose the topic of "Race Training and Weight Loss". Although this article will focus on marathon training, it can apply to any distance! Before I write anything further please note I am in now way a doctor or nutritionist (I don't think I 1 year as a exercise science and nutrition major counts) however, I am a run and walk coach and I'm pulling on my own experience as well as those of others.

I'm sure you've thought to yourself before or at least heard someone else say, "Wow I am going to train for this race and the weight is just going to fly off!". Common misconception. You're upping your mileage so it would only make sense for the number on the scale to decrease right? But go ahead and think about the last race you ran. Part of the true beauty of running is all the different people you see at races! You see all different ages, body types, sizes, paces, etc. and chances are someone who doesn't necessary look like a fit runner will kick your more trim butt. Why is this? Sometimes you might even see your weight go up during race training. Yep I said it. You may actually gain weight while marathon training. Before I continue I will say I in no way condone weighing yourself on a daily or even weekly basis (unless you see a doctor or specialist who asks you to). Honestly I believe scales are liars and mood alters. I won't go to far into it but I spent years being a slave to the number on the scale suffering from various eating disorders, mainly bulimia and exercise bulimia. I let the number on the scale completely determine my opinion of myself. Depending on what that number was I would either hate or like myself. Of course I never loved myself. The number was never low enough. But I went through treatment and continue to keep myself in check but although I've gained 30 much needed lbs in the past 4 years, I am currently the healthiest and happiest I ever have been! Remember, race training is about loving and appreciating your body for what it can do and accomplish! Not about what it looks like.

Ok so to get down to it. Why don't we drop crazy lbs during training? Why might we gain some weight? Chances are in you are training for an endurance event, you are a fairly active person to begin with. I understand some people begin training having never done any form of exercise for years and that's great! But those are not the people I'm talking about here so keep that in mind. So here are a few questions to ask yourself.

Are you drinking too many calories?
This is very easy to do whether your training or not! Many beverages like juice, soda, and alcohol are packed with sugar and calories and its much easier to forget about those calories than it would be if you were eating something calories dense. The same is true for sports drinks. They are typically filled with sugar which isn't always a bad thing, you do need to restore those electrolytes while training!, BUT you really only need these sports drinks when exercising for over and hour and they should never replace water. Now some companies are offering lighter versions of these drinks like G2 and Vitamin water light but they still have a decent amount of sugar. If you really feel you need a sports drink more often than every 5 miles or so trying mixing your favorite sports drink with water at a 50/50 ratio. Also be careful of recovery drinks and smoothies. These can be great! But if your not careful you can pack just as many calories as you just burned in one serving. Just because its form a health food store does not mean you don't need to check the nutritional info!

Are you over fueling?
Easy mistake to make and I think we are all guilty of this at one time or another. You know you have a long run in the morning so you may let yourself eat a few extra simple carbs than usual. OK, seriously I love carbs and they are a wonderful thing that our bodies NEED, especially if you are an athlete; but when you know you will be doing so serious mileage in the morning, it sometimes a little easier to let yourself over indulge and grab a few extra pieces of white bread or a few extra scopes of white pasta then you know you need. Carbs are wonderful, but make sure you are getting complex carbs from fruit, vegetables, and whole grains and go a little lighter on the simple carbs like white bread and sugary foods.

Are you better hydrated?
Believe it or not, when you are adequately hydrated you weigh more. And no this doesn't mean bloat. Your muscles are made mostly of water. When they are working hard they need more water. More water in your body means a heavier body, not extra fat!

Are you training in addition to or instead of your typical activity?
Are you running miles in addition to your normal activity or in place of it? It is common for some people to rest more during training, thinking, “Wow I ran far...I can relax the rest of the day”. Also, are you now skipping your pilates class, weight lighting, sports, swimming, or whatever it is you used to do? I completely understand the time commitment that endurance training takes and let's face it, we can't always do it all. But just remember, if you replace all that other activity with miles, you won't see any drops in weight (which is fine!). Although I don't suggest fully stopping your other workouts. Cross training is necessary for safe running! Throw in some pilates, yoga, stretching, and STRENGTH TRAINING every once in a while. So much of running is about your core and upper body...don't neglect them =)

Are you allowing too many post run "rewards"?
First of all I hate that starting as young children, we are rewarded with food. But that is a different story. Unfortunately our minds tend to focus on "rewarding" ourselves for a job well down with calorie dense junk food. I am very guilty of this one as well! Its so easy to get in an awesome race and than stop for a huge greasy breakfast to "refuel". Honestly, I think this is great! every once in a while. But not every run or even every week! Refuel yourself with something with a little more substance than pancakes. After a long run, your body needs a good mix of protein, carbs, and fat to recover. Skip the waffle or sundae (save that for special occasions) and go for an egg sandwich on a whole grain english muffin, and Turkey and cheese sandwich, even a peanut butter and jelly! Yes you are working hard but if you are always compensating your runs with calories, of course you aren't going to be losing weight. I do fully condone the post race celebration though =)

And last but not least the cliche but so true...Are you building muscle mass?
Muscle weighs more than fat. Period. Don't let this become and excuse but it just proves that the number on the scale is not the most accurate way of measuring your fitness. In stead of that number, try measuring inches or how your clothes fit =)

Okay well that is it from me! Thank you Grace for offering me the chance to guest blog!

thanks so much katye for taking time out of your busy schedule to share such an interesting and informative post! i myself have a big problem with post-run "rewards," i will definitely need to cut down during the training season (and then make up for it post-race)!

weekend recap

2010-08-30T09:40:00.004-05:00

what a weekend! if you want a social life, join TNT! i can't remember the last time i've been so busy...oh yes, the last time i was involved w/TNT! :)

thursday night we enjoyed the night w/TNT friends at a casino night fundraiser! it was a lot of fun! wasting away fake money is the best! not too mention we won some real money in a 50/50 raffle, $75 buckaroos! we also came out the big winners winning 6 bottles of wine, a wine tasting for 8, golf for 2 and a box of cigars! the night couldn't have been anymore fun!

after work on friday, i went to bed at 6pm and didn't wake up until 4:30am for our morning run! another 12 miles under the belt! the weather was perfect, low 60s a rarity in texas! i'm praying for more days like these!

and in the evening, a real treat to reward our 12 mile run! TNT friends celebrating a birthday! (birthday boy not featured) we went out to eat at the yard house & then dancing at a club called klusoz. lots of fun!

i definitely need to get used to this because i felt like such an old lady calling it a night early...especially spending all day sunday in bed! (although i really did enjoy that!) what i didn't like is that i ate pretty much all day! i don't know why i think running entitles me to eat everything in sight??! hopefully i snap out of it soon!

my first virtual race update

2010-08-26T10:16:00.005-05:00

i finished

MCM MAMA's 'Mama Goes Masters' Virtual Race .

last night! I had a great time despite some of my obstacles...

here's me at the start of my race holding my race bib. the race director forgot to pack safety pins in the packet-- i bet he is getting a lot of complaints!

as you can see, i am wearing my "official race gear." no race is complete w/out my purple jersey! i decided to join this race not only because i wanted to celebrate mama's 40th birthday, but also because 1) i have never ran a virtual race 2) i had the option of doing 4.0 miles 3) conveniently, my team practices on wednesday nights and does a 4 mile run! how perfect for me! so unlike most of my fellow racers i actually had my team out there.

i have been suffering from some shin splints for awhile now and julia, a first-time participant, needed a running partner so it was pretty perfect for both of us because i needed to run a slower pace. she's not that slow actually and ran an awesome 4 miles! she recently started a blog as well, stop by

saving lives one mile at a time

and check her out!
here we are mid run:
i'm extremely short so she is squatting down as much as she could. :)

the run was good and the conversation was better, before we knew it we were at the "finish line." woohoo!

i don't have an official time because my garmin finally went out :( good thing i had a race chip on-- maybe the race director can figure it out! :)

grace goes virtual

2010-08-25T09:31:00.004-05:00

well, so much for blogging to hold me accountable. i missed my plyometric class last night-- i'll blame it on the rain! (had to blame somebody) :)

but tonight will be different! we are scheduled for another wed night 4 mile group run...after reading

P's blog

yesterday, i had the idea of joining

MCM MAMA's 'Mama Goes Masters' Virtual Race .

to celebrate her 40th birthday!!

i'm super excited about running my first virtual race! hoping to have as much as P did--seriously check out her hilarious race update, absolutely loved the video! and she looked cute running it!

check back tomorrow for my race update and pictures!

oh, what a summer!

2010-08-24T09:58:00.010-05:00

wow! it's been almost 2 months since my last post; life hasn't gotten busy! it would take forever to update you, so i will just touch on the highlights! :)

summer started off w/a bang! our team went tubing and had a blast!

not only do we work hard, we play hard too!

went on my first trip to NY w/my boyfriend and his old roommate. we had an amazing time! trip began w/lunch at figaro's; pizza and, of course, beer! the pizza was absolutely delicious! did a little shopping and exploring around times square. next morning a saturday run! that's right, running while on vacation! (i'm the mexican in the pink skirt)

i intended to run 10 miles (because that's what my team back home was doing), but i chickened out at 7 miles. didn't want to exhaust myself, of course! ;) running w/TNT's NY chapter was amazing! ran w/some really sweet girls who called me "texas" and they laughted at me when i said "y'all." they were all great, supportive, welcoming--expected nothing less from fellow TNT'ers!

went to madame tussads & went up the empire state building- the view was breathtaking! we enjoyed the view of the city at night there and the next at top of the rock during the day, both were amazing but i enjoyed the view during the day better. we visited the statue of liberty, ground zero & got to experience a yankee game! it was awesome, the fans are crazy! one yankee fan threw a beer over a redsox fan-- i don't condone any of it, but it made really good entertainment! we did a lot of tours the next day including the nbc studio tour and radio city hall. we went in st patrick's cathedral-absolutely amazing! we went out and met some "friends" from jersey! they were really sweet and fun! we danced and drank the night away, definitely a night to remember! our last day was spent at the museum of natural history- i really wish we were able to visit more museums, but they were so huge you really need a whole day to visit! i felt like the days were going so fast and we didn't have time for anything! oh and we also visited central park our last day and got a tour on a pedi-cab. it was a delight! i can't wait for our next visit there!

my first day back, even though i was still on vacation, that did not mean i was able to sleep in! finally went to see an airrosti doctor for my shin splints that had been hurting me a couple weeks before my trip. it was EXTREMELY painful, but after my last treatment (this past friday) i feel GREAT! that afternoon was spent w/my family, TNT family that is! recommitment dinner! this is where all the participants recommit to finish the training and fundraising for the nike and san antonio marathons! pictured below are: lisa, our honored hero & my reason joining TNT; amy & debbie, my running buddies and fabulous duo; and to my right is carla, my newest running buddy- we actually run the same pace!

and the next day, a fundraiser to support the leukemia & lymphoma society, a bachelorette auction! pictured below are more fellow teamates: kelley, my running buddy (when i can keep up w/her); lisa, a tnt participant and bachelorette; victor, tnt alumni who bought the lovely lisa! oh and that's me on the left :)

always a great night w/TNT! as of right now we are up to 14 miles! (i'm at 12 miles because NY set me back, but i'll be fine) and i'm back to blogging because i feel this is the only way to hold me accountable! so with that...

saturday: 12 miles
monday: 30 crossramp/1 hour yoga
tonight: 1 hour of plyometrics!

and through it all i managed to maintain my weight of 138. let's see how many lbs i can lose 'til the end of september!

marathoner turns derby girl?

2010-07-07T09:12:00.007-05:00

yesterday i did something i never thought i'd do...i tried out for the roller derby team! a couple years ago, i convinced my very good friend jennie to run a marathon with me and now she ~~convinced~~ made me try out with her.

the last time i skated was probably when i was 12 years old, about the same for her. who knows what we were thinking when we decided to do this because our skills were probably about as good as a 12 year old or worse! we got to the rink an hour earlier to practice a bit. i think we held on to the rail our first time around! it was so hard. not like i remembered! i could not even turn nor stop. it was horrible. i was determined to get better because i was an excellent skater back in the day, or so i'd like to think.

after several more circles around the rink we got a little better. and by that i mean we were no longer losing balance and crashing into the walls. oh yes, i crashed into the wall a few times. once i went right into it trying to stop, i hurt me knee really bad. i sat out for a few minutes but went right back out there.

we then met the girls on the team. they made us feel very welcomed. told us what to expect in the assessment they would be giving us. everyone was super friendly. they put is in line, jennie being first and me second. they made us do a number of things like skating in a scissor position, t-stops, cross t ( i think that's what they called it) skating w/one leg, hopping, etc. things we've never tried much less were ready for. we tried as best as we could but in the end we didn't make the team. it was a great experience. had a lot of fun in the process and met some pretty awesome chicks.

i had so much fun i think i will be practicing all month in order to try out next time--on my own free will of course! jennie was happy to hear that. of course we haven't done any of the pushing and shoving yet and i am almost positive that is where i will want out! will keep you posted!

oh happy day!

2010-07-06T10:49:00.002-05:00

good tuesday morning! hope everyone had a great 4th of july weekend! mine was fantastic! my boyfriend and i went to houston for a little getaway. its actually in richmond, just outside of houston, his parents own a little country home- just perfect for us! very peaceful and relaxing.

we rented movies. ate out a lot! i did run 4 miles w/our team on sat morning and another 2 miles on sunday. he and i were watching triathlon, the ultra marathon in hawaii 2009. it was so inspiring. people w/disabilities finishing the impossible, i was so amazed. it also inspired my boyfriend to challenge me to a 2 mile run, he is not a runner nor does he participate in ANY physical activity whatsoever. i took on the challenge and he did great on the first mile, he was leading and i caught up to him because he began to walk. i told him endurance is EVERYTHING! i ran a little more in front of him as to show off, then came back for him as i knew he was in pain-- we shook hands and called it even, but we both who the real winner was.

we went to dinner afterwords at a local restaurant, swampys. pretty neat restaurant, so-so food. we went to buy fireworks afterwords. popped them, just him and i. drank a couple bottles of wine and ate junk food. it was awesome!

next morning, more junk food! we can never take a houston trip w/out visiting james coney island! they have the best chili dogs! mmm, mmm, good!

our mini-vacay was complete. went driving around, had coffee, some more lounging around. just perfect! if it's possible to fall in love all over again, i think i just did! ♥

my first award

2010-06-30T15:34:00.003-05:00

yay! i'm super excited to receive my first bloggy award! i was hoping this day would come :) i would like to thank chloe from tryin' to throw my arms around the world for this wonderful honor!

so, as a recipient of the "versatile blogger award" i am to share 6 or 7 things about myself. here goes!

ONE. i just recently conquered my fear of needles! i used to be deathly afraid of needles but my dr insisted once and it wasn't that bad. i then decided to give blood since i'm a big advocate of saving lives!

TWO. as you may or may not know, i'm a marathon runner! i have been running since 2006 with team in training benefiting the leukemia & lymphoma society collectively raising over $20,000 in the last 4 years! i've ran 1 marathon and 5 half marathons...currently training for the san antonio rock n roll marathon! on a mission to meet 26.2 again! my favorite? it's a tie between the nike marathon & the disney princess 1/2 marathon!

THREE. i'm a hypochondriac! when you're around me, please don't ever mention that something is wrong with you because chances are it's contagious and i already have it! or in this case, don't blog about because i will be blogging about it the next day :)

FOUR. i will be making my first visit to NYC in august! i am super excited, so if anyone knows of any must see or dos, please share!

FIVE. my boyfriend and i have been together for five years. he is the love of my life and my very best friend. our very first date was on valentine's day. he sent me roses anonymously, took me for dinner at my favorite restaurant, then out for drinks and a game of pool. it was a perfect night that i will always remember!

SIX. i'm a hopless romantic who believes in happy endings.

and now the fun part! i get to give the award away! winner, winner, winner:

P, from Adventures of an Average Athlete

emz, from If I can't convince you - - I'll at least confuse you.

kelly, from kelly leigh gets busy

lara lee, from dawn of a beginning

and........drum roll please,
brooke, from Smart + Strong = Sexy

wow, it is better to recieve than give in this case- that was a lot of hard work :)
hope you like your award as much as i liked mine!

ten things tuesday

2010-06-29T14:10:00.006-05:00

1. had a wonderful weekend, much deserved after the horrible week i had! we had our first TNT potluck w/all teams (marathon, hike & tri). here's a pic of a few of us, it totally looks like we're praying or something- really wish i knew what we were doing. :)

2. i didn't run w/my usual running buddy, one because she ran too fast and two because i stayed and ran w/another teammate, ronni. i then found out she is a survivor! she is such an amazing, strong, beautiful woman! i am in awe of her faith and self-motivation, she will be running the nike marathon in october! so happy for her!

3. my god-daughter turned 5! well not really, but she'll be w/her dad in july so we thought we'd celebrate early. time has really flown by so fast!

4. i woke up monday morning to a washed truck! i ♥ daddy!

5. i also chose to have a good day yesterday- guess what, i did!

6. my love and i went to see toy story 3 last night! absolutely adorable! my new favorite disney movie! ♥ ♥ ♥

7. this morning a lot of things went wrong but it's amazing when you chose to be happy, nothing can tear you down!

8. tonight- cash bash! i get to see my team again and tell them all about fundraising opportunities!

9. my gym bag is packed and i intend to get back on the treadmill tonight! hopefully i don't get forced to go out to eat w/the team :)

10. oh happy day! hope your day is as good as you want it to be! chose to be happy!

just let me wine today, tomorrow's another chardonnay

2010-06-24T09:22:00.003-05:00

yay! today is thursday, just one more day of this dreadful week! :)
i swear i'm usually not such a pessimist, but this really has been one of the worst weeks ever! not only because a dear friend has passed, but because it was very blah, very dull and boring and depressing! haven't lost any more weight, haven't had the energy to try! last night's group run was pathetic! i had to stay behind while my running partner passed me up- i just know it's because i haven't worked out all week. and boohoo, looks like i'm out of the juneathon challenge! :(
it was fun while it lasted, and yes i did drown my sorrows in a glass of wine! i deserve it!

anyway, i am in brighter spirits today. hoping for a great weekend and a great week to follow! new goals and new workout plans!

dancing in the rain

2010-06-22T09:49:00.005-05:00

yesterday i lost a great friend and role model to cancer. in 2006, i joined team in training to help fund a cure for cancer. i had no connection to cancer, didn't even know anyone who had it. over the past 4 years i've met so many people who have been affected by it and yesterday, tim was the first person i knew who died from it.

tim palmquist was a high spirited man. always had a smile on his face. he hired me at the job i am employed today. he worked here 35 years...it's hard to believe he won't be coming back. we've known for awhile that his last days would soon come to an end. the days leading up to it were very sad. we had a conversation that i will forever hold in my heart. he was ready to die. he lived a great life and was part of a clinical trial. sadly, the trial did not save him but may be the reason someone else lives. we cried together as he told me how proud he was of all that i do to help fund a cure. i truly don't believe i can stop any time soon until we find a cure. no family should have to endure something so terrible.

so, today i try and enjoy life. try to forget the blah day i had yesterday. ignore the petty things that ruined my morning like forgetting my phone, accidentally throwing my pedometer in the wash and someone stealing my spare tire from my truck! life is too short to worry about the small things in life. today i chose to make the most of life! i chose to dance in the rain rather than wait for the storm to pass!

blah

2010-06-21T10:04:00.003-05:00

well, looks like i didn't get chosen for win, lose or blog-- but i'll still keep up with it here. i guess i'll take it as a compliment in that they don't think i have much weight to lose :)

tomorrow's another weigh in. not worrying terribly as i usually am, hope this doesn't mean i'm giving up. monday's are just so blah. i feel blah right now. didn't feel like coming into work, don't feel like working, don't feel like working out tonight, blah, blah, blah!

well, don't have much more to say than "blah" so i guess i'll close for now. tomorrow will be a better day! :)

2010-06-21T08:57:00.000-05:00

juneathon day 18: zumba
juneathon day 19: 4 mile run
juneathon day 20: weights

2010-06-18T09:17:00.001-05:00

juneathon day 17: 2 miles

the road less traveled

2010-06-17T09:18:00.002-05:00

yes, i'm aware my title and picture do not coordinate; however, that is exactly where i ended up yesterday following "the road less traveled" onto the riverwalk!

my intentions were to take the bus from downtown about 2 miles north. i was at the stop early and thought this can't be too much further, i'll walk a bit and maybe catch another bus along the way. before i knew it, i was lost! i'm pretty familiar w/downtown (especially since i lived here for about 2 years), but i was in unknown territory. i tried taking the backstreets toward my destination, but i should've known better--i have no sense of direction! i ended up at the riverwalk, midday, scorching 85 degree weather! H-O-T! it ended up taking me about 40 minutes to walk 2 miles, i'm pretty sure it was further than that! anyway, i got to where i needed (drenched in sweat, eeew) and luckily there was a bus stop nearby when i was ready to head back. it was a lovely adventure! and i did get an additional 2 miles in, not bad! :)

my feet were hurting so bad when i got back to work. i decided to leave work early and head for a manicure and pedicure. it was perfect! except for the fact that i was now running late for practice. oops! i raced to practice and stopped at the nearest gas station for a change of clothes. inevitably, my nails and toenails are bit messed up!
note to self: never get pampered before a run!

the run was great! i can definitely tell i'm getting back into the hang of this! i'm so excited for the actual race! a few of our teammates are leaving to seatle next weekend for their race, we got all teary eyed at dinner talking about the inspiration dinner and event weekend! i'm so excited for them...and wish i was going!

yes, i did say dinner. we went out again last night, but i've decided i'm not going to dwell on my diet anymore. as long as i don't gain anyomore weight, i'll be fine. but i'm definitly going to stay away from fastfood/junk food. for as long as i can. :) i think it will become natural. let's hope so anyway!

2010-06-16T22:14:00.001-05:00

juneathon day 16: 5 miles! woohoo

am i afraid of the scale or is the scale afraid of me?

2010-06-16T08:58:00.005-05:00

not really thrilled w/myself this week. somehow i managed to gain back 4lbs! i know i've been bad, but i don't think i've been that bad! someone please tell me this is muscle fat that i'm gaining! it has to be, cause while i haven't been eating the greatest, i have still been working out.

i didn't do jillian michaels like i wanted to. i didn't have vigorous workouts this week. i walked on my treadmill instead of ran...okay, okay, i guess i see where i messed up. besides the fact that i haven't been following my diet book :)

that's actually when i started gaining the weight, when i stopped following the book, stopped drinking my green smoothies & stopped working out as hard. okay, i know where i went wrong- now i need to fix it! i'll try and eat well the rest of the week, but on monday, it's back on the diet for me! then maybe i can bring out jillian's 30 day shred again!

this is going to be hard, but this is going to be worth it! i want to be able to face the scale w/confidence next time!

start weight(06/02/10): 141
(06/08/10): 136
(06/15/10): 140
goal weight: 110

2010-06-15T23:57:00.004-05:00

juneathon day 15: 2.5 miles + elliptical

juneathon day 14: 50 min (walking) on the dreadmill aka treadmill

i've got a date w/jillian tonight!

2010-06-14T15:32:00.007-05:00

i hate reporting after the weekend! i was a bad, bad girl! very scared of weighing in tomorrow. actually, the whole week i haven't been eating as good as i did the first week. i would really like a do-over please!

lots of fast food, mexican food, chinese food...i have no excuses. it made me happy :)

i guess this means i'll have to workout more this week! i ordered the jillian micheals, 30 day shred dvd! it came in sat and i'm super excited to start today!

juneathon day 13: weights

2010-06-12T10:19:00.002-05:00

juneathon day 12: 2.3 miles, 30 minutes elliptical, 30 mins cycling!

2010-06-11T21:15:00.002-05:00

juneathon day 11: basketball baby!

2010-06-10T22:34:00.001-05:00

juneathon day 10: 1 hour of high energy zumba!

just say no

2010-06-10T09:34:00.004-05:00

losing 5lbs has sure put a damper on things. i'm scared to eat anything for fear that i may gain it back! well, i guess not that scared--we went to texas land and cattle for lunch yesterday, (my boss took me- i had no choice) i ordered a grilled chicken ceasar salad. i think that's the first time i walked out of there not being stuffed! i usually order the chicken fried chicken which pretty much is the size of the plate itself, and i don't stop eating until it's gone! so, i guess i did okay although my "diet" doesn't consist of any meat w/my salad.

then i had a great 3 mile run at my gym. followed by another 2 mile run outdoors w/my tnt team. it was great! i can't stop saying such great things about my teammates, they are all so nice, friendly & outgoing. i know i've said it before, but this is going to be a great season!

after practice, and here's we're i hated myself in the morning, we went out for drinks! i only had one, and it was an mgd64- only 64 calories, how can it be that bad? i also ordered fish tacos, they were yummy...and i snacked on some sweet potato fries. i really hope these eats don't make it harder for me to lose weight this week or worse gain back a few pounds. i'll just have to workout a little harder these next few days!

also, i had no problem packing a lunch today! a delicious greek salad awaits! dinner will light as well! i feel like i should be wearing one of those sandwich signs saying "do not feed the human!" no more food for me, please! :)

juneathon day 9: 5 miles!

i lost 5lbs!

2010-06-09T11:15:00.002-05:00

so, i weighed in last night and i lost 5lbs! i was hoping to lose 2lbs, but i am not complaining- i just hope to be consistent w/this weight loss!

start weight (06/02/10): 141
current weight (06/08/10): 136
goal weight: 110

i guess i'll be continuing this diet after all! although i did veer from the book last night. i treated myself w/a turkey burger on ezekial bread w/sweet potato fries!

i swear it tasted better than it looked! jumping back on the horse today! we also start our first wednesday practice w/our team tonight! not looking forward to running in this humidity though!

2010-06-08T19:21:00.003-05:00

juneathon day 8: 3 miles + 20 min of cycling!

today is the day!

2010-06-08T12:39:00.003-05:00

last night's dinner: pecan crusted chicken w/green beans and baked sweet potato!

it was delicious! as was this morning's breakfast, egg frittata!

although, i do have to break it to you. today is day 7 of my diet also known as the day i always give up! after breakfast i could not bring myself to drink my morning smoothie. my body would not have it. i couldn't pack a lunch either, i do not want another salad!! it's now lunchtime and i am hungry! i may go down to our office cafeteria and grab a grilled cheese sandwich, i really can't have another salad. i hope i can eat a sensible dinner tonight and not give up because i am doing so well. at least i think i'm doing well, today we shall see! today's the day i find out if i've lost any weight! my goal is to lose 2lbs a week. if i lose 2lbs today, i will be ecstatic! probably the only motivation that will keep me on this diet! so, wish me luck in that i lose those 2lbs this evening!

2010-06-07T19:26:00.002-05:00

juneathon day 7: 3 miles + 20 min elliptical!

weekend recap

2010-06-07T15:46:00.005-05:00

finally, blogger is back up! anyone have the same problem? didn't seem like it as i kept seeing new posts and getting upset because i could not comment on them!

anyway, happy to report i had a great weekend! tnt kickoff was saturday morning and it was a great one! a full house w/lots of eager participants, it's going to be a great season! afterwards went to the gym and ran 4 miles and 20 minutes on the elliptical while watching a movie on lifetime! this elliptical thing sure is getting easier! afterwards my honey and i went to hooters and a comedy show, we saw comedian, pablo francisco, very funny guy!

followed my "diet" pretty much all weekend. at hooters had some naked wings and celery sticks. (okay, maybe the beer wasn't on the diet) then had some wine at the show, i can honestly say the wine is on the diet! :) i figured since i hadn't had wine all week (as the book allows), i'd indulge a little.

sunday was a wonderful rest day, my bf and i spent all day in bed! he made me breakfast, hard boiled eggs as was previously on the menu. then i decided to indulge a little more-- he wanted whataburger, so i opted for the grilled chicken salad- not too bad. i won't tell you what i had for dinner, okay yes i will, little ceasar's pizza. but i've come to a conclusion that this book (the wine and food lover's diet), is basically about portion control and i only had 2 slices! usually, i could finish the whole pizza if someone would let me! so i was very proud of myself!

today another spinach, mushroom & jalapeno cheese omelet, a salad for lunch and tonight pecan crusted chicken! each w/a green smoothie. this week is headed off to a great start!

juneathon day 6: 30 minutes of yoga

2010-06-05T13:24:00.002-05:00

juneathon day 5: 4 miles + 20 min elliptical!

2010-06-04T20:21:00.002-05:00

juneathon day 4: 1hr zumba!

win, lose or blog?

2010-06-04T11:19:00.000-05:00

no pretty food pictures today. i had fish and green beans for dinner in case you were wondering...and i'm pretty sure you know what it looks like :)

today is nothing special either, the menu called for tex-mex scrambled eggs this morning, but i opted for my own spinach, mushroom & jalapeno cheese omelet, they pretty much have the same ingredients and mine was much easier to make. for lunch: another salad, romaine, carrots, almonds and parmesan. dinner: leftovers, i don't want my stuffed chicken masterpiece to go to waste! w/some sweet potato fries. all meals each w/a smoothie! i spiced it up a bit today and used a "real" recipe: watermelon, romaine, 1 banana and 1/2 juice of a lemon. i really like the flavor of lemon in my drink! the banana not so much, but i could hardly taste it, i only eat it for the potassium.

but on an interesting note, anyone heard of the Win, Lose, or Blog contest? i love the blog world because there's always motivation every page you look! i really hope i get chosen to participate in this contest because it would be a real motivator! of course, the contest doesn't start until june 21st and i hope to lose a few lbs before then! oh well, we shall see what happens!

2010-06-03T20:37:00.000-05:00

juneathon day 3: 3 miles and 20 minutes on the elliptical. the elliptical is warming up to me :)

excited about three things thursday

2010-06-03T14:10:00.000-05:00

i can't tell you how excited i am for myself.

1. because i made a wonderful dish (picture above), chicken breasts stuffed w/cheese and spinach w/a kale salad! it was delicious, and very easy to make. i hope the rest of these recipes are this easy and this good-- of course i tweak it here and there.

2. we had an office party during lunch, i was volunteered to decorate and serve, oh the torture--brisket, tamales, rice and beans, pasta salad & a ton of desserts!! i kept thinking to myself, well maybe i'll have one tamale when i'm done, maybe i'll have one brownie when i'm done, etc. and when i was done, i came to my office (empty handed) and had my 'romaine salad w/bacon and almonds.' and a green smoothie. this tells me i'm really dedicated to be able to pass up all this delishesness (is that a word?). and truthfully, it wasn't that hard.

3. this morning, my recipe book called for a hard boiled egg. i think the last time i had one was when i was five years old! i really hate the smell of it, but i remember eating them all the time when i was a little girl- i loved them! and honestly, it wasn't that bad, good actually. it could have used some salt but good nonetheless. i had it w/another smoothie.

2010-06-02T20:43:00.001-05:00

juneathon day 2: 1hr yoga + 25 min bike ride!(my intentions were to run today, made it to gym only to discover-no tennis :) so much for running on national run day!

the unwelcomed surprise

2010-06-02T08:48:00.000-05:00

well, i was very surprised last night when i got on the scale. very much motivated to say the least. my stats are as followed, but in my defense i made the mistake of weighing myself after a workout instead of before so most of it could very well be water weight. i will weigh myself again to be sure.

weight: 141
bmi: 26.8
body fat: 34.6% (average is between 20-34.9)
bp: 86/28

my boyfriend and i were talking last night about when we met 5 years ago, i weighed 110lbs! i've gained nearly 6lbs a year? i've been in denial for a really long time now. my clothes no longer fits me and it's time to do something about it. i really hope this 'wine and food lover's diet' works. wow. am i really doing this? if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, isn't it? i'm trying it out anyway--what have i got to lose besides a few pounds?

last night i prepared my breakfast for this morning, odette's omelet cups!

a mixture of garlic, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, kosher salt, pepper stuffed in eggs & shredded gruyere.

topped w/pine nuts and more gruyere. i could've done without the pine nuts and really couldn't taste the gruyere. maybe next time i will use a different cheese and a little more salt.

had this with my favorite green smoothie, romaine and watermelon! i also think i'll substitute the wine for another green smoothie. don't know if i can handle a glass of wine a day. well, i know i could handle it, just not sure it's the best for me :)

lunch: a classic savy salad
dinner: chicken stuffed w/cheese and spinach

2010-06-01T18:39:00.001-05:00

juneathon day 1: 3 miles and 10 minutes on the elliptical. don't laugh, the elliptical has never been a friend of mine and i wanted to try something new :)

relax...don't do it!

2010-06-01T09:09:00.000-05:00

well, you can sum up my three day weekend with one word: relaxation! i went to my zumba class friday evening and ended the night w/a nice hot shower and turned in early. it seems these are what my future friday nights will hold since i will be practicing early saturday mornings w/tnt again! this will be my 6th season!

practice saturday morning was at 7am, but after kickoff when the season really begins we will be practicing at 6am! ugh! but we have a great team so far and it's really something i am looking forward to--plus the greatest incentive is i'm helping to save lives in the process! we only ran two miles, but my new friend debbie was really fast so it felt more like 5 miles! the sun came up and i don't do well w/that-i had a horrible migraine the rest of the day and spent the day watching lifetime! not too bad if you ask me. note to self: when training for marathon, be sure to add advil to the grocery list!

i was able to spend sunday w/my honey. we spent the morning shopping, had lunch at red lobster and spent the remainder of the evening at half price books. i bought a few books since they had a really good sale going on, (i love memorial day) and one really caught my eye. the wine and food lover's diet!

the introduction went like this, "i love good food. i hate being overweight. i love to drink wine w/dinner. i hate the self-deprivation of dieting." i was hooked. if you've been reading my blog, you know that i've been struggling w/weight loss.(mostly because i don't know how to stop eating and don't exercise as much as i should) anyway, i thought i'd give it a try. becoming a raw foodie may be too extreme for me right now...but i just may continue to incorporate some of the good eats and smoothies!

what i like about this book is it is 28 days and has a menu as well as a recipe for breakfast, lunch & dinner for every day! this is exactly what i need! when i try something new, the longest i last is usually about a week, mainly because i get tired of eating the same things. hopefully this will hold me accountable!

i'm starting this diet tomorrow, since it is 28 days it will end exactly june 30th, the last day of the month. i'd like to think i was that clever, but really, i just didn't feel like going grocery shopping yesterday! :) i spent my day off organizing my closet and relaxing a little more! hey, i work hard, i deserve it! also, i have a feeling this month is going to be a crazy one, so i will relax when i can! today also starts the juneathon!! good luck everyone!

3 things thursday

2010-05-27T11:22:00.000-05:00

1. went to see sex and the city last night! had a great time w/friends and the movie wasn't bad either. i expected a lot more in the movie, but i guess as always my expectations were too high. the movie is really funny though, definitely a must see. i would go in depth about it, but i think i'll wait until more people see the film.

2. woohoo! for 3 day weekends! so excited to spend time w/my honey this weekend. hopefully we'll go to houston for a little getaway. this week has really worn me out! is today really only thursday?

3. looking forward to crawling into bed this evening. that's all.

alls well that ends well

2010-05-26T13:59:00.000-05:00

so, this morning wasn't one of the bests. attorney after attorney kept coming into my office annoying me more than the last. i swear i thought i was on an episode of "boiling point." the only thing that kept me going was knowing i had a yoga class during the lunch hour and i knew that would calm me down. i knew once i got there my mind would be clear.

...and that is how my class began. but further into the class i began to get hungry--then i remembered i didn't bring my lunch to work--then i decided i'd leave class early to have enough time to pick something up--then i thought about where i would go--then i remembered a coupon i had from one of my favorite restaurants downtown, sip--bingo! with every bit of excitement, i began rolling up my mat as quietly as i could trying oh so hard not to disturb anybody. then i grabbed my towel, my water bottle....and uh-oh, there goes my water bottle! water all over the floor! i am mortified! i quickly cleaned up the mess and tried to get out of there as fast as i could!

i make it to sip and order, what i always order, an oven roasted breast of turkey, artichoke parmesan spread and baby spinach panini w/a side salad. it was yummy...even better because it was only $4 compared to the $7 it usually is!

this afternoon is much better. i am able to laugh off my morning and look forward to sex and the city 2! going to an advance screening tonight...a whole 2 hours earlier than the midnight showing :) even so, i'm looking forward to it just the same! lord knows i need a cocktail after this day!

juneathon 2010

2010-05-25T09:50:00.000-05:00

so, i've decided to participate in the juneathon, courtesy of JogBlog

i'm training for a marathon and trying to lose weight, so why the heck not? plus it will also give me something to blog about. stay tuned!

i'm baaaack....

2010-05-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

so last night, a couple friends and i got together for a raw potluck and to watch SIMPLY RAW: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days. i was very impressed w/this movie as it is evidence that diabettes IS cureable. there are so many positive effects to eating raw and i keep being drawn back into it...but i also shy away from it when it gets to be too redundant. i keep eating the same foods and get tired of them easily or keep craving fast food, sugars or anything else that comes along! i love food and want to find a balance between the two them. so once again i am going to challenge myself to eat better.

while i've been away, i also signed up for the rock n roll san antonio marathon in november. i think eating right and training for a marathon will hold me accountable. so let's see what these next few days will bring!

winner, winner, winner...

2010-04-23T13:04:00.000-05:00

...and the winner of my first blog giveaway, $20 starbucks gift card is momma twitch (even though i spelt it wrong)! congrats! email me your info so i can mail your prize!

thanks and welcome to all my new followers!

birthday+fiesta= bad grace

2010-04-22T08:38:00.000-05:00

looks like i fell off of the blogging world. this month has been crazy busy! had a great birthday and enjoying a great fiesta! needless to say, i have been very bad...don't think i've had a salad all month, no green smoothies and lots of meat! i would expect nothing less from the month of april (my favorite month)!

glad there's always next month! :)
i do want to live a healthier lifestyle, i just don't want to deprive myself from all the good eats! what's a girl to do?
anyway, pics from this month coming soon! and don't forget about my giveaway, it ends tomorrow!

oh, and i won 2nd place in the fiesta float contest! viva fiesta!

starbucks giftcard giveaway

2010-04-08T10:56:00.000-05:00

Up for grabs is a $20 starbucks gift card!

To enter(leave a comment for each one):
* Become a follower of my blog and let me know that you did or if you already are
* Add me to your blogroll
* Link back from your blog
* Tell your friends about the giveaway by mentioning me in your blog
Maximum of 4 entries!

Winner will be selected on April 24th at random! Good luck!

a is for amazing

2010-04-08T08:41:00.000-05:00

i'm happy to report that this is day 4 of no meat, 1 raw meal & 1 quart of green smoothie a day and i have done just that! it has not even been that hard! well, yesterday was the hardest having done green for breakfast and lunch. i went to yoga class during my lunch hour so didn't start eating til about 2:00. boy, either that was the best greek salad i ever had or i was really hungry!

anyway, i started dragging about 4 o'clock or so and kid you not...1 drink of my green smoothie and i was replenished! i envisioned a dead flower coming back to life- it was amazing! it held me until about 8:30. i volunteered to take down a mock trial last night and it was fun. i'll talk more about that this weekend as i plan to practice on my stenograph machine all weekend.

anyway, since i have done so great i rewarded myself w/grilled catfish and shrimp! so glad i didn't give up seafood! :)

as for this morning...i had the best smoothie ever! watermelon & romaine, my new favorite flavor! this is a winner! can't wait til this afternoon to drink my other! :) AMAZING!

yum, yum!

2010-04-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

last night's dinner @ green: raw wrap. a raw romaine burrito stuffed with dried cranberries, sliced portabella, sprouts, organic spinach, raw pecan hummus, tomato, bell pepper, carrots, and broccoli.......with cooked sweet potato fries! i ordered the fries just in case i didn't like the wrap. boy, was i wrong the wrap was delicious! i've never had raw hummus before and it was great! and the cranberries were a perfect addition- i would have never thought to do that!

had another smoothie yesterday afternoon and this morning...not bad at all! i'm not sure if it was the sitting in the fridge for a day or what? whatever the deal, i'm just glad they were enjoyable! can't wait to make the next batch of smoothies...think i'll try watermelon!

yuck!

2010-04-06T09:50:00.000-05:00

i had my first green smoothie yesterday! i wish i could say i really, really enjoyed it, but i did not. :( it was a combination of strawberries & spinach- i love them both, but maybe not together?

today's was worse: peaches and romaine. i really had to swallow those suckers and make it mind over matter. it wasn't terrible as i gulped the whole thing down, but i'm sure they're supposed to taste better than this. anyone have any good recipes?

so, didn't get a chance to write yesterday, but this week my goal is to drink a quart of smoothies a day (i now realize this may not be as easy as i thought). the next thing i'm going to do is incorporate 1 raw meal a day. and lastly, no meat all week. don't think these tasks are too hard, but we'll see.

i tried a vegan burger last night on ezekial bread w/bleu cheese and it was not good! tasteless and wasteless! i only got through half the burger. :(

new this week: plain yogurt (w/strawberries- guess not so plain) & flax seed crackers. these crackers have become my new favorite snack. they are yummy and so addicting!

weekend at a glance

2010-04-05T00:11:00.000-05:00

these pics can pretty much sum up my weekend! i had an absolute wonderful time spending time with family and friends! easter has and will always be my favorite holiday. it's a tradition in my family that we play volley ball and the egg toss--my cousin mikey and i always win the egg toss! although our family is getting smaller and smaller (mostly because we have gotten bigger and bigger and don't all fit under the same roof :p), we still enjoy it just the same!

as for my "diet," i can honestly say, i did not have any fast food! yay me!

...and tomorrow, i get to go in to work at noon! so i get to do all the things i was supposed to this weekend like clean, laundry and my favorite: grocery shopping!

life is good today

2010-04-02T12:25:00.000-05:00

i can't remember the last time i slept in! it felt great! my morning started out w/my usual spinach, mushroom & feta omelette; only this time i wasn't rushing or multi-tasking while making it. i usually find myself washing a load of laundry, fixing my hair or ironing while fixing breakfast. it's amazing i haven't managed to burn anything.

i'm really enjoying my day off and don't know what i'll do next. i'm thinking of organizing my closet and maybe getting rid of some clothes...yeah, maybe i'll buy some new ones! :)

maybe i'll play w/my dogs for a bit. going to school really leaves no time for my pups :(

i also feel like riding my bike- haven't done that since...a year ago when we bought them!

ah, today is full of possibilities and i'm sure whatever i do decide to do, it's going to be a great day!

confessions of a foodaholic

2010-04-02T00:24:00.000-05:00

STRIKE 1: i couldn't resist fast food today. i was starving and i knew i hadn't gone grocery shopping and picking up long john silvers was just so easy! i just wish eating it was. i felt so guilty! and afterwards was the worst...acid reflux galore! the burning in my chest, the acid taste, the belching- ugh, so not worth it! it will be another while until i visit a fast food restaurant again- i guarantee it!

whenever i get the urge, i will remember this feeling! it was actually a good thing that i tried this. i will call this "food experimental project #1: fail."

three things thursday!

2010-04-01T10:05:00.000-05:00

"three things thursday" ha! i'm really starting to feel like an official blogger w/my new lingo! now, if only i could get some followers! :)

1. last night dinner at stonewerks: grand vegetarian burger. vegetable patty topped with black bean puree, monterey jack and american cheese, bean sprouts, avocado, red onion, lettuce and mayo....and fries! i'm new to this whole "eating healthy-pescetarian-testing" thing and really assumed i didn't have to ask for the garden salad and that it would just be given to me. wrong, not complaining about the fries though-they were really good. almost as good as the burger, i honestly could not taste the difference between meat and faux meat. not sure if that's a good or bad thing? either way, it was nice to able to enjoy a vegetarian meal at a restaurant-one of my fears is that not all restaurants would have something i'd like. (sorry no pics, didn't know if it was appropriate to bring out the camera at the dinner table)

2. the wine (mark west, pinot noir 2008), we had last night was absolutely enticing! i had it the last time we were there and fell in love with it. i couldn't find anyone who sold it locally though and all the online sites cost double the amount of the wine (the wine is very inexpensive, about $10); on second thought, it may be worth purchasing as the bottle last night was about $30. it was so smooth and silky with just the perfect amount of pomegranate,plums,cherry/strawberry-accented fruit w/a combination of a vanilla deep rich taste. yum. w/all the fruit in there, it must be healthy, huh? :) i'll just tell myself that to make me feel better. wonder if many vegetarians/raw foodist drink alcohol?

3. the visit to my nutritionist went well. he can see an improvement...and well, i'm still waiting for the weight loss! i told him about my idea of becoming vegetarian/raw foodist and he said no to becoming vegetarian and yes to going raw. he said some of the most unhealthiest people are vegetarians and he did not want me doing that. he actually encouraged me to go raw, he is a raw foodie himself. i just can't imagine going 100% raw so fast. and i thought being vegetarian would help ease my way to going raw?? i'm still so confused. i have a lot to read up on. ordered some books & cookbooks, i'm getting a dehydrator this weekend and soon i will be eating a lot healthier...regardless of the label i put on myself! i'm trying pesceterian (please don't be completely confused when i keep saying vegetarian) with the intentions of going raw and if nothing else, i'm just hoping to eat better! they say you are what you eat and hoping to be someone a lot better!

yo quiero green!

2010-03-31T08:56:00.000-05:00

last night's dinner @ green: a quinoa burrito! quinoa, beans, avocado, cashew cheese, organic spinach and sprouts all wrapped in a jumbo whole whole wheat tortilla.

of course i would pick the most fattening foods on the menu 2 days in a row! this burrito was surprisingly delicious! it was no habaneros (my favorite burrito eatery), but i enjoyed it just the same! it was filling and really hit the spot. even the garden salad was delicious. i'm a bit picky and...well, let's just say weird about my food- i don't like my food touching each other (call me crazy, this i know). anyway, everything in my salad was strategically placed making me a very happy girl! :)

gracie likes it

2010-03-30T10:20:00.001-05:00

so, i've decided while i'm gathering all my info on my becoming a raw foodist that maybe i should try pescetarianism first. i think probably a long while before i jump to the extreme. anyway, i'm going to try different foods and see what i like/dislike, see how my stomach handles these foods, etc before going full-out.

last night for dinner i had: a buffalo chicken sandwich w/chicken fried wheat meat dipped in buffalo sauce with lettuce and chipotle mayo on ezekial bread w/sweet potato fries!

it was yummy! put that in the "like" category! :)
not only was it delicious, but it was so convenient. i talked about the difficulties i would have in eating dinner because of my schedule but it was easier than i thought! i placed my order online, it was ready when i picked it up and it was on my way to class! i love green (that's the name of the restaurant by the way)!

what i love about mondays!

2010-03-29T09:36:00.000-05:00

while most people hate mondays, i absolutely love them! for me, it's another chance at getting things right! let's forget about last week and put it in the past! forget about how i cheated on my diet and let's start working on improving it!

speaking of my diet...to make things only harder for me, i am debating on becoming a raw foodist. i read 'green for life' last night and became completely inspired. you may be thinking how am i going to do that if i can't even stay away from the sugar my dr banned, but i really think i can do it. it's time to stop complaining about my weight loss (or lack thereof) and actually do something about it. i need to start living a healthier lifestyle and i believe this is key.

i'm going to talk to my nutritionist on wed and in the mean time i will be doing more research on it. i'm not your typical vegetable enthusiast, so this is going to be tough. i do however think this is completely attainable if i take baby steps. only time will tell...

blog giveaways?

2010-03-28T15:56:00.000-05:00

so, today i learned what the self-explanatory word "blog giveaway" meant! thanks katye...after visiting a few contest pages, i'm posting some--because apparently, that's how you enter! :)

http://mile-posts.blogspot.com/2010/03/win-pair-of-sauconys-march-contest.html

http://enduranceisntonlyphysical.blogspot.com/2010/03/one-more-mile-giveaway.html?showComment=1269810265346_AIe9_BE6AJSfumKGCcAY-dvlf-n0liNHMKRnAcKONifSUCPVSqkd56xImQhP5ygJZW7ZXqBmOG8x_DEGnqRTp43WicncjFxeq3mfGYHCLOrdyyp_3MyQTM4bouTQPszr3G2w483CKV3bBp6P4AyUgKTMJy6oG8Ti0MC-lt438iE3by5xDv2kVvZ_NYAhLlOIkNlbLeAFA6zLyzCkNzefy5CNrHcQeaN7qcb545TruIKbwS0fFKvlqB2W6hcxcYYr4WN0h0OrPfvT#c872103964210759031

http://myreasontorun.blogspot.com/2010/03/thorlos-experia-giveaway-and-major.html?showComment=1269810565897_AIe9_BHaGC2FvyVHsNpcvXT8FSW95re20oQ0efYrTJvp3WLL_GSDzHH_Q-RkeDgjl4cP-VuOANI4vUVWZjPirosencquwLyo_JcCDiHC8sLYf4d8ZpO-WPL0-zX2eLZ0r1C4zGW-kRZV1npgW8I61jfHF2X6KdzfWISJAOZoQ_Wd3bPxzkSn2KD_LXWvmlyEHSHqjYTtqY3NZIFNuG0i1NkdZyxHkCYauaDPbW_tmde6cEJ2sepuHtludzBu1hiPaMpZi1_jx5rC#c3055704489125136839

http://runningonmytime.blogspot.com/2010/03/good-day-for-giveaway.html

wow, this is hard work! i sure hope i do win something...how cool would it be to win the shoes, shirt, socks and shoes? not to mention the starbucks giftcard...i gave up coffee for lent and it would just perfect! :)

anywho...that covers my blog for the day! now to think of my own giveaway...

the forbidden apple

2010-03-27T07:16:00.000-05:00

...alright so, let's talk about how i'm flushing my money down the drain. as i mentioned yesterday, i'm seeing a nutritionist, his last orders were: cut down on sugar, no sweets, no processed foods, no tortillas and only eat ezekial bread. the very next day, i did pretty good. well balanced breakfast? check. healthy snack? check. nutritious lunch? check. after 3pm, it was all down hill.

i went for a walk to my friend's office, and there it was a homemade double chocolate brownie. i almost stopped for a moment, but then i realized, who am i kidding? i have no self-control and one little brownie won't hurt? why is it when you can't have something, you want it even more?

then it was time for dinner. i recently re enrolled in school (that's a whole other topic i'd like to discuss, but we'll eventually get there), and haven't got the whole eating regimen down yet. eat before or after class? before class would mean packing my breakfast, lunch & dinner to work. after class would mean waiting till 9pm to make my own dinner. anyway, i already messed up w/the brownie-why not have some chicken tenders from sonic? i was proud of myself for opting the apples instead of fries but who am i kidding?

next morning, not all that better. daddy made breakfast and of course he made chorizo and egg tacos. he also packed it in a bag for me, oh my daddy's the best! i debated whether to eat the taco the whole way to work. then i realized it was friday and we're still in lenten season and i can eat meat--there was my easy out. wrong, i thought it would be an even worse sin if i threw it away, so you guessed it-i ate it.
ate a fish sandwich and fries for lunch..........and for dinner, well, we attended one of danny's (danny is my boyfriend) best friends going away party at a lake house. what did they serve, barbecue! i wasn't trying to sin 2 times in 1 day, so i waited til midnight to eat the chicken! it was delicious! oh yeah, and i washed it down with...ahem, a few beers. then of course on the way home, stopped for another 2 bean & cheese tacos (thanks baby). this is going to look real great on my food log i'm submitting to my dr.

wish me luck today, another birthday on the agenda plus dinner w/my best friend.

welcome!

2010-03-26T12:30:00.000-05:00

i'm new to blogging and figure i'd see what it's all about. i don't have a very interesting life and don't think i will have many followers, but at least i'll be able to amuse myself! :)
currently i'm 4 weeks into seeing my nutritionist--maybe when/if i actually lose weight i can write about that...i just finished the disney half marathon about 3 weeks, so i'm not currently training--but maybe i can start so i can have something to write about? haha. either way, i've started a blog and whether or not i will continue to let you all into my life's adventures is up in the air...