day 11 = cycle 2

Oi! I thought cycle one was hard, but Jillian Michaels and cycle two are owning me and i'ts only the first day! In cycle one you do about three minutes of jumping jacks and it doesn't seem like a lot but it has done a number on my knees. Cycle two only has a minute of jumping jacks, my knees still hurt today but hopefully they won't tomorrow. I'm also thinking of adding some extra stretching, I've been doing less than two minutes of stretching (as per Jillian's instructions), because what I am doing now is not doing the trick.

Day 6!

Tomorrow it will be a week since I started the Jillian 30 day shred work out. The only part of my body that is sore are my quads, which is a step in the right direction from EVERY body part being sore earlier in the week. I totally recommend this exercise video, it is a great work out combining strength and cardio. While this video is very short I still haven't gotten used to the time working out has added to my morning routine. I think I may have to start getting up earlier, EEK!

What I've Always Wanted To Be

Today after work I had to run to the mall to exchange a pair of shoes (it's a long story of right color wrong size vs. wrong color right size, very tragic). I ran in exchanged my shoes and surprisingly ran right back out of the mall when I was finished, Before I headed home I stopped at Target to pick a few things up and when I was leaving I saw myself in the tall, shiny, reflective windows of the West Des Moines, Super Target. The way I looked didn't surprise me, I mean I've seen myself in the mirror before, but what I saw did surprise me.

I saw a woman who was put together nicely in black pants and a red top, wearing black (totally adorable) shoes, a gray pea coat, black scarf and green striped gloves. In one hand she carried a (beautiful, green) purse and a Target bag, in the other hand she carried her keys, she was headed home in a rush.

Then I realized she was me. It was weird. Some sort of out of body experience. When had I become her... or when had she become me? On the way home I was thinking of my reflection and realized that for so long that was what I wanted to become, someone who looked nice, had a job, was mobile, independent and grown up. Well, now I am those things and I have no idea when or how that happened but it did and I'm happy with that.

day 2

Second day of the shred, my muscles hurt so bad but I got up and did the shred. Now it's time to get ready to face the workday.

30 day shred... can I do this?

I recently purchased Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred. I did the 30 day Shred for the first time today, I thought I was going to die. The thing is I know that my muscles will hurt even more tomorrow morning! I am committing myself to doing this for 30 days, its only 20 minutes a day and there are three different workouts so when I get bored or the workouts get easy (which I am not betting on happening) I can switch to another workout. I can't help but think, "A 30 day commitment to a exercise program... can I really do this?" We'll see I suppose!

Doggy Drama

There has been quiet a bit of drama surronding Winston these last few weeks. Some of you may know about the drama, others may not. Here is the story, minus a few details because who needs all of them?

Winston flew to my parent’s house, in Washington, with me over break. On the way out my connecting flight caused me to be late enough to miss my plane, but Winston made it on to the plane and was home long before I was even back on a plane. My sister and mom picked him up and I caught a later flight. Last week when I was headed back it was to cold for him to travel, it has to be above 20 degrees, so he stayed with my parents. I was so sad to leave him, I think he was sad too because my mom said he was always looking for me and laying on my bed at home. Mom and I were trying to get everything taken care of so he could fly and her vet gave him another rabies shot, he’d just gotten a three year a few months before, because the vet wouldn’t wait for me to get my vet to fax them. Then Tuesday Delta wouldn’t ship him saying his kennel was too small, although he’s flown in that kennel many times, they were going to charge twice as much as any other airline. Wednesday we went through American when my mom got there the airline people said that the vet her the wrong paperwork and if we didn’t get the proper paperwork they couldn’t let him fly. So after the vet didn’t listen to her and charged her $60 for flight paperwork they didn’t give her the right paperwork, but we got it figured out and he made it back to the Midwest.

Winston being at my parents house wasn’t so, bad they live out in the country and have a dog about Winston’s age, Sam, so they played all the time but I'm glad to have him home and I think he's happy to be home.

This morning Winston and I are falling back in to our routine, like every morning he is lounging on the couch, on the floor next to me and on the bed I have a feeling this afternoon he will be bouncing off the walls as he usually does in the afternoon.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers over my Doggy Drama. I would like to end the drama by dedicating a song to Winston; "Man of the Hour," by Norah Jones

It’s him or me
That’s what he said
But I can’t choose
Between a vegan and a pot head
So I chose you, because you’re sweet and you give me lots of lovin’ and you eat meat
And that’s how you became
My only man of the hour

You never lie
And you don’t cheat
And you don’t have any baggage tied to your forefeet
Do I deserve, to be the one, who will feed you breakfast, lunch, and dinner and take you to the park at dawn
Will you really be
My only man of the hour

I know you’ll never bring me flowers
Flowers they will only die
And though you’ll never take a shower together
I know you’ll never make me cry
You never argue
You don’t even talk
And I like the way you let me lead you when we go outside and walk
Will you really be
My only man of the hour?
My only man of the hour.
My only man of the hour.