The friends and family around you matter most.

Talk about mood swings?! ;)

I know I have said it before and I promise I will say it again in the future, but I have kick-ass friends - and family, but this post is about the friends.

I am very lucky in life to have beaucoup (many) friends around me that I consider close, and many that I consider extended family...going to the point of calling their parents Mom and Dad, or versions of that.  I am an only child and for much of my childhood, was very shy because I didn't have brothers or sisters to toughen me up.  Obviously, that isn't the case now.  Anyway, at a dinner among friends the other night - a couple of which I outright call sisters and one who has already offered her belly should we need it in the future, baby-making was brought up.  Now all of these ladies know our situation and I am in fact the only one without a child in this scenario.  Anyway, one of the ladies mentioned trying for a second child and timing it, etc.  I told her "jokingly" just to tell her husband that "that one was for me."  She looked me dead in the face and said, "well he knows that is an option, if you need it ever."  It blew me out of the water.  Besides the fact that her true sister, has already offered the same thing.  Not jokingly.  These lovely ladies will follow through with the situation, should it come to that.  How amazing are these people?!

They know who they are so I don't need to name drop, but they freakin' rock.  They are already my family and I have gone so far as to hash out this scenario in my head (because they have gotten pregnant very easily) and think about how it might work and how it would truly solidify our families for life.  Now, believe me when I say that I hope we never get to that point which would technically be IVF with our parts and their bellies, but it is a true blessing to know that I have that in my back pocket should we need to get there.

There may be days when I don't believe we are blessed because of this situation and how angry/hurt/sad it makes me feel some days.  But thankfully I have these people to fall back on and pick me back up.  Thanks my sistas - you know you are.

LOVE Bleaders....LOVE!

Hellooo....hello? Is this thing on?

Attention, attention...this is important.  This post isn't about me.  It's about a friend.

J and I have a couple of friends who have been married for 13 years, together for 16.  They tried to conceive for a while and were told by docs it was impossible...not virtually impossible, but literally impossible.  That was a long time ago too.  They've been bantering with the idea of adoption for a while now, but it never seems to be the right time....especially knowing the consequences and strain something like that is. 

Apparently, God thought now was that time. 

They received an email this past week from a friend in Georgia (I think - after we heard the news I forgot pieces - forgive me if I am not completely accurate on the story Mrs. South Carolina) about a woman who had a baby and didn't want it. They thought of Mr. and Mrs. South Carolina.  The email essentially asked them if they wanted this child.  Of course there are many legal parameters to get through and court is scheduled for today for the Grandmother to get temporary custody until an adoption can be arranged, as I understand it.  My heart was bursting as this story came out of Mr. South Carolina's mouth!  I couldn't believe what I was hearing. 

So please send lots of prayers out to this wonderfully deserving couple that this will work out and they will finally get this blessing they have been waiting for for so long.  They so deserve this...and this child would be blessed to have them.  I asked her if it was okay to post this and she agreed...they just really need prayers right now for many things...things to go their way, keep their sanity, being ready financially, among a few I am sure. 

We're sending you lots of love Mr. and Mrs. South Carolina!  And I'll keep you posted when she posts me.

Prayers Bleaders....lots of prayers please!

Downer of a day

No, nothing extraordinarily bad has happened, I'm just kinda down today. 

AF showed up late yesterday afternoon and laid me out - literally.  On the couch, fetal position, ready to puke or die, whatever would help the pain go away.  I drugged up a bit for our dinner with friends, but as soon as we were back, so was the pain. 

I woke up this morning determined to go swim and then see Busted Kate for brunch.  Once I hit the pool, I figured out that was not where I needed to be.  I needed to be in bed.  But I wasn't about to get out of the pool once I had driven down there and already gotten wet.  So I just adjusted my workout so it wasn't so hard and took a lot of breaks.  But still wasn't feeling good.  Finally decided that brunch was the last thing I needed, because I was getting cranky in the pool at really insignificant things.  I wasn't going to be very good company at breakfast.  So I texted my dear Busted Kate and canceled.  I didn't want to, but I also didn't want to make her angry at me because I was feeling bitchy either.  I opted for the lesser of two evils.

I had offered to help with her baby shower and was really excited about doing it.  There was a team of us and I couldn't wait to offer this wonderful woman a shower that she deserved.  But when it came down to picking the date, the only date that worked for most was the one Saturday I had no choice but to be in Phoenix for my CFP cram course.  It broke my heart.  So after being in the pool and feeling like crap, Kate and I had this discussion over text and it broke me.  I just wanted to be there so bad and there was nothing I could do to fix it.  The tears came and I can't quite tell you why.  I don't know if there is just too much going on right now.  I don't know if the CFP just scares the bejebus out of me.  I don't know if it is that I feel like I let her down.  I don't know.  I don't know if it is AF and the bitchiness and emotional basketcase that she can make me.  I just don't.

Sorry, this is a little raw but I've been holding these tears in and I needed them out so I can get over whatever ails me right now.  Although, not sure what that is...exactly.

Vacation re-cap - finale - I hope!

Wow, this has lagged on for far too long...I'm so not a short-winded person!  You may be wondering if this still is an infertility blog and I guarantee that is the main basis, but we're on a hiatus from the riga-ma-roll of all that!  So to continue with the vacation stuff, let's start on Saturday, the day after the big Gala!

Saturday - 2nd and last day of conference.  We slept in a bit and missed some of the "show-biz" of the conference, but made it for the 2nd half where Doug Lennick was speaking.  He is an old friend of Mom's who works with our company.  Great speaker and good guy. 

 Mom and Doug Lennick, after his talk.

After the break, we had a speech from Lou Holtz, who used to coach football at Notre Dame.  I'm not a huge fan of football other than my University of Arizona Wildcats, but he was a great speaker...I would say the best at the conference for me.  Very funny, worked with our business and life in general, and heartfelt. 

 Lou Holtz

After Lou, there were closing remarks and conference was officially over.  We headed back to the hotel and caught a corporate sponsored bus to Santa Monica for some well-deserved sight-seeing.  Took us a while to get there, but it was a nice afternoon of wandering around and shopping a bit.  A couple little pics from that venture.  

Who knew Iron Man and Batman were heavy beach goers?

It's always hard to get good pictures of the two of us when it is JUST THE TWO OF US on vacation, so some nice stranger on the pier took this.  Not bad eh?  I think we're pretty cute.

I'm pretty anal about my nails for those of you who don't know me personally, but I also don't have them done very often...maybe once a month if it fits in the budget.  I do them myself way more than that.  Anyway, while we were wandering along the 3rd Avenue Promenade, this one booth caught my eye.  She saw my nicely done nails that I had done for the conference and started her sales pitch.  Well, I ended up buying the product and while it has taken some getting used to, it kinda rocks.  It is a way for you to put designs on your nails and even do french tips without a manicurist.  Here's the link click here. You'll see a pic later of the "sample" the lady did on me.  Anyway, had to share.

Hit the bus back to the hotel and got ready for the last Corporate party.  It was called Hollywood goes Bollywood.  Lots of food, drink and fun things to watch: dancers, Henna tattoos, snakes, a lot.  A couple pics from that. 

Part of the set-up and stage for dancers to come later. 

Mom and Glenn.  Glenn has been a fixture in my life forever.  He essentially hired my Mom at our company 30 years ago.  He has become a close friend and a consultant of ours.  Plus he is hysterical!  We love him.

Martha (Glenn's wife) and Mom.  Martha is also a close friend and so great.  They didn't plan to match, but they do well!

True Glenn photo...him, snake and pretty girl.  ;)

This is me getting Henna on my hand.  It was very cool and quick.  Wish it stuck around longer.

My Henna design after she finished.  It's a paste and you let it dry and fall off by itself.  It kind of stains your hand. 

Here's what it looked like after the paste fell off.  If you look at my ring-finger nail, you can see the flower design that was done by the nail lady with the stamp.  Took her all of 3 seconds.

A little video snip from the dancers that I got.  

  We finally tired of the party about 10 pm and headed back to the hotel for some R&R.  Mom and Dad hadn't been up to the spinning bar, so we went up there and just did a walk around.  Then, back to our room where this photo was taken before we hit the hay for the night.  

Typical J face. 

Sunday, got to sleep in a bit because our flight wasn't until later.  Had a good breakfast at the hotel and a small lunch at the airport before the hour and a half jaunt back to T-town.  It's a tradition in our family to grab a bite of Mexican food on the way home from the airport, so we stopped and did that then finally came home where the furry babies were so excited to see us.  I began the unpacking and laundrying while J did this...

 Talk about who got the short end of the stick - ME!  And as one of my girls on FB noted, he even has a remote in each had while he sleeps!  That is our kitty on his lap and one of our puppies under his feet!  Who do you think is loved?!

And that was about the jist (if you can call it that) of our vacation.  It was way fun, despite being sick, which hasn't quite left me yet and deterred me from a couple days at the gym this week and one day of boot camp, although I did go back and totally felt it the next day!  Still have a cough that doesn't want to go away, but other than that, back to normal. 

So to finish, I can't express how proud I am of my Mom and her achievement.  I said to J that hopefully one day I will get to take her to the conference and let her see me up on the stage receiving the same awards!

Have a great weekend folks and talk soon!

Vacation re-cap - Part deux!

Okay folks, I'm back to hopefully finish the vacation recap.

Official Day 1 of the Conference.  Mom and I rose early to get some breakfast and head over for "Opening Ceremonies."  Breakfast was good.  I tried to stick to fruit and eggs, taking some upstairs for J when he woke up.  HE was on vacation after all, but not so much me.  We boarded the buses and headed to the Staple Center where the conference was taking place.  First up, as usual, was the host welcoming us and being friendly.  Now before I drop his name, I want to say that before he actually had his own TV show, he was actually a host at our Conference 4 years ago - no name then, but now he has a TV show.  Hmmm....were we a stepping stone?  Anyway, our host was none other than Tom Pappa from The Marriage Ref!  He's very funny and "acts" like he should when need be. 

Tom's big entrance.

The entire set.

So after Tom had some fun, then there were dancers and singers talking about how much they liked being advisors.  Then the CEO spoke and he's always great to listen to.  Then, break time.  Now during break, because Mom was being inducted into the Hall of Fame, she got to meet Condoleezza Rice, before she did her keynote speech.  Dad had come over from the hotel to hear Condi (what WE call her) and meet her.  So they went to meet her and I had a cup of coffee.  Photo op done, back to work.  Condi spoke and what she said was interesting and political, but it really didn't tie into what we do, so it didn't "fit" for me.  And she doesn't smile much.  However, she was a great speaker and even though her speech didn't tie into work for me, it was good.

 Condi Rice.

 Here's the photo of Mom and Dad with her Hall of Fame photo.

Then, work done, we headed to lunch with what Mom calls her Diamond Girls.  J walked from the hotel and met us at the Staple Center to walk to lunch with the Diamond Girls at Trader Vic's - an Asian-Hawaiian restaurant.  The four of us walked over there, intending to find the Diamond Girls and hubbies and they weren't there, so after some phone calls they were on their way.  Mom calls them the Diamond Girls because they all have their diamond ring, which is half-way to the Hall of Fame in the company's eyes.  It's an award on the path.  And Mom is the FIRST to get Hall of Fame of these women!  Lunch was okay, but I could tell J didn't like his food (I warned him - he ordered stirfry and he doesn't like Asian food) and he was bored.  But he held tight.  There were more presents and cards and lots of laughs.  Finally, about 2:30 pm we all headed outside to go our separate ways.  Mom and I had a hair and make-up appointment before the big night, and the other couples had sightseeing to do.  J and Dad took off together for the hotel and we took off in a cab to find the hair salon I had booked thanks to yelp.com.  Found it and just in time for our 3 pm appointment. 

I had a photo of my dress so the lady knew what she was up against.  As you can see from the above photo, Mom's hair is really short and curly, so she just was getting a wash and style.  I was getting an updo of sorts and then we were supposed to both have our make-up done.  Wendy was my hairdresser and she took her time and was meticulous.  We told them we needed to be out of there by 4:30 pm and they assured us that wouldn't be a problem.  I kept my eye on what was going on with Mom and her hair, and also watched what was being done behind me, and both seemed to be progressing fine.  At one point, I looked over at Mom and didn't recognize her.  The lady had made the top of her hair really flat and was trying to give her bangs, which didn't look right on her, but she seemed to be okay, so I didn't fuss too much.  My hair was finally done about 4:15 pm and Mom was still having her make-up done.

 The final product of my hair.  Nice huh?!

Mine was supposed to be done by the same lady.  Remember, we were supposed to leave at 4:30 pm and we still needed dresses and final touches before loading the buses at 5:15 pm.  When the lady kept fidgeting with Mom's makeup at 4:25 pm, I knew I was not getting my make-up done today.  No way was I gonna make Mom late for her big night.  The woman finally finished her make-up and now Mom was saying she didn't like her hair.  I felt increasingly bad since this had been my idea!!  But there wasn't much the stylist could do to fix it and make her happy, so we opted to pay and leave, and hope Mom would have better luck fixing it with her own stuff.  They took forever to have us pay and now we are both agitated.  Finally, bolted out of there and found a cab to drive us 4 blocks that would have taken us a little longer to walk, ran up to the room and dove into our dresses and accessories.  I fixed my make-up from the morning a bit and pretty soon we met Mom and Dad at the elevators, tuxedos and fancy dresses...and thankfully, fixed hair!  Mom made her hair how she wanted it and I was more than relieved!  Headed downstairs to wait for the bus and take pictures!

 Dad, Mom, me and J.

I post this picture because the guy standing to the right of Mom was her PE teacher in HS and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame the same year she was for our company.  Think he made a wise career change?  Plus his son is in the business.  So we have a lot in common!

Got on the buses to the Staple Center again for cocktails with the CEO and finally time to have fun.  Just a couple candids. 

  This one wasn't really a candid I guess, but wanted to post it for prosperity sake.  Probably won't get him in a tux again soon!  Yes, it is currently the photo at the top of the blog too, but at some point that will change I spose.

Finally, it's time for the dinner and the presentations and all that.  We wandered over to that separate area and it was J's first view of the room.  It was done up quite nice.  Found our table and finally time for some food.  Steak and Salmon.  Not too bad and good for my Weightloss Challenge. 

Before the big walk, there was the photo montage that went by that I am in (surprisingly enough, being an only child!).

About dessert time, Mom's pager went off (they had given her a pager so she knew when she needed to come to the stage to be presented.  So off they went for their big moment. (see above video)

Finally, after all the awards had been given, and all the food eaten, it was time for the entertainment!  Jay Leno performed.  He was up there for an hour and a half!  He stayed mostly clean, no cussing as there were kids in the room, but he got a little dirty about sex and stuff.  Oh well, it was fun and we had great seats!!!

 I was gonna post video, but the only one I took had the company name in the back and I can't post that.  Sorry folks!

After Jay's set was over, we opted to head out for the evening as it was now almost 11 pm.  Back on the buses and back to the hotel.  All tired and satisfied that the evening was a success. 

Quick funny story.  After saying goodnight to my parents, J felt the need for a soda.  So, most of tux still on (jacket had been discarded) he took off to find the soda machine and the ice machine, per my request.  He'd been gone awhile and I was getting a little worried - after taking a lot of bobby pins out of my hair, my cell phone rang.  He had forgotten the room number in our maze of a hotel.  I reminded him of it and pretty soon he came sauntering in.  While he'd been wandering, he'd been asked more questions about the hotel - apparently his tux looked like what the male staff wore at the hotel.  After he'd gotten the ice, he'd thought our room number was 1447 instead of 1427 so went and tried his card in the door.  When it wouldn't work, he banged on it.  A very surprised couple answered and J, having been asked if he worked for the hotel said, "did you order some ice?"  They said no and he apologized, then called me.  Talk about thinking on his feet and funny!

Well, here we are at the end of another long post and still not done.  Until tomorrow folks!

Vacation re-cap

Hello my long-lost-friends!!

I am here!  I haven't deserted you.  I've just been trying to get back on my feet after vacation.  It's been a task.  So let's begin and maybe you will understand why I'm so behind at this point.

Monday, the day before we left, was a great day.  I was getting work done, I came home and did laundry, I was on a roll.  About 9 pm, I realized that the left side of my throat was a little sore, so I took a couple Vitamin Cs, some Airborne and Nyquil.  I was not gonna let a cold get me down.

Tuesday, 5 am, time to get up for boot camp and now my entire throat was on fire.  I thought about going because I've heard that exercise can help a cold go away, you know, get the blood flowing and all.  But after about 3 minutes of that, I decided that I needed another couple hours of sleep so I could get on a plane in little over 12 hours.  So I texted Meanie Christinie and bailed.  I felt bad, but I also felt awful! 

So I went back to bed and woke up a couple hours later, for another massive dose of the cold meds and vitamins.  Managed to get some work done and needed to figure out which CFP cram course I was taking - I had it down to the one in Phoenix who uses Dalton stuff or Ken Zahn, probably in San Fran. I needed to decide before I left so the package could be waiting for me when I got back.  But I couldn't wrap my mind about who was better...and this was a huge decision to make!  So what did I do...I took a nap.  I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer...the Nyquil was kicking in big time.  I woke a couple hours later and had an email waiting for me from the professor of the one in Phoenix and a guy who took Ken Zahn's class.  They both said the right things and I went with the one in Phoenix (2 hours drive and no plane ride)!  But then I couldn't get the damn thing ordered, their server was down.  OY!  I didn't have time for that.  I gave up!  I printed all the info and hoped I could catch him the next day.  J got home, we finished packing and before we knew it, the cab was here for our ride to the airport.  Kissed the furry kiddies good bye and began vacation!

For those of you who haven't ever been to the Tucson International Airport, it has a total of 9 gates I think, maybe 10 tops.  It's usually not a crazy place to be, although I have seen it a little bit hectic at odd times of the day.  However, a Tuesday night in the middle of August, was not one of those days.  It was deserted!  We basically walked right up to check in and right up to security.  Security in the Tucson airport is kinda funny.  I've had people tell me they will take away shampoo bottles that are 4 oz big, but they'll let you walk through with a 12 oz Eegee drink.  For those of you who aren't from Tucson, an Eegee is God's greatest creation...basically ice with great flavoring!  But definitely liquid!  However, in Tucson, it goes.  Nobody would hurt an Eegee!  But I digress...got through security and headed for the only "real" restaurant in the place.  Split something for dinner and then headed to the gate to board.  I swear, there were 23 people on the plane that would seat 100!  So we each had our own row.  I asked for a pillow and was told that they didn't offer those anymore since H1N1.  How crazy to me! 

So laid down and tried to use the arm-rest as a pillow, with a little cushion from the hood of my sweatshirt.  One of the stewardesses pulled up a seat cushion and gave it to me instead...it worked great!  Don't know if I slept at all, but we landed in LA, with no problems at 10:20 pm.  Still needed luggage and rental car.  Got those pretty quick and then hit the road for the hotel...that took forever.  J dropped me off at the door so he could go find parking in their incredibly small and packed lot.  The door said it locked after 11 pm (and we were now at about 11:30 pm) so to ring the doorbell.  I did.  I did again.  The people waiting for the counter looked at me.  I rang it again.  Nothing.  Finally, fed up, tired and sick, I banged on the glass.  Finally, they opened the door and when I walked to the counter someone said..."I think the doorbell isn't working!"  Well, duh!  Got checked in and off we go.  Oh wait, J still hadn't found a spot to park.  So the lady who checked me in said that if we waited for a few minutes, she would let us have her spot.  Five became ten and Nikus became irritated.  Finally, she comes running out and gives us her parking spot!  Very thankful she did and we finally made it to our room, about 12:30 pm now.  Unpacked a few things that shouldn't get wrinkled and to bed we went, again after medicating heavily. 

The plan for Wednesday was to get up and be in Disneyland about 10 am.  Well, that didn't work so well.  J is not a morning person and I didn't sleep very well, so we were a little lazy.  I was feeling a bit better, thanks to the overnight drugging too and the shower helped a lot.  I was ready at 10 am, J was not.  I tried calling to order my CFP cram course, but no one answered.  Finally broke down and emailed Mom begging her to take care of it.  We finally got to the lobby about 11 am, and missed breakfast.  Again, oh well.  Discovered there was a bus that would cost us $8 and opted to drive because I didn't remember having to pay for parking the last time...oops!  Parking was $15, plus the slowest line ever.  Then to park and get in another line for the tram.  Oy vey!  I don't think we walked into Disneyland until about noon!  From then on, it was great.  We did the same route as last time, starting in Adventureland weaving around the park and ending up in Fantasyland at the end.  We ate expensive-okay tasting food, stood in lots of lines, but none longer than maybe 30 minutes, and saw a fantastic light show and fireworks display at about 10:30 pm.  By then, we were destroyed.  Did I mention that the guy from the CFP cram course called me while there and upon hearing I was at Disneyland, still went on to talk my ear off as we tried to get into Captain EO?  He did.  It had been a long day.  However, J is a big fan of Abe Lincoln so we stopped to see him on our way out and then missed the crowd to the cars, so that was nice.  Again, in bed about 1 am. 

Thursday, time to check out!  I had asked for late check out the night before, due to our late return and that was nice to have.  Got the bill squared away (thank you Mastercard miles) and set out for a late breakfast.  But then determined we should just get in the vicinity of our new hotel and didn't realize it would take us F-O-R-E-V-E-R!  Thankfully, I had a fiber bar in my bag and that held me over.  Called Mom and Dad once I thought they had landed and they were already on a bus and heading to our hotel.  We found the hotel, but there was no place to just park for a minute, so we begged the valet to let the rental car sit there while we ran inside and checked in, only we couldn't check in without Mom because she was the name on the room.  So ran downstairs to get the luggage and J in the car, and then Mom called to say they were upstairs at the same agent we had just been at.  J drove around while we got checked in and then carted the luggage upstairs.  Then ran down to find him outside and find lunch-breakfast-food!  Drove probably 4 blocks about 12 times looking for California Pizza Kitchen, then parking that wasn't $12 for an  hour - and finally gave up and settled on returning the car - at the hotel no less - and walking across the street to the food court.  So another hour later, we had lunch!

Then, went back to the hotel and hung out with Mom and Dad.  And gave her the present, J, Dad and I had bought her to celebrate her being inducted into our company's Hall of Fame of Financial Advisors (sorry, can't give out the name of the company- Compliance and all).  We had gotten her this really pretty amethyst bracelet and earring set (her favorite stone) in rose gold.  Very unique and pretty, but not crazy expensive...she would have killed us.  Anyway, she wasn't expecting it and we surprised her!  It's hard to do that.  A couple of her Advisor friends dropped by, with another gift and to chat before the first night's party.  Then it was time to go...Mom & Dad and their friends went, we went upstairs to the rotating bar for dinner.  Only one guest allowed at that party.  The bar was nice and you didn't need to drink a lot to feel woozy - because the room was already spinning.  The bar actually rotated 360 degrees in an hour and 20 minutes...very trippy.  Okay food, but best view.  Here's a few pics.

J at the rotating bar.

Me at the bar.

A great view!

J, admiring the view.

Finally headed to bed about 11 pm, after another quick visit from Mom and Dad when they returned from the party to pick up their luggage that had been deposited in our room rather than theirs.

WOW, that was only 3 days and the best are yet to come.  Will have to finish tomorrow!  The gym calls me bright and early tomorrow!

I'm alive, I swear!

Hi folks, I know it has been a while...I've been on vaca!  And now I'm still getting over the cold that ailed me while on vaca.  I P-R-O-M-I-S-E to post soon...promise promise!  But not tonight...heading to bed early so maybe I can hit Boot Camp tomorrow morning, or at the very least, get a decent night's rest and kick this cold to the curb.  I owe you a long vacation post, and some updates!

I still love you...just needed a vaca!

Let the weight loss begin...are you listening Mr. Scale?

I already mentioned the weight loss challenge...or as we call it the "Lose Your Belly but Win The Money Weight Loss Challenge."  If you haven't read the other post, I will give you a quick idea of how the challenge works.  Essentially, everyone put in $20 and sent me their weight on Tuesday for the start.  This coming Tuesday, they'll all email me their weight and I'll determine the % of weight loss based on their beginning weight, including my own.  Then, at the end of the month, whoever has lost the most percentage of their own weight, wins the $160 in the jar! 

This photo was sent out for inspiration!

Then, I also enrolled in what is called the Elite Performer 2010 at my gym.  Yesterday, I started with my baseline performance.  I met with Trainer and he weighed me (yuck - sorry, not sharing that!), then took my fat percentage (double yuck - and again, not sharing), then we started the tests.  

First up, 1 minute of push-ups, however many I could do.  Thankfully, I got to do girl push-ups (on my knees).  I did 37!  Not bad.  

Then, we did leg presses of my body weight - oy!  Essentially, it is a squat but laying on a machine on your back.  How many you could do in 2 minutes of own body weight.  I got to 33.  Hopefully, this one will get better when I lose weight because I'll have to lift less.

Next was plank.  That is, how long you can hold plank.  Plank position is essentially push-up position but on your elbows and without going down.  See below.  You need to keep your body in a line, not letting your head dip or your butt pop up.  It sounds easy, but I assure you it isn't.  I did 1 min 46 seconds - again, not bad.

Then was Sit and Reach, which tests flexibility.  You put your feet against a step, and reach as far as you can on the yard stick in front of you.  I got to 18".

Lastly, the treadmill.  He put me on the treadmill and I had 15 minutes to get as far as I could at 3% incline.  I could walk, run, skip, whatever.  I started walking at a pretty brisk pace and then about minute 7 started to jog.  I tried for a couple minutes, then backed back down to my brisk walk.  Then again at minute 10, I started to jog again a bit faster.  Trainer joined me again and was telling me I was doing good.  I kept telling myself, "just one more minute of running" and soon minute 10 turned to minute 14.  I couldn't very well stop then, so I quickened the pace a bit and really ran for the last minute.  I was pretty proud of myself.  I only got 1.05 miles, but I ran.  So I was proud of me.  

Now, I have 3 months left to my own devices.  In November, right before big nasty (aka CFP), I'll test again on the same things and see how I improved. Then, based on a bunch of factors and the other players, and my improvements, we'll see if I win the trophy and small cash prize!  Here's hoping!

I also had him do my measurements, even though that isn't part of the challenge, just for my own sake.  I am going to try incorporating the running into my workouts at the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  At Boot Camp on Tuesday and Thursdays, I'll work on the running too whenever Meanie Christinie (formerly Sweet Christine - but the name was brought up on Thursday, and no one liked that she was "Sweet" - which I meant as a joke because she works our butts off at Boot Camp! - so she told us that another class of hers called her Meanie Christinie and we agreed that worked better - and she's okay with it!).  She also likes push-ups, plank and squats, so I am sure I'll get beaten there too with those.  Probably will try to work them in on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays as well.  

I really feel like I am in a place to do this right now because of both challenges.  I have my friends helping me in the Weight Loss Challenge and Trainer and Meanie Christinie helping me a long for Elite Performer.  So today, motivation is flowing well.  We have some vacations coming up, so will have to be careful there, but I am hopeful that the motivation will stick around.  I have been really good this week with my eating and being careful to record everything on www.weightwatchers.com.  I have noticed that I feel better and I think have lost a little bit of weight.  Let's hope Mr. Scale agrees on Tuesday!  Are you listening Mr. Scale?!  You better be!

Alright folks, I'm off for a manicure pedicure with one of my best girls!  Can't wait!

Have a wonderful weekend Bleaders!

I don't have much to say...I don't think

I always think of a ton of things to say when I am not near my computer or don't have time to write down my thoughts, then when I do have time, my thoughts are gone.  I know there is a lot going on in my life right now because I talked to one of my BFFs last night that I haven't talked to in forever and we were on the phone for an hour catching up, so there's a lot there.  But where to begin?

1. I'm hungry. 
   I know that statement probably doesn't surprise you or excite you, but the reason I say it is two-fold.  1 - It's true and 2 - The reason it is true is because today I started a Weight Loss Challenge with some friends and family.  I organized it.  We all put in $20 and at the end of the month, whoever loses the most percentage of their own weight wins the pot - which is at $140 right now.  Then we'll do it again next month if this month shakes out okay.  I'm keeping track of the weights, much to the chagrin of everyone because they have to send me their weight, not what they lost.  The reason I had this epiphany (which one of them asked me, "did it hurt?" when I told her I had had one), was I went to try on my formal dresses and they didn't fit.  Almost, but not quite.  And the scale keeps disagreeing with me.  Plus, one of the girls who goes to my gym is on the next Biggest Loser and seems to be doing great (watch for Jessica Delfs, she is from Tucson and I know her - kinda, k, I've seen her and talked to her a couple times....but she goes to my gym and knows Trainer and his lovely wife - so I know her by association, so there! HA!  Anyway, root for her!)  Sorry, got sidetracked.  So not only did I go to Boot Camp this morning with Sweet Christine, but I have really been monitoring my food and even at 7 pm, I haven't had dinner with whatever small amount of points I have left.

2. Vacation is coming!  I won't tell you when, just because no one needs to know that but J, me, and our hotel!  Anyway, going to LA for a work conference where my Mom is being honored as a Hall of Famer for our company of Financial Advisors.  Way cool!  That meant I needed a new dress (see why I was trying on the formals?) for the Gala (yes, the invite actually says GALA!) where Jay Leno is our entertainment.  Do we rank or what?!  Plus we are going a few days early to go to Disneyland!!  Can't wait!  Will watch what I eat there, but will be very hard!  I did go shopping with Trainer's Wife and found a really great dress...which you will have to wait to see until we get back and I can be all dolled-up in it.

3.  Busted Kate is having a baby boy!  I'm so very excited for her and so happy that her pregnancy is progressing perfectly, especially given her history.  Love you kiddo!

4. I am now in the process of searching for my last CFP course!!!  WOO HOO!  Don't think I am excited to take it, but I am excited to get it over and done with.  Apologizing now because you probably won't hear much from me in late October and early November (test is November 19-20) because I will be in a hole.  While Googling classes yesterday I came across a blog where the writer took the test last year.  If you are interested in more about that, click here and you'll go to her blog.  This is her post after she took the exam, but you can go back to see her talk about beforehand.  These cram courses aren't cheap and they aren't in Tucson, so that requires a plane ride somewhere most likely.  Now to just determine where and when!  If you have any advice on this subject on who to take my course from, PLEASE EMAIL ME! 

5.  Ahh...infertility.  I'm in a pretty good place right now.  I'm on the verge of being ready to try again I think, however we won't actively because of #4.  Not gonna put those two things together!  But I am close to being ready to think about it again.  I get sad when AF shows up, which hasn't happened for a while.  And I look longingly at little ones...I guess I have always done that.  Anyway, I feel happy for the most part and I'll be even more ready when CFP is over - that's big nasty to you guys.  Thankfully, I am surrounded by awesome family and friends that catch me when I fall and prop me back up.  They are great for hugs and humor, when I need it most.  You know who you are...it's probably you since you are reading my blog! ;)

See, what did I tell you?  I had more to say than I thought.

Night my Bleaders, I do appreciate you more than you know!

LOVE!