The Craziest week... it's only Wednesday

     This week has been crazy. The past two nights I have left home at 7:20 a.m. and haven't gotten home until 11:00. This girl needs her sleep. Like gets super grumpy snaps about everything husband should divorce her kind of needs her sleep.
     We had a Band Director meeting on Monday. Which went... well... it went. We are all teachers, so why it's so difficult for people to raise their hands before they speak is beyond me.
     Yesterday we went to Nashville, AR to help a friend test kids for instruments. We use to live in the same town and were really close, so it was great to see them. Just not great that I couldn't call in sick today just to sleep in.
     Today is kick-my-booty-into-high-gear-at-the-gym-day. It's a National Holiday. Feel free to join in the celebration. Goal for tonight is C25K and a circuit session of weights. Hopefully that will knock out the amazing carmel pecan pie from Monday night.  :)
     Friday we have a double header softball game and hopefully my parents and sister are coming to see us. They live 3 hours away and my sister is 12. So I love seeing them whenever possible.

Me and Becca hiking during spring break this year

Oh... and I got bangs. I have a really weird obsession with my hair stylist. She's been the only person to touch my hair since like 8th grade. We've been together through a marriage, kid, divorce, new marriage and new kid for her and several dances, proms, graduation, college, jobs, and marriage for me. We've been through a lot. But since we have lived in El Dorado, I can't get to get often enough. So I had to find a new one. I went to a girl and her daughter's name is Emersyn Rue and her son's name is Ryan... my previous hair dresser's daughter's name is Emersyn Rose and my husband's name is Ryan. Okay... sold. AND she rocked out my new hair cut.

My new do :)

The Feel Goods

Finish The Sentence Link-Up

     I love link ups because it gives me writing inspiration without any effort. Call me lazy. :) And I love to see everyone else's answers. Jake and Holly are hilarious and they never let me down when I'm counting on a laugh!

1. I laughed so hard I cried when... we were at my Bachelorette party. We decided to get a hotel just in case.. and we were an hour and a half from home and probably would be hungover wouldn't want to make the drive. Let me just tell you now.. I'm not the center of attention. I love to chit chat with people, but I hate when everyone is looking at me... so there was a strict no stripper rule. (Not that any of my friends would do that anyway). I'll be damned if in the lobby of the hotel there wasn't a gang of strippers. Complete with business cards... that were scanadlous to say the least. They kept asking if we needed their services. Their names were "Penetration" and "Creamy"... because that spells out quality, right there!

2. My High School... Was a good school. They've expanded a lot since I was there, but there were great teachers and mostly great people. However, I had my head shoved too far up my boyfriend's ass for the last two years of it.

3. It really pisses me off when... Children smack. Like when they have attitude and they say "well.. *smack* I didn't do nothin' Mrs. Riiiiley..." Those times are times when I think it might be worth losing my job just to freak out on them and make them understand how rude it is.

4. In ten years... I hope to be a mommy. Preferably to a 8 or 9 year old. And maybe another after that. I'll be 35. That makes me feel really old... And I hope we have a new house by then. We're already outgrowing our current one.

5. If I could erase on thing... Just one? Geez... I'm by no means perfect. I think it would be breaking up with my boyfriend in college. I just knew I was going to break up with him. I was at the point in college that I was really getting my shit together. Going to classes, studying, getting good grades. He was 2 years older than we still failing classes. When I found out that he had failed a class FOR HIS MAJOR for the third time, I was done. Problem was, we were on a school trip to Austria. And I felt bad for breaking up with him while on this awesome vacation. So I spent the entire trip avoiding him and feeling guilty about it. And I think it ruined his trip anyway.

6. In 1999... I was 12. I had amazing bangs, was starting band, and was totally boy obsessed. Even though they were absolutely NOT obsessed with me. Can't blame them... I was smack dab in the middle of an amazing awkward phase.

7. Honestly... I have severe anxiety about having kids. Not that I'm worried about acutally having them, but I worry I won't be able to have them. It crosses my mind probaly 2-3 times a day and we aren't even trying to have kids yet! I'm still on birth control! I'm just crazy..

8. To me, sushi is... Gross. I don't mind trying to kind with COOKED meat. But I absolutely under no circumstance will ever eat raw fish. God made fire for two reasons. Keeping warm and cookin' food. Better use it!

9. Someone really needs to invent... Magic. Like Harry Potter magic. Then I could carry a wand and wear robes and go to Hogwarts. Because Hogwarts is amazing. And I could wake up at 7:30 and be at school by 7:40. Anything for more sleep!

10. The first time I drank alcohol... I was in high school and my mom let me try a sip of her drink. Bailey's and Milk. Let me tell you... I could make myself sick drinking that stuff. To this day, I still love it. My first time drinking was lamesauce, but I've made up for it a bit since then.

11. The one question I would ask God would be... Why don't animals live as long as humans? Specifically puppies? Because I know that my fur babies won't be around forever and I know that it will crush me when they are gone. And it makes me sad.

12. Lindsey Lohan... Needs to get her sh*t together. Because the only way she will make money is off her looks... and those aren't too hot these days. She's a HORRIBLE actress. And her parents should be locked in the same room with no means of reproduction. And just have to sit there with each other. In all of their crazy glory.

Lindsey post sh*t together

Her with her sh*t togther

Pretty Muddy 5K Training

     I signed up for the Pretty Muddy 5K in Dallas in June. I did this because I may be a tiny bit obsessed with the blogs I read and I knew Megan and Mama Laughlin were doing it AND we have family in Dallas that we need to visit. So ta da! Here I go. It will be my first 5K and I'm nervous as heck.

     When I realized that June 1st was just over a month away I thought "okay, really gotta get my butt in gear. I don't want to be dead last... that's embarassing." Even though I know I will just be happy with finishing. My fastest 5K time to date is 41.56. That's not bad... but it's not good either. My goal for June is to be under 40 minutes... preferably around 35. I would be happy with that.

     I started the Couch to 5K program last night, just because it would ease me into it. I started on Week 3 Day 1. It went pretty well. I went ahead and finished out 2 miles in right at 29 minutes. That's so slow for me, but I did what the program said and walked when it told me to when I could have been running. So 10 minutes of that was the 5 minute warm up walk and the 5 minute cool down walk. So I know that I could push and go faster.

     While I was running/walking, I was watching the news about the Boston Marathon. That was the first time I've cried while running. I haven't ever experienced the Runner's High to the extent that I cried. But I was just so sad and angry. And absolutely touched by the acts of kindness and the stories of heroism. I hope and pray that if I am ever in a situation like that, that I do what so many bystanders and runners did for these victims and run straight into the fire instead of away. Out of tragedy, we will rise up stronger. And I heard so many people that ran the marathon say they will absolutely return next year because life is made of many moments, and theirs will not be ruined because of one. They are my inspiration.

Until tomorrow with the finish the sentence link up! Be happy and healthy,

Kris

The Feels Goods

The Yearbook Link Up and Scale Success

     So excited for a yearbook linkup with two of my FAVE bloggers Holly and Jennifer! I could only find one yearbook picture, but that's okay. I still found some fun ones.
 So here ya go.. enjoy the awkwardness!

2nd Grade... puffy sleeves

 

Pink eye shadow... really Kris? Really?

Arkansas is Hot, ya'll

   

Is it me, or is this a little too much for a senior picture?

 Yesterday was a workout with the trainer. It went well. Did 4 miles on the bike, ran a mile, and did weights. Got on the scale this morning and it said -2! OMG yay! I've had a hard time with the scale lately... I know I'm building muscle, but I was numbers moving down, people. Not up. And I know a lot of people "break up" with the scale, but that's not good for me. I have to keep up with my weight like a stalker. If I don't see that number everyday and am aware, then as far as I know that number doesn't change. Like how magically I went from 230 to 295 in a nano second because I simply didn't step on the scale for months. So I suffer through the plateaus and gains and just keep weighing at least once a day. And it makes the victories even better. But I HAVE to stay aware. I can't let my weight run away again. I've worked my ass off to get this far and have a long way to go... not being aware just makes for more work! So be aware!!

NEVER GOING BACK!!

Be happy and healthy!

Kris

The Feelings

 

Weekend and a Good Food Day

This weekend was... well it wasn't AMAZING but it wasn't bad either. So it just was. Friday brought the end of Benchmark testing (can I get a drink AMEN!?) and a softball game. Got to play 1st base, which was new, but I adapted okay.
Saturday was sleeping until 9:45, eating breakfast at 10:15, going to a workout with my trainer at 11:00, almost puking about 11:20, then an afternoon spent with friends and family working on house stuff.
Sunday was the usual. Church, lunch with the fam, grovery shopping, meeting at the gym, visit with the mom-in-law, food prep and tv.
We are needing some help with food ideas. I have an irrational, severe problem with chicken. I have a really hard time eating it when either I or hubby cooks it. It's the texture or the worrying it's not cooked all the way or something. I literally have to choke it down. Any suggestions would be greatkthanks.

Today I want to talk about my eating habits. Well... the good ones any way. I'll save the bad ones for another day. When I'm doing good with nutrition, a typical day looks like this...

Breakfast- Oatmeal made with unsweetened almond milk, whey protein powder, and some kind of fruit.

Mid morning snack- Usually Vanilla Greek yogurt with some natural peanut butter mixed in and an apple. (I put the PB mix on the apple while I eat it. It's delish.

Lunch- Grilled meat of some kind with a veggie and a starchy carb. I'm going to have to rethink that starchy carb though, because I tend to crash in the afternoon. A lot of times I'll have grilled chicken with brown rice and broccoli.

Afternoon snack- Either fruit or a protein shake. When I do a shake I do a scoop of protein powder, ice, a serving of frozen fruit (I LOVE bananas and peaches mixed) and then a little bit of that unsweetened almond milk. Blend and voila- a snack that gives me proterin for the gym. It's important to have protein before the gym. I think I may consider adding my starchy carb here instead of at lunch.

Dinner- Looks a lot like lunch. In fact, we usually try to make enough so that we can have leftovers for lunch the next day. I usually leave out the starchy carb and add in a fruit or something after dinner to kick that dessert craving. Starchy carbs too late in the day= no bueno.

So this is a day in the life of my food. If it's a good day. I've learned that eating smaller portions more often during the day helps so much. I don't have to feel stuffed, because I know my next meal is in a few hours. I also don't snack as much because my next meal is soon and I can usually hold off. That being said, if I'm hungry... like can't stop thinking about food actually hungry, I'll eat fruit or veggies. I try to stay away from fruit high in sugar. The best ones are any kind of berry, apples, or bananas. Oranges, grapes, etc have high sugar content. Veggies are never off limits in my house. I can have as many as I want. I just can't smother them in ranch or anything like that.

Hope this helps some! As Mama Laughlin says... "You can't out train a bad diet." Until next time, stay happy and healthy!

Kris

The Feel Goods

Bootcamp, Man crushes, and Prayers

First things first. We had tornado warnings all over the place yesterday, so the hubby and I stayed in. Our Daisy girl is super scared during storms. I didn't want to be cleaning up puppy vomit and poop paint off our walls.

Today, to make up for my lack of gym yesterday, I'm going to Bootcamp. My friend Gabby goes and so do a few teachers from my school, so I'll give it a shot. The hubby is going to start training for a triathalon... I think I'll try to train with him. He's doing one in Oklahoma City in July with his BFF from High School. There is also one in our hometown in July. I think I'll try the one here. I'm scared of this. Biking 14 miles seems intense. I can do a 5k no prob... but I don't know about a 5k after swimming and biking. We will see. I know that I CAN do it. Just gotta put my mind to the training.

Second, why did God only put one Adam Levigne on this planet. That man is beautiful, talented, funny, witty, and did I mention totally drool worthy?? I mean come on... look at this...

I've always loved Maroon 5. And then I started watching "The Voice." I think I'm in love. He is so freakin' funny. And his little bromance with Blake Shelton is presh. Unfortunately for me (and lucky for the hubby) he only dates women who sound like they're from Russia. *sigh*

Lastly, I'm going to ask for some prayers. I have a former student that is a senior in High School. His name is John. When I had him, I always called him Ralphie because he looked like the little boy from "A Christmas Story."

He use to be a little chunkier :)  His skin is so yellow because of the liver failure

John is an incredibly talented, smart young man about to graduate High School. A month ago, he started running and fever and his urine was dark dark yellow. He went to the doctor and they ran some tests- all negative. He progressively got worse and they discovered that his issue was a liver issue. He was referred to a liver specialist in St. Louis. His liver was shutting down and they didn't know why. He became unresponsive, lost his ability to speak, his liver was shutting down, and he told his parents "goodbye." Luckily, they have diagnosed him. He has an incredibly rare auto immune disorder where his immune system attacks his body- most specifically his liver. Right now he is at Children's Hospital in Little Rock. He has begun having minor strokes, has lesions on his brain, an infection in his heart, his liver numbers are up, his kidney function is down, and his stomach is full of liquid. Things are not looking up for this amazing young man, but I know that God can work miracles. I'm asking you to just say a quick prayer if you read this. For him. And his parents. He is an only child. Their baby. I only know how I feel, having him for a year as one of "my babies" much less him being an only child... This family needs prayers.

Be happy and healthy. And tell those you love that you love them.

Kris

The Feel Goods

I hate Benchmark...

This week is worthless. I mean absolutely worthless. I'm spending the first half of the day giving the Benchmark to 7th graders, who are really great. Seriously, not a behavior problem at all. It's just I have to spend 3 hours of the morning watching them take a test. No computer, no books, no sitting down. Nothing. Then all the kids are so wired from having to be in a chair for three hours and quiet that when they get done, they explode. Like can't concentrate or sit still if there was a gun to their head. And I TOTALLY understand. It's just crazy the last half of the day. Oh, and did I mention that my air is out in my classroom. So me and the crazies are stuck in this humidity with no air. So I'm chalking this week up to a loss on the school front.Ah well!

This weekend was pretty epic in the sleeping department. I think I may have finally caught up on sleep. After sleeping until 10:30 then taking a 2 hour nap we went to a jazz concert of our friends. And had Chinese food. And it was amazingly bad for me.

Monday... no work out. Yes, I know. I'm awful. But I couldn't even think about getting off the couch. That first day of testing really knocked me on my ass.

Tuesday- CARDIO! Managed to get off the couch. SCORE! Spent an hour doing cardio.

Goals for the rest of the week...
Today- Weight routine
Tomorrow- Bootcamp
Friday- Light cardio and a softball game

Until later, Be happy and healthy!!

Kris

The Feel Goods

The freakin' scale... Bleh!

Today I want to talk about staying motivated. I have a really hard time with this issue before. Sometimes I think to myself "self, you've lost this much weight.. and you still have so much more to go. How can you keep this going? What's even the point? I'm tired, I just want Pizza Larry's (or Larry's Pizza for those who don't speak the native language of my niece)" I get so down on myself sometimes. And my end goal can seem incredibly overwhelming. It feels like I won't ever get there. Especially when I ate good yesterday, got in a workout, and woke up to a big fat +2 on the scale. 

But as much as I would like to give myself a free pass to eat whatever I want, I can't do that. Because as bad as that number on the scale made me feel today, if I kept eating how I use to eat, that +2 would become a +20 real quick and in a hurry. And the progress that I've made on my body can be easily reversed. God didn't make me one of those people that can eat anything and stay the same weight forever. God made me the kind of person that can look at fries and gain weight. But he made me that way and gave me blessings in other ways. My skin is great. I do have a pretty athletic build. My features are pretty proportionate. My weight is my struggle. And I'm strong enough to handle it. 

I'm strong enough to control it. And strong enough to see all the good in myself despite the +2 on that scale. And know that my determination is about so much more than a number on a scale. Or a pant size. Or how I look compared to my friends. Or all those things that use to matter so much. Because truth is, I eat healthier than most of them. And work out more than most of them. And because their struggles are just different than mine. I can't compare myself to others, only myself to me. And to the old me. And looking back makes me feel pretty damn good about what I see now. 

Good enough to purchase some pink pants, damnit. :) 

Here's my shopping update I promised a few days ago.

Pink Capris and a Grey and white polka dotted button up

Pink shirt to wear with a coverup at school or at the beach this summer

My mint green and white lace Easter Dress- LOVE. It's cuter on the person

Kris

The Feel Goods

Our Hateful Fridge/ Weekend Run Down

Good Tuesday everyone!

I meant to make a post yesterday, but when I got home (after a trip to Wal Mart and Walgreens) we figured out that our fridge had gone out again. This is the 4th time since we bought our house in July. Luckily, it's under warranty. And luckily the Hubby is all manly and such and was able to fix it. And saved all our groceries. He did this while I was on the phone with the warranty company who told us it would be the 10th before anyone got to us. I then asked them what I was supposed to do with all my food and what I was supposed to eat for ten days.... they didn't really have an answer. So HA! In your face home warranty people- my Hubby rocks.

Here is our weekend run down...
Friday- wake up at 10:30 (no school-HOLLA!) eat (healthy chicken nachos), watch NCIS, nap, NCIS, nap, and a softball game. I love love LOVE softball. I played for a long time and it's one of my biggest regrets of high school because I quit playing before I could play for the school. Anyway, we now play on a co-ed softball team with my brother in law. It's tons of fun and it feels good to play again. :)

Saturday- SHOPPING! We went with our friends Jennifer and Alex to Monroe (home of the Robertsons from Duck Dynasty). It's the closest place to us with a mall. And let me tell you- I racked up. Pictures to come tomorrow. We also had yummy frozen yogurt. It's not on my food plan... but it was amazing. Moderation people, moderation.

Excaliber- if you've seen the episode where uncle Si goes and plays games and spends money--- this is the place!

Sunday- Easter Sunday. I got all prettied up in my new mint Easter dress and then the bottom dropped out of the sky. My hubby dropped me off by the doors all day long so I didn't get soaked. I don't know if he was just being sweet, or realized that I had on a relatively light colored dress and didn't want everyone seeing me in all my glory. Either way, it was sweet. The rest of the day included a grocery run (complete with 6lbs of broccoli...), cleaning house, doing laundry, and The Walking Dead. I was happy with the season finale- no one that I just loved died. As long as Daryl, Machone, and Carl are still around, I'm good.

Yesterday, after the amazing fridge recovery of 2013, we ate and then headed to the gym 40 minutes before it closed. I got in a decent 30 minute cardio workout. 30 minutes is better than nothing!

Look for pictures of my amazing new outfits tomorrow. Until then, be happy and healthy!

Kris

The Feel Goods