FAST & FURIOUS FEBRUARY

I know! I know! I said I would keep my blog updated but it's been hard with everything going on. The month of February has just flown by. A few happy things have happened. Starting with Mike and I are going with Terry & Diana to the Tim McGraw & Lady Antbellum Concert that is coming up June 13th. The tickets went on sale this month. Pretty excited about this cause I LOVE ME SOME TIM MCGRAW!!!!
Ummm do you see this face??? How could you not like him? We will be in the VIP section and not having to deal with the whole crowd thing, with our own bar and air conditioned bathrooms so this will make me extra happy come June! This was our early Valentine's gift to each other. Speaking of Valentine's Day we joined some friends for an early celebration dinner on Saturday to beat the crowds on Sunday. We enjoyed some Hibachi at a placed called Shiki.

~ Early Valentine's Dinner ~

ME & THE HUBS

ISSAC & CYNDI

PAUL & CINDY

BRITT & JANICE

After dinner we went to OKLAHOMA CITY LIMITS it's a cool little place to go listen to all kinds of music, they usually book bands, you can play pool, karaoke, dance and have a good time with your friends. It's just right down the street from my office. Mike and I go there a lot for lunch. They make a mean burger too so go check them out. The night we went they had a band there called DEAL SELTZER & THE REDNECK MOTHERS (click on the all caps to view their websites) Mr. Paul Andes was a dancing machine. Should have been there to capture the full effects!

This past weekend I went on a little road trip with Diana to visit Beth in Arkansas. We had no major plans except to watch some chick flicks, possibly fit in some shopping and veg out. Although we did know we were getting up to go to Wal-Mart's Saturday Morning Meeting. I've never been to one and when I heard who the special guest was I thought okay I will make an exception and be ready to go with a smile on my face by 7 am! The last time I went to see Beth and I opted not to get up and go to her meeting I missed Mr. Denzel Washington. I did not make that mistake this time. We had a really good time during our visit while seeing Jamie Foxx. We also got in a day full of window shopping, actual shopping, lunch, watced the movie Dear John, read tons of gossip mags and caught up on tons of DVR TV. Very relaxing trip. I've missed me some Beth!

FEBRUARY 1st, 2010

It's little man's 10th birthday. Mr. Cameron Ash turned 10 yesterday and I'll have you know they had no school again. His day started off with a visit to the orthopedic specialist for his wrist injury from football season. He has been cleared to play baseball. He was pretty happy about that. Still kinda stiff and needs to work on his wrist exercises but nothing he can't fix in time. Mike & I had to work but he spent the day with our good friends Blu & Heather and their kiddos. They went sledding in the snow and got stuck right off the bat. Not only did the truck they were in get stuck but the tow truck that came to save them got stuck too. Sounds like an eventful day, they said it lasted about 4 hours. Cameron wanted to go to dinner at Chili's so after work we met up for some dinner and hung out. While enjoying some grub once again we found out no school for Tuesday. Cameron ended up staying the night with Jake. Not a lot to do since we have to work. Sounds like the weather has but a damper on two birthdays this year. We've got some catching up to do this weekend, hopefully the weather will play along. I must say Cameron is one of the coolest kids I know. He knows this happens almost every year that the weather affects birthday party planning and he's been a real trooper.

ICE/SNOW STORM

Starting early this week the news channels starting going CRAZY about the upcoming weather. I kid you not that's ALL we heard about for like 4 solid days. People started to freak out a little. Mike thought he'd do good by going to the grocery store at night around 10 on Tuesday night. He sent me a pictures from his cell phone of the bread isle. There might have been 4 loaves of bread on the shelf. WOW!! Guess we should have went earlier before all the crazies! Thursday we worked half a day and just like clock work the rain started in the morning and it was freezing. YIPPIE!! No work for us on Friday and Cameron was a happy camper to have no school on Thursday or Friday. We spent most of our time bundled up at home while the rain, ice, sleet and snow headed our way. It was really nice to wake up to nothing but snow on Friday morning and throughout most of that day. We were lucky we never lost our power. That was not the case for a lot of folks. Mainly people in Chickasha, OK. With a long weekend at hand that lead to lots of catching up on the DVR shows which made me a happy camper. That was followed by HGTV and lots of napping and sitting by the fireplace. Saturday I ventured out to Diana's house for some chick flicks and dinner. Mike & Cameron hung out and had guy time. Sunday we played in the snow. I took some cool pics of the ice/snow. Hope you enjoy.


Mike, Cameron & King chilling by the fireplace

walking right out our front door

HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY KYLE

Here's to you kid ~Happy 18th Birthday..... regardless if the weather and the roads have kept me from seeing you on your actual birthday, I still hope you know I'm thinking of you. I LOVE YOU & HAVE THE UTMOST FAITH IN YOU!

Nanny holding you shortly after arriving home from the hospital.
What a cute baby boy. Look at all that hair you had.

HELPFUL TRAINING IDEAS

Yes, I stole this from a website I found to be helpful. No, I am not doing this 5K to bring home some gold medal and get any pat on the back! I just want to prove to myself I CAN DO THIS and that I can stick to something that will lead to a healthier me. This is better than plain jane walking in my eyes (no offense to the walkers of the world) but I need more and I want more). I have 13 weeks (from the day I decided to do this) to prepare for my event. Trust me every week counts since I am a big girl and need to shed some pounds. Maybe this will help you too. If so let me know. That would make my day!

The Training Program

To get prepare for a 5K run, it is not necessary to run every single day. Your muscles need time to recuperate and grow. This guide is designed for training three days out of the week. Ideally, make these days Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and give your body time to rest in between. Also, make sure to combine this program with a healthy food nutrition guide, because eating right is as essential as exercising when it comes to staying and getting in 5K shape. Also, make sure to stretch and warm up properly every day before setting off on your runs.

Week 1
Day 1: Brisk walk: 25 minutes.	Day 2: Brisk walk: 20 minutes. Slow jog: 5 minutes. Cool-down walk: 5 minutes.	Day 3: Brisk walk: 15 minutes Slow jog: 5 minutes Regular walk: 5 minutes Slow jog: 3 minutes Cool-down walk: 5 minutes
Week 2
Day 1: Brisk walk: 15 minutes Slow jog: 5 minutes Regular Walk for 5 minutes Slow jog: 5 minutes Cool-down walk: 5 minutes	Day 2: Brisk walk: 15 minutes Slow jog: 5 minutes Regular walk: 5 minutes Slow jog: 5 minutes Cool-down walk: 5 minutes	Day 3: Brisk walk: 15 minutes Slow jog: 5 minutes Regular walk: 5 minutes Slow jog: 5 minutes Cool-down walk: 5 minutes
Week 3
Day 1: Brisk walk: 10 minutes Slow jog: 7 minutes Regular walk: 4 minutes Slow jog: 4 minutes Cool-down walk: 5 minutes	Day 2: Brisk walk: 10 minutes Slow jog: 7 minutes Regular walk: 4 minutes Slow jog: 4 minutes Cool-down walk: 5 minutes	Day 3: Brisk walk: 10 minutes Slow jog: 7 minutes Regular walk: 4 minutes Slow jog: 4 minutes Cool-down walk: 5 minutes
Week 4
Day 1: Brisk walk: 5 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Regular walk: 4 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Cool-down walk: 5 minutes	Day 2: Brisk walk: 5 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Walk: 4 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Cool-down walk: 5 minutes	Day 3: Brisk walk: 5 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Regular walk: 4 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Cool-down walk: 5 minutes
Week 5
Day 1: Brisk walk: 3 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Regular walk: 3 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Regular walk: 2 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Cool-down walk: 3 minutes	Day 2: Brisk walk: 3 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Regular walk: 3 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Regular walk: 2 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Cool-down walk: 3 minutes	Day 3: Brisk walk: 5 minutes Jog 3/4 mile Regular walk: 2 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Regular walk: 2 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Cool-down walk: 2 minutes
Week 6
Day 1: Brisk walk: 5 minutes Jog 1.5 miles Regular walk: 3 minutes Jog 1/4 mile Cool-down walk: 3 minutes	Day 2: Brisk walk: 5 minutes Jog 1.5 miles Regular walk: 3 minutes Jog 1/4 mile Cool-down walk: 3 minutes	Day 3: Brisk walk: 5 minutes Jog 1.5 miles Regular walk: 3 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Cool-down walk: 3 minutes
Week 7
Day 1: Brisk walk: 3 minutes Jog 2 miles Regular walk: 2 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Cool-down walk: 2 minutes	Day 2: Brisk walk: 3 minutes Jog 2 miles Regular walk: 2 minutes Jog 1/2 mile Cool-down walk: 2 minutes	Day 3: Brisk walk: 5 minutes Jog 2.5 miles Cool-down walk: 2 minutes
Week 8
Day 1: Brisk walk: 3 minutes Jog: 2.75 miles Cool-down walk: 2 minutes	Day 2: Brisk walk: 3 minutes Jog 2.75 miles Cool-down walk: 2 minutes	Day 3: Brisk walk: 2 minutes Jog 3 miles Cool-down walk: 2 minutes

Once you have completed this program, you will be more than ready to run that 5K. On the day of the race, make sure to arrive early and warm up. Drink plenty of water before race. 12oz. is the most common amount recommended by experts. You might also want to keep a bottle on your person, just to wet your lips if they get dry at any point during the race.

AND SHE'S OFF

By the time you finish reading this post you might just think I am off my rocker but in fact I have decided to run my first 5K ever. Hell my first run anything ever. Try that on for size peeps!! Being obese is going to add to that challenge but I'll be damned if I am going to let that hold me back!! Wondering how I came to that decision? I was looking on the internet and reading about how people walk off the pounds. Just simply by walking. So I kept reading and I came across a training program called COUCH TO 5K and it trains/guides you in a matter of 9 weeks adjusting accordingly so you can run for 30+ minutes. The time it takes to run a 5K. Anyways I decided if all these other fat people even heavier than me can do this without falling on their face then why can't I? I mean seriously. I kept reading the same thing over and over from post to post ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER. ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER. How hard can it be?

It's been a long 11 days as of today that I have been on my new medication. My thyroid was increased in addition to something new my doctor is doing to help increase my energy level. I have not had as much as one drink of coke or any carbonated beverage for that matter. I have however consumed more water than I ever believed humanly possible. Not to mention without adding any of those flavored pack things. Lucky me I figured out they give me heartburn so I skip them. My eating habits are changing too. I introduced fruits and some vegetables back into my diet (I'm not a fan of veggies AT ALL so I at least drink V8 reduced sodium). The fast food no longer works for me. Skipping breakfast no longer is acceptable. I can't, I feel like crap if I even try. I take my lunch to work and I bring prepared snacks now like raisins, mandarin oranges & apples. It matters because I know in the long run I am doing my body a favor. I no longer buy products that do not include whole wheat grains even down to my spaghetti noodles. It's a change that we are all adapting to. It also matters to my goal of weight loss. I'm not going to sit here and say it's not all about the numbers because I do care about the numbers. I eventually want to be a certain weight and that is under 200 lbs. I have an incredibly long journey ahead of me and I know this, so why dwell on a number right now???

If anyone wants to join me on the journey let me know. My first 5K run will be the OKLAHOMA CITY MEMORIAL April 25th, 2010.


** UPDATE **
Day 1 of getting off the couch and walking. I will admit this sounds easy but I could think of a thousand excuses to stay home. Especially since this is my normal. I did not think I would make it one block but I knew taking that first step and making myself move would make me feel better. I drove myself to the park and walked 3 full laps. I did the fast paced mall walker with the pumping of the arms too. When I first started I was crying. Don't say a word! YES! Tears started but it was freaking cold so that was short lived and I sucked it up quickly. I was proud of myself. I walked 1.25 miles without stopping on my first day of doing any kind activity in over a year. I can cry if I want to!
I did not follow the Couch to 5K at all. I will do more reading so I can learn more on actual training for running day to day.

WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO

I went to go get my hair done on Tuesday at 5:15. Pretty happy about it cause I enjoy venting and catching up with my girl Casey (by the way I LOVE because we have SO much in common). I was a tad early and in the parking lot I mentally noticed was empty but I continued talking on the phone only to have the holy bejesus scared out of me with Casey's face appearing out of nowhere in my window~ WE HAVE NO WATER!!!! I gathered my composure and asked what do you want me to do? She said I can foil you and you can just go home and rinse yourself if you don't mind and continued to apologize for the inconvenience or you can reschedule. I thought I don't care. It's not like the water main break was her fault. I'll go ahead and let her do my hair. Ummm I did not think this whole thing through people. I kind of forgot what you look like with your hair foiled~~


Let me just say I caught EVERY light there was from the salon to my house. Not to mention it's still the tail end of rush hour traffic. LUCKY ME!! I got some strange looks from passerbys . I faced forward the entire time and refused to look beside me when at a stop light. The best part was when I got home. I was telling Mike something important in the middle of our conversation he said Andrea, I am having a really hard time taking you serious right now. Thanks Mike!!! I personally think he was just using the foil as an excuse.