There are good ideas......

And then there is what I witnessed last night. I'm on my way to softball when I was stopped by something I don't think I've been stopped by in Winston Salem, ever. A moving train. I'm on my merry way, following the directions from Mapquest when I notice break lights in front of me. Thinking that this can't really be happening and this train couldn't be that long, and where did it come from, and where is it going? And is it mine? Is this my train?!?!?!? Am I finally at the right place? Yes, I thought of all these things, I had time. Then it stopped. Stopped where I could see the caboose. Stopped where I contemplated, could my car take that jump? And then I witnessed something where I had to scratch my head. A lady, on her cell phone, in the front of the line of cars, directly next to the train track, which had a big giant train on it, tried to turn around. My mouth was agape. I couldn't actually believe that she was making this move. I could see her on the phone too. I'm assuming her boo piece was yelling at her to get her sweet cheeks home stat and didn't believe there was a train in front of her. Maybe he was on fire. Maybe the house was on fire. Maybe he was out of beer. There could be no other good explanation as to why you would remain on the phone while a giant steel engine was in front of you. So I waited it out for a little bit as car by car turned around. Eventually after sitting there for what seemed like eternity, I did turn around, but I wasn't on the phone and I wasn't next to the train. Sometimes I do wonder what people think is so important that they have to talk during times they could easily just call back. I know I'm just as guilty for doing it, but isn't admitting you have a problem, starting the solution?

I wish I had a p90x review for you all today. After a lengthy discussion last night about snooze alarms, I had the mother of all snoozes. Alarm went off at 6 and I was so comfy and sleepy in bed that just stayed there for another "hour". I literally turned into 2 of the 7 dwarfs in a matter of moments. Grumpy and Sleepy arrived around 7:15 when I finally put my feet on the floor. I had to do something to stop the barking. I'm working on becoming all 7 of the dwarfs today, however some of them would be a huge stretch in becoming. Perhaps I'll work on being a Smurf or Care Bear or My Little Pony instead. One of them has to be obtainable somehow. That might be easier. Wow, even talking about childhood cartoons is bringing me closer to Happy. So, now we've got three, this is going so well! If there is a grocery store smurf or errand running smurf, I'll be all over that in an hour! Oh yeah, the Smurfs totally have it made. check it out! http://bluebuddies.com/help/smurf_names_and_list_of_the_smurfs.htm

Last Dance :o(

Right now we are approaching t-minus 2.5 hours left in mini vacation. It's been a nice little getaway for the past few days and of course it's sunny and warm right now. The first day was awesome! Sunny and warm and we were able to lay out most of the day. Well, until our little massage angel showed up and elevated our Saturday to heaven. The rest of the time has truly been very relaxing, but chilly. Looks have been very deceiving. We would sit in the great room and look out the window to blue sky's and sunshine, but you went out there and the wind could literally cut right through you like a knife. One day I decided to get a little brave and head out to read for a little while. It was so nice until that wind came and I couldn't get inside fast enough. And I've already mentioned the dogs. It's been crazy. When it's feeding time you would think these two were lions in a cage going after raw meat. I've never seen anything like it. But of course, we finally figured it out with hours left to go. Well, at least we'll know for next time. Scout, eats outside, anyone else has to go in a secret hiding place where she doesn't know where they are. And she doesn't even eat! She's so picky you'd think she had an eating disorder. Who trains this girl anyway....

But what ending to a vacation would not be complete without a little Tony Horton. I think everyone should have a little Tony in their lives. And as I did my workout from hell (Plyometrics) so many things shot through my head. How does this guy talk while he's instructing? I'm standing there with my hands on my knees, sucking wind and he's cracking jokes. No hint of tiredness until about three quarters of the way through he's breathing a little deep and throws the big guy into the mix. Actually dropping the Hey Zeus, correcting himself and then saying Jeepers. Tony, no one has said the word Jeepers since 1925, let alone a grown man getting me as close to death as humanly possibly. Say what we're all thinking. Say what you did the first, oh I don't know, 6 times that you did this. Say, holy shit! What in the world am I doing?!?!?! If I did this every day for 10 days, I would probably loose 100 pounds. Make me believe that you are real and not a robot. B/c I'm on day 37, have done this particular workout 5 times and it still isn't getting easier. I'm dripping with sweat, my head is covered and you're acting like it's a stroll through the park. Now, it does make me hold out hope that if this guy can do that and look the way he is, I still have MILES to go before this thing gets to where I need it. But lets get real Tony, say what you're thinking, b/c the rest of us that are doing the exercise have already said way worse to you out loud.

Ummm....thanks?

So I wake up this morning to start my P90x training when my step mom asks, "what is this thing supposed to be doing?". I say, getting me fit and and lean. To which she responds, "is that how you feel right now?"....Hmmmm, how does one respond to that? I was until you asked me the question, only person that has seen me in a swim suit since I started this routine. The whole emotional high of feeling like my tummy was getting flatter was popped all with one innocent question. So on top of working out, I took an hour long walk with the two dogs and the step mom, just to make it feel like I'm doing a little more. Plus, if I can delay the abs process a little longer, that would be awesome!



It's been a great relaxing weekend at the beach house which has crept into the week. Sadly I'll be leaving tomorrow, but since it's been a little chilly during the day, I don't mind so much. Plus, the puppies are starting to fight so it might be best that we are leaving soon. And I'm not talking little snaps here and there, I'm talking full on Old Yeller cock fights that are scaring everyone around them. It's like they both went rabid and are out for blood. But then the next minute they are fine and chasing each other around like nothing ever happened. I think in my next life I want to come back as a dog and learn to forget anything that has happened to me moments before.



Off to the hot tub to see if I can roll back time.

The Long and Winding Road

In a shout out to my girl Married Spice, Mel W (You see what I did there Melanie? I made you my very own Spice Girl.) here is the latest YouTube clip which is sweeping the nation! If you haven't seen the original video, I suggest you might want to YouTube that one first as you might not understand what's going on, much like I didn't. Creative, yes, but when you have no idea what's really going on, it just looks like a bunch of men dancing.

Yoga update! I think I'm actually catching onto this thing. After a month of struggle, I finally was able to swing my legs through to "Runners Stance" without having to pull that monster through. Who knew that you stayed in downward dog to do that move? This girl was trying to swing her leg the length of her entire body while staying in plank position. Lesson number one to those of you rookie Yogies, don't do this! It's about one million times easier for your body to be raised than not. What a ding dong. That all being said, I still can't make it past the 45 minute mark without thinking I'm going to fall down and break my neck. I made it through each one of the exercises up to that point without stopping so I'm going to go ahead and call that a win. Who knows? Maybe in a weeks time I'll have gained my balance back and have some new trick on how to balance on one foot while sliding my hand down my leg, on the floor, and shooting the other one into the sky. And then maybe in a weeks time I will have won the lottery, fallen in love, and been swept away to some island starting with St. This is how likely the Yoga trick will happen.

Back to mini vacation. See you suckas on the flip side.

Seis de Mayo

I swear I was going to name this one Good Karma, but was sidetracked by a "joke" that was told to me this morning. A "special" young man came to my office door and here is how my work morning started:
BT:Katherine, do you know what today is?
KG:What's that Big Tree (reference Big Tree Fall Hard in blog one or two)?
BT:It's Seis de Mayo....
KG:Yes, yes it is.
BT: No, that's the joke.
KG: No, that's the date
This is the kind of nonsense that goes on in this guys head. And he thought it was a joke. I can just picture this guy on one of those late night Spanish talk shows where everyone is laughing and joking and Big Tree has no idea what's going on or what's being said and only repeats the date in his native Spanglish speaking tongue. And then thinks that the reason everyone is laughing is b/c of what he said. When in actuality in both English and Spanish they are both befuddled at how ridiculous a grown man is for going around repeating the date in Spanish. He's just a big dumb animal folks.

So onto my good karma story. Last night I was early to my hair appointment and decided that I needed to swing by my local Harris Teeter to pick up some ingredients to make my fajitas last night. Walking past the impulse aisle, I notice that razor refills were still on sale. Knowing how much these things normally cost, I thought, this is a sign and I should really pick them up. I mean, they're $10! That's a steal. So I go to to the self checkout with my fajita mix, guac mix, and razor refills. $.99, $,99, $11.49. Oh, you there, young man....Please, kind sir, these razors are on sale. They rang up as $11.49 and they are supposed to be $9.39. He has to get on his microphone and call over the woman that is literally 10 feet away. She checks out the situation and I walk her over to where the razors are. Apparently they are no longer on sale, but the sign is still up. So, they take the razors off the total and I stand there waiting for the new price. Junior is telling me that I can pay now. But, the razors need to be put back on. Folks, let me let you in on a little secret! If a grocery store still has an item sale sign for an item that is no longer on sale and you find it, you get that item FREE OF CHARGE. I couldn't believe it. I walk out of the grocery store only paying $2 for all of my stuff. I kept waiting for someone to stop me on my way out. Like I stole something. And in a way, I kind of did. I've never been so happy over something so small. THIS is the magic of Cinco de Mayo! Which then continued on to today where Scout went to the bathroom all in one trip, I got through the doughnut line and to work on time. No, the doughnuts were not for me, but getting through the line and to work on time is honestly a miracle in and of itself. The only thing that could have worked better is if Scout sat still for her ear drops. Have you ever had one of those Wet Willy toys. You know, those little water snakes that you can't quiet grab b/c they keep slipping out of your hands? Well, imagine that toy wet. And then imagine that toy having four legs, fur, nails, and teeth. And then that toy has an ear infection and the only thing you have to do is put these ear drops in their ears twice a day. It sounds easy enough. And it should be b/c these things are supposed to be helping. But apparently I'm shooting knives out of this bottle and when it's shown there isn't an area in the house that is not covered by trying to escape there. I've tried putting her in between my legs and locking down, but I'm afraid she'll break her own neck trying to escape. I've tried pinning her down on the floor, but she wiggles away. I've tried tricking her when she's sleeping, and that's the worst one b/c it was like I was trying to kill her. Grabbing her collar is useless and sticking the thing in my pocket like a sneak attack doesn't work either. So, I now have to devote at least 10 minutes every morning to chasing her until she puts herself in a position that she can't escape. Good thing her attention span of pain is short so she loves me again before I leave the house.

Okay, okay, I tried going a week without talking about the dog, but when your morning ritual involves so much effort, I feel like I have to share. Plus there was no P90x this morning, what else was I going to share?

Cince de Mayo

Most every year this happens to be one of my favorite holidays. Who doesn't love the smell of fajitas and the delicious taste of margaritas on your lips? Living in Texas was the life! Every Cinco de Mayo we would head over to Pappasito's and take up space outside on a picnic table and drink ourselves silly on margaritas. We'd even get to take home the glass! Oh, those were the days. But now, living in NC, it seems like it's taken what I've grown to love and turned it on me. It's almost like the UT of Mexican food. Like depending on who they're playing, or what your comparing it to, you want to hate it, but hold out hope that it's going to be good. But, it just never is. I'm telling you, if you've ever eaten NC Mexican, it will certainly taint your opinion of what real TexMex should taste like. I mean, they don't even call it queso, it's cheese dip!!! CHEESE DIP! So now here's the dilemma. Do you go out and celebrate your favorite drinking holiday in the world but know that you're not drinking b/c you are testing yourself to see if you can make it to the wine festival? Or do you go home and make fajitas and watch La Bamba and think of the good ole days? To some of you, this might seem like a no brainer, but to those of you who know how deeply I despise NC Mexican food, you know what a challenge this is for me. There are three tequila bottles sitting on my desk. Three FULL tequila bottles. Sure they're airplane bottles, but it's still the same alcohol, just in mini Katherine form. There is plenty for three drinks. Oh the torment, the pressure, the decisions!

BTW, I took pictures this morning of the 30 day "change" and considering that I'm back near my starting weight, you can only imagine how much those pictures don't look much different than what I started with. It's a little bit of a bummer, which is why I might be leaning more towards drinking this evening. So, the bottom line is that you will not be seeing these pictures as I will not be showing the growing public what we're working with. I just hope that in the near future I get a double take in that bikini I'll be rocking in a few weeks and someone else will notice my changes. Damn you Cookout milkshake! Why do you tempt me so?!?!?!?!

The Big 3-0

No, it's not my 30th birthday today, we passed that milestone years ago, but it is a pivotal moment in the P90x process. This morning we reached day 30, month one, of our total body experiment experience. Although I had a few rough weeks where I thought that nothing was happening, all I had to do was take the advice of other P90xers and give it some time. It's not something that's going to happen overnight, and it didn't. I am proud to announce that as of this morning, we are only one pound over where we started, which means that we have lost 3.5 from where we were a few weeks ago. I have yet to do the measurements, which I will be doing tonight, but I feel great. Had my yearly physical yesterday and due to the diet changes, my doctor has informed me that all my numbers are right on track which is not information I could have revealed a year ago. Not that I wasn't eating healthy, but I wasn't eating great either. I wasn't taking enough care and consideration as to what that serving of pasta was really doing to my body. But today, I'm feeling good. Even though I crave it almost daily, I don't want to go to Mr. Lu's and get those steamed dumplings and pork lo mien. I think my body would reject it. And I think I would have lost more weight this weekend had I not eaten about 12,000 Doritos and drunken about 1 million beers and a hamburger AND hot dog. I would like to claim that the chips and meat were eaten after the first 100 beers were consumed. What is a girl to do when playing lawn/beer Olympics? (SIDE NOTE: I highly encourage everyone to create their own local lawn/beer Olympics, b/c it is a great way to get to know new people and have a great time outside)


So, we're onto Phase Two and so far so good. After taking last week "easy" getting back into the Plyometrics was no easy feat. I'm still waiting for any takers on my challenge too. But the new lifting exercises are great. I haven't had to use the pesky pull-up bar for anything than ducking into my bathroom. But hey, my ultimate goal is to be able to do one full pull up without assistance before this thing is over, so I've got 60 more days to get that done. And just for the record, I'm not getting my chin any closer to that bar.

One more update before I go. The dog toy science experiment was going well until yesterday when Scout ripped through Todd's head to get to his squeaker. The good news is, he doesn't have any stuffing, but he now doesn't have a squeaker either. Indestructible toy length 17 days. I'm keeping that sucker though. Until it begins to be consumed, it's still viable in my book. Poor little Todd. He's fox by the way, and if any of you can guess the reference in which I named the toy after, there's a big muscley hug in your future!