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Thursday, December 29, 2011

We're back!

Back from sunny Arizona.

It's not so sunny here.

Quick synopsis of the events:
  • Time spent with Sean's family
  • Rebecca pointed out that in Arizona people only shop and eat (ha ha)
  • Knitting was had
  • Christmas was spent
  • Plenty of chatting and catching up
  • Family and engagement pictures
Here's a couple engagement pictures I really like.

  
 
 

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Merry Christmas!

And a happy New Year!

Bright and early tomorrow morning Sean and I are on our way to Phoenix to see his family.  I'm excited.  Our bags are packed, well will be after we get ready in the morning.

Taxi will be picking us up at 4 a.m.  So, good night!

Weigh in Wednesday

I really didn't think I was going to lose weight this week.

Alas, I did!

December 21: -2.2 pounds, -31.8 pounds total

To see my weigh day history, click here.

Now, I must go finish cleaning up the kitchen and change the cat litter/wash the litter box.  Have a nice day!


Monday, December 19, 2011

Slight hindrance.

There's been a slight hiccup in the working out.

Slight.

For some reason, my left knee hurts when I bend it past a certain point.  Yes, I ran on it on Saturday and shouldn't have.  Yes, Sean was right in telling me I should take it easy.  No running until pain free.  This saddens me.

Like yesterday, tonight I'm going to do some strength training on my arms and back. 

This sucks.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Everybody's working for the weekend.

This weekend I'm going to:
  • Pay bills (check!)
  • Work on the wedding Web site
  • Trip to Target to get last things for the trip next week to Phoenix (check!)
  • Laundry
  • Work out on Saturday and Sunday
  • Relax
That's all I can think of.  Sounds like it's going to be a very successful weekend.  What are you doing this weekend?

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Thursday...

Everything that could go wrong today has.

Crappy.

Here's to hoping your day is going better than mine.

Godspeed.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Weigh in Wednesday

Good new people, good news. 

Last Wednesday, I had gained 1.1 pounds and was down a total of 25.9 pounds.  I use WiiFit to do all of my weigh ins.  While I was finishing my weigh in on December 7, the batteries in my Wii remote went dead, so it didn't save my weigh in.  On Thursday morning, I did another weigh in.  See the stats below.

December 8: -1.3 pounds, -27.2 pounds total


And now today's weigh in. 


Drum roll please.


I'm down 2.4 pounds from last Thursday.  Boom-sheik-a-lack-a.  Also, I can fasten my belt one notch tighter.  That means I've gained three belt notches since July 28. 


December 14: -2.4 pounds, -29.6 pounds total

Have a great day!  I know I will.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Monday ramblings.

I'm going to be honest with you, these past few months I haven't been giving my lifestyle change my all.  I really haven't.  I've been going through the motions, mostly managing to loose a pound or two here and there.  I haven't been giving 110% towards my future, health, and goal weight.

But.

That changed.  Sean proposed.  I realized the day after (right before Thanksgiving) that I really wanted to be at/close to my goal weight of 150ish.  Apparently the healthy weight for a female of my height is between 135 to 168 pounds.  My ideal healthy weight is 152 (according to some Google searching). 

Now, I'm 110% committed.  Yes, I sometime crave things I know will go straight to my bum.  But, I really don't want to eat them to screw up my progress thus far.  Side note, when I gained weight after college a lot of it went to my thighs and butt.  Yes, some of it went all over, but the majority went to my lower portion.  I'm currently weigh less than I did when I graduated college, but my favorite brand of jeans still don't quite fit the same.  I'm almost there though...

I should post a compare/contrast picture of my face to show you have much my double chin has gone down -- I like to think it's almost non-existent. 

Moral of this post?  I'm really looking forward to weigh day because I know the scale is going to reflect my hard work over the past week.  Check back on Wednesday to see if it is true.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Weekend

Thus far this weekend I have:
  • Gone to work out twice with Sean.
  • Almost completed Christmas shopping -- I'm THIS close!
  • So close to being done with a craft project for my future bridesmaids.
  • Cleaned and organized my desk (and then got it messy again during craft time).
  • Will clean off my desk again and the rest of the apartment.
Clearly, I've been very productive.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

The Plan


Katie, of Cookie Girl Runner Girl fame posted her training schedule, and I thought I should do the same.  I created this bad boy last night and put the final touches on it this evening.  I'll post it at the end of December too so we can all see if I stuck to it or not.

When I say "run" on the plan I mean run as much as I can.  Tonight, I probably ran almost half a mile of it, not consecutively.

Yes, I know I'm slow.  Yes, I'm just beginning running again.

Did you know I'm running the Get Lucky 7K in Minneapolis on March 17th?  Hence, the training.
Best thing about losing weight (other than the obvious...) is fitting into jeans that a few months ago wouldn't zip up.

Booya!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

"The thing about reaching your goal weight is that it's 100% possible. It's completely in your control. The only thing stopping you from getting there is you. So get out of the way."

The Weigh in Wednesday verdict is here. 

I gained 1.1 pounds.  It happens and I'm not going to dwell on it.  I'm going to keep chugging along with my spinach salads for lunch.  And I'll get super excited tonight to work out.

I'm excited to run tonight.

Whoa.  I know what you're thinking, "Who wrote that?  It can't be Kali, she doesn't get excited about runs."  Believe it people, I'm excited!

Side note:  I don't think my goal of being down 40 pounds by Christmas is going to happen.  New goal right now.  Be down 50 pounds by my 24th birthday in February.  That gives me almost 9 weeks to lose another 25 pounds.  Do you think I can do it?  I'm going to try.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Motivation


 I found that on Pinterest.  

Good, good news!

Sean and I are joining a gym tomorrow.  Well, really it is one of the St. Paul Recreation Centers, but for $30 a year (yes, that's right, I said year) we get access to weight room, walking track, and fitness center.

I'm so excited for it!  The year membership is cheaper than a monthly membership at other fitness centers.  Of course, me being frugal is very excited about that aspect.

This means I will be running again.  And, when there's no snow I'll be able to bike there to do strength training.  Wahoo!

Mom, the race is on to see who has the smaller dress size when my wedding rolls around. :)
I need to blog more, I know.  Blogging is a creative outlet for me and I need to take the time to actually do it. 

Instead of wasting so much time on Pinterest I should spend a bit on this bloggy blog. 

Hmm, what's new?

It's weigh in Wednesday tomorrow and I always get nervous.  I have no idea why.  Maybe because I ate my mother's delicious Christmas cookies over the weekend?  That's probably why. 

Oh well.  Live and learn, I guess.  What else is new...

Sean and I went to my parents over the weekend to help my mom make chocolates.  There were some wedding planning discussions going on as well.  I'll go into detail of that more at a later date.  It's not that I'm not excited about it, but all of the plans are rather fluid and nothing is concrete yet.  I don't want to share until decisions are made completely.  Maybe I'll start posting some ideas, like center piece items, on here.  That will definitely spruce things up around here.

One thing I'm really excited for is going dress shopping with my mama llama.  It will be exciting and emotional all wrapped into one.  It's a pretty sure bet that I'll cry like a blubbering idiot.  More on that later though.

Happy Tuesday!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Weigh in Wednesday

Good news people.  I somehow managed to lose 1.3 pounds over Thanksgiving and I have no idea how.  I'm going to be honest, I ate really crappy over the long weekend.  I'm glad the scale didn't reflect that...

Anyway, here's this week's stats:

November 30: -1.3 pounds, -27 pounds total

Operation Goal Weight By Wedding has kicked off and has already included some delicious salads.  If I could make every salad I eat a taco salad, I would eat salad all day every day.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Shoes!


I want these shoes.  They're TOMS, and the mustache is wonderful.  I have a strange obsession with mustaches.  Sean thinks it's weird...

Anyway, family take note: size 11 please. :)

Saturday, November 26, 2011

All ready for Christmas!


It's after Thanksgiving so that means our Christmas tree is set up.  Boots has already messed with it.  She likes to chew on the branches and pull on the tinsel.  I have a feeling Sean and I will be re-setting up the tree a lot this year.  I should probably get the wrapped presents under the tree so she can't get up in the tree.

Happy holidays!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Weigh In Wednesday

And the results are in!  Drum roll please....

...I'm down 3.3 pounds from last week.  Boo-ya!

November 23: -3.3 pounds, -25.7 pounds total

This makes me super proud of myself.  And it only makes me more excited about losing weight.  Can I lose weight through the holidays?  Well I guess we'll find out.

Remember last week I wanted to be down 25 pounds today from the start of the lifestyle change, goal complete!  We're on our way to being 40 pounds down by Christmas.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I'm not going to give up all the delicious food completely, but the plan is to not eat as much of it.  Instead of having two helpings of potatoes, I'm only going to have one.  Definitely going to skip unnecessary carbs -- i.e. dinner rolls.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Monday, November 21, 2011

Hey, guess what?  I finished my Just Dance 3: seven day sweat workout. 

I'm impressed I completed all seven days.  If I wasn't going to home for a few days due to Thanksgiving, I would start another seven day workout tomorrow.  The sweat workouts have three levels.  I just finished the second level.  Starting this weekend it looks like I'll move up to the third level -- which just means I have to dance longer.

I know.  I know.  The workout is corny.  But!  It gets my butt moving and it's actually fun and I legitimately enjoy doing it.

I'm getting tired now, I think it's almost time to go to sleep.  This old lady can barely make it 9 p.m.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Weekend in review.

It has been a relaxing/productive weekend thus far.  Let me tell you about it in bullet form.
  • It looks like winter outside.  It finally snowed on Saturday.  
  • Sean and I went to Como Zoo yesterday morning.  Because of the rain/sleet/snow the zoo was empty.  We spent quite a while in the giraffe building.  
  •  I love giraffes.  This little guy is one of the baby that was born a few years ago and he's chewing on the wire.  The mom is the giraffe in the background. 
  • Due to the snow, Sean and I decided we should stay home and watch a movie and the hockey game last night.  It was a very relaxing day.
  • Today we got our grocery shopping done.
  • I've cleaned the apartment and done laundry.
I feel very accomplished.  Now, it's time to wrap some Christmas gifts.  The snow on the ground is totally getting me excited for the holidays.  I can't wait until we get home from Thanksgiving with my parents so Sean and I can decorate the apartment for Christmas.  We're totally going to watch Elf while we set up the Christmas tree.  It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Friday, November 18, 2011

I didn't get the job I applied and interviewed for, the job that would have been perfect for me right now.  I would have been actually been doing things I went to college for, unlike my current job.

I found that out this morning via email.  Then, I found out at work out PTO time is changing and the sick time I had from this year wasn't rolling over to next year.  So, I used some time and took the afternoon off.  Katie did too.

Instead Katie, Lee, Sean, and myself had lunch and then stopped at Sam's Club for their Holiday Taste of Sam's.  Then, Sean and I headed to Mall of America to do a little Christmas shopping.  It definitely took my mind off of being bummed about not getting the job for a while, but I'm still disappointed.

There's other jobs I guess...

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Check and check.

Last night I was SUPER productive.
  • Ate chili.
  • I called my grandma.
  • Definitely perused the Internet. 
  • Did a little Just Dance.  Way more fun than doing an actual workout.
  • Read magazine while taking a bubble bath.
I received my first issue of Everyday Food (a Martha Stewart Magazine).  I had completely forgotten I cashed in some My Coke Rewards points and subscribed to that.  Too bad all of the recipes look delicious and are most likely high in calories.  Good thing I can bookmark the recipes I want to make someday.

In addition to the above items, I also payed my monthly bills.  The bank account is smaller, but the pile of random stuff on my desk has definitely gone down a little bit.

Let's make today a good, healthy food decision type of day.  Godspeed!  (P.S. you're welcome Katie.)

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

“How soon 'not now' becomes 'never'.”

Thank you Martin Luther King, Jr. for that nugget of motivation and inspiration.  I'm going to need it.  There's actually (surprisingly) a lot of things I want to get done tonight.
  • Just Dance - I'm on day two of a seven day sweat workout.  How corny does THAT sound? 
  • Try not to be so lame, exhibit A ^.
  • Get through a couple magazines that are sitting on the coffee table.  Fun fact.  I subscribe to Marie Claire, Allure, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, and Real Simple.  I tend to not read them for a while and let the magazine stack get really large.  Then, I binge read 3-6 of them at one time.  It's enjoyable.
  • On a completely unrelated note, I wonder if my mother and sister-in-law have received the free Better Homes and Garden subscription I sent them... I got a renewal offer on my subscription for two gift subscriptions if I renew for a super low rate (their words, not mine). 
  • Another fun fact.  I may be only a mere 23 years of age, but I act like I'm an 86 year old woman.  Just look at the magazines I subscribe too, oh dear.
  • Call Grandma to see if she's free next week around Thanksgiving.  I keep forgetting to do this, especially important.
  • Take a bubble bath because I haven't done so in a few weeks -- that's a long time for me.
  • Eat the chili Sean made today.  Thanks mom for the canned sauce mix. 
  • Peruse the Internets, a.k.a. Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Google Analytics, and Pinterest.  Definitely NOT delicious baking blogs like Joy the Baker, shutterbean, and Sweetapolita.  They make me want to bake delicious bakery treats which I don't want/need right now.
Now, let's see if I actually do all of this.  Have an enjoyable Wednesday!

Weigh in Wednesday

So, I'm doing something new.  Instead of doing weigh days on the 1st and 15th of every month, I'm going to weigh myself every Wednesday.  Hence the name "Weigh in Wednesday" -- obviously.

The reason I am switching to weekly weigh ins is to help keep myself on track with my lifestyle change.  I find that I tend to eat crappier after a weigh in because I know the next weigh in isn't for another two weeks.  To prevent that behavior from happening in the first place, I need to do weekly weigh ins.

I also chose Wednesday for a reason (and not just because of the catchy title I could use).  I notice I tend to eat a lot better when I'm at work all week and the weekends are more difficult, calorie wise.  Clearly I didn't want weigh ins to be on Mondays because I don't want to ruin it over the weekend.  I thought about choosing Fridays because it is the end of the work week and I (generally) will have eaten well over the course of it.  But then I didn't to have an excuse to eat crappier on the weekend since I just had the weigh in.  So, Wednesday it is.

Today is Wednesday.  And I weighed myself.  I know, I know.  You're shouldn't weigh yourself every day because the number on the scale can fluctuate day-to-day.  I weighed myself anyway and am pleased about the result.  I'm not making excuses for yesterday's weight gain, but I'm down two pounds from yesterday's weigh in.  I think the 1.3 pound gain is just what I needed for a good kick in the pants to get myself into this lifestyle change again.

November 16: -2 pounds, -22.4 pound total

Do you think by next Wednesday I could be down 25 pounds from the beginning of my lifestyle change? Let's hope so!

Note: my next weight goal is to be down 40 pounds from the beginning by Christmas.  That means I will have to lose 3.52 pounds per week, with Thanksgiving thrown in there as well.  Let's do this!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Newest obsession.

Have you checked out Pinterest yet?  It's my newest obsession...

Check it, yo!

Weigh day.

I knew this was going to happen, so I'm not that broken up about it.  I gained 1.3 pounds -- all the more reason to work harder (see previous post).

November 15: +1.3 pounds, -20.4 pounds total  

Monday, November 14, 2011

Severely lacking in the motiviation department.

Tomorrow is weigh day.  I'm not looking forward to it.  But, I need to face the music.

I've lost my motivation.  The cold has made me lazy.  Wait, scratch that.  I've made myself lazy.  No blaming it on the weather.  You know what I need?  A game plan. 

With daylight savings time in full swing, it's dark by 5 p.m. and it's only a matter of time when it will be dark at 4:30.  Me being afraid of the dark and the boogy monster means I will not be running in the dark.  I think I need to get my ass into gear and start running as soon as I get home from work.  On days I have something going on, I need to be doing some other sort of workout.  May Wii Fit.  Maybe Just Dance 3, because let's be honest, Just Dance 3 is WAY more fun than anything else.

But seriously, I need to stick to my game plan.  At the very least, I should be doing some sort of work out every single day, not being a lazy pile like I have been. 

It all changes tonight.  Tonight after my hair appointment I will be doing Just Dance 3.  How long you ask?  I have no idea.  Until I'm tired...?  Even though Just Dance doesn't feel like a workout because it is so much fun, I always end up sweating a lot (sign of a work out?).  According to Katie, I don't sweat, so it's a pretty big deal. 

Alright, game plan in motion.  Operation Move My Hiney is officially kicked into gear.  You with me?

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

In Kali's kitchen.

Yes, I did make soup yesterday.  No, I didn't take any pictures because I forgot.  Silly me. 

I only made two batches instead of three.  Good thing because I had made five quarts of cheesy wild rice soup goodness. My five quart pan was so full.

I found a new frosting recipe to try.  It's from Sprinkle Bakes.  The whole cake looks amazing.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Let there be soup.

I'm making soup tomorrow night.  Awesome, delicious soup.

Like three batches of cheesy wild rice soup.

Get excited people, get excited!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Happy birthday to Sean!

Yesterday was Sean's birthday. 

He requested a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, and boy did I deliver.


Dark chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting topped with chopped up Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.


It's beautiful.


It tasted just as good as it looks.  I found a peanut butter frosting recipe that is a keeper.  The peanut butter frosting recipe can be found here, from Joy the Baker.


Happy birthday Sean!  We went to the Minnesota Wild game last night.  It was a fantastic blow out game against Vancouver.  Wild won 5-1.  There were a couple great fights, which is my favorite part. 

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Weigh day.

Happy November!  2011 is flying by it seems...

Today was a weigh day.  And I'm two pounds lighter from the last weigh day. 

November 1: -2 pounds, -21.7 pounds total

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Disappointment.

Yesterday was the Monster Dash 5K.  I'm disappointed about it.  Let me tell you about it in more detail.


This is Katie, myself, and Christa pre-5K.  We were Sideline Superheroes for the costume contest.  Our costumes looked pretty awesome, but the metallic leggings were not good to run in.  They were falling down so much -- which is the cause of my disappointment.

Stupidly, we didn't do a test run in the leggings.  If we had, we never would have worn them.  Within the first 10 steps of the 5K, I knew the next 3.1 miles were going to be absolutely horrible.  The leggings were falling down.  I couldn't run because the leggings would fall down and I was afraid my ass was going to start hanging out.  I guess one good thing is that our glittery capes covered that up.  But, I spent the entire time pulling up the leggings and pulling my shirt down.  I tried running, but I would take about 10 steps and the leggings would be back falling down again.  I ended up power walking the entire thing, except for the last .1 mile.


This is the medal we got after the race.  I don't feel like I earned it at all because I didn't want to walk the whole thing.  I wanted to run it and beat my previous 5K time, but because of the stupid leggings, I couldn't run without them falling down to the point where my t-shirt wouldn't cover it anymore.  I'm upset with myself that I didn't know the leggings were a bad idea.  I'm upset I wasn't able to run the 5K.  I spent the entire time walking faster and faster, hiking up my pants every 20 feet, hoping I would get close to my previous 5K time. 

It probably would have been easier to run in jeans than those leggings...

Sorry for sounding like I'm beating myself up over this, but I'm really disappointed and upset about the whole thing.  I'm not looking for a pity party right now, I just really wanted to vent.  So, right now the medal is hanging on the wall above my desk, but it is not a medal I am proud of. 

That part is really sad because I was most excited about the medal for this 5K. 

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Possible garden news!

So, way back in May when the community garden group I was a part of was disbanded, I contacted Saint Paul's District 10 (which I reside in) via their Web site.  After not hearing back about the email I sent, I didn't think much about it.

Well, today I got an email from District 10 telling me their contact form on their Web site hadn't been working and that had missed my email because of that.  I was told an Environment Committee will be working to get a garden set up next spring.

Of course I emailed back asking if they need any community involvement that I would be interested.  I was told when a planning committee gets planned, I will be contacted and meetings about planning the garden could start happening in November or December.

This is so exciting!  But, I don't want to get my hopes up too much because last time I was extremely disappointed.

That reminds me... I need to get my $15 dollars back for the garden that never happened.  Hopefully this garden works out better than the last.  Cross your fingers!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Two more runs until the 5K

Well, make that one more run.  I've knocked one off my list tonight.

The 5K is fast approaching.  I'm not as prepared for it as I was for the first one, but I'm not very worried about it.  My philosophy is, run until my lungs are tired then walk for a bit.  Then, start running again.  It seems to be working for me because I'm going faster than I have been.

Also, I think I'm going to post my Lose It! daily summaries on a weekly basis instead of daily.  I'm thinking about being like Katie and only posting them when I go over my daily calorie limit.  I don't know.  Thoughts?

Monday, October 24, 2011

Daily summaries...








All of my daily summaries from Thursday through Sunday.  It was a busy weekend with my mom.  It's going to be a very busy next three weeks for me.  5K this weekend, Sean's birthday, Sioux Falls weekend, Wombats concert, and a visit to Sleepy Eye so my dad can work on my car. 

Very busy indeed.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

10/19/2011


Things to do tonight:
  • Run
  • Clean apartment
  • Thursday night TV (Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice)
  • My mama is coming to visit tomorrow so I need to get food for lunch on Saturday
  • Hmmmm, anything else?

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Hey, guess what?

I went for a run!

I ran the same speed testing route I did last time.  And it went better than last time.

One minute and 14 seconds faster actually...

I'm proud of myself.

Monday, monday.

I've been sticking to posting my daily summaries for a week now.  And I can tell it has made it easier to stay on track knowing that I am posting this here. 

I need to go for a run tonight.  In the cold weather.  It's not even supposed to break 50 degrees today.  Hopefully the day of the 5K will be warmer!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Blah.



Here's yesterday's daily summary.  Today was a disappointing weigh day.  I lost .2 pounds.

Yes, that's better than gaining .2 pounds, but really, .2 pounds?  Whatever.  No point in dwelling in the past, time to move forward and lose more next time.

Have a good weekend.

Friday, October 14, 2011

10/13/2011 and making goals.


Another daily summary.  Exciting.  I never know what to write about with these.  Maybe I won't write anything?  I will figure something out.

I am SUPER happy and proud of Katie for making her goal weight today!  Like I told her, "We're kickin' butt and taking names!"

Tomorrow is weigh day for me.  Who's excited?!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Small victories.

I noticed tonight my ankles are getting skinnier.  Weird, I know.  But it's the small things I'm noticing that are keeping me going.

10/12/2011

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Daily Summary 10/11//2011



Here's my food summary from yesterday.  To see it larger if you would like, just click on the image.  I came in 139 calories under my 1,830 calorie limit.  Also, I usually do not add my exercise because I don't want to over compinsate for those calories.  

Have a good day!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Back on the horse.

I ran tonight.

I'm testing out a 1.41 mile route to see how long it takes me to walk/jog it.  Eventually I want to be running the whole route.  Today wasn't great, not going to lie.  I'm not very proud of it, but I'm proud of myself for going out there and doing it.

Also, I'm going to start posting my daily summaries of what I eat the day before to hold myself more accountable.  That way, I will think, "Do I really want to eat this and put on my blog that I ate this?" before I eat something crappy.


Katie and I talked about posting daily summaries at work today.  We can hold ourselves accountable.

Sidebar, small victories: moving to a smaller notch on my belt and putting on athletic shorts that were previously too tight around the leg.  It is the small things like that motivate me because I look at my body every day and I don't see a change at all.  But.  But!  I notice a change when little things like that happen.

Now, I'm going to go put on the shorts that now fit and enjoy my evening not watching my normal Tuesday night programming because of baseball playoffs.  Boo.  

Friday, October 7, 2011

Have an abnormally large carrot? Make cake.

Hi!  Hello there.  How was your week?  I hope it turned out just how you wanted it to.

Want to see what I did this week?  Let me show you!

First, I was visiting my parents and was able to watch the yearly garden competition judging.  This year, my dad blew my brother out of the water with his huge carrots. I'm pretty sure my dad grows vegetables on steroids.

So, I went home with this carrot.


Isn't it huge?  What do you do with one giant carrot?  Well make carrot cake of course!


First, grating of all the carrot commenced.  By the way, finally bought a box grater from Ikea.  And, I love it.


Gotta mix all the dry ingredients together.


Gather all the wet ingredients together.


Now comes time to combine!


Stir, stir, stir.


Doesn't look appetizing.  Don't think about the batter, but instead about the deliciousness carrot cake is.


Prepare for frosting.  Don't ask, I like taking pictures of random things.  Don't judge me.


Creamed butter and white chocolate.  I don't even like white chocolate and I love this frosting.  


Time to add powdered sugar.  Just about done with the frosting.

Stupidly, I didn't take any pictures after the cake/cupcakes were completed.  Silly me.  You will just have to take my word on how delicious it turned out.

I slightly modified the recipe for carrot cake from Better Homes and Gardens.  I wanted to stick with a basic recipe for carrot cake.  I didn't want any orange or pineapple in it or other crap like that.  Gross.  I made white chocolate frosting that can be found here.  I love this frosting. 

Seriously, try the frosting.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Enjoyable blogs

So, I was thinking to myself earlier today, "There are many blogs I enjoy reading.  I wonder if anyone else would find those same blogs enjoyable?"

Let's find out, shall we?

Food/Baking Blogs:
  • Joy the Baker - I want to try many of her recipes and her podcasts are quite entertaining.  It's not always about baking, but interesting nonetheless.
  • shutterbean - Tracy does the podcast with Joy the Baker.  She also has delicious looking food.
  • Sweetapolita - Mmmm cakes and frosting and other various baked sweet treats.
  • Sprinkle Bakes - More gorgeous cakes.
Health/Fitness:
  • One Twenty Five - She is documenting her weight loss and the struggles with trying to achieve her goal weight.  It's entertaining to read.
  • Ben Does Life - Reading this blog inspired my lifestyle change.

I know, that is only six blogs.  And yes, I do know they're about food and fitness.  Two opposite extremes.  But.  It is what I enjoy reading. 

I used to read a few other blogs, but I've realized I find them kind of annoying and I'm have no idea why I keep reading if I find them so annoying.  So, I'm trying to stop reading those.  I really should delete them off my favorites.  That way it won't be so easy to click there and then be annoyed by it. 

I'm sorry if my blog is annoying to you.  Really, stop reading if it is.  There are better blogs to read (like the ones linked above).

Seriously, for sure check these blogs out.  Especially the baking blogs. 

Sunday, October 2, 2011

October 1

I have good news to report.  The October 1st weigh in went well.  Very well.  I lost 3.5 pounds since the last weigh in. 

Honestly, I didn't think I was going to lose anything.  I was sure I was going to gain a couple pounds. 

Luckily, I didn't. 

Total since July 28 is 19.5 pounds lost and many more to go.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Bad Kali

I've been bad. 

A bad blogger. 

A bad runner. 

A bad lifestyle changer.

Bad all around.  But.  But!  I am overcoming my bad self by getting back into the swing of things.  I wish I had an excuse for the running hiatus I have taken since the 5K.  I only have me and my laziness to blame.

Weigh day is tomorrow.  I'm not looking forward to it, not going to lie.  I have a feeling it's not going to be good.

Now, the good news.  Today we got our yearly bonuses from work.  I spent a part of mine (okay a very good part of mine) on a new bicycle.  As Sean pointed out when I was hesitant about the cost, I'm making a purchase on a 15 year investment.  I won't need a new bike for a long time.


Isn't it a beauty?  Do you want to see the best part?  I'm really excited about it...


I have a lovely pink bell!  That way instead of feeling awkward when I have to say, "On your left," when I'm passing someone I can just give my bell a little ring-ring.  I've already rang it so many times.

Before taking off and heading for Sleepy Eye, Sean and I are going to go for a little ride around Como Lake.  It will be wonderful.

I have been riding one of Sean's bikes to work and back, but his bike seat was really uncomfortable on my lady parts.  This seat doesn't hurt at all.  Oh, I'm super excited to ride it to work!

Completely unrelated to fitness, Boots went to the vet to get her nails trimmed today.  Sean and I being new kitty parents were unfamiliar with the cat nail clipping technique.  So, we wanted to be shown how.  Getting Boots into the pet carrier was a challenge.  We've learned that we need to shut both bedroom and bath room doors before trying to get her into the pet carrier.  She knows that when she goes in there, it usually doesn't end up very well for her.  Cat treats work wonderfully when trying to lure her out from under the bed.

Once at the vet, Boots was terrified and didn't move very much during the nail trimming.  Overall, I think it was a successful time.  Below is a picture taken of her a few days ago.  It's adorable, like usual.


She fell asleep with her yellow toy on top of her.  She must have been tuckered out from playing.  She was kind of waking up when I took this picture.  Her one eye is creepily open a little bit.

Anyway, Sean and I are going to do a little Mario Kart Wii racing.  Have a great night and an even better weekend!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Maple Syrup

Two (maybe more) random things.

I made whole wheat pancakes for dinner tonight.  Pretty much the best fall/cooler weather food.  Wait, I take that back.  Pretty much any season kind of food, mainly because that means maple syrup is involved.  It's always a good day when maple syrup is involved.  I'm like my father in the sense that I LOVE maple syrup. 

Picked up Bridesmaids on DVD.  A night of laughing is about to ensue at the Lingen-Collins household.

And to answer your burning question, no I have no ran since the 5K.  Don't worry, I will start again. 

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Bootsy Cuteness


I have a cute kitty.  She likes laying on the cat stand my dad built.  She's a pretty kitty.


Boots like to lay in between me and my laptop.  I love it.  She's so freaking adorable.


This was the second try to capture this picture.  First, when I got home tonight, Sean told me to go look in the guest room at the cat.  I saw her and then immediately went to get my camera.  Then, like normal, she follows me and stops doing the really cute thing.

Sean then saw her again laying on the pillows after Sean and I cleaned the kitchen up from dinner.  He told me to grab my camera, which I did.  

I love our Bootsy Pootsy Poo.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

5K, done!

The 5K is over.  And it was harder/easier that I thought it would be.

I know you're wondering how a race can be harder and easier at the same time.  Well, I'll tell you.  First, here's what the route looked like.



It was cold this morning.  Sean, Katie, her husband Lee, and her brother Jason and I lined up at the front of the start line.  It was intimidating looking back and seeing nothing but people.  Once the air horn sounded all you could hear was feet striking the cobblestones.  It sounded kind of cool.  Jason, Katie, and Sean took off in front of Lee and I.  Lee and I had planned on running slow together.  We were okay with walking during the 5K.

Lee ended up running ahead about half a mile into it.  I was alright with it because for some reason, I really enjoy running alone.  Finally all of the faster runners passed me.  I was within a group of people who would run for a while, walk, and then run.  I was basically playing leap frog with some other girl because she would pass me and start walking and I would run past her and start walking.  It was entertaining.

I really liked the random people that would be cheering on the 5K participants -- the ladies and dog on a balcony, the police officers that were blocking off roads, and the other walkers and runners in the parks on the course.

I finally got to the Stone Arch Bridge and ran most of it.  Nearing the end of the bridge, I saw Sean.  Everyone else was already done and it was great to have Sean and Katie run to the finish line with me, even if Katie was cracking jokes.  Once I crossed the finish line, my lungs felt like they were going to die.  Katie then proceeded to tell me a funny story about what happened to her when she crossed the finish line.  I'll let her explain that one on her blog.  It's too personal for me to say it.

I finished the 5K in a little less than 46 minutes.  That is a rough estimation.  I should have been running the stopwatch on my iPod for a more exact time.  Oh well, next 5K I will.  

I am really appreciative of all of the support I've been given by the other four 5Kers, as well as everyone who gave me well wishes.  

I never thought I would finish a 5K.  I did and I'm super proud of myself. 

Friday, September 16, 2011

A long time coming

This 5K has been a year in the making.  I've been wanting to run this particular 5K for over a year. 

The 2010 Dave Ryan 5K for Special Olympics was advertised on KDWB last year when I first started working my first out-of-college "real" job.  I would be driving to work and would hear about the 5K on the radio.  Every time I heard about it I would think, "I could probably never be able to run a 5K, but I think it would be cool to do."

Then, I completely forgot about the 5K, or so I thought.  Sometime this spring I casually mentioned to a lady in my office that we should run the KDWB 5K in September.  Katie was training to run a 5K over Mother's Day 2011.  Then, I got lazy and decided in June that I probably wasn't going to be running the Dave Ryan 5K. 

Enter, lifestyle change

I'm incredibly nervous and at the same time excited about tomorrow's 5K.  Right now, more on the nervous side of things.  Mostly, I'm afraid I'm not going to be running all of it.  It's all a mental battle for me.

I'll do a recap sometime tomorrow after the race.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Weigh day

It's the first of the month.  You know what that means.  The dreaded weigh day.  Well, not really dreaded but I was more excited about it before I weighed myself.  No beating around the bush here.

Down three pounds.  Not as great as I had hoped, but it's weigh loss still the same.

I need to keep better track of what I'm eating.  Weight loss is a simple equation.  Calories in have to be less than calories expended.  I need to work on that. 

I'm almost finished with a book about overeating.  I will discuss it more when I'm finished with the book, which should be in a few days.

Total weight loss over the past 15 days: 3 pounds
Total lifestyle change weight loss: 16 pounds

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Only one more run until the 5K, eek!

I ran tonight, woo!

Two things.

iPod not syncing music when I connected it to my iTunes library on Sunday.  (I was being a dumb-dumb and forgot to plug in my hard drive -- which stores the music -- when I was syncing my iPod.)  Therefore, tonight's run was sans music.  Surprisingly, I enjoyed it.

Number two.  I need to start running before 7 p.m.  I run around Como Lake and it was pretty dark when I was heading back home.  Sean even got worried (how cute/good boyfriend) and met up with me on the trail.  Also, I feel like I've ran faster tonight that I ever have.

I do this little counting trick to help pass the time of running and not focus on how badly my lungs want me to stop running. As I'm running, every time my right foot strikes the ground I count 1, 2, 3, etc., to 10.  Then once I get to 10, I start over at 1.  When I find myself getting tired I think, "Okay, one more set of 10."  Then, I usually do a couple more sets of 10.  I enjoy it.  It passes the time and set tiny little goals.

Well, 5K is on Saturday, who's excited?!

Sean running update: he went for a run today and running the 5K is a possibility (I really hope so). 

Monday, September 12, 2011

I ran!

Want to hear the good news?  I ran yesterday morning. 

Want to hear even better news?  The 5K is on Saturday.  Okay... maybe not the greatest news, but the sooner it is here to sooner it is over.  I know, I shouldn't be wishing it was over.  But it's stressing me out.  And we all know what happens when stress starts piling up.  Shingles.  (Let's hope I never get that again.)

This week's running plan:
  • run Tuesday night
  • maybe run Wednesday night
  • run Thursday night (also weigh day!)
  • take Friday off
  • 5K on Saturday
Also good news, Sean is thinking about running it on Saturday.  Don't you think he should?  I do.

Friday, September 9, 2011

I know.

I haven't blogged.  I haven't ran (except for the pathetic attempt with on Tuesday night with Sean). 

The 5K is a week from tomorrow.  Yes, I said a week from tomorrow.  I'm so not prepared.  And you know what?  I'm oddly okay with that. 

I know during the race I am going to try my hardest.  I'm not going to say I'm not going to walk at all during the whole thing because I know I am going to probably walk a little bit.  I don't want to set myself up for failure straight off. 

I'm going on a run tonight.  It shall be grand. 

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Got shingles? Make cake!

Shingles have ruined my Labor Day weekend.  I was planning on going to Sleepy Eye this morning with Sean to visit the family, but last night I ended up going to urgent care. 

On Thursday morning at work, my left bicep started itching like crazy.  I had two welts there I then discovered.  I assumed I got bit by a mosquito on my walk to work, so I didn't think much of it.  Thursday night, I took an allergy pill and put some prescription itch cream on the welts and I assumed it would be taken care of when I woke up Friday morning. 

Alas, I was wrong.  The welts that had a distinction between the two no longer had a distinction.  In addition to itching, the big red spot on my arm a couple inches in diameter began to hurt with a stinging pain.  After spending all day at the Minnesota State Fair on Friday, when I got home I Googled spider bites.  I thought maybe that was it.  The stuff I was finding about spider and bug bites said if it worsens after 24 hours to seek medical attention. 

Hence, the urgent care visit.  As soon as the doctor looked at my arm he asked, "Have you ever had shingles before?"  Then he went on to explain that it is caused by the varicella (chicken pox) virus.  The virus can lay dormant for years or decades and then flare up when immunity is low.  He asked if I've been stressed lately.  Sean pointed out later that I've been extremely stressed out from work lately. 

After being given an anti-viral prescription, the doctor said I should try to find a 24 hour pharmacy to start the medication as soon as possible.  Sean and I found a 24 hour Walgreens and finally got the medication at 11 p.m. last night.

The doctor said the shingles aren't contagious, but I can give chicken pox to someone who hasn't had it.  I immediately thought about how I was going to be seeing Travis, Becky, and Charlie the next day (today, Saturday) and I definitely don't want to give little Charles chicken pox.  So, long story short, Sean and I stayed home today.  I'm supposed to be babysitting Charlie on Labor Day, but I don't want to risk getting him sick.

Instead of going to Sleepy Eye, I decided to make strawberry cake with creamy, fluffy strawberry frosting.  It turned out great.  Tasty and pink.

Fluffy, strawberry frosting

The cake got a little overcooked on the edges, but overall turned out good

And now, I'm going to attempt to get the kitty to play with me.  I hope your Labor Day weekend is lovely!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

First of the month...

...and you know what that means!  It's weigh day!  Well, it's more like it's weigh day... ho hum.

I've lost two pounds since the August 15th weigh in.  Kind of disappointing, but I guess it's better than gaining two pounds.  Let's look on the bright side!

I know I have no one to blame but myself and I'm not going to beat myself up about this.  There's more time to be running and eating well.  Time to re-motivate. 

Have a happy and healthy day!

Down 13 pounds since beginning the lifestyle change.  Check the pages near the top of the blog for bi-monthly weigh in totals.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Today

Today, Boots went to the vet to get her free exam to check her out.  Everything is good.  She weighs 7.69 pounds.  She got a vaccine and a feline leukemia test.  Stool sample was taken in.  Also, medication for worms, just to be sure there is none in her system since she did come from a shelter.  A phone call back from the vet's office letting me know both the stool sample and the feline leukemia tests came back negative.  Now she's curled up into a kitty ball on the red futon chair.  Sean and I refer to it as her chair.

Last night I went running.  Run, run, run.  Blah, blah, blah.

I've been unmotivated lately.  With the bi-monthly weigh in coming up on Thursday, maybe that will reinforce my motivation.  Or maybe it will tell me I had too many Sweet Martha's Cookies at the State Fair.  Obviously, I'm hoping there is weight loss.  I'm thinking so because my pants have been feeling looser lately, which excites me.  But, I don't want to get ahead of myself and say that I'm going to lose a bunch of weight when I enjoyed the food at the Fair and didn't worry about the calories.

I'll get back to you on Thursday about that.   

Saturday, August 27, 2011

World, meet Boots

Sean and I have a kitty.  Meet Boots.  I like to call her Bootsy.  She follows me around like a puppy.  She uses Sean's stomach as a trampoline to jump somewhere else.  She purrs when she gets picked up.  She is a fan of lap time. 


She's sleeping on her chair right now.  This afternoon was the most she's slept in the past 24 hours since we've had her.  She looks very tired in the picture. 

At first, she seemed terrified, but slowly she crept out of the bathroom and into the two bedrooms.  Then, she would make her way to the end of the hallway, creeping closer to the kitchen and living room.  Once she got to the living room, there was no stopping her.  Now she occasionally runs around and watches kitty TV, a.k.a. sits and looks out the window. 

She's wonderful. 

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Award winning cake

  

The Great Minnesota Get Together started today.  And guess what?  My chocolate cake placed third in the chocolate cake lot.  Yay!  It's the chocolate cake with white frosting with a white ribbon hanging under it near my arm/shoulder.



Now, I'm exhausted from walking around the fair all day.  Oh, and I should also mention, I went for a run this morning before the fair.  Maybe that counteracted some of the calories?  Probably not.  But, Sean and I think we ate less than last year, which is probably a good thing.

Good night world.