30 Day Shred - Day Two

Oh. My. Word. I haven't been this sore in awhile...but it is such a great kind of sore (painful, yes, but it means my muscles are responding quickly!). Thanks to my proclamation from yesterday, I felt quite obligated to get the Shred done before leaving for work today. I am so glad I did. I basically hobbled around all day at work, though. Sat down for 20 minutes during lunch and realized upon standing up that it had been a mistake. I could hardly walk! Uff da! Jillian Michaels...you are right...20 minutes can lead to quite an effective workout. I'm sold. 28 days to go...

30 Day Shred - Day One

A few months ago, I purchased the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD and it's been sitting happily in our TV stand cabinet, unopened. A few weeks ago, I started saying that I wanted to get through an entire shred before October 13th (the reason to be revealed "coming soon to a blog post near you," but most of you readers are people that know why that is a special day). Well...October 13th is coming soon, and I'm running out of my 30 day window!

I mentioned the Shred (that's what we people "in the know" call it..."The Shred"...since we're cool like that) to my friend Jessica, and she mentioned that she has been struggling with motivation in her weight loss journey. I'm all about creating healthy habits, rather than just participating in trends based on how I'm "feeling" at a particular time, so I jumped all over the idea of the two of us holding each other accountable, while also blogging about it (another wonderful form of accountability!)...she agreed - probably in a moment of pure insanity - but agreed nonetheless! Then, our friend Kellie and Jessica's friend Erin saw our challenge posted on facebook and asked if they could join, to which we said OF COURSE! The more the merrier (what can I say, I'm a people pleaser, so the more people I have to "not disappoint" the better). We're happy to have the company, so if you want to join us, please do!

Now, for the report. Day One was good...more intense than I thought it would be (ok, so it was more like "picking up the remote to turn off the DVD at the end was a challenge" kind of intense), but we all did it! We're in 3 different states, so thank goodness for the internet to keep us in touch and accountable! I am looking forward to this jump start in getting more in shape and toned, but really the biggest thing is discipline for me. I am happy to be making better choices and forming healthier habits.

Tomorrow will be a bit tougher for me, as I work at Starbucks from 7:30 - 3:30. I worked full time in the business world for 10 years, but retail is a whole different monster...8 hours wipes me out! My plan is to do the Shred before work so I don't have to worry about putting it off when I get home. And now that I have told the entire blog world...I'd better make it happen! Onto Day Two!

The Hills Are Alive {Again}...

Remember this post when I had that insane dance audition? I couldn’t believe when Theatre in the Park posted the cast lists for their summer season and I was on one of them! I had the privilege of being cast in the role of Sister Margaretta in The Sound of Music. I know…this is the third time I’ve done this show, but I've played different roles each time (Liesl in 2001, Ensemble Nun at Lyric Theatre in 2008, and now Sister Margaretta in 2011!). Plus, I was named after a character in it, so I figure it’s ok. Haha! It was such a great experience, and of course I met some amazing people. Performing on that huge stage at the largest outdoor community theatre in the country was a pretty awesome thing. What made it even better was the fact that I had so many family and friends come and support me, some from as far as Minnesota and California!

Here are some pictures of the show. You can also go to the photographer’s website to see (lots) more.

Natalie (Mother Abbess – isn’t her make-up job amazing?), Jackie (Maria), and me

This is what happens when you have a lot of time between scenes…nuns playing cards

Featured Nuns with Franz, the butler. From L to R: Natalie (Mother Abbess), Rachel (Sister Sophia), Tom (Franz), me (Sister Margaretta), and Joyce (Sister Berthe)

And some goofiness with Maria!

Natalie’s folks brought her this sweet bear for opening night. She took on a character all her own. Meet Sister Masha.

“The Liesls!” Me and Bethany (Liesl)

Nice close-up of Jackie and me. I was so blessed by new friends in this cast!

And of course, the kids who stole the show…the Von Trapp Kids!

Sabrina (Marta) cleaning up the dressing room. Child labor??

“The Von Trapp Children don’t play, they sweep”

Millie (Gretl) was helping Bethany (Liesl) with her make-up. This is community theatre, after all.

Me and sweet Avery (Brigitta). The kids had some quick costume changes, and I was Avery’s helper.

I’m hoping to be able to do another show with Theatre in the Park next summer…it was such an incredible experience!

Did I mention...

...how blessed I am? As I go back through the pictures that I need to post here, I am reminded of how God has surrounded me with so many amazing people. Family and friends that support me, love me, and make me who I am. Since I've moved around so much in the last several years, many of "my people" are out of state. Some in Minnesota, some in California, some in Oklahoma...all places I've lived in the last seven years. How lucky am I that people came from as far as Minnesota and California to come see The Sound of Music? For two weekends in a row, we had the blessing of friends and family visiting and I know that is such a statement of God's provision in our lives. He has not only provided Steve with a job here in Kansas that uses his very specialized degree in Meteorology, but he's also provided support for us wherever we land. And then that support system continues to be a part of our lives even as we move from place to place!

Our first June visitors were Steve's parents (I have incredible in-laws, by the way) and also my best friend Gretchen, her mom Diane (who is really like one of my other moms), and her sweet little boy Aden (her hubby Ryan had to stay back and work - bummer!). We had such fun while they were here. Of course, we took them to Shawnee Mission Park and they braved the heat and enjoyed the sunshine with us. Steve and his dad got to do a little fishing, too! They caught (and released) some good ones.

We also had a little visitor while fishing...gave me the heebeejeebees! Ewwww!

Saturday afternoon, before Gretchen, Diane and Aden left, and before our call time for that night's Sound of Music performance, we had a great barbeque at the park. Here's Aden enjoying his dinner. Isn't he precious?!? Love that boy.

It was wonderful to share that time with family and friends, and we got even more of the same the following weekend when my parents, my brother Eric and sister-in-law Katherine, and my friend Kristine came into town. It had been seven months since I'd seen my parents and Eric & Katherine, and five years since I'd seen Kristine!

Of course, besides providing them with entertainment in the form of a lovely evening of theatre (pronounced theat-ah, for effect), we also put my dad to work. Haha. I am in the process of making cloth wipes (to go along with my hopes of being a cloth diapering momma), and asked if I could use their serger to allow for better looking edges on the fabric. My dad loves a challenge, and it had been awhile since the serger had been used, so he enjoyed navigating the trickiness that is the serger. Unfortunately, by the time we figured it out, we only had time to serge two wipes. Oops! I'll be finishing the rest soon.

It was also fun to take them to a couple of our favorite eating venues. We don't go out to eat much, so it's fun to have a reason! There is a fabulous little brunch place near us that makes the most incredible food! If you are ever in the Kansas City area, I highly recommend checking out Eggtc (catchy name, huh?). Based on the smiles, I think our guests approved (Eric and Katherine hadn't gotten to KC quite yet...they'll have to take part in the deliciousness next time).

Another favorite was a trendy new self-serve frozen yogurt place called Peachwave. We are enamored with this place. They sent us grand opening coupons in the mail, which proved to be an excellent marketing tool, because we keep going back! Kristine and I ate there almost every day that she was here...for reals. It's that good.

Here is my brother and his lovely bride.

Seriously...look at these masterpieces. YUM!

And, well, you guessed it...we went to the park. It was pretty hot out, so we didn't stay long, but we did come across some cute little families. These yearlings (teenage geese, as I like to call them) kept getting closer and closer to us as they picked through the grass for bugs (or whatever they were hoping to eat). Their dad walks right up to us and starts hissing! Seriously, dude, keep your kids in line, don't hiss at us when they are getting in our space. Geez...parents these days. Ha!

We had so much fun with our 2nd weekend's worth of visitors. And an extra bonus was that Kristine stayed with us for a few more days before heading to Vegas (she is one busy girl! So many vacations to take, so many people vying for her presence!). Kristine is a chef, and an avid Food Network fan. She's visited several restaurants that have been featured on the show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Kansas City is famous for its barbeque, so she did her research and introduced us to some amazing BBQ! The best ones are the hole-in-the-wall places, and it was so much fun to discover so many new places to eat here in KC! One of our favorites was Woodyard BBQ...it was so good! They even let Kristine cook! Well, maybe...

We're so blessed to have had lots of visitors in June. Thanks everyone for coming to see us, and supporting another one of my theatre adventures! Next up...pics of the show! Can't believe it was over a month ago...this summer is FLYING! What fun things are you doing this summer?