Somewhat Draggin My Feet

The last hour of the day totally dragged because I was on a conference call that I had very little to contribute. I wish it could have been a dinner table situation where I could just excuse myself and have the experts provide the feedback. Once the call was over, I went over to the gym to get a workout in: 2.38 miles in 30 minutes on the treadmill (meh), 5 planks at 30-40 seconds each and 50 wall balls with an 8 lb ball. And then I called it quits. I've been working at it hard the past few days, so this workout was better than no workout.

Schedule Switch-Up

Early to rise: Today I tried something different. I've been debating on how I can go to the gym to strength train AND go to spin class. I like the one gym near my high school for their spin classes because I'm familiar with the instructors, but I would rather go to the gym near work to lift because I like their space. Do I go to the gym early to lift and then go to work - OR - do I go lift after work and then head home to feed RJ and eat and then go to the other gym to spin?

Today, I'm trying the latter. RJ usually wakes me up at 5 AM to feed him. I don't want to use the automatic feeder during the summer with the wet food because with the warmer weather, I don't want the food to spoil by the time breakfast rolls around. Anyway, instead of crawling back into bed for another 1.5 hours, I only did it for 30-45 minutes, enough time for my brain to boot up completely. At around 7 AM, I think I was the first one in the office, which was a little creepy, but at least I didn't have any distractions while I addressed some emails and an invoice that came in last Friday on my day off.  Oh, and I also wrote up my performance review. A year's worth of work boiled down to a several-paged PDF. Is it even going to make a difference? I'm thinking that the supervisors have decided on raises far before we do these performance reviews. Blech.

Gym time: I left the office around 3 PM to go to the gym and cranked out 10 minute walk on an incline, 2000 m row, and leg raises. There were quite a few people in the weight lifting section, as in really big guys. Gee, not intimidating at all. Ok, Hulk and Thor. Go save the planet and give the short people some room. While I did the leg raises, I surveyed that part of the room to see what machines were there and how people were using them. Truthfully, I purchased a strength training program last night (something that has lots of people talking about on tumblr), but I don't feel like I can fully commit to it until I understand the exercises and how to use the machines. I have a trip to Atlanta next week for work and a trip to New York City in mid-July to visit my friend Suzie, so I'm thinking between now and the time I get back from NYC, I need to get my homework done and then I'll feel better about going full steam ahead with the program. It's kinda like...school.

With the crowd, I kinda gave up and went to home to feed RJ.  And then I headed back out to go to the other gym for spin class. Since I got there early, I walked another 10 minutes on the treadmill and then experimented with the dip assist machine. One of the exercises in the plan asks for 5 sets of 15. I had to split this up before and after spin class, but wow, my shoulders are going to hurt tomorrow. Some people do these dips with not only their own bodyweight, but they ADD weights...that's insane. :P

The spin instructor commented on how consistent I've been about coming to class. That was nice of her to say. :)

Two-a-Day

Unlike the day after the first CrossFit class I took where it seemed like everything hurt, I woke up with some sore shoulders, but it wasn't too bad. Good thing because today ended up being a busy day...

• 45 minute spin class (went to Target afterwards to wander, but came out with nothing. I did noticed that they had some of the new Maybelline Creamy Mattes, but I ran away before picking up anything)
• Came home to download music to my iPhone, do a load of laundry (yay, fresh sheets), vacuum, scrub down the bathroom, eat some lunch.
• Go back to the gym, this time the one closest to work. I tried to take it easy on the cardio since I already did a spin class: 0.25 mile run at 5.5 mph, 0.75 mile walk up a 7.0 incline at 3.5 mph, 5 planks at 40 seconds each, leg press/extension/curls, 30 wall balls with a 10 lb ball. THE END.
• Came home, did another load of laundry (yay, clean workout clothes and towels) and took a shower and a NAP!

On my grocery shopping trip on Friday, I got some ground beef, mushrooms, and other ingredients to make spaghetti sauce. I made a pot of it tonight while watching The Dark Knight Rises on TV. I don't think I'd even get tired of this movie.

Successful CrossFit Class

I'm happy to report that it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The workout was:

• Warm-up: 2 laps around the parking lot (400 m), 5 ring rows, some stretching
• 400 m run
• 25 wall balls (I used 8 lbs)
• 25 push presses (I used 15 lbs per hand)
• 200 m run
• 20 wall balls (same as above)
• 20 push presses (same as above)
• 100 m run
• 10 wall balls (same as above)
• 10 push presses (same as above)

I know that my FitnessBlender workouts were a key part to me making it through the workout today, and tee hee, I even beat my sister. Usually, she's the athletic one. She's gotten out of her CrossFit routine since coming back home, but is hoping to jump back into things soon. The co-owner of this gym is a classmate from middle/high school, so it's nice to already know someone there.

What I thought was really amazing was that there were people in there that were older. For example, the co-owner's parents were there doing the workout too. One of the older women came over to me and Julie after the workout and asked if we had done CrossFit before because we were doing a great job. Aw, yay, positivity! She was really killing it too. I asked her how long she had been working out at the gym and she said 2 years, but she did some private lessons with the co-owner so that she would know how to do things correctly and "be brave enough to go to class." I wouldn't join this gym because I'm already paying for a gym membership. I think Julie is going to bite the bullet (I hope she does) and she mentioned something about punch cards so one can take individual classes instead of doing a membership. I would totally do that.

As promised, Julie and I went to Five Guys afterwards and got cheeseburgers and I tacked on a cherry milkshake.  It was totally worth it because the workout was pretty taxing. Then we went to the mall because Julie wanted to go to Old Navy (she ended up getting a pair of jeans. I was looking at a set of earrings, but decided against it).

One thing that I didn't think was cool was a conversation that I had with Mom before going to Old Navy. I told her that I had been working out a lot more lately and flexed a bicep. She touched my tricep, as if to say that it's got a ways to go. Gee, thanks.  I told her that clothes were fitting better, as I lifted up my shirt. She touched my stomach and said "Hm, still soft."  o_0  I didn't even know what to say. I wanted to say, "Are you serious?! Do you have any idea what it took to even get to this point?! Have you nothing encouraging to say?!"

I think I ended up just laughing it off, but I'd be lying if I said that that didn't sting a little. Unless you're competing for something or dealing with some serious physical ailment, yes, it's going to be soft. In that moment, I felt somewhat deflated. I thought that was pretty f***ed up.

I have to remember that a) progress is progress, no matter how slow or small, b) no one can take away your accomplishments unless you let them, and c) it's far better to rely on self-validation instead of external validation. Guess I won't be sharing any workout updates with her for a while. Sheesh.

To end on a brighter note, I got an Etsy sale today. I'll be shipping an origami elephant card to Kansas on Monday. :)

Day Off

Hooray, day off, day off!  I didn't really do much except go to the gym, grocery shop and then bum around the house until it was time to head out to the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse for the Dave Coulier comedy show with Robyn (Uncle Joey from Full House). I had never been there before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. You could order food there, which was nice so you can eat and enjoy the show at the same time. I had quite a few laughs; my favorite part was the jokes about TSA and airport because I could totally relate.

Today's workout: 1.32 miles for 15 minutes, 2000 row, leg press/extension/curls and 50 burpees when I got home. Free Crossfit class with Julie tomorrow morning...that should be interesting!

FitnessBlender Convert?

I got this text from my cousin today and it made me smile inside. I was wearing my FitnessBlender shirt last week when I was at my parents' house and he asked me about it. I told him that it was a husband-wife fitness team that posts free YouTube workouts. Looks like he listened to what I said. I hope he doesn't give up after 1 workout.

In other fitness news, Julie asked me yesterday if I wanted to do a free CrossFit class with her on Saturday and I said yes (she promised Five Guys afterwards, heh). Today's workout: 45 minute spin, FitnessBlender's newest workout Upper Body Dumbbell Workout - Challenging Upper Body Exercises for Strength & Coordination and 50 burpees.

Breakfast of Champions

Oh, RJ. You make me so jealous of your life.

When I got to the office today, Michelle gave me a chocolate cupcake from her daughter's birthday party this past weekend. Aw, yay. It was a yummy second breakfast, heh.  Another good thing that happened at the office was that I got 2 invoices that I had been waiting on the past few weeks. With the end of the cooperative agreement year approaching quickly (June 30), all our contracts have to be closed and invoiced by then. I'm still waiting on a few things, but it's totally out of my control. I don't think that nagging would help either. Blah.

Today's workout: 45 minute spin, FitnessBlender's newest workout Upper Body Dumbbell Workout - Challenging Upper Body Exercises for Strength & Coordination and 50 burpees. I have a feeling that my shoulders and arms are going to be very unhappy with me tomorrow morning.

Having a Meeting of the Minds

I was originally going to take today off, but something popped up on Friday and I promised that I would take care of it on Monday. Blah. Oh well. I'm working from home this Wednesday and taking Friday off, so it's all good.

The spin instructor was so apologetic for the doors being locked yesterday. Apparently one of the staff used some superhuman strength to open the doors. I had left before that happened, but that would have been a cool sight to see. That and I imagine everyone that was outside cheered for him in relief. Anyway, the instructor brought in bottled water and some clementines for everyone. I took a clementine, which was nice, but got a good 45-minute workout (I did a mile on the treadmill before class too), which was even better.

Please don't sleep on my pillow when I'm at work. Ok, whatever you say.

More Dumplings and Gym Time

This morning hit a little snag when I went to the gym for spin class. The key to open the doors apparently wasn't working. The staff went to another location to see if she could get another key. I waited around for about 20 minutes and since they weren't able to fix the problem, I went to my parents' and uncle/aunt's houses to drop off some dumplings Robyn and I made last night. Blah, well, at least I have another gym location I could go to.

I went home to do a load of laundry and make the rest of the dumplings from last night (about 50). Then it was time to head to the gym: 2.63 miles in 30 minutes, 2000 meter row, leg press/extension/curls and then did some strength training with FitnessBlender's Total Body Strength Training with Dumbbells - Challenging Dynamic Superset Workout.

Currently watching "Best of Me" on Netflix. Hello, James Marsden. :)

Gym Time, New Library and Dumplings

I headed out this morning to do some grocery shopping, mainly supplies for dumplings because Robyn was coming over tonight to help me make them. Then I headed out to the gym: 2.57 miles in 30 minutes on the treadmill, 2000 meter row and some leg weight machines. I'm slowly inching my way into that part of them gym, even if it feels a little like the man cave. Fortunately there weren't that many people there at the time.

While I was running on the treadmill, I was watching the new library opening ceremony across the street. It was so cool to see such an outpouring of support. The old library was old, so it was nice to see it moved to a brand new location, what was once a giant hole in the ground. Once I finished my workout, I went to the library to see what was up. It was really nice inside, but I didn't stay too long because it was so crowded with people. I borrowed a few books, one of them was a cookbook from Skinnytaste.

Robyn and I cranked out about 100 dumplings and caught up on about 2 months worth of news. I still have some meat leftover so I'll be cranking out some more dumplings tomorrow. :D

Wedding Card and Photogenic RJ

Julie's attending a wedding this weekend...a friend from her graduate school program is marrying his longtime sweetheart.  They've actually come to my parents' house for BBQs before, like this time in 2013. She asked me to make a card to give to them.

I also had some Etsy orders that came through yesterday and today: an origami elephant card and 2 sets of origami dress thank you cards.

With buying the Jurassic World tickets via Fandango, Fandango gave me a $20 gift certificate to Shutterfly. Oh, yay! I'm on my last sheet of address labels. I ordered 3 sets of the address labels and also used a code to get a free card. I used a picture that Julie took of RJ when he was staying at my parents' house recently. He's looking pretty photogenic in this picture, if I say so myself. Of course, I have a bias...
Since Julie was going to be away this weekend, we decided to do a Father's Day sushi dinner at my parents' house tonight and invited my uncle, aunt and cousin to join us.

After coming home from dinner, I cranked out Kelli's Superset Total Body Strength Workout: Calorie Torching, Muscle Building, Fat Burning Workout and 50 burpees.

Favorite Coworker Award

My friend Michelle was very happy that I brought in banana pudding to work today. She had some help since the pan had maybe 6 cookies worth of pudding by the time I went to the kitchen to do a status check. The cookies that I brought in were all gone too. Great, none for me to take home. Less temptation for me and coworkers are happy. Win-win in my book!

This dress that I got from JCPenney got many compliments from members that came in for a workgroup meeting today. Someone even called me "sharp."  Ha ha.

It was raining like crazy after work today, so I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to spin class. Fortunately the rain let up and it was actually sunny on my drive. The bad thing that happened on the drive was that some pebble flew and hit my windshield so there's a tiny crack in it. Nothing that would require a replacement windshield, but ugh, my baby! My poor car! :(

When I got home, I did some weighted arm exercises (no FitnessBlender tonight) and 30 burpees. Whew!

Trying Out Falsies

I went to the bathroom in the wee hours of the morning and of course, RJ thought it was breakfast. No no no, too early! Go away. I closed the bedroom door after going to the bathroom, but didn't realize that he was on the bed.  Because of the navy sheets, I couldn't see him since he's mostly black. He charged at me and gave me a heart attack.  And then after breakfast, when I was getting ready for work, all he wanted to do is sleep on my pillow. After the third try of getting him off, I gave up. So he won twice today...before 9 AM.

Julie says that I'm too much of a pushover.

A cool thing happened today at work. One of the members that I work with was in town for a meeting that'll be happening tomorrow. She came to the office today to sit with me so she wouldn't miss the committee call. She said to me, "You've lost weight." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Mmm, not really, but I've toned up since she last saw me in March. It was cool that someone noticed! :D

I took a rest day from the gym, so when I got home, I decided to try the falsies that I bought last weekend out of curiosity. Wow, they definitely kick an eye look up a notch. I dunno if I'd ever wear them to work though because they feel fancy fancy. And these aren't even the fullest lashes available.
I made a batch of cookies for another member who is leaving my committee and a batch of banana pudding because I needed to use up some milk. Hope people at work are hungry!

In order to balance out the homemade goodies that I did quality assurance on, I did 2 FitnessBlender workouts tonight: At Home Cardio Workout to Burn Fat and Tone (High & Low Impact Modifications) and Fat Blasting Booty Builder - HIIT Cardio and Strength Training Workout.

Finally, FroYo!

After our teleconferences today, my coworker from across the aisle and I went to get some FrozenYo. I haven't had any for over 3 weeks and since I had 2 coins for free ones, it was the perfect opportunity. I made sure to only eat half of it and put the rest in the office refrigerator.

To make it up, I went to the gym early and cranked out 1.25 miles on the treadmill, did a 45 minute spin class, came home to do Kelli's Superset Total Body Strength Workout: Calorie Torching, Muscle Building, Fat Burning Workout and then finished off the night with 30 burpees. It was totally worth it!!! And the burpees weren't as bad as I thought they would be.

Case of the Mondays

Blah, I was so proud of myself for getting out the house earlier today to get to the office. However, the joy took a nosedive when I realized that I forgot my work computer at home. Fortunately, I live 3 miles from the office, so by the time I got the computer and got back to the office, I was more like "on time" rather than "early."

I met up with Jessie for lunch at Panera to catch up, since last time I saw her was back in March and since she was leading that event, I didn't get a chance to have an in-depth conversation with her. She's pregnant with her third child, how exciting! :)

Fitbit Reunion and Clean Eating Challenge Finale

I have been tracking my Fitbit shipment for the past few days. It was stuck on "out for delivery" for a while yesterday that I just gave up waiting and went to bed last night. I checked it first thing this morning and its status was updated to "delivered." What?! How did that happen? I opened the front door and there it was, in a soggy gross box due to the loads of rain that we got last night. Fortunately, nothing was damaged inside. Whew! After a little over a week without it, we're reunited...and I can go back to obsessing over my step count.

Yesterday was Day 21 of the Clean Eating Challenge that Julie and I did. It was surprisingly not that hard. I was expecting to be thinking of candy and ice cream 24/7, especially at work when I'm waiting for people to get back to me. Fruit, nuts (almonds specifically) and cheese have really helped me get through these past 3 weeks. While I didn't see that many changes in my weight, I will say that I feel better (no stomachaches from binging on junk food, go figure).

I went to Target after going to the gym for spin and bought a bag of gummy bears for Julie and a box of Milk Duds for myself as rewards. I opened the box after came home from my parents' house and my uncle/aunt's house and normally, I could power through a whole box with no problem, but I stopped about halfway because I thought it was too sweet (o_0 ??!!). Maybe my sweet tooth self is finally turning it around. I will say that I'm happy that the challenge is over so that I can use the FrozenYo tokens that I received last week.

Shortly after I put the Milk Duds in the refrigerator, I cranked out a FitnessBlender workout (a new one for me): Brutal Fat Burning Cardio HIIT + Dynamic Total Body Strength Training - FB Blend. Oh, it was brutal. I had to take a longer water break and I didn't do as many reps as Kelli, but I did complete the workout.

Some other fun things that I bought while I was at Target: 2 superhero t-shirts (to join Catwoman, Wonder Woman and Batman in my existing collection) and some falsies (just for fun). The Captain America shirt is especially soft. I found the shirts in the men's section on sale for Father's Day...hello, why does it have to be limited to men? Girls like superheroes too!

New Workout Gear and Jurassic World

Julie and I planned on going to see Jurassic World at noon today, so I wanted to make the morning as productive as possible. I went to the post office to mail off the recent custom order. Then I went to Target because I had a coupon for workout gear (30% off if you bought 3 Champion items), so I bought 2 tops and a sports bra. Then I went to DSW and got 2 pairs of gym shoes (both of them were on clearance, 30% off and then I also had a $10 coupon). YAY!

Jurassic World was EPIC.  So, so good! There were moments where my jaw dropped with shock. The special effects were so cool. It was really believable that they created this theme park about dinosaurs. I can't imagine how long it would take to render a dinosaur, and then multiply that with all the ones that were in movie. It was really impressive. I also liked how there were elements of the original Jurassic Park in this movie, sorta like a nod to the past. Chris Pratt did an awesome job as the male lead (no surprise to me), and Bryce Dallas Howard was great as the female lead. She took charge and was capable, instead of playing some damsel in distress. It's going to be really tough to beat this movie in my mind this summer. Afterwards, we went to Potbelly's to get sandwiches for a late lunch/early dinner.

I finished the day with a FitnessBlender workout: Fat Blasting Booty Builder - HIIT Cardio and Strength Training Workout (second day in a row). 

Etsy Custom Order

A repeat buyer sent me a message last night saying that she wanted to purchase 2 "Feel Better Soon" cards for folks that were going through hard time. Aw, that's nice. I was thankful she wasn't too picky about colors, thus making the order easy to do. I would have been able to do the order last night, but my printer was on the fritz. It kept telling me that I had to change the black ink cartridge, but I think it might be because the one I put in wasn't an official HP one. Blah! Fine. During my trip to Costco, I made sure to pick some up.
I didn't make it to spin this morning (just could muster the energy to get out of bed or off the couch). I made it up by doing a FitnessBlender workout: Fat Blasting Booty Builder - HIIT Cardio and Strength Training Workout. I was super sweaty at the end, and my abs are totally feeling it right now.

Ät the office this week, Reggie gave me 2 $25 Fandango gift cards that "he wasn't planning on using."  What?! I never heard such a thing. Err, thanks! Julie and I are using one of the gift cards to go see Jurassic World. I'll ogle at Chris Pratt. Julie would never admit she'd do the same and say that she's more interested in the dinosaurs.

I also booked my train ticket for a July trip to NYC to see Suzie. The last time I saw her was back in October 2013, so I thought a visit was in order.

Embarrassing Moment

So, my embarrassing moment today.  I usually give the gas station attendant $20 for gas, but for some reason, I went with $15 this time.  I filled up and saw that the gas pump stopped at $15, so I went in to ask for change.  The guy looked very puzzled at me. "Wait, what gas pump?"  #8.  "How much did you give me?" And then it dawned on me that I only gave the guy $15.  Oops, sorry!  Apparently, my brain was still waking up from a nap.

Afterwards, I went to my parents' house for some newspaper bags for RJ and then I went home to do Kelli's Superset Total Body Strength Workout: Calorie Torching, Muscle Building, Fat Burning Workout. :)

RJ's Vet Appointment

Oh, he was not pleased. It's been the most recent car ride in a while where he was not going to my parents' house and having fun. Dr. S. tried so hard to be nice to him, but RJ hissed at him. I think he was recalling his stay at the animal hospital last summer when he was dealing with a urinary issue. The vet tech had to get a towel to scoop him up with. It was like he was straightjacketed. Sorry, buddy.  You definitely have biting and scratching tendencies. He got a clean bill of health.  The vet also asked me to collect some urine for testing and handed me a package of sand and a test tube.  I'm going to have to Google how to make the collection process as easy as possible. o_0

I went to a 45-minute spin class tonight and then came home to do Kelli's Superset Total Body Strength Workout: Calorie Torching, Muscle Building, Fat Burning Workout. :)

Potluck Success

On the drive to work this morning, I heard 'NSYNC's "I Want You Back."  Wow, talk about a flashback to my high school days.  Of course, I knew all the words and lipsynced for the duration of the song.  Meh, no one has to know I was a former teenybopper.

One cool thing today was that the director that I helped after the Annual Meeting gave me 2 FrozenYo coins. So excited!  The other cool thing that happened was that we had our summer office potluck. My favorites were a ramen summer salad that Jennifer made, macaroni and cheese (Tiffany maybe?), a orzo salad, some turkey meatballs, and some chicken that Michelle made.  Ok, that's a lot of favorites.  I didn't have any of the desserts (my banana pudding, blueberry pie, some sort of chocolate mousse, and a peach cobbler?). I was full from the 1.5 trips I made for regular food and I wanted to keep going strong with the clean eating challenge.  I will say that I ate a few of the vanilla wafers that were leftover from when I made the banana pudding, but there weren't that many left at the bottom of the bag.

P.S. I love that the weather is nice enough to wear this dress to work now. It's got a lace top and denim-ish bottom, but it's all one piece.

Office Potluck Prep

The Fitbit support team got back to me to get more information and see if I'm eligible for a new one. Fingers crossed that it's possible...I miss my Fitbit!

We're having an office potluck tomorrow so I bought stuff to make a fruit salad and banana pudding. Can't wait!

Volunteer Activity #3 of 2015

When the BA 5K folks posted the date for their race, I blocked it off on my calendar because I knew that I wanted to volunteer to do packet pick-up again. They were such nice people and since the shift was from 7:30-9:30 AM, by the time it was over, I still had a lot of my day left. I was touched that some of the organizers remembered me from last year. The former co-worker that was volunteering last year also was there and she gave me a few hugs (*feels*).

When my shift was over, I went over to my parents' house and caught up with Julie during a walk around the neighborhood. I also tried to use her Fitbit charger, thinking that maybe the reason why mine wasn't charging was because my charger was faulty.  Nope, still nothing. Blah.

Meh, it's okay. I got a really good workout in today and I don't need my Fitbit to validate that I did. I crushed my treadmill workout: 2.72 miles in 30 minutes (much better than the 2.6 miles I did last week). I was thinking at some point during the run that I would get tired or get a side stitch or something, but I was pretty steady and I didn't walk very much. I can see 3 miles in 30 minutes on the horizon! Then I did 2000 meters on the rowing machine and came home to do FitnessBlender's Total Body Strength Training with Dumbbells - Challenging Dynamic Superset Workout (fourth time this week...).  I'm beat, but it's a good tired feeling. :D

Comp Day and Fitbit Death?

The office gave me a comp day to use before June 17 since I had to travel to Indianapolis on a Sunday for our Annual Meeting.  Since there wasn't anything pressing on the schedule or on my to-do list, I decided to take it today. I used the time to go to spin class and Target and work on some cards for the Etsy shop.

One weird thing was that I noticed that my Fitbit died!  Nothing is being displayed, no matter if it's plugged in or not. I tried resetting it, and that didn't work either. I contacted Fitbit support to see if they can help me out. I've only had it for a little over a year, so what gives??

National Hug Your Cat Day

Ok, seriously?  Who made up this holiday?  They obviously don't have a cat because if they did, they'd know that it's a one side hug. RJ was far more interested in whatever was going on outside.

The 21 clean eating challenge is still going strong. I hadn't decided on what to do to celebrate when it finishes, but then I got an IM from one of the directors at work.  I helped her take some of her clothes back to the office from Indy since she was going to CA instead of going home.  I did this for her last year too when we went to Little Rock.  Call me a sherpa or something.  She IMed me this afternoon to ask what I would prefer as a thank you gift for doing that favor for her. Aw, that's nice!  She insisted so I asked for a FrozenYo coin.  I. Can't. Wait!  10 more days to go until I can pig out on the frozen yogurt and then go back to healthy eating.

Spin class (check!).

FitnessBlender workout for tonight: Total Body Strength Training with Dumbbells - Challenging Dynamic Superset Workout (check! I should be getting tired of this workout, but I haven't. I don't mind doing it 2 days in a row. I think my shoulders are seeing the most improvement from doing it.)

Work Field Trip

Today I had the opportunity to go with some of my co-workers to the DC Public Health Laboratory for a field trip.  I got to work around 7:15 AM to get some work done before we had to meet in the lobby around 7:45 AM to catch the mini-bus.  I packed up my last 2 FedEx shipments leftover from the Annual Meeting and felt relieved.  My coworkers will have some peace and quiet instead of me ripping the bubble wrap, putting together the boxes and ripping off the label to uncover the adhesive.

The laboratory was cool to see.  It's pretty amazing that they do so much with only 11 people on staff. Everyone has to wear multiple hats, so it's difficult to see how they would manage to get things done when there's a public health emergency.  And with being in DC, that could totally happen. It's disappointing that the powers-that-be don't see the value in giving them more money so they can have more man power to get stuff done.

The forensics laboratory was in the same building, but because of an audit, they were no open to public tours.  Darn it, that's what I was really looking forward to.  It made me think of Abby from NCIS.

FitnessBlender workout for tonight: Total Body Strength Training with Dumbbells - Challenging Dynamic Superset Workout (check!)

I also got an Etsy sale today, the first one in a while, yay!

Speed Bumps and Lasagna

Ugh, this morning didn't start off on the right foot. First, I noticed that I didn't put my right contact in the case, so this morning, I found it in its wrinkly state. This was the second time in the past few weeks that I messed up a contact. That one was a tear in the middle (?!), but I didn't feel as bad because I needed to switch them anyway. But the one this morning, I mean, really?!  Grr. Second unfortunate thing this morning was that when I got to the office, I realized that I forgot my Fitbit at home! Blah!  I made sure that I went to the gym earlier today so that I could get some steps in on the treadmill before a 45 minute spin class.

Those were minor speed bumps though.

In other news...

When I put on my belt this morning, I could comfortably move the pin to the next belt hole.  Yay, some tangible evidence that my progress is not part of my imagination!  Then when I went to spin class, the instructor complimented me on my workout top that I bought from Kohl's not too long ago- before and after class. "Work it, gurl!"  Hah.

After spin class, I went over to the house because my sister was planning to make lasagna.  An opportunity to not have to cook dinner myself?  Yes, please.  She was in the middle of a conference call and the food wasn't ready yet.  I sat in the sun room and waited and hung out with Harry the Homeless Cat. He didn't look very pleased that it was drizzling outside.  However, he made no move to get under shelter.  Sigh.

Happy Hour with Sirin

I decided to change my telework day from Friday to today since I am planning to take my Annual Meeting comp day on Friday.  It worked out perfectly because I cranked out at least 20 emails easily before noon.  I met up with Sirin for happy hour at Austin Grill (strawberry margarita for me and something with gin for her). We talked about our recent diet challenges (gluten free for her, clean eating for me) and recent travels (Thailand for her, Indianapolis for me). I was good and didn't eat any of the chips the waiter brought over. :D

When I stepped on the scale this morning, it read 153.3 (better than the 155.7 I've been stuck on), yay! Feeling motivated, I made sure to pack some gym clothes so that I could go workout at the gym around the corner from the restaurant. I cranked out 2.39 miles on the treadmill in 30 minutes. I hadn't planned on a hard workout...I just wanted to get my steps in.

When I opened the front door when I got home, RJ didn't look up from something on the floor. I didn't turn on the light in fear that it was a gross spider.  I told RJ to move and ugh, it was a spider!  GROSS!  I didn't have anything convenient to kill it with (I didn't want to step on it) except for the mail I had just retrieved from the mailbox. Good thing it was all junk mail!