Today is day 3 of the Holly Jolly Challenge. And amazingly enough I’ve managed to blog everyday of it. Ahhh…feels good to be on top of my business. 🙂 I can’t promise I’ll keep it up, but I’m sure gonna try. Today is also the start of a short work week. Now that is something to blog about. I know that I am really looking forward to this time off. It is definitely needed, but I don’t have time to sit around and be lazy. There is a lot that needs to be done here in the Goldstein/Daniels household.

Tonight Bryan and I WODed. It was “Cindy” time. I have never done Cindy or an AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) at CrossFit, but I was really up for the challenge. So the workout is 20 minutes long again AMRAP:

• 5 pull-ups
• 10 push-ups
• 15 squats

I have made a personal goal of gaining upper body strength. One way I’ve been doing this is by doing every push-up I encounter even if it’s in a warm-up with the fullest range of motion. If my nose doesn’t hit the floor, then I consider it a poorly done push-up and a waste of my time. Tonight was where I really saw the outcome of this attitude toward push-ups. Because I chose to go this route I didn’t get very many rounds – only 7 rounds and 8 squats away from an 8th round. However, every push-up was full range of motion. Some of my last ones I had to re-attempt, sometimes more than once. I did it though! And I feel amazing about my performance. I’m still using a blue band on pull-ups. I’ll get to a real pull-up one day….one day. Speaking of pull-ups – Bryan did the entire workout, getting 15 rounds, and did all kipping pull-ups. This was a first for him too! He RXed it! I’m super happy for him. I think we both knocked it out of the park tonight!

Here is my journal entry for today:

So as you can probably guess it’s day 2 of the Holly Jolly Challenge. And like I promised, I have posted a picture of my journal entry for today. It’s been a weird day and my eating doesn’t show normal habits. Well, yes, I do normally eat like this, but not at weird times and huge gaps. One reason for the weird day was having an outing with my “little”. He came over to the house and hung out. He helped me bathe all 4 cats, and then we played a couple of games of Life. When I returned from taking him home, it was already time to leave to go watch the AFI concert.

I haven’t had time to upload all of my pics from the concert, but here is one Bryan took of the stage before the show got underway:

The concert was really good especially the way the lights were so on with the music. It was a show for the eyes and the ears! They were really energetic and all over the stage which always makes me enjoy a concert just a little more. Poor Bryan had to go along even though he’s not an AFI fan. I really appreciate him coming with me! It was at Stubb’s – my first time! I really liked the venue, but it was a little cold. I don’t think I’d go to another concert there until the summer! 🙂 There were only 2 bad experiences about this concert. The first was that we stood in the wrong line for like an hour. How were we to know it was the line for the fan club?? The part that made this bad for me was not that we stood in the wrong line, but that we had to listen to 3 annoying emo girls go on and on and on and on and on about the dumbest stuff! Ugh! The other line was actually fun! Bryan even got a chance to break out his Cartman impression – perfectly awesome in case you hadn’t heard! The other bad part was the opening band…OMG…it was sooooo painful to the ears. Thankfully, AFI really rocked!

Here is my journal picture as promised…I think I started on this topic…hmmm…ah, well…here we are full circle:

Today is the beginning of the Holly Jolly Challenge at Cedar Park CrossFit. We kicked things off last night by meeting at Plucker’s to eat one last bad meal before the challenge started off today. Bryan and I didn’t eat…in fact, we only had water. Though I will admit that we came home and cheated before going to bed. 🙁 Oh well…because….

The purpose of the challenge is to eat and exercise and not get sucked into the normal holiday routines of eating badly and not working out. It’s a team challenge which is great simply because it encourages you to be strict since other people are relying on you to adhere to the rules and WIN! So, to be more specific it’s a CrossFit and Paleo challenge based on points. You earn and lose points based on how you workout and eat. You are allowed one cheat meal per week and Thanksgiving is a cheat day. Other than that you must eat a strict Paleo diet. However, if you were to cheat you can do extra WODs to make up the points for your team. This will not be a problem for Bryan and I. We are very strict about our eating anyway. You also must go to 2 CrossFit classes each week, but your team can earn extra points by working out either individually or as a team. The way to earn the most points is to do a team workout in public while sporting CrossFit Cedar Park shirts!

Each member of the team has a journal where they they MUST write down everything that they put in their mouth as well as any workouts done each day. These journals are turned in at the end of every week for a coach to determine how many points you have been awarded or lost. It’s pretty simple! Each team member had to pay $25, but there is some serious cash to be won! 🙂 I do hope we win, but even if we don’t I hope that we do more and better than any of us ever dreamed possible.

For a lot of the competitors this is their first time going Paleo so the cheat meal will be really important to them. However, since we already eat Paleo and have for such a long time, I’m going to actually try and skip all of my cheat meals except for Thanksgiving since we are spending that with Bryan’s grandparents. We had already promised to eat so I’m gonna do this one for sure, but I’m really going to challenge myself the rest of the time and not eat anything non-Paleo. I’m not making any promises but simply telling you what my mindset is going into this thing. And I’m also gonna try to do tons of extra workouts. My team (named the WOD Quad) has started today with a bang! We all went to open gym this morning and we all did extra workouts! Sweet!

I’m going to do my best to scan in my journal sheet each day. I want to do this so that anyone who wonders what I eat or how I work out can see it plainly and easily. And if you have any questions about either please ask!

Journal Day 1

In other news…we bought a Wii today and the new Mario Brothers game! Too much fun!

I can’t believe that after I told myself there couldn’t possibly be anything that I left off of my wedding blog post…I remembered one of the big things that I had already knocked off the to-do list – the photographer. I’m still not sure how this one escaped me when I was writing the blog. I’m so happy that not only is all decided and no longer on the plate, but I’m so happy to have gotten, in my opinion, one of the best photographers I know! She is a close friend of mine back from my college days at MUW. She has photographed a lot of the girls that I went to school with when they got married, and I have loved each one! I love looking at her site and blog because I find all of her shots to be quite amazing. I love her style.

I think she’ll be awesome because she’s good at what she does but also because she is someone I know. I’ll feel better on the day of my wedding if it’s a friend taking the shots of my personal and cherished to-be memories and not some stranger. Bryan hasn’t met her yet, but I really believe they’ll like each other which will help to make everything perfect for our once-in-a-lifetime pictures. I can’t wait…really!

Her name is Jeanette and here is her site: www.jeanettechisolm.com – go ahead, check it out!

Recent Pictures of the Cats:

a little brotherly love...ah, to be a cat

Songs That I’m Digging at the Moment:

Whatcha Say – Jason DeRulo

Bad Romance – Lady GaGa

Sweet Dreams – Beyonce

About a month ago my family found out that my stepmother has lung cancer. It came as a shock to all of us because she went to the doctor for pneumonia. They wanted to do an x-ray and when the the results came back there was a spot on her lungs. She moved very quickly in order to verify just what this lump was. The more details the doctors discovered, the more it looked like it was going to be bad. Finally the doctors concluded that it was indeed cancer…small cell carcinoma to be exact. It is caused from smoking which my stepmother has done for years and years. It really sucks because she finally kicked the habit, but the damage was already done. Just finding out if it was cancer was a dangerous journey. When the doctor tried to take a biopsy of the mass, her lung collapsed. Thankfully, I didn’t know this even happened until she was stable and okay. Talk about scary! They found out that the mass is inoperable because it is located on an big artery. Every time there is new news, it just seems to get worse. The doctors have given her 2 years, but my father says this is not acceptable. And I also hope that this isn’t the case because I’m not ready to say good-bye that quickly. And neither is my little brother who is only 13 years old. He’ll almost be grown by then, but he will be entering a part of his life that I found to be some of my most difficult years. He’ll need his mother. But he’ll never be alone; he’ll always have the support of me and lots of family. However, we’ll never be able to replace his mother.

My stepmother has done so much to me since she entered into my life and became a part of our family. In some ways she has done more for me than my own mother. She is everything to my little brother and my father; I just can’t imagine how they’ll survive without her. She has another son also. I don’t talk to him much but we were very close when we were growing up. I know that while he tries to put on an extremely hard exterior and act like not much matters to him, he loves his mother! I think he’d do just about anything for her. I know that it will be very hard on him when she goes.

She has already started chemo treatments. And in doing so she has started on a better diet to help her feel better while undergoing these treatments. I have suggested Paleo to her and even sent her a book that we had for her to read. I definitely hope she is strict with her diet because she will really need her strength as she continues with chemo. I know that the chemo treatments will most likely not be kind to her body, but I hope they help where it counts. And I hope that she is well enough to attend our wedding; I know that it would make her sad to miss it. We have contemplated changing the date of the wedding because of this, but at this point in time it’s kind of hard to guess when a good date would be because of her chemo so we have kept it the same. We are open to changing, but hopefully everything will work out.

You may remember my Father’s Day posting regarding my own father who was at the time not in good shape. I am happy (ecstatic actually) to report that he got the help he needed and is back to the dad that I know and love! The help was against his will, but I think he’d agree with me when I say that it was mandatory for him. I won’t go into all the details, but he entered rehab and finished it coming out a much better man. And he couldn’t have done it at a better time because more now than ever, my family needs him to be there. And I need to know for my peace of mind that he’s capable of taking care of my stepmother through this difficult time and my brother if she doesn’t make it.

I’ll keep you updated on major news regarding this subject. I hope that you will all keep us in your prayers. It’s really sad, and it’s also out of my control. So, I just have to have faith in the belief that this is the way it has to be, and that it will work out and everyone will be okay even if she doesn’t pull through. I do believe that will has a lot to do with how long you can survive and fight something like this, so I hope that she has major will!

Let me start this post by saying that while I’m more exited to get married than I can even put into words, I have not found the experience of planning to be fun in the least. In fact, it’s been one giant headache after another, and I’ve broken down into tears over the subject a few times. Thankfully, my sweet fiance noticed how much stress the whole ordeal was causing me, and he stepped up to the plate by helping me with lots of decisions and research! If it weren’t for him being so supportive, I don’t think I would make it out of this thing with my mind intact! Really! 🙂

I’ve been excited about my wedding since I was a little girl, but generally I don’t like weddings. I don’t know why either. I’m weird, what can I say? I know that in the end, our wedding will be everything I dreamed it would be. It will be beautiful and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

Here are some of the things that we have planned so far. The wedding is June 5, 2010.

*The wedding/reception will be in Philadelphia, Mississippi at my grandparent’s house and the place where I grew up as well as where Bryan proposed. From there we will be driving to NYC. We already have the route/days/cities figured out on the route there. All we need to figure out is what to do in the cities we are stopping in. Once we get to NYC we’ll be having a reception there for Bryan’s family and friends. Thankfully, Bryan’s family is planning this…whew! We’ll be spending about 2.5 weeks there in NYC as our honeymoon before taking a different route back to Austin. Once back in Austin, we’ll be having a reception here as well for all of our friends here. I know that it’s a lot, but I don’t want to leave anyone out. The invitations will include all of these events so you’ll simply check the events that you’ll be attending. Simple! We are staying at the Cole House Bed & Breakfast (the cottage) the night of the wedding. We have an apartment on reserve which we are going to sublet once we get to NYC. It’s cheaper than a hotel.

*Our invitations are going to be a DVD! Um…but we haven’t really started on these except for kicking some ideas back and forth. I did get a quote from Office Depot on how much to print the booklet that will be with the DVD and serve as the invitation. The booklet will have all the information needed for all the receptions and the wedding.

*I have already bought my dress! After looking at about 2,000 (no kidding) online I finally decided on one. I ordered it, and it is already here…in my house! I got some shoes too, but haven’t decided that they’re the ones yet. I LOVE my dress! I wanted simple yet elegant and this dress has both! I will need it altered, but that will have to wait till way closer to the wedding.

my wedding dress...I love it!

the back of my dress

*I have picked out my bridesmaid dresses and flower girl dress. My maid of honor is my cousin Madison and Bryan’s sister Morgan is the other bridesmaid. My flower girl is my little sister Presley. She will make such a cute flower girl! Here is the bridesmaid dresses and flower girl dress which I’ll be delivering to the maid of honor and flower girl in MS during Christmas:

posie colored dress with sunflower colored sash

the back of the dress

the flower girl dress - white with a posie colored sash

*I have picked out the groomsmen’s suits from Tuxedo Junction which will closely resemble the suit that Bryan will be wearing which we are buying from Men’s Warehouse (which I highly recommend). They just ordered it and called to say that it is in. We are going on Thursday to make sure that it is definitely what we want which I’m almost sure it will be. Then we’ll probably do a payment plan. Once it’s payed off, it will still need alterations. I will not be making the men wear any pink! They’ll be adorning the yellow. I like this company because you can order the men’s ties/pocket squares meaning everything should match.

*I think we have basically come up with the decoration for the cake. However, I still haven’t decided what is going to be the flavor of the inside. My cousin, Jessi, is making it for us! I’m super excited about this because she is a perfectionist like me so I know that it will turn out well. Plus, she lives super close so there won’t be as much of a chance of damage in transit. Here is a picture of the cake though ours won’t be as tall, and I’m thinking about adding some ribbon around a few of the tiers to bring in the wedding colors. I haven’t decided on what to do with the cake topper yet. I’ll get back to you on that!

wedding cake covered in chocolate truffles...yummy!

*My cousin, Jacki, has agreed to be the lady in charge for the rehearsal dinner and most importantly the day of the wedding. She’ll take a lot of stress off of me by making sure things get done. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that she agreed to do this.

*The rehearsal dinner hasn’t been ironed out but it will definitely be at the same location as the wedding. We’ll rehearse and then eat. I think we’ll be having an outdoor dinner of hopefully Granny’s chicken spaghetti. I wanted everyone who is there and hasn’t experienced good Southern food to get to taste it just once. Hopefully, they’ll love it as much as my family does. Even Bryan can’t resist some of Granny’s food! We’ll be using my great aunt’s tables/chairs for both this and the wedding – it’s free and that’s awesome! My cousin even has a tent we can use which will also save money.

*Decorations for the wedding will be simple but elegant. We are hoping to have a dusk or even a night wedding hopefully under the stars (just like when Bryan proposed!). I want to decorate the ceremony site with Christmas white lights. I’m looking to buy the bigger rounded bulbs instead of the traditional kind. Though if I went with the traditional, I wouldn’t need to buy any. I have purchased a few things that I plan to decorate myself like the flower girl’s basket which will actually be a galvanized bucket that I’m embellishing with ribbon. It’ll be cute – I promise! I also bought a bigger galvanized bucket to hold the wedding programs.

*We are having the wedding programs printed and then I’ll be putting them together to create a fan. Everyone who attends the wedding will thank me since it’ll be warmer this time of the year in MS.

*We created our registry at a site called honeyfund.com. Since we already live together and have all the things we need, we are asking if people help us by giving us the best and most rememberable honeymoon ever! We have started our list, but we’re still working on it. I’ll reveal it closer to time.

That’s about all we have planned. I think we are ahead right now, but we need to make sure that we continue to decide and buy things each month to keep from having to do or buy a lot toward crunch time. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with what all needs to be finished, but I try to just get one task completed at a time. Any thing helps no matter how small it may seem. As you can see we’ve managed to get a lot of things/help/services that are costing us nothing. This will definitely help keep us in budget which I have set at $3,000! I know that is shocking, but I really think I can do it. So, if you happen to have anything we can borrow please let me know! This budget doesn’t include the receptions in other cities – only the wedding/reception in MS.

So, I didn’t get a job at a public school like I was hoping for. I would guess everyone knows this by now. 🙂 Oh well…when one door closes…well, you know the saying. I was sad about not getting the job that I had worked so hard to be qualified for. However, I’m still young, and there are plenty of more years to teach. So while I’m not at the position I envisioned for myself, I did manage to find a job that makes me happier each and every day than I’ve ever been at any other job I’ve ever had! Seriously! And the best part….it’s not subbing! 😀

As the school year started to loom closer, I knew it was smart if I put in my resume to other avenues like private schools, charter school, daycare…whatever…if it involved children, I was all over it. Thankfully this is what landed me at my current employment. I got a job at a place called Primrose School of Four Points. I was originally hired to be the after school teacher, a part time job. But that evolved to me being the lead teacher of the young toddler (12-18 months) room! Let me fill you in…

I was hired as an after school lead teacher because the current teacher was going to quit. But then he decided to not quit. Uh oh, I was already an employee. That’s ok, this school has lots of need for floating bodies, and that’s what I became – a floater! A floater, in case you’re not up-to-date on you childcare lingo, is just that – a person who is available at various time for any room…basically you float. The days were definitely not boring because I ended up in so many places. I spent a week helping out with the young toddler room until they hired a girl to be in there full time. I had told the school I only wanted to work with the older kids so they didn’t consider me for this position, and at the time I was okay with that. But after that week, I was sent to early pre-school. And oddly…very oddly…I missed all the youngins from young toddlers.  I wasn’t sure why, but I was just sad and kept going back to my days in that classroom. I was envious of the girl that had acquired this position. But that’s when my luck really got going. The girl wasn’t happy at the school, and she quit. And I wasted not a second to ask could I have to position. I think my bosses were surprised that I wanted that position, but also relieved as it’s a hard spot to fill.

I began working immediately in that room as the assistant teacher. I really liked the lead teacher and loved the kids. The kids make this job, but more on the kiddies later. I was at the school about 60 days roughly when the lead teacher decided to resign. Now I was getting really lucky because the school offered me the position of lead teacher for this room! I was and still am super excited with this. I am currently in a 30 day probation period, but have already gotten compliments on my work in the room. I really want to make sure that the kids are getting everything their parents pay for, and I strive everyday to make sure that we keep improving the classroom in some way.

This is truly the first job that I’ve ever held where I didn’t dread going to work. This is an awesome job because no matter how bad your day is, you just can’t be in a bad mood after 5 minutes of talking with a young child. Their smiles are just too infectious. I love it! Not only do I love my job, but I really feel like I’m making a difference in peoples’ lives. It’s an awesome feeling. And for once I proud of what I do! The kids are amazing. I can’t say that they don’t ever stress me out because that just isn’t true. But for the most part I love hanging out with them, instructing them, and especially watching them discover and experience new things. I love telling parents all about their days. I could go on and on about what makes this job awesome. Poor Bryan, he has to listen to every detail of the entire day when I get home. Awww…I love him!

And to top off everything that’s great about working at Primrose is the other staff. I’ve met some pretty cool people there! The only downside is that they’re still looking for my assistant, and I currently have other staff or floaters in my room everyday. It will be awesome when they hire someone who’ll be in there everyday. The kids will definitely benefit from having 2 teachers who are there everyday doing the same schedule. Kids love schedules!

Here is a picture that was taken at an event held at the school…can you say school spirit?

me

Here is recent pictures of the cats:

Bella/Gamma

go fish

Picture from a recent Kung Fu seminar that Bryan and I attended at the Kung Fu school/Kettlebell WOD:

us with elder master smith

It was amazing! Read Bryan’s thoughts about it here. Also on his post you’ll read about our free kettlebell workout at CrossFit Central which was hard but awesome! Here are the pictures and video from the workout.

workin’ out

heavy

bent over

breather

so hard

whew

funny looking

not over yet

up you go

out

group shot

sweat and smiles

double c’s

signing

Shout Out:

I got a shout out on the Cedar Park CrossFit blog….check it!

Songs that I’m Digging:

Run This Town – Jay-Z, Kanye West, Rihanna

A couple of Saturdays ago I tested for my black belt in TKD. I knew this testing would come eventually, but it always seemed so far away even as I tested up through the ranks. However, I was finally a senior red belt and the black belt test was finally a reality. I was pretty excited about this testing for obvious reasons. I was also pretty nervous. I would that would be pretty standard. Failing any test would suck, but failing your black belt test would really suck. You’d have to wait till testing came back around, and that would suck since you’d waiting so long for this event. I do realize that this should not be the end of my journey, but it does mark a major achievement in the journey of a martial artist. In fact it’s not the end of the journey – it’s really just the start.

And this isn’t my only martial art. I also do Kung Fu and Tai Chi at Shaolin-Do . I’ll get to experience this amazing achievement again in my life! That’s just crazy. But as awesome as getting this black belt is, it also brings me face to face with some really tough questions and decisions. Not only do I do all of these martial arts, I recently started CrossFit. Read here for that story. Plus, there’s the whole wedding thing. And while I know that the wedding thing won’t be a problem forever, it will be around for the next 8 months! I have to face it: I have too much on my plate. And when I search my heart to see what I would want to remove, I keep coming back to TKD. It sucks, but I knew when I started Kung Fu that this day would come. I love TKD, but not more than Kung Fu and definitely not more than CrossFit. I can’t do it all, so I believe this is the thing that must go. I’m going to try to stay for one more testing which is roughly 16 weeks from the last testing. In that time will be a regional competition that I will definitely be competing in. It’s sad to think that these 2 events may be my last. Yet, in the end I think I’ll be happier. It will be nice to not have my mind on so many things, and the extra time will definitely be appreciated.

No matter when I do actually quit TKD, I will ALWAYS be a black belt, and that is just too awesome! I’m proud of myself! I want to take everything that TKD taught me (like awesome kicks!) and use these skills in Kung Fu. Everything I learned will always stay with me as I continue my martial arts journey. Maybe one day TKD will come back into my life, but for now, I think that this is what works best for me. I happy. 🙂

Here are the pictures from my testing:

waiting to get started

in line

punch!

warming up

hook block

kick!

chamber

keep your guard up

Videos from my testing:

Pictures form my belt ceremony:

waiting on my turn

patiently waiting

black belt!

group shot

ranked up

celebrate!

me

Recent Outings:

Bryan and I recently went out on a little date to Main Event and did some bowling.  Here are some pictures/videos from that night:

bryan bowling

me bowling

This summer as I was applying to teacher positions I knew that my resume lacked in experience…or at least in the field of children. I was trying to find anything and everything that I could to pad it with more experience. I figured one of the best ways to accomplish this was to volunteer. I worked at the TaeKwonDo kids camp for the latter half of the summer as a volunteer. I also looked at a lot of thing that I could do on the Internet. There is no limit to programs to volunteer for, but I wanted something with children and something that I would enjoy as well as believe in. I didn’t want to volunteer just for the sake of having something to add to my resume; it had to fill other purposes in my life as well. I remembered that Big Brothers Big Sisters was a great organization, and I knew someone that had actually done this with great success. I completed all the necessary steps (paperwork, interviews, volunteer training, etc), and then it became a waiting game. I guess I didn’t wait all that long. I had heard some people say they had been waiting for several months. One day, out of the blue, I get a call from the organization saying that they’ve found me a “little” – a boy. His name is Nathaniel, and he’s 11 years old.

I heard his stats and said that I was interested in meeting him. The next step was for them to contact the family and see if they thought they wanted to meet me to…and they did! It happened quickly, and in less than a week from the first call, I was sitting in Nathaniel’s kitchen talking to him, his dad, and our match support specialist! I liked the kid right away. The first thing that I noticed about him was how considerate and well mannered he was. I liked his dad too. We went out on a short 30 minute outing after we finished going over all the rules and whatnot. I learned that night that Nathaniel had been waiting 4 years for a match! That’s crazy! I only waited like 2 months. Thank goodness I signed up…how long would he have waited.

They told me that Nathaniel was signed up because his dad wanted him to have a female influence in his life. His mom died when he was very young. I think that I can provide this for him. I think I might be someone to look up to. I know I will definitely do my best and will point him in the right direction in life. Nathaniel is probably not the typical kind of kid you think of when you hear about this program. He’s not needy or troubled. In fact he’s just a normal kid. He makes great grades, plays in the band, and is great at video games. But none of that changes the fact that he still has needs that I can fill so I’m glad that I can be there for him. It was on our 2nd outing that I really came to understand that he like any other child could benefit from this kind of relationship. I asked him who his best friend was wanting to know more about his social life, but his answer shocked me when he said you! Me? “I’m not you’re best friend,” I said. He relied, “Yeah, because you’re the only one that takes me places.” I wanted to cry. I WAS important to him. And every time we hang out together I realize that he is gonna make a big difference in my life as well. I can tell now that I’m going to learn a lot from him as he also learns from me. The greatest things I like about Nathaniel are his willingness to help out and his confidence. This kid isn’t shy, and I love that about him because I find that while I’m comfortable talking to people, I’m still shy about a lot of things. But he isn’t, and I want to encourage that part of him.

Not counting our 30 minute outing the night we met, we have been on 3 outings. Our first outing was to Mt. Bonnell and then to see the bats. Our second outing was to attend Austin Museum Day when we visited the botanical gardens, the sculpture gardens, and the Austin Museum of Art. Our third and latest outing was something more simple. I brought him along to see me test for my black belt in TKD. Except for this last outing, I’ve been letting him use my big Nikon camera from college to take pictures of all the stuff we do. And he loves it! Some of his images have really surprised me! He seems to have a natural knack for composition. I’m thinking of doing some outings soon that will allow him to do a photoshoot of some sort.

Here are the pictures from all of our outings:

Outing 1

Outing 2

If you are interested in volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters than I can’t encourage you enough! Please let me know if you would like any information or have any questions. I know that they are always looking for men – they never have enough. Also there is a big fundraiser coming up for BBBS, and I would love to form a team to help me raise money which will help get matches made. Some of the things that BBBS also does is give all the children matched for 1 year a college scholarship which many area schools will match. This is huge for a lot of these kids. The scholarships are even good for vocational schools. I would like to make sure that this awesome organization has plenty of funding for this type of things. I need a team so please let me know if you’re interested…there will be bowling!

What is CrossFit? Please feel free to do research on this because it WILL change your life!

I’ve known about CrossFit for some time now thanks to a few friends who started quite a while ago. The WODs (workout of the day) started making their way into conditioning classes at the Kung Fu school, and I quickly saw that these things were majorly hard. And these WODs will expose your weaknesses immediately. I would only do the WODs in the privacy of our garage because I didn’t want anyone to see me doing them. They are so hard, and I took so many breaks. I didn’t anyone to witness just how weak I was.

Bryan and I had really wanted to join a CrossFit gym for quite a while. We knew that it was worth every penny, but unfortunately, I wasn’t really working. It was something we just had to hold off until we had more income. Thankfully, I got a new job, and the problem was instantly solved! We wasted no time either! It was one of the most exciting and scariest things I’ve ever done. I knew that it would be amazing for both of us, but I also knew that it wouldn’t be easy.

Why would you pay for something that you could do for free in your garage? That’s easy – it’s a completely different ballgame! Really…it is! In the garage, I took many breaks, and I didn’t push myself. I completed the workouts which was good, but I wasn’t getting everything out of them that I could. Couldn’t I have just pushed myself harder? Yes! But there’s the clincher – everyone needs something to motivate them. Some people are self-motivated, but I need something more. And being in a CrossFit class with others is my motivation. It’s not a competition, but just watching others makes me want to keep up. Being in class with Bryan is one of my biggest motivations; it’s like a friendly competition. Hey, whatever works!

The thing I love about CrossFit is that everything is scaleable. There’s no reason not to do the workout. I started with little weights, but quickly added more. This shit works! I think this is our 5th week, and I’m already noticing major results. Seriously, I’m getting ripped and loving it! I’m so proud of my body and want to show it off.  Too bad swimsuit season just ended. I’m a little behind, but I’ll be too ready for it next year!

Another great thing about CrossFit, and the one you CAN’T get in your garage is great coaches and great friends. I love the coaches at Cedar Park CrossFit. They keep me moving when my brain says STOP! I really mesh with a coach that doesn’t mind getting right in my face and demanding more even if it’s just one more. I need that, and that’s why I pay. The people that I have met in class have been equally amazing. Everyone is so nice! My favorite memory was on a free workout where a guy who had finished his workout came over and did burpees with me! Crazy – crazy nice – and crazy inspiring! It worked too; I felt compelled to keep moving. I remembered it too, and one day everyone in class, including me, cheered on a woman to finish a grueling WOD. I love being a part of a group like this!

I want to do better about writing about some of my big achievement moving forward, but I know that I won’t be dedicated enough to write about each workout like Bryan at his blog. I want to look at where I’ve come in just this short amount of time since starting. Keep in mind that we only attend CrossFit twice a week and supplement that with a WOD style type of conditioning class at the Kung Fu school.

I wish I had taken before pictures to show how much my body has changed. I do not have these and probably wouldn’t post them if I did. 🙂 I have never been fat, but I was carrying a few extra pounds, was not toned, and had cellulite. Most people never saw this about me, but I saw it. I new that my body needed some work. I do have these “after” pictures however. Though this journey just started, so these are hardly after pictures. I’m just so pleased with how my body is changing because of CrossFit. Check it out:

me

me again

the guns!

Another great thing that I love is the fact that I’m trying all kinds of new exercises like dead lifts and box jumps. I would have never imagined I would be dead lifting one day! 🙂 I love it! And I really love seeing my weight go up as I get stronger. It’s fun to keep trying new things and watch yourself develop. I’m even inching (and I mean inching) my way toward a real pull up!

Recent Pictures of the Cats:

OC in the guest bathroom sink…crazy cat!

Songs I’m digging right now:

Party in the USA – Miley Cyrus