The Problem with Thinspiration...

I'd like to apologize for the fact that I'm about get on my soap box for a moment.  There is a scary trend on pinterest of women posting pictures of emaciated women and putting things like, "The body I want," or "My weight-loss inspiration!"  We're talking about women who look like they've been starved for months, possibly years.  Like I said, it's scary!  I want to lose weight because I want to be healthy.  For me, it's not about a certain pant size or being able to see each one of my rib bones.  I want to be able to chase after my kids and not have to worry about all of the health risks that come with obesity.  I do have a weight that I have set as my goal, but it is right in the middle of the healthy bmi range for my height.  I don't need to look like Paris Hilton, I just want to look like a healthy me.  Don't get me wrong, I love buying a smaller size clothing and I love seeing the numbers on the scale go down, but I'm trying to keep my mindset healthy along the way.  It is about so much more than be skinny. 

Enough of that ;)

I found out today the major source of my recent running woes.  I have bronchitis and a sinus infection.  That would explain why Saturday's 9 mile run turned into 4.5 miles of running and 4.5 miles of speed walking.  My chest and lungs felt like they were on fire!  Anyway, I'm on some antibiotics now and I'm hoping I'll be able to run 10 miles sometime this weekend :) 

Monday's run was pretty decent!  Here's what it looked like:

Stretch
3 miles @6mph
2.5 miles @5mph
Cool down
Stretch

Total miles = 5.81
Total calories burned = 1028

I lost one lb last week.  That was pretty great since I was sick and didn't get to run as much as I like to.  I decided to join Weight Watchers just so I can be a bit more mindful about what I'm eating.  I've used the program a couple of times in the past and I really like the way it works.  I've had a hard time figuring out how much to eat since I've been running/working out so much.  This ought to help me figure it out.

We're going back to the U.S. for vacation!!!!!  I am downright giddy about this trip!  We're going to start attempting to catch a hop on Friday.  I can't wait to see family, friends and Target.  There are so many people and things that I've missed since we left.  We love Germany so much, but it's always hard to be away from all of the things you've grown up with.  I'll try to keep up with the blog while we're on vacation :)

Confession: I am eating ice cream while writing this post.  I had enough weight watchers points left for the day, so I decided to go for it ;) 

Miles, Pounds and Songs

T and I ran 7.1 miles through the German countryside this morning.  It was a great run.  We dealt with hills, sore bodies, a lot of animal feces and a misting rain.  I am so proud of us for sticking it out through all seven miles.  We even sprinted the last little bit.  The first three miles basically consisted of making sure that my body could do it.  After I established that even though I was in some pain, I could keep going, it took a lot of mental strength.  I had to tell myself at the beginning of each new mile that I could handle it.  I made sure to tell Will and a couple of other people that I was going to run 7 miles today.  I knew that having that accountability would make me push through a full seven miles.  We rewarded ourselves at the end of the run with iced chai lattes.  I'll even let you in on a little secret... I tried to reward myself with one of those sour cream doughnuts, but the lady at the cash register didn't hear that part of my order.  I'm taking that as a sign from God ;)

I finally saw some movement on the scale today!  It was even in the right direction ;).  I'm now down a little over 38 lbs.  I lost 2.4 this week.  I am really starting to think that the last couple of weeks have been due to my calorie deficit being out of control.  I made sure to get more (mostly healthy) calories in this week.  Hopefully I'll be able to keep that going!

I have some new running songs to add to my list on here.  I am so addicted to music, and I get bored with my running playlist quickly.  I'm sure I'll be posting new songs pretty regularly.

"A Little Less Conversation" (JXL Remix) Elvis Presley
     "A little less conversation, a little more action."  The lyrics say it all.  The beat to this is really fun to run to, also.

"Pain" Jimmy Eat World
    Maybe it's just me, but the title seems to be super appropriate for a running playlist ;)  Love this one.

"Run-Around" Blues Traveler
     I have always loved Blues Traveler.  This song is just fun.

"Canned Heat" Jamiroquai
     "Got canned heat in my heels tonight!"  This is another old-ish song that I've always liked.

"Check Yes, Juliet" We the Kings
     "Run baby, run!  Don't ever look back!" 

"Magic" B.o.B featuring Rivers Cuomo (Weezer)
     This song is so much fun and it gets me excited about running.  I've also loved Weezer since I was a kid, so I'm a sucker for Rivers Cuomo.

Ok, so those are my new running songs.  Does anyone have any other new songs in their playlist worth sharing?  I'm always open to new suggestions ;)

I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to information on running.  I seriously love researching exercise and running.  I was looking up ways to deal with running pain and prevent it.  I like to pass along what I've learned, but please remember that I am in not a doctor, nurse or anything like that.  I'm just sharing what I read from reliable sources.  On with the info.  Apparently, you're supposed to take a cold bath after running and save those hot soaks until 24 hours after your run.  I tried it today.  I was feeling a little blue lipped during the cold bath.  Hopefully it will help my legs recover a bit faster!  I'll keep you posted.

The More You Know ;)

I was checking out my status feed on Facebook this morning and the general theme of the day was Daylight Savings Time.  All of a sudden I started worrying about the fact that we seemed to forget it.  After a little of research on my husband's part, we found out that Europe sets their clocks forward the last Sunday of March instead of the second like North America.  Crazy stuff.  It's not of much use to us today anyway because we're all feeling a bit under the weather.  We'll be sticking close to the house today. Anna didn't sleep from about 3 AM on.  We're SERIOUSLY looking forward to nap time today ;).

Dan the man has taken to adding a speech impediment when it suits him :)  When he really wants something he'll say (in his cutest voice) "Pwitty, pwitty pwease?!"  I've never been a fan of baby talk, but he looks up at you with those big blue eyes and your heart melts a little.  He knows how to work the system already!  This could be trouble.

Our kids love The Muppets.  We bought Muppets Treasure Island while we were in California and it came with a little sticker book.  Anna and Daniel were going through the stickers and playing with them one day when they came across these guys

Anna said that no one would want that sticker because they were just mean guys that no one liked.  I told her that I actually liked them and you should have seen the look of disgust on her face!  She took out the sticker and handed it to me.  "I guess mommy can have this one because she LIKES *scoff* the mean guys!"  She just couldn't conceive of anyone liking Statler and Waldorf :)

Halloween and more fun....

I wanted to add a few Halloween pictures here :)  The kids were just WAY too cute!  Anna (Aurora) was wearing the tiara I wore at my wedding.  I was a little nervous about that, but I made sure to pin it in really well.  Daniel was a super cute Woody!  He wasn't too keen on keeping the hat on, but at two years old that's understandable.  He was very leery of all of the scary decorations and costumes and wound up crying to be held a few times while trick-or-treating.  The whole holiday seems to freak him out.  Every time we walked through the Halloween section at Target he would cry and hide his face.  He's so sensitive.

My passport came in the mail yesterday!  The picture cracks me up because I look so smug ;)  The guy was taking the pictures at a weird angle, so it looks like I'm half smiling while looking down on everyone.  Will said that my passport picture was the best out of all four of ours in spite of the smug look ;)  None of our passport pictures are good.  Even the kids, who never take a bad picture!  It's still bizarre to me that our kids have passports.  I didn't get my first passport until 15 or 16 when I went to China.  I love the fact that our children are going to be little world travelers.  I just hope they love traveling and Europe as much as Will and me.  To be honest, sometimes I worry that they'll grow to resent us because of all of the moving we'll probably do in their lifetime and having to be so far from extended family.  This is exactly the life that Will and I want, but would they choose it if they had the option?  I guess only time will tell.  

We'll be in Germany this time next month.  That's still pretty surreal.  Our lives have changed so much since we got married five and a half years ago.  I often feel overwhelmed to have been blessed so much.  God is SO good to us.  We're still working on all of the final details, but most things have been scheduled :)

Thoughts on loss and change...

It's hard to believe that it's November already!  Where has the time gone.  It feels like we're moving at a break-neck pace now and I'm trying to acclimate myself the best I can!

I suppose I should start with an apology for being MIA for such a long time.  I kind of gave myself this six months to try to take in life here in CA because I knew that everything would be changing so quickly.  I didn't take on any non-friend photography clients for quite some time here and tried to lay low.  I've made some of the best friendships I've had in my life in this short period of time.  I have friends who care deeply about me and never hesitate to offer a hand when they can tell that I need to take a breath.  What a blessing those friendships are.  There is nothing like a friendship where both parties are so actively pursuing each other.  I have been blessed like this by my best friend Jessica for years, but we never live near each other!  ;)  I love you SOOO much, Jessica!  Thank God for friends we can lean on when we feel like screaming or crying and need a sympathetic ear.  

Change...I don't even know where to start!  Like I said, I have been laying low here photographically speaking ;)  I've done a couple of newborn shoots and now I have a family shoot that was booked as a result of them seeing one of the newborn shoots!  This is such a lovely way to gain business!  I'm hopeful that things will really pick up once we get to Germany and I actually start advertising my photography business.  I'm looking forward to this move and all of the changes it will bring for my family.  Life is good and we are so blessed to be able to live where we've always wanted to live long term.  

Loss...There are some losses that you simply never get over.  My Grandma passed away about a year before Will and I got engaged.  She was and continues to be one of my favorite people who ever graced this planet.  I think of her daily, but sometimes the loss hits me like a ton of bricks and I find myself crying.  This happened the other day on my drive home from Walgreens.  I went to pick up medications for my stomach flu and found myself tearing up while driving home alone even though nothing in particular reminded me of her at that moment.  Today I was looking through a Pier 1 catalog and saw something that reminded me of her holiday decorations.  Autumn and the holiday season are the worst.  Will loves to listen to the Rat Pack and we often play Sinatra/Dean/Bing for the kids after dinner.  It always makes me think of how much my Grandma would love Will's affinity for old music and movies.  They would have gotten along so well!  Daniel's new favorite song to sing (sometimes yell ;)) is "Count Your Blessings" from White Christmas.  That would have made her day.  I think of her when I sing "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ra" to my children when they're in their beds and having a rough time sleeping because it's what she did for me every night I spent at her home.  My life is a million times richer for having spent time with her and it sometimes makes me cry that my children will never get to know how wonderful she was.  Anyway, I'm not sure why I felt the need to share this with whomever decides to read the blog, but I just know that I miss her dearly and wouldn't trade a second of the time I spent with her.  It's never easy to lose a loved one, but I have to trust that God has a plan and that ultimately my Grandma is now in Heaven and at peace.

Waiting to Exhale

For those of you who read my blog (hi family :)), I am SO sorry that it has been so long!  We are starting to get settled in to our new home in CA.  I seriously forgot how insanely gorgeous the whole state of California is.  Monterey, is especially beautiful.  I'm so blessed to be able to live in this city once again. 

 

I'm sure that you'll find a lot of pretty, ocean/Monterey pictures here in the next few months.  Followed by pictures of Germany (castles, silly signs, etc).  Our life feels so fluid.  It's constantly changing, and we are always planning the next big move.  I am not complaining.  I love it.  It definitely suits the nomad in me!  So, we're un-packing the boxes at our new house and enjoying CA while we can.   I'm taking care of laundry and dishes like my life depends on it!  By the way, someone forgot to remind me just how creepy the run-of-the-mill laundromat is now.  That was a very interesting trip ;)

I'll try to update here soon with some silly stories about my kids.  They are always funny :) 

Free At Last!

I am done with school until mid-July!  I don't know if you can tell, but I'm practically jumping up and down over here.  Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy my classes (especially the photography classes), but I am stressed to the max.  Between the move and everything else, the last thing I need is a ton of deadlines looming over my head.  I'll go back to class mid-July and take a couple new classes, then I'll take a break for our big move to Europe.  I'm also planning on taking a German class at the community college in CA.  I could certainly use a brush up on my German language skills before we head over there to live.  

I decided to get back to working-out.  I was going to Zumba super frequently for quite some time, but life got hectic and with Will's recurring ingrown toenail, he was unable to work-out for a while.  How did I jump back in to working-out?  Well, I thought that Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred dvd would be a great way to start.  That woman is a beast!  I wrote on facebook that I think she's an instrument of torture, and I have to say that I still believe it!  I don't remember the last time all of my muscles have hurt like this.  I'm just trusting that it will work and trying to smile through the ridiculous physical pain ;).

I had a chance to do a photo shoot with the Story family again.  I had such a blast.  If you want to check out the pictures, you can go here.  I have a new layout for my photography blog, and I'm loving it. 

Insanity

Today was interesting, to say the least!  We went out to lunch with some people who are going to be moving to CA and Germany at the same time as us.  I have to say, it is insanely nice to know people who will be with us the whole way through.  It is even better that they are really cool, nice people who I think we will have a great time with!

You're probably wondering why I titled this post "Insanity."  Well, while we were eating lunch at a lovely Indian buffet, we got to talking about Anna's little OCD-ish tendencies (she is definitely her mother's daughter!).  I mentioned that Anna freaks out to the point of almost crying if a door is left ajar and no one closes it the instant she notices.  It just so happens, that the couple sitting at a table across from us managed to hear that little tidbit.  Later, during lunch the woman comes over and informs us that she sees ghost/spirits (she used the word interchangeably), and has since she was five years old.  The first time she saw a spirit it was her recently departed grandmother, and she came out of her closet!  She then told her parents that her Grandma was not really dead just sleeping (anyone else ridiculously perplexed?!  I had to make a conscious effort to not make a lovely, "What the heck?!" face).  She shared this with us because she suspected that Anna shared her "gift."  I tried to explain that Anna is just extremely particular and I don't think she's seen any spirits yet.  In case you didn't know, I am a magnet for all weird/creepy people.  I was looking over my old blog from my internship in Germany, and man were there some funny stories about creepy people approaching me!  I'm sure this is simply the first of many creepy experiences to be shared on this blog ;). 

Life as I know it...

is about to change.  Oh man, life is going to get much more hectic and crazy here for a while.  It appears that we're moving back to California in about two months.  We'll be there for six or seven months and then we will be moving to Germany.  We have been hoping/praying for this, but thought that it wasn't exactly a possibility.  It definitely took me by surprise.  We've really enjoyed being in Augusta.  I'm going to miss all of my amazing friends and taking my kids to the great pool at the Y this summer.  I hope we make it back here some day to visit.  I'll keep everyone posted when I know more about what's going on.  If you're a praying person, we could definitely use your prayers!