Insanity and Skittles?? Is that the magic combo?

Another successful day of logging my food......... WHEW. Why is that such a chore for me now? I used to do it and think nothing of it. Man, it's hard to re-create a good habit.

It was a good day for all of us. My daughter had her "Tiger Academy" today. She will be attending the local high school as an 8th grader. Today was her chance to learn the school and she get her schedule. She seemed to enjoy it and I managed to survive the idea that she's getting so old. But to be COMPLETELY HONEST... it's not her getting old.. it's me!

That's the biggest struggle I've been having. My age. I know, I know... I'm still young-ish... 36. I vividly remember when someone was 36 and I was 27 they were "old" and that makes me feel like I'm losing all my "young-ness". Does that makes sense? I've been fighting off the old lady, mom pants wearing, perm getting time warp for a while now but DAMN it's hard. I mean... am I too old to shop at the Buckle? Why am I starting to feel bad about wearing Miss Me jeans? I mean.. hell, it took ALLLLL my energy the last year to get small enough to wear those jeans, am I too old now? I often wonder what I look like through the eyes of my daughter or other younger gals. Am I that "old" chick that can't figure it out... am I the next episode of "What Not To Wear"... If so you better tell me, dammmmit! At least before I totally ghetto out like Pamela Anderson...... maybe I need boobs? Don't judge.
Thank gosh I quit scrunching my hair and pegging my jeans... I kid, I kid...  However, in the last few months I've considered Botox. I have the wrinkled forehead of a 90 year old man!

rough night? Sheesh.

 

 

Tomorrow I'm running BRIGHT AND EARLY .... going for 8 miles. I took Thursday and Friday as rest days. I probably should not have had 2 back to back rest days but I had bills to pay tonight and catch up on laundry. It's tough being me......... Hahaha.. Lame.

Last night I caught myself watching the infomerical for the Insanity Workout DVDs... I really really want them. If you go to myfitnesspal.com and search "Insanity" under success stories you will find a billion pictures of women that have really seen amazing results. I love it. BUT, I can't pull the trigger on the price of those babies. SPENDY... I know it's worth it if I DO IT and keep at it.. however when my credit card bill rolls in and I owe 120.00, I'll be pissy about it. Have any of you done this? Do you love it? BE TRUTHFUL. Oh and it's okay if you own this DVD and haven't done it. I did that with Turbo Jam. About 5 years ago, I bought those DVDs late one night after a very good infomerical. Apparently I thought buying them was good enough. Like maybe I could rub them on my fat ass and it would slim me up. FAT CHANCE.... Didn't work. I ended up giving them away because I never EVER ever EVER used them. That is my Insanity fear. $120.00 for a few rubs on my thighs and no results.... That would really make me feel sad and OLD... but mostly pathetic. LOL

Welp, it's almost time for the next infomerical..... I better bust this post out and get to it. Too bad I can't have a big old bag of Skittles to go with it. Oh and I'm very sorry that I've wasted more of your valuable time reading the few thoughts rolling around in my empty head. I do love ya for it and I know you'll feel so much better about yourself after seeing what a turd I am. :) See, I'm a giver!

 

Nighty Night.

xoxo

M

 

 



August 23rd is a MAJOR DAY!

Tomorrow is a very important day......


My mom and dad will be married for 37 years tomorrow. 37 years of unconditional love and devotion. 37 years of ups and downs but still managing to come out ahead holding hands. My parents have seen it all and done it all. They have married, raised children, managed careers, bought homes, fought cancer, fought blindness, worked their asses off, relaxed and joked with friend and family, camped, fished, rode bikes, gardened, changed career paths, lost loved ones, and anything else you could ever imagine but through it all THEY'VE DONE IT TOGETHER. 37 years. Sometimes, I think my mom has the patience of a saint. Sometimes, I think my dad is the strongest man I know. He had to watch is wife battle cancer and still be so strong for others.... but mostly I think my parents are incredible. Thank you for everything you've given up to give to me. Thank you for teaching me that family and love is FAR more important than anything else. Thank you for teaching me the true value of time. I'm forever in awe....  I've loved growing up with you (since you were young parents) and I've loved learning from you. YOU BOTH MAKE MY LIFE AMAZING. Here's to the next 37 years!!!!

Dad holding Rylee 1998

Mom holding Rylee 1998

Another special thing is happening tomorrow, it's my grandpa's birthday. He's the only Grandpa I've ever known and my mom's father. My grandpa Chuck has always been a favorite of mine. This man would take me everywhere when I was a little girl. I remember riding around in his pickup and going to buy me a swing set from Bi-Mart. I couldn't have been more that 4 years old. I remember it like yesterday. I remember him letting me pretend to cut and style his hair. He would just sit there and let me comb and mess it all up. I remember ALWAYS getting M&Ms from Grandpa. I remember going to the fruit stand where a Conoco now stands with him. I remember riding in tractors with him when he was farming after Grandma and I brought him dinner. I remember him complaining about my hair do, the boys I might like, and the teasing about my driving. I remember so much... and I'm SO DAMN THANKFUL that we still have so many more memories to make. I love watching my Grandpa with my children now. The just love "Great Grandpa Rose". They play with him and talk with him. He's a tall, loud, strong man... and that's just the way we love him. All of his jokes and all of his wisdom. As I get older I love listening to his stories. I didn't appreciate those stories until now. He talks about living in Colorado, California, and other adventures he has had. He tells my husband how much he did as a young man. He's is wonderful. I hope his birthday is perfect. Happy Birthday Grandpa... You'll always be my favorite.

 

 

Now that I've been extra sappy, I can get back to my whiny exercise, weight loss, journaling self. :) Just what you all want.

 

Today I've journaled all my eats. I have 108 calories left to burn .... Good thing a Western Family Fudge Bar (yes, Western Family..I'm cheap, okay?) is only 90 calories and makes me feel like I have had a bowl of ice cream. Although, I kind of feel like a hot tea and jammies. No ice cream tonight. Have you tried Good Earth Original Hot Tea??? It's awesome. A few years back my friend Rhonda told me about it and ever since it's been a love affair all of it's own. Mandy + Good Earth = True Love. xoxox.  I did boot camp tonight. Candice had us doing circuit work with no running. It was a good day for this girly. Our ab workout about killed me tho. Planks, planks, and more planks. GOOD GOSH. I can't even hold myself up, never mind the dipping and twisting! I am always moaning and groaning while doing abs. I have the weakest stomach muscles EVER. Dang. I was even shaking when I was doing it. Lame-o. That's me.

 

Saturday I have an 8 mile run planned with Pam. Hopefully we will ROCK IT. Tomorrow I hope to do a few miles. 3-4. That being said... here's a little motivation for you oh... umm, me ...

 

Not that I don't like the "old" me... I just want the "healthy" me to be out there. :)

 

Nighty-nite, 

xoxo

M



A 10 USED to be PERFECT.....

Just Another Manic Monday..... I wish it was Sunday..... blah blah blah... Every time I hear that song I want to crimp my hair and put on some thick black eyeliner.... Regardless, it is MONDAY. Back at it for us working folk.

OKAY... Do you know who Robyn Lawley is?? IF not I'm about to share with you just who this woman is... She is the "new face" of Ralph Lauren... She is a "plus sized" model. A whole whopping size 10. Are you sh*ting me!!!!?? PLUS SIZED? Here are some pictures of her... she's perfect. Why is she considered plus? I hate the fashion industry. All I ever wanted was to ROCK a size 10 (and thanks to hard work I can in some pants) and I can't believe this is PLUS. JUST. KILL. ME. NOW. If I had her body, I'd go grocery shopping in this same outfit. Seriously.......... Can't you just picture me with my shopping cart and 3 kids buying cereal in this get up? Oh and just one more time... this is a PLUS SIZED MODEL! Whatev...

I woke up this morning feeling a bit sore from my fun adventure/Relay this weekend. It really is an awesome feeling. To know that you've worked your body and now you will feel the difference. Right? Whatev. I just keep telling myself one day I'll get to my desired size, shape, weight, body.... You know, that little game you play... Today I will feel good about who I am and make good choices.... Well, I did it baby. I made sure I journaled ALL OF MY FOOD and EXERCISE. I honestly have not done that for quite a while. It feels good to "re-group" my efforts. I'm on target and I'm proud of myself.

Boot camp was hard for me tonight. I could feel my legs aching. I know I bitch and moan about it but it never gets easier. The beautiful thing is that when I come home I can journal my calories I noticed I burned 501 calories because of my 55 minutes of boot camp. That part I really love. :) I also love seeing friends out there working their asses off... They have accomplished so much and keep going. I'm always inspired by my fellow boot campers. So if you are reading this... I freaking love you. EACH and EVERY ONE of you NEVER QUIT. It rocks my world and makes me feel like a loser face for whining....  :)

Oh.. I noticed yet another little gem of running.... MY BIG TOE NAIL is sore. Killing me sore. I hate it. If I lose that bugger I'm gonna be PISSED. I mean.. it's bad enough that I'm old with braces and 4 eyes... but now I have no big toenails? Can a girl catch a break. I mean really.... I am almost as attractive as Randy Travis, post arrest... :)

Just thought I'd leave you with a little funny somethin' somethin'....... If you don't find it funny, you have no sense of humor... or no kids.

xoxo,

M

Spokane To Sandpoint RECAP.... :)

T.I.R.E.D..... that's me RIGHT NOW!

I just got home from a kick a$$ experience. The Spokane To Sandpoint Relay Race. Talk about an amazing time..... Where to begin.......

For those of you who don't know The Spokane to Sandpoint is a 184.3 mile Relay Race. You have 12 runners and you each take a different leg. Certain runners are assigned to certain Vans. Van 1 or Van 2. Van 1 starts (duh). Each runner will run a certain distance. For example if you were in Van 1, Runner 1, you might start with a 5 mile run. Your van drops you off at the start line and then heads out to the next exchange point (mile 5). Runner 2 will wait there for Runner 1. Runner 1 will hand off the runner's snap bracelet and Runner 2 takes off on what ever amount of miles their leg is. Runner 1 will hop in the van and ride with the other runners. Then Runner 3 will be shuttled to the next exchange point... This goes on until all 6 runners in Van 1 are done with thier assigned leg. Then Van 2 will start with runner 7...and so on and so on... Each Van will have 3 "legs" like this. You have 36 hours to complete the course. It's around the clock. I was in Van 2, Runner 8.  I ran leg 8 (3.66 miles), leg 20 (2.83 miles), leg 32 (3.5 miles). Our Team was The Roslyn Brew Crew for Roslyn Brewing Company. Kelly's (our team captain) husband owns this business and they sponsored us!! How freaking cool is that??? Yay.

So there's the "idea" of this race. Thursday at 3ish we all met in town at Fred Meyers. I was EXTRA nervous because I only knew one gal, Lisa. The other ladies I hadn't ever spent time with and I KNOW they are big time runners. I just can't help but to feel like such a "newbie" to the whole running scene. Turns out everyone was super nice and friendly. We all piled into our assigned vans... I was in Van 2 with Kelly, Lindsey, Lisa (that told me about this and invited me to do this), Jackie, and Candie. Our Van was a 1992 Chev Suburban. It had NO AIR CONDITIONING and sometimes the back passenger side door wouldn't open. OH and the gas gage stopped working at some point. It was perfect for decorating and bombing around in BUT it definately was an oven.

Thursday night we stayed at a little lodge type place at Mt. Spokane about 5-6 miles from ths start line. It was simple and cheap, just like me so I didn't mind it too much. :)

Friday morning we were scheduled to start and we all woke up early. Both Vans headed up the road to the start line. At the start line while waiting for Van 1 to begin our race we did some decorating of what we affectionately called "Big Blue". :)

We took our pictures of us goofing around a team picture at the beginning of the race.

 The Roslyn Brew Crew 2012 S2S



Kelly, ME (way in the back) and Lindsay. These chics are AWESOME.

Our first runner took off and Van 1 began their journey. Van 2... WENT TO STARBUCKS. When all the gals in our van decided to go to my FAV coffee stand I was PLEASED. We had a few hours to kill and I loved the idea of doing it with a latte in hand. We all visited and kicked back waiting for our turn. I was so worried. My stomach started to hurt and I knew I needed more water. I couldn't figure out if it was nerve or a sour stomach. Now, looking back... I think it was NERVES...

Van 2: Lindsey, Lisa, me, Candie, Kelly, and Jackie



Pretty soon it was time for our awesome Van 2 Big Blue to start. Candie was runner 7 which meant she was first. It was approximately 2:30 ish and DAMN HOT. Actually it was 97!  I can't remember exactly how many miles she had, but I do remember that I WAS NEXT AND I WAS SCARED.  My stomach was ON FIRE and my nerves were shot. I was trying to play it cool..... and doing a crappy job of it. As soon as Candie took off we all piled in the van and headed to the exchange. I remember standing there and feeling like my legs were going to start shaking. What the heck was wrong with me??? Candie came around the bend and did the hand off. I was instantly ready to go. I took off running and thought "I got this"... but my stomach was killing me. I looked at my Garmin and I was doing a 8:40 pace. That's SUPER FAST FOR ME!!! I passed one gal. I felt like I was holding my own.... but then it hit. My stomach was starting to turn. I had slowed WAY down so I could settle myself down. I could actually taste the latte coming back up and I knew I had to stop. It was 97 degrees out and I was on a trail with no water. What the hell was I thinking? I kept trying to talk myself out of it... but I couldn't hold back anymore. I started to vomit... It was the ONE AND ONLY TIME I have ever done anything like this... Runners were passing me.... and I was DYING. Not only was I getting sick, with no water... but people were seeing this happen? WTH? Have I no shame??  I started to regroup and had slowed to a jog... My face was sweaty and I was feeling whipped. I made it another .5 miles and stopped again for a quick dry heave. I almost started bawling. My head was pounding... but I talked myself down off the ledge and got my ass back in gear. I was incredibly slow but at that point, I just had to finish this damn leg.  Soon I saw my teammates and they were cheering me on like CRAZY. I ran across this amazing bridge and did that hand off to our next runner, Lindsay. My teammates had cold water for me and were all so kind and understanding. I was so afraid of holding them up and they were only concerned about me. It made a terrible moment seem completely ok. These chics were cool as hell.

Lisa in her beer wench costume w me.

Kelly. One of her legs was a mustache/tattoo contest SHE WON IT. YAY....

EVERYONE in our van ROCKED THEIR RUNS. They are all so fast and strong as heck. The time went fast. Soon we were at the transition point where Van 1 picks up. We could take a rest and eat. We hit a fun little restaurant and I was sure to drink plenty of fluids that were not labeled Starbucks. We laid down in the park and napped while Van 1 was out doing their runs.

Our second set of runs were at night. And by night I mean PITCH BLACK OUT. My second run was a "glow contest"... It was so fun. I needed to have fun. I had totally had the worst running experience of my life during my first leg.... my second needed to be awesome. I had the coolest dress up nonsense EVER... It was LED gloves, lights, glow sticks, and a LED WIG..... I loved it. My run was short and it was SOOOO MUCH COOLER OUT. We ran along trails by the water which made a world of difference. I felt much much better and had runners running towards me at times. There were lots of high fives and laughs. I felt  redeemed.

LIGHT IT UP.

The rest of our night runs went awesome. Everyone enjoyed it so much more.... it really made every ones experience so much more incredible. It was cooler and easier to move in. After our night runs Van 1 picked back up for their last set of legs and Van 2 headed to a local school to sleep. I can honestly say I have no idea how long it took to get there, where we were, or what the heck was going on. I had crawled in the very back seat and started to curl up with my sleeping bag. I didn't wake up until 5:00 am. I probably fell asleep around 1:30 ish??? I'm unsure of the exact time. When I did wake up my head was killing me. I really believe I got dehydrated. No matter how much I drank, I was still feeling whipped, and headachy. I guess that's what happens in super hot weather and poor hydration while sitting in a freaking oven of a car after running.... HA.

My last leg of the run was approximately 9:30 this morning. It was 3.5 miles and it was getting warm out. I made a deal with myself to just take it easy. My legs were super sore from running and sleeping in the car. They felt heavy, but I was so pleased to be on my last run I knew it was gonna be a mental game for me. When I finished I did what I always do. I bawled. I cried because I still cannot believe how far I've come. I was NOT the fastest but I was part of a team that encouraged me and showed me what strong women can do. We had some silly times and made great memories. We all took turns losing stuff in the car and it was always right in front of our faces, we got lost, we made jokes, we bitched about the heat, whined when we got cold or wet, and so much more. Heck, we even locked ourselves out of our vehicle but all found ways to find the good in it and keep rolling. I loved every second of that. I am so grateful for this experience to do a Relay with women who are amazing. I hope we can do it again next year. Maybe I'll make it without vomit. :)

OH and HELL YES... I got a metal, a cool tech shirt and I kept up with my 7 in 7 goal. August race .... COMPLETED! Yeeehaw....

BLING ALERT!!! On Thursday my ROCK ENCORE metal came in the mail. If you do 2 rock n roll events (Portland & Seattle)... you received an encore metal. Check this baby out... she's a gleaming mass of beauty... sparkles, sparkles, sparkles....

Damn good weekend... 2 metals were added. Yay..... I'm off to bed... I'm tired.........

xoxoxoxo,

M



Why don't you just drive there????

Holy Smokes! It's been a busy few days.....

Saturday was the "big day" for my brother and Juli. Everything turned out amazing and it was so fun to be a part of their special day. I love love loved seeing Wade all fancied up.Not too shabby for a small town country boy. His usual attire of wranglers and a sleeveless tee-shirt were nowhere to be seen. I gotta say the boy cleans up nicely. :) Keep your eyes off my man-candy ladies.

 

Sunday was a recovery day for me. I was whipped. Wade was whipped... we really needed a recovery day.... and some freaking Dairy Queen. (No worries, we behaved).

Monday... Oh Monday....

Back to work I went and afterwards it was BOOT CAMP BABY! Candice attempted to kill me once again (I'm still feeling the soreness in my legs). I am noticing that my slacking off has started to catch up with me. Boot camp was hard on this girl. I was OUT.OF.BREATH and HOT. AS. HELL... and by HOT I mean sweating like a pig and panting like a dog. We did plenty of burpies, mountain climbers, plank jacks, high knees, squat thrusts, jumping jacks, and other forms of torture. Next we followed up with some different down and backs. It was a good one, if you think that death by exercise is a health lifestyle choice.. I kid, I kid.. it wasn't THAT bad.. kinda.

ummmm.. whatev...

Later that after boot camp we did what most people in the valley did.... we watched it go up in smoke. No, I'm not being funny. I'm super serious right now. Our little beautiful valley has been on fire for the last 2 days and it's been horrible. So much destruction and so damn fast. I'm broken hearted for the homes that were lost but grateful for the lives saved because of the fast response times. Currently we are at 10% contained and our valley has lost 28000 acres, but not one life has been lost. That's a huge blessing.

Yesterday was a work day for me and then some more watching and praying. I wish these fires would stop. We need some rain and NO WIND.

Tonight I'm packing. I hope I bring all the right stuff. I AM SO EXCITED and SOOOO NERVOUS, but tomorrow afternoon I leave for my first Relay Race. I will be running in the Spokane to Sandpoint Relay. YES, I'm scared. YES, I'm worried... BUT I'm just scared and worried because the other 11 women that are on this team are super fast and super strong. I hope I do good. They have taken mercy on me and given me some easy legs. They must be able to see a poser coming their way! One of my legs is a night time run. Approximately 9:10 at night and it's a "glow" contest. I have purchased a BOAT LOAD of glow in the dark stuff. I hope hope hope it works out well. The leg is a short one 2.83 miles and I think I'll be able to handle having a ton of crud pinned to me and wrapped around me for that length of a run. I want to WIN the contest for our TEAM. DANG IT!!! I've never ran in the dark. I have to wear a running reflective vest and a head lamp. I keep thinking I'll be scared of the boogie man and run faster. BECAUSE I HATE THE DARK... but I'm gonna be a big kid and roll with it. :) It's tough being a grown up. I should be home Saturday and I'll update the blog with all my adventures. My total running is 9.98 miles. This is a 36 hour race.... but we should be done well before that. AND THIS IS MY AUGUST RACE. Plus, I think I get a metal to add to the collection. YAY....

Little pic I borrow from the actual website for the Spokane to Sandpoint.

Let it be known..... prior to my "running" the only time I was in Sandpoint ID was for dinner or to buy booze passing through. Hahahaha.. Time have changed, huh?

OH OH OH... big news.. I can't believe I didn't post... I weighed in at a reduced 153.8. I went down and I'll take it..... I really need to pay good attention if I'm gonna get into the 140s EVER IN MY LIFE.

So, there ya have it folks... Mandy's life summed up. Wish me luck this weekend... Lord knows I'll need it. I'm gonna do my best. Can't wait to share the adventure with you.

Question of the day??  Who's getting married first, Jen or Brad????

xoxo
M

That's the best you got? I expected better from a hooker like you!

Ya know what? Women are bitches. We are. We suck and we are mean. We are cruel and should be reminded that our lack of consideration towards others REALLLLLLY hurts.
I know, I know... I'm standing in a house of glass here, but it's true.

Last night a friend was venting on Facebook. She was saying that she overheard others talking negatively about her workout and weight loss journey. I could tell it really hurt her feelings. Why do we do that? Seriously?? WHY? Why do we take it upon ourselves to be so mean all the damn time? Why do we CARE enough to be that mean? It's really pathetic.
Who are we to judge? Man oh man...I'd love to walk in on that conversation. It's usually some lame person who just finished their last ding dong and they are feeling shitty about themselves, so the say crap like "Oh yea, right she's running/exercising/whatev"..... If you care enough to say bad things why don't you care enough to stop killing yourself with whatever vice it is YOU MAY HAVE. Oh and don't get all 'holy roller' on me, girly. I know you have some. Maybe you like to smoke a couple packs a day. Maybe you're a wine-o at night. Maybe you're even a pill popper, or you hide Snickers in your dresser drawers. BUT YOU ARE NOT 100% PERFECT. So, shame on you and your lame ass friend who would waste valuable time and energy talking smack about another person's weight loss journey/goal. I don't know who you are, but I think that's for the best. If I did know who you were, you'd really enjoy what I have to say. LAME-O.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know I'm not perfect. I've had my share of "she's anorexic" or "she's obsessed" but that was WELLLLL before I learned that 100 calories = 1 mile. Now that I know what I have to PUT out to GET WHAT I WANT, I've kind of simmered down on the crap talk. At least the crap talk about weight loss... If you get drunk and streak through town, FAIR GAME... I'm gonna be saying something about that. Seriously. ;)  OH and you better hope I don't  have my camera. Just sayin.

Today I'm planning to meet up with the ladies and do a walk/run. I need it. I need to get my exercise on. I only did bootcamp on Monday. Candice was trying to kill me. We did 21 down. WHAT'S THAT YOU ASK? Oh...well.... let me share. 21 push ups, 21 squat jumps, then 20 push ups, 20 squat jumps, then 19 push ups, 19 squat jumps....all the way down to 1 of each. It equals 100 push ups and 100 squat jumps. It was a 100 freaking degrees outside and I wanted to vomit. I still feel like my arms are going to fall off my body. OH and then we did some down and backs and an ab workout. Boot camp is so effective but so hard when you've missed a few and tried to come back.

I'm off work today. Lots to do. Helping with the wedding set up and getting organized. This is so fun but so hard. First, I'm bossy and so are all the other women, well... except Jac and Kristi.. .so really just Juli, Lonnie, and I. I mean we aren't BOSSY BOSSY, we are just mommas that like to do shit OUR WAY.... and so I have to remember that it's Julz day and I should just be a helper. Plus I can't help but to boss the little bro around.... Today's goal, NO BOSSING ANYONE. This will be hard for me.... because I'm a jerkface. I'll let you know how it goes. :) I'm so excited for them tho. Casey and Juli. I mean how exciting to have a special day with your families and start your life officially. That's a big darn deal. I'm also super excited to see EVERYONE. Weddings or Funerals... that's the gathering protocol and I'm thankful it's a wedding for Casey and Julz that brought everyone together. Those crazy kids. I pray I don't bawl, because I'm an ugly cryer.

OH and I've managed to stay on goal for eating since my last post. Amazing, but true. I feel like I should get a guest spot on Ripley's Believe It Or Not. This is a big damn deal. Being honest with yourself? SAY WHAT???? 

Here's a little morsel of goodness to share with you all:

IF NOTHING CHANGES, NOTHING CHANGES!  Think about it... and live it. :)



Love you all
M

Hi My Name is Mandy..... Hi Mandy!

I  know, I know.... WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN, MANDY? Well... let's see... living my life? Being a wife, mom, employee, sister, daughter... EVERY EXCUSE IN THE WORLD... DUH....

Let me summarize my life since my last update

1. Yes, I did complete the Rock & Roll Seattle 1/2 Marathon. It sucked. I had a leg injury and it was hell for most of the race, but I did it. I got my metal and I got outta there. The End.

2. Yes, I did the WD 10k. It was foolish of me to plan my hubby's surprise 40th birthday party the night before I ran a race, but I had no choice. It worked out fine. I mean, isn't running on a hangover FREAKIN' awesome? Nothing like feeling as though you need to hit the porta potty because you drank TOOO MUCH beer the night before. Thankfully, I had a great running partner and we just did an easy pace.

3. I'M STILL ON GOAL FOR MY 7 IN 7 RACE CHALLENGE. YAY.

Now... let's get back to why I'm really here. To confess. If I was an alcoholic I'd have to stand up and admit that I drank a box of beer every damn day this summer and washed it down with a 1/2 gallon of whiskey. NO I DIDN'T REALLY DO THAT... don't even start calling my mother to plan an intervention. Just cool it. What I'm trying to say is that I have a serious sugar addiction that I can't quit. I have stalled my weight loss because of it. I find myself smashing Red Vines in my mouth like it's my last chance to eat EVER. I cannot help it. It's FREAKING GROSS. I'm 36 years old, you'd think I could be a grown-up about it. GET SOME SELF CONTROL, loser face. (Positive self-reinforcement is always a good thing, HA). So, folks... I have ate all kinds of trash. I'm a garbage gut and I have the flab to prove it. DAMMMMMIT Mandy. I am currently hanging out 155 pounds.. wanting to be at 145 and pissed that I can't get it under control.

That being said, I'm done. I'm BACK to counting my calories and being HONEST with myself about my eats. It's really a learning curve, I tell ya. Nothing comes easy that's what she said......  Let's see if I can drop some pounds and keep focused from here till Labor Day Weekend. That's my goal. If you see me at DQ with a 32oz blizzard, stop me and slap the hell out of me, please. I might not like you at that moment, but when I'm sliding on my sexy bling jeans ... I'll give ya a hug. ;)

OH... BIG NEWS.. before I forget .... I was asked to run in the Spokane to Sandpoint Relay race. Apparently another runner couldn't do it. I think she had an injury. This is super huge for me because, well... I'm not a cool athletic runner like these fabulous ladies and I felt super excited to be invited. I have some pretty easy runs compared to those other ROCK STARS but I'm gonna give it my all. It's so emotional for me. To see myself in a different light is hard. But I'm pretty stoked and I can't wait to see what this is all about. I'm grateful to Lisa who told me about it.. and to the other ladies who are gonna put up with me. Holy shit, I hope I don't do anything stupid. OH and another fun tid-bit... One of my runs will be a  "glowing contest" so I have ordered a boat load of glowing junk. I hope I can be seen. :)

This weekend is a big weekend for my family. My baby brother is getting married. We are so excited!! I will post pics of me and my super sexy husband in his Tux. Wade and I are both in the wedding. FANCY FANCY.

Soooo ... before I close, remember... It's okay to screw up but it's NOT OKAY TO GIVE UP. Right? Help me remember that too.

Love you all
M