You better run, better run...

So I'm not a runner. Never have been. I hated doing the mile in elementary school. I was always last to finish and tired and embarrassed by the end. As an adult it has never been my exercise method of choice. My fiance, however, is a runner. He wasn't always, but for the past 4 or 5 years he's gotten into it. He's done a few races; 5ks, 10ks, a half marathon. Last fall he ran the Pilgrim Pacer in KC (a half marathon) and he's planning on doing it again in November. And guess who's running with him. Well not WITH him. I'm no where near doing a half marathon. I'll be doing the 5k. I started training for it at the beginning of September. I'm on week 4 I believe. I'm doing the Couch to 5K program. I tried it once before with my friend April, but we didn't last very long. This week I've been running for 5 minutes straight! Something I've never done. And today a really didn't want to run and considered putting it off until tomorrow, but I got off my lazy but and went out and did it. I feel pretty good about it now. I'm not to the point yet where I'm ENJOYING running, but I am to the point where I can do it without dying. Between the running, watching my calories, occasional biking and Zumba I'm nearly down 15 pounds. My overall goal is to be to my driver's license weight, which is a total lie. I've got about  50 pounds left to go. It's not going to be easy and it sure is going to take awhile, but I'm pretty sure I can do it. And bonus, I'll definitely be there for our wedding. Let's just hope that I can keep it that way after we get married and have kids. It's really not that hard to do, but it is work. You can't not think about it. And I still eat what I want most of the time. I just don't eat as much or if I've already hit my calories for the day I know I won't be able to have ice cream and I'll have to plan to eat less calories tomorrow so I can. My calories are going to continue dropping as I lose more pounds which will take some getting used to. But it's so gradual you don't really notice. As far as the exercise goes I know I'll have to step that up here pretty soon if I want to continue to keep losing. But overall I feel pretty good about my progress. And the weight I have lost keeps me really motivated to continue. According to what I've worked out on the calculator I should be down to my goal weight in 13 months-faster if I work harder. So by our wedding date (Sept. 15, 2012) I should be there!

Things I Am Enjoying Right Now

1.  Glee!!!

Last night was the season premier and it's got me so excited for what the rest of the season will hold! Will and Emma are together, Finn and Rachel are together, Quinn's a bad girl with a bad dye job. Blaine's transferred to McKinley, Sue's out to destroy the arts, Sam's gone, Lauren's gone, Santana's been kicked out of New Directions, Kurt and Rachel are determined to be Broadway bound....so exciting!

2. New Girl

This is the new show on Fox with Zooey Deschanel and it's super cute! I've watched the first episode twice already. I love Zooey and her character is super awesome. Brian said that if they distilled Sarah (me) down into a TV show this would be it. She's goofy, she loves Dirty Dancing, and makes up songs all the time. I'm a fan.

3. Bridesmaids

It came out on DVD yesterday and I totally bought it today when I was at the store picking up stuff for chili and cinnamon rolls. Had a yummy dinner and  now am cozy on the couch with my blankie and hoodie. Window's open enjoying some Bridesmaids! Gonna watch it next weekend with Kaleigh too when she comes out!

4. Cider (and all other things fall including Halloween stuff)

Bought some cider a couple of weeks ago at the store and if it weren't for the calories I'd drink it all day every day. It's the perfect fall beverage. I'm also really enjoying all of the Halloween/fall decor that is out in stores right now. I can't wait to go to the pumpkin patch!

5. 96.5 The Buzz

One of the perks to my morning commute is that I get to listen to ABFMB on the radio every morning! It's so entertaining. Wednesday morning is War of the Roses and even though it makes me super uncomfortable to listen to I can't stop! I love the drama!

6. Lady Gaga: You and I

I LOVE this song! I crank it every time it's on the radio. It's so catchy. I have really liked all of Gaga's songs, but this one is very different from her others. It has kind of an Elton John, Billy Joel, Carol King singer/songwriter vibe.

7.  Livestrong.com

I've been using Livestrong for awhile now to track my calories. I'm down 12 pounds since the summer! My goal is to get down to my driver's license weight which is a total lie. I've started training for a 5 k in November. I'm using the Couch Potato to 5 K program and I'm on week 3. Brian and I go running every Monday, Wednesday, Sunday. I didn't go tonight because I got home from work late, but I'm going to run tomorrow to make up for it. Anyway I really like using livestrong to track my calories. It's really user friendly and helps me stay on track and free! I recommend it to anyone who is trying to lose weight or just be more aware of what they are eating.

I Think I Over-Did It.

Ugh. I am completely miserable San Diego. Although I had a great time this weekend visiting Katie in Hutch and going to the fair with Jordy and Brian I definitely think I could have made some better choices when it came to eating. If not just to better stick to my diet, but to keep me from feeling so crappy right now! It all started with dinner at Chipotle on Friday before we left town and then it was downhill from there. We stopped to get gas before getting on the turnpike. I got a 3 Musketeers. A king size. I ate it before we got to Topeka. Then for breakfast Saturday we went to the Carriage Crossing in Yoder. I have always wanted to go and I have to say it was well worth it. Brian and I split one of their famous giant cinnamon rolls and holy hell was it amazing! Then he ordered the biscuits and gravy and I ordered scrambled eggs with hashbrowns, bacon and toast. We kind of shared and ate off each other's plates. I was so full when we were done but I'd do it again. After breakfast we headed to Katie and Louie's house for the non-baby shower, baby shower. They got barbeque catered in from Hog Wild in Hutch. I had a brisket sandwich, potato salad, coleslaw and baked beans. Then it was time for the fair. I'd been planning all month what I was going to eat at the fair and I sure did have almost everything on my list. That's just what you do at the fair. You walk around, check out the butter sculpture, look at the weirdos, and gorge yourself on delicious, fried, greasy and sugary concoctions. I started my fair smorgasbord with a Pronto Pup with Granie's mustard-a must have at the Kansas State Fair. Next I happily found the booth missing from my fair feast last year, stuffed cucumbers! They use this caulking gun like tool to hollow out a whole cuke and then fill it with your choice of stuffing. I opted for ranch dressing. So good! After my cucumber I thought about getting another veggie and going for the roasted corn, but I knew there were other things I would want and I could get roasted corn at home so I passed. By this time I was getting kind of thirsty so I picked up a lemonade and we checked out some of the vendors, crafts, and picked up a jar of honey for Katie (too prego for a second trip to the fair). At around dinner time we decided to hit up the Kansas beer garden where you can get locally made beers and wines. I had a really delicious ale from the Tallgrass brewery in Manhattan. After my headache of beer I was startin' to get the munchies again and I knew I wanted meat! We had seen some people earlier that had some really good looking gyros. We found that stand and Jordy, Brian and I all got a lamb gyro with lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber and taziki sauce. And of course I couldn't leave the fair without having dessert. A caramel apple sundae. Instead of serving it on a stick they cut the apple up and drizzle it with caramel and sprinkle peanuts. You eat it with a fork. Much easier than the stick and just as delicious. And no trip to the Kansas State Fair would be complete without a ride down the slide. By this time I had $2.00 left of the $60 I took out for fair food (don't judge, Brian ate on that money too) just enough for one trip down the slide. Jordy rode with me. It was bliss.

So as if I didn't make enough bad food decisions  yesterday we had McDonald's for breakfast this morning (two breakfast burritos, hashbrowns and an orange juice) and Blind Tiger for lunch (chicken strips and fries).

I feel like I need to have my stomach pumped and not eat for 3 days. So bad. For the scales and for my tummy. I plan to spend the rest of the day lying on the couch recuperating and regretting. But I'll probably do it again next year. :P

Drugs are 'spensive.

I'm not happy about my new health insurance. But at least I have heath insurance, right? I really shouldn't be complaining. But I'm going to anyway.

So with my new insurance I had to have prior authorization to get my lexapro. Which took about 5 days. Just long enough to require me to buy a few pills at cost to get by. $32.00 and several phone calls later my prior authorization is approved and I can go get my pills from the pharmacy. I go to the pharmacy after work only to be told it will be a $99 copay to get my pills. "What??" my voice says. "What the fucking hell?!?!" my brain says. Turns out I have a $200 deductible and $91 of what I pay for my lexapro will go toward that. Once it is met I still have to pay $51 for a months supply of my pills. Super frustrating.

I felt like I jumped through all these hoops the past few days just to get my freakin' refill only to find out it's going to cost an arm and a leg. I know it could be worse. It could be a lot more expensive. And it could be for a medication I needed for some really awful disease. It's not that bad. But it's just that it's bringing  back all those frustrations about being on lexapro in the first place. I start thinking about how if I didn't need the medicine I wouldn't be dealing with all this insurance crap right now. And then I get pissed of that I can't be anxiety free without a pill. So grrrrr.

But on the bright side tomorrow will be 365 days until I am Mrs. Brian Cordill. :o)

I keep getting balls thrown at me...

Not like that. Metaphorical balls. Balls to juggle. Things at work are picking up quickly. I started juggling 5 and now in these past few days I've been tossed 6, then, 7, then 8. I feel like today alone I got 3 more. I can't/don't want to drop any! I feel like I'm under a lot of pressure to do a good job. I know most of it is pressure I'm putting on myself, but some of it is the feeling I get from this school district. Things are different here. They have a reputation. There are expectations; spoke and unspoken. I gotta be on top of my game.

So I'm just feeling overwhelmed. I don't want to feel like I'm chasing my tail all year long. I talked to Kaleigh she said cut myself some slack. It's only the 4th week of school. I also talked to my friend Lexi at work. She is feeling the same way and she's been there for 4 years. Good to know I'm not the only one.

I started my training for my 5k Monday. It was hard. Running again tonight with Brian. Not looking forward to it. Well looking spending time with Brian, but not running. Not feeling terribly energized. But gotta stay motivated! I lost 3 pounds since last week meeting my 10 pound goal and then some. Got the Zumba game for the Kinect for my prize. It's fun! I'm going to set up a regular schedule to do it during the week.

Well Brian just got home. I better go change. Then dinner and more school work! Joy...

Lucky Girl

I am such a lucky girl. Enjoying my fabulous birthday weekend. My owl cake pops turned out awesome and the kids loved them. Here's a picture. 

Last night Brian took me out to Pachamama's for dinner and it was AMAZING! We had lamb meatballs to start with this super delicious sheep's milk fondue sauce and a wild berry chutney. For dinner I had a stuffed tomato with zucchini and goat cheese. It was on top of a bed of fettuccine that had a pesto and artichoke sauce. Brian had adobo roasted pork shoulder that was super good. Then for dessert we shared a warm chocolate gianduja bread pudding with strawberry coulis and amaretto-chocolate ice cream. My God it was so good. 

Here's us in the car on the way to dinner. 

 

Then we came home to do a homemade flight of Boulevard while we watched Date Night. I had a glass of wine with dinner and don't drink too much now a days so I had trouble finishing. I did all but the last two. I was pretty tipsy by 9:30. 

Then today we got up and went to the farmers market. We were going to go the Halloween store that is in the old Borders, but they're not open yet. We headed over to Hurst Jewelers to look at wedding bands. I found one I really like, but it cost more than what we are looking at spending. We found some good bands for Brian that were good prices. We're going to keep looking around to see if we can't find something cheaper for me. But I did get my ring cleaned while we were there. I had no idea it was so dirty! It's so sparkly now! 

We went to Tres Mexicanos for lunch and I had tacos al pastor. So yummy! 

On our way home we saw a sign in front of the fairgrounds for a Coleman/Jocks Nitch sale. We went in to look around and got some great deals. Brian got a new rain jacket and camp knife for like $30 and I got a pair of $80 Nikes for $40 and a $60 sleeping bag for $30.

Now we're at home waiting on my family to get in town. We're going to Buffalo Bob's for dinner and hanging out. And every time I remember tomorrow is Sunday and we have Monday off I get super excited. I love Labor Day/Birthday Weekend!