Warmer Weather - More Consistently

The weather has already gotten consistently warm here in Austin. It is teetering between 80 - 90 degrees, and is full with thunderstorms. I absolutely love this. Plus, it makes my sinus' extra happy. Although running in humidity is not only extra sweaty, but also HARD to breathe in. I can suck it up though, because I love it otherwise.

I did not get to workout last night. I went to my monthly book club meeting. And then I went to Pluckers to watch the Rockers NBA playoff game. Had a good time. Actually sat at a Rockets super fan table. Or so it felt like it. Everyone there was from Houston, and some even from Mike's high school (although Mike only knew one). It was pretty hilarious. Too bad the Rockets lost. But there is always Thursday. :-)

Today I am going to go for a run after work. And then hang out with Teddy and later Mike while watching Lost and catching up.

I planned on working out in the morning tomorrow, but lucky me, I get to take my car into the shop. I need a new drive belt I guess. Woo hoo. The mechanic scared the crap out of me today. I said I needed a timing belt and he told me it would be around $800. And I was like uhh excuse me, I got a new belt from a toyota rip off dealership a few years ago for only $200. And he was like oh uhh, then that was probably not your timing belt. And so he asks me why I think I need a timing belt. And I said because it is making chirping noises. And he says, oh that's most likely just your drive belt. And that is only $150 to $200. Thank you Jesus. It better be. I canNOT afford it otherwise. Honestly I cant afford this, but I have to. Because I cant afford life without a car. Yes, you can hate me for that. Whatever.

Anyway.........

Tomorrow I am going to drop my car off during lunch (since I have an 8am meeting tomorrow morning that I can't be late for). Hopefully they will be done with it by the time work is done. Or hopefully will force me to leave work at 5pm. Sounds nice right? hahah.

Tomorrow starts 2 workouts a day for 3 days a week. Too bad a lot of this will be on the weekend because of my busy schedule recently. Oh well. Life goes on. The scale was not nice today either. I stepped on and it started showing numbers i didnt want to see so I stepped off before it could show me the final results. BAD.

Today at work it is free lunch day. And it is free mexican food. Not very "eating low cal" friendly. I will just have to control myself and eat a small dinner. No biggie.

Okay, I need to head out.

Have a great day!!

Back in Austin

Although I had an amazing time in California, it is good to be back on my normal schedule. Plus, I missed Mike and the pups a lot. hahaha.

I left for Calfironia on Thursday evening. I flew Jetblu and loved it for the most part. On the way out there I was sitting next to a baby, but thankfully, it did not cry AT ALL. I was amazed.

I flew into the Long Beach airport for my first time. It is SUCH a tiny little airport. My parents came and picked me up. Shortly after we went to one of my old fave mexican food places in Huntington Beach, Don Ramons. Mmmmm. Then we headed back up to Lake Arrowhead.

On Friday I hung out with the fam all day. I accidently took Mike's phone charger, so I had to go out and get one for my phone, and then get Mike to get one for his. BLAH. So I spent some time on Friday dealing with that. But also, I went to the Lake and fed some ducks and did some shopping. I then played a card game with the fam, and somehow I WON. This is rare, so I was pretty excited. We also ate some pizza and watched Marley and Me. :-)

On Saturday I went with my mom "down the hill" which means to Redlands. We did a lot of shopping there until about 1230 and then met up with Scott (step dad) and Andrea at Mexico restuarant. Mmmm. More Mexican food. Once lunch was over I left the fam and went with Andrea. We ended up going to two malls, and shopped all day. We had a lot of fun and I ended up with 3 really cute (cheapish) dressed. Woo hooooo. Later that night we just hung out at her place, and played some Scene-it. We were tired after shopping all day!!

On Sunday Andrea made me a fancy breakfast. And then we walked at Seal Beach. I also met up with someone I havent seen in a long time. After that we went for a run at Huntington Beach. Then ended up having some sangria and watching sex and the city. Woo hoo.

On Monday I headed home. My flight was delayed (in air), meaning we circled around san antonio until the thunderstorms in austin went away. Mike picked me up with my pups. :-) After that we grabbed some linner (yes, I meant to type linner). Then did some grocery shopping, and he filled up my tires with air. My tires needed it so bad. When Mike measured my pressure he was astonished at how bad it was. AHH. Oh well. At least it is done. I also watched Bowling for Columbine with him, and cleaned up the place a bit and tried to relax.

Today I am back at work. And am actually glad to be back. Surprising right?

Today starts my day where I am going to start going back to eating less. And tomorrow I will be working out twice in a day. I was going to start today but ended up staying up later than I wanted. Until midnight. I was not about to wake up at 6 and workout. Not after a big trip. But... I will start that tomorrow. I am going to try to work o ut twice in a day at least 3 days a week.

I hope you all are having a great week so far!!

2 Workouts

Yesterday I accomplished doing 2 workouts in a day. Not entirely on purpose.

I worked out in the morning (30 minutes on the treadmill) because I thought I would not have time later to workout. And then I ended up not having to work late, so when Mike suggested a run when I got home I did it. Both workouts however were not very hardcore at all. The morning workout I pretty much just walked quickly, "hill style". And then the run was only 1 mile run, and then walking back because the pups were too tired to keep running.

Even though it was wimpy, I still, somehow on an extremely busy day I fit in 2 workouts. What I accomplished yesterday:
1) 30 minute workout am
2) working 10 hours
3) run/walk 2 miles
4) eat dinner/ watch 1 hour of tv
5) grocery store run for pups
6) make pups special easy on the stomach meal (ender was sick again.....)
7) help mike with paper
8) crash out at 1030pm.

Today I am going to hang out with Mike's dad while he is in class. Mike's dad is coming in to put a bid on a place in Houston and wanted to hang out with us for a bit. So I am taking him to Phill's Ice House. And then by the time Mike gets back we are probably all going to watch Lost.

Tomorrow I leave for California. I am going to be with my parents from thursday until Saturday afternoon. Then I will be with Andrea from Saturday afternoon to Monday morning. I am super excited!!

And yes, I left extra room in my carry on for clothes from h&m. hahahaha. and goodies from Trader Joes.

I have had a headache for days now, off and on though. A stress one. A lot of things are combining right now to create it. I need to just chill out. This is why hanging out with friends and family is definitely in need right now!

And Leah, I read your comment, and would love to start this challenge with you. I will send you an email when i get back from California!! Woo hoo. Anyone else into the 2 workouts in a day?

Crazy Challenge

So my friend Andrea and her boyfriend came up with a "bigger loser" type challenge that they are doing. She is trying to get ready for a trip to Hawaii, so she is going hardcore right now. She is in amazing shape, but wants to look perfect. So, she is doing 2 workouts a day, 3 or 4 times a week.

Yes, I know, that is pretty intense right? Well it is working. Yes it is only a short time solution, because who has time for that? hehe. Not me. But still, I bet I could manage that for 2 weeks at the min. I just need to commit. Now if only I had a partner in action that lives here.

Mike can't do it, because he is 1) in the middle of finals 2) just had the car accident and needs to be nice to his back and 3) just lost 10 lbs by being stressed about final papers, etc. Boys have it so easy with their weight loss. I would be 5 lbs, if stress could eat away my weight like that! hahaha.

Any blog reader interested in doing this? We could keep each other inspired via twitter, facebook, or even email.

I think I started too late to join Andrea. :-(

I am setting my alarm right now to wake up at 6am to workout before work. Oh gosh, worst idea ever. Or best. Or worst. I hate morning workouts. But maybe tomorrow it will be okay. haha. Too bad I have to work late, so I can't really workout twice tomorrow.

But once I get back from California, I think I am doing it.

I even have plans to workout while in California. I am going to go on a long hike at my parents place. And then I am going to go for a run with Andrea by the beach. I cannot wait! :-) Plus it is supposed to be great weather while I am there. Woo hoo.

Alright, I need to head out. But seriously folks, if you want to join, let me know!!

Glutton

This past weekend I felt like a glutton. Everything seemed to involve food. Maybe that is not entirely true, but there was a lot of food eaten.

On Friday I had a pretty busy day at work. So afterwards Mike and I decided it would be a good idea to go to Texican for the best mexican martinis I have ever had. We also ended up getting dinner. I only ate half, but that was probably enough calories for 2 meals, or more. Oops.

On Saturday I ate the leftovers. I also had 2 cake balls from Holy Cacoa, and then 1/2 of a personlized chicago style pizza. I also had one of the worst headaches of my life. Gah.

On Sunday, I went to the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival with Teddy. Teddy got us in for free ($45 tickets!!) and it involved a ton of free food and drinks.

I think what was worse about the entire weekend is that my appetite was minimal, yet I still gave into food temptation. Not good at all.

This week needs to be better. So far I have been healthy today. I am not able to go for a run right after work with my running buddy, but... i think I might do something at home. I have to work on something for Mike and his friend. And then am going to go to the gym or something.

I also need to go to target to pick up a prescription, and get a few things for the trip. I leave for California on Thursday! Woo hoo. I can't wait. Good family, friends and trader joes! hahaha.

So what do you do when faced with situations, where you are provided FREE amazing food, yet you are not hungry (but know you will not get a chance to eat this again and will most likely regret it?). do you just lie to yourself and say you won't? heh. No idea. I am terrible at this.

Fast Run

Yesterday I possibly ran the fastest 3 miles I have ever run. I went with my friend, and new running buddy, Amanda. She had been sick the week before and just wanted to make up for it. hehe. So we ran as fast as we could. By the end, we were really really tired. But it gave me the motivation and high, to go again, SOON.

Last night after my amazing run, I went home and helped Mike for a few minutes on his paper. And then went to this restaurant/store (Thai Fresh) with my friend teddy, and some other food bloggers. It was pretty tasty. Too bad I was late though getting their. haha. Afterward we went back to my place and watched Lost.

Tonight I cannot go for a run. I forgot to pack my gym bag in my rush to get to work on time for my 8am meeting. And, I need to get things done. I need to go to the grocery store and pay bills, now that I got paid. I also need to add more six feet under to my ipod. hahaha. And, for once, just be at home.

I feel like everything has been "rush, rush" for as long as I can remember. Which isn't true, but I still can't remember a night where all I did was watch tv. Not even a night where no one but me and the pups were home.

Mike is in the middle of final papers right now. He is very stressed about that. Which causes me to be stressed out, and want to help reduce his stress. On top of his accident, everything is stress times a million at home.

It should all calm down soon (in a month?). Plus I get 5 days off in a row starting next week at around 3pm on Thursday. I will be heading back to Cali, Cali. I am going to visit my family and one of my best friends, Andrea. It should be a great time. I am also looking forward to visiting Trader Joes! hahahaha.

I am excited for tomorrow. Amanda and I are going to walk to lunch and get salads. We will be eating healthy and being active. Which I need after the Mexican food I ate today. hahaha.

Does anyone have plans for the weekend?

Geesh

My run did not end up working out today. Mostly because Ender got sick again. And I felt bad and wanted to rush home to see if he was okay. But on the way, Mike called and told me he got into a car accident. He is okay, but his car is not. This is really terrible for him because he is in the middle of final papers being due, etc. He is already in crunch mode. This does not make it easier for him. Hopefully the insurance will decide that it was not his fault (which I think it is not) and that they will not "total" his car. Keep your fingers crossed for him.

Tomorrow I still plan on going for a run after work.

On Monday I was unable to go to my fave boot camp class, because I stayed at work until 7pm. I have so much to do right now, it is crazy. I want to get it all done, but it is hard with all the little things that come up. And the intensity that all the little things have right now. Oh well. At least I still actually enjoy my job. Much better than I could ever say before. Well except 2 of my jobs, but those were in college. Not sure they count.

Tomorrow is catered lunch day at work. I did not pick the healthiest option, but I think if I turn the meal into two meals, it will not be so bad. :-)

This post is going to be short. I have a lot going on at this exact moment. I hope you are all doing well!

Checking in

Crazy things have been going down, meaning I have been ridiculously busy trying to balance it all out.

Not only is work crazy, but Mike is also in the middle of finals (which are just huge papers due, etc). So I am working long hours and then helping him.

Plus as you already know, I am broke right now. So I have also been trying to occupy myself without spending money.

It sorta worked out the last 6 days. If only because Mike bought me stuff the last few days instead of me paying for it.

I had a great weekend.

On Friday Mike and I watched "On the Waterfront" at home.

On Saturday I worked from home, and did Mike's taxes (haha). At night I ended up watching Adventureland with Mike.

On Sunday I walked the greenbelt (hiking type trail in Austin) with Teddy and the pups. Afterwards we watched Donnie Darko at her place to celebrate Easter (bc yea know, there is a bunny in it? hahaha). Teddy made me some tasty sangria and some indian food that was amazing. Mmmmmmmmm. We also ended up watching saved, which was also amazing (even though yes, I have seen it about 10 times. hahah).

This week my only plans are to get free dinner on Wednesday night at Threadgills (they are offering, in order to get customers?). And I am going to start running again with my running buddy at work. Woo hoo.

Next week I go back to California to visit. I am anxious about the trip, but only because I will be traveling alone. haha. I am pretty excited about it in general. :-)

Eating healthy needs to happen this week and working out. I dont want to go home and have everyone look at me and think "wow she gained weight". Not that I have significantly, or at all, (pretty much the same when I left), but I always am afraid they will say that. Once you hear someone else say that about someone else, you automatically think they are going to say that about you behind their back. One reason why I try not to ever say that. Anyone else think this way?

Alright, I need to head out.

Have a great Monday!!

Ideas for Things to do with No Money

1) Go for a run (preferably without having to drive anywhere to do it...)

2) Watch lots of tv and movies and spend a ridiculous amount of time on the interwebs

3) Avoid social contact with all friends so they do not invite you to do things you really want to do (that cost money) that you really have a problem turning down (joking, sort of)

4) Spend time thinking of ways to get the raise you deserve (tips would be nice)

5) Take dogs on walks

6) Charge your camera battery and start taking some freaking pictures already

7) Think of ideas to improve your image at work

8) Sleep a LOT, because if you are asleep, you are not spending money

9) Hang out at work a lot, so they can pay for your meals (my company pays for dinner if you stay late)

10) convince friends to eat at their place (with my own previously bought frozen meal) during lunch so you can hang out but not spend money

11) Stress out about all the debt you have, and how you are getting nowhere paying it off when you don't have enough money to eat

12) yell at yourself for paying a bill that wasn't due yet with the paycheck that goes mostly to rent and a ridiculously expensive credit card payment

13) clean room

14) work more, because at work you do not spend money, and can maybe convince boss to give you a raise. hahaha

15) think of creative ways to combine the food you already have into a deliciously edible meal

16) make ridiculous lists

17) think of more ways to make money

18) dream of being the type of blogger that gets free food randomly in the mail from companies that want you to talk about how amazing their food is.

19) think of ways to improve your blog

20) spend time contemplating how all you need to do to lose weight is just eat less calories than you burn. repeat this over and over to yourself, until you begin to turn down tasty food you aren't actually hungry for


That's all I got for the night. Any more ideas? perhaps some realistic ones that aren't ridiculous?

Hmm

How does one go 6 entire days without spending any money? I have absolutely no money until the 15th. When I say no money, I am not exaggerating. Let's just say I got an overdraft fee this morning, and luckily had a check in my wallet I needed to deposit. One that pretty much barely covers anything unfortunately.

I think, maybe, the only thing I need to actually buy in the next 6 days is gas so I can get to work. I am not sure I can think of anything else. If I buy ANYTHING else it has to go on a credit card. And I hate putting money on my credit card, because that means whatever I am spending is actually going to cost me a million more dollars (not literally, duh). If I had a credit card that I could actually pay off at the end of the month that's a different story. But I do not. Thank you college education.

Hmm. At least I have a well-stocked fridge. No grocery shopping for awhile. And no going out to eat for 6 days. Not too bad right? I can definitely do it. Right? Just means I am going on lock down this weekend. No plans pretty much. Because I can't afford anything.

If you have any tips, please let me know.

At Least It Is the Start to Recovery....

What I am referring to in the title is the recovery to the taxes I owe. I finally finished my taxes and owe more than I can pay. I set up a payment agreement with them (which was super easy to do with Turbo Tax home and business). The only reason I owe is because I was an independent contractor for 8 months, blah blah blah. I didn't pay my estimated taxes because I moved and didn't have the money to pay it. And still only have $100 in my savings, which I think I will have to use this month....

But this has been looming over my head since I missed my first estimated payment last year. So I guess at least I have it set, and am now on a plan to get it paid off. They are going to just take it directly from my account. The account where I don't technically have enough in it for them to take out of. But bleh.

I think this means much less money on going out, and groceries. I am not sure how this will happen, but I guess I will come up with some way to get it solved. I have been more poor before. I survived then, if only on credit cards most of the time. Which is another story.

But finances, like weight loss, take real commitment and hard work. At least finances and weight loss done well.

It is definitely going to be warmer in the next few weeks, so I am excited to start packing my lunches and eating outside with either a nice book, or a friend. ;-) That should help save me a lot of money. :-) Although whenever I eat out I tend to make each meal last for at least two meals anyway, and always choose a cheap option. heh.

It is hard to cut corners when the corners you CAN cut are not ones you want to cut, for various reasons. Such is life.

As far as weight loss went the past few days. I did go on 2 runs last week. But on Friday and Saturday I kind of ate a lot. Today I went to a Food Blogger pot luck and definitely ate a bit more than usual, but everything seemed pretty healthy overall. No real guilt there.

Although, now I do have leftover brownies, including ones with espresso, walnuts, almond butter, coconut (not together, all separate). That is dangerous. I think I am going to make Mike take as many as he wants, save an espresso brownie for myself and give the rest away at work tomorrow. :-)

I am considering going on a run today. I am mega stressed from all the finances and such. I definitely need a lot more water before I even think about it though. And will probably need to leave in the next 10 minutes or so. hmm..... I think it would be my best interest mentally and physically. I will let you know how it works out. :-)

Have a goood day everyone. And thanks for all your suggestions last week on getting co-workers to eat with me at luncg outside instead of go out to eat! I love smart suggestions!!