peace at last

So, my Holly girl passed away last night at around 11pm.  We were getting ready for bed, so I carried her into the room and laid her down in her spot... little head on her pillow... kissed her cheek and Matty came in and told her night-night.  I walked out of our room to give Matt a hug, walked back in the room and she was gone.
That's all she needed to move on and let go.  I fell down next to her body and just cried.  I didn't know what else to do.  She took a piece of my heart with her... for the last 11 years, she's been through everything with me.  She was my constant companion and the best friend a girl could have.  She took care of me when I was sick... stayed right by my side.  She took care of my babies, too, because she was a great mama-dog.  She taught and tolerated her little sister, Shadow and they loved each other so much.  I can see that Shadow misses her so much, too. 
Funny... I don't think I ever realized just how much I would miss her until she was gone.  Now, all I can do is think about her and remember her ears & soft cheeks and the way she bit her toenails and kiss me only when I asked for sugars.  She was never much of a cuddler, but she would always let you know if she wanted attention.
My Holly girl was, and will always be, the epitome of unconditional love.

It's 5k season!

So many races, so little time!!  If I could, I think I would sign up for a different race every weekend.  I'm glad that the money generally goes for a good cause, but man... $20-40 per race can get a bit expensive, especially if you're doing them all the time.  I'm going to have a nice collection of t-shirts and bibs by the end of the year!  haha
I had planned on my next race being the Gary Burns Frisco Fun Run on 10/30, but I don't think I can just skip over the next 2 weekends sitting at home.  The Firefly Run is next Saturday night, then there's the 5 mile Uptown Race on 10/24.  It's going to have to be one or the other... so, right now, I'm leaning towards for the Firefly Run in Plano next Saturday night.  We're going to be over in that area that day, anyway.  I think Landry would really like all of the lights and stuff, too. 
I went by the Texas A&M Commerce Rec Center today to check on memberships.  For Commerce residents, it's $150 per semester... that's sooo way cheaper than the membership that I'm paying for right now at Anytime Fitness.  Not to mention, I'll have access to a lap pool, so I could train for a triathalon, if I decided to.  That would be the main reason for joining.  Only thing that sucks is that they don't open until 6AM and I usually like to get to the gym by 4:15AM so that I can leave for work no later than about 6AM.  I may just end up keeping my Anytime Fitness membership, dropping Steven off and then just pay for each pool visit at the rec center.  Sounds like a plan :P
Today has been the laziest day, but it's been nice.  I didn't go to the gym or go out running, but I spent some much needed mommy/daughter time with my Landry-boo.  I love my children so much... and my husband for supporting me, no matter what!!  :)

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...

Just got back from my run this morning... slightly disappointed, but I'm getting there.  I could have SWORN that I ran 2 miles when I got home and clicked the stop watch.  20 minutes on the DOT!  WOOOO HOOO!!  I was finally at my 10min/mile mark.  So, I went inside and mapped it on http://www.mapmyrun.com/ and there it was... 1.92 miles.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME???  Oh, I was soo close.  So, Debbie downer was at my party and I'm still pushing over 10min/mile.  ugh.
On a positive note, at the Red Balloon Run yesterday, they had these Powerbar Gel Blasts that I thought I would try out.  I swear, those things were AMAZING!!  They are just like really chewy gummies with a great flavor.  I ordered a free sample from their website, http://www.powerbar.com/.  I am going to buy a box of them from CVS as soon as I can.  I felt like I could have ran a 10k with a much energy as I had!
Next stop, the Gary Burns Run in Frisco, TX on 10/30.  This one will be fun because some of our kids will be running in it, too, and Kristin's going to run with me again.  I'm really excited about this one and the proceeds benefit Frisco ISD.  If anyone wants to come out, there's a 1 mile fun run/walk, also.  It's going to be a great time!!

Let's start this off :)

Yesterday was my 3rd 5k in less then a month.  Never in a million years would I have thought that at 33 years old, I would have so much energy and feel so great!!
Almost a year ago to this day, I decided that it was time.  I had gained so much weight.  I was the epitome of a couch potato.  I quit smoking after 11 and a half years, met and married the love of my life and gotten pregnant all within a year and a half's time.  On top of all that, there was the stress of both my husband and I losing jobs, changing careers and moving away from our children just to survive.  All of these things had taken their toll. 
I decided that I would start small.  Watching my calories was probably the easiest thing that I could begin with.  I started using a calorie counting website, http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/.  I was putting in EVERYTHING that I ate.  I was able to find most of the things that I was eating already there on the website, but what I couldn't find, I was able to google or enter myself.  Within 3 months of doing this and reducing my calorie intake to around 1000 calories per day, I was able to not only drop 30 pounds, but also start healthier eating habits.
Since I was getting more energy from healthier foods and I was feeling lighter after losing the weight, I wanted to start an exercise routine.  My husband is a high school coach, so he had access to the weight room at the school.  I started going up there with him in the evenings and he was able to show me different things to do and teach me about weight training.  After a couple of months, I could see that I was putting on muscle, but my weight had started to plateau and I needed some cardio. 
In March, I joined Anytime Fitness, a small gym in the town where I live that had just opened and was perfect for a beginner like me.  I was slow to commit to a specific workout regime, but it was more because I had to make some schedule shifts that I wasn't quite ready for at the time.  I also had to workout by myself, which I had not done and I was not really a self-starter.  I did lose more weight and was able to tone up more, but between this time and June was pretty slow.
In June was when things really picked up.  I started getting up at 3:45AM every morning before work to go to the gym and get at least 20 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weight training.  I was doing this 6-7 days a week.  I fell into a routine and it was GREAT!!  The energy that I got from working out in the morning helped me make it through my long 10 hour days at work.  It also helped me sleep at night (even though it's usually only 5-6 hours a night). 
I did this for a couple of months straight, then at the beginning of August, my friend Kristin suggested running a 5k in the fall.  She was starting the "Couch Potato to 5k" training plan.  Oh, no... I can't do that.  I'm too big up top and I have never been able to run... at least, not comfortably.  So after a couple of days of debating it, one morning, I doubled-up my sports bras and ran on the treadmill for my cardio.  It wasn't too bad.  I followed the plan for the first few days and felt that I was wanting to go further.  Before I knew it, I was running for 15 minutes, then 30 and finally I was able to do a 5k on the treadmill without stopping!!  CRAZINESS!  I had tears in my eyes that day.  I'll never forget the feeling :)
I'll probably just blog a couple of times a week to share some of the things that go on in my crazy life.  I hope that I can keep it up, between family, work, school and working out, I stay pretty darn busy!  Let me know what you think... if y'all have any suggestions or comments, please post!  I would love to hear from all of you.  YOU ARE MY SUPPORT TEAM!! 
Thanks for reading... later gators :)