Finish the Sentence

Through Mama L's and Skinny Meg's blog's, I've found a new favorite of mine - Holly!  She blogs at Where We Can Live Like Jack and Sally.  She's super adorable, funny and actually signed on to be a follower of mine (and I didn't pay her, crazy town!)!  I'm really happy to have found her blog and enjoy reading her antics with her cutie pie kiddos and hubby!

Anyhoo, she has a link-up party happening, and we all know I HATE being left out of things, so here goes my entry:

1. If calories didn't count, I would eat cake followed by pie followed by brownies and finished with some ice cream.  I might explode and die, but I'd be happy.  

2. On my Prom night I didn't give it up.  Ain't nobody have time for Prom babies.

3. When I go to the store, I always buy things I don't need and always forget the one thing I actually went there for.  I'm frustrating like that.  Thank goodness I'm cute.

4. Family functions typically are loud, full of booze and the story about when I swallowed a quarter tends to come up.  I'll save that story for later...

5. I think my blog readers are the bomb!  I officially have 11!  Booyah!  My almost defunct family blog has like 26, which is funny since I never update it.  Everett will forever be an infant on there...

6. I'd much rather be in Santa Barbara, drinkin some good Pinot at this very given point.  Working in QuickBooks is mind numbing.  

7. I have an obsession with my garage door.  Did I close it?  Did it stay closed?  I seriously drive around the street most days to go back and check.  My 6 year old's only job is to tell me if I closed it on the way to school, and he's just as ADD as I am at paying attention.  Awesome.

8. My work friends are like family.  Considering there are only like 9 of us...we are pretty tight.

9. When I created my Facebook account I was pissed that everyone left Myspace.

10. My least favorite word is moist.  Eww.  I gagged even typing that.

11. I really don't remember Freshman Year, but the pictures look fun! 

12. Justin Bieber needs to take a long walk off a short pier.

I guess that's it! :)  Back to work...

I'm a sheep

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M'best friend

I've known my best friend for 20 years or so...so long, we really have lost count.  

Years ago, she and her two towheaded little brothers showed up on my front porch and introduced themselves as our new neighbors.  New kids on Evie Court - what?!?  None of us were really sure what to do with these newcomers.  We may have been a little mean and tormented them for a few weeks until we realized they actually weren't awful AND they had another pool for us to swim in.  Amanda was a year and one half younger than me, but two grades below, and this was a major deal.  Being the mother hen that I tend to be, I took her under my wing as my little sister (that my parents never gave me no matter how much I tried to trade my brother in).  Now, we are so different I can't even begin to tell you about it.  The girl loves glitter...I love sweatpants.  I'm pretty sure she took the movie "Clueless" to heart and did everything in her power to channel Cher Horowitz every morning when she got ready for school.  I was very cool with rolling out of bed and showing up to school two minutes before the bell rang.  This drove her crazy since I was her ride to school.  What can I say?  Polar opposites.

With that said, there aren't many people who know me better.  She gets my weird sense of humor, that I hate asking for help (even when I need it) and that I love nothing more than girls night out with fancy drinks.  We have been through so much.  Our adventures together are, at times, legendary.  She can finish stories for me, make me laugh more than anyone and keep me entertained for hours.  She also knows how to trick me.

A year ago or so, I get a call from Mandy telling me about Shakeology and their three day challenge.  She was buying a kit, and wanted me to do it with her.  She gave me the shakes, portioned out for three days and we decided upon a start date for this little experiment.  Now, I'm going to reiterate my distain for shakes.  I really, really, REALLY don't like most shakes.  Texture is a huge issue, and Shakeology is way flakey.  (sorry Shakeology lovers.  Not a fan)  I barely made it through the three days.  It was not without major bitching, complaining and major sighing on my end.  But you know what?  It worked...I ended up losing seven pounds and more importantly, I was finally inspired to start losing weight.  All part of Mandy's master plan, that tricky lady.  She told me months later how worried she was about me, but didn't know how to tell me I was beyond chubby.  That isn't a fun conversation to have with anyone.  I'm just lucky I have a best friend that loves me enough to find a way to trick me into thinking it was my own idea!  She's the best. 

I bring this all up because I'm at a plateau and I'm going to do a shake challenge again!  This time I'm using the Body by Vi shake, because my friend has had some amazing results!  The big thing for me is that this shake is gluten free, and didn't upset my stomach when I tried a sample.  It also is really smooth and blends well with coconut milk and fruit, so I'm not dreading the texture issue.  You can check out my webpage http://jennhutcherson.myvi.net/challenge to learn a little more.  I'm going to take some before pictures (sigh.  I hate these pictures) so we can see if any change actually happens.  Right now they are promoting a 90 challenge, but I will be out of town at the end of of next month so I think doing it from the time I get my shake in until April 23 will be a good enough test.  

Have a great week, y'all!  I've hovered over the Heels and Hills website trying to decide if I should sign up for the 5k...anyone else wanna do it with me?  

1st Day of Spring

Happy 1st Day of Spring!  This weather is amazing, I have new flowers and got a killer workout in this evening.  I'm a pretty happy girl.

So, as far as working out is going - every day is better and better.  I'm still a little sore from surgery, but I feel like my strength and endurance is growing.  Confession: I totally had a moment at the gym the other day where I caught myself wondering around and not really doing anything.  I felt really overwhelmed.  I hate having to jack with the machines or try and remember correct form.  So, I decided to bite the bullet and remedy that.  I contacted my good friend and hired him one day a week to kick my rear.  I conned my mother into joining me, too!  I wasn't going to do it alone, and well..there is no escaping my mother so she is a good accountability partner.  I'd never hear the end of it if I bailed.  What sounds like a fairly easy workout totally has given me jelly legs so bad!  Here is a pretty good breakdown of what we did:

Warmup: High knees, butt kicks and jumping jacks

Workout:

Do 2 touch down for cardio in between each round of weighted work

Squat to hammer curl three rounds one minute around
Three rounds for one minute: Bullwinkle overhead press
Three rounds: Triceps overhead press 45 seconds
Three rounds: Reverse lunge  single leg 45 second per leg
Three rounds: Med ball slam with partner or to a wall 45 seconds
Three rounds: Lateral med ball toss with partner or to a wall 45 seconds

A few things were figured out today:

1.  I throw like a girl (sorry, ladies.  I do)

2.  I'm TOTALLY out of shape

3.  Having someone coach me is going to be the best decision.  I totally do better when someone does the (workout) thinking for me.

Anywho...I made a pretty awesome dinner tonight!  It's Gluten Free!  Here is the recipe for Apple & Sage Pork Chops:

4 boneless pork chops, 1 inch thick

1 1/2 tsp sage

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp Allspice

1/2 Paprika

1 TBSP Flour (I used Almond)

1 tsp salt (i'd probably use more next time)

Olive Oil (I actually used my coconut oil, and it was awesome)

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 apples, diced

1/2 cup of apple juice

1 TBSP brown sugar (I probably used less?)

1.  Mix all of the spices and flour into a bowl.  Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with the mixture

2.  Cook pork chops in oil on hot skillet until browned on both sides.  Remove and place on plate.  Add onion; cook for 3 minutes until tender.  Add apples; cook for 2 or so minutes

3.  Stir in apple juice, sugar and remaining seasonings until well mixed.  Return pork chops to the skillet.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until desired doneness

There were no leftovers. 

Let me know if you try it!  It will be a staple in our house, for sure.  I might try using chicken tenders instead of pork next time?  Any other suggestions?

I hope you are all enjoying the lovely weather!  Cheers until next time!

Catch My Breath

"Catch my breath...no one can hold me back, I ain't got time for that..."

Wow - that pretty much sums up this whole week for me.  It's gone by so fast, I don't even know what happened.

 This week my awesome mother-in-law came in to spend time with us, and to hang out with Sawyer while I worked.  It was such a blessing, and so great for Sawyer to have one-on-one time with Grandma.  They had lots of fun adventures at the Zoo and the Fort Worth Science Museum.  I joined them for the Titanic exhibit (I'm such a sucker for anything Titanic...it's so romantic and doomed all at the same time.  I'll never let go, Jack Dawson!) and had such a good time!  It was so incredible to see the artifacts they found at the bottom of the ocean, some 70-90 years after the ship sunk.  It kind of blew my mind that it took them until the mid-80s to find the wreckage site, and that in just a few more decades the iron-eating particles in the ocean will make the boat collapse into itself and disintegrate.  Some of the things they found (rows of undamaged dishes, shoes with shoelaces, a towel) were incredible.  The care that it takes to bring something like that up from the bottom of the sea and preserve it so that everyday people can see it is so detailed and intricate.  Patience is a virtue they all must possess! 

Sawyer's boarding pass was for Thomas Andrews, Jr., the Titanic architect who perished in the sinking of the ship.  It was really cool for him since there were several mentions of him throughout the exhibit, and Sawyer was pumped to be "that guy"!  

About to board the RMS Titanic!  Sawyer was kind of pissed we didn't get to see the real boat. 

I've been struggling this week to get in a routine, to find my workout time, to be all the things I need to be for everyone, everywhere.  When things aren't "just so", I find it easy to get distracted and not use my time wisely because I'm so off.  Throw the unnecessary Daylight Savings switch and I have been just a mess!  I was feeling really sorry for myself and I went to People.com to look at famous people to space out again and I came across Jillian Michaels talking about how hard it is to balance motherhood with everything else she has going on.  I was like...HOLY CRAP.  Jillian Michaels, Ms. "No Complaining Allowed" is like son of a bitch, this is HARD.  And just like that, I felt a whole lot better.  I guess there was some gratification that I took from reading that, knowing that someone who seemed to see life in only one way was having her eyes opened to the challenges that being a mother brings and admitting that she was wrong before.  It didn't give me an excuse to not do what I need to do; rather I really took it as a sign to take each day as they come and to know that I'm not alone in this struggle.  (I still want Jillian's arms, though.  She's crazy ripped!  I'd let her come be my personal trainer any day, and I wouldn't complain a peep!)

I then met up with a friend for a random lunch and had a really enjoyable time catching up with her.  She really gave me another boost of confidence that my hard work was paying off, and that she (like so many others, thank you) is cheering me on.  I was humbled by her words, and felt a renewed responsibility to get back out there and make my weight loss goals a reality.  It can happen.  It really can.  I just needed to hear it from somebody else.

That same day (awesome day, huh?), m'friend Molly gave me a little shout out in her latest Forbes article.  Y'all.  I about freaked out.  It was so cool!  Now, the other 2.4 million Jennifer's in this world might think it was them, but I know it was me.  :)  You can check out her article here.  

So...after all of that, I had to run.  I just had to.  I threw my hair in a pony, grabbed my ear buds and just took off.  The run was like a really good run/walk (still working on endurance), and I was cruising around my neighborhood pretty quickly.  I have a Spotify playlist called Run Jenn Run, and I try to keep songs on there that I like and that are upbeat so I am not scrolling through my music while trying to keep a move on.  Kelly Clarkson "Catch My Breath" came on and it just hit me...this song just really sums up a lot of where I'm at now.  It is so simple now.  I let a lot of things for a long time go on that I didn't like.  I turned my cheek to things I didn't want to deal with.  I was always reactive, not proactive.  I let things happen to me, for me.  That's all changing.  It's already changed a lot.  For the first time in a long time, I am ok with it, too.  

The Great Return...

Happy Spring Break 2013!

Remember when that meant parties, drinking and doing even less than normal?  Yea...these days all that "Spring Break" means is a week I have to come up with plans to entertain my 6 year old along with getting my work done.  No sleeping in, no lounging in the afternoons.  It's also freezing outside, so this Texas girl is not really digging that, either.  All I have to say is I'm thankful for Wreck It Ralph and Play-Doh.

I did my first workout on Thursday, and I think I'm still sore today.  Maybe doing Day 1 of Couch 2 5k wasn't the brightest idea??  I was so pumped to be there, I kinda forgot about the whole "haven't worked out in three months" part of the deal.  I was QUICKLY reminded when I was sucking wind after only jogging for 90 seconds.  Wow.  It leaves you that fast, huh?  I think the only thing I lost faster than my endurance was all the Spanish I spent a semester in Mexico learning.  

I'm about 10 pounds lighter than I was last time I worked out, and I could tell a difference.  I definitely felt lighter in my mid-section while I walk/jogged.  I also could tell how dang jiggly I've become.  I felt kinda sorry for the dude behind me because I'm sure it was a scary sight.  It felt good, and I made it through most of the workout before feeling sore via my surgery site.  Per Dr T's instructions, I let pain be my guide, and I quickly wrapped things up and stretched out really well.  I was a good girl and did not go overboard.  I really wanted to do some weights, but I thought it might be too much?  I think I was right because I woke up the next morning, sore from head to toe.  Seriously, it was pretty bad.  I think I'm going to do Day 1 again tomorrow, and see how I do.  I'm giving myself two weeks to ramp up for training, because I need to kick it into gear after that.  I've decided to do the Heels and Hills 5k as my great return to racing on May 5th.  I hear the course is pretty flat, and the shirt is cute so I think it's a great way to get back into things.  I'd love to get a few 5ks under my belt before summer hits and the heat kills me.  I'm tossing around training for a 1/2 this fall/winter.  I want my 13.1 sticker!!  

I've had a friend reach out, and together I think we are going to take over the world.  Haha, just kidding.  She will totally take over the world without me, that I am sure of.  She is, however, going to give me lots of good workout tips, exercise plans and other fun information so we can see what this old body can actually do.  She has recently had a lot of things click for her and I'm excited what she's going to send to me.  I hope to have lots of good stuff to blog about!  I think I will.  

Cheers until next time...

Oh...hey, y'all

Oh my gosh.

Life just flies right by if you let it, doesn't it?  I have had two sick boys, and I'm worn out from that.

I'm not even sure where I left off?  I think it was right before surgery #2...

The second surgery was a success.  I feel amazing.  It kind of makes me sad I lived so long with things "not quite right", but I honestly didn't really know any better.  I'm not really sure which surgery was more rough....they were different, and my moods were different, too.  The first time I was in so much pain I just wanted to be done.  This time I was feeling pretty good going into it and I just wanted to have it happen so I could wrap this episode of "Random Shit that Happens to Me" up.  I had some really sweet friends bring food by again (a godsend.  thank you from the bottom of my heart, I love you!) and the Nene and Pop pitched in to help, too.  Sean was great with the kids and let me get lots of sleep (key for any recovery I need to make...from surgery, drinking too much, etc).  The boys were amazing and super sweet, and I got lots of kisses and hugs to help me get better quickly. All in all, it was positive experience and I'm thankful for all the help and prayers I received during the last three months.

Tomorrow I see Dr. T for my post-op appointment.  I'm confident I'll get a clean bill of health and clearance to start working out again!!!!  As she told me before surgery last time, I will have to be careful "not to F up her hard work" (her words.  I love this doctor.  she is pretty much a rock star), and I'm cool with that.  Honestly, I'm like a weenie - I have ZERO stamina.  I will be starting from scratch.  I have been researching different workouts and activities to keep me entertained and motivated, and I'm anxious to see what I can do to transform my body post-surgery.

Weight loss update: Positive note is that I haven't put on ANY weight since finishing my Whole 30.  I'm keeping at a 70/30 balance of Whole 30 vs non-Whole 30 foods, and that has worked really well for me.  I'm still rocking the Gluten Free thing, and I can always tell when I have something with Gluten because I start to feel icky.  I haven't had any attacks or been "glutenized" lately, thank goodness.  I haven't really drank much alcohol since completing the W30, and I'm cool with that, too.  I guess the really only "bad" thing is that I'm still stuck at five pounds away from what has been my next mini-goal.  It's driving me crazy, but being house bound for three plus months is something I'm just going to have to deal with and move on from.  Starting (hopefully) tomorrow things will change in that department!

I've been following two people pretty hard core lately, Mama Laughlin and Skinny Meg.  These ladies really make me feel like anything is possible, because they have both proven that it is.  Hell, Meg even stripped (almost) down and showed what weight loss looks like after massively kicking ass in the gym for awhile.  That takes some balls, y'all.  I will NOT be doing that myself.  You are welcome.  It's funny - my ultimate goal weight has always been 175 (what I weighed on my wedding day), but these girls blew their original goals out of the water and kept on going.  I really think I can do that, too!  I need to take pictures this week (Before I start getting my sexy back in the gym too much, haha) so I have something to gage this next phase with.  I really hate "selfie" pics, and I feel so dumb taking them, but I guess there is no way around it.  Sean is probably laughing right now at the thought of a photo shoot  and I already know how annoyed I'd get with him behind the camera.  I love my husband, but his talent does not lie behind the lens.

I guess I'll wrap up by saying thank you.  I know a lot of you guys were saying lots of prayers for me to feel better, and they totally worked.  I hope to have lots of updates on the blog now that I can be a normal person again, so I hope you will follow along!  If you have any cool workouts you like, or meals that have been easy and good - let me know!  I'm always willing to try something new (unless its brussel sprouts.  I'm not eating those nasty things no matter how hard you try.)