I.Can't.Move.

My body is screaming at me... "WHY Did you decide that bootcamp would be a good idea you idiot?! I hate you! Take me back to sleep!"

I can't barely walk or move and I have discovered muscles I have that I didn't know exsisted... and this is only day 3 of round 2...

Getting Your Masters is Overrated...

... I've decided. Seriously, the LAST thing I want to do on top of everything else is research face transplants, prepare a discussion, outline, presentation and 20 page paper on it for next week! Meanwhile, I am also not so interested in The Importance and Function of Food in the book, The Joy Luck Club however I must write 10 pages on that subject too. by next week. And did I mention I'm planning an event for 150 people on Thursday as well?

It is times like these I want to take a "sabbatical" on school work because ya know what? I think it's overrated!

Thanks for listening to my rant... I just hate homework -

Round 2...

Well, today started "Round 2" of bootcamp and my I was NOT ready for it. Last week I didn't work out one bit and ate whatever the heck I felt like... now my body is laughing at me.... I should NOT have done that!

And the worse thing is - there is only 5 people in this bootcamp session as opposed to the 55 that were in it last session. This means that I am the one who is running in the back of the group... I'm coming in last. Perhaps this is just a bit more motivation to not come in last but seriously when I'm running and I can't breathe - it's time to walk and I don't care. Come to think of it... who cares if I'm walking! Hmph!

I'm sure I'll thank myself later for signing up for this again - but right now I feel like I could just use the extra sleep...

The Results Are In... VICTORY!

Today was the last day of my 4 week bootcamp. I want to thank everyone who has been there along the way to support me! A special thanks to my sister Kelly who made me sign up in the first place and for telling me to keep going when I wanted to walk instead of run... I didn't think I'd see much improvement but to my surprise I did! The results are in...

We ran the mile today and I was able to knock off 1 minute and 9 seconds from my first time! A huge deal for me as I DO NOT run - let alone a mile! I really pushed myself today... go me!

For my measurements...

• I lost 5 pounds! (who knew?!)
• I lost 3.9% body fat (which is a huge deal apparently)

Measurements

• Left Arm: down .25
• Right Arm: down .25
• Chest: down .5
• Waist: down 1.5
• Hips: Down 1.75
• Left upper leg: down .5
• Right upper leg: down 1

Fat Measurement

• Triceps: Down 4
• IL (I think this is waist?): down 7
• Abs: down 10 (!)
• Thighs: Down 5

The trainer said I have tied for first place for the person who has improved the most in measurements for the camp... again! Who knew?! I'm so excited to now sleep and eat!

I'll post more when it starts all over again in a week! (I did end up signing up for the October Express Halloween Camp - you should too!)

Happy Friday!

Cheater, Cheater Pumpkin Eater!

Today was the day before the last day of bootcamp - the last day is on Friday and I'm almost sure I'll have to run the mile again so I'm trying to get myself "pumped up" for that... right. Today at any rate, there was a new lady next to me and I caught her cheating! Truly she's really only cheating herself because by not doing the excercises, she's setting herself back but still!

We were doing these things called zen pushups where you take 2 dumbbells and do a pushup, then you get up and push your arms forward and then your arms up and back down for a pushup for 2 and then 3 and then 4 and so on... well she was getting done WAY before I was and I couldn't figure out why! Until I watched and she wasn't doing the pushup and then she was only extending her arms up - not out and up! P'shah! The nerve!

Again - she's just hurting herself by not doing the excercies... but still! :)

1 Liter Bottle of Water and Other Tall Stories...

So today is the beginning of the last week of bootcamp. I can't believe I've made it this far! But proud of myself for doing so. I haven't lost any weight (blasted!) but I've definitely toned up and can even show anyone my arm muscles who asks. :)

This weekend I spent 3 hours at the grocery store (I'm not kidding - ask my boyfriend Erik who I drug with me and was so spent by the end of it he needed a smoke break) and decided to buy a water bottle that held 1 liter of water. They say you're supposed to drink 2 liters of water a day so I thought cool! Ill get one of these, drink 2 and be set!

Might I say this is not a good idea to drink half of it before bootcamp even starts? Oh yes - that's what I did and today I thought I was going to EXPLODE with water 1o minutes in. Thankfully, I didn't but I certainly learned my lesson!

It was raining again today so my mat was soaked and so was I*. Now all I have to look forward to is running a mile again and pushing a car.

Oh joy!
*Note: I was soaked because it was raining out - not because I peed my pants. I didn't pee my pants; I just thought about it

Now THIS is bootcamp!

So I wake up this morning at 4:50 a.m. (my usual time to get up for bootcamp) and it is STORMING out... I mean pouring down rain, thunder, lightening - the whole bit. I'm thinking to myself "why am I going to get up and go to bootcamp and find out it's cancelled?" But I figure, oh well I mine as well just show up. So I drive there in the pouring rain, get there and everyone is sitting in their cars... finally the rain lets up and everyone gets out and we start stretching. Our leader gets a call from her boss saying he cancelled their camp... so she asks us if we want to cancel ours and some lady says "no way! we're already here!" she had a good point but I was looking forward to going home for some extra sleep! Oh well.

So we stretched out and then ran in the pouring rain for a half hour. Stopping every 4 minutes to do calisthenics... all I could think while I was running in the pouring rain with my pants, shoes, socks and whole self soaked... now THIS is bootcamp! Huah!

My First Bootcamp Injury...

I can't move my head, my neck, my left arm or anything that includes my back. I now know how people who throw their back out feel - HORRIBLE! And I couldn't sleep... word on the street is that bootcamp is HORRID tomorrow - I hope I can at least move by then or I might just be lifting weights in my head...

Bootcamp is not my friend

bootcamp today sucked hard core. I'm not sure if it was because I didn't really feel like going in the first place (I didn't get much sleep over my wild weekend) or if because my body just doesnt like to run... it tells me this everyday mind you but I like to try and ignore it... but today - I couldn't ignore it yelling at me to STOP with the running already!

We had to do an obstacle course which consisted of running one lap around the stupid parking lot (it doesnt sound bad but it is - this parking lot is deceiving - it has hidden hills and stinky outhouses - barf!) then after that jumping over hurdles, squatting and running from cone to cone and then stepping through some ladder thing. I could barely breathe let alone do an obstacle course so I admit I was half assing it -- then I got yelled at by the trainer for doing the ladder wrong so I had to do it again. Today - me and my body are mad at bootcamp. On the upside - I felt better for working out. Now for a nap this evening. :)

"Don't Do Anything I Wouldn't Do..."

This weekend marked many firsts in my life in which I'm not quite sure how I made it 27 without doing some of them. They include:

• visiting a winery/vineyard (p.s. My boyfriend Erik ROCKS who took me there. Love him to death)
• stealing a road block barrell complete with iridescent striping
• attending Oktoberfest
• walking through a drive thru

I think my favorite of those stories is walking through a drive thru at 3 a.m. ... it was taco bell and we were hungry! We got lots of honks from cars - I like to think it was because I'm so cute and people wanted to tell me that from their cars. :)

Umpah! But now if I ever have kids and I say "don't do anything I wouldn't do" they know it's okay to walk through a drive-thru at 3 a.m in the morning

Halfway There...

Today marked the halfway point to being done with bootcamp. I think today was worse then last Friday when we ran the mile. Today we did weights, push ups, ran up hills, down hills, sprinted, ran with bands, and had to sit with our legs at 90 degree angles up against a latrine wall.

Do you ever have "movie moments"? I do and I had one today at approximately 5:52 a.m. in that the music was blaring and I went from ice skater jumps, to tae bo kicks down to push ups. And as I was sitting up against the latrine wall after sprinting up a hill and jump jacking for 5 minutes I thought to myself "this must be what concentration camp was like... those poor, poor people."

Anywho - with my halfway mark I've sucessfully lost 2 lbs (we'll see if it stays off), built my arm muscle definition a bit more and can now run the entire 2 laps we do as warm up (I usually have to walk the second half) so for me - that's an accomplishment!

I'm excited to sleep this weekend and just RELAX my muscles so I can start walking normally again.

Happy Friday!

Shape Up... or Ship Out!

As my official bridesmaids duties approach yet again (this time for my cousin in May in Mexico and my sister Kelly in June) I've decided I need to do something to kick this old body of mine into high gear... so my friends, I decided to be brave and sign up for "adventure boot camp". A camp that lasts for 4 weeks, 3 days a week that begins at 5:30 a.m. (for all of you that know what a GREAT morning person I am - you know that this is really reaching above and beyond my capabilities!) Granted, I'm still waiting for the "adventure part" to kick in, but hey - I accomplish more before 6 am 3 days a week than most people do all day so I figure that's got to be worth something, right?

This is about as exciting as my life has been in awhile for in between times, I just work about 80 hours a week and do homework for my 2 grad classes (one more to go and a thesis and I'm done!) and oh ya, sometimes - I get to see my boyfriend Erik which is always a nice surprise. Anywho - so I will try and blog about bootcamp. I've got one from today which reminded me more of concentration camp rather than bootcamp. Stay tuned!

Greeting Card Grumblings

Human behavior is so interesting to me. I just love to watch people and their actions, their interactions with each other and behaviors they have. Take for instance, my experience this evening at the super target. There I was in the card aisle trying to find that perfect graduation card for someone. Most people know about my deep love, affection and appreciation for greeting cards. It stems from my 4 year stint as a sales associate at Jan's Hallmark while in highschool. Anywho, I was just minding my own business looking for the perfect card and along comes this couple and while I'm reading a card they literally push me over, and come in front of me to read cards! Ugh! Then they don't move - they just stand there! Picking up cards and saying to each other "oh look at this one!" "this is a good one!" Meanwhile - I'm forced to look at the father's day cards just until they move. Finally they do and boy did I give them a dirty look. NO ONE interupts my card browsing! Seriously. some people and the nerve they have.

Always Watch before Washing!

I ask you -- what do a Drivers license... black leather steve madden high heels... black beaded earrings and my umbrella all have in common? Well, I have thrown each of these items accidently into my washing machine! Miraculously the washing machine still works, the ID is still readable and the heels are even wearable! Unfortunately, it's time for a new umbrella and earrings.

Serves me right just picking up an entire pile of clothes and throwing them in there. Next time - I'll look more closely!

Here's to washing your clothes! (and not other random objects!)

Am I THAT Lady?!

I swear that even though I am only a young 26 years of old - I am finding myself feel more and more like an 80 year old each day! Not only have I been called "ma'am" at least 12 times in the past week - but I think I may be turning into somewhat of a crotchety old lady who is irritated by everything and everyone and nothing ever seems to be right. I had this revelation when at midnight last night I submitted yet another work request to my apartment maintainence center. It read like this...

Dear Apartment Maintainace Man,

Please complete the following:

• spray for ants and spiders in the entryway and garage
• my disposal in my sink isn't working. Please fix it.
• The water in my bathtub is draining rather slowly. Please clear it.
• The ice dispenser on my freezer is broken for the 8th time in a row and even though you have replaced pre-mentioned ice dispenser - I wonder if it is the freezer door you need to fix because come to think of it - it stopped working after that was replaced

So now I feel bad and hope that when I get home today that all of my belongings aren't on the side of the street and death notes aren't placed anywhere!

If anything else - I'm probably just known to them as "that lady with too much time on her hands to complain about things!" But then I think - I pay a lot to live here - I have a right for them to fix everything! :)

MVC 2007 ~ A Multitude of Melodramas... and Tourney Champs!

All I have to say about MVC 2007 is THANK GOD the Jays Won because getting to St. Louis - wasn't easy. We had a blizzard in Omaha that slowed things down as well as a single engine jet plane ride without a bathroom and where the stewardess turned into the co-pilot with one single swoop. This is only the beginning though folks as I must consult with my counsel on the rest of the details but I'm going to start a running list so I don't forget all of the fun that was had at MVC 2007 ~ Whee!

• the mustache men
• talking to my new friend Nick Porter - you rock dude!
• new theme cheer: JIMPATJULIEMATT.... gooooooooooo jays!
• we are gonna SWEEP those salukis under the rug!
• Chasing Jackie and Will or Wackie and Jill with the broom
• Nicole's various encounters with the male anatomy
• getting hit on by 45 year olds
• Darrell Encounter number 38
• Awesome basketball seats
• Number One Champions
• stalking people like its our job - oh wait it IS our job
• bleeding faces on the outside of Sheraton
• scalping tickets
• familiar faces and places
• too many photos of me, nicole and me and emily
• dancing drama - this is our space - GET OUT!
• Adventures with drunken fish, thelma and louise
• working with LaDonna and Laqueeta
• taxi cab drivers giving us advice on how to drive in snow
• Drunken 15 year olds yelling at parents
• our new best friends: the funks, anthony toliver and nick porter - just to name a few
• oversized baggage - $25 anyone?
• New ways to the Billy Bluejay table topper
• no winter coats + parking 80 miles away = not a good idea
• taking taxi's to close places
• our weird friend Dan
• 45 gallons of Pabst Blue Ribbon
• being old

Giddy Up... Ching Ching... GO JAYS!

Only 1 more full day until P-A-R-T-Y time in St. Louis at the annual MVC basketball tournament! Or more formally known as - a perk to my job. This is an entire weekend dedicated to partying, drinking beer, making indecent signs to hold up at basketball games, seeing basketball games, passing out at basketball games, drinking from 10am until 2am yelling at famous and semi-famous people, jaywalking and you yourself becoming famous... whether its dancing on the street, passing out in a random hotel room with your coat on, taking hotel shuttles to and from hotels or being scared crapless at the top of the St. Louis Arch... It's time to return and this year I'm excited because many of my friends will be there too! Yahoo! It will almost be like a mini-reunion and MAN do I need that! Despite my working out at 5am for 2 weeks straight baby! I'm still stressed, crabby and needing a jolt from my winter time blues. I can almost guarantee with the combination of people that will be going it will be fun times for all. Now let's just see if I can sleep one night in my entire clothes (I'm talking shirt, jeans, COAT, boots, and clutch purse in hand) for a third year in a row! This time without a random guy next to me though.

As we said in 2003 and which I hope to bring back again in 2007...

GIDDY UP! CHING! CHING! GO JAYS!

What a cute kid...

I babysit for 2 boys every Tuesday... I love it - not only because I love kids but because they always seem to make me laugh. Take for example, the note that Stanley, age 6 left out for his parents today (they leave for Disney World tomorrow). It reads, verbatim...

before you two got here.

28:04 intill plane trip.

wake up, get breffitch at buger king, go to airport, and we'er out of here

Granted it's much cuter in his handwriting but it still makes me laugh. Ah - to be young again!

How I Ruined Nicole's Birthday...

Check out how I ruined Nicole's birthday... at least her photos... oops! Happy Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm sad, yet excited that I have crossed that road once again from calling Valentine's Day "Black Wednesday" to again calling it - Valentine's Day.

I began to hate Valentine's Day once I hit high school for it was there, an all girls high school, that Valentine's Day without a boyfriend was DEATH because everyone's boyfriend sent their girlfriend FLOWERS. They called names over the intercom out all day long to "come and get your flowers from the office"... you would wait longingly to hear your name over the intercom so you could pick your flowers up, carry them around with you all day so that everyone else could admire them (and be jealous of course)... but that day my name was called - never came. So from then on - I DESPISED Valentine's Day and began to wear all black on this day and give everyone the evil eye. Gladly though - I have since switched back to Valentine's Day being a day of happiness, love, flowers and candy - even though I still may not get flowers - it's the love that goes around that counts.

Happy Valentine's Day to all and to all a good night!