30 Day Challenge - Day 9

Well hello!  So glad today is just minutes from being over (for me).  It was a tough day at work as Monday's always are.  Voice mail messages, emails and requests that come in over the weekend make for a very busy day.   Add one 30 day challenge and you have a recipe for a very demanding day.  But....wait for it....I did it!  Piece of cake! :)

I read a study recently about walking/running barefoot.  Supposedly, walking/running barefoot is so much better on your joints than wearing even the best running shoes.  Apparently running shoes (or any shoes) take you off balance and the heel takes the brunt of the impact which causes stress to your joints.  When you walk/run barefoot you tend to plant on the ball of your foot therefore eliminating all that stress.   Now, don't quote me on any of this because it's possible I made most of the story up.  I tend to come up with my own endings sometimes.....

Let's just say, my nail polish was still not dry and I had to get on the treadmill BUT I couldn't put on my running shoes.  Well, I could have but I would have taken a HUGE risk.  A risk I was not willing to take.  So I did the next best thing.  I got on the treadmill barefoot.  I put the speed at a brisk walk and the incline at level 6.  I'm sure I'll be feeling that tomorrow (because I can already feel it in my hamstrings).  I will admit it was a pretty awesome workout.  I'm definitely doing that again!

p.s.  my feet look a lot better in person.

Day nine is history! I am so ready for this week!

Day Nine - complete!

And by the way, I watched Drop Dead Diva again.  I just LOVE this show.  Sweetheart can't stand it and actually puts on headphones when I watch this.  Apparently the voice of both Jane and Stacy get on his very last nerve.  Tonight's episode was so very sweet; it made me cry.  Sweetheart thinks I'm nuts.

Maybe I am.  Or maybe I just love a good love story!

30 Day Challenge - Day 8

Happy Sunday!  What a great day we had today!  It was another relaxing day with the only thing on the agenda was spending time together.  We had a late lunch, went to the grocery store and then came home and read our books.

Today was one of the easiest days for me in terms of 30 day challenge.  I didn't dread getting on the treadmill at all, which happens often.  I will say the biggest motivator for me today was that this morning I tried on a couple of my sundresses and found that they fit so much better.  After our Boston trip, some of my clothes were feeling a little tight.  But this morning, I noticed a slight difference.  Oh, I am loving this!


Today I watched Army Wives during my workout.  It was a great episode; I've been watching Army Wives for years now and I just love it!

Day 8 starts a whole new week of challenge.  I'm so excited!

Day 8 done!

We had a late lunch at Spinato's Pizza.  We love eating in the bar; it's such a cozy, comfortable place to hang out.  The service is great and the food is delicious!  With our lunch, I had what I'm guessing is a Cherry Martini or a Martini Bopper (as I found online).  My first time having it since I usually stick to a glass of wine.  Their version is called "the Sophia" --  it's two shots of Cherry Vodka mixed with a splash of Grenadine with a maraschino cherry garnish.  Side note: Sweetheart always take the maraschino cherry from anything that I order whether it's a cherry Dr.Pepper or a milkshake or a dessert or in this case my drink.  Apparently it was really good too.  Just saying.  Anyway,  it is an amazing drink!  I had two of them and was pretty lit up pretty quickly!  There's nothing like a cocktail to get the evening started, yes?

See you back here tomorrow!

30 Day Challenge - Day 7

Day 7 of the challenge is complete and I'm feeling great!  Today was a busy day!  My workout was a little later than normal, but nonetheless I got it done!

I watched the third episode of Drop Dead Diva.  I'm nearly caught up now.

One full week of successful challenge completion!

Day 7!

Today was busy because I had to take defensive driving course because I got a speeding ticket a few weeks ago.   I must say it was grueling.  I elected to do the online version and it was a four hour, online course.   12 chapters on a timed sequence with a timer at the bottom of the screen giving me a countdown of how much time I had to review the chapter material.  There was no way to go on to the next chapter if I finished early; I just had to wait for the timer to go to zero so I could move to the next chapter.  Some chapters I had as much as 17 minutes left before I could move forward and on others I had to rush through the text because I didn't have enough time.  So I spent four hours online, in our office, in front of my computer.  It was not fun.    I took six full pages of notes because the exam at the end has to be passed with an 80% or better otherwise it's all for nothing and it would mean I would have to pay the ticket in addition to what I had already paid for the class. The exam at the end took me an entire three minutes to complete.  I ended up getting 100% on the test.   


Which is really not that surprising, after all, I'm kind of a big deal....ha!

30 Day Challenge - Day 6

Happy Friday!  This was the longest, short week ever.  I am so glad it's over!

I ran into another obstacle at work today but I was able to overcome it without concern.  Due to an unforeseen issue, I was pulled away from work for about three hours.  When I got back to my desk I freaked out at first, but then quickly went into survive mode and put a quick game plan together.   Failure is not an option so I just had to get it done.   And I did!   I'm not saying that I would have had a complete meltdown pre-challenge, I'm just saying I was a lot more focused and less stressed about it today.  I know that's due to this challenge; I will not give up.  

I am more excited than ever to get through the next three weeks and three days.   I feel that this clever exercise is going to lead to growth, both professionally and personally.   That's thrilling!

When I got home from work, Sweetheart and I had dinner and then we sat to watch a little bit of TV.  At about 8pm, I decided I had to start my workout otherwise I would probably fall asleep.   I can literally go to bed at 9pm on Friday nights.   We were watching Blues Brothers and I asked Sweetheart if I could jump on.  The Livestrong 13.0 is super quiet so I just did a fast walk while we watched the movie.   Frankly, it was more like a stroll than a fast walk but it still counts.  

Slow and steady today:

Day 6 is done! 

Just one more day and I've done an entire week!

Meanwhile, one of my girlfriends at work sells lia shopia jewelry.  I bought this cute small link charm bracelet yesterday and this adorable bone charm!  Initially I was just going to get the bracelet; I had been looking for a petite charm bracelet.  I have been collecting Hard Rock Cafe guitar pick charms for years and this bracelet will be perfect for them!  Sweetheart, got me started on it because he collects Hard Rock beer glasses.  Every city we go to we look up Hard Rock and get our collectibles.  I just got one from Boston and New York!

When I saw the cute dog bone I thought of my pups.  I had to have it!   Do you love it?

See you back here tomorrow!

30 Day Challenge - Day 5

Day Five is complete.  I do not really have a whole lot to say about today.  My work challenge and my personal challenge are complete.  I feel great about overcoming small speed bumps that could very well have influenced my result in a negative way.  I'm going strong.

After dinner (actually during dinner), Sweetheart and I watched The Next Food Network star.  I am so drawn to competition shows; I love them!  And this one is getting really good!  After that, Sweetheart asked me if I wanted to watch a movie and I had to decline.  If I had watched the movie, I would not have had time to get on the treadmill.  Fortunately I have a very understanding and supportive Sweetheart -- he got up and went into his office to work on the computer so I could take over the living room.  Oh, did I mention I moved the treadmill into the living room during this challenge?  After all, a big park of being successful is planning, preparation and utilizing all resources, yes?

Today I watched episode two of Drop Dead Diva.  See Grievous in the background?  Always barking at something or someone out front.  And remember Mikey, my anniversary present from Sweetheart?  He's sitting on the couch (bottom left corner), ha!.  The ottoman that appears to be sitting in the walkway?  Naboo did that, she was sitting on it and heard something outside and as she jumped off of it, it propelled forward. No, I'm not being a drama queen, the ottoman literally flies across the room every time she does that.....

That's my favorite water bottle! 

Day five and going strong

I will leave you with photos of our very own little firework show.  Remember those fireworks that Sweetheart brought home?  We lit them up last night and had a blast!  It was impossible to capture the brilliant colors and the actual "ooh-ahh" affect that those little fireworks actually had, but here's my best shot:

30 Day Challenge - Day 4

Happy Birthday America!  

This was an amazing 4th of July for me and Sweetheart.  Mostly because we got to spend a relaxing day at home.  The day was off to a good start because we got to sleep in and we woke to rain drops tapping against the window.  Yes, it rained!  It never  rains here, ever.   It rained on and off most of the morning.  Of course rain is always welcome during the summer when everything is so dry and especially today when fireworks will be going off all over the city!

After breakfast we turned on Pandora and just chilled.  It was such a relaxing day, I wish our weekends would be this tranquil.  We did partake in traditional 4th of July activity: we had a BBQ!   While my Sweetheart was outside grilling hot dogs, I was inside making crab cakes!   All in all, it was a wonderful day!

Oh and because I still had my challenge to complete (challenges don't take holiday), I jumped on the treadmill early so that I wouldn't get lazy and skip it.  Today, I watched the first episode of this season's Drop Dead Diva.  I'm a little behind, I still have 4 more episodes to go before I am caught up.  Good thing I have a whole month's worth of workout to do....

Looking good: 

Day four is DONE!

Oh and because rainy days always put me in the mood to bake, I decided to bake banana bread.  I had three very ripe bananas sitting in the fruit basket so it was perfect.  I found a really simple recipe recently that I was anxious to try.  Bananas, butter, baking soda, vanilla, egg, flour and a dash of salt.   Simple and scrumptious!

it's missing the end because I had to test it. 

I hope you and yours had a wonderful Independence Day! We're off to light those fireworks Sweetheart bought!

30 Day Challenge - Day 3

Well, day three is finally over!  Whew, what a tough one!  I anticipated that today's challenge would be a little bumpy because it's the day before the holiday.   The day before a holiday at work is always a lax day so I went in this morning with a plan of attack.  It was touch and go and I stressed out in the afternoon because I felt I would run out of time.  In the end, I did it and I'm pretty proud of myself for it!  Funny side note:  at our meeting today my manager asked us if we were "still going strong" on our goal and we all  nodded in agreement that we were.  Then he said "great you've surpassed most new year's resolutions!".   We all laughed, but I thought, I think I may fall into that "new year's resolutions" category....

Fast forward to the end of day.  I asked Sweetheart to remind me of the challenge if he sees me falling into my old "day before the holiday" habit of watching TV until way beyond what would be my normal workday bedtime.  So after dinner (which I prepared -- I put a roast and vegetables in the slow cooker before I left for work this morning) I picked up my book, set my alarm and read for 45 minutes.  I foresee this challenge making a new person out of me.  Never in the past would I pick reading over watching the many recorded shows on the DVR.  I am really enjoying this.


So after my quick book reading -- which happens to be very relaxing for me -- I put my workout clothes on and got started!  I added 1 pound walking weights to my workout, which really got my heart rate going.  I also watched Design Star as I did my workout.

By the way, when I went to "X" out today's date, I realized I was off with my days.  Oops.  I'm good now though:

P.S.  When I got home from work today, this is what I found on the kitchen table:

Why, yes, that is a big pack of fireworks.  Fireworks that I told Sweetheart were not a good idea to buy.  Fireworks that I told Sweetheart that would an incredible waste of money.  Fireworks that Sweetheart was so excited about I simply could not be angry with him.  And trust me, I tried.  He had a sparkle in his eye and said "this is yours and this is mine and this one you can light and this one I will light....".  He's lucky he's so adorable.   Any guess on what we'll be doing tomorrow night?  :)