30 Day Body Forward Challenge : Prequel

So I needed to make some big lifestyle changes and realized it all of a sudden. I'm always tired. My clothes don't fit. I eat too much. I don't exercise enough. There's a whole host of reasons. And none of them are new. But I never do anything one second before I want to do it, so I committed to doing this 30 Day Body Forward Challenge.

It's a lot. It's expensive. It's intimidating.

But I need a change, a big one. So I went to the pros, literally. My friend Val is a figure competitor and "Busy Mom Gets Fit" of FB, IG and international fame. She's also a really cool, down-to-earth mom that I used to drink wine and eat delicious German food with. She had a goal, she met it, she's positive and uplifting and she has over 350k followers. She's partners with Erica, of Sisters in Shape and National Bikini Competition fame. Who might know more about fitness for women than the two of them? No one I know personally, which is why I chose this program. I needed something I could TRUST, something that WORKS, something I had to PAY for. I've started all kinds of "free fitness" challenges and you know what? I wasn't invested in them, financially or mentally so definitely not physically.

I needed it ALL. Up until now, I've been piecing together nutrition advice, meal plans, workout plans (I use that loosely), the Gallon Challenge (truth: I always fail), portion control, and a myriad of other bits and pieces of advice and plans. This plan gives me a PLAN. For every day of 30 days. It gives me SUPPORT for every day of 30 days. It gives me shakes and supplements and snacks for every day of 30 days. It gives me a way to plan my meals...yes...for every day of 30 days. It gives me an app to track my progress, a workout plan for every day, videos of the exercises so I understand proper form and technique.

Most importantly, it gives me a plan for AFTER the 30 days. This is meant to be a CHALLENGE, a jumpstart to fitness, wellness, good choices and a new body. Because this one? Is old. It's worn out. It needs a recharge and deserves to be better maintained. My favorite part (without having started!) is the Body Forward Habits, aka, what I should takeaway from this challenge. Not a certain # of pounds or inches lost, not a target number on the scale, but habits I can form over 30 days to take with me when the shakes and supplements and workout plan are exhausted.

*I schedule workouts into my calendar - this is so important. I need to make a date with myself to be better.

* I drink 3-4 L of water a day - hydration is ridiculously important and I need to embrace it without artificial sugars and sweeteners

* I limit my intake of juice and soda- see above

* I always eat breakfast - this I am already good at!

* I have tools to help me stay consistent even when I'm busy or "life happens"- I'm hoping I like the shakes enough to keep them on hand for times like travel season when eating healthy is almost impossible

* I rarely eat out more than 1x a week - I definitely need improvement here!

* My cupboard has few "red zone: foods (cookies, chips, ice cream) - this is hard with a family that loves treats but I can do it!

* I have tools for inevitable cravings - plan!!

* I strength train at least 3x per week - this is my ultimate goal

* I have a friend, spouse or family member who is active with me and supports my lifestyle - my cup runneth over here. I have a SLEW of friends cheering me on from the sidelines, by my side and at my dinner table

When this 30 days is over, I will not be the size I want to be. I will not eliminate from my real life the things I'm eliminating from my life for 30 days (wine, cake, coffee, french fries) but I hope to add them back moderately and see the difference it makes to NOT have them so frequently. I hope to learn to love new vegetables that I have previously dismissed. I hope to inspire myself. One day I may hope to inspire myself. But today, and for the next 30 days...it's all about me.

The long-awaited update on Jen Lancaster!!

So I saw her nearly two months ago, for shame. But I swear I've been super busy. Reading her book, changing our picture to my cover photo on Facebook...and you know, work and the plague. But in a nutshell, she. was. AWESOME.

I headed to Charlotte on a cold afternoon after work and met up with my little sister Leighton for coffee at Starbucks. It was so good to see her face! We have both been busy and hadn't been able to catch up since her wedding, so it was great to see her.

After a quick coffee I headed the long way through Charlotte *I hate being a tourist* to the Barnes & Noble. I'd brought along with me six copies of her new book (for me and my wine club) and seven of her other books. Thinking that might be a bit much, I agonized and picked three of my faves because nine isn't too many, right?

I got it and got our three seats and our tickets and sat down impatiently. My friend Amanda joined me soon after, and then Jen walked in!! It was like seeing someone famous because, well, she is. But she was so laid back and fun, and maybe even a little nervous? She started by saying she didn't want to being the program early, but it was cool if we just wanted to chat. So we got to ask her about Fletch, Barbie, the Thundercats, her house, etc. And it wasn't at all like talking to someone famous.

Admittedly, I was nervous that with all these best-sellers and fame, she'd forgotten the little people. But she mentioned that her readers didn't like her fiction work, that it was too similar to her real life. So her new fiction book? No resemblance to her real life. Her readers didn't like paying for a book that they'd read 75% of online. So her next new book? None of the stories are on the blog. I loved that she admitted her negative feedback, and did something about it. Faith restored!

She read a chapter out of her new book, Here I Go Again, and then took questions. She was so funny, and not at all pretentious or snotty. Sassy maybe, but not snotty. But that's what her readers loved about her. I loved the chance to meet her in person because while she's exactly the same as she is in her books and on her blog, she's also totally different. She's a person. Who gets spray tan.

We were among the last to get our books signed, and when I mentioned I thought 13 too many to sign, she insisted that I go out to the car to get them. "I'm here, you paid for them, why not??" was her response. So my sweet friend Stephanie went out to the car so I wouldn't miss a minute with my fave author (and new bestie).

I was so excited to finally meet her! I missed her for four years while we were in Germany, and she hasn't been back to NC since I moved back (for shame). But you can bet if she's within 4 (okay, 6) hours of me in June for The Tao of Martha, I'm totally going to see her again!

Bridal Brunch

A few Salem ladies and friends got together to celebrate Allison's upcoming nuptials! For me it was a chance to see some great old friends, catch up and have a meal with two hands! I left the babies in dad's capable hands and headed to Village Tavern in Winston-Salem to celebrate Allison! I did run into a small brush fire on the way, with several fire trucks parked on the highway just a half mile from my exit. Doh!

Jen Pounders Frick was our fabulous hostess, and baby Tabor came along too! I got to hold him, that sweet little fellow. He was a champ, sleeping for most of the shower. We decorated with some quick banners and balloons that Jen brought and we were ready for our guests!

There were games, there were gifts, there was a generally good time had by all...and of course, the food! I love to eat at VT and it's always hard to choose because I like everything I've ever gotten from there. But we had a great time catching up and even poking a little fun at the bride to be! I miss my Gramley girls and can't wait to see them a little more this summer!!

Great Wolf Lodge

I had a conference to go to at the Great Wolf Lodge, so Jay and the kids came along on Sunday before it got started to enjoy the water park! Hayden was excited the WHOLE way there, and could barely contain himself when we pulled up. By the time we got down to the waterpark, it was just too much for him. I thought he was going to burst!

Lila was so super cute in her little bathing suit! She had outgrown hers for the summer so I got one SUPER cheap on clearance from Carter's. While Jay and Hayden did water slides and the wave pool, she was content to sit in knee deep water, walk a little and be held. The water wasn't as warm as I expected, so I had to take her out about every half hour to warm her up...those little lips got blue!

After a few hours of water sliding and fun, Jay and the kids headed home and I went to bed to get ready for my conference. On Monday night, we headed out to dinner with colleagues, former colleages, one Salem girl who works in financial aid at another school, and one Salem friend from the area. It was a great night! We went to Tsunami, which is the place Jay and I ate on our wedding night in Charleston, SC. We had drinks and hibachi, and I had some great sushi.

Tuesday night we rented out the water park for our conference and I got to go down the water slides. Crazy! We had cupcakes and drinks and rode the slides a few times before heading off to bed. I had a great time and enjoyed not getting up at 530 for a few days, but I sure did miss my family!

Baby momma party

We got together with some of our friends to hang out with the babies, enjoy some great food and catch up with friends. Lila and Link are only two days apart, and Harper is in between a baby and toddler, so he and Hayden had a blast!

We went to Megan and Chance's house in King, and Hayden was really excited to meet new people. He loved playing with all of Harper's toys, and the boys went outside to play in the pool while the babies rolled around in the floor and got to know each other a little better.

A weekend in the District

I had the opportunity to head north a few weekends ago for a multitude of celebrations. I started my trip in Greensboro, with a lovely lunch with my husband. This so rarely happens, just lunch for the two of us on a weekday, so I didn't mind getting on the road later than expected. I loaded up the car, gassed up and headed north on 85. Driving up that way always brings back fun memories, particularly of the Fall Break I went up to see Lizard and we walked around DC, a mere month after the attacks of September 11th. We saw the giant hole in the Pentagon, with an even bigger American flag hanging beside it, and the whole city had a somber, hollow feel to it. Luckily this time was a different experience.

I arrived at Lizard's house early in the evening and got to meet her sweet new puppy, Ace. She and Matt were busy prepping for his birthday party the next day, so it was fun to just hang out and catch up. We went out for dinner at a fun mexican place and the food was wonderful. The drinks were overpriced, so we headed back to the house for wine and fun with friends. What a treat, to see my favorite newlyweds and some new friend I made at their wedding. I went to sleep alone for the first time in a long time, since Jay and Hayden were back in NC. It felt strange to wake up at 7, realize I had NO early morning obligations, and go back to sleep until 9!

After a series of long, convoluted phone calls, Liz and I finally had a plan. She was in town from the Pac-Nor, and staying with Melissa and Dan. I picked her up at their house and we braved DC traffic to visit the FDR Memorial. I had never seen it before and it was Liz's favorite so we found an unheard-of parking lot and set out to explore in the drizzly weather. We did stumble upon the George Mason memorial on the way and then proceeded to the FDR. What an inspiring place that is! It's full of his memorable quotes, bronze statues and water to represent the different stages of his terms of office. We decided against much exploration, as we had a full day ahead of us in Maryland. After a serious search for parking and a bathroom, we headed to the hotel.

We called ahead and requested early check in to get ready for the wedding. Imagine our surprise when we were at first denied that check-in, and then almost immediately granted said check-in. After the valet whisked away my car and the bellhop whisked away our bags we were finally in our room getting ready. For two females trying to put together two STELLAR outfits, I'd say we made pretty good time. We headed to Sandy Spring, MD for the wedding. We had arrived early in case our assistance was needed with the final touches, but mostly we wandered around taking photos and enjoying the atmosphere. Shortly after 5, the brides walked down the aisle.

After a beautiful ceremony, we headed inside for cocktail hour and mingled with friends and family. The brides and bridal party were off taking pictures and we were busy creating the weekend's signature drink. When we came back outside, the tent had been transformed into two rows of tables for our splendid dinner. We ate, we drank, we laughed and celebrated the love of these two wonderful people. It was such an amazing event, to be surrounded by so much love and support.

Sunday morning I also woke without a little person tugging at my arm and asking for juice, which is pretty strange for me. After a quick bagel and coffee at Panera, I was back on the road and headed home to my boys. I had such a great time with old friends, but there's no place like home!

Happy Birthday Lily!

Hayden and I went to Charlotte to celebrate the birthday of a very special girl! Lily Godbold turned 2 and she and Hayden hadn't seen each other since the day after she was born! Hayden was way more interested in the busy ball popper and the ball pit than eating, watching Lily open presents or even eating cake! But he had a great time. And what a treat to finally meet sweet Miss Reid!

Towards the end of the party, Hayden was playing with a balloon and Lily's friend Max wanted to play, too. I was really proud of how Hayden was sharing, and when Lily jumped into the mix he was very protective of her getting a turn! He ran around outside with all the kids while I got to hold Reid. We had a blast and are so glad to be back where we can visit our special friends for their special days!

Back tracking a bit

In my haste to keep you all up with our lives via the blog, I left out our Welcome Home Party!! Monique threw us a welcome home party the first weekend in December. This was a chance for us to see a lot of old friends all in one place, and enjoy the hospitality of one of my favorite hostesses. She had invited friends from Salem, people we worked with and of course, Uncle Ben. We had a great time catching up with everyone, and Hayden had a blast going up and down her stairs and watching "How to Train Your Dragon" on the big tv upstairs. There was tons of food, lots of sangria and great efforts at keeping Lucy from eating our food. I can't wait for Lucy to meet Oscar. We just can't tell Emma...

We also got our first taste of NC snow! It snowed for almost the whole day without being a dreadful mess. Just enough to blanket the ground and trees with the white stuff, but not enough to make the roads too dangerous. My favorite kind of snow! We are now waiting for the next round so we can take Hayden out sledding in it. Last year we didn't do too much out in the stuff because Hayden was still pretty unsure of it and dad wasn't home to do all the fun things. But this year we are armed with snowsuit and gear (and new tires!) and can't wait to get out and play in it. Most likely we'll get a few flakes here and there and maybe a good snow or two, but you can't expect this old NC gal to get too excited about winter weather. We left Germany, right?

A visit to see some friends

On Christmas Eve-eve, as people are fond of calling it, I headed up the road to Charlotte to visit some friends. My college friend Stephanie gave birth to a premature baby girl in October, and she is still in the NICU. I left Hayden at home with Jay so I could go visit her in the hospital! But her sister had a fever, which kept her mom at home so I went to visit Stephanie and Lily at home instead. Lily is so fun to be around because she is so different from Hayden. She's a girl and younger than Hayden, so she's small and still more of a baby than a toddler, and sometimes you forget what that age is like! We had a good time hanging out and catching up before I had to get on the road again.

My good friend Liz from college lives in Washington state, but was on the east coast for a visit. Her family is in Clover, SC so I drove down to see her. Two hours is nothing when the other option is a four hour flight to see her! I had a great afternoon spending time with her and her family and eating a ton of great food. The thing that sucks about growing up is that we're all so far apart. But every once in awhile, the planets align and we get to be in the (relatively) same place and time.

Happy Birthday Hayden!

Hayden's 2nd birthday fell on a Monday this year, so we celebrated the day before. Hayden was excited to see his friends and we were excited to have one last birthday party with the people that have become family during our time here in Germany. Since everything was packed up and it was so close to us leaving, we had a small get-together at our house. We had hot dogs and all the fun sides, and decided cupcakes would be easier than a cake. What a fun day we had!

All Hayden's friends were here, big and small, and two of our friends returned from deployments just days before the party...what a great gift! Hayden played with his new toys and books and was really good at sharing his new stuff. He decided for his birthday lunch, he'd skip all the stuff mom cooked and eat yogurt instead. His birthday = his rules! We put in Toy Story 3, a gift from mom and dad, and enjoyed a few hours with some of our favorite people. We will sure miss them when we leave!

A trip down memory lane

Normally, my blogs are about the recent past. But today I'd like to talk about the not-so-recent past.

Ten years ago this weekend, I moved my stuff into Salem College. More correctly, several cheerful and helpful orientation leaders moved my stuff in, and all I carried was my purse. I remember about 100 things about that day, a day that would literally change my life. Two months ago, I didn't get nostalgic about the fact that I'd graduated high school ten years ago. I feel like what really made me who and where I am today started ten years ago this weekend.

I remember Jen Pounders, carrying her purple cinder blocks with the fish painted on them. I knew instantly that was someone I would be friends with.  I remember Monique Farrell and the rest of the seniors, looking impossibly grown up and thinking there's no way I'd look like them in four years. I remember meeting my roommate for the first time, and seeing Kelly Delaney bounce from person to person, introducing herself. I remember the first look at my new dorm room and wondering how I could share a room so small. I remember meeting my "hall advisor"(now known as RA's) Piper Williams and feeling instantly comfortable. I remember meeting Shirley Southerland and thinking wow, this old lady does not know what she's gotten herself into with all these wild girls.

I remember standing on Clewell patio with Susan Jacobs, the one person I knew on that campus other than a girl that I went to high school with. We stood and talked, and met a new friend, Courtney Barron. Courtney was pissed that her mom made her wear a skirt, and after that day I only ever saw her in Abercrombie running pants and a ponytail. Susan still had her long, multicolored hair and years later I would find out that the sight of us terrified Heidi Schneble. I remember meeting Nan Tilley, the sweetest and most wonderful lady that would guide us through our first year. I remember being in awe of the amazingness that was Staci Lewis, a feeling that I would get for the next two years every time I saw her.

It seems impossible that this happened ten years ago, because I could swear it happened yesterday. I knew instantly that to be a Gramley girl was going to be something special. I had no way of knowing that, even with all the people I'd met, I hadn't yet met Liz Smith and Katie Burge, and how important that would be. I didn't know Lizard, but I heard she won a dance contest in her first 24 hours on campus. My roommate and I didn't work out but seven years later, we reconnected and became friends again. Girls came and went, for a semester or a year. Eventually we all moved away from Gramley (some of us after a second year) and one day we were all seniors, wearing caps and gowns and saying goodbye to our dorm rooms for the last time. But it all started ten years ago this weekend, and I can't imagine where I'd be today if a single thing were different that Saturday morning.

"And sing we of Salem ever,
As proudly her name we bear..."

Another busy week

This week was like most of our weeks, jam-packed and busy busy. We had our Squadron Christmas party on Monday evening complete with Santa, pizza and movies. We didn't last long for the movies, but Hayden really enjoys his pizza. He did not care for Santa this time around, so the best I could do was stand next to Santa holding Hayden. But at 13 months, how many times do you need to see the man in red?

On Tuesday we had a class on making our lives easier during deployment, and I got to do a little of my volunteer work. I'm the volunteer coordinator for our unit, which involves a lot of emailing to get people to register in our system and log hours. But this month we began our volunteer of the month program, and it was a ton of fun to recognize some of our outstanding volunteers. They work so hard, and it's nice to show some appreciation.

On Wednesday I got a quick haircut and ran some errands while Hayden spent a couple hours in daycare. Later in the evening we got to spend time with Kat, whose wedding we attended in September of last year. Shortly after their wedding, the Mingos headed to Ft. Bliss and had an adorable baby, Colin. Colin and Hayden enjoyed a little time together and then we met some more of our friends for dinner at Delphi, a Greek restaurant. The food and wine were great, and it was fun to catch up with old friends.

Unfortunately we had to cancel all our weekend plans since Hayden is sick, but babies just need a break sometime! We've been running pretty hard and I think Hayden's body was just too worn out. So instead we're enjoying the quiet at home and I hope to get in a little scrapbooking and watch some new movies while my little man rests up!

Another haircut!

That's right, Hayden has had his fourth haircut. The third one was just prior to his birthday, which means he's going a little over a month between them now. Yikes! Dad took him to get the last one since mom was getting her own hair cut, so I knew this would be interesting. I took him in and only waited a few minutes before she was ready, which is pretty rare on an Army post. He liked the booster chair and didn't mind the cut itself, but he does not care for the cape! He was very upset about it and cried a lot. I tried playing with him under the cape, but he was still unhappy. We finally took it off and he was fine for the end. A few days later when I was able to talk to Jay, he told me that last time he pulled Hayden's hands out from under the cape and played with him. I think it freaks him out to not be able to see his wee baby hands. So now we know!

His hair is nice and short, so hopefully we'll be able to go a little longer between cuts. Haircuts went up on post again, so it's $10 even for a kids cut. They were around $7.25 when we first moved here, so that's a huge jump over three years.

Hayden also has a whole slew of teeth ready to come through, which makes for a sad and cranky boy. He officially has a fifth one that has poked its way through and about three more on deck. Bless his heart! Motrin, orajel and snuggles are the best we can do, along with some cold washcloths. It's hard being a baby! He is still in his screaming phase, so any advice on dissuaging that would be appreciated! He screams often times for no reason, which is hard since there's little we can do to stop it. Sometimes it's obvious he's just testing out his voice, other times it's just plain loud for no reason! I keep tylenol on hand these days.

We met Jenn and Addie for one last lunch at the Wu on Friday. They fly out on Monday to go back to Maine for the deployment, and we're going to miss them so much! Hayden and Addie have done a lot of growing up together, so we can't wait to see what they're like when they reunite next year!

On Friday night, Hayden went over to the Bakers where he was greeted with a new baby gate and a Little People farm! Steph just couldn't help herself. I can't tell who was more excited--Hayden or the girls! Everyone has such a good time when they're together, it's fun! I had a Christmas party to go to where I had some fabulous german food, fun with friends and an ornament exchange that had us laughing for most of the night. When I picked Hayden up he was sound asleep after an exciting evening, so we made a quick trip home in some light snow (!) and tucked ourselves in. We cram a lot into our days!