Where has the time gone?!?!

I was doing so well with keeping up with this here blog of mine and then the last two weeks have just been cram packed filled with life. All good, mostly that I can recall. Just busy busy busy. Keeping up with work, thankfully with graduation behind us now we can enjoy our summer program. Not that it slows down the work load at all. We are still busy bee's in class keeping the kiddos on their toes. My Friday nights typically consist of me mowing our massive yard. I try to get it done at least once a week, other wise waiting two weeks it can be a big head ache. If I can't get it done on Friday after work then Saturday after I get home from school and running around it is.

Taking this summer course has definitely kept me on my toes and busy with school work. I have had so so so much homework. Its been a great learning experience and I'm def. glad I'm taking the class and its helped the month fly by but OMG, the work load. My Saturdays and Sundays have been flipped. I have class Tuesday and Thursday nights till 8:30pm and then pretty much all day Saturday, from 8:30-3:30. When I would normally get up and go get my long runs in and then stop by the downtown market, I'm heading to class to get my edu-ma-ca-tion on. Then I try to get any running around done that I need to do after class before heading home. This way once I get home, I'm home for the day. We live pretty far out from where a lot of the stores and shops are so going back out can be a pain sometimes. So Sunday's have been my running / relaxing days. I've been getting up between 6:30 and 7am (that's with out a alarm, my body just doesn't know what sleeping in is) having a light breakfast and heading out the door to the Greenway for a run. I have to get it done early before it gets to hot and going in the evenings is just NOT a option since that is when the hubbs gets on line and its our only chance to talk and catch up on life.

Going early I also beat the crowd and am able to get good parking not that its a hassle to park but by 9:30-10:00am when I'm done the trails are getting pretty busy and cars are lined up along the road. It's been kinda a bummer missing church the past couple Sunday's but its a choice I've made. I really enjoy running and its a great way for me to get out of the house and clear my head. Getting my long run in puts me in such a better mood and mindset for the week to come. I'm able to think, breath, talk to God and simply have that me time with out any distractions from the outside world or social media. The rest of the day is generally spend meal prepping and finishing up any homework assignment I have due the up-coming week. This way I'm not cramming Monday night to get it all done.

Things aren't slowing down either, in fact that are about to get even busier over the next 2-3 weeks. I'm thankful to be able to stay so busy and active to help the time go by with the hubbs being gone but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't ready for them to slow down just a bit. Not really sure what I was thinking planning two weekend road trips back to back with only a full two days back at home in-between them. Having to meal plan and prep for both, making sure I have Fixed approved food options to take with me on my drive. Having to make a Pot Luck dish for this coming Saturday's class. Why on earth did I volunteer to make the cake. Coming home Tuesday evening and then on Wednesday night making a Pot Luck dessert dish to take to work on Thursday, cookies for my sweet neighbor thanking them for watch the pups, as well as a batch to take with me on my road trip to see the In-Loves. Not to mention laundry, and re-packing in between those two days. I should really make sure I do the yard one of those two nights but that's going to be a last resort. Oh and I've got to start meal prepping for when the hubbs comes home. I am making up a good handful of Fixed approved meals ahead of time and freezing them this way I'm not spending the first couple weeks each night in the kitchen when I get home and we can sit down and enjoy dinner together. It's early but the earlier I do it the sooner its done and one less thing I have do to and I can mark it off my "To Do List".

I've finally started tackling the "Truck, To Do List", before the hubbs left we knew there where a few things we wanted to get fixed on it while he was deployed. Like replacing a lost cap in the floor board, new tires, oil change and getting the e-brake fixed (it currently does not work). Well I've let time get the best of me and I haven't touch the darn thing. So much so that the battery is dead and we will probably end up having to buy a new one. A cost we did not factor in. But I mean what's a girl to do when you don't know how to drive a standard. Well I finally got the cap replaced this past week. Hubbs looked all over the internet looking for it and I just made one quick phone call and the next day had it. I went down to the tire shop and ordered new tires so those will be installed soon. Only thing left to do after that is the break job. Slowly but surly making progress on it. It would make my life so much easier if I could drive the stupid thing. I'm making it a priority when he gets home that he teaches me.

I think that pretty much sums up what's been going on lately here in the Music City Capital area of the World. Busy busy with work, school, running and continuing to live and healthy life and fine tuning my routine along the way. A couple pictures to go along with what's been happening. If you follow me on Instagram I'm sure you've seen some of these already. :)

Sausage Hash Brown Bites from Nerdy Birdy for breakfast last Saturday before class. Simply AMAZING!!!!! 

2013- 1st Half Marathon- 2:27hrs @ a 11'11min pace, last Sunday's Half Marathon (non-race) 2:04hrs @ a 9'28min pace. Major progress!!! 

Followed by lunch with a great friend we where stationed with at Ft. Jackson, you can't go wrong with Mexican food!!! 

A guy in our neighborhood owns a gun store and well this girl got the inside hook up on powder. You know just a evening stroll through around the circle with the dog to pick it up, no biggie. 

I made Fixed approved (minus the dash of powdered sugar) French Toast one day last week for breakfast and scramble up a single egg to go on the side. It tasted fabulous!!!! Quick, Easy and Healthy that's what I'm talking about. 

I helped with and attended a memorial service this past Thursday for one of my dear sweet friends at work who lost her boyfriend suddenly to a heart attack last Friday night. 

Had to run to the mall on Friday to pick up a few things on my lunch break, I walked by Auntie Annie's 3 different times and passed it up. That's victory there people. I decided on a fresh fruit smoothie instead. I know I made the right choice. 

Fulled and Ready to tackle another Saturday of school, H2O, Shakeology and loads or fruits and veggies to help get me through the day and stack on track. And it worked. I will NOT eat vending machine junk!!!! 

Because a piece of me will always be in Texas and Texas will always be in my heart. YALL, know its only the greatest state that was ever founded. Don't hate. 

Looking like a hot sweaty mess after this mornings 7 mile run at the Greenway but it felt great!!! 

I did a little window shopping at Miss Lucille's this afternoon and decided to treat myself to lunch and didn't feel the least bit guilty about it. I had Strawberry Basil Lemonade, Willies Brisket Sliders, Grilled Skewer Veggies and for dessert Homemade Banana Pudding. You bet I finished my plate. I'd eat here just about every day if I could. 

JUNE!!!!

How in the world is it already June, don't get me wrong I'm not complaining at all. I need the month to fly by please!!!! It's going to be a BUSY one for me, for sure. I've got so much going on. 

Here's just a little preview of something I have going on....

*School - I'm taking a summer course that is 11 classes through the month. Tuesday & Thursday Nights and Saturday's. YIKES

*Preschool Graduation - I'll be graduating my first class of Preschoolers this coming Saturday. Can't believe the school year is already over. 

*21 DFX - I'll be tackling another round of 21 DFX, taking me all the way to almost the end of June. 

*Vacay - I have two road trips planned at the end of the month. 3 days in West Virginia to see the girls and then over July 4th I'm headed to Ohio for 5 days to meet up with the In-Loves and some friends from Hawaii. 

*Running - To log 80 miles. Should be do able, fingers crossed. I'm already 3 miles down as of today. 

*Weight - I have a goal weight I'm trying to get to. I'm determined to get there by the end of the month. 

*Blanket - I started making a blanket (crocheting) a few months back. My plan was to have it finished be-time the hubbs came home. I haven't touched it in a good few months, till this past weekend. I want to finish the spools of yarn I have on hand before I go to WV.
*Truck- We've got some work that needs to be done on the truck and the plan was for me to get it taken care of while the hubbs is gone and well I've kinda put it off. So I need to get that taken care of so it's done and ready for when he comes home.
*Weekends- Did I mention I don't have a free weekend with nothing planned till the middle of July.

It's going to be a busy month for sure. I know there will be some fun good times in there as well. I don't want to rush time along to fast but I can't wait till the end of the month is here to go on a much need Vacay or 2 !!!!

And because a blog post isn't complete with out a picture. I grilled out this past weekend for the first time this year. Its late into the season and I have many many more nights planned to grill out and even more when the hubbs gets home but I have to say it turned out pretty darn fabulously tasty if I do say so myself.

Grilled Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes and Seasoned Chicken. Get in My Belly!!!!! I planned ahead and made enough for two nights, so I didn't have to cook dinner Sunday night.  

 Sunday morning I did make breakfast before heading out for my run. 2 ingredient pancakes. I was a little skeptical at first trying them out. But they where pretty good and I'll definitely be making them again soon.
1 Banana and 2 Eggs mix it together in a food processor and then pour on the griddle to your size liking. Cook till done. I drizzled some honey on top and they tasted just like Banana Pancakes. So yummy!!!

Patio Lunchin

I feel like this scrumptious tasty lunch deserves a post all on its own, it was that good. So simple but one of my favorite summer time dishes. Well really I'll chow down on one any time of the year. You just can't go wrong with a tasty veggie loaded sammy. Hands down I'd much rather go to a Deli and have a delicious sandwich then go to any fast food joint for awful greasy foods. 

What's even better is a freshly homemade sammy!!!!

(aside from Chick-Fil-A, I'll alway LOVE me some Chick-Fil-A) 

I started my morning off bright and early. Not on purpose that's just how the cookie crumbled. I guess when your body is so used to getting up between 4:45 and 5:00am every morning to workout before heading to school, 6:00am becomes sleeping in. I woke up at one point and the sun was already shinning through my windows. I checked the clock figuring it was probably close to 7-ish. NOPE, it was only 5:45am. The heck with that I rolled back over and closed my eyes. A bit later I woke up again, checking the clock it was 6:07am. What in the world, I laid there for a bit browsing through social media on my phone before I bit the bullet and got my butt outta bed. Figured I might as well get up and get moving. The sooner I did, the sooner I would have my workout done for the day. 

Saturday Morning Plan:

-make & chill Shakeology in the freeze for post w/o

-workout - 21 DFX Dirty 30 

-farmers market- by 8-ish, to beat the crowd

-commissary - meat & beans for this week's dinner

-home - lunch and relaxing and a little tv watching

-enjoy my last free Saturday - school starts next week (T / TH / S)

-pups - walk the pups sometime in there

My morning went a little different then planned. But it was well worth it!! 

-Shakeology made and chilling in the freezer

-21 DFX Dirty 30 w/o done

-cleaned the whole house, (wasn't really on the agenda for the day) but so so glad its done

-vacuumed up & down stairs, dusted & wiped everything down, bathrooms bleached, laundry done & put away, bed sheets washed and made, trash taken out, counters & sink cleaned

-farmers market w/ Shak-O in hand- went to our local FM which is super close & stocked up on my veggies for the week

-Hop-town FM - wanted to check out another FM I found via FB a few days ago. From the pictures it looked pretty good. Figured I'd make the drive (ruffly 25-30 mins later) out, so not worth it at all. It was crazy small and not a good variety to choose from. You live and learn right. 

- commissary - though I had two packs of ground turkey in the freezer, nope only one. I needed a second one for a chili I'm making for this week's dinner, wanting to double it to freeze some. I needed a few can's of beans but could pick them up at the local family store near my house. Going to the commissary on payday weekend is not ideal for me. But I refuse to go to Walmart. 

Told myself I was going to make this a quick in and out trip and get just what I needed and that I did. Surprisingly it wasn't to bad but still didn't wanna get stuck in there longer then I had to. 

The point behind the post, MY LUNCH. 

I got home put everything away, already knowing what I was planning on making for lunch I got to work. It was already a quarter to 1:00 & I was a bit starved. But let me tell you it was well worth the wait. 

Toasted Whole Wheat Grain Toast- lightly peppered topped w/ some FM finds: sliced tomatoes, fresh lettuce leaves, 3 slices of turkey & 3 sliced of ham followed by another layer of sliced tomatoes & lettuce, topped w/ another toasted piece of Whole Wheat Grain Toast & a side of sliced Gala Apples. (no dressing or sauce, it wasn't needed didn't wanna take away from the goodness)

It was amazing, I could seriously eat this every day and never get tired of it. Already looking forward to having it again for tomorrows lunch. I might even add on some boiled eggs. 

Best part is I have plenty of meat and veggies left to make roll-up's with to take for lunch this next week. (no bread)

Following the 21 DFX Nutrition Guide this would equal- 1-red, 2-yellow, 1-green, 2- purple 

Well worth it if I do say so myself. 

1 Week Down a LifeTime To Go!!!

          (its long but I PROMISE its worth the read!!!)
          I had the chance a couple weeks ago to participate in a Beach Body on Demand free 14 day program. I was apart of a challenge group where we helped keep each other accountable by checking in at the end of each day. The coaches that ran the group where great and super support supportive. Giving us challenges and recommendations to keep everyone involved on track. I was totally bummed when the 14 days ended and was looking for more. That's when my ever so Sweet Blog Friend Jenny (whom I learned about the initial program from) introduced me to her next challenge group starting up. "Spring into Summer" The Beach Body 21 Day Fix Extreme plan. I was hesitant at first for many reason but my excitement and drive to continue my journey to getting fit and living a healthy life far exceeded those fears. I talked it over with the hubbs to get his take and opinion on the program. I talked it over with a friend whose gone through the program as well. After going back and forth I bit the bullet and signed up to be a Beach Body Coach and haven't looked back once. I spent the next few days (and still currently) searching through Pinterest for approved meal plans: breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, treats, snacks you name it I wanted to know everything. Suggestions on how to incorporate this into my life. Not to mention the million and one questions I had for Jenny, she was such a doll to answer them all and so supportive.
          Once I received my kit in the mail I spent the evening reading every piece of material provided. I was so excited to get started with this new journey. I made out my meal plan for the week according to the container allotments I was allowed and took the weekend to prep for the week ahead. Something I've been doing already since the hubbs has been gone, I just had to put a little more work into it this go around. Which was a big reason behind wanting to do this program in the first place. I've been eating the right foods, clean / healthy foods but not necessarily the right portion amounts for each food group. With 21 Day Fix Extreme program it lays it all out there for you. Its pretty much fool proof. Included is a nutrition guide / food plan - that goes along with each food group and a coordinating colored container (also included) that allows you to measure out your foods. 3 sets of work out DVD's and a weekly schedule to follow. If that wasn't enough also included is a month supply of Shakeology, which is a meal replacement protein shake filled with super foods your body needs. Shakeology helps with increasing your energy levels, reduces cravings, weight loss, improves digestion and regularity and simply transforms your health. - i.e.: straight from the website. (I've had shakeology a couple times before but it was only a small sample pack and I didn't stick with it.)
          Today I officially completed the first of three weeks in my first round of the 21 day fit extreme plan. It wasn't completely horrible at all, in fact I had trouble making sure I fit in all my containers when making out my meal plan for the week. But I got it done. I've grown to love shakeology, it tastes amazing and really is a great way to start my day. I've found that I've been in a much better mood through the day and much more alive if you will. I go to bed looking forward to waking up just so I can have my Shake-O. It's that good!!! I'm currently drinking Strawberry but can't wait to try out some of the other flavors. This past week had definitely opened my eyes to a new way of looking at food and how to incorporate it into my day. Not to mention the workouts, 30 minutes might not sound like you'd get that much out of it but boy let me tell you. I used to bust my butt for almost a hour every morning. With the 21 DFX I'm sweating my booty off half way through it. And I'm not doing the same routine every day.
          Needless to say I'm loving this new me and the 21 DFX program. It's something I plan to continue with even after the 21 days is up. That includes my daily does Shakeology. I plan to even continue with the Fix after my husband returns from deployment. I've worked to hard over the past several months since he's been gone to toss it all out the window when he comes home. It will most definitely be a adjustment, I'm not going to lie, it will be a struggle to get into a routine and learn how to cook according to the Fix for Two. But I'm up for the challenge and I'm not going to let life get the best of me.
          Living a New Fit Healthy Life Style has become a new love of mine. Not to say I lived a horribly awful one with horrible choices before. I / we ate relatively healthy, (we lacked in the veggie and fruit department) I didn't exercise but I did run quite a bit. However that wasn't enough. And I know that now. I don't know everything about being healthy and working out or making the right choices nor will I ever I'm sure. But I'm learning as I go and enjoying the ride to a better me. Will there be mistakes, cheat days, frustrations, failures, times I want to give up. YOU BET. Will I pick myself up and dust off my feet and keep going? YOU BET.
          I've only got one life to live. I plan on living it to the fullest. The longest, To the best of my ability. I know the only way to do that is through trusting God and his plan for me. I strongly whole heartily believe this is his plan. I've got a wonderful support system through many friend both in real life and through my challenge group and of course my biggest supporter my husband. I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for him.
          I say all of this (my own opinion, review and feed back) to 1) keep myself accountable. 2) put out there what has changed about me through this deployment and how I've grown. 3) to give you and / or someone you know the knowledge I've gained.

You've got goals, dreams???

          If you are looking to jump start your life to a healthier you, drop a few or several pounds, maybe break some old habits, fit into those jeans or swim suite again (hello summer is HERE) or simply want to get your nutrition on track. Please Please let me know. I would more than love to help you with that. I promise you wont regret it at all, in fact you'll be thanking me later. 

1 week down a LIFETIME to go!!!!