happy holiday vacation!!

+ christmas break is in action!! 2 weeks of family, festivities, and fun... plus our first christmas as husband and wife!!

donny and i are in college station for the day- he is working today and i am wrapping christmas presents, doing the final bit of shopping, and hopefully doing all of the legal name change paperwork... i think i'd rather be at work!! i hate doing christmas shopping in the stores this close to christmas. i mentioned the other day that this is the latest i've ever done my shopping; i usually have it all done online by soon after thanksgiving. donny's response? "really? this is the earliest i've ever done mine!". and that, my friends, is the difference between men and women. at least donny has someone who can make sure the christmas shopping gets done from here on out :)

i'm ready to get back to houston for more family time, and in particular more kate time! she is at the cutest age right now. the other day when it was time for her nap her mom kept asking her "do you want to take a nap?" and that sharp little girl kept signing "all done". she also signs "more" all the time, although we suspect that she thinks it just means "want" because she overuses it a bit right now. in addition to her ten or so words, she makes animal sounds- a monkey, lion, and cow sound. she also claps with a huge smile on her face anytime you say "yay". we are trying to teach her other animal sounds, all of her family members/relatives' names, and how to blow kisses (or at least that is my agenda!). can you tell that i absolutely adore her?

trying to continue to do some CF to slightly counteract all of the junk i am constantly shoveling into my face...


CrossFit 12.18.09

strength
3-3-3 snatch
weight= 32 lbs

WOD
"isabel"
30 snatches
time= 4: something


CrossFit 12.19.09 (at home)

WOD
tabata burpees
tabata kettle bell swings (25lbs)
45 burpees, 71 swings


CrossFit 12.21.09 (at home)

WOD
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
push-ups
sit-ups
squats
time= 5:17

CrossFit catch-up

+ two and a half more days until the holiday break!!! can't wait!!

CrossFit 12.7.09

strength
5-5-5-5-5 OHS
weight= 42lbs

WOD
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
thrusters (32 lbs)
burpees
time= 9:34


CrossFit 12.9.09

strength
1-1-1-1-1 push jerk
weight= 62 lbs

WOD
4x 200m sprints
times= 29/27/28/27
i don't love sprinting, but my times were good. it gave my arms a little extra rest too, which they certainly needed after monday.


CrossFit 12.11.09

strength
5-5-5 deadlift
weight= 93lbs (workout weight, not max)

WOD
"diane"
21-15-9
deadlifts (93lbs)
handstand push-ups (subbed pike push-ups)
time= 5:11
my dl weight may have been a tab ambitious for the WOD as i was really struggling by the end, and it showed in my time... not my strongest performance for sure.


CrossFit 12.14.09

strength/skill
rings:
dips (small band) 3x 10
body holds 3x 10sec
negatives (starting in up position and slowly lowering body; practice for solo ring dips, one of my goals)

WOD
5 rounds of:
12 hammer swings (medium hammer)
12 sit-ups
12 pull-ups (medium band)
time= 8:53
this one was tough... the pull-ups nearly killed me. i ripped two callouses off, but luckily they weren't as deep as the last one. my time wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. some girls did body rows, which would have shaved a bunch off of my time. my swings and sit-ups were pretty solid. hadn't done pull-ups since before the wedding and i felt it!


CrossFit 12.15.09

strength
3-2-1-1-1 cleans
max weight= 77lbs
hadn't done these in a while, wasn't unhappy with the weight. hope to go up at least 5 more lbs by next time.

WOD
30-20-10
wall balls (6lb ball)
double unders
time= 6:21
this one was exhausting, a great cardio workout. i should have been able to use an 8lb ball but i didn't feel up to it... next workout i will though!! gotta start moving up if i'm ever going to get to the 12lb ball like my goal says...

officially off the market

+ yes, ladies, donny's all mine! i have a HUSBAND! and i'm loving every second :)

as i'm sure anyone who knows me has heard by now, the wedding was amazing and everything we hoped it would be. i am so incredibly happy and wouldn't change a thing about it. the honeymoon was awesome, too. 5 days of eating and drinking anything we wanted, plus some relaxing pool/beach time in the sun, was just what we needed. getting back to reality has been tough, though... work has been insanely busy, our apartment looks like a crate and barrel tornado blew through, and the holidays are quickly approaching. life as newlyweds has been busier than anticipated!

kate is one year old TODAY!!! she celebrated with family and friends on saturday at her winter ONEderland party, which was so cute and fun. and kate... well, her outfit was too adorable for words, so i'll just show it to you...






isn't kate in her birthday outfit so cute you want to die? i love her so much it's kind of ridiculous.

as a result of all of the holiday, honeymoon, and newlywed fun, i've proabably gained at least 5 lbs, and i think my stomach has expanded :/ i started back at CrossFit a week ago after two weeks off... my first workout back felt like my first workout ever! tomorrow i'll post the 3 workouts i did last week as well as today's and tomorrow's... this post is already long enough for one day ;)

so little time...

+ a week from tomorrow, i will become mrs. megan wilson!! and, my dad is home!!!

the 10 day forecast currently predicts that the weather on the big day will be sunny, high of 69, low of 54, and 0% chance of rain. worried that it is too good to be true, and of course it changes every few hours (which i know because i check every few hours), so by tomorrow it could be a very different story. but right now, i am calm and optimistic :)

just got to houston a few hours ago and FINALLY got to see my daddy after 4 1/2 months... thanks for sending my dad home in time for the wedding, australia!

i had to miss CF on tues and wed due to excessive amounts of wedding crap i needed to take care of (and yet there is still SO much crap to do!). the last two days pretty much made up for it though...

CrossFit 11.19.09

strength
3-3-3 dead lift
weight= 105 lbs (workout weight, 70% of max)

WOD
AMRAP in 10 minutes of:
3 dead lifts
6 burpees
9 sit-ups
total= 11 rounds
this workout was SO much harder than i thought it sounded. the small numbers of reps as deceiving. it kicked my ass completely, one of the harder workouts in a while (along with "the chief" last week). i couldn't move for a while after it was over and felt pretty sick to my stomach. but, i don't think anyone had more than 11 rounds, and my weight wasn't all that weak for the women. i felt good about my effort!


CrossFit 11.20.09

strength
3-3-3-3-3 back squat
weight= 107 lbs (not max effort- previous max was 112)

WOD
tag team "angie"
100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats
time= 10:39
we worked with a partner of the opposite sex and took turns working, "tag teaming" it. so not only did we each only do about half of the workout, but we got to rest while the other was working. our time was right in the middle of the 5 teams, but only about 25 seconds from the fastest time. i think my partner was not as fast at pull-ups as some of the other guys, and we were both kinda slow at sit-ups. but, he was an awesome partner and it was a good workout!

12 more days!

+ bought my rehearsal dinner outfit today (most of it), and got some other stuff done too

busy busy busy. this will be short all week most likely. was still sore today from CF on friday... "the chief" was even tougher than i realized! i have a gross bruise on my chest too from the power cleans... it better disappear soon! 

got lots of wedding stuff done over the weekend, so that was good. also got to see kate... she is SO cute right now. she says mama, daddy, dog, uh oh, and all done (which she also signs). uh oh is the cutest, it sounds more like "uh ohwohwohwoh". and she anticipates routines like tickling and laughs before you even start tickling her. and we tried on her flower girl dress and her first birthday dress and she looked gorgeous in both! also, i got a new coat that i LOVE. overall a good weekend!

CrossFit 11.16.09

strength

5-5-5 snatch

weight= 42lbs

i hate the snatch, i'm pretty sure it's my worst lift. i don't know why i have such a hard time. the power snatch is a little bit easier for me. hopefully i'll improve over time.

WOD

3 rounds of:

1 minute power snatch (22lbs)

1 minute overhead lunges (20lbs for rounds 1&2; 10lb for round 3)

1 minute row

1 minute ring dips (small band for round 1, medium band for rounds 2&3)

1 minute rest

total is total number of reps in all rounds combined (for rowing, reps=calories burned)

total=210

this was a pretty good number, and i was happy with it. ideally, i wish i hadn't had to decrease load in lunges and ring dips... but still a strong effort!

sometimes looong days are good ones

+ my dad's coming home from australia on monday!!

i'm always worn out by the time friday comes around, and today was no exception. in fact, i've been more run down than usual, and especially forgetful... a result of wedding stress i assume. but despite how tired i was, i made it to CF today and then rushed home immediately to shower and get ready for our couple's shower, hosted by donny's amazing coworkers. great food (but way too much indulgence for a bride two weeks pre-wedding!), great wine/champagne, great conversation, great times all around! and of course great gifts too :) we are so blessed and fortunate to have fallen in with a company like donny's.

after we left the shower at 9:30 we went home, packed upt he car and penelope, and drove to houston. and now we are watching the houston dynamo game with my mom (12:51am and going into overtime), while i simultaneously gchat with my dad... virtual gauthey family time!

CrossFit 11.12.09

strength
3-2-1-1-1 max dead lift
weight= 148 lbs
my goal i set 2 months ago or so was to dead lift 150lbs by may... only 2 lbs away! and i've been increasing my max 12 lbs each time. i'm pleased with the progress. i thought i'd reach the goal before may, but not this quickly. i tried to do 5 more lbs and i couldn't budge the bar at all, amazing what a difference just 5 little lbs makes! i'll break 150 during december i hope (if we dead lift).

WOD
3 rounds of:
22 box jumps
22 jack hammer swings
2 pull-ups (subbed body rows)
time= 7:02
strong time, and i felt good throughout this workout. the hammer swings were a nice change. i hit my thigh with a hammer on the rebound of the swings (not a direct hit), and i almost busted my ass (or perhaps my face) on a jump. but i avoided major injury and finished the workout strong.


CrossFit 11.13.09

strength
3-3-3 power clean
weight= 62 lbs

WOD
"the chief"
max rounds in 3 minutes of:
3 power cleans (52lbs)
6 push-ups
9 squats
rest 1 minute, then repeat for 5 total cycles. total is total combined rounds from all 5 cycles.
total= 24

this was a real ass kicker. 15 minutes of work. every muscle group was worked hard. i was grunting by the last 2 cycles during my power cleans. i did the first cycle with 62lbs and quickly decided i needed to decrease for the remainder of the workout- i was already having trouble getting the bar up. also, i did the push-ups for the first 3 cycles ON MY TOES! that's a first for me, i'm a big fan of the knee push-ups. because i can actually do them. but the real things weren't bad, just had a decreased range of motion. and despite it all, my total was really good. i maybe didn't have the best form, but i don't think i sacrificed my form too much for speed. it was a great workout!

blog neglect

+ getting married in 16 days!!!

been so busy with wedding stuff, blogging has not been a high priority. i have to make this quick because, although we FINISHED the seating chart tonight, so much else still to do...

CrossFit 11.5.09

strength
3-3-3-3-3 snatch deadlift
weight= 102 lbs (i think)

WOD
4 x 400m sprints
times= 1:05, 1:08, 1:10, 1:07
exhausting!! my legs were jello by the end, and breathing was tough, but i sure ran my hardest! strong times out of the females.


CrossFit 11.6.09

strength
5-5-5-5-5 back squat
weight= 92 lbs (i think)

WOD
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 burpees
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 pull-ups
alternating rounds of burpees and pull-ups
time= 7:35 (maybe?)
the pull-ups got really tough by the end. i made the mistake of starting with the small resistance band instead of the medium... i switched a few rounds in but the damage had already been done and my arms felt torched. i am not quite ready for the small band yet, that's for sure.


CrossFit 11.10.09

strength
3-3-3-3-3 push press
weight= 72 lbs

WOD
25-20-15-10 thrusters (22lbs) and sit-ups
time= 5:59
this one wasn't as tough as i thought it was going to be, but my abs were pretty sore right afterwards.

CrossFit 11.11.09 (at home)

WOD
25-20-15-10-5 sit-ups, push ups, squats
time= 7:35
donny did this too and got the same time as me... he was doing push ups from his toes not his knees though :) a much better outing than his last...

i'ma tell you one time...

+ i got to coach donny in another CF workout today. my edamame for dinner hit the spot. finally got donny his new toms (had to exchange and they are hot ticket items, waited a month for the shipment to come in). and he likes them!

was having a conversation with people about songs that we are ashamed to love... a popular choice was "party in the usa" which i do enjoy, but right now my top guilty pleasure has to be the song in the title of this entry. you know, that "love" song the little 15-year-old boy (whose voice slightly resembles a pre-pubescent MJ's) sings. love. it. it's been in my head all night.

this friday is the last day of the 6 weeks, which means squeezing in therapy minutes and then frantically writing progress notes by the time report cards go home next friday. fun stuff. but aside from that little bit of stress, work is going ok. i'm making it and don't feel on the verge of a nervous breakdown even with the wedding so quickly approaching, which is pretty much the most i hoped for at this point.

red light cameras in college station got voted down in the election yesterday. in theory, i should be in favor of these cameras. surely they help detract from the dangerous driving behavior of running red lights. but in practice... well, i've personally recieved a ticket from one of those techno-police. actually, my parents received the ticket because my car is registered at their address. they called me the day they got it, and our convo went about like this...

dad: so, got something interesting in the mail today.
me: oh yeah, what's that?
dad: did you run a red light on april X, 2009?
me: what?
dad: you got a ticket.
me: huh??
dad: there's a sequence of pictures that show you running the red light. don't try to deny it.

i'm nearly married, a grown up with a real job, and i'm still getting "busted" for traffic tickets by my 'rents. not cool, college station, not cool. and now, not legal! so yes, in theory i should not be celebrating their demise, but in practice... hell yeah, good riddance.

yesterday's workout, and then today's...

CrossFit 10.3.09

warm-up
3 sets of 10:
pull-ups
squats

strength
5-5-5-5-5 front squat
weight= 62 lbs

WOD
30-20-10
box jumps
kettle bell swings (25lbs)
push ups
time= 7:19
this was the 2nd strongest time of all females. i also went up in my kb weight by 5lbs. the workout was exhausting but i felt good about my performance.

CrossFit 10.4.09

warm-up
400m row
3 sets of 10:
ring dips
wall balls (8lb)

strength
3-3-3 snatch balance
weight= 42lbs

WOD
"death by OHS (overhead squat)"
1st minute- 1 OHS
2nd min- 2 OHS
3rd minute- 3 OHS
...and so on, until fail to get required number of squats in one minute
weight= 42 lbs
completed 8 rounds
not that strong (but not the weakest either) my goal was to complete 10 rounds. if i had decreased my weight by maybe 5 lbs, i'm pretty positive i would have done at least that. it was a heavy, challenging weight for me. the 9th round i got 6 OHS', so i wasn't too far from finishing it. my arms were pretty much dead though. was a little disappointed in today's performance.

when i got home i coached donny through yesterday's WOD (30-20-10 box jumps, kb swings, push ups) he got really dizzy and his feet started cramping, so he only completed the first two rounds. i think he's starting to see how strong i've become through CF as he sees firsthand how difficult the workouts are.

happy hour + crossfit = fail

+ i love my fiance so much it's ridiculous.

last night donny and i had a soccer game- not only did we win (against an all female team, but still, a win's a win), but donny scored a goal!! i was so proud of him. i almost scored as well and i played pretty darn well. and before the game, i made my first batch of fro yo in our new frozen yogurt maker- it was tart frozen yogurt and it is delicious.... not berripop or swirll or yogurt planet delicious, but not half bad. all around a successful night!

tart frozen yogurt

32oz (4 cups) plain nonfat yogurt

1/2 cup sugar

easy as that! yesterday i crushed up a reeses peanut butter cup in it and today a bite size butterfinger... a yummy and not-too-unhealthy meal substitution.

so today after work i went to happy hour in honor of one of my awesome coworker's birthday. i was "good" and only had a glass of red wine and a few chips with salsa (no queso and no 'ritas!). i stayed too late to make it to CF, but i looked up the workout on their blog and realized i could do it at home. i also convinced donny to do it with me... his first CF workout!!

CrossFit 11.2.09 (at home)

WOD

"annie"

50-40-30-20-10

double unders (substituted tuck jumps due to equipment malfunction)

sit-ups

time= 12:09

this workout did not go exactly as planned... to begin with, the jump rope we had (which i had bought from the target dollar section some time ago) was a piece of trash. the handles were so heavy they threw off my rhythm, but even worse the rope was so kinked there was almost no way to jump successfully. so, i did tuck jumps in place of double unders. also, my happy hour indulgences caused some SERIOUS reflux/heartburn. i was swallowing back bile the whole time and therefore had a difficult job really pushing myself. in fact, by the end i felt like i should have worked much harder... i wasn't very tired. there's always tomorrow though...

my adorable niece... happy halloween!

don't you just love it?? she is so stinking cute it kills me. i hate weekends that i don't get to see her... she might just convince me that houston is where we need to be!! :)

burpees part 2

+ it's Halloween! donny and i will be attending a Halloween party, maybe two, tonight. no costumes, but good food, friends, and some cute kids in costumes! should be a fun time.

recipes, as promised:

homemade granola bars

5 cups of nuts/seeds (i used 2 cups of slivered almonds, 1 cup each of walnuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seed)

1 cup coconut flakes

1- 1.5 cups almond butter

1/3 cup oil (i used coconut oil)

1/3 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

preheat oven to 300. mix oil, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. remove from heat. pour nuts/seeds into a greased 9 x 13 pan and pour oil/honey mixture over them. mix well and distribute evenly before baking for 30 minutes. when you take out the pan, immediately add the almond butter and coconut flakes and mix well. then press mixture into bottom of pan and chill in freezer. cut into granola bars, about 14 (and i keep mine in the freezer or they start to get pretty soft). a yummy, protein-packed, quick meal!

tuna balls

a medium carrot, grated

a large sweet potato, peeled and diced

a large can of tuna in water, drained

half of a large, sweet onion, diced well

1 egg

1 tblsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

dash of pepper

preheat oven to 350. boil sweet potato until soft, drain and mash. mix in a bowl with all other ingredients. shape into balls on a foil-line baking sheet. bake for 25-28 minutes. yields about 12-25 depending on size of balls. can be served warm or cold, but i prefer warm!

yesterday's CF workout was the same one we did a month ago and it marked the end of october's "burpee challenge".

CrossFit 10.30.09

warm-up

3 sets of 10 reps of:

double unders

GHD/sit-ups

ring dips

strength

5-5-5-5-5 push press

weight= 52lbs

WOD

100 burpees

time= 8:32

i beat my previous time by 2 minutes and 20 seconds! it was still killer, and my burpees were still ugly from about 25 on, but the faster time definitely indicates significant progress, so i'm pleased! also, nothing we did today irritated my hand, so it is well on it's way to a full recovery :)

rest day? if you consider slaving in the kitchen "rest"...

+ i made another delicious dinner tonight! and have leftovers for lunch tomorrow :)

tonight i made tuna balls, also from my CF trainer's blog (with my own slight spin), and they were amazing- much better than i was even expecting! and definitely better than donny was expecting... i think he was skeptical when he saw them. i am 3 for 3 this week with trying out new recipes. i will do a weekend post with the recipes for both granola bars and tuna balls.

tonight donny and i did a whole lot of nothing but watch tv. which is ok because we've actually got a full "social calendar" for the weekend (as well as a good deal of work cut out for us on wedding stuff). a relaxing night with wine and tuna balls was just fine by me. and, i took a rest day today and skipped CF. the weather was looking ominous and my back is still so incredibly sore from pull-ups on tues. not to mention my hand is still healing. i also took a look at the WOD and it didn't look like i'd be missing a whole lot. but i'll be back tomorrow, and with the cool weather donny and i discussed going on a run or two over the weekend.

so i have a new favorite wine. it's red wine, which is kind of new for me. and it's cheap which is not new for me but definitely a good thing. meh, scratch that, it's pretty much a requirement. i don't let myself love expensive wine. it is a pinot noir by jargon. it has a screw off top. i'm classy! but really, it's tasty... thanks to my sis for choosing it as one of the wines to taste at my shower!

speaking of my sis, kate has an adorable halloween costume, and although i won't get to see it in person this weekend, i'm sure erin will take great pictures which i will then post on the blog (once i figure out how to post pics lol) some pictures will definitely liven this thing up a little... and what better pictures than kate pictures? i absolutely love being an aunt more than anything (except for maybe an almost-wifey... i love that too)

domesticity

+ i cooked a yummy dinner tonight, and the granola bars i made last night are decent. i am successfully becoming more domestic... and perfect timing since i'm getting married in a MONTH!! eek! i'm so excited yet at the same time nervous/stressed. in the end though, donny and i will be husband and wife, AND we will be in puerto vallarta on our honeymoon :)

if you hadn't already guessed, i cooked fish tacos tonight for dinner. they were delicious, healthy, nearly gluten free, and paleo-friendly (for any of you with various dietary restrictions)

fish tacos (borrowed from my CF trainer, jordan)

5 tilapia fillets

pepper

salt

garlic salt

lime juice (i substituted chipotle lime marinade)

butter (i left this off)

for the tacos:

corn tortillas

diced tomatoes

sliced avocados

2% shredded cheese (non-gluten-free addition)

rub salt, pepper, and garlic salt on thawed fillets, top with lime juice and a dollop of margarine, bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. make tacos to your liking and enjoy!

granola bar recipe coming soon...

CrossFit 10-28.09

warm-up

500m row

strength

3-2-1-1-1 power clean

weight= 42lbs (not even close to max)

WOD

team workout:

1 person does 20 cleans (42lbs), the other does as many knees-to-elbows (KTE) as possible during that time. then partners switch. when 2nd person is done with cleans, both partners do 20 box jumps before starting the next round.

3 rounds total

KTE per round= 8/13/10

total time= 13:24

i was terrible with the KTE, in part because of my torn callous bothering me, but also because i was tired and my hands kept slipping off due to sweat. our time was really good though- the second best time overall (out of about 7 or 8 teams). my partner, amanda, was really fast with cleans, which was nice for our time but also meant less KTE for me :) i liked the team workout, but this was a long, tough one, and my rip was definitely re-irritated. off to do more salt treatment tonight...

my first rip

+ bought all of the necessary supplies to make my new recipes! trying out the first one tonight... paleo granola! review and recipe to follow

other than that, today has been just ok. not so high on the productivity scale, due in part to things out of my control. and then CF... today's CF was definitely one of the toughest days yet. while previously i've earned some fleeting battle marks in the form of bruises on my knees, hip bones, collar bones, and shins, and one knee scrape that drew some blood, i've remained pretty much unscathed (although some of the bruises were quite gross and in startling locations). that changed today as i got my first torn callous- details after the workout description...

CrossFit 10.27.09

warm-up

200m row

3 rounds of:

5 burpees

10 squats

strength

3-2-1-1-1 cleans

max weight- 72lbs

not terrible by my standards. this was tough for me.

WOD

5 rounds of:

1 minute max pull-ups (using medium band)

1 minute max double unders (jump roping)

1 minute rest

totals for each round (pull-ups/double unders):

32/21

22/13

18/18

16/18

15/17

UPDATE: numbers are all accurate now. this was such a hard workout- i had never done so many pull-ups and my arms felt like they were going to fall off. good thing is that the kipping motion is pretty easy now. also i wanted to switch to the large band after round 3 but stuck to the medium one for the whole workout, which i was proud of. double unders have gotten a little easier as well, but with so many mess ups still, they take a while. also the transition between the exercises burned at least 10 seconds off of the minute.

but now for the interesting part, the battle wound part... mid 4th round one of my callouses on my left hand ripped off. i finished that round and did the last round, and it was only mild discomfort at that point. about a minute post-workout it started stinging pretty badly. jordan told me what i needed to do- rinse it out, cut off the skin flap, and rub salt on the raw skin. that's right, RUB SALT IN MY WOUND. her other advice included to do it sitting down because the last couple of times she's had to do it she nearly fainted. needless to say i was really excited about it. when i got home i prepared the wound for the salt torture. i asked donny to do it and he agreed, somewhat hesitantly. as he went to put the salt on my hand i wrestled my hand away, crying, for a good minute- i was so afraid of the pain. when i finally let him touch me and he rubbed the salt on, the pain was excruciating! i was flat out wailing in pain- loud, uncontrollable sobbing. i apparently do NOT have a high pain tolerance. but when it was all over, it felt better. whether that was a result of the treatment's efficacy or simply that the dull ache seemed miniscule compared to the salt rub, i can't really be sure. i think i need to do it again tonight... we will see if i'm brave enough to bear it.

busy, rainy day

+ today ranked pretty high on the productivity scale. saw a bunch of kiddos at work, got a bunch of wedding junk done at home. also, donny cooked me a very satisfying dinner!

woke up to thunderstorms. did NOT want to get out of bed. therefore did not take a shower, nor did i put on makeup. and i had no umbrella so i was a bit damp. i was looking GOOD today.

this weekend was awesome, albeit exhausting. i got to see my grandma and aunt karen, who i haven't seen in a while. my shower was absolutely perfect. the wine, cheese, cake, and company were wonderful- thank you to my beautiful hostesses! i got a decent fill of kate time also. she is pretty much saying her first words... i think. dog, dada, and mama. so cute! and then on sunday, all of the women (mom, erin, kate, grandma, aunt karen, and i) went to the renaissance festival and enjoyed fried food and people watching to our hearts' content. donny and i got back in town last evening and started to unpack some wedding gifts. the fact that we need a bigger place is becoming quite obvious. speaking of which, donny and i (and some of our friends and family) had long discussions this weekend regarding our future plans. we are back to being pretty up-in-the-air, so i don't really want to talk any more about it right now.

CrossFit 10.26.09

warm-up

3 sets of 10 reps of:

push ups

pull ups (with medium resistance band)

overhead squats (no weight)

pull ups are continuing to get easier, which is good because they are in tomorrow's WOD.

strength

max back squat= 112 lbs

good for me, weak in comparison to most of the others. but still making progress!

WOD

3 rounds of:

25 kettle bell swings (20lbs)

20 wall balls (6lbs)

15 sit-ups

time= 7:52

my time was pretty good- one of the top female times. i felt like i could have done more weight on my swings. the 6lb medicine ball was tough because i used the small one instead of the oversized one- required a lot more coordination, and also the weight was more concentrated. it was kind of hurting my hands. but that's just because i'm weak. all in all though, a good workout.

2200 meters

CrossFit 10.23.09

warm-up

250m row

strength

3-3-3-3-3 split jerk

weight= 62 lbs

the split jerk is similar to the push jerk, where you hold the bar at your chest, dip, then "squat" down as you bring the bar above your head. the idea is that you make the bar weightless so you can get under it more easily. in the push jerk, your feet go wide in a normal squat stance. in the split jerk one of your feet goes back, so your stance is split. i prefer the push jerk and struggled splitting my stance enough.

WOD

time trials:

1 mile- 6:42

400m- 1:08

200m- 0:28

we had 3-4 minutes of rest between each. we ran outside and the weather was ideal for running. i felt like my pace on the mile was kind of slow so i was surprised by my time. i think it helped that the other two people working out at the same time as me were both men, so they were ahead of me which pushed me to try to keep up. i thought it was funny because my time for the 400m matched my best 400m time from junior high track. i was dreading this workout from the moment i saw it online late thursday night and could have easily talked myself out of going, but i finally made it to a whole week of CF, and i feel great! the running felt good too, once it was over.

must see tv

+ a smooth sailing kind of day with gorgeous fall weather (from lunch time on)... can't ask for too much more than that!

our make-up soccer game that was scheduled for tonight will have to be re-rescheduled due to the early morning rain. can't say i mind as thursday night games definitely interfere with our thursday night tv schedule... now we'll get to enjoy vampire diaries, the office, and maybe we'll even get to grey's anatomy, too. aren't our lives thrillingly eventful?

today at work i spent my lunch break looking at puppies online. we are really wanting to get another one, even though right now is not the best timing... maybe we'll hold off till the summer when i have time to train her, but i don't know because we are both starting to get pretty antsy. i've got my heart set on a maltipoo (maltese + poodle). due to my pet allergies and disdain for dog hair i have been pretty decided on a poodle or poodle mutt of some sort. plus p-lope is half poodle and she's pretty much the best dog i could have ever asked for, so i'm sold :) we will definitely wait until after the wedding, and maybe until the summer... we'll see!

tomorrow we will be going to houston to visit with my mom as well as my grandma and aunt karen, who both flew in from pennsylvania for my bridal shower this weekend! the shower is saturday afternoon (and i'm looking forward to it immensely), and then on sunday i will be accompanying my wonderful fiance to the texans game (the tickets were a bday gift from my parents). i'm pumped to see the game, but almost equally excited to eat dippin dots while watching the game. love me some unnaturally textured and overpriced ice-cream!

CrossFit 10.22.09

warm-up

3 sets of 10:

double unders (jump roping... difficult and somewhat painful getting repeatedly lashed by the rope on failed attempts)

push-ups

strength

3-3-3-3-3 back squats

weight= 102 lbs

this is a 10lb increase since the last time we did back squats a week and a half ago, and a 35lb increase since my first attempt a month ago. progress made.

WOD

5 rounds of:

5 muscle snatch (32 lbs)

15 sit-ups

time= 5:18

my goal for this was under 5 minutes, and ideally close to 4:30, but obviously i wasn't very close. my sit-ups were really slow... they always are. i don't think it is because i'm weak, but for some reason i just can't do them quickly. my snatches felt good, but i maybe should have done 37 or 42lbs. next workout with snatches i will definitely increase my weight. day 5 tomorrow (for real this time)!

meetings and paperwork and legalities, oh my!

+ i made it to CF at 4, which added an extra hour to my evening of time to spend with donny and penelope. and sytycd comes on tonight.

today was a long day at work, although i hardly got to see any of my kiddos. had two meetings, one of which was somewhat long and stressful and required lots of preparation. that makes 3 so far this week, and one more is scheduled for friday. definitely not a typical week, at least for the fall semester. but all went smoothly today, in the end.

donny and i had a short talk tonight and decided that we are for sure going to move this summer. i have been telling people it's all but certain, but now donny is completely on board as well. he says he doesn't care where, in texas or elsewhere. so, i'm going to start looking at job salaries for speech therapists in all different places, as well as costs of living and whatnot. yay for a big adventure yet to come, as married folk :)

CrossFit 10.21.09

warm-up

400m row

15 squats

strength

3-2-1-1-1 push press

max weight= 72 lbs

this is a 10 lb increase from two weeks ago! and last time, it took me 3 attempts to get 62 lbs up. today, it took me 2 attempts for 62 lbs, but i got 67 lbs and 72 lbs up on my first attempts! definitely significant progress on this, so i'm pleased.

WOD

tabata burpees (20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest for 4 minutes)

cumulative total= 49 burpees

my first and only tabata experience before today was with bottom-to-bottom squats, where the "rest"wasn't actually rest, and our total for the workout was the total from our worst round of work. today, the rest was actual rest and we got to keep a cumulative total. i was really happy with my performance on this workout. now granted it's not a competition, but i typically set my goals and measure my performance by comparing it to what all of the other women are able to do. i'm usually the weakest strength-wise, and never the fastest. but today, my total was higher than any other female's. and my push press weight was NOT at the bottom, so i'm really starting to see some measurable progress/results.

i want to cut my head off

+ solved a problem that had been bugging me regarding one of my diy wedding projects... my wonderfully handy fiance will be to the rescue, using an assortment of power tools to create the solutions. glad to have that little, pesky weight off of my shoulders!

today was kind of crappy due to yet another headache. this time i woke up with it, and it lingered most of the day. i took the morning off and stayed home, hoping that if i took meds and went back to sleep for a bit i would feel better. but alas, no relief. i had some things i really couldn't miss on my afternoon schedule (as opposed to the things i really shouldn't have missed in the morning) so i went to work and soldiered through the pain. unfortunately, fluorescent lights and kids are not a good cure for migraines. i'm hoping that tomorrow i'll wake up, and remain throughout the day, pain free. i really need my productivity to be at a max right now (and, in reality, for the rest of the school year). 

no staff meeting today, which was definitely a good thing. donny got to take a half day and go play 34 holes of golf, which was also a good thing... he loves to golf and i love for him to be happy :) 

CF was pretty good today, despite my headache...

CrossFit 10.20.09

warm-up

3 rounds of 10 reps:

GHD sit-ups

wall balls (6 lb ball)

strength

3-2-1-1-1 cleans

weight (not max)= 42 lbs

WOD

"elizabeth"

21-15-9

cleans (42 lbs) and ring dips (small resistance band)

time= 8:54

my weight was pretty light (big surprise), but my time was pretty strong. also, i was able to use the small band for dips, instead of the medium band i used last time for a ring dips workout. many of the women used the medium band, and some had to do static box dips. overall, i think it was a good showing. my lower back is still sore, and last time we did dips was when my triceps freakishly swelled, so i'm hoping that issue doesn't reappear. took lots of fish oil tonight and am drinking lots of water, so hopefully i'll be ready to rock tomorrow!

return of the migraines

+ the weather is so unbelievably perfect, and has been for the last few days. i hope it is exactly like this on our wedding day... but if not, we have contingency plans :)

a pretty decent day, as mondays go. i gorged myself on miniature candy bars at our special ed meeting this afternoon, which was fun but not so good for the wedding diet. was productive during the time i was on campus. the day went by pretty fast, which is almost always a good thing.

the weekend was, overall, great. the one big downside, that should have been an upside, was tiffany and justin's wedding. thank you, migraine! your impeccable timing was much appreciated. maybe you'll stay away another month and a half and reappear at my own wedding, too. that would be super. seriously, it was awful and there was nothing i could do about it and i've never been so mad about feeling crappy. but we stayed most of the reception because i refused to miss it- i just didn't get to enjoy it as much as i wish i could have. but, the most important thing was that it seemed like the bride, groom, and family enjoyed it, and everything was really beautiful, including the bride! congrats to the wimpees :)

kate was ADORABLE this weekend as always. whenever she does anything that amuses her she turns to look at you with this adorable, crinkly-eyed smile on her face, and it absolutely melts your heart. she has a "word" that she uses consistently- we think it is supposed to be "dog" but it sounds like a dirty word that rhymes with "sock", and she uses it to label pretty much anything that catches her attention. but the important thing is that it is a consistent production, and she is clearly trying to label things. less important what she is actually labeling and that she is inadvertently cursing ;) i know she'll be taking her first steps and saying "mama" and "dada" in a matter of weeks! i can't wait!!

i was super pumped about the red river shootout, but there's not really much to say after the fact. a win is a win, no matter how ugly. and the ugliest of wins is unquestionably better than a loss, and infinitely better than the kind of loss/humiliation the poor ags endured. hook 'em, and hope you're feeling better next week, colt!

back to CrossFit today, and again trying to go all 5 days... think it will work out this time!

CrossFit 10.19.09

warm-up

250m row

3 round of 10 reps of:

sit-ups

pull-ups

my pull-ups were so much better today! i think i've finally gotten the swinging motion down, so i'm pretty pumped. i was actually able to do 10 in a row!

strength

5-3-1-1-1 dead lift

max weight= 132 lbs

this is a 14 lb increase since my last max attempt about a month ago! i'm pretty happy with this progress. it felt pretty good! although i did get a rapid onset migraine in the middle of the lifting, which was kind of bizarre because they never come on quickly like that. i almost sat out the WOD but decided to suck it up, and i'm glad that i did...

WOD

AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 10 minutes of:

5 dead lifts (92 lbs)

10 push ups

15 squats

total= 7 2/3 rounds (3 squats away from 8 rounds!)

i was pretty ticked at myself for not pushing harder and finishing the 8th round, especially since i was so close. but considering the heavy dl weight and the migraine, i actually felt good about this one. i was much quicker with my squats and push ups than usual. my lower back is already sore... i'm going to try to convince donny to give me a massage :)

fail

+ all of the speech therapists threw me a surprise shower at our speech meeting with more yummy cake and beautiful decorations, the whole nine yards! and they gave us the awesome knife set we registered for. what a nice surprise!

other than that, the day was just so-so. i didn't make it to my 5th day of CF after all because the meeting ran late. i was contemplating not going already because, although i said that i was feeling pretty good thurs night after the soccer game, i woke up at 1am crying and screaming in pain- my left lower leg was cramping up so terribly donny contemplated taking me to the emergency room. after about 30 mins of rubbing, stretching, chugging water, and finally getting into a hot bath, the cramps went away and we both went back to sleep. not a fun night, though. i really need to get better about drinking water.

also, yesterday i had my favorite pair of designer jeans rip. i don't know why, they aren't too tight or anything. but they tore right across the rear, and i am very sad for my loss. it would be extremely difficult to find a similar pair, and even if i did, i wouldn't be able to afford them right now. stupid wedding :P

donny and i will be off to houston shortly, where we will watch the longhorns dominate on television and then go party the night away at justin and tiff's wedding. yay for weddings and weekends!!

double trouble

+ i survived today and now it's almost the weekend!! red river shootout and tiffany and justin's wedding on saturday, then some quality kate time sunday morning. and a soccer game sunday evening.

speaking of soccer, today i not only made it to my 4th consecutive day of crossfit, but i also played in a make-up soccer game afterwards. double duty, but i'm feeling pretty good. i felt much more comfortable on the field tonight than in our first game- no blatant whiffs or obvious mistakes this time. i was able to defend even the men somewhat effectively. we didn't win but we played better. i'll chalk that up as a victory of sorts. my notoriously bad temper, not to mention poor sportsmanship, began to rear it's ugly head tonight. i hate that i am so competitive on the field, even when i'm not intending to be. i've gotta work on that.

the principal at the intermediate school i'm placed at this year told me i was violating dress code today. questionable. i thought i was dressed perfectly appropriately, as did several of my colleagues. but whatever. i'm a rule follower by nature so i was a little upset, but after some kind words of support from said colleagues i felt much better. 

leftover cake from the shower is my current vice, and i'm ready for it to be dunzo... which it will be soon thanks to my lack of self-control. but damn, is it good!

CrossFit 10.15.09

warm-up

3x 10 

GHD sit-ups

ring dips (using skinny band)

squats

strength

3-3-2-1-1 cleans

max-ish weight= 72 lbs

i probably could have done more, but something about my form didn't feel quite right and it was irritating my arms a little.

WOD

3 rounds of:

30 dumbbell snatch (15 lb db)

200m run

time= 6:03

i definitely worked my hardest and was pleased with my time. tough workout for sure, especially considering i was still recovering from "fran". 5th day tomorrow, yay for achieving even small goals :)