March Madness!

No, this post isn't about basketball. I'm not really a basketball fan, though I will pretend because I know two sisters who love basketball. :)


I am talking about the madness that will be my life this March. I have four, yes, FOUR people with birthdays this month, one of whom is my hetero life mate Ellie, mother of my god-child (or since I like to think of my god-baby as mine...my Baby Mama). Oh yeah, El. Be prepared for a sappy, embarrassing picture filled post come March 4th. Nothing you can do about it. Muah-ha-ha.

Also, March will mark the end of my prison sentence deployment here in Africa, and my re-entering the good ole U S of A. Be still my beating heart. I'm sorry guys, but you probably will hear so much about it, it's an emotional time for me. And I swear it's like I'm pregnant, and can't make up my mind how I feel. I'm happy, I'm sad, I'm excited, I'm angry, I'm just a big bundle of hormones. Shane is in for a fun ride when I actually do, in fact, decide to create a miniature Katy one day.


Basically, I look like this right now, except my hair is not looking this good at the moment...

Before you ask, Yes. I do realize I'm clinically insane. I love every moment.

So, basically I have a million bajillion things to do before I leave, mostly packing up this room and shipping stuff home (or tossing it, because it's just cheaper...). So, of course I have spent my last 8 days off being a completely responsible adult and laying in bed watching Scrubs 85% of the time. 

Oh yeah. That's how I roll. Or how I, in fact, don't roll but just lay there.... 

Anyways. I've gotten way off topic here. Basically I have re-evaluated my current way of living, and created some March goals. Here they are, and they are as spastic and unorganized as their creator. Hello, my name is Katy, and I have no clue what's going on 90% of the time.

Katy's March Madness Goals

+Get back on track with eating. No I'm not saying I don't eat. Quite the opposite, actually. I'm pretty much like a billy goat and have been gnawing down on everything in sight. Psssssh. Wrong answer, girlfriend. You may have been doing awesome at staying away from fried foods (Seriously this Southern Girl is crying inside) but that does mean that eating cheesecake everyday is ok. You are still trying to lose weight, dollface. (Yes, I've already been over the fact that I talk to myself. Only child for 17 years...) So, I'm going to be back to blogging what I eat, just to keep myself in check. :) 

+The gym and I are about to become BFF. Yeah, I've been running more. And have used that to justify in my head that this means I no longer have to do any weight training. Pssssh. Again, wrong answer. So, since I have no clue what is up with my legs, and running seems to be put on hold, that elliptical and I are about to get to know each other very well. Yeah, it's gonna suck, but get over it. And the weights and I are gonna become friends again. Plus, I want to up my cardio to 45 minutes if I'm not running. And I'm beginning my lunges/squats/planks again. Just because I'm starting to develop some sort of butt. And that's a big deal to me! :)

+Finish Scrubs before I leave Africa. Yeah, that's a lofty goal, there. I have 2 Seasons left, and only 17 days in which to watch them. I will accept this challenge, and succeed. Lofty goals, guys. I know. I'm a hard charger, what can I say.

+Run 5 miles. This, is of course if my leg feels better. If not, this goal is going to have to wait for another month. I'm sick of whining about injuries, so I figure the easiest way to do that, is to stop. getting. hurt. So that's the plan. :) 

That's what I've got. I think it's easy enough to stick to, and I plan on you guys holding me accountable. So if I try to pass off eating three slices of cheesecake as healthy because it's cherry cheesecake, and cherries are a super healthy fruit, call my bluff, please. Thanks. You're the best. 

I hope you all have the best March you can. Stay tuned for March's Playlists. I know I slacked on February's. My bad y'all. My bad. Off to work on Goal number 3.

Katy

It Hurts....Again

It's one of those gym days. I went today and bought a pair of Nike Tempo running shorts (they were on sale at the Exchange) because I love all the fun colors, but hate running in shorts. They always bunch up on me in the inner thighs, and I spend the whole time trying to pull them down, so I don't look like a trashy hootchie mama. But, I read some really good reviews saying these don't bunch, and they are so popular, I figured, heck, if everyone is buying them, they must be not be too bad, right?


Wrong. I think I just run weird, because those suckers got sucked up almost immediately. It's like my girly parts are a running shorts vacuum. So... these will be used for non running activities. They are super comfy, though, so I may get a few more pair for lifting and such. Especially since I think I might be injured. AGAIN. 


Yes, it's true. I left the gym defeated and wanting to cry the whole 1/2 a mile or so walk home. The worst part is that it's not the same place I was hurt before. It's like my legs really don't like me. I'm 24 for crying out loud, I should not be this injury-prone! I'm trying not let it get me super upset, but darn it! I really like running. I like how it makes me feel, and if I miss a day of running, I want it to be because it's my choice, not because my legs hurt. Plus, I hate, hate, hate, hate the elliptical. And my butt falls asleep on the bike. Remember, no cushion back there.... Haha.


I mean, if it still hurts this bad tomorrow, I guess I just have to suck it up, and ellipticize my life (and hopefully a few pounds...) away. But I'm still kind of sad. I just want them to be strong, and stop getting hurt. I noticed when I was doing my lunges everyday, they seemed better. I think I'm going to start doing more leg work, and pull back on running for a while. Though it breaks my little heart. :(


Oh well. It happens, and I will get through it. Who knows, maybe I'll come back to the States and fall in love with spin. :)

Alphabetizing My Life

I wanna be cool, too! Everyone seems to be doing this ABC thing in my corner of blog-world, and I LOVE this kind of stuff. Anyone remember Myspace surveys? Oh yeah. I was that girl. Haha. So anyways, I figured I'd give it a go!


A - Age: 24. I hit the big quarter-century mark this year in September. 
B - Bed Size: Here in Africa, a twin. At home Shane and I have a queen, though I want an upgrade to a King. I love having space!!
C - Chore You Dislike: Cleaning the bathroom. Ugh.
D - Dogs: I used to not be a fan so much, but now I really want one! Shane and I are looking into getting a Norwegian Elkhound. They are so pretty!
E - Essential Start to Your Day: Pressing snooze a whole bunch. I have to wake up gradually.
F - Favorite Color: Purple. For as long as I can remember. I love it. 
G - Gold or Silver: Hmmm. Both. But white gold is probably my favorite. 
H - Height: 5'6 Baby! 
I - Instruments You Play: None. At all. I'm completely tone deaf and have absolutely no rythem. 
J - Job Title: I'm currently a Petty Officer 2nd Class in the United States Navy. But as of May 2011 that will be unemployed. :) 

K - Kids: Not for a while. We were going to try right after the wedding, but with Shane's deployment schedule, it looks likes it's going to be a few years. More time to travel, I guess!
L - Live: Right now, Djibouti Africa. 

M - Mom's Name: Jeanie (but it's pronounced Janie)
N - Nickname: Katy-did, Kate, Katy-poo, Pro
O - Overnight Hospital Stays: Ummm. I've hung out at the hospital with my friends overnight a couple of times.
P - Pet Peeve: People who don't use a turn signal. Drives me mad!
Q - Quote from a Movie: I love way too many movies for just one! I'll go with: "As far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a gangster." Goodfellas
R - Righty or Lefty: Righty!
S -Siblings: My baby bro. Here he is dressed as a lion.

T - Time You Wake Up: Psssh. Not early, I'll tell you that!
U - Underwear: Yeah, I wear 'em.
V - Vegetables You Don't Like: Cooked carrots. Gross. I'll eat raw ones all day long, though.
W - What Makes You Run Late: Hopefully nothing, I hate being late! But if it's something...Facebook probably.
X - X-Rays You've Had: I've had the teeth ones at the dentist, and a few chest ones.
Y - Yummy Food You Make: Pineapple Ginger Chicken. Shane loves this, and it's super easy to make!
Z - Zoo Animal Favorite: The tigers, but baby bro likes the gorillas. He also like hats with ears. Or maybe I just like hats with ears....

Running with Nike + and My Giveaway Winner!!

First things first. I love, love, love, love, love my new Nike + iPod system. Totally worth the 20 dollars I spent on it, and I am certainly glad I waited on buying a Garmin. (I still want a Garmin, but at this point in my life with unemployment looming so soon in my future... I figure it's a better idea to hint to my sugar daddy fiance how wonderful of a gift it would be....) This little tool is so well.... neat! Haha.


First off, I do not have Nike running shoes, so I do not have the little place built into my shoes for the sensor. So I improvised...

At first I was worried it would fall out, but so far I've ran 6.5 miles, and we're still good!

Awww. Look at my major love bling from my sweetie. I'll do a proposal post soon, I promise!!! Ahem. Back on topic. Yesterday I ran 4 miles on the running trail, and today I did my interval worrkout on the treadmill, which gets me 2.5 miles. The little tab didn't move in my shoe, at all. I also couldn't feel it, so if you don't have Nike shoes, you should be able to use this, no problem. (No promises, though...I only know what works for me!) 

It was so neat. I plugged it into my Nano and chose the Generic workout, and just started running. Every so often I would just push the button on top of my iPod, and the music would go down, and this lady would tell me my distance, time, and speed. Then my music would crank right back up. It was super fun. Then I got back to my room, and just plugged my iPod into my computer, and it automatically linked my workout to Nike's website and from there you are able to do all kinds of things. I set a goal for myself (70 miles in 4 weeks) and entered a challenge (11 miles/week in 2011). 

I'm also super proud I ran 4 miles!! I mean, I did do a run/walk for the second half. (I used the light poles on the running trail. Run 6, walk 2. Though I ran further than 6 sometimes. It REALLY helped me out. I need distractions... Haha.) At first I was going to be hard on myself because I didn't run the whole thing.... But forget that. I just ran further than I ever have, and I'm just going to be proud of myself, and enjoy the feeling. So that's what I did. See... Operation "Be Nice to Myself" in full swing there. :)

Today one of my coworkers got King Cakes (he's from New Orleans, so missing Mardi Gras is a big deal to him) shipped out, and we all got one. It was super nice of him, and boy I ate the whole thing. (It was about the size of a Cinnabon cinnamon roll). Ugh. I felt so sick afterwards. My body is just not used to that anymore!! It was delicious.....though. Haha. So I promised myself I would run my intervals tonight and do abs. My calves were so sore, I could barely walk after. It's always the insides of my calves, and they hurt so bad, but I can't stretch them. So I came home and iced them. It worked. Weird. I guess every single person who has ever run, ever, was on to something with that ice stuff. Hmmmm..... Haha.

Please excuse my "cankles". My ankles swell hardcore when I run. My co-workers all make fun of me, but I just embrace them. Mostly because there's nothing I can do about it, so I have to. Haha.

So then I took a shower, and thought I looked really pretty, so I took a photo, just because I can be narcissistic like the best of them.

 I may not perfect but I am beautiful. And so are you. (And yes. I am wearing clothes. Pervs..)

Alsooooo. now I will announce the winner of my giveaway! Woo-hoo! I'm so excited about this!!

I used the random number generator @ www.random.org so, there was no playing favorites!

The winner is....

Sophia @ Raven Waves

I still have your address (Gosh that sounds creepy. I promise I won't stalk you!!) from my care package, so I should get your winnings in the mail sometime this week. Congratulations!

Thanks everyone for participating, and I am looking forward to doing another one really soon, though it probably will be after I return to America! God, I love that country so much. 20 more days!!!! 

Have a great day my fellow blogging beauties!!

Self-Esteem

Hey y'all. Today's topic is going to be a serious one, in light that it is National Eating Disorder Awareness week. You can learn all about it by visiting the official website here. 


Now, I have been trying to think of a way to talk about this without being offensive, since I have never personally had an eating disorder, and I didn't want to come off sounding condescending, because I really think it is important issue, and a very serious problem affecting so many beautiful people. Also, I may not have had an eating disorder, but I certainly know what it's like to look into a mirror, and want to burst into tears because I hated what I saw. Now that is something I do have experience with.


I've come a long way on my journey to liking myself for who I am, and I still have a long way to go. Every day I am learning to love the way I look, and if I want to change something, to put the effort and hard work into it, instead of insulting myself and making myself feel worthless. 


But don't let me fool you into thinking I am an expert. Far from it, as my fiance and best friend could tell you all about. I still have days when I break down, and I tell them both, "Just listen. I need to vent, and right now I don't want to hear how pretty I am, or what have you. Just let me get it out." And I do. Ellie has an easier time with it, I think, because she's a girl and understands. Shane just gets kinda frustrated, because he thinks I'm a supermodel apparently. (Please, let him go on with this way of thinking. I'm kinda fond of it... Haha) It helps me not criticize myself all the time to just have an all out vent session every few months. 


It's so easy for me to look at y'all, or my best friend and say, you're crazy, look at how gorgeous you are, stop being insecure. And it is so dang hard for me to take my own advice. I'm so hard on myself, and I hate being told "Stop being so hard on yourself". I think it's because I'm so stubborn. So that's become my mission. To stop insulting myself. That's my goal, my resolution, my whatever you want to call it. From now on, when I want to improve something, that's how I'm going to look at it.


I'm going to take a positive outlook on things, because if I force myself into the habit of thinking nicely about myself, then maybe I'll stop being mean to myself. So, here's my plan. Everyday I'm going to write something nice about myself a hang it up. I'll even take a picture of it. It may seem silly, but who knows. It'll be Katy's version of Operation Beautiful. 


I know this isn't directly related to eating disorders, but I think body image and self esteem are huge factors in eating disorders, so I feel it's not completely off topic.


My own personal eating disorder story was a lie. My cousin threw up in the toilet and then told my mom it was me, and that I was bulimic. My mom then confronted me, and tried to get me help (which would have been a good move, if it had been true.) and of course didn't believe me at first, and thought I was denying it. 


I was thirteen, and skinny, and my mom was super worried. And, no, my cousin wasn't bulimic and trying to cover it up. She honestly was just a jerk, and trying to get me in trouble. 


Anyways, sorry for all of the depressing stuff, but self-esteem is so important, and if knowing that I struggle with it (severely at times) helps anyone else, then it's worth putting out there. I hope everyone has a great day.

Today's note to myself. Right next to the mirror. :)

Wrists, Rut, and Relaxin

Hey y'all! 


Today is day 1 of 7 seven days off! Woo-hoo. We get a 4 day "pass" out here, and I just strategically placed it in between days I already have off.... voila! 7 (really it's 8, since when I do go back to work, I'll be on nights again) days of me time. 


I mean, I'm still stuck on base, and it's probably going to be seven days of boredom... but oh well. I don't have to put my uniform on. Haha. Today I dedicated to being lazy. Yup. No exercise, and only left the room to eat. (Though I will go shower here soon...maybe...haha.) I kind of feel like exercising, but my legs are so tight from running, I decided to give them a break, and I think I have really hurt my wrist.


This darn wrist. My right wrist has been bothering me for two whole days now (I am unable to bend it back or forward, and it's getting worse) and I have no clue why. I didn't fall on it, I didn't twist it, I haven't been doing weight training for a while, what the heck??? My greatest fear is carpal tunnel syndrome, which honestly, is quite likely. I've been an IT for 4 years now, and my job is just me sitting at a computer for 12 hours straight. To come home and sit at a computer for even more time. If it is still hurting tomorrow I am going to the doctor. I have known quite a few co-workers to get carpal tunnel, and it is no joke. Plus, I am seriously looking forward to Bikram yoga when I get back to the states (22 days!!), and yoga will be out of the question with carpal tunnel. 


So, if you wouldn't mind, please a few prayers/good thoughts and vibes in my direction. (That direction would be east, unless you are in Asia! Hehe.) 


Alas y'all. I feel I am in a workout rut. Actually, I think I'm just in an Africa rut. I'm so ready to come home, and I'm so sick of being that I don't feel like doing anything. Haha. Seems counter-productive, since I do, in fact, have a lot to do. I know I just need to put my big-girl panties on and make like Nike and "just do it". So I was thumbing through my new edition of Women's Health magazine (Bee Tee Bubs,  -though I'm sure everyone already knows...- they are having a helathy blog contest, and if you go here you can nominate me your favorite blogs! There is no limit, so you can nominate as many times as you'd like.. I'd like to win!) and found a fun new exercise routine to try out tomorrow. 


I'll also be trying out my new Nike + iPod running thingy (I'm so technical) since I haven't yet. You can enter to win one in my giveaway, so if you haven't entered, make sure you do! (And pass the word on!) Basically this workout uses 4 sets of supersets, with cardio breaks in between. I'll give it a try tomorrow (if the wrist allows...) and write a more detailed description about it. But you can totally go here to see someone who actually in shape do the moves. Hehe. :)


Also, I have a question. I am like the PALEST girl alive, so what is everyone's advice for faux tanning. I hit up the sun and even the "cancer in a box", but I'd like some tips on "non-Oompa-Loompa" looking skin. This obviously is for when I get back to the states, since my options here are limited. Though, I guess I could go to the pool and lay out. But I am literally 11 degrees north of the equator. In Katy math that = lobster. Lemme know, y'all. 

Three Tangent Tuesday!

Woohoo! It's Three Tangent Tuesday again!

Okay, maybe not everybody is as excited as I am about TTT, but I've really gotten into the past few weeks. And while it does take me some time to think of things, I love sharing with y'all about the ways I am completely, unabashadly bonkers!! You guys can head on over to Janae's blog and give her all the credit, since she is the one who inspired me to let you guys in on all my dorky secrets! :)

+ I dance. All. The. Time. And I'm pretty much the world's worst dancer. Haha. I dance to music in my own head, and God forbid I hear music out in the real world. I think I could break it down to elevator music. Unfortunately I'm the whitest girl on the planet, and my dancing is like some weird mash up of the Carlton, the Running Man, and that move from Clueless where Brittany Murphy is doing the "Rollin with My Homies" move. Yeah. It's that bad. I think the only place I don't  dance is the club. I hate the club. Haha. I don't like hip hop dancing (mostly because I have no rythem), and I hate dancing (or grinding, as I see it) with guys. Just ask Shane. He gets super mad because I will only two step with him. Haha. My latest creation of dancing is what I call the "Chicken Walk". Yup, you got it. I do, in fact, just walk around like a chicken. Haha.

Me at a Navy Day Ball in 2006

+ I am obsessed with Harry Potter. The books, the movies, Harry Potter World at Universal, games, dolls, shirts, collectibles, etc. I am still not over the fact that I missed the last movie in theaters, and Shane and I will be dressing up for the opening of the next one. Every time a new book was released, I locked myself in my room and read until it was done. Took a few hours each time, but I could not handle it if someone had ruined it for me. So complete exclusion from the outside world was necessary. Haha. I even dragged my best friend's whole family and Shane to Universal Studios in June, a week after the Wizarding World of HP opened, just so I could go before my deployment. We had to wait in line for an hour and a half just to enter the HP part. Oh yeah. I was in heaven. I drank Pumpkin Juice and Butterbeer, and even spent way too much on bought an "authentic" Marauder's Map. Yeah. That's going to be hanging on our walls. I'm not kidding.

We're totally going back this summer. Also not kidding.

Me and Mr. Potter at a wax museum in St. Augustine, FL

Shane and I in front of Hagrid's Hut.

Me and the Siruis Black poster.

+ I love dressing my baby bro up. My mom is so not hip on fashion. Haha. Just kidding. But seriously. So everytime I'm home I have to drag the baby bro (he'll be SEVEN! in April, so I guess he's not that much of a baby....) out and buy some clothes. Sometimes it's just a shirt, other times it's a wardrobe. I love clothes. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. Sometimes I wish he was a girl, just because little girl's clothes are more fun... Haha. Most of the stuff I buy him is FL Gators stuff. I have to make sure he's being raised right. :)

Gosh, he's so dang cool.
 

Well guys, that's it for TTT this week. Look forward to a post later about the fact that it is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, I think this is an important topic.

Have a great day y'all. :)

Skillet Band Review.

First off, if you haven't done so already, check out my giveaway!

Hey y'all! Well, the last band post I did got really good feedback, so I figured I'd introduce y'all to another one of my favorite band finds. Seriously, this band makes my blood sing. One of my girlfriends had this song on one of her cds that I LOVED, but I had no clue who it was. I finally found out and just downloaded the song, and didn't really look up any of their other stuff.

Pssh. Mistake.  I finally downloaded three of their cds, and while I don't love all of their songs, I do like them all. And the ones I do love? OMG. I could (and do) listen to on repeat. I have introduced this band to as many friends as possible, with all positive results. So I'm pretty confident y'all won't hate me for making you listen to this, haha. Let me know what you think of them!

The band is called Skillet, and you can find their official website here. Most of their songs have a guy and girl singing (I think the girl singer is the drummer... I'm doing this research as I write this...), which is my fave (I love girl rock singers!), though my favorite song by them is just the guy singing. Here are a few of my favorite songs by them!

Click here to watch their song "Awake and Alive"
Click here to watch their song "Hero" (which is the song that was always on in my friend's car!)
Click here to watch my favorite song of theirs! "Savior"

So yeah. I hope y'all enjoy them as much as I do!

So what do you guys think of these recommendation posts?! I like them, and if you guys do too, I'll keep 'em coming. I know me posting the same day over and over (living in Africa is like living the movie Groundhog Day sometimes....) can get tedious, so I like to switch it up. Let me know!!

President's Day 5k 2011

Hey y'all!


President's Day 5k Run this evening. I was a huge bundle of nerves beforehand. Mainly because this is likely to be my last chance to get a 28 minute 5k here in Africa (I may have one more depending on when they schedule the St. Patrick's Day run.) and yesterday's run was not very stellar. So I was full of negative thoughts and worry. Lemme recap the whole race. Granted it's only 3.1 miles, but for me, that may as well be a marathon right now!

Blurry race outfit...

My friend Will was kind enough to run next to me, he was only there for the shirt, and had no time goals at all. (He's way faster than me, so if he had he would have left me in the dust like the turtle I am.)

Yes. I just drew this in paint. Don't judge me.....

 Mile one was amazing. I was flying, and loving every second. Unfortunately, I was flying way too quickly, and that was a mistake. Remember when I said I am completely incapable of pacing myself. Yeah. I was not lying. Notice which way the wind is blowing? Mile one was basically against the wind the whole way. While it felt good, I was so ready for the wind to be at my back.

Mile two was not much fun. As soon as we started on the long stretch which is basically mile two, the wind stopped. Yeah, that's right. No wind to my back. It was around this time I started slowing down, not much, but a little. I realized I had started way too quickly, and was going to pay for it. At the turn around point they were giving out water bottles, and since I could taste sand, I knew I needed some. Unfortunately this meant for the second half of the race I was carrying a water bottle. I hate carrying things when I run. h.a.t.e. But I hate water bottles most of all, since the water swishes around and makes me angry. Haha. Also after the turn around the wind started up again. Yes. I swear it was out to get me. Though it did help cool me down. I was sweating like a wildebeest, so that was kind of nice. 

Mile three was torture. I swear I was running at a brisk walk pace. But I was running. I did not stop running the entire time, though I sure felt like it. Poor Will kept having to slow down, and was probably regretting his decision to run with th red-faced girl gasping for air like she was drowning. Haha. And then we right past the 1/4 mile left mark, on the map it says sand storm area. I wasn't kidding. Right then the jets decided to turn on the engines. Instant sand storm blowing directly into our faces. Not awesome. Not awesome at all. Couldn't see, couldn't breathe, I was pissed. So I sped it up SLIGHTLY (didn't have much left at this point....) and finished my race. When I found the clock (no, I was retarded and didn't time myself.) it said 29:12. Son. of. a. Witch.  Which means, I am guestimating I finished at around 29:05. However. Since I started in the middle of the pack, I'm going to say the clock started at the very beginning, and am giving myself a race time of 28:59. Which meets my goal! :) I'm so nice to myself, sometimes. :)

That means I went from a 33 minute 5k (Halloween) to a 28 minute 5k. Boo-yah. I know to some, that is like a crawl. (Like Will). But for me, it is an amazing improvement, and I'm super proud of it! Woohoo!

 Me and my t-shirt!

Yeah. That's dirt. Not freckles. For once...

Then I showered, shaved my hairy legs, and went and got some food. Yum, chocolate milk! :) 

Last night was also fun. A group of friends went out for sushi, you know I love my sushi, and it was awesome. Then we all went back to the "club" on base and told stories of drunken escapades. It was a really enjoyable night. Even lost a game of shuffleboard!

They didn't have room for all of us, so they set up 3 coffee tables, haha.

L to R me, Angela, and Sarah.

Yeah shuffleboard! Sarah and I lost like 25-7. Haha.

Well, guys. This girl is tired and watching some Scrubs and going to bed. Have a great Sunday, everybody!!

Random Ramblings!

Hey y'all! Go check out my giveaway, if you haven't already! It's my first one, and I'm really excited about it!


Today I woke up and was totally ancy feeling, so I decided to go for a run. Probably wasn't the best idea since I am having calf soreness issues, and my 5K is tomorrow... but I did it anyways. 


It was not my best run ever... Haha. I made it a little over a mile at a (usually) comfortable 6.5 mph pace, and my legs just weren't feeling it. So I slowed down to 4.0 mph and increased the incline to 4.0%. Not too much, but enough to keep me in a good sweat the whole time. I varied speed/incline some more, but not much.


I was so disappointed at first, then I thought about it, (and how sore I've been getting lately) and decided to give myself a break. I'm so hard on myself sometimes, and I need to stop. Do I need to motivate myself? Sure. But if I ride myself emotionally all the time, I'm going to stop liking exercise. And then where will I be? Did I have a rough day? Yes. Is that ok? Yes. 


Because tomorrow is another day. And while I may have only walked at a brisk pace today, I DID SOMETHING. I worked up a sweat, and I should learn to just accept that some days... that's gonna be all I get out of myself. 


Another thing I've realized is, my leg is starting hurt again. CRAP. So I'm going to run my 5K tomorrow (though it might not be at the desired pace...) and then I'm going to take a few days off running and cross train. As much as that sounds like torture... I've got a bunch of Glee! to catch up on, and if it's what my body needs, I need to listen to it. 


I also noticed that my leg started hurting again right around the time I ran out of my Glucosamine. It might all be a coincidence... but I don't care if the supplement is only a placebo effect... I bought some more! Haha. Plus it has Vitamin D in it... :) I also took a cue from my favorite Hungry Runner Girl, and drank some chocolate milk. It was DELICIOUS. Yum.

I also got the February edition of Shape magazine. Love this magazine. Marisa Miller was on the cover.  I. LOVE. MARISSA. MILLER. She has been my idea of "perfect" since I saw her on an episode of America's Next Top Model. She has curves, but is super small at the same time. I love her. 

However. I understand I will never have her body. Haha. Because even if I was able to get those abs, I just don't have the curves. And without surgery... I never will. I accept this. My body is mine, and I want it in the best shape it can be in, but I'm slowly learning to judge my body by Katy standards. Not others. Because at the end of the day, that's who I am. And I can change alot of things. But not my genetics.


For example. I will never have my friend's butt. But she will never have my long legs. And that's ok. Because we're both beautiful.  And all we can ask of our bodies is to be the best they can be. Not be someone else's. Thanks to the blog world, I'm finally accepting this. This is why I love you guys. You all promote such a healthy way of looking at yourself, and it makes me look at myself in a more healthy way. :)


I love each one of you! 

RTtA's First Give-away! Woohoo!

Hey y'all!


I noticed everyone seems to be in the giving spirit lately, so I figured I have some spare deployment monies to buy my friends get in on the fun with! 


So I'm hosting my very first give-away ever! Woo-hoo! Here is the swag...

Well. Actually that's my swag that I bought today. But you will win:


+ Nike + iPod. This is a nifty little tool that I have heard about that tells you your distance, time, pace, and calories burned with every workout. You can also sync it with Nike's Website to see your runs, set goals, challenge others, and more. I know it's not as accurate as a satellite GPS watch, but it's also not 300-500 dollars... In fact, that was the best news! Usually these suckers go for $29.99, but the Navy Exchange here on base sells them for $19.99 (and everything in the exchange is tax free.) Score!


+ Three GU gels. Flavors will vary between Chocolate Outrage and Blueberry Pomogranate (Roctane). Because that's all they have in stock. Haha. And those run out fast, so I will be making another trip today, to get them before they are gone, and I have to wait another 2 months for them to be in stock. Oh wait. I only have 27 days left!! Sorry. Off topic.


So, you can enter by doing all of these options (please leave a different comment for each.):


+Become a follower (or already be one) of my blog. This is the only manadatory entry.
+Link this page to your blogs.
+Tweet/FB about this giveaway. 
+Leave a comment telling me if you like the Nike + iPod system, and why. If you have never tried it, tell me if it sounds interesting to you..
+ Leave a comment telling me your favorite GU flavor!


Winner will chosen randomly Friday, February 25. 

I Should Be a Salesman....Or Not!

Hey y'all! I know I said I would be running my four miles this week, but I lied. I have two reason not to. 

1) My calves are really sore, and I have to run tomorrow morning for pt, and Sunday is my next 5K, and I'm going to try to get under 28 minutes!
2) We are at minimal manning at work this week, and I feel really bad leaving, and honestly, right now I am too tired after our twelve hour shifts.

So, I'm not allowing myself to feel guilty. I'm kind of going through a stressful time, and I'm just ready to be back in America (to engage in a MORE stressful environment of becoming unemployed, planning a wedding, moving, etc!) and move on with my life. But I'm not going to let my blog become a place of depressed ramblings. :)

I do have something totally fun to share with y'all. I promise I'm not peddling anything! But I know a lot of you use Groupon, and I found another site that is really neat. It's Swagbucks, and you can use the link on the right side of my blog to check it out.

Basically, the premise is you earn "virtual money" by perusing their site. And when you redeem enough, you trade it in for "real" money, or items. Kind of like airline miles, but for the internet. Some of the stuff is kind of silly, but I found an AMAZING deal on there.

You can get a $50 giftcard to Restaurant.com for $20. So you have already saved $30. But. You also earn $450 SB (Swagbucks). You can redeem a $25 dollar giftcard to Restaurant.com for $400 SB. So essentially, for $20 real money, you have got $75 dollars in giftcards. This is especially useful to me, since the venue I am getting married at is one of the restaurants affiliated with Restaurant.com. So, assuming I can use the credit towards the wedding, that will help so much, since it is not a cheap venue at all. If not, then we will try to put it torwards the reception dinner, or use them in Orlando when we go to Disney. Eating off of gift-cards in Orlando helps save a BUNCH of money.

There are other ways of earning SB, even playing games. It's a neat site, and I think you should check it out. :) I just love saving money, and I'm about to be unemployed, so..... You do the math! Haha.

Ok, I'll stop trying to sell you stuff now. Haha. I just like sharing deals! :) I hope everyone has a stellar day! Tomorrow I'll be back to running, so I'll try to take more "sweaty, red-faced" photos for you all! I know how much you guys love it!! :)

Three Tangent Tuesday

Ah! I totally forgot until right this moment that today is TTT! Ok, here it goes!


+I am deathly afraid of sharks. No, seriously. I'm not kidding. Like, I will plant my happy butt on the beach and not go in the water. (This is super not fun when you live in Hawaii for 4 years....) Or, if I do go in the water, I am constantly looking around knowing I am about to get yanked underwater by Jaws. I have had this fear since I was a kid, and used to be afraid to get into swimming pools alone, for fear of sharks. YES. Swimming pools. I have since rationalized the swimming pool thing, but the ocean is a huge deal for me. I still go, but it's difficult to hold back the panic. I think it's because I am obsessed with sharks... and the ocean. I watch Shark Week every year, watch every shark scary movie/documentary, and read about them all the time. I even wanted to be a Marine Biologist for a long time. Until I realized that having panic attacks in the ocean would not help my career.


+ That being said.... I have gone shark cage diving. Twice. Yup. It's true. And yes, there were sharks. Lots of white-tip sharks. And a barracuda. Haha. Weird fact? This girl was totally not scared. It was the most fun, ever. I won't go in 3 ft deep water at the beach with no sharks in sight without panicking, but I'll get in a cage in 100 ft of open water surrounded by sharks, and have a blast. I'm crazy. I know.

I really wish I had a picture with a shark, but alas, I don't. This is me in the cage.

Hi there, fella.

I named this guy Jake.

Leaving the cage. I had soooo much fun. 

+ I love dressing up like it's the 80's. No seriously. I love it. Bright colors, side ponytail, leg warmers, sequins? Heaven. We volunteered at Relay for Life in Hawaii one year, and the theme was 80's. I was like I don't even care what it's for. I'm there if I can dress up. I then made all my friends go, and took them shopping. They were so embarrassed at first, but I wasn't, I figure people aren't staring because I'm a freak, they're just jealous. :)

My friend told me later it looked like a rainbow puked on us. Heck yes!

I love these girls. :)

Woo hoo. Ready to raise some money for charity!

The whole group.

This was a completely different time.. Just cuz I was feeling like it.

Well, there is this week's TTT! Have a great day!