I Showed Up!

There are some days that are just amazing. I tend to have a lot of "amazing" days...after all, attitude has a lot to do with that. :0) However, this just might be the first time in the history of Elizabeth, that I have had 7 straight "amazing" days...which would equal, what!?...an "incredible" week!? That doesn't seem to do this week justice, but I am not a Thesaurus, so "incredible" will have to do. ;0)

Monday: This was the day I got to go shopping for all of my new running clothes! (detailed in a previous post.) Shopping was definitely the amazing part of my day. I was great on my diet, and I worked out for just under 2 hours in the early evening while Wyatt did his "Kidfit" class.

Tuesday: In my previous post I mentioned that I wouldn't be able to do Zumba on Tuesday nights anymore becuase our Tuesday runs had progressed so much. However, I had forgotten that I made that comment on a day that I had to work in the morning. Sooo...every-other Tuesday (like the Tuesday on this "incredible" week) I don't go to work, so I was able to run my 5 miles (in my new clothes, LOL!) in the morning! Which meant, I was strong enough to do an hour of cardio on the treadmill before I did an hour of Zumba at night! Another reason why this Tuesday was amazing: We FINALLY completed all of Bea's infant vaccinations! It may not seem like a big deal to the average person, but it is a HUGE deal to me! We did a modified approach to the vaccination schedule, and what normally takes a family 1 year to complete, we completed in just under 3 years. I am SOOOO happy to have this burden off of my mind! Tuesday night is also Biggest Loser night...I love this show! Throughout my week I am inspired by many sayings...often it's something I read in my Bible, or a Biblical devotional, or a random parenting/marital book, or something my pastor said, or a speaker at MOPS, or... :0) But this week, one of the trainers, Gillian, on The Biggest Loser caught my attention when she got in the face of one of the contestants who was struggling during a workout, and said (very passionately), "Your destiny is just waiting for you to show up!" I loved that. And hence the title of this blog post. :0)

Wednesday: We had MOPS this week, and would you believe it!?...I didn't eat anything from the MOPS breakfast table but FRUIT! WOOHOOOOO! I was so stinkin' proud of myself! Like most Wednesday's I wasn't able to workout in the morning, but I did squeeze in an hour at the gym before we went to Awana at night. Another exciting thing about this day!?...it was Rick & I's 9th wedding Anniversary! :0)

Thursday: The day started off super exciting with a trip to Costco for my LONG awaited eye exam! Due to finances, I had stretched out the length of wear on my contacts as long as I could, and then the last couple of months I have been wearing my glasses. But no more baby! I can exercise freely without glasses, and you can see my pretty eye make-up now...when I actually wear it, that is! ;0) After that I came home, and it was time to make 50 cupcakes for the kid's dance studio...



Then we went to my Grandma's house in the afternoon for a visit, and to bring her flowers for her birthday. The kids enjoyed their first ever Klondike bar....which begs the question, "What would you dooooooo for a Klodike Bar!?"



That night, I ran my 3 miles at the gym, followed by another 20 minutes of cardio, and then it was nothing but Zumba! :0)

Friday: This was my day to work in the office. The candy dish was BACK ON MY DESK, but no worries...it was filled with Easter themed "Palmer" chocolate, and since chocolate flavored wax is not appetizing to me (chocolate snob?), I was easily able to resist...but for good measure, I did move the dish on to my boss's desk! ;0) After work, I completed another cupcake order for a St. Patrick's Day party...Andes Chocolate Mint Cupcakes...





I was told they were the best cupcakes I have ever made...and I couldn't disagree...they were, "AMAZING." Working in an office in the morning, meant working out in the gym at night. Nothing special, just good ole' fashion sweat! ;0)

But what made Friday even MORE amazing than delicious cupcakes, and melting fat off of my body!?...making the FINAL payment on our Van!...making the FINAL payment on our debt in general!!!! We have been diligently working towards this goal for about 18 months, and it felt every bit as exciting as I expected and hoped for! A tear-filled moment indeed! I will continue working through April, just so we can jump-start our savings account, and then my final day at work is April 22nd...the Friday before Easter...It's no coincidence that it also happens to be "Good Friday!" :0)

Saturday: I woke up excited for the day! (Gee, I don't know why!? LOL!) I had been great on my diet all week, and I was down 10 pounds for the week so far! But the most exciting part (or so I thought) was yet to come...my mom was joining me for morning Zumba!!! Literally every time I am in a Zumba class, I daydream of having my family or close friends next to me, doing it with me. There is just something about Zumba...it's like a party...and you want your favorite people with you at your party! I never get to do Saturday Zumba, because that is the day I usually have my long run for the week...but not this Saturday! So, I asked my mom and sister Jenni to join me! My mom was an immediate "YES!", but much to my surprise, my (LAME!) sister Jenni informed me that it is her goal to NEVER attend a Zumba class..."It's too trendy!"...WHATEVER LOSER! (She will be kidnapped...and I will hold her hostage in a Zumba class one day! LOL!) So...my mom at Zumba...UGH! It was painful (literally) to watch! Unfortunately my mom's body wasn't what it once was and she has been suffering some crazy pain in her knee. She made it through the entire class, but not without me nearly crying. I kept telling her to leave, but my mama is strong-willed! She did eventually go to the back of the gym so she didn't "look like an idiot" in front of everyone else...she wanted to still do the class but at a modified level. She couldn't stand to leave the gym because, "I just love listening to the music." With that comment, and her gimping away to the back of the room, my rose-colored-glasses came off...my mom is officially OLD! HAHAHA!

I ended up not making good food choices for lunch, which meant I was still full when it came time for dinner. I dropped the kids off at my dad's house for a sleepover, and then Rick and I went out to celebrate our Anniversary...



We went to Parkhouse Eatery for the first time, and it was "AMAZING!" They brought us bread, and with the bread was this little bowl of oil. But after I dipped my bread in the oil, I realized there was some "stuff" on the bottom of the bowl. So I stepped out of my comfort zone, and I scooped the "stuff" onto my bread...Oh.My.Word!!! It was delicious! The server later explained to me that it was a combination of sundried tomatoes, black olives, capers, fresh basil, and carmelized onions...



Because I was still terribly full from my lunch at Subway, and now becuase I had downed a GRIP of bread (I was carbing up for Sunday, I promise!) I decided to go with their "Retro Iceberg Lettuce Salad" for dinner. It's a hunk of lettuce, topped with their homemade gorgonzola cheese dressing, and smoke applewood bacon...YUUUUUUMMMM!



Rick ended up having the Chef's Special, which was a Rib-eye Steak topped with a peanut sauce and a few onion rings. His meal also included some delicious sauteed green beans, and marscapone mashed potatoes.



I was soooo tempted to order the homemade peanut butter and chocolate bread pudding for dessert, but in a moment of strength, I resisted.

Sunday: I ran a Half Marathon!!! (See separate post)

As I had described, it was a GREAT week! I'm not sure how it can ever be topped, but in standard Elizabeth fashion, I will do my best to try! I ended up losing 6.5 pounds for the week...not too shabby! :0)