Gym Day 5&6

Day 5: Monday was a big day for me... I turned 32, and it was our first day back to reality after an amazing week in Northern Idaho {aka Heaven}, which also meant it was gym day AND the kick off to officially begin training for the half marathon in October. So after an 8 mile run I headed to the gym, I had been promised a day of upper body by our trainer, but she lied... you know how trainers are..."ok, do 12 reps", and at 12 they say "now give me 2 more." Or "only ten more seconds, go as hard as you can" and after 10 seconds they say "now back to normal for 10 more seconds". {I am really not complaining, the only reason to have a trainer is they will push you harder than you would yourself...} but today I was really looking forward to giving my legs a break and torturing my arms, chest, and back.

First circuit: (3 times)
Reverse lunges (with weights) off a step, same leg 16 reps then switch
Lateral Plyo jumps up and over the step, land into a squat.

Circuit 2: 3 times
Wall sit (1 min)
Calf raises (1 min)
Inner thigh (squeeze ball between knees 1 min)
Plyo Push up (push up head to head with partner clap opposite hands at peak of lift.

It seems like there was another circuit we did between these two but I just can't remember {old age}; do you remember Allison?

Day 6: Upper Body
First Circuit: (3 times)
Bench press (51 lb bar) 16 reps
T-bar (?? lbs) 16 reps - this one was working the back, you lay on stomach on this machine and grab a bar below you and pull it back, wrapping your shoulder blades around spine, then elbows up, and one final back squeeze.
1 min. Mountain Climbers

Second Circuit: Bosu Ball (3 times)
Stand on Bosu Hammer curl to overhead press to tricep dip/extension, and back down (12)
Bird dog: knees on Bosu, extend opposite leg and arm reach out and pinch up then tap hand and tow down (8,4,2 on each side)
Lateral Plyo Squat up and over bosu ball (1 min)

This was only yesterday but I may be forgetting something here to...

Learned? I only have 2 more sessions with the trainer {I have to go back to work} but I do think that I am getting stronger and firmer, Brian said he is starting to see some definition in my arms! Let's just hope I will keep up some basic weights after this is all over...

31 And Better Than Ever!

Today I turn 31 and I can honestly say that I feel amazing...

Let me elaborate: I feel more confident and secure with myself and my place in this world than I ever have before. I feel stronger and healthier physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I feel loved and my life is enriched with many positive relationships. I truly feel amazing.

This has been the BEST birthday I have ever had. Brian did an amazing job planning a great birthday surprise party for me on Friday night. The most amazing thing is he was able to keep a secret from me...for over two weeks he kept the party a surprise. It wasn't until the day of that both he and Madison started acting weird about stuff... Like dressing nice for what was supposed to be a bbq hang out night at the Mueller's, (see how nice and "matchie" they were)
or snapping at me for looking at a blank card on the counter, or asking "is that how you are going to wear your hair", or having a strange phone conversation with someone while on our way... you know hind sight is truly 20/20!

Brian invited all of the most important people to me, and he even got Vycci to make the trip from Denver! (Taken at breakfast the next morning, another surprise was they stayed with us and we got to stay up late and talk then continue through out the morning till they had to leave.)

He enlisted the help of Anne and Ari in this huge undertaking and they both did an amazing job in keeping the secret, making a delicious spread of food, and great decorations(blue and white- GO COLTS - thx Ari!). It was a great evening of friends and family that I will cherish for a long time to come. The only bummer is that because it was a surprise for me I didn't have my camera along, so no pictures were taken. Maybe someone else got a few... if they surface I will post them too.

Here is a list of everyone who was able to make it... just so I don't forget! Anne and her family, Ari and her family, Kelly Marachien and her family, Heather (my team teacher) and her family, Vycci and her family, Carrie and Rob and Myla, Dillon, Amy and Cecil, Mom and Dan, and Jerry and Maria and their kids.

Call me crazy, but on my actual birthday I wanted to run Serpents Trail. It was all about proving to myself that age is just a number and at 31 I can still kick some butt running a super difficult trail run. So I got up early and headed out for our weekly run. I truly have the best friends around, (Ari, Me, Anne, and Jan) they got up early on a Sunday to run with me, then had a birthday doughnut complete with a candle and the birthday song (see picture at top), and a Bolthouse Farms Mocha protein drink. Maybe we should have run it 3 times to counter act all the extra calories I consumed!

Another thing that made this birthday completely out of this world... (and I admit this is totally superficial) Brian gave me tickets to go see PEYTON MANNING when they play the Broncos on September 26. Ari and I got tickets on the SECOND ROW right behind the visitors bench!!! And if it couldn't get any better Ari got me a WHITE Peyton Manning jersey... Now I can coordinate "outfits" with him! (See I told you it was totally superficial).

Learned? If every birthday from here on out brings me this much joy, I am ready for them all! Heck I'd have one every day!

A New Adventure

Hello to all my readers (faithful, and passersby), I wanted to share something new and exciting with all of you...

The other day a friend of mine and I were commenting on our exploding closets and how we still have nothing to wear... So we came up with a solution:

It just so happens we are about the same size, so why not do a clothing swap once a month! The brilliance of it is that we automatically DOUBLE the size of our closets and who wouldn't want that??!!!

I am super excited to expand our wardrobes (at no cost to us) and rejuvenate clothes that have lost our love. Also who knows the stories we will be able to share (Maybe a real life "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants")!

We decided to keep track of how this new adventure unfolds at our new web site Castle Closet. We are planning our first "swap" later this month...so click on over and check out our progress! We are also including some of our favorite fashion spots you can check out on the web...



Can't wait to see how this turns out. AND if you know either of us, and live close, we would love to TRIPLE or QUADRUPLE all of our closets!!!

Learned: A HUGE "thank you" to my friend Summer who took our idea, ran with it, and made us this fun blog to record our adventure!!

Happy Birthday Rachel and Summer!

Today two of my friends celebrated their birthday.

Rachel and I have been friends for almost 11, or is it 12, years. We became roommates the summer after we graduated and have been friends since. Last night we celebrated her 30th birthday by watching Pride and Prejudice at Jill's. We don't just watch the new one... we are hard core, watching the A&E miniseries version that is quite long. We started it at 5:30 and didn't end until 11:30. Of course we had a break for cake and presents! There was lots of yummy food to enjoy too! My friend Summer joined us and made a delicious Limoncello Tiramisu YUMMMM! It was a very enjoyable evening!

Summer and I have known each other for several years as our daughters have gone to school together since preschool. Just recently we have become friends that hang out for more than that reason. During Christmas break I got her to start running with me (she is doing great and is already up to 4 miles!). Today she turned 36 (I think I can share that because she shared it on her blog... ) and she looks AMAZING! To celebrate we decided to work our butts off. Running was not an option today because there was no one available to watch the girls and Maddox. So we opted for a video rather than nothing at all. It was a completely different type of exertion than running. She earned her piece of cake for sure after that one!

So Happy Birthday to two amazing friends! Thanks for being a part of my life and sharing a part of yours with me!

Learned? Celebrating another year with each of my friends was very special, maybe if I focus on that rather than getting another year older, 30 won't be so difficult for me come August.

The Sister Phenomenon

Ever hear about sisters that are so close that they can finish each other's thoughts, or when one is feeling pain the other feels it as well? I've come to believe that my good friend Vycci is my long lost sister. There are so many ways that we are alike. To name a few... her dad's name is Ken, so is mine; she HATES bananas even gags at the name and so do I. She came to visit last weekend and we had even colored our hair almost the exact same, subtle highlights around the face. There are many more examples of this weird sisterly phenomenon between us, but this next one seals the deal for me. I have been feeling very ill lately, and I couldn't put my finger on it. I felt tired and weak, and that something was just not right. Then tonight I received a call from her and she had some sad news (that I am not sharing). After getting off the phone, I realized why I had felt so glum lately, I just new that something was a miss. So, my dear sister, I am thinking of you and praying for you during this time! I love you!

Learned? A good friend is as good as a sister (maybe even better).