American Idol Finale

Unless you live under a rock or are reading this blog for the first time, you are well aware of the fact that my dear friend Kira has made MANY an amazing things happen for me, and so many more. Kira even has the nickname Jedi. She isn't called Jedi for nothing.

It is also no secret that I love me some American Idol.

You can imagine where this is going...

YES! It is true. I went to the AMERICAN IDOL FINALE!


Once again, Kira worked her magic, and because of her, our friend Kathlene and I got to go to the Nokia Theater last Wednesday to watch the live results show. It was surreal.

Bono and The Edge. Carrie Underwood. Tim McGraw. Gladys Knight. Kirk Franklin. Beyonce. Lady Gaga. Judas Priest. Jack Black. Stephen Tyler. Marc Anthony. Not to mention LAUREN ALAINA and Scotty McCreery. It was a star studded evening!

I still can't believe that I got to be there for it LIVE and in person. I never would have thought that I would have been able to do something like that. And in reality, I probably never would have been able to without Kira working her Light Saber and Jedi tricks to make it happen.

Kira - Thank you, ONCE AGAIN, for being so thoughtful as to make this dream come true. :)

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Garden of Eden

I have had numerous friends join CSA's over the past few years. Joining a CSA is not something that I ever really considered to be for me. This is one instance in which ignorance is anything but bliss.

After just one week with Garden of Eden Organics CSA, I can honestly say that I don't know why I waited so long! If you live in San Diego County, and eat produce... which should be anyone who lives in San Diego County, CHECK THEM OUT! I PROMISE that you won't be disappointed!

The customer service is something to sign up for in itself. The gals working at the drop-off location that I went to were beyond helpful. Being a new comer, I didn't know what to expect and was nervous. I had NOTHING to be nervous about. The gals took their time to show me all that came in my box (which was A LOT) and even took their time to tell me some recipe ideas. The extra care was just the beginning of the wonderful experience.

The produce that came in my box was more than I even could have imagined! Lettuce, cabbage, nectarines, a box of blueberries, strawberries, oro blanco grapefruit, broccoli, curly kale, spinach, carrots, green onions and more! Keep in mind, this is just the SINGLE box!!! I was shocked when I saw just how much produce I would be receiving! Amazing!

I must say, the nectarines were the best nectarines that I have ever had. So juicy, sweet, and just perfect.

All this to say, please check out Garden of Eden Organics.

I am proud to be a member of this CSA and I promise you won't be disappointed if you join.

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Weight Watchers Update

I suppose I should update this tomorrow night since I will be weighing in tomorrow evening.

Oh well.

As of last Wednesday, I was down 26.4 pounds!

I last posted that I was Weight Watcher Cocky. Well, Apparently I wasn't so cocky after all considering I lost 3 pounds that week!!! Last week, I weighed in in the morning since I was unable to weigh in in the evening, and I was down .8 pounds.

On top of being down 26.4 pounds... for the first time in my life, I weigh less than it says on my license. I can't wait to reach goal weight to go get me a new license. :)

Here's to weighing in tomorrow. :)

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Weight Watcher Cocky

Yup, you read it right.

I have become Weight Watcher cocky.

A taste here. A little bite there. I know how many points are in that, I will track it later. Blah Blah Blah. If you have done WW, you know what I am talking about. You may not call it WW Cocky, but that is exactly what it is.

I became acutely aware of this condition about 2 weeks ago when I maintained at weigh-in. I became even more aware last week when I gained .8 (which isn't even a California Burrito). This week, I have tracked every single thing that I have consumed. I even tracked the Ice Cream cone that I got at Disneyland last night. And let me say, that ice cream cone was TOTALLY worth it.

This week is the first time in my 16 weeks of WW that I have used all of my weekly points (over-draft protection) and have even used some of my activity points. I have been ravenous the past few days. Nothing has been satisfying and I feel like I can't stop eating.

Today, I even said these dreaded words...
"I HATE DOING WEIGHT WATCHERS!"

I IMMEDIATELY caught myself and had to give myself a little pep talk. The reality is, I don't hate WW. In fact, I love it. I don't hate WW, I hate that things like Chocolate Chip Cookies and Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches are dangled in front of my face on a daily basis yet are so high in WW point value. I had to remind myself of my goal. I had to remind myself of how far I have come and of how good I feel. I just needed to give myself a little reality check.

So, as I write this, I have gained 5 activity points today and still have 3 of my daily points remaining and am done eating for the day. Clearly, it isn't that hard. :)

I just read a quote that further encouraged and pushed me in this process...

"Giving up something now for something better later is not a sacrifice. It is an investment."

An investment!!!!

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I ran...

...over the San Diego Bay Bridge (The Coronado Bridge) AND I lived to tell about it!


That's right!

Yesterday, Kira, June, Kathlene and I participated in the San Diego Bay Bridge Run/Walk. If you have never done a race of any kind, DO ONE! They are so fun. Trust me! In that, they are even more fun when you do it with some friends.

Kathlene finished first with a time of about 40 minutes.

Then came me, at:
If you don't have super eye-sight, that says 46:52.

I am so proud of myself. I am proud of myself for getting out there and trying. I am proud of myself for finishing in a time better than I had expected. I am proud.

Call me crazy, but I think I have become somewhat of a runner. So much so, that I have decided to train for a 15k! Yes, a 15k!!! 9.3 miles. The 15k will take place on the morning of Fourth of July on Coronado Island, which is one of my ultimate favorite places to be on the Fourth of July! Training starts TODAY. Today, I shall run 2-3 miles. I need to find a good 15k training schedule to help in the process. Anyone have one to recommend?
Anyone wanna join us?

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Run fast...

This is, by far, my favorite song to run to these days.

What is your favorite song to run to?

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Wedding Season 2011

Wedding Season 2011 is quickly approaching.

For the first time, I am not dreading getting in a dress for the occasions. In fact, I am looking forward to going shopping at stores that I was previously unable to shop in. I am looking forward to taking my new found confidence out in a pretty new dress.

I can't help but window shop while I watch Tangled on this lovely Saturday night.

Here is my favorite dress so far...

Oh, Anthropologie, why must you be so lovely?!

Alas, my first wedding isn't until June 18th, so I still have quite a bit of time; and let's be honest, I can't afford this lovely dress from Anthropologie anyway. I am hoping that my tried and true Old Navy or Target has something just as cute but a little bit more in my price range. :)

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Work Out Mix: UPDATED

The following songs make my time at the gym much more enjoyable.

Dog Days are Over - Florence + The Machine
Rolling In The Deep - Adele
Wake Me Up - Charles Kelley
One Step At a Time - Jordin Sparks
Separate Ways - Journey
I Do Not Hook Up - Kelly Clarkson
Stars Tonight - Lady Antebellum
No Reins - Rascal Flatts
Uncharted - Sara Bareilles
Many The Miles - Sara Bareilles
Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars
Check On It - Beyonce
Leavin - Jesse McCartney
Firework - Katy Perry
Raise Your Glass - Pink
Love Like This - Natasha Bedingfield

Last but not least... the ENTIRE Jennifer Hudson record. But, there is a whole post in the making about that so you will read more about that soon. :)

What songs keep you going?

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Running from Nothing

I think I have officially become a runner.

Maybe.

I think.

I never understood how people could just run. Getting on a treadmill to run was never something that appealed to me. In fact, running made me want to throw up, literally and figuratively speaking. I wasn't into it.

Back in February, I got on the treadmill at the gym just to see if I could run a mile without stopping. Much to my surprise, I ran the whole mile and in pretty good time. It felt good. It felt empowering. It started me on this journey of running 3-4 days a week.

Every time I run, I go with the goal of running a 5K. Some days, I finish a mile and am just done. Some days, I run a 5K and still have some energy so I walk some more, get on the elliptical, or ride the bike. As expected, my energy level varies with each day and so does my work out.

Last week, I ran my fastest mile yet. 10:22. It felt incredible!

Today, I ran my fastest 5K yet. 35:35. Again, it felt incredible!

Here is the proof...

So, I think I am a runner.

And...

I don't hate it!

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WW Update

I realize that I haven't given a WW update in a few weeks so I thought I would catch you up to where I am today.

This week, I lost 1.2 pounds taking me to a total weight loss of 23.6 pounds GONE.

Here are some of the things I find myself thinking/saying pretty often...

- I can't believe I have lost over 20 pounds.
- I feel so good already, I can only imagine how good I will feel at my goal.
- If I can do Weight Watchers, anyone can!
- I feel better than I have felt in my adult life.

Cheers the journey!

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