The best (or not) laid plans...

Coming up to the end of 2011, I decided to look back at my 2011 goals and see if I accomplished any of them in 2011. I decided last year to call them goals instead of resolutions because my resolutions usually last for about a month and then *poof* they are gone! Goals seemed like a better word with less stigma attached. Here they are in all of their goal glory...how did I do?

Goals for 2011
1. Eat less what does this mean? that was a bad goal. did I do it? who knows?
2. Snack on fruit and veggies, not junk this i was good at in spurts...but not 100%
3. Exercise AT LEAST 3 days a week i would say I did this 85% of the weeks...not too bad i guess
4. PR on my ½ marathon time DONE! had another 7 minute PR at Urban Cow, new time to beat is 2:53!
5. Get to my goal weight (160lbs) nope...still fighting that battle. have not gained at all though, which is a plus
6. Pay off 2 credit cards (Golden 1 and Discover) yes and no...paid them off but then consolidated husband's debt onto discover because of it's lower rate
7. Put AT LEAST $50/month in savings did this, but had a few home issues that ate into it, but at least it was there

8. Not leave school until I have the next day planned, copies ran and papers
graded i really tried to be better, i would say 75% of the time
9. Be more outgoing/social/extroverted nope, still same old introverted me
10. Have AT LEAST 1 date night/month or more...we spent WAY too much money on eating out and other adventures this year, but that is what our new budget is for!

So there it is, my 2011 goals and outcomes. How did I do? Eh. Can I do better? Yes! My next post will be a 2012 goals post that has a few more measurable goals and lays them out with timelines instead of just "sometime in 2012". I read a blog recently where the author mentioned that New Years resolutions often get broken because they are un-attainable or have no set time goal. She suggested making numerous smaller goals throughout the year which can improve chances of success. I am all about success, so I am taking her advice! Until next time!

Update on Life

I am a really bad blogger...not that many people read this thing...but in case anyone is still out there, here is a little update :D

In September I started my job at Lodi High school. It was a rough few months looking for a new job, but I found one and I really love it there! The staff is all so nice and the administration is very supportive and helpful and I really feel at home there. The commute is a bit tiresome, but it isn't the worst in the world I am sure. I really hope that they are able to keep me on for next year. I finally feel like I am in a place where I belong. The students are great for the most part and I finally feel like I am "getting it". They say it takes up to 5 years to master the art of teaching and this is only year 3 for me, so it can only get better!

Our new house is treating us okay...we have had a few "joys of home ownership" moments these past few months (our heater is currently not working...) but it is our home and we love it! Our menagerie is doing well; this month we celebrate 1 year since we brought home our pup, Jenny. Awww. We love her!

Matt and I have both kept up with our running in SacFit and he recently completed his first marathon! I am so proud of him! He did so great and is planning on number 2 next year! I PR'd in October at Urban Cow; another 7 minute PR! On to the next! :D SacFit starts up again soon and I cannot wait because December has been my laziest month yet! I dread getting on the scale! My focus on weight loss has waned and I have been very bad with my exercise and been eating some bad stuff. I hate to be one of "those people" but January 1st is the day for me to get back on the horse so to speak and get these last 10 lbs gone! I know I can do it I just need to try harder! I am thinking of training for a November marathon so I need to be at my "racing weight" before then! LOL

That is basically my life in a nutshell for the past few months. I am pretty boring! I am going to try to be a little more on top of this thing! I promise! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I have a JOB!!!!!!

Me again...updating every few months seems to be my MO...but this time I have a good news blog, not one of those depressing ones like the last few! I start teaching Spanish again on Tuesday! After 5 interviews and 5 rejections, my 6th time was a charm! I found out from my mentor teacher that I had when student teaching that Lodi High School was looking for a Spanish teacher. I applied right away and waited for a phone call...and waited...and waited. Finally I got a call for a Wednesday interview and by Friday I had a job offer! I am pretty excited but also a bit scared! They have been in school for 5 weeks already and I will be coming in on the heels of a long term substitute. I can only hope the students show me some mercy! The drive to Lodi is about 45 minutes, which isn't too horrible. I have discovered that books on CD are a Godsend when driving almost 2 hours a day! Maybe I will start reviewing them on this blog! (light bulb!) All of the staff there seem so nice and helpful and are genuinely happy to have me there. I am meeting with the admin staff after school today to get all set up and hopefully beg for my AC to be fixed (Hasn't worked since school started!) and for an LCD projector and a printer. But I guess beggars can't be choosers so a job is a job no matter if the AC is broken and I can't show powerpoints or print anything locally. Eh. I am looking forward to doing what I was meant to do again, finally! I was beginning to get scared a little there, but I made it! Hopefully I can manage to update this thing more often and maybe review a few books too! :D

It's been a while...

I am the lamest blog updater in the universe...haha

My last update was a super late 1/2 marathon recap and since then not a whole lot of excitement has ensued in my life. I forget if I mentioned this in the blog before, but at the end of last school year I was laid off. I do not have a job. I have been on 4 interviews and rejected by all of those schools. I have put in 2 more applications since then but have not heard back from either school for an interview. I am set up to be a long term sub for the first month of the school year for another Mrs. Hill who is a Spanish teacher. She just had twins and will be on maternity leave until mid September. Lucky me, cause that equals $120/day in sub pay! Unfortunately that also means I am unemployed again after that. Sucks. I am receiving maximum unemployment benefits, but the total per month is about $600 less than I was making before. Yuck. I am also uninsured as far as health insurance goes because I am NOT paying $1200 a month for COBRA. Ha. They are funny.

In better news...my husband and I celebrated a year of wedded bliss on June 19th! We stayed the night on the Delta King in Old Sacramento, just like we did on our wedding night. It was the perfect anniversary! We walked around Old Sac, had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Ten-22, and had a romantic dinner at the restaurant on the Delta King. We also had some champagne to celebrate and opened a bottle of the wine we had saved from our wedding day. It was the best day and I am so lucky to have Matt in my life. Even though life is kinda crappy for us financially right now, we have each other and I know that things will get better. I just know it.

My 4th season of SacFit started a few weeks back and I am excited to get back into training and not being a lazy bum on my couch all the time! I am tentatively training for the Four Bridges Half Marathon, but may just train to train. Races are expensive and making less money these days means I have to make choices. Groceries or a race? I choose food, for sure. It is still fun to go out on Saturdays and see everyone and have a good time! I am trying really hard to get back into weight loss mode and get to my goal of 165 lbs. I have been maintaining really well for a long while now and need to finally get my butt in gear and what a better time then when I am unemployed, it's summer and I have nothing better to do!

I will leave you with a link to the new blog my husband set up that chronicles our weekly grocery shopping trips and our attempts to be frugal. Enjoy!

www.frugalduo.blogspot.com

Super-super-super-super belated race report...

I realized a few days ago that I never updated my blog with a race report for the Parkway Half Marathon! I am a dork! :D

As far as my goals go, I can really only say that I met goal C which was to PR and beat my last time of 3:07. My official time was 3:00:16. So close to being under 3:00! I was happy for a 7 minute PR, but wish I could have pushed just a little harder!

My main issue I think was going out too fast. I tried to pace myself, but I know I went out too fast and it made the last 5 miles really hard! I was in some major pain! I am on the fence as to what my plans are for the next one, or if there will be a 1/2 mary #4. They cost so much and it's a lot of pain for one event...I know for sure I am going to keep up with my walking/running, but maybe not in such a competitive way.

I am crazily contemplating another triathlon...September 11th. I haven't decided yet cause I haven't really had time to train in the pool and get an idea of how I could do. I know I would need to devote A LOT more time to pool training. I may just do the duathlon instead...we shall see!

On the eve of #3

It is hard to beleive that the runner girl on my half marathon ticker is already down to 1 day left! These past few months have been a blur of craziness! I am more scared/apprehensive for this half marathon than my first one last year. I had an awesome run at Run Rocklin's 12K and I can only hope to repeat that performance for the race tomorrow. Of course tomorrow's race is 5 miles longer...

I always like how other bloggers post their A, B, and C goals...so here is my attempt at that.

A goal: Finish in 2:50 (12:58 pace) I did run rocklin 12k at a 12:45 average pace, but like I said, 13.1 is about 5 miles farther.

B goal: Finish sub 3:00 (13:40 pace) I would be happy with 2:59:59!

C goal: Beat my PR of 3:07 (~14:00 pace)

I am really hoping for either goal A or B. I know goal B is the most realistic, but part of me wants to beleive that Run Rocklin was not a fluke and I can be that fast. All I know is I need to keep it slow to start and slowly build up. It is going to be warm, but it was last year too so hopefully I can make it!

I am excited about this race also because it is my husbands first half marathon! I convinced him to join SacFit this season and he is FAST! The only crappy thing is that he won't have anyone to meet him at the finish and see him finish :C because I am running and so are both of his parents. I joked that I would try to be faster than him so that I could be there but his goal is to finish in 2:25 so I don't think so!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and wish me luck for tomorrow!

100 day challenge is done!!!!!

I did it! I have completed the 100 day challenge! Every day since January 1st I have moved for at least 30 minutes every day! I finished up day 100 today by finally getting back into the water for the first time since my triathlon in August! It went really well and I want to keep it up and get better and better! I have been throwing around another 100 day streak, but have not decided yet. We shall see what tomorrow holds for me...I know for sure that swimming is going to be a major goal of mine. I downloaded a 12 week sprint triathlon swimming plan and I am determined to complete it without missing a day! Woo! I can do this!

Here is a picture of my 100 day tracker and the monthly trackers where I wrote what I did for each day. A lot of the days were just walks with Jenny, but I feel great and like I accomplished something I never could have a few years ago when I was a couch potato!

WooHoo!

I stepped on the scale this morning for my usual Friday weigh in and was pleasantly surprised to see that there was no longer a 7 in the 10's place! Woo! Not until just now did I do the math and realize that I am down 2.2lbs from last week! Yes! 169.6lbs was my weigh in! Yes! I feel so great about this! I am certainly not keeping the best track of my calories, but I have been more conscious of my food choices and am certainly exercising like a wild woman(today is day 84 of the 100 day challenge!)! There is really no better way to start my weekend, which is a busy one!

Tonight I am working a casino night from 6-9. Tomorrow is a 9.5 mile walk/run with SacFit followed by another casino night from 6-10 which is a 2 hour drive away. Sunday I am heading to Tahoe to spend some time with my family for my mom's birthday and am taking Monday off as a mental-health/travel back day. I am excited for the casino nights because it means an extra $130 that I could really use right now! And of course seeing my family and staying in an awesome timeshare is always fun! Hopefully my achilles holds up for 9.5 miles tomorrow!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Rainy Friday update

You would think that I would remember that every year around this time it is rainy...but alas. I guess I choose not to think about it. It's not that I don't like the rain, I just don't like it when it happens so often. A few days here and there are fine, but a whole week of rain is a little much for me. I want to be outside and take my dog for a walk and run and soak up the sunshine. Argh. But I guess the fact that we won't have to deal with a drought this summer is a good thing!

Tomorrow is a scheduled 8.5 miles on the parkway which will more than likely all be in the rain. I volunteered to head up the 15:00 purples which means I won't be running at all tomorrow, just walking. I figured it would be a nice change of pace for me, especially since last Saturday I hobbled the last 3.5 miles back to the pond with an achilles injury. I nursed it all weekend and it feels much better, but better safe than sorry! The parkway half marathon is a month away and I do not need to injure myself. I want to get faster and I can't do that if I am hurt.

My goal for the parkway is to PR, which means under 3:07. My ULTIMATE goal is under 3:00. For me to do a sub 3:00 I would have to keep a pace of 13:43 average. I am scared of this. I need to be doing everything right in my training if I want to accomplish this goal. That means all of my midweeks (sorry Zumba :C ) and speedwork at the track on Tuesdays. I know I can do it if I put all my effort into it!

This is getting long...sorry. One more thing and I am done. promise. I weighed in this morning expecting bad things, but was pleasantly surprised. 171.8lbs. That is a loss of 1.2lbs this week! Woo! I am almost out of the 170's again! I guess using sparkpeople to track my calories is working and I am sure the exercise daily isn't hurting. I have actually discovered that I had been eating not enough food versus too much. Weird. It feels good to be on the way back down again! :D

The ABC's of me

I have seen a few bloggers do this and it seemed like fun. Enjoy!

A. Age: 26
B. Bed size: Double...wish it were queen
C. Chore you dislike: cleaning the bathroom
D. Dogs: 1, her name is Jenny and she is a corgi mix
E. Essential start to your day: coffee!
F. Favorite color: green
G. Gold or silver: white gold
H. Height: 5' 10"
I. Instruments you play(ed): clarinet and tenor sax
J. Job title: spanish teacher
K. Kids: none
L. Live: Carmichael, California
M. Mom’s name: Brenda
N. Nicknames: Jess, babe, Jessiebear
O. Overnight hospital stays: none :D
P. Pet peeves: when people say "sure" as a response...
Q. Quote from a movie: "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't slow down and look around once in awhile you might miss it" Ferris Bueller
R. Righty or lefty: Righty.
S. Siblings: one brother, he's 23
T. Time you wake up: weekdays-5:30am weekends-6:30 (stupid cats and internal clock)
U. Underwear: yes?...lol
V. Vegetables you don’t like: yams, ew
W.What makes you run late: I am never late.
X. X-rays you’ve had: teeth
Y. Yummy food you make: I make really yummy enchiladas
Z. Zoo animal favorites: elephants!

Good news and bad news

The good news is that I lost a pound this week to put me at 173lbs. Woo.

The bad news is that I met with my principal today and he is not asking me back next year...aka I do not have a job at that school next year. My last paycheck is in June and after that who knows? I have to start looking for new jobs and hope that it pans out. If I can't find a teaching job maybe I will find something else. I am still in shock I think.

Update on my life

Wow...haven't posted since my birthday. Pretty lame. But you know what isn't lame? Being on day 56 of the 100 day challenge! Every day since January 1st I have done at least 30 minutes of activity. I am so proud of myself! I never in a million years thought I would get this far! I should never doubt myself because I can do anything I put my mind to.

Speaking of that...as of yesterday I decided to finally start using my sparkpeople account to track my calories in and out. I have had the account since before my wedding but never really used it. It really is a great website, plus I discovered they have an app for the iPhone so I can track from my phone! Super awesome! If I want to lose this last 9 pounds I am going to need to get down to business with my eating in addition to the exercise. Exercise is great and all, but weight loss comes down to calories consumed versus calories burned and for a while I have been slacking off in the food department and been eating a lot. Granted I haven't gained a whole lot back, but it did hit me when I saw that the last time I used the sparkpeople account I was at 166 pounds. Not cool. I can and will lose these last 9 pounds and maybe even more depending on how I look and feel.

In other news...the decision about my tenure has to be made by Tuesday. The principal came in today for his last observation and it wasn't my best day. I have been having a lot of stress dealing with the fact that I may not have a job next year, but I need to realize that I cannot control the outcome so I just need to chill out and do my job and hope for the best. Matt has had the hardest time actually getting me to do this because I am a negative person. I can't help but think the worst. Hopefully this weekend goes by quickly and by Monday afternoon I know if I am going to need to start looking for a new job. Scary, but I can do it. Think good thoughts for me, I need them.

100 day challenge update

On January 1st I started the 100 days of movement challenge put forth by John Bingham on facebook. I founf the challenge through a friend that had joined and I decided to do it. Basically the challenge is to move intentionally for at least 30 minutes a day for 100 days straight.

I am happy to report that as of yesterday I have completed 31 days of the 100 day challenge meaning that from January 1st to the 31st I moved for at least 30 minutes EVERY DAY! I am so proud of myself for sticking with this! Only a few months left! :D My movement consisted of running, walking my doggy, gym classes, wii fit and many other types of movement. I cannot say it has been easy because there were days I just wanted to lay on the couch and not get up to move, but I did and I made it 31 days!

Here are pics of my 100 day challenge tracker as well as my January activity calendar. Hope everyone is having a great February 1st! It's my birthday! :D

Weekend Recap with pics!

I pretty much had the best weekend ever! :D Saturday morning was SacFit and my group did a little over 3 miles. It was a nice day on the parkway despite the mist that kept getting on my glasses. I seriously needed windshield wipers!

After SacFit, Matt and I took Jenny to the dog park to wear her out before we took her for boarding. She met a gigantic mastiff puppy and they played for about an hour. Mission accomplished!

We dropped Jenny off at the vet and then headed to Santa Rosa to see an awesome band play at a brewery there. It was such a great time! We had beer bites and lots of beer and pizza! The band was super awesome as always and I danced the night away! We stayed the night at our friend Mateo's house and headed back to Sac the next day.

On the way home we stopped at the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield to get some sport bean flops. Pretty much belly flops except they are the sport beans, which makes them super cheap! Yay!

Once we got home we had a few hours to ourselves and then we headed to Roseville and went shopping for a bit with my parents and brother and his girlfriend and then we went to BJ's for dinner! So good! I did not have any beer though as I had WAY too much the night before! I got a birthday pazookie and it was all in all an awesome pre-birthday weekend.

One thing I want to try to do more of on my blog is post pictures, so...here are a few from my fun weekend!


Matt and I at Russian River Brewery!


Beer bites! So good!


Matt and Rejection...delicious beer!

I was going to do a 100 day challenge update as well, but I will save that for tomorrow! It's my birthday tomorrow! Yay!

Early morning musings

I didn't post my weigh-in last week (-.2lbs)and I forgot to weigh-in yesterday. I am a dork. I did weigh-in this morning though and I lost .8 lbs putting me at 173. I am pretty stoked about that.

I have been doing a challenge put forth by John Bingham that I discovered through a friend on facebook. The challenge is 100 days of movement. I am 29 days in and going strong! The goal is to intentionally move for 30 minutes a day for 100 days straight. It can be the gym, running, walking your dog, pretty much anything that has you moving for 30 minutes total everyday. I am really proud of myself for going this long without quitting! 29 days! That's a day shy of a whole month of moving every single day!

Is it helping my weigh-loss efforts? Possibly. But really all I care about is that I am doing it and I am going to make it to that 100 days a happier, healthier me! I am pretty happy about my loss this week, which I possibly wouldn't have had if I hadn't have been getting out there every day to do some form of exercise. Having a new doggie (pics coming as soon as I can find my camera) is a really great motivator to get outside for a walk. She is full of energy and taking her on long walks tired her out :D

This morning I am headed to SacFit for 46 minutes of walking/running. Day 29 accomplished! After that we plan to take Jenny to the dog park to wear her out before we take her to the boarding kennel to stay while we are in Santa Rosa for my early b-day present! We are headed to the Russian River Brewery for a show by my favorite band, Five AM. I am so excited! My parents are taking me to an early bday dinner on Sunday at Bj's too. I am so spoiled this weekend! My bday is Tuesday and I will be 26. I am over a quarter century old. Geez.

Signing off for now. Hopefully I can find my camera before tonight so I can take some pics at the show and of my little Jenny :D Have an awesome weekend everyone!

Help me!

My blog is so boring...

What could I do to make it better?

Give me some ideas.

I was thinking more pictures and updates, less talk about my weight and more about my life (as boring as it is), and maybe starting a "3 things thursday" or "fun friday" post that I do weekly.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks to all my readers! (all 16 of you!)

I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed...

I had a gain of 0.6lbs this morning. I guess getting more exercise really isn't going to be the magic ingredient. Food is key. That means I need to stop eating so much of it! Or could it be that I am exercising more, so I need to eat more of it. This is the part I hate. I can control my exercise, but knowing how much food I need to be eating has made me crazy for the last 2 years! Oh well...at least it's only 0.6lbs. Here's to hoping it will be gone next Friday!

Whoohoo!

Last night I cheated and stepped on the scale and was dissapointed at the number...but this morning I was ecstatic! It is amazing that morning vs evening weigh-ins can be so different! My morning weigh-in today was 173.4lbs! Woo! I am down 2.2lbs from Sunday. I am so happy! The 100 days of movement challenge is really helping me to be more active and not make excuses and I am sure it has helped with this loss. As long as I can keep seeing smaller and smaller numbers week after week I will be a happy girl!

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend! Tomorrow is the season opener for SacFit which is the running group I belong to. I am going to be a pace assistant for the magenta group this season and I am looking forward to Saturdays at the Pond!

First Weigh-In of 2011

Tomorrow is the day. My weight loss ticker has my 2011 starting weight which was 175.6lbs. Yuck. Let's hope tomorrow morning's number is lower...