I may not be dropping the pounds but...

I may not be dropping the pounds but I sure am losing the inches. Oh my goodness, I have to say this working out is awesome. My pants are fitting better and my legs are really firming up. I can even run up 3 flights of stairs now without getting winded! I'm really impressed by the class because it made Chris and I recommit to our life style changes. It will be sad when the class ends because I love the support and the attention. They are offering another class but with our commutes in the winter, it would be impossible not to be late so we'll hook up with them again in the spring. I'm just uber impressed with all of our changes that we have made behaviorally wise. We eat better, feel better, and heck, we are looking better. If only I had taken a before and after picture...darn me for not doing that.

Ah, the election is only 1 week away. So here is what I believe: the social security especially the disability part needs a whole overhaul and welfare needs to be re-evaluated. I believe in government health care and I am willing to contribute my share for my fellow American because people should not go bankrupt due to medical bills or get denied for care that they need. Okay, don't hate me for it. I'm a social worker which usually = Democrat because Republican social workers are few and far between and the ones I've encountered are super scary. Michigan is hurting bad. For example, the local paper only had 2 pages of employment listings and half were in the medical field. Homes are being foreclosed left and right, every week a business goes out in my area, there are no jobs, and it's scary. I had a conversation with my mom and she's worried that if Chrysler gets bought out by GM, they would lose their hx. My mom is 57 years old and it will be 8 years before she gets medicare. What happens if my mom does not have any insurance in the future? On their fixed income, it would be a huge stretch to buy insurance. That scares the crap out of me. Listening to NPR today and hearing about how devastating it would be to lose one of the big 3 makes me sick to my stomach. I remember when my dad was laid off in the 70s/early 80s, I spent my childhood in the unemployment lines. My dad would work 2 jobs, one being a painter, the other doing factory work that drove scraps of metal into his skin, mom worked jobs that she hated but they did what they could to make ends meet. I never knew about it because they did the right thing and not transfer that stress onto my sister and I. My parents were smart though and they taught me some hard core values such as live below your means, do a budget, and pretend you are poor. I really do these things. Chris and I are doing things right (hopefully), we bought a 1 income home, we budget, save money where we can, and I rarely buy new clothes for myself (Goodwill and Salvation Army have always been a my best friend). We do spend on the house for home improvements (windows will be installed soon and Chris layed some insulation for the house) and travel but beyond that, we live simple. We have no debt besides the house and for me, that is an amazing thing. I like simple non-materialistic living and I could care less what other people think about me. I don't need the best, new greatest thing, nor do I need a brand new top to make myself feel good because I get that same feeling when I find a treasure at a thrift shop because after you wash a top, it's used anyways.

This time of year, I always think about the guys who I dated who were Republican...which were many because I'm a Democrat but somehow always date Republicans...thank Goodness Chris is a fellow Democrat. Anyways, the election time always makes me think about my first boyfriend David. I swore to others that I would kiss him in front of others (my first time) if Bush Sr. would win over Dukais. Funny thing is that he did but I freaked out and didn't kiss him at that time...that came later at a school dance :) Then Sluggy was a staunch Republican and he made me pissed off the whole election time. I still wonder if those two are still Republicans after Bush being in office. I remember telling him when GB got into office, his job would be gone, and it totally was. But if that wouldn't have happened. I might have ended up with him because we moved in with each other due to financial reasons and after that hell, I dumped his @ss! Yeah! Go me, Go me...then I met Chris :) So everything happens for a reason. Whom ever gets in, we'll survive...we've done it the last 8. Just go out and vote and hope for the best because it will eventually get better. It always does.

I worked a what!?

I, Kellie Louise [last name], used a chain saw to chop down 9 Black Walnut trees in our back yard today. I never thought in a million years that I would have done this but you know what? Using a chain saw is awesome! BZZZ BZZZ! I'm thinking of that hair band chain saw song now :) Chris and I have been wanting to drop those trees since buying the home and today was a perfect day to do it. It was a crisp 50 degree day and we spent from 11 am until 5pm chopping the trees and putting the brush in a pile that will go to the yard waste facility next weekend. It really opened up the back yard. I also clipped about 20 choke cherry trees at the top of our hill. Our plan is to develop the hill and have some type of pagoda at the top of the hill next year with some outdoor furniture and our fire pit. And yes, we live in the city! (Above is the back yard this past spring, I'll try to post picks of what we did this weekend sometime this week). Our lot is pretty funky because it goes about 160 back and part of that is up a hill. With all the work, I'm completely sore now so I will sleep good tonight.

The workouts with the move it to lose it are going extremely well. I'm feeling better and not getting so winded when I walk up the 3 flights of stairs at the YMCA. Chris and I are doing 4 days of cardio for 45 minutes plus stretch and then 3 days of stretch. The Y just got this cool machines called "Freemotion" where the machine uses your body and they are so cool. Much better than the typical machine. I'm down a pound but I'm actually fitting my clothes better, which is good. Chris and I went to a health fair yesterday when we visited my folks yesterday and our cholesterol looks a whole lot better. I had always hovered around 200 and it was 174 (non-fasting). I was pretty happy about this. I think the program has done a good job at changing my eating behaviors because I'm more mindful about eating fruits and vegetables. We just need to stay on this track! Well, that's it for me tonight, take care all-Kellie

Life...

Today wasn't the best day. I learned that my boss (who is absolutely the best boss in the whole entire world) husband passed away on Saturday from Crohn's Disease. He was only 49. They have a child who is 7. I really feel for her and her family right now. So send some positive thoughts her way.

Things like this make me think about losing Chris. I don't know what life would look like without Chris nor do I want to think about it. Things like this really make you appreciate significant others. I absolutely love my husband with all my heart. It's the healthiest relationship that I have ever been it. It's a balanced, whole hearted life. It's funny but I have never felt this way with anyone. I guess that's why I married him. I love our life, our relationship, our home, and our cats. It makes me think about how fortunate I am in life to have such a blessed life. This Thursday is our anniversary...4 years really go by quick!

I started thinking last week that I needed to work on living in the moment more. There are times that I am so future orientated or past, that I'm not grounded in the present. While it is great to have these wonderful future goals, it's also important to be grounded in the present so life is not passing you by. I definitely need to work on that. Just looking at life on a daily basis, not the weekly where you are just so focused on making to the weekend.

The workout program is still amazing. Chris and I hit the Y 4 times last week. 45 minutes of cardio with one strength training. They want us to bump it up now to 45 minutes 4x a week and 3 x a week of strength...argh, that's a lot but we love it. I didn't see a loss today but my clothes are fitting better. I'll take that.

Oktoberfest in Amana, Iowa

Another killer weekend!

We went to Amana, Iowa this past weekend for Oktoberfest and it was awesome! I love Iowa. The people are terrific. I've always heard that the south takes the cake for hospitality but they cannot beat the people in Iowa. Everyone is so nice. I think Iowa gets a bad reputation but it's a gorgeous state and worth a visit. This was our second year in a row to visit the Amana Colonies and it was terrific. Funny thing is that Dateline NBC was taping while we were there. They were doing a story on unclaimed money. So we might be on TV. Another huge surprise that we had is that we were upgraded twice, once on the rental car and another on the room. We usually rent a car when we go 3 hours out to keep the mileage off our own car. So I reserved an intermediate car from Budget. When they got there, they didn't have any on the lot so they gave us a Seabring with XM radio...nice. Then we go to check into our room and they noted that they had an issue with the room so they upgraded us to a 1 bedroom suite condo. It was brand new with a flat screen, full kitchen, couch, chair, table, and deck! It usually went for $180ish a night and we got it for $90...unbelievable. I made some better food choices this year compared to last but I could have done a tad better eating wise. I did have a cherry turnover and one brat but last year I ate bad all weekend long and this wasn't the case this weekend. Being in the condo helped us cook a healthy breakfast too. I whopped up some scrambled eggs with minimal yoke, spinach, chicken sausage, and a dash of cheese. Plus we tracked our food so that was an amazing feat anyways.

The one thing that I am happy about is that we exercised this weekend...something we didn't do the year before. My foot was finally back to 95% so we took a 90 minute walk. It feels great to have back my proper mobility because I was limping for the majority of the week. I have to remember that I'm not that young anymore where if I push myself so hard, it will be forgiven the next day. It's like it will be forgiven the next week. It didn't help when we were at Mackinaw, I heated the foot instead of icing it. Argh, I learned my lesson there. Looking back, I definitely would have taken our bikes or rented them on Saturday because I over did it so much, I didn't get to enjoy the hotel like I should have. Which is a total bummer because there's a ton of things there but because I chose to over do it, I paid the price.

So after my 4lb gain last week, I am down to 192 :) It was a good week. The trainers are bumping the workout up. They are encouraging us to workout 4 times a week for 45 minutes high intensity. This is awesome but Chris and I need to make some time for the two extra days that we need to get. There's just never enough time...which stinks. We're already getting home late plus doing this 4 times a week is challenging but of course worth it. We just need to commit. Unfortunately, nothing ever comes easy.

Oh, hey anon...you are right that Chris has gained some weight. When we first met, he was about 172 and unfortunately our relationship, his microbrew drinking, lack of excercise, and change of career made him gain the weight and hit the scales at 235. Thus, he is the only male in our move it to lose it class. I keep on hearing from the ladies in the group how awesome it is to have my husband in the group because theirs would never come. What a shame!