So, based on the number of hits I got today, you actually like the site BETTER when it’s all screwed up!

August 3, 2009 at 4:30 pm (Day to Day, Exercise, School News, Shameless Self Promotion) (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , )

Sick! Sick people. Everyone loves a train wreck! Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I think I have fixed the problem. My earlier posting of some benches didn’t sit right with Mr. Internet, so it went all loopy.

I just took a break, went to go run (had to anyway) and now I am back with a clearer head and a better idea of what and how to fix these little problems. So, now we can get back to my monotonous life!

This an exercise update: Bike ride. We did 19+ miles on Saturday and I thought we would do it again on Sunday, but no. The BF had a better idea: Riding along the Old Plank Trail. Click on the name to see what it is and then finish reading, or just skip ahead and pretend to know what this means. Either way, it’s just a long-ass bike ride.

If you look at the site and click on the map, you will see Richton Park to the right and New Lenox to the left, that’s what we did. Rode from Richton Park going west to New Lenox. I too was like you, phhhtt…what’s the big deal?? We just rode 19 and it wasn’t even a problem (except that my butt bones are sore to the core) I can barely sit on that stupid bike seat much less ride it for 12.5 miles. In one direction. And then you have to ride it back, all 12.5 miles, because it’s not a loop. And your car is now 12.5 miles in the exact opposite direction. OMG. Easy on paper, quite a struggle on the path. I was sure I wasn’t going to make it. My knee was hurting from the ever-so-slight bending action required to peddle (not good–I think I need to raise my seat) and my butt was screaming! Everytime it would get nice and numb we would have to stop to cross a street and then, to sit back down, or even move the bike forward from a stop position was like pushing boulders up a hill with someone poking a red-hot pointy stick in your butt cheek, if I can get a little graphic here.

By the time we crossed Central and went under 57 I was ready to cry. Tears for the pain and tears because we were so close. As we came around the final turn to the parking lot where the car was you have to go down a curb bump. I think tears did spring to my eyes as I hit that last one and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get off of the bike. I wasn’t sure I could swing my leg up high enough to get it over the middle bar. Obviously, I did.

We even recovered enough after a few hours to go get sushi and walk around a car show, how’s that for diverse?

All in all, we logged a little over 25 miles in about 2 hours and 15 minutes. The only good thing was I was able to eat pretty much anything for dinner and not feel bad. I’m back to the calorie count and the eating plan. With the exception of no dairy now. That was the culprit in my terrible skin rash that kept breaking out on my face and cheeks (face cheeks, people! sheesh!)

Don’t worry, I took lots of pictures from sushi and the car show, but I have to post those later because I have a school meeting to attend and I can’t be late!

In case you were wondering, I ran 4.2 miles today. Legs were just fine. Did it in <49 minutes. (I hope that symbol means “less than”–I’m kind of beat–and dizzy from running—and I always get them confused when there’s only one of them—so forgive me for not knowing)

Stay tuned for later! Seriously. I have the kids room finished, Japan, Germany, some You Tube, the Oscars (fishes–in our tank), cars, words, quotes, and anything else that happens between now and 7 pm.

Keep me viable! My goal is 6000 hits by 6 months (September 17, anniversary) and only YOU can make it happen!

Thanks for staying to the end! Be back in a flash. L.

Permalink Leave a Comment

Welcome!

July 28, 2009 at 9:45 pm (Pictures, Warrior Dash) (, , , , , , , , , , )

56540003

Permalink Leave a Comment

Update. NOW it’s gonna rain…ratsafratsa…And the Final Warrior Dash post until next years event (or at least sign-up)

July 28, 2009 at 6:49 pm (Day to Day, Exercise, Pictures, Warrior Dash) (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , )

It’s like thunder, lightning…the way you love me is frightening…that’s from a song, but the storm is moving in. It’s like the weather was waiting for me to finish running today. “OK, Thunderheads, she’s done. She finally got her lazy butt up and around, send in the clouds and let her rip!” Bastard Atmospheric Conditions!

Anymuddyway…These are the final pictures from that damn little mud camera with the amazing ability to take blurry pictures of hot firefighters but somehow focus in with razor sharp acuity on my ginormous ass going over a wall. (If you wanna see the butt pictures–you gonna have to search the website–I put them in a separate post–Ha!)

Here they are. Thanks A & J!

56540008

Our kingdom for a wish…

Before the race. Strolling the course. Posing so bravely.

Before the race. Strolling the course. Posing so bravely.

Ooooh fire! Hurry!

Ooooh! Fire! Hurry!

Scary! And actually it was a little bit...it was hot, high, and 7 in the morning. We have to jump over that???

Scary! And actually it was a little bit...it was hot, high, and 7 in the morning. We have to jump over that???

The mud. Looks nice with no one in it. Kind of like a spa!

The mud. Looks nice with no one in it. Kind of like a spa!

The start.

The start.

People running with us. I'm kind of hungry...

People running with us. I'm kind of hungry...

Imagine that running on the flat ground is the easiest thing you do all day!

Imagine that running on the flat ground is the easiest thing you do all day!

The hills! Killer! Seemed easy until about the twentieth one!

The hills! Killer! Seemed easy until about the twentieth one!

The junkyard cars.

The junkyard cars.

Cheesecake!

Cheesecake!

My favorite part! In the forest! The steep terrain and jagged rocks! I really did like this part!

My favorite part! In the forest! The steep terrain and jagged rocks! I really did like this obstacle!

Walk the plank!

Climb over a spool. Walk the plank!

From the bottom...

From the bottom...

...and from the top!

...and from the top!

Look at that man! Just hops right over?? Where are the girls?? You gotta go look...'cause they are not in this section!

Look at that man! Just hops right over! Where are the girls?? You gotta go look...'cause they are not in this section!

In the tubes...a mere competitor...

In the tubes...a mere competitor...

...Out the other side...a WARRIOR!

...Out the other side...a WARRIOR!

Swampy. Our first taste of mud and what's to come!

Swampy. Our first taste of mud and what's to come!

The mud pit. Down and dirty and in it! We are there.

The mud pit. Down and dirty and in it! We are there.

We are so over it!

We are so over it!

Firefighters. Big Hoses. Water. Yes, please.

Firefighters. Big Hoses. Water. Yes, please.

See you all next year!!

Permalink Leave a Comment

And we are back…it’s Wednesday afternoon, pre-running post…More Warrior, with updates!

July 22, 2009 at 2:00 pm (Day to Day, Exercise, Pictures, Video, Warrior Dash) (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , )

As I was flipping thru the internet I noticed that the Helmet Cam video is on You Tube now! Thank goodness! I can’t get the other formats to work or convert or whatever people do to make things show up here. So I am posting that here. It’s long, but it gives a really good playback of what we were doing. Makes you wish you were there huh??

I went to my sister’s yesterday to babysit for her and her house full of children, including my own, because this year her birthday NEVER ends!

The hubby went and bought her tickets! Awwww….

It was a secret, she didn’t know she was going to the SOX game AND sitting behind the dugout–so close to the players she could feel their sweat (Eeeww for me, Yay! for her). She’s kind of a fanatic. At any rate, they took, like, 200 pictures of players I couldn’t identify on threat of death if they were standing right in front of me with their jerseys on, much less standing at home plate facing the other way swinging a bat! But whatever…she had a good time. If she sends me any of her favorite pictures I can add them here as kind of a Sox player-sister-tribute thing. So look for that later too!

Now that’s it. Happy Birthday. It’s over! Sheesh…

Also, they got the pictures back from the Mud-Cam and some are really good! Some are really bad too. Two in particular have me going over the Wall with my ass looking like I put two beach balls in my pants! It’s funny but not TOO funny. I confiscated the actual prints and they are currently residing in my fridge and food cabinets with a serious note to myself asking if I REALLY want to eat anything inside these areas of the house?? Maybe I should go have a big glass of water, run around the block, and reconsider eating any kind of solid food for the next few weeks. But I’m waiting for the digital to show up in my e-mail so I can post, so we’ll see if those two make it to daylight…maybe if I get a few subscribers??? Hint, hint. (Pathetic grab for attention!)

How long can I drag out this Warrior Dash to get more hits for my site? At least a few more days!

We have to go hit the trail now. Third day of the new fitness regiment. Mason doesn’t want to–he’s still sore, and Stevie doesn’t really get it yet…so this should be fun! Mommy has to be the bad guy. Exercise is good! In a month or so they’ll thank me!

I will post later with any new pics and such. Stay active!

Permalink Leave a Comment

Warrior Dash Helmet Cam

July 21, 2009 at 9:01 am (Video, Warrior Dash) (, , , , , , , , , , )

If this actually works…my sissy, her husband and myself are at the 2:00 mark. Right near the guy with the blood on the horns of his Warrior Helmet. It’s a lovely video of our backs walking toward the start! Then Mike pretty much zooms away from us!

No.

So just GO HERE!

I don’t have enough skills yet to make this work!

Permalink Leave a Comment

Warrior Dash Results plus Shameless Self Promotion (Subscribe To Me! Link is on right…)

July 21, 2009 at 8:26 am (Day to Day, Phone Camera, Pictures, Random Images, Warrior Dash) (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , )

As expected, I did not win the Warrior Dash. It’s ok. I kind of figured when I didn’t hear my name called on Saturday. And now looking at my dismal hour plus finish…haha.

(Subscribe → )

Really, it was over an hour. But not because I couldn’t do it. Mostly because I got stuck in an obstacle jam at the jumping Wall (not enough space for all of us to go over in a faster fashion) But I’m not complaining. I don’t really care anyway about the time. The whole thing was a blast!

(Subscribe → )

I’m still finding pics and video on the internet from it. Looking at everyone’s stuff I already found us in a few. I’ll post as we see. We still have one more camera that my brother-in-law took with thru the mud and gunk!

(Subscribe → )

On the Facebook site, you can really see some of the obstacles in other people’s pictures. The Swamp looks particularly gross and muddy, and the Hills look fun even thought they were killer. Up, down, up, down. I put that the Forest Trail Hills were my fav, but those grass hills are a close second!

(Subscribe → )

Well, back to the real world now. I have to go register the kids for school and hit the trail with my son! The road calls.

(Did I mention, subscribing?? Link is over there, top right corner → )

This is the NEW FEATURE post, begging…that I typed last night while most normal people were sleeping. Didn’t want you to miss it! And you wouldn’t…if…??? And that’s all I’ll say.

Here is another random phone camera pic because I like to have them on the site!

0415091633

Permalink Leave a Comment

Warrior Dash! Video! As promised!

July 20, 2009 at 9:53 am (Day to Day, Video, Warrior Dash) (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , )

These are all pretty short so take a look!

Number 1: Starting the Race

Number 2: The Second Loop–Looking Tired

Number 3: THE MUD!

That’s all for my videos, but I found this one after I posted mine. This was from another competitor who was way ahead of us in the end, but he just so happened to be starting in our same wave. He has some good video of our start from the back as opposed to our footage from the front. You can kind of see us in front of him in line a little bit here and there, but Mason is in the video for a nice cameo at about the 1:25 mark. This runner also has some good shots of the fire and some of the energy before and after the race!

We will be back next year! I hope you enjoy the videos!

Permalink Leave a Comment

I WAS the Warrior!!

July 18, 2009 at 4:39 pm (Day to Day, Pictures, Warrior Dash) (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , )

For a beautiful, brilliant, running, jumping, climbing, crawling, soggy, dirty, swampy, muddy, fire-singing moment in time, I was one with all the elements!

WE were one with all the elements. Myself, my sister and her husband got down and dirty and we are so over the WARRIOR DASH!!

We started nervous–didn’t know what to expect–but once we got into the Wave Gate, we were READY!

Just a fun day of goofing around on a 4 mile obstacle course with 2000 of our closest friends!

We didn’t win but we weren’t last and more importantly, we didn’t get HURT!

We got pictures. We got video. We WILL be back next year!

I will post what we have right now and please check back for the video!

Warriors Unite! We kicked extreme ass! See you in 2010!

This was our starting Wave Gate

This was our starting Wave Gate

This is everyone!

This is everyone!

Fire. Really.

Fire. Really.

Muddy???

Muddy???

Just a little bit...

Just a little bit...

Rinsing off enough to get in the car

Rinsing off enough to get in the car

Please stay tuned. As soon as I get the video downloaded it will be UP! In the meantime, check out the rest of these pics featuring crazy costumes!

P7180019P7180028P7180037P7180038P7180030 - CopyP7180031 - CopyP7180032 - Copy

Permalink 1 Comment

Happy Birthday Amanda!!

July 17, 2009 at 10:29 am (Day to Day, Flowers, Phone Camera, Pictures, Warrior Dash) (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , )

It is Friday the 17 th! My sister’s official birthday! And I see we are reading this webpage a little more regularly now. Thank you! AND making comments. Thank you again!

So, I never got back here yesterday because normal people stuff takes up more time than I thought, which is probably why I don’t do it on a regular basis. But I payed the bills, bought some groceries, tidied up the house a bit…we even had an overnight guest (the kids friend). Next up is laundry—have to get that dang pile down, posting more exciting things from yesterday when I was out in the world (Dodge Challenger…oooh) and basically waiting for my sissy today to come over!

The plan is for her to come here. We are going to have as nice birthday dinner while we can still eat through our mouths and not the feeding tube they will have to put in along with the full body casts that they put on when you break every bone in your body doing some crazy athletic race-type event because you think it’s cool. Then we’ll leave at 5 in the morning tomorrow and prepare for an all liquid diet for the next month! Kidding, I’m sure. We are highly trained athletes. Used to extreme adventures and bad terrain. WE ARE WARRIORS!!

Here are some true excerpts from the e-mail we got:

Warriors,

Brace yourselves for the wildest 3.75 miles of your life, a battleground full of dangerous and insane obstacles!  Warriors, prepare to battle.

That doesn’t seem to bad, right? Then it’s all blah, blah, details about packet pick-up, parking, etc… And then this:

Danger Warning

Please understand portions of Warrior Dash are truly extreme – your best judgment and respect for every participant is expected and appreciated.

This is no joke:  there really will be fire, swamps, extreme hills, etc.  We urge you to take special caution when entering the forest immediately before Splintering Spools because the hill is extremely steep (too steep to run down) and there’s limestone jutting out of the hill in several areas.

Excuse me, while I go poo in my pants. “Splintering” spools doesn’t sound too bad, you know, splinters in my knees and hands maybe…unless it’s like giant shards of wood sticking out…It’s the “steep hill” and “jutting limestone” that concerns me. I would like to NOT crack my skull open on a piece of extreme rock. Fire, swamps…I guess if I’m wet already I can’t technically catch on fire right??

At any rate, I’m getting a stomach ache thinking about it!

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER!! We are going to have SO much fun tomorrow!! I’ll make sure Mom gets us a room at the hospital together!!

Here are some flowers from my front wildflower landscape thing I tried to create! Aren’t they pretty? Won’t they be soothing to look at through giant, swollen, teary, puffy, black and blue eyes?? Ha.

For all you other folks who can only imagine…check out the web here for the actual event,

And here for the Face Book Link.

I don’t have it but some of the comments are funny.

Here’s your pictures Amanda! Happy B-day! Love, Me!

0714091817a0714091817b0714091817

Permalink 1 Comment

Final Training Day

May 14, 2009 at 11:48 pm (Day to Day) (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , )

Sorry I haven’t posted anything for awhile, but I have been in intensive training mode since yesterday after my mom left my house.  It’s Thursday night and let me re-cap my pre-race week:

Ran Tuesday afternoon: 3.6 miles.

Ok. That’s it. I ate like crap Tuesday night. I ate crap Wednesday. (It was pouring anyway, and I planned to skip the run so as not to fatigue myself or cause undo injury–fancy race talk). I even had Starbuck’s with my mom in sympathy for her ailments. (But, I did have it skinny with no whip–wimpy–I hate it when the healthy habit follows you around even when you don’t want it to)

Since the BF went out with friends and work people, I took the kids to McDonald’s, on the condition, by Stevie, that since Mason got to pick Wednesday, she could pick Thursday, which she picked Friday’s. And that worked out well for all of us and it makes a nice string-together sentence. Poetic. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday….

So you see the schedule I set for myself. Rigorous. So McD’s (dinner) is Big Mac, Fries, Sprite with a few nuggets for good measure. Then the Blues Brothers movie. Two hours of digestion. Then on to my playlists. I was working for you behind the scenes, as they say.

Thursday AM and I had every intention of getting up and exercising with my main girl Jillian Michaels. Don’t be fooled by the “beginning” aspect to this tape I have, my arms are getting rounder and cut and I do this workout much less than I want to. But the BF doesn’t have to go in to work until later today, so everybody sleeps until the last possible moment.

I did walk the kids to school—so I got that. However, I think I might have canceled that out, plus some, when I got in the car back home and drove to McDonald’s (again–but breakfast–notice the distinction) for some of those delicious Burrito’s for myself and a Sausage McMuffin sammy for the BF. Every good deed ya know??

So then after the BF left for work, I watched Regis and Kelly, as usual, and then 50 First Dates. I’m sorry, but I am a sucker for that movie. That KIND of movie. Funny, romantic, but not overly mushy, dramatic, unbelievable, blah blah blah. I know, but the time just ran away after that. Those movies on tv with commercials take like 3½ hours to watch. What was I supposed to do? Quit? I already committed. Love stinks.

So, I just did laundry and paid bills and goofed on the internet. Finished up another playlist—you all are so lucky. You could run for miles on what I got in the hopper. By this time, the BF was home. Short day.

So finally, one hour before the kids are due home, I got some of that… “exercise”, if I ain’t being too subtle. (That’s actually a borrowed phrase from the D-listed guy—love him!)  But I did get in a workout. (Like a double work out, really, because the BF’s friend kept calling until he picked it up–start and stop–start and stop, etc…)

Kids are home now. Homework done. Off to Friday’s, as promised, on Thursday. I ordered the low-fat lettuce leaf with spritz of vinagrette and a lemon water….yeah right. I had some new Cosmo Margarita that trendy place came up with, and paid TEN dollars for it. NOT worth it! It’s basically a weak-ass Margarita with cranberry juice. They bring it out in a giant Cocktail shaker–packed with ice and pink liquid and let you pour it yourself. I got 2 “drinks” out of the Tumbler thing, into my smaller glass, HALF rimmed with salt…but whatever…Lesson learned. Stick to straight shots in the car before going inside and you’ll do a lot better.

My food was Mac N’ Cheese. Ultimate Showdown Style. I like Guy Fieri, and the whole Friday’s concept, I’m even a Give Me More Stripes member…I don’t know what I get, but I include it every time I pay, and I get e-mails every now and then. Maybe you have to go every week or something to really reap the benefits…I’ll never know. Anyway, the only reason I ordered Mac N’ Cheese is because I saw Sunny Whats-Her-Name make her best Mac n Cheese EVER on her Food Network show. So I already had that in my head when I saw it on the menu. Not great. Sunny’s looked better. Oh well, the little Spicy Pumpkin Mini Muffins were good. I shoved them in my mouth and dinner was over.

Tomorrow looks to be more of the same. I can’t run because I am chaperoning a field trip for my daughter. Eli’s Cheesecake Factory! Part of the final lesson on Economics and the Business Fair. A tour of a real, successful business!  And we get lunch and cheesecake…so what am I to do? I have to go and participate. Haha.

Actually, we’ve known about this for awhile and I am glad I get to go. I was worried that with my unknown school schedule I would have to miss it, but luckily that madness starts NEXT week!! I am bursting for real!!

So back to now, it’s 10 pm. I’ll just Run Wild on Saturday–no big deal–I’ve been running enough that 3 miles is hardly a sweat-breaker. I seriously never thought I would be able to say that in my whole life. To just be fit enough to run at will. That’s a good thing because the Warrior Dash is after that, and I do have to train a teensy bit more…so more extra buffness is in my future.

I’ve given my fingers a pre-typing warm up tonight with a few games of Bejeweled. The Gem Game. I love it. I used to love it until 3 in the morning. It’s actually what I used to do all night before I started doing this.

My BF reconfigured the code on the game so that he could get 1.3 million points in Action Mode by increasing the points you get with each gem line you make. Then he changed it back and I have been struggling ever since to beat him fair and square using my advanced gemming skills. And I did it tonight! One million six hundred thousand, plus, points! HA! No cheating! Just an eye for the colors and fast reflexes. It’s good to be the Queen.I should go put those fast fingers to use somewhere else…

Maybe later. I have things to throw on the internet. Cool Words, Quotes, Picture Dictionary, another Story from my son! An action one!

But first, a playlist. I’ve had it for a bit now. I created it for my daughter and her friends. Ten years old and just learning how to navigate the phone-call-answering-machine-voice-mail-conference-call thing.

Two of Stevie’s  friends called here, together, using 3-way calling, when we weren’t home, and proceeded to leave six, (6), yes, six, long-ass messages on our answering machine. Apparently calling six times in a row is the way to get someone to pick up the phone even if they’re not there. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they just hung up, but they had conversations with each other while still hooked to our phone.

I’m actually surprised the answer machine tape, recorded all of the calls. It was like 20 minutes of talking. Her two friends talked about going to the library and where they were each at, with the occasional shout out to Stevie like, “Hey girl, are you there? Pick up the phone!” Then right back to their conversation. At one point, the first girl asked the second girl how long it had been since she actually CALLED Stevie on this number. And when the second girl said a few months, the first girl was like, “OH Dang–this might not even be her number!!” But do they hang up? No! They go on to tell us what numbers they are calling from and how they can be reached for the rest of the night.

It basically ended with the first girl telling the second girl, and I quote: “Khatana, you ain’t fly.” Then crazy, crazy laughter and finally, “Stevie call me.”

CLICK.

Thank God.

So, long story short, for all Stevie’s home girls that think they are cute, this is for you:

Khatana, You Ain’t Fly!

Permalink Leave a Comment

Next page »