Cowboys & Margaritas

How can I even start to write a blog about having one of the best days ever while watching my favorite team of all time lose? Well, maybe I should just start with breakfast and go from there.

This hotel is a treasure trove of healthy breakfast options. This morning I visited the omelette station for an egg white omelette with mushrooms, spinach, tomato, and onions. I also grabbed some wheat toast. The omelette was delicious but slightly more oily than I would like so I only at about 1/3 of it. The hubs made sure I had some peanut butter on my toast so I could get my needed protein and calories.

We were a touch late to meet our tour group. It turns out it pays to be timely. I had won a jersey in a raffle but were late so it went to the runner up. BOO! I only pouted for a second because it was game time!!

Our group traveled to Cowboys stadium which is a sight to behold for any sports fan. It’s nothing short of amazing. I was snapping photos like a crazy tourist and I could even tell the hubs (not a Cowboys fan….yet) was getting excited.

We made our way over to tail-gate with our group and we made a couple of new pals. It’s amazing how easy it is to bond over football. Anywho, the tailgate options were meat, meat, cheese covered meat, grease covered meat and booze. Ok I am kidding (sort of) but it was pretty much a frat guy’s culinary dream. Mine, not so much. I was told I HAD to try the homemade salsa so I got some with a handful of tortilla chips. That plus two bottles of water and one diet soda rounded out my tail-gating experience. We were watching televisions outside of what was going on live inside so I figured we should probably just head on in.

If you are not a huge sports fan this might not make sense to you but going inside the stadium took my breath away. I have been waiting for as long as I can remember to see the Cowboys play and suddenly there I was. I was ecstatic.

I was so excited to see the DCC (Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders). I probably took 30 photos of them. I danced for all of my childhood, teens, and early twenties so dance teams are near and dear to my heart.

After the players were introduced (and I have never screamed so much in my life except at U2 which is to be expected. I mean Bono hellloooo) Miss America came out to sing The National Anthem.

 

Game on! The Cowboys led for a hot second before they started getting their cute Cowboy butts handed to them. Just watching them play was a huge thrill for me.

Around 1/2 time I started to get hungry but food in the stadium is obnoxious expensive. I mean 60.00 for a pizza? Please. That pizza better do my dishes and take phone calls for me at work. To be fair, I saw on the way out they offered fresh fruit near the entrance and I will file that fact away for next time. So, for the second day in a row I had skipped lunch. (It’s bad. I know. I am making a promise to do better tomorrow.)

I had seen several of the girls around me sipping these tall yummy looking frozen margaritas so I sent the hubs off to get one for me. In retrospect it was not the best plan to have this on an empty stomach but it certainly made watching them continue to lose (badly) for the second half a lot more fun!

In all honesty, even though the game was painfully bad, I could not have had more fun (even without said frozen margarita). We did have some overly obnoxious Jacksonville fans behind us screaming “Yeah baby. That’s money baby” every single time Jacksonville did something even remotely good. It was annoying but something tells me I’ll be saying “thats money baby” for the rest of the trip. All in all, I was all smiles and I think the whole experience made a Cowboys fan of the hubs! (Ok I know..He told me so himself and wants to do it all over again next season!!)

When we finally made it back to the hotel we decided to make the 1/2 mile walk to a burger joint for a dinner. Not the best choice but I ordered the smallest burger they offered with a small order of fries. I loaded the burger with veggies and the meal fit well within my planned calories for the day. The hubs and I walked back to the hotel for some REST, blogging, and more rest.

We are headed to Cowboys Stadium in the morning for a tour. I am almost ashamed of how stoked I am to stand on that famous star and take a photo! So that was my day and I can’t resist ending with…. How bout them Cowboys!?!?!

　

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Once a Cowboy…

Even with a little nap today started to feel like the day that would not end. However, I somehow found a second wind when it was time to go pick up our football game tickets, swag bags, and meet our tour guides. If there is one thing a blogger loves it’s swag so I was super excited to get my grab bag which had a shirt, hat, coffee mugs, pens, etc. Ican’t lie though-the most exciting thing was finally getting my little paws on those Dallas Cowboys game tickets!!

After we got our goodies we found a table and got ready for the meet and greet. I had a bad feeling they would bring in a no name 4th string guy for the event but was actually pleased to learn they had chosen a retired Cowboy instead.

Yup! That is Kevin Smith. He was part of the team back when they were a force to be reckoned with. I can remember being in elementary/ middle school and watching them win the 92, 93, and 95 Superbowls. This guy was a part of that team!!

I of course felt the need to meet him so after the interview/Q&A session I went up to have my photo made with a real live Dallas Cowboy! Retired or not, he was a great player and it was really neat to meet him.

I am completely 120% excited to go to the game tomorrow. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve night. Teehee! Thankfully I am going on 4 hours of sleep so hopefully I will drift right off into some sweet Cowboys dreams!

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Welcome To Texas

It was a super early morning or super late night (depending on how you look at it) in the Running in Pink Project household.  The hubs and I were up at the unseemly hour of 3:00am to catch our flight to Charlotte, NC. Even though getting up this early sort of feels like a punch in the face I think we were looking pretty stylish for 3:30am!

 We made it to Charlotte with a short smooth flight. I slept the whole way and probably snored the whole way too. Sorry everyone else on board. *edit* The hubs assured me there was no snoring on the flight to NC! J After a quick layover it was time to board the flight for our final destination Dallas Texas!

 

I can honestly say the Charlotte airport is one of my favorites and I would have much rather spent an extra 30 minutes in there rather than crammed on the plane. It felt like we sat on the runway for eons. Maybe that’s just my impatience talking.

Finally, we were up in the air and headed to Dallas.

 I love love love that there were so many Dallas Cowboys fans on board (and Jacksonville fans). It makes me feel a little less crazy for flying across the country for a football game. It was fun to listen in on all of the football talk. It was also on the flight that my first fail for the trip took place. I never eat before flights because it makes me sick. However, I usually bring a snack or two *just in case*. I meant to grab a banana and some Annie’s organic bunny grahams for the flight but completely forgot. Cut to me starving on a plane to Dallas with 2 hours to go! I decided to pass some time by starting a blog post.

 The flight was smooth and painless (other than those pesky hunger pains) and we arrived in Dallas Texas. I am beyond excited to be here. This is my first trip to Texas and I cannot wait to take it all in.

 Since I was beyond starving upon landing the hubs and I found a place close by to grab a quick breakfast.  Dining out so much on vacation can get tricky when dieting or on a specific eating plan but there are options out there. This morning I lucked out as we arrived during our hotel’s morning breakfast. I was able to get an oatmeal mix which included raisins, granola, blueberries, and strawberries. Add on a side of pineapple and some skim milk and it was heaven in a bowl!

 

Now we are off to explore our hotel and suite.  I can’t wait! I am ready to take on Texas (after a super quick nap that is!!)

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Bigger In Texas?

The word on the street is everything is bigger in Texas. However,during this upcoming trip I am hoping my waistline will not be one of them. Ahem.  Actually, hoping is not the right word. It is more like actively planning to combat this. I plan to leave Texas just as healthy (if not more so) than when I got there.

My first task is to plan. By planning I do not mean make a packing list plan, (which I have already done of course) but rather make a meal/workout plan. Since we are going to be in Texas for 5 days I have broken it down like this:

The Workouts:
Our hotel features a full gym. (Score!).  Even if there is not a full gym most hotels feature fitness rooms of some sort. Even the smallest of facilities work fine.  If I get bored with the fitness center I can go for a run or walk and see the scenery. Working out somewhere new is a lot of fun. Also, a final option is using a local Gold’s Gym since I get 7 passes to other Gold’s Gyms per year. If you use a chain like Gold’s ask your front desk about passes. Also, you will be surprised how many gyms in the cities you visit will give you a 1-week pass for free (or for a small fee). My motto- It never hurts to ask!! There is no excuse for skipping workouts while on vacation. I have learned this slowly but surely.

The Food:
This is all about priorities. When I asked myself what foods MUST I try while I am in Texas my first thoughts were a steak dinner and Mexican food. This equates to two meals out of five days worth of eating. I think I can plan well and certainly fit those in. Remember that amazing pizza I had in Chicago? It is ok to indulge a little on vacation as long as overall you are sticking to your plan and making smart choices. There is so much to be said for balance.

The Fun:
It is vacation so having fun is your biggest priority. Run 3 miles instead of 5 if you like, make a lap or four around the outlets for some extra cardio, find a park, do a walking tour of the city, etc. There are so many ways to work in healthy choices on your vacation. I plan to burn some calories jumping up and down and cheering on The Dallas Cowboys on Sunday!!

I will have my little blogging in pink netbook along for the trip so I can get my real time Texas blogging on ya’ll! I hope Dallas is ready for me!!

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Details

Have you ever heard the expression “the devil is in the details”? I am
pretty sure whoever said that might have been talking about planning a
vacation. Don’t misunderstand, I love to plan. Planning is like my
whole grain bread and reduced calorie butter. It’s just kind of who I
am. Sometimes however, it can get overwhelming. There are so many
details involved with traveling. Plus, I am the type of person who
wants to see and do everything. Since that is impossible I find myself
doing endless research so I can make sure I don’t miss something
great. It’s tiring . Let me give you a quick little run-down of what I
am planning for the rest of 2010.

Family Vacation: We travel to SC with the hubs family in the summer. I
heart the beach and family time is always usually fabulous. I do love
spending some time with my family-in laws. ❤  Also, this is where the
hubs and I duke it out in our yearly summer putt-putt putt-off. If it
sounds lame well that’s because it is. Loser buys the winner ice cream
at Maggie Moos. 😉  (August 2010)

Healthy Living Summit: I am packing my bags and heading to Chicago for
the very first time. I am way too excited about it and fear I will
drive my roommate from Run,Eat,Date,Sleep crazy with my excessive
planning. I am trying to dial it back a little but truthfully I am so
jazzed to get there early Friday and see some of Chicago before the
breakout sessions on Saturday. Also, I am flying out on a Monday so I
will have a full day Sunday to explore the windy city. (August 2010)

Disney World: I heart all things Disney and I heart all things
running. So, why not do the Disney Wine and Dine ½ Marathon? The hubs
is running it too. We are just going for a long weekend but I have
every last minute jam crammed with Disney fun. I have to get it all in
because it will be March before we go again. Also, I have never been
during the food and wine festival so this should be pretty fantastic.
(October 2010)

Dallas: As I mentioned a few months ago we are all paid up to visit
Dallas TX for a Dallas Cowboys football game this fall. I have never
ever been to Dallas so I am beyond excited to look around the city and
find the good shopping and good dining. And there are no words for how
stinking excited I am about the game. The hubs- not so excited but
he’s a champ and I am sure he will make me regret this when he pick
our “big” vacation next summer. (November 2010)

(source)
Add in some trips to WV to see my parents, a possible white water
rafting trip, and (fingers crossed) a weekend in DC and that makes for
some serious planning and serious details. What are your vacation
plans for 2010?

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Great Expectations (and exciting news!)

I had my weekly weigh in today and I expected it to go well. I have come in on target with my calories and I worked REALLY hard at the gym(really really hard this week) so I was all psyched for a 2 pound loss this week. The scale had other plans for me. For the second week in a row I have lost a big ZERO pounds. Zero. I wonder how is it I have hit my first plateau when I still have so much to lose? This was not nearly as hard to handle last week when I had no high expectations for the weigh-in. It kind of makes me wonder Do great expectations help or hurt the weight loss process?

I decided the second I got in my car to think of three positive things to concentrate on. I know this sounds cheesy but it truly helps that deflated defeated “Why do I even bother” feeling that tries to worm its way in after a bad morning. I came up with these-

1. I have dropped 2 (almost 3 sizes in 10 weeks)
2. I am working out like I haven’t been able to do in AGES
3. I am not tired at the end of the day. I might be emotionally drained when I leave work by my feet don’t ache and I am not physically tired anymore when leaving the office.

All good things.  Of course I called the hubs for some emotional support and he offered the idea that he feels very strongly that I lose more efficiently when I am running and the last two weeks have been almost running free. He also noted that I have been on the low side with my calorie intake this week and I may not be eating enough. So, I am as you already know working the running back in this week. If that does not help I will slightly bump up the calories next week and if that STILL does not help I will need to sit down with my Weight Watchers leader (IE: My cousin-in-law) Steph and figure out what is wrong. That is the plan.

With that said I am proud that my moment of defeat was just a moment and I went on with my day as usual. I figured that unless I am some sort of freak of nature (which I am not) the scale will start to reflect the eating/working out that I have been doing.  I just need a little patience.

I had a huge cup of coffee with some splenda and fat free 1/2 and 1/2 to start my day followed by an Ezekiel English muffin and a V8 fusion.

Lunch was a basic salad with chicken and some whole grain rice.

Work was so busy I was done and out before I knew it (even though I was working a longer day). I had grocery shopping to do so I headed over to Kroger to stock up for the week. I bought some POM juice for the first time (the cherry blend) so I am looking forward to making one of those cherry bomb smoothies I keep seeing on other people’s blogs. I also stocked up on organic veggies, salad making supplies, and yogurt. Lastly I bought the items to make Bryan’s favorite dishes all week. He does not like a big deal to be made for his Birthday (which is TODAY btw) but I made sure to stock up on his favorite snacks and meal ingredients. Tonight he requested my famous Skinny Pigs for dinner which I made.

Now onto my exciting news. I just made the reservations for my very first trip to Dallas for this fall! I have loved the Dallas Cowboys since as long as I can remember. If you ask my dad he will say it’s *just* because I had a crush on Troy Aikman in middle school but truthfully this has been going on LONG before then. When I was really little I wanted to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader when I grew up (I thought it was a job hehehe) and my love for the team kind of just stuck through the years. Anyway, I am a HUGE fan and have always wanted to go to Texas and see them play. This October I’ll be there along with my less enthusiastic husband who happens to hate them, but whatever. 😉 I can’t wait. Do you like to watch sports? What is your sport/team of choice?

Have a happy and healthy Monday!

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