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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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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Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat Crappy Food

Today was just filled with unhealthy temptations. I was in a huge hurry this morning and had to resist the temptation to stop and pick up a little microwave meal since fast food is a huge no-no on the challenge. Luckily I took the few extra minutes to toast up an Ezekiel English muffin and try out my new peanut butter. The peanut butter is super sweet and might work better in oatmeal or a smoothie but I LOVED the taste.

I also grabbed a banana and a V8 fusion (which are ½ off at our Kroger this week. Score!)

My workday got off to a hectic start and I was out the door for appointments before I could even check my messages. This happens sometimes and unfortunately I forgot to pack a snack (usually fruit, nuts, or a bar of some kind) just incase I got hungry. I did of course. Luckily my water and general business got me back to the office where I was about an hour and ½ late of my “normal” lunchtime. I was so glad to put my little salad together.

I warmed the chicken a little and mixed everything up so all of the veggies were coated. Yum!

In the midst of this I notice our break room table is covered in doughnuts, bread, cookies, and homemade candy. It looked like a temptation on “The Biggest Loser”. I am not kidding.  I didn’t touch it and I am proud to say a work pal who just started Weight Watchers didn’t touch it either. I told her that people leave goodies in there all the time and you kind of just have to ignore it. Don’t get me wrong- I won’t ignore all treats. If it were baklava, a cupcake, or monkey bread I would probably partake. The key is planning I think. You can plan to work a treat in here and there. The whole reason they are “treats” is because they are not supposed to be eaten everyday.  I also think that when you are actively trying to lose weight you have to prioritize. A plain-jane doughnut really is not worth the calories while a piece of fresh chocolate mousse might be. I saw this truck driving home and it made me think. If you were going to consume the extra calories would you rather it be a candy bar you grabbed at the gas station on whim or some yummy desert that you planned for calorie wise and can eat from a pretty dish while watching reruns of Sex and The City?

-It says: Slow Down Decadence Cant Be Rushed-

My day stayed just as busy at it started and mid-afternoon I had a rolo (I know random) and the Luna Bar that I bought during my workday travels this week. This flavor was so sweet I almost felt like I was eating a cookie. I cannot sing the praises of the CLIFF bar people enough. I have yet to try a flavor that I didn’t like. I am also a LARA bar fan. What is your favorite protein/snack type bar?

Since I am flexing out of work tomorrow (meaning I have already worked a full work week) I have big plans for a long and challenging workout so I used tonight as my “rest” night. I settled in to watch the NFL draft and I had a crazy craving for chicken wings and fries. I am going to fight that urge until at least football season so instead I made a honey mustard sauce with 1/4 cup mustard, 1/4 cup honey, and some lemon juice. I salt and peppered some boneless skinless chicken breasts and poured 1/2 the sauce down over them, baked them at 350 degrees for 20 min, flipped them, poured on the rest of the sauce and baked for another ten minutes. Add to that a side of sweet potato fries (the chipolte spicy version) and I was in heaven. Maybe not the most balanced meal but it killed the craving while being low calorie.

I am getting geared up for my early weekend. Besides tomorrow’s “go big” workout I have a day of light shopping planned while I wait for Bryan to get home.  After that Bry and I have plans to catch a movie and buy all of the supplies and goodies for our BBQ Saturday night with Bryan’s family.  I am looking forward to making some modified BBQ foods for myself while everyone else has some cook-out favorites.  What is your favorite cookout food?

Have a Happy and Healthy Thursday!

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