bootcamp baby steps

Hello wonderful bloggies! So it turns out, when you take a day off for Memorial Day, it takes a week to catch up with things.

Since we last spoke, I started Bootcamp Tulsa. I have heard GREAT things about this program from lots of girls and now I know it's all true. My purchase came from Groupon, so it's only two weeks, but I just needed a jump-start booty kicking for my running training.

Unfortunately, after my first session on Thursday, I pretty much hated my life. This workout style is the antithesis of what motivates me. As I was telling my BFF, my entire childhood and growing up, I got very used to being the slowest, coming in last, and having to work twice as hard as everyone.

And I think it really became a mindset. Something I counted on.

When you factor in larger class sizes than I'm used to, timed drills, feeling like everyone who's already finished is watching me, not having as much rest time as the people who finish first -- not to mention 90-degree heat straight after a long day at work -- those have been my least favorite, least motivating factors. In the past, I have preferred more one-on-one interaction, everyone going at the same pace, etc. **

** Totally nothing against Bootcamp! Like my BFF, a lot of people are actually motivated by those factors, and lots of great success stories have been written through that program. I am all for the things they do and getting people accountable and moving. I think I will like it even better when I get to know these encouraging people better, too! **

So after my first session, I really, really wanted to never look back. If you really want to know how bad it was, let me give you a picture: after just the warm up with lots of up-downs, I felt like throwing up and a sweet older lady came to the side with me and poured cold water down my neck.

Yeah. It was like that.

Luckily, I was sick and missed on Saturday, and today after a long day at work, it took a mini-pep-talk from my wonderful JT to get me to go. And as I was doing my umpteeth hill sprint, I came to a realization: if I'm ever going to break my preconceived, slow kid mentality, I have to finish this Bootcamp. I did enjoy class much better today after my pep talk from JT and my little attitude check. It kicked my booty, but in a wonderful way.

I have never minded being slower (BTW, I really liked that they grouped us into "Fast, Faster, and Fastest" and never used the word "Slow") than others. But I am perfectly aware that my mindset isn't healthy, and that mindset won't get me through a half marathon in December.

So here goes Baby Steps toward a positive, healthy mindset. A mindset that doesn't freeze or over-analyze when other runners are around. A mindset that celebrates every inch of pavement crossed, every every drop of sweat that falls, and every major or minor finish line crossed.

A mindset that focuses on the beauty and strength of what God created a body to do.

letters

Dear This Picture, The Pioneer Woman posted you on Twitter as one of her photo competition favorites, and I think you may be one of my favorites of all time. Thanks for the beauty, LB



Dear Memorial Day, I'm so glad you exist so we can celebrate and remember some very important people. And thank you for the chance for some alone time. Do you know how much I enjoyed a little one-on-one time with a sleeping pup, Harry Potter marathon, and my cooking show favs? Revitalized, LB

Dear Bootcamp Tulsa, Tomorrow I start you. After weeks of running by your sessions, Groupon made me an offer I couldn't resist. Make me a promise? Even if I ask you to go easy on me, don't. Capiche? LB


Dear Journey, Bon Jovi, & Bryan Adams, Can you tell me why I've been so obsessed with your sweet ballads lately? I mean, I know you were staples of my college mix tapes, but why the return to my think tank now? Whatever, you have the best love songs ever. Convinced I was born in the wrong decade, LB

Dear LOST, I am in Team LOST finale, but only just. And I like to call it Touched by a Desmond, but that's okay because he's my absolute favorite anyway. The flashbacks were priceless and your score was killer. I'll admit I watched you again On Demand by myself and let the tears flow. But let's pretend the last fifteen minutes never happened? LB


Dear Kitchen Mojo, I'm convinced you've finally returned! You were gone for a little while, but last night you returned with gumption and I'm so excited. Together, we made a delicious pumpkin plantain soup like the one from my honeymoon and prepped the lovely cranberry herb turkey burgers for tonight. No more frozen pizza for us, LB (PS: Were you hiding with Austin Powers' faja?)


Dear JT, Someone has a birthday next week. Someone may have some tricks up her sleeve for this very special occasion! Thank you for taking care of the pup this morning so I could sleep in. Since we've been married, I've been amazed at learning the way your brain thinks. How being thoughtful is almost automatic for you. Committed to learning more about you everyday, LB

(Letters inspired by Emily at Today's Letters)

sweet yellow puppy

Thoughts from day 4:  

even though sometimes he makes me crazy 

(esp. after five hours alone together of Nobites.Off.Goodboy!), 

my sweet yellow puppy does this and we are friends again. 

PS: right now he is swimming in his sleep.

cumin grilled chicken with deconstructed salsa salad

Ingredients:

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1-2 roughly chopped green onions
1/2 cup arugula
1 diced avocado
the juice of 1 lime
1 drizzle honey
1 T EVOO
salt + pepper + cumin to taste

Directions:

Preheat grill or grill pan to about medium high, but watch to make sure it doesn't get too hot if it takes you forever to prepare like me. (Here I butterfly my chicken to make it thinner and quicker to cook.) Season both sides of chicken with a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a pinch of cumin, making sure it's thoroughly covered. Grill chicken on both sides until the middle is no longer pink.

Chop salad ingredients and combine with arugula in a bowl to taste. When I say to taste, I mean if you like lots of onion, add more, etc. Drizzle EVOO, honey, and lime juice to taste, but make sure the salad is not too oily like mine was on the verge of being. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of cumin. After this picture was taken, I added corn to my salad with lots of black pepper just the way I like it!

Last step: don't judge LB's awesome photos from her iPhone, Monique!

Voila! Quick and easy!

so.sleepy.

Sampson is home. I don't know if I've ever been more exhausted in my life. Luckily, all the horror stories about puppies yowling all night were not true for our boy. But let's just say in the morning, he was more than ready to make up for lost time.

Let me rewind for a bit. We had a great dinner with Meseidy and Obed, as usual. We have really enjoyed getting to know them and spending time with them. Their friendship is living proof that Sampson has been a blessing in disguise in so many ways. Then we took our "doggie bag" home. He and JT played soccer in the yard for a little while. He only yowled for maybe 30 minutes off and on when we put him to bed and then he was done and slept through the night.

I, unfortunately, was not so lucky. Hopefully it's not Sampson that's making JT's allergies horrible, because he is pretty much allergic to everything outside. I'm not sure how much JT slept, but after going to bed at around 1:00, I woke up around 3:00 and didn't fall back to sleep until sometime after 5:20.

When my alarm went off at 6:16, I think Sampson was awake, but he didn't wake us up or anything. I carried him outside and the fun began. He went potty and then I fed him and his muddy paw prints. He is in this typical puppy stage where he wants me to be one of his brothers. Let's just say when we start puppy school on Sunday, we will have to work on biting and scratching!

So day one of taking care of a living being has been a success so far. I'm not going to lie, there have been some frustrating times already like when Sampson pooped in the house this morning or when he got work pants #1 full of mud, but we are living, learning, and loving every minute. As so many have been so kind to point out, getting a puppy is like having a baby in many ways, but we are determined to take it one step at a time and be really intentional about loving and being patient with him! Because he is just a baby, after all!

Here are some fun facts about Sampson at eight weeks:

• He is a big boy at a whopping 16.2 lbs! I think he is 2 full pounds bigger than his brothers and sisters.
• He thinks his water bowl is his personal swimming pool and always dips his paws in.
• He will not poop unless I go back inside. 
• He eats a big breakfast and a smaller lunch and smaller dinner.
• Our backyard is two levels, and Sampson cannot reach the second level yet. (Give it a few weeks.) When I got up on our porch swing on the second level, he was blissfully playing with his football (see above) but started freaking out when he couldn't get to me!
• His mommy (me) is trying reeeeally hard not to take 20932932 pictures of him and post them on blog/twitter/facebook/etc.!
• We may or may not be playing the Glee soundtrack in the room with him so he doesn't feel so lonely!

:)

This morning, I found a sweet surprise 

note on my steering wheel from  

"Sampson." 

Cannot wait to bring him home tonight!

vegging

 

My run's fate was sealed when JT offered to take me out for dinner. One of my biggest love languages is spontaneous weeknight dinners. I get JT's undivided attention -- well, before and after he is eating -- plus I don't have to cook or clean. And bonus! We discovered Calistoga Bar & Grill, a fantastic new (to us) restaurant on the Riverwalk, which is really close to our new house. Let me tell you, there are few things I get more excited about than sophisticated, delicious food at a reasonable price.

So how did my plan to eat healthy yesterday pan out?

Pretty great! I ate only my packed snacks throughout the day -- except for when my boss bought us sno-cones, but I don't feel an ounce guilty for that small treat. I hadn't had a sno-cone since college. (Remember Shimmers, anyone?) 

At dinner, JT and I split a delicious cherry spinach salad with walnuts, goat cheese, and balsalmic dressing. It was SO good. I am becoming a goat cheese fanatic (try the house salad at Red Rock in Tulsa or OKC and tell me I am wrong!) so this was definitely a treat!

It was hard to choose which pizza sounded best, but JT got this chicken pesto pizza with bacon, tomatoes, and cheddar, which I had a bite of, and it was also very flavorful!

 

I ordered a veggie wrap, which contained hummus, roasted red peppers, grilled mushrooms, zucchini, onions, and balsamic greens with a side of homemade potato crisps.  After I'd ordered, I realized that my day had a trend: in my efforts to eat healthy, I had eaten completely vegetarian. And everything was delicious!

We each ate until we weren't hungry. I can't wait to eat the rest of this for lunch! It was divine! We will definitely be eating at this cute little restaurant again to try all of the items we couldn't decide about. If you live in the Tulsa area and haven't tried Calistoga since it opened in October, you are definitely missing out on great food at reasonable prices in a location that's perfect for outdoor summer evenings.