I miss her.

9 birthdays.

9 Christmases.

9 summer vacations.

9 years without you.

Missing you more and more every year....the pain is still so raw. I hope you're having an awesome birthday bash in heaven.

I miss you, Lisi. Always.

FXB: Week Two

Yesterday started Week 2 at FXB...and I have to say, it was awesome!! Now that all the week one muscle soreness is gone, the workouts are getting more and more intense. Today, I increased my band colors in nearly all of my upper body resistance training! I was pretty darn proud.

Don't get me wrong, it burns. There are times, during workouts, where I look at Josh and say, "Wow, that sucked!" After class on Monday, I threw up twice on the way home. Talk about busting my butt! It was reminiscent of "puke practices" in high school hockey where we conditioned until the first person puked.

The positive this week: I put on a pair of capris this morning, fresh out of the dryer, that were normally pretty tight on me. This morning, they weren't tight anymore! It was SUCH a confidence booster and motivator that there ARE changes happening, even if I'm not physically seeing them. Damion said it best when we were taking our photos that the reason they do it is because we see ourselves every day. You don't notice the changes you're making. Guess what? I might not see it, but I know it's happening....and it's awesome for my self-confidence! :)

Here's to cardio kickboxing tomorrow and lower body on Thursday....Cheers!

UPDATE: Josh said something to me last night that I had to share. Last week, I got REALLY frustrated on upper body day because I couldn't do all the exercises with resistance bands. The last upper body day, I did ALL the sets and even used harder bands! Woo Hoo!

10 Week Challenge

So, I've decided to blog about my 10 week challenge. This whole idea started back in early spring. Damion, one of the guys on the bigger half's softball team, has a gym called Farrell's. It's not really your typical gym, it's a 10 week body shaping program. I'll admit, I was a complete skeptic at first. Body shaping? Really?! That kind of stuff doesn't happen in 10 weeks. Then, it all changed. Our friends, JD and Trianna, went through the program for 10 weeks in the spring. JD brought his before and after pictures to ball one night and showed us. From that moment on, I was a Farrell's believer.

I convinced the bigger half that this would be something great for both of us. We'd be able to change our eating habits, exercise, gain confidence and, hopefully, change our relationship to make it even better.

So, we started on Saturday, July 9th. I have to say, the orientation wasn't as overwhelming or frustrating as I imagined it would be. In fact, I tested higher in most of the categories than I imagined I would. I'll post my stats, but not my weight, body fat or measurements. I'll save that for the end....and hopefully "wow" you.

Push Ups (in a minute): 16
Sit Ups (in a minute): 27
One Mile Run Time: 11:05
V-sit: 14.5"

I went in expecting to hardly to ANY push ups. After all, I am only 8 weeks post-surgery for my carpel tunnel. I did SIXTEEN! I was pretty pumped about that, especially since I did real push ups (or, as Jules calls them, MILF push ups!).

I also went in with a mile time of 15 minutes as my goal. I killed it! I was pretty excited.

Now, I have no where to go but up!

My goals for this program:

1. To increase my push ups and sit ups in a minute by 15 each.


2. To lose 15 pounds and 10 inches


3. To drop my body fat percentage 4-6%


4. To drop 2:00 off my mile time

Wish me luck! We're on day 4, my legs and arms feel like jell-o and I'm EXHAUSTED....but I know it's SO worth it!

Jackeroo Update

So, a quick update on Jack. I know, I know, I haven't blogged in a while....such is life!

Jack has been having bloody noses since around January. They started as bloody, crusty boogers and gradually worked their way up. I talked to his pediatrician about it at his 4 year check up and she gave me some things to try. Tried all 3....none helped.

So, she referred me to an ENT. Since it took a while to get him IN to the ENT, she also had us come in for some blood work. That came back as showing that Jack is, for certain, anemic. There were some other factors in there, too, but she wanted to see what the ENT had to say. He took one look in Jack's mouth and said, "Wow, his tonsils are huge!" Apparently, they're about 4 times the size of a normal child his age. He also checked in his nose and didn't find any prominent blood vessel that was "off". As a result, he suggested the following:

1. Jack should have a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy


2. Jack should also have a Nasal Endoscopic exploration with Cautery (that's a fancy way to say "shove a camera through his entire nasal cavity to find out where the bleeding is coming from and cauterize it)

His dad wasn't so keen on the idea of surgery, so we have a second opinion scheduled on July 6th. Please wish me luck! I'd like to get this done ASAP!

2011 MS Mud Run - Twin Cities

Yep, you heard it right. I'm doing the 2011 MS Mud Run.

For those of you who don't know, the bigger half's mom has been suffering from MS for many years. Brenda is one of those high-spirited, truly amazing women. I am SO thankful that she has such an important place in my life...and in the smaller half's life. She has always treated Jack like her grandchild...and never, ever, even once, made me feel like she loved him any differently.

In her honor, Josh and I are participating in the 2011 MS Mud Run. The race is a 10K (approximately 6 mile) race, yep, you guessed it, through the mud. Not only through the mud, but through lots of obstacles along the way. Between Josh and I, we are hoping to raise $1,000 for MS. We've convinced two of our friends, Crowe and Sarah, to race with us. I'm so excited about it, I can hardly contain myself.

The best part -- the race is two days after I turn 30! What an awesome way to start my birthday weekend....then playing in the mud for MS!

If you want to donate, please click here to be directed to my personal page. Any donation is appreciated! And if you want in on the fun, please contact me for more details!

Like the web page says, "You'll never get this dirty for anything THIS good!"

My Saddest Memory

Hands down. Without question. The day I lost my father. I knew my dad was sick, but I didn't have any grasp on just how sick he truly was. My father was my best friend. I told him everything. I knew something was wrong the moment my sister, who didn't live with us, woke me up at 3:47am. The most horrific part was seeing him, lying there, DEAD, on our living room floor. It's one of those moment in my life that still haunts me. My dad was dead when the EMT's arrived...and my mom was waiting for the coroner to arrive. I remember going to school with my nephew, Tyler, to tell our teachers and get home work. The worst part: having to tell my hockey coach. My dad had been at every hockey practice, game and scrimmage for my entire hockey career. I literally broke down, fell to my knees, and sobbed in his office. I didn't know what to do. My dad died the week before hockey playoffs, in the year he was CERTAIN we were going to state. In the weeks that followed, I got an exemption from the State High School League that I could play, even though I'd missed school. (You have to be in school in order to play). We shutout all three of our opponents in the section playoffs...and beat Eagan in a 1-0 Thriller in OT to go to state. My team dedicated the season to my dad. I was interviewed by news stations. There was so much press around the situation that it got overwhelming. We ended up beating, then undefeated, Park Center 3-2 in the first round of the state tournament. In the end, we took third place, in what was, truly, the best memory of my childhood. And my dad, well, he had the best seat in the house.

My Friends Explained.

My friends....hmmm.....where to start.

I have two very near and dear friends that I have had since High School. I know I've said it before, but Cera, Desira and I were the most unlikely of friends. Cera was the gangsta, Desira the punk....and I was the preppy, nerdy jock. To this day, I still lean on and rely on them to help support me through the hard times.

My Ya's are my biggest supporters and cheerleaders through everything. There will never come a day where I don't text/call/email them with help, to make me laugh, when I'm sad, etc. Every woman deserves to have some Ya's....and mine are the best! Ash, Shaney, Kelly, Kristi, Jaime, Reid, Patti and Jilly Bean....thank you for everything.

My BFF,Sheri, lives 1,000 miles away in Ohio...but I can't imagine what my life would be like without her love and support. She and her family mean the world to me. I don't get to see her nearly as often as I would like, but our friendship is amazing.

Then, there's Joshy. The bigger half of J Squared. He has been my rock. My knight in shining armor. Everything I have ever wanted and needed in a partner.