A $215 Mistake.

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I am pissed at myself. I mentioned yesterday that the heat stopped working in our house on Thursday night. It was very random... it just suddenly stopped working. Needless to say, our house has been freezing! It was -7 degrees outside this morning with wind chill. Our house was 53 degrees. We're talking frozen toes here, people!

Paul called Secco bright and early Friday morning, but they were unable to come out until 7pm that night. (At least they could come!) Well, the Secco guy was stumped as to what had turned the furnace off. He knew it was an electrical problem, but he couldn't figure out the cause of the problem.

Long story short, together, we figured it out.

On Thursday night, I found a light switch in our dining room that I never noticed. (We have lived in our house for almost 6 years, yet I never noticed this light switch which is right out in the open...) I started flipping the switch on and off, wondering what the heck the switch controlled.

The light switch.

I'm sure you can see where this story is going. An hour with the Secco guy and $215 later, we figured out that the reason our heat wasn't working was because the switch I was messing with controlled the furnace.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   F%CK   !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Luckily, Paul wasn't mad at me. But I am mad at me! What a freaking waste of money... just because I messed with a light switch and apparently didn't put it back in the "on" position like it should have been.

Sorry for a complain-y post today. Believe me, I am grateful that it wasn't anything worse. At least we have heat now. At least it wasn't a broken furnace. At least Paul isn't mad about it. At least I don't have any bigger problems at the moment.


Ever make a stupid, expensive mistake?

Happy Friday! (Brrrrrrr!!!)

Look what was waiting for me bright and early this morning...

That's the batch of chicken breast Paul made for me for the next couple days.

What a sweetie!!!

I hope you all have a fun weekend planned! I have nothing planned. Absolutely nothing. And that's totally fine by me! It's too freaking cold out to do anything. Actually, last night, our heat stopped working. Hopefully someone comes to fix it today.

Nataliedee.com

I'm sure my hubby and I will have a grocery shopping date one of these nights. We need the essentials... chicken, cat litter, milk, ice cream... That's the only excitement we have planned. It's fine, we love our Wal Mart dates.

A big decision must be made in the next few days. I have to sign up for my ACE Personal Training Certification test by February 2nd. I can schedule my test anytime between now and... well, probably as late as August. It's totally up to me, and I don't know what to do.

Of course I am very excited to be certified. It would be awesome to have the certification as soon as possible. But I know I am not ready yet. If I really buckled down, I could be ready in a month. The other option is to take my time and wait until closer to summer to get certified. Which isn't that bad of an idea because in the summer, I will have more time to focus on setting up my business and getting a few clients.

It shouldn't be that hard of a decision. I should just suck it up, finish my studying, and get the certification. But to be honest, there is another part of me that is very nervous. Will a be a good trainer? How do I set up a business? There is so much I need... equipment, insurance, waivers... and probably one hundred other things I haven't even thought of yet!

I'll let you know on February 2nd what I decided to do!


Do you have any fun plans this weekend?
Is it cold where you live?
Are you judging me for shopping at Wal Mart? (hehe!)

Thinking Out Loud #5 - Some true randomness!

Today's post is a Thinking Out Loud link up with Amanda @ Running with Spoons. If you have not been by her blog yet, please head over there!

Now, let the randomness COMMENCE!!!!

1. I made a travel itinerary for me and my husband. We recently decided we want to make traveling the world a priority! I have big plans for us over the next several years. Locations to visit include Hawai'i (already booked for this summer!!), Seattle and an Alaskan Cruise, Europe (hopefully hitting up London, France, and one other country yet to be determined), Colorado, Southern California, and Florida. I know these are lofty travel goals, but if we put our minds to it, I know we can do it!

2. I made an appointment with my orthopedic doctor about my knee. I have been doing a lot of brainstorming, and it just seems RIDICULOUS that over the past four months, no one has given me a straight answer about what exactly is wrong and what I must do to fix it. (But props to my current PT who is trying his damnedest to figure out what is wrong.) If I were an NBA player, they would have known what was wrong MONTHS ago and it would have been fixed by now. 

3. Milk is SO GOOD! Ever since I stopped drinking fake sugar, I have started drinking a lot of water. I have also started craving milk real bad. I'll often have it for a snack or for a treat right before bed. A couple years ago, drinking calories like that would have freaked me out, but now I don't sweat it. I just enjoy the yummy-ness!

4. Central PA is having a CRAZY winter! Just to give you a taste of how snowy/icy/cold it has been, here is a shot of the Susquehanna River facing Harrisburg...

Photo by Nicole Hoyer.

5. New Year's Resolution Update!!! My resolution this year was to take one rest day per week. My third rest day of the year was yesterday, so I am right on track! So far, my body and energy levels feel the same. I don't see any improvements or set backs. (Except for some minor bouts of rest day anxiety.) So all in all, things are going well! Wish me luck on the next 49 rests days! Ugh, I already feel lazy.

6. Is anyone watching the new HBO show called True Detective starring Matthew McCognauhey and Woody Harrelson? First of all, I have always thought they were both gross... especially McCognauhey. How he was voted sexiest man alive, I will never know. Second, I cannot stand this show for the sole reason that it seems like they put a microphone right next to both of these men's mouths so it picks up every single disgusting noise they make. And they make lots of disgusting noises.

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Other Thinking Out Loud posts...

Thinking Out Loud #1

Thinking Out Loud #2 - The Gym!

Thinking Out Loud #3 - Teaching!
Thinking Out Loud #4 - Learning to walk again- LITERALLY.

Your turn! Tell me something random! Think out loud...

5 Horrible Things That I Love Very, Very Much.

1. Cards Against Humanity

This game will shock you. It will make you laugh. It will make you groan. You will feel horrible laughing at some of the cards, but laugh you will. The tagline on the box says it all... "A horrible game for horrible people." Lest you feel too horrible about your love for CAH, know that they recently donated $100,249.94 to public schools. BAM!

2. Eastbound & Down

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Kenny Freaking Powers. He is hilarious. I cringe at his narcissism and ignorance. The good thing about this show is that you're laughing at him and not with him. Synopsis from imdb.com: "Years after he turned his back on his hometown, a burned-out major league ballplayer returns to teach phys ed at his old middle school." You need not be into sports to enjoy this HBO show. But it's not for the faint of heart!

3. Nancy Grace

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Why do I love Nancy Grace? Because she is over dramatic. Because of her southern drawl. Because of her outlandishness and over the top behavior. Why is she horrible? For those same exact reasons. Plus she lies and she is hateful. Augh, I feel so terrible for being entertained by her antics!

4. Salt.

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Salt in a normal, healthy amount is not bad. But I like salt in huge, unhealthy quantities. I put added salt on everything. Sandwiches, salads, veggies, eggs... I want to stop, I really do. Maybe I could make it a summer goal?

5. Ace of Base- The Sign

"Life is demanding, without understanding..." I loved this song in middle school! I still love it! How can I not? It's so catchy. It makes me want to wear a choker and pseudo-vogue. Funny story: My husband was also obsessed with this song in middle school! We were made for each other!

Tell me something horrible that you love very, very much. I promise not to judge!

Meg's "Keep It Simple" Tips!

I do not know why I am qualified to give you tips. I am not a nutritionist. I am not a trainer. (But I will be soon!) I'm just a gal working to find balance in her own life. I have done a lot of things right and a lot of things wrong over the years. Things seem to go south for me when I make things too complicated.

Things don't have to be complicated. In fact, most things are simple!

So I have for you, some no nonsense, simple tips to help you with... all kinds of randomness! But just one tip for each category! Keep it simple, guys!!!

Tip #1 for Nutrition...

- Read food labels.
-  Do not be tricked by misleading claims.
- Log your calories. (Not forever, just for a few days to give you information.)

I'm not going to give you tips on exactly WHAT to eat, but the main thing is to KNOW WHAT YOU ARE PUTTING INTO YOUR BODY.


Tip #1 for Exercise Adherence...

- Schedule your workout. Do not cancel it. This is a very important date you have with your health. What is more important than that?
-  Lay out your clothes/pack your gym bag/load up your iPod the night before. Have everything ready.
- Do something you love. There are a billion effective ways to get your sweat on. You are more likely to stick to your workout if it's something you enjoy.

Those who fail to plan, plan to fail!



Tip #1 for Beginner Runners... (When I say beginner, I mean you haven't run since you were forced to run the mile in gym class.)

- Do not go from nothing to declaring "I'm going to run 3 miles this morning!" You probably won't be able to do it. It's fine. You shouldn't expect that of yourself.
-  Instead, determine a set number of minutes you are going to exercise (15-20) and alternate intervals of walking and running until you have reached your goal time. (The intervals can be anything you want. Example: Walk 2 minutes, run 30 seconds.)
- Once you can do walk/run intervals for 20-30 minutes, slowly decrease your walking interval and increase your running interval. Soon you will be running for 30 straight minutes. Now you're running 3 miles!!!

Set yourself up for success with goals you can reach! Not many people can go from laying on the couch to running 3 miles the next day. But most people can go from laying on the couch and walking for 15 minutes. It's a start, and you gotta start where you're at.


Tip #1 for Running Faster!...

- Do intervals- any duration you want, just alternate easy-hard-easy-hard... etc.
-  Tempo runs.
- Run up a hill and run back down. Repeat.

I know it sounds simple, but the only way to run faster is to practice running fast! No, it's not fun. Yes, it works.


Tip #1 for cramming in a strength training workout...

- Pick exercises that use one or more large muscles groups to get the most out of your time. (Examples: bench press, pull ups, squat and press, push ups, burpees, planks)
-  Save the isolation exercises for another day.

Why do 3 sets of squats and 3 sets of shoulder presses when you can incorporate them both into one exercise? Save time, target many muscle groups in one move!


Tip #1 for cramming in a cardio workout...

- Alternate easy-hard-easy-hard, etc. When it's supposed to be hard, go all out. The goal is to be exhausted after 20 minutes of this.
- Design your own cardio circuit, deck of cards workout, or use an online Tabata timer.

If you only have 20 minutes or so, you can get in a very effective workout by incorporating high intensity intervals.


Do you have any #1 keep it simple tips to share with us?

Weekend Wrap Up!

Happy Monday! It's so hard to get out of bed when it's pitch black outside, my warm husband is on my right, and Jelly is on my feet. But it's time to venture to the gym. Then I have work and go directly to PT after that. My hope is to be home with my kitties and my man by 5:30 for dinner. If I can make that happen, it shall be a good Monday! 

Here's what I was up to this weekend...

I wrote a little bit about our Friday night here. But I do have some pictures...

Paul said the boots I wore looked like something Paula Abdul would wear. 

He quickly added that he meant it as a compliment and not an insult.

First it was Aldi. Paul was a loader at UPS for years. 

Aldi gives him a chance to show off his packing ability.

My cutie husband while we wait for a table at TJ Rockwell's.

Dinner at TJ Rockwell's was Pacific Nachos... nachos, pulled pork, lettuce,

 tomato, jalapenos, ranch dressing, and sour cream. WOWWWWW!!!

AKA: A big pile of shit-for-you-food!

Dang, I slept half the day away on Saturday! I needed to catch up from the week. I also needed to conserve my energy for game night later.

Paul made me an awesome music mix for some HIIT intervals on the arc trainer. I normally listen to pod casts, but sometimes when doing HIIT, music helps. I'm a little embarrassed to tell you one of the songs on the playlist was Brittney Spears' "Work Bitch". There is just something about Brittney calling me a bitch that makes me go real hard...

Oh, good news! I put on a workout tank I hadn't worn in a few months. It's soooo freakin' tight. My back hardly fits into it! This is awesome!!!! (No pictures, you will just have to picture me busting out of a hot pink tank top a la the Incredible Hulk.)

When I got home, I cleaned the whole house and made the food spread for game night. Before I knew it, our pals arrived!

 The whole gang!

 Cards Against Humanity! It was Bree's "first time"!

Just the right mix of horror and appreciation.

Later on Bree broke the timer and ruined the whole night.

Sunday AM Kitty Photo Shoot....

Emo Chrissy

Alert Chrissy

Awkward....!

My PT told me not to run for now, so even though I was DYING to get out on the trail, I abstained. Instead, I was confined to the arc trainer for the second day in a row. Planet Fitness was so freaking hot and smelly that afternoon. But I was thankful that even though I am not running, I can still get a killer, vomit inducing workout that is honestly harder than any run I would do (except speed training, of course). What I do is warm up for 2 minutes, then I go hard for 5 minutes and easy for 2 minutes. I alternate that for as long as I can stand, which is usually somewhere in between 45 minutes and 50 minutes. It is terrible. But it's keeping me fit!

When I got home, I cooked up a lot of goodies such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash, steamed broccoli, and this recipe from Iowa Girl Eats... Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili. Except I didn't make mine in the crock pot. And I used garbanzo beans and black beans instead of baked beans. Oh, and I added corn. 

Speaking of Iowa Girl Eats, this is my favorite recipe I think I have ever found anywhere online. I know that's a little dramatic, but I make her Mayo Free Chicken Salad all the time. Paul loves it, too. There is no reason to ever eat the unhealthy version of this dish again!

Oh, and I snapped some gorgeous pictures of Jelly today.

First, I found him in the linen closet.

Then I found them under the covers in our bed! (I couldn't choose what picture to show you from this batch, so I included them all.)

I suppose I'm distracting you with cat pictures to cover up the fact that I really didn't do anything on Sunday. Paul watched football with his friends all day, so other than working out and cooking, I just relaxed...

PS. I am never having kids. So my blog will always and forever feature gorgeous pictures of my kitty cats. You can take that as good news or bad news!

Tell me something awesome you did this weekend!

Have you ever been to Aldi?

What do you think of Brittney's song, "Work Bitch"?

Favorite recipe lately?