Renee Stelle

Knitting Project - Hat

2009-06-05T17:55:00.006-04:00

I finished another knitting project! The pattern was called "Awesome Toboggan (Worsted)" and I chose the option for the turn-up brim. I got the pattern from my friend Rebecca who took the class last summer (I had to miss that class because I was out of town). There weren't any stitches in the pattern that were new to me so it was a pretty simple project. I used circular needles for most of it and then double pointed needles to gradually close it off at the top. The yarn I used is 100% Baby Llama from Peru because it's so soft. It is hand wash or dry clean only.

Hat with brim turned up:

Alisa loves her new hat. She wore it much of the day (indoors, because it's hot outside). She can maybe wear it in the evenings in Colorado this summer, but other than that we will have to put it away for fall/winter. It fits her and there is plenty of room for her to grow in it. Hooray!

Open Windows and Doors

2009-04-25T14:13:00.006-04:00

I love this time of year because we don't need the heater or air conditioner. We stopped using the heat in February when we left town for a month. And we haven't turned the air conditioner on yet. In the mornings and evenings, it's usually cool so we open the doors and windows and let the cool breeze blow through. That, plus the ceiling fans is all we've needed so far. There have been a couple of days here and there where it was pretty hot in here (especially the 3rd floor) as it was 85 degrees outside with no breeze, but we've survived. We'll see how much longer we can go like this. We may have to turn it on soon because Alisa's room (on the 3rd floor) gets really hot. We put a 2nd fan in there the other day but she still wakes up from naps with a sweaty head.

Deer

2009-03-17T09:17:00.003-04:00

I was getting a wet rag to wash Alisa's face after breakfast when I saw deer out the back window of my sister's house in Oregon where we've been visiting for nearly a month. She lives in an awesome neighboorhood with lots of trees and common green spaces between houses where anyone can walk or play. I called to those who were awake in the house--Alisa, my nephews Michael and Daniel and my mom (who just arrived last night for a visit)--to come see the deer. More and more deer entered my view--I think there were 6 or 7 in all. They slowly made their way down the common area behind my sister's house as we took pictures of them with my mom's camera. I didn't get any pictures with my camera because the battery was being charged and I figured by the time I retrieved it, the deer would be gone and I would have missed seeing them so long.

Dirty Dog

2009-02-15T13:45:00.000-05:00

Our dog LOVES to run outside and splash in the creek behind our house. We hose her off and dry her with a towel before letting her come back in the house but apparently she's still pretty dirty. Here is a dirty spot on the wall from her frequently rubbing her back on it to scratch herself. There is a spot like this on each landing of our staircase and here at the bottom of the stairs outside our bedroom--ew! Lucky for us, it wipes off easily.

Stain Remover

2009-02-08T01:07:00.007-05:00

I accidentally sat on plate of hot Bagel Bites a few days ago. I had set it in my office chair upstairs and put my drink on the desk in what little open space there was (reason I couldn't put the plate on the desk). I turned to move something from my desk and was then distracted by Alisa who came into the room. It was then that I sat on the plate. Oh nooooooo!

I immediately took off my pants and wiped off the cheese and sauce on the butt and upper leg areas. I put Shout Ultra Gel on the stain and washed them. That Shout has worked for nearly all other stains our clothes have had over the years but it didn't work on these (the circular grease spots were still there). I read online that spraying WD-40 on a stain and then rubbing Dawn dishwashing liquid on top of that and then washing as usual would work. I tried that but it didn't work. It seemed to rearrange the stain--some spots were gone but others appeared and others were larger.

So then I bought OxiClean Max Force today and sprayed it on the stain and washed the pants again. It completely removed the stain! I am SO relieved because the pants are fairly new and are my favorite (comfy exercise pants). To show you how distraught I was after the first two stain removal attempts didn't work, I went to Kohl's to see if they were still selling the pants so I could buy another pair (they were not). Thank God for OxiClean! Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the process.

New Cell Phone Battery

2009-02-04T12:32:00.001-05:00

I am so glad to have a new cell phone battery! For the past couple of months, I've had to leave my phone plugged into the charger 24/7 because the power would drain so quickly. When I unplugged it, the battery would show full power but after talking for just 5 minutes, it would die and turn off my phone. So frustrating! Then if I turned it back on, it would show maybe 50% power. I had to plug it in to make a call though.

I bought a new extended-life battery on eBay and I am loving it. I can go days and days without charging my phone now. The battery is bulkier than the original regular one, but it's totally worth it. It still fits in my various cell phone pockets on purses and wrist wallets...it's just a tighter fit.

Here it is with the new battery bulging out the back:

It's quite nice now because the bulky battery protects the camera lense from getting scratched because now it never touches the table or whatever it is laid on:

Sickness Took a New Turn

2009-01-28T12:25:00.002-05:00

Turns out that my sickness is lasting longer than 24 hours like I initially thought, but it's taken a new turn (no more puking, thank God). I sneezed a ba-jillion times yesterday and then had super runny nose. It's been runny and stuffy off and on ever since. At least my snot has been thin and clear instead of thick and greenish yellow.

Pukin' Sick

2009-01-26T18:05:00.009-05:00

I woke up nauseated at 5 AM yesterday. A little while later, I emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet and then felt much better, though shaky. I went back to bed but didn't really fall asleep because then I felt nauseated again half an hour later. I heaved again into the toilet several times but there was not much that came out (painful!). The cycle was repeated one more time and then I went back to bed and actually slept a few hours this time. Craig ended up moving upstairs to sleep in the guest bed in Alisa's room so he wouldn't catch what I had since he would be on baby duty the next day.

I was starving in the morning but didn't want to go upstairs because Alisa would see me and cry to be held by me (she really favors me in the morning). Craig came downstairs soon to check on me and I asked him to bring me some toast, crackers and juice. He brought me 2 pieces of buttered toast, various crackers and apple juice and said Alisa had a fever. It seems that we both caught something at the Zoinks Kidstation the previous day. I prayed that she wouldn't throw up like I had been.

I ate one piece of toast very slowly. A little while later it all came up into the toilet. Ugh. I spent the next couple of hours trying to sleep. I could only manage to sleep half an hour at a time. Each time I woke up, I could hear Craig and Alisa making noises upstairs (Craig asking Alisa what she wanted to eat, Alisa crying or playing, the floor creaking from them walking, etc). I read a book for a little while while eating some Saltines and graham crackers and drinking apple juice for lunch. They stayed down for quite awhile but then some of them came up. Dang.

I went upstairs for a bit when Alisa was napping and then went back downstairs to sleep before she woke up. I got a good hour or more of sleep in the armchair in the fish tank room--the noise from the tanks is so peaceful. I hadn't seen Alisa all day so I went back upstairs again after Craig tried to get her to eat dinner. She was happy to see me and asked me to read her a book right away. We read and snuggled for awhile and then I had Ramen noodles for dinner. We snuggled some more and she kept wanting me to carry her into the kitchen. I kept asking her what she wanted and she couldn't tell me but cried if I tried to leave the kitchen. She didn't want anything to eat. Eventually, I had to go sit down in the living room because I was weak. A little while later, it was time for Alisa to get ready for bed. I was going to do it but then felt nauseated again so I called for Craig to help with her while I rushed to the bathroom. Some of my dinner came up, but not all of it. At least I was keeping some food down.

Craig put Alisa to bed and then we watched some shows we had TIVO'd. It helped take my mind off my nausea (except the part of "My Name is Earl" when Earl and Randy started puking in the box they were mailing themselves in!). Alisa woke up crying around 10 PM so Craig went to comfort her and ended up bringing her downstairs. She sat on my lap while we finished watching a show. She was so hot that it made me feel more nauseated so I set her on a pillow next to me and just put my arm around her. It was then 11 PM and I was ready for bed. Craig took Alisa upstairs and let her sleep in the guest bed with him. He didn't want to catch what I had and he wanted to be near her if she woke up again.

We all slept all night and I felt so much better in the morning. I took a shower and felt so refreshed. Alisa still had a fever but wasn't as hot and she was more playful and talkative. I've been able to keep all my food down today, though I haven't been able to eat much. I'm being careful with what I eat. I'm so glad it lasted less than 24 hours. I weighed 3 lbs less after the ordeal (no complaints there, though I'm sure it will pop back on me in no time as it wasn't fat loss). My stomach and chest is sore from 8 or 9 rounds of forceful heaving! I hate being sick! I know it could have been worse, but it was still no fun.

It's crazy how I'm always sick just on the weekends. I very rarely have missed work for an illness--I just miss all the weekend fun. It's a good thing I felt better today though because it was a busy work day. And our internet went down around lunch time so I had to go to Starbucks to use their internet. I couldn't have done that if I was still sick.

I'm Teething Too!

2009-01-20T18:26:00.001-05:00

It's strange to be teething at the same time as my 1-year-old daughter, but it's true. One of my wisdom teeth is coming in (top left). When I was a child, my teeth came in late so it's not surprising that my wisdom tooth is coming in so late. Since my baby teeth came in late, they also fell out late. The dentist had to remove a couple of the brackets from my braces when I was about 12 so the baby teeth could come out (several were pulled)...and then he put them on the permanent teeth once they were all the way in. I had braces for a long time (more than 4 years) because I got them when I was in 5th grade and still had a few baby teeth.

Anyway, I don't remember if the dentist said I had more wisdom teeth hidden away or not based on my x-rays years ago (seems like there might have been just 2). I sure hope it doesn't cause problems and have to be removed. Seems like it would cause my top teeth to shift and undo the straightening achieved by the braces. Craig has all 4 wisdom teeth in and they have been fine thus far and don't need to be removed, so that gives me hope that mine won't have to be pulled.

Nativity

2009-01-12T00:07:00.006-05:00

We have finally acquired all the pieces to our Demdaco Willow Tree Nativity. It has taken years because we only got one group of pieces per year since they were kinda expensive.

The figures and creche in this picture were sold as 5 different sets:

Creche (1 piece)
Main Set (6 pieces)
Shepherd and Stable Animals (4 pieces)
The Three Wisemen (3 pieces)
Ox and Goat (2 pieces)

Knitting Project - Lacy Neck Cowl

2009-01-11T13:19:00.008-05:00

I finished knitting the Fells Point Cowl, my 4th knitting project. I took a 2-session class for it with my friend Rebecca. The only new stitch I learned was how to do "yarn overs", which are really easy. The cowl is made with 85 yards of Mission Falls 1824 Wool (100% merino superwash) so it's machine washable.

I think I'll wear it more often than my scarf because I've never liked all the excess material on scarves that needs to be tucked in my coat or pushed out of the way (especially when playing in the snow). The neck cowl can be pulled up to cover the nose too (something I frequently need to do in cold weather because my nose starts running if it gets just a little bit cold).

I think I will knit a hooded neck cowl sometime...one that can be pulled up to cover my head and ears when I wish for extra warmth. I can use the same pattern for it, I just have to triple the amount of yarn.

Knitting Project - Chunky Socks

2009-01-11T13:02:00.005-05:00

I finished knitting 1 of 2 socks, my 3rd knitting project. I had to take a break because I got involved in a class for another knitting project. I know I shouldn't wait too long to knit the 2nd sock though because it could end up being a different size (as my knitting style could change). I took a 3-session class with my friends Rebecca and Amy to learn how to do this. I learned how to knit on double-pointed needles (challenging!) and I learned how to do Kitchener Stitch (to close it up at the toes). Knitting with 4 double-pointed needles is challenging for me. I'm sure once I get more experience it won't be so bad. But boy, did I struggle through the 1st sock!

Here is my Slouchy Slipper Sock (made to be worn around the house, without shoes), made from Araucania Yarns lamb's wool (hand dyed in Chile). It can be dry cleaned or hand washed in cool water.

Keeping Up With The Dishes

2009-01-10T22:03:00.005-05:00

I can't believe it. Ever since Christmas I've been keeping up with the dishes every day. That is, I'm not leaving a pile of dishes in the sink overnight (or longer) to wash by hand later (usually days later). I've been washing them each day so it never gets to be a huge overwhelming pile. Hopefully I can keep this going for a long time! I've always been good about loading dirty dishes in the dishwasher right away, but I've been bad about the ones that can't go in the dishwasher.

Random Free Drinks

2009-01-03T14:42:00.010-05:00

Whenever I hang out at the Starbucks near my house for more than an hour, they happen to offer a free drink at the bar to the first person who goes up to get it. It's always some blended drink that is messed up (meaning, not exactly as the customer ordered so it had to be remade) or just an extra somehow. The first time it was something really tasty but I didn't really consider taking it because I had just finished my drink and was really watching my caloric intake that month. Today, they offered 2 of the same drink and I heard a guy by the bar ask another lady that was standing there if she wanted it. She said no so he said he'd just have to take both home with him. I thought that was a bit selfish since he didn't give anyone else a chance to take it (like me--because I would have taken it this time since I finished my drink hours ago!). I do give him points for at least asking one person though.

Anyway, then the guy spills his water all over the bar and the floor and shouts to an employee that the lid came off when he picked it up. Then he ran out with 3 drinks (the one he ordered and the 2 free ones...he didn't wait for a replacement water and he didn't even pick up the cup that spilled). One of the employees complained to another employee about how he just ran off and didn't even offer to help clean up.

Maybe some day I will be the lucky one to get the free drink. It's a good way to try some drink that I wouldn't normally think of ordering. I hope the guy had someone else waiting at home to give the extra drinks to because if not, then he really shouldn't have taken both of them.

New Pizza Stone

2008-12-26T21:02:00.006-05:00

I love pizza stones! I bake everything on them (mostly pizza, chicken, french fries, garlic bread, rolls, "pigs in a blanket", cookies and brownie pizza) and nothing ever sticks. Cookies are SO much better when baked on stoneware! The first stone I bought (about 8 years ago) broke when Craig dumped frozen fries on it--it shattered because the stone was hot, as it sat on a hot stovetop (accident). My Pampered Chef consultant at the time replaced the stone for free but it took a couple of weeks to get the new one. It was hard to go even that long without a stone so I decided we should have a backup one in case one breaks again. So....

I recently got a 2nd pizza stone from Pampered Chef. The new one is on the left and the old one is on the right. As you stone lovers know, the old one is WELL seasoned (that's why it's so dark) and something to be envied:

I bought the new one because Pampered Chef was having a 25% off sale on stoneware and the new one has handles:

1/2 Stick of Butter

2008-12-25T16:29:00.007-05:00

I just discovered that Land O Lakes now sells butter wrapped in 4 Tbsp portions. I didn't realize that is what I was buying--I only noticed it when I opened the box at home to bake bread. This is perfect because I often only use half a stick of butter/margarine at a time and the cut end needs to be wrapped or it will start to darken and change. So this saves me the step of wrapping the exposed end. I don't normally buy Land O Lakes but I might do so from now on.

Jacksonville

2008-12-18T19:51:00.009-05:00

My parents flew in from Tulsa, OK to visit us this past week. We picked them up at the airport in Jacksonville on Saturday. It is a 2 1/2 hour drive that we were willing to make because they could only visit us if they flew to there because it was such a great rate. They had talked about visiting for Thanksgiving, but couldn't find a flight at the advertised low rate (they were sold out by the time they looked) so we were very sad. But then we were thrilled when they called in December and said the great rates were being offered again and that they wanted to come before Christmas.

We got to the airport a little early and noticed that they had a courtesy waiting lot where you could park and wait. It was great because then you didn't have to go into the regular lot and be charged by the hour. I've never seen a courtesy lot before and I thought it was so nice of them to do that! The only catch was that you had to stay with your car, which was really no problem at all. It was cold and windy and Craig didn't want to get out so he sat in the back with Alisa while I got out and stretched my legs for 10 minutes.

We had a good time with my parents and Alisa got over her fear of Grandad (she was afraid of him when we visited them in August). She sat on his lap and gave him hugs. He was thrilled! We picked out and decorated our Christmas tree and celebrated Christmas early with them. Alisa loved the gifts they gave her, especially the shopping cart and fake food!

Craig stayed home with Alisa today while I took my parents back to the airport. After I dropped them off it was 10 AM so I went to Starbucks (free wi-fi) and did some work on my laptop. When I had finished all my outstanding tickets, I drove 20-30 minutes to the beach. It was a gorgeous 78-degree day and people were on the beach in bikinis. Some were surfing in wetsuits. I walked on the sand for a bit and took some pictures. Then I went shopping and ate a snack at One Hot Cookie. I had been looking forward to eating there for over a year. I love cookies and ice cream and that place provides both. And even better, the cookies are baked to order so they are hot! I went to another Starbucks next, did some more work and then drove home.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-29T21:04:00.015-05:00

It was just the 3 of us again for Thanksgiving. I cooked a turkey (my 2nd one ever), green bean casserole, marshmallow sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, crescent rolls and opened a can of jellied cranberry sauce. I bought a 10-lb turkey and thawed it in the fridge 2 days ahead of time, however it needed a little more thawing so I put it in the sink with cold water for an hour or two. Awhile after I filled the left side of the sink with water, I heard dripping and discovered that it was leaking. There was water all under the sink. I immediately drained the sink and filled the right side to put the turkey there. Then I took everything out from under the sink, soaked up all the water with an old towel and but a large bowl under the dripping pipe. It turns out it was dripping from right up under the sink where the grout or whatever holds in the silver drain part in. We don't need to get it fixed right away, as long as we don't fill that side with water. I left a little bowl under there to catch any little drips so I won't have another puddle to clean up.

Anyway, other than that water disaster, the cooking went well and I wasn't stressed about the timing of everything like I was last year. Craig and Alisa slept in past 9:30 AM and I got a lot done while they were sleeping. Alisa had a fever, which we think was from teething, though she was also getting over a cold. She only wanted to eat mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving and yesterday, but she enjoyed all the leftovers today.

Cuddling with Minga:

For days, I had been sneezing whenever I sat in my usual spot on the couch so we decided to pull everything out from behind the couch (photo boxes, folding chairs, tub of blankets, etc) and clean the area really well. During the cleaning, Alisa enjoyed sitting on her extra carseat (the one we use when we fly somewhere) that was in its backpack style carrying case. She wasn't sitting in it the proper way though, because it fell on its back as she climbed on it. (She insisted on wearing her purple Crocs in the house--she loves them!).

Alisa talking to her sheep named Baa Baa:

Carrying Baa Baa while wearing my sheep slippers:

It was so nice to have 2 days off from work, making it a 4-day weekend! I always plan to do major cleaning projects around the house on long weekends, and though I rarely get them done, I'm always so hopeful at the beginning of the weekend. Hey, at least this weekend, I cleaned behind the couch!

On Friday night, I hosted the Movie Club, which is a bi-monthly event with the moms group I help organize. I declared it a pajama night too, so everyone wore their pajamas. Unfortunately, it was raining, so some moms' slippers got wet walking down our driveway. Well, we all had a good time anyway and thoroughly enjoyed the snacks we all brought.

Making Progress

2008-11-20T17:05:00.015-05:00

I have completed my 4 training sessions with my personal trainer. They were all challenging and left some part of me sort for 2-3 days. Some parts were so challenging that I could not do a simple bicep curl unless I took a quick break because my muscles were fatigued from the series of lifts she had me doing. I laughed when that happened because it was only 8 lbs and so unexpected. Another time that I laughed was when I had only 5 reps of a ab/core exercise left but I just could not sit up until I took a quick break. The worst exercise was the wall sit because it burned SO BAD! She had me sit/squat with a large exercise ball behind my back against the wall for 10 seconds and stand up for 5 seconds, then sit/squat for 20 seconds and stand up for 10 seconds, then sit/squat for 30 seconds and stand up for 15 seconds, then sit/squat for 20 seconds and stand up for 10 seconds, then sit/squat for 10 seconds and stand up for 5 seconds AND THEN REPEAT THE WHOLE THING 3 TIMES (with a different leg exercise in between each set)!!!

As soon as I got home after each training session, I wrote down everything I did so I could remember and do it again on my own. I now have 5 45-minute weight training routines I can do (includes the original circuit training session). My eating habits have improved each week. The 1st week, I ate an average of 134 calories per day above the 1500 limit. The 2nd week, I ate an average of 100 calories per day above the 1500 limit. The 3rd week, I ate an average of 96 calories per day UNDER the 1500 limit. The 4th week, I ate an average of 17 calories per day UNDER the 1500 limit (went to the fair and several events with food this week so that was good considering all the yummy temptations). I have lost the anticipated 1 lb per week since I've started. And that's with me only working out an average of 3 days per week. Hooray! I wanted to work out more than that but Alisa had a runny nose for 2 weeks so I couldn't drop her off in the kids' room (Craig was busy writing his dissertation and couldn't watch her) and things came up for work some days when I wanted to go when she was napping (when Craig could have watched her). Anyway, I'm very hopeful for this next month because I should be able to exercise more if I plan ahead better and go to bed earlier.

Under $2/gallon

2008-11-20T12:27:00.000-05:00

I wasn't going to continue with gas price postings but I just had to do one more because gas is down to $1.97/gallon for regular unleaded! I don't remember seeing it for less than $2 in several years! I thought it was going to go back up again (as it always does) before it went below $2.

Giddyup N' Go Pony

2008-11-14T12:27:00.005-05:00

I saw a commercial for this Little Tykes Giddyup N' Go Pony today and looked it up online to find out more about it. The video on the Amazon page (click the link above) made me so happy I laughed (you gotta watch it). What a great toy, especially for a horse lover! I wish Alisa was old enough to ride it now!

Lowest Yet

2008-11-13T09:09:00.000-05:00

Gas is down to $2.05/gallon of regular unleaded. That is over 20 cents cheaper than it was when we moved here over 2 years ago!

The Price is Right

2008-11-10T12:00:00.001-05:00

I was flipping channels on the little TV attached to the treadmills at the gym when I came across The Price is Right. I haven't seen that show in years (I used to watch it all the time)...well, except I did see the last episode hosted by Bob Barker back in 2007 because I heard it was his last show.

I always liked watching this game show the best because even as a highschooler, I could play along by guessing prices and such and I enjoyed the variety of games. Back then, I never bought groceries or TVs or anything and therefore didn't pay attention to the prices when I was shopping with my mom. However, the more I watched the show, the better I got at guessing the prices and that felt good. Also, I didn't find any part of the show to be annoying (as I do with all other gameshows) and I really liked Bob Barker.

I didn't know Drew Carrey is the new host until today. He was funny in the episode I saw while working out. Watching the show brought back warm fuzzies and I actually became VERY excited (like I wanted to jump up and down...but just kept jogging instead) when a guy won over $20,000 playing Plinko. I rarely saw anyone win that much playing that game. I love it when the prizes fit the contestant...this one guy was in band on tour and he won little travel trailer. Good times.

Weather Can Affect Election Results

2008-11-04T12:16:00.007-05:00

I heard an interesting story on NPR Sunday about how the weather can affect a presidential election. Who would have thought?!

"A change in the weather really can change an election, according to Florida State University researcher Brad Gomez. Gomez tells host Andrea Seabrook about two presidential elections — in 1960 and 2000 — that might have turned out differently if the weather had shifted."

Click here to go to the NPR page where you can hear the audio clip (3 minutes 38 seconds).

Women's World

2008-10-29T18:22:00.006-04:00

I joined a gym 2 weeks ago because I heard on the radio that they were having a one-day special where you could join for $1 instead of the usual $99 or $199. I realized that I wasn't going to get back into exercising on my own because it's been over a year since Alisa was born and I hadn't done anything yet. I've been thinking about joining a women's gym for years so I didn't have to think twice about joining when I heard the special offer. I knew that the fact that I am now paying $49.99/month for a gym membership will motivate me to exercise, if only to get my money's worth.

Women's World is about 5 minutes from my house and they have free unlimited classes and childcare. It will certainly make it easier to exercise knowing that if Craig is busy, I can bring Alisa with me and drop her off in the awesome kids' room. They also make smoothies for $2-$3.50 so that's handy as you can get them with protein building or fat burning powder and even use them as a meal replacement. Most of the treadmills, ellipticals and stairmasters have little TVs attached so you can plug in some headphones and watch whatever while you exercise.

The day after I joined, I had my fitness assessment. I knew that I gained 10 pounds since Alisa was born (after having lost all the pregnancy gain by nursing), but I was horrified to hear that my BMI is 34% (last I had it checked was in college and it was 26%). My almost daily bowl of ice cream 2-3 hours before bedtime was a big contributor to this weight gain.

The next day I had the intro to circuit training (free with membership). I signed up for a month of personal training so my personal trainer was the one to show me how to use all the circuit training machines and what weight and number of reps to start with. She wrote it down on a log that I can use whenever I go there so I can easily keep track of what I do each time.

I'm most excited about attending the fitness classes. So far I've tried the Triple Twenty class, the Body Pump class and the Zumba class. I enjoyed and was challenged during all of them. The challenge during the Zumba class was more coordination than endurance. In case you don't know about Zumba (the newest rage), it's Latin-infused aerobic dancing. I have no dancing skills so I was very awkward during the class. However, nobody was paying attention to me so I wasn't too concerned. I will go again sometime because I enjoyed it and the music. It will just take time to learn the steps and become more comfortable shaking my hips and what not.

I had my first personal training session last week and boy was it tough! I enjoyed it though. My trainer showed me lots of moves with free weights that I had never seen before. A couple days later, I started the treadmill workout plan that my trainer developed. It's basically walking slow for 2 minutes, walking fast for 2 minutes, jogging for 2 minutes and then repeating each of the 3 for 3 minutes, then 4 minutes, then back down to 3 minutes and then 2 minutes (42 minutes total). As time goes on, I will be able to do each activity faster and will end up walking/jogging farther and burning more calories in the same amount of time. I'm supposed to do weight training every 3 days (to give my muscles time to repair in between workouts) and cardio 4-6 times per week (for at least 45 minutes each time) so that could be the treadmill workout or going to a class.

Anyway, everyone I've encountered at the gym has been really nice and helpful (staff and fellow exercisers). I like being there and that's a good sign. After all, my workouts wouldn't endure if I hated being at the gym.

I've been keeping a food log of all the foods (with portion sizes) I eat each day as recommended by my trainer. I haven't done a food log in years. It is kind of annoying but it is certainly eye opening to how many calories I take in. Also, just the fact that I have to write down everything I eat and knowing my trainer will see it, makes me think twice about whether or not I really want to eat that cookie or whatever. I won't have to do the log forever, just long enough to get a good idea on how to judge my caloric intake. To reach my goal weight of 135 lbs by spring (losing 1 lb/week), I need to consume 1200-1500 calories per day. On days that I exercise (burn 200+ calories) I can consume closer to 1500 calories. On days that I don't exercise, I should try to consume closer to 1200 calories. It is certainly an adjustment to cut down my caloric intake (I've been bad the past few months eating too much fast food and almost always eating a snack too close to bedtime) but I am getting there.

We'll see how I do during the holidays! It shouldn't be as difficult as last year because we won't be visiting family for Christmas (I'm sad about that) and therefore be bombarded by tasty treats every day.