Good Friends, Good Food, Good Day . . .

Lesa & I hit it hard today to make up for me not walking yesterday [I just didn't feel good]. We did 4 full miles in an hour. I realize that's not like record time for most people, but it is pretty darn good for me. Especially since that 4 miles includes one massive hill [and other complications that Lesa won't spill the beans on - thank you]. Afterwards, I actually wasn't too bad off. My legs didn't hurt [my shins killed during the walk, but afterwards were fine], lungs felt good [they're progressing much more quickly than aforementioned shins]...I felt pretty good, actually! My feet, though, are another story. I think I walk wrong. I know, that sounds weird to say. How do you walk wrong? I don't know!! Obviously, though, I do!! Look at my poor feet. [I apologize for poor picture quality and just mere ick-ness of my feet].

Day 29: Feet

After our walk, though, it felt soooo good to just stand under the shower water. Mmmm. Relaxing.

After that relaxation, I headed to Mtown to have supper with a good friend, Ana. She's such a trooper. Last term while I was taking my last two classes...she was taking three at once!! Wowza!! All that so she can be done after this term. She rocks! We ate at Culver's ...hey, I burned 450 calories on my walk, so it's justified, right?! ;)

Next in line was Aldi's. I heart this place. Seriously. Their "Fit & Active" brand rocks. I go there just for that!! I obviously end up buying way more than that...

Look at that...it's awesome!!

My cart tonight. They seriously have everything.
Mushrooms, natural fruit strips, turkey meat balls,
salsa, sweet potato chips, yogurt...

I think this is genius! Their carts are outside and you have to put a quarter
in this slot to get one to release. After you're done, you return your cart
and get your quarter back! That [and their lack of bags and bag boys]
has to cut down on their overhead costs!!

All of that said and done...I'm whipped!!

Fresh air, 4 miles, shopping, and driving will do that to ya!!

Spring is springing. . .

Spring is nearing full bloom!! The tulips aren't quite blooming, but their leaves are strutting their stuff. I think they'll be up any day. I'm a far cry from a gardener, but it excites me to see my tulips. Mostly because I don't have to do a single thing to them - they just show up. There are a few other random flowers that pop up, some pictured above. We have some poppy's that are gorgeous as well!

Today Lesa & I blew through 2.5 miles in 35 minutes (with several taunting hills). I'm sure that's not impressive to most, but every additional day that I actually get out and exercise is a victory for me! I was rather impressed that afterwards my lungs didn't even burn. After 5 minutes of laying on the couch, though, I learned that my body was not as advanced as my lungs. My body was screaming "Don't even try to get off this couch - it's not happening!" So I'm continuing to walk around the house...hoping if I keep moving I will loosen up and not wake up stiff.

My hubby loves him some mac & cheese, so I try to keep several boxes in the pantry at all times. Lately, though, he has decided that the name brand Kraft isn't good enough for him. He now needs Shells & Cheese. It makes me laugh because I always think of my dear friend Kenz. The first time she made me shells & cheese she refused to let me put the cheese sauce in. I mean, she was adament that I back away from the stove! Whoa Betsy!! Somebody is a little too attached to her shells & cheese! Hahaha! ♥ her!

Day 20: Before/After

I'm too whipped to figure out how to be all crafty and make these 2 pictures one before/after picture...so I'm keeping it at two. Every morning I have sugar free maple & brown sugar oatmeal and one piece of toast. It's become quite the morning ritual.

Day 21: Delicious
Nothing I ate today was particularly delicious [more on that in a minute], so I decided to picture an onion. Yes, just an onion. Lately I have developed an unhealthy obsession with sautéed onions. Plain. On a plate with a fork. Nothing else. Ok, salt and pepper. That's it, though! Soooo good! I use EVOO when sautéing them instead of butter, so that shouldn't be too bad for me, right?!

So yesterday after work I helped grade some paper for my sister [4th grade teacher]. Afterwards, my niece, Syd, asked if I would come have lunch with her at school today - it was spaghetti day. I love spaghetti and I'd never had school lunch with my nieces before, so I jumped on the request. Let me just tell you, never have our local school spaghetti. I'm not even really sure what was in it. I have some pretty vulgar analogies for it that I shared with Lesa during our walk today, but I'll spare you the details. Let's just say it was a pile of noodles and something ground up with them. Couldn't they just leave the "meat" out?! Ick! So, against my better judgement, I stopped and got some Totino's Pizza Chips to munch on at work and allowed myself a Diet Pepsi. I know I know...bad Jenna. When you have a horrible lunch, though, you deserve a treat to pick yourself back up!!

Coming soon:
I came across this blog today which totally inspired me! Not only do I love the way this chick writes, but she has some great ideas for blog themes. So, I'm stealing some of her ideas!! She has a weekly "I smile..." post where she lists reasons she/things that make her smile. I love it! Also, she does a "These are a few of my..." post where she lists favorite and not favorite things. I love it! I'm not sure what days I will be adding these in or how I'll incorporate them to make them my own, but I am def going to start em up! I just had to give her credit here first. I also commented on her post telling her I was stealing it! :)


What's blooming in your yard?
What shows are you into now?
I am rewatching Lipstick Jungle on Netflix and still love it. I wish it was longer than 20 episodes, though. Also, 90210 started up again and I assume Gossip Girl is too - so there's two shows I'll have to find a way to watch online!!



Gone Fishin' . . .

I know, I know...I'm slacking. I haven't been keeping up with the photo-a-day or even posting every day. What can I say, though? It's so nice out! I can't help it!

Yesterday was a great day to just go fishing! So that's just what we did. After we went to a local church for the first time. Wes' family goes to a church that is about an hour away from us, so it isn't really the most convenient option. We hadn't tried any local churches, but after talking to an old acquaintance of Wes', we decided we should give it a try to see if it was a fit for us. The church is less than a block away from our house, so it was an easy commute. We liked the service and people, so I think we will go again this weekend.

Afterwards we went to pick up Billy, Vince, and Waylon to go fishing. It was a full boat...with Waylon sitting illegally in the far back with the window open for him to breathe.

Half of Billy, Waylon in back, and half of Vince.

Billy & Vince waiting for us all to get settled.
Let's fish!

Waylon & Wes watching for fish and chatting.

Best seat in the house. Sitting on a rock,
lake to my back, Nook in hand.

I quickly realized I wasn't going to be able to read while sitting with the boys. The W's were having too much fun chatting, which is great to see. So, I went and found my own little get away at the lake.

It's a cozy little spot I found...until the train came.

Overlooking the lake as I read on my Nook.

To the left of those evergreen trees
is where the boys were fishing.

It was such a windy day!!

Today was another beautiful day (prior to the much needed rain), so I went for a walk around the lake after work. As I got to the lake, this is the view I saw from above:

I said a quick prayer that all of that rain would hold off until I made it home. He answered my prayers and not more than five minutes after walking in the door, He let it rain. The forecast has chances of rain in it for the rest of the week. As much as I'd love dry days to enjoy walks after work, I do hope we get some rain for the farmers (like my daddy). It's been so dry out.

Day 18: A corner of your homeThis is probably my favorite corner of our home.
My papasan chair from college is so comfy and
a great place to curl up with my Nook.

Day 19: FunnyThis CRACKS me up [to tears] EVERY time I see it.

What have you been doing to enjoy the amazing weather we've been having?

What did you think of the PLL spring finale?!
I thought it was a great finale, but am STILL am sitting on the edge of my seat [just like I was throughout the finale] to see what's in store next! Obviously Mona [as crazy as she is, apparently] is only really an accomplice. Jenna has to be involved...why else would she be keeping her sight a secret?! Also, something or another is up with Melissa - I kind of think she's involved.

Walk & Weekend . . .

**I know you're supposed to  be meeting somebody in my life today, but...well, I'm slacking. Next Saturday, though, I'll make up for it. You will be meeting Princess.**

Sorry I didn't get around to posting yesterday! It was a busy day!
Before I get on with that, though, I want to say hi to my new followers! I'm excited to get more people following me. I don't have anything extraordinary going on in life to talk about, but between stories and pictures I hope to keep people laughing and coming back.

After work yesterday I was on my own for walking. I enjoy walking on my own because when I walk with Lesa I feel like I'm holding her back. She usually jobs before walking with me, so that just proves how much more in shape she is than me. The great thing about walking with her, though, is she pushes me. She gives me motivation to push through the pain.

So what was I going to do on my own? Well, I wanted to push through and go on our "long route" but soon into it I realized I wasn't going to be able to "power walk" the route...so I did about half and half. I wanted to make sure I was able to get through the route, regardless the speed.

The view of the first half of the route.
It will get prettier once it's green.

I look so great when I walk.
*sarcasm*

A cute little rest stop...
...that I didn't stop at!

The lovely corn field view.

See the stoplight at the top of the picture to the left? No? Me neither. At the very top, at the horizon, there is a stop light (at the end of the off-ramp). That stop light was my destination. It's a never-ending hill. I think I mentioned it earlier in the week. Well, since I hadn't power walked prior to the hill, it was easier for me to power walk up the hill.

Even though it wasn't as rough as the first time I braved the hill, it was still work. Once I got to the top, though, this is the view I got. It's not a great picture and doesn't capture the height and view, but it's the best I could get with my phone while walking.

The high school was the next view on my route.

The highway in front of the HS that I walked along.

Soon after this picture, mom txt me asking me to stop by Grandma's, so I took a detour. It was worth it. This is how I was rewarded:

Princess missed me and made me feel alllll better.

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Day 17: GreenMy green bedroom walls and blanket.

I woke up this morning and Wes said I should stay in bed to sleep. I oddly had already slept in, so I decided to pick up my Nook and relax. There was such a refreshing breeze coming in our bedroom window (with the help of a fan), I didn't want to get up.

For lunch we had hamburgers on the George Foreman
and of course, per hubs request, Mac & Cheese.

We finally took up Vince on his offer to clean our bathtub and Wes got busy with dishes. Meanwhile I did some cleaning in the bathroom and put away laundry.

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Oh! I have a hilarious story from last night! I'm sure it won't come across as awesome here as it truly was, but I will attempt.

Let me preface this by saying that we have recently discovered a raccoon lives in our front yard tree - or rather in the "crotch" of the tree. We have a window right next to the tree from our living room, so we have seen the raccoon at night several times climbing up and down. We live in town on a highway, so it's kind of shocking that a raccoon chooses to stay right there, but we haven't seen it in the day time, so I feel pretty safe in saying it doesn't have rabies or anything. Regardless, ick!

So last night, or rather this morning, at 1am, I was sitting at the computer desk with Wes standing and looking over my shoulder. We have all the windows in the house open that weren't painted shut by the previous owners. (Can you believe how amazing it feels out...for March?!) So as we're looking at the computer screen we hear what can only be described as a down right cat fight. It was so loud and I could have sworn it was happening in the house. My first thought was RACCOON and I instinctively went straight from my chair up the four stairs and shut the door. My heart was beating so fast and I thought I ran, but Wes informed me later that I just stood up and calmly walked away. Inside, I ran! I'm not real sure, as I was panicked, but I think Wes exited the living room too. So after the noise stopped, I peaked through the door and asked, "What was that?!?!" Neither of us saw anything and therefore know for sure, but I can only assume the raccoon met with a wandering neighborhood cat or a cat fell out of the tree/in the well in front of our house.

I don't know how to describe it. "Well" is my best guess. It's a cement wall that reminds me of something you'd use to put plants in front of your house, though it goes across the whole front of our house. So one of my thoughts is that the call fell down there and freaked itself out. We'll never know. An hour later, when my heart rate returned to "normal", I laughed a lot about it. Turns out I hate raccoons and Wes hates cats. So either way, we were covered. I would have taken care of the cat, had it been in the house and Wes would have taken care of the raccoon (as I ran upstairs screaming). I think the fact that we've had a bat in the house a couple times really amplified both of our reactions. Once you have something wild and uncontrollable in your house, you have a completely different reaction and outlook on all things, shadows, and noises. If you haven't been lucky enough to have a bat in your house, just trust me.

I'm planning on getting an iPod Touch, so am doing research on them. Anyone have one that they'd like to give me a review on?

What did you do this weekend to enjoy the awesome weather?

I'm graduating! . . .

Holy shit!! (Excuse my French!) I'm graduating!!!! Wow...it doesn't seem quite possible! Yes, it's been eight years in the making, but it just seemed like the time would never come! Yet, the time has indeed come. I'm graduating!!!! It's so exciting! I ordered five tickets so that my parents, Wes, and his parents can come to the ceremony, hopefully. I found out today that people who don't come can watch it live online. That's pretty sweet if you ask me!

SQUIRREL!!  (My awkward transition phrase.)

My new water bottle.

I finally moved up in the world. For over a year now I've been reusing a Casey's General Store bottled water jug. Wes and my mom informed me numerous times that that was indeed disgusting. I agreed, I just never could find a water bottle that I really liked. So, I began the search, and lo and behold I found my water bottle right here in town at Pamida.

Sporty top, secure suction lid, and ...
ya know, "that silver thing" for extra security.

I've been using it for over a month now and am rather fond of it. Not only is it BPE (...right?) free, but it has a big enough mouth to fit ice cubes in. That means I no longer have to freeze half a bottle of water the night before. I'm all for drinking water, but it's got to be cold.

Handy dandy intake counter.

My favorite part of the water bottle is this intake counter. There is a sliding portion of the lid that allows you to keep track of how many bottles you have a day, up to 6. The water bottle holds 24oz, so I figure if I drink 2.67 bottles a day, I'm hitting my 8 glasses a day requirement. I've been doing pretty good, having 3 bottles a day. I'm pretty stellar, like that!

Day 14: Clouds

Today was a beautiful day. It was 56º on my way to work at 8:00am with a forecasted high of 79. In March. In Iowa. I'll take it!! I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy the great outdoors today. After work I walked/jogged my 1.25 route around the lake and home and now it's time for supper. Chicken fajitas, I do believe!!

Do you drink enough water?
What is your favorite thing to do outside once the weather allows?
What are some great oven-less recipes for spring/summer you want to share?

Exercise is a Journey . . .

Hey ya'll! (Sorry, my inner Paula Deen just came out!)

Well, yesterday after work I decided to try power walking by myself. I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to push myself...without Lesa next to me as motivation. I think I did fairly well with my headphones on. It took me 35 minutes to walk to the lake, around it, and back home. Not bad. My shins didn't even scream out in pain all night following my walk. That, my dear, is progress.

After work today, Lesa came over and we were off. I wanted to push myself today. So, we walked along the nature trail up to the new highway, then took a right which was a path with a slow and steady incline. Or so it appeared. After what felt like a mile of uphill walking, we had only gotten about a quarter of the way up. What was this...Mount Everest?! I felt better once Lesa admitted it was kicking her rearend as well. Phew, I wasn't just a wuss (ok, I am...but still!). Once we got to the top we both felt amazing, we conquered it. Lesa joked that by the end of the summer we'll be able to demolish the hill no problem. I'm not so optimistic. She's in a lot better shape than me. That's the goal, though - to get in better shape. It's important to have goals. My goal is by the end of the summer to be able to walk around the lake, along the whole path to the Heights, and back...all at a good pace without stopping. I have no idea how long that is, maybe someone who reads this locally will be able to inform us.

I collapsed on the floor once I walked in the door.

My goal today, though, was to pick myself off the floor that I collapsed onto, make supper, and keep moving in hopes of not being a sore and stiff miserable mess tomorrow.

Bundles of Chicken Love

Supper was a success. I made Chicken Pillows and then the Mister had to have shells and cheese, obviously! So good. The mixture of creamy cream cheese, stringy shredded cheese, and shredded chicken all bundled inside of a crescent roll... Pure genioius, I tell ya!

I'm feeling pretty good from the exercise. No excessive soreness yet. Let's say a prayer that I don't feel stiff and dead in the morning!

Day 13: A sign

The Day After is the Worst . . .

Well, I survived!  Last night after detecting two (oddly placed) blisters on my left foot, almost falling down the stairs from exhaustion, and wondering whether my face was red from mere exhaustion or if I had managed to get burnt....I survived!  Don't get me wrong...every muscle below my waist hurts...plus a few other odd muscles in my upper body.  I told Lesa she should be glad she has today off because I knew I'd be hating her today, and boy was I right.  She kicked my butt!  I'm so glad I did it though and glad Lesa agreed to go with me.  Having her speeding along side of me gave me motivation and reason to push myself.  If I had been on my own I wouldn't be this sore, but I also wouldn't have gotten as much out of it because alone I wouldn't have pushed myself.  As much as I hate the pain, it feels good that I did something! 

We weighed in today for our "healthy lifestyle" challenge at work.  I lost 1.8 pounds since the last weigh in (3 weeks ago).  I know that isn't much, but I'm actually really pleased with it.  In the last three weeks I haven't done any exercise until Friday since I had been consumed with my classes.  I was pretty sure I was going to gain, so losing a couple pounds is just fine by me.  This next weigh in I'll do better now that I'm walking and doing the Gazelle.

In other news, tomorrow I will be in Des Moines all day for a work meeting.  I'm being sent in place of my supervisor which is a little stressful for me - it's a meeting she goes to each month and I'm being thrown in.  We'll be having Machine Shed for lunch, though, so that'll at least be worth it.  ;)  You know me, always about the food.

Speaking of food, I've been slacking on posting about food, eh?!  I hope to make a couple recipes this weekend, so don't give up on me yet!

Day 7: Something You WoreI didn't want to do something boring like my shirt, pants, or shoes...
...so this is the beautiful "journey" necklace my hubby got me for my birthday!  ♥

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood . . .

The back yard - remember how just Sunday it was full of snow...?!
(I don't know why blogger is putting a line through my pictures.)

Yesterday on my way to work there was snow everywhere and the roads were slightly slick. By the time I was off of work most of the snow was gone. Today, as you can see, the snow is completely gone. That's right, it was above 70º today!! Such a beautiful day.

Sunset on a 72º day in March in Iowa.

I really felt like I needed to enjoy the beautiful weather today, so a colleague (Lesa) and I went for a (power) walk.  Boy did she kick my *bleep*!!  We walked to the pool and back, which is probably...a mile...?  (I'm a really bad judge of distance.)  I am now ridiculously sore and have two lovely blisters on my left foot to show for it. 

In other news, I received a B in my Auditing course but am still waiting for two paper grades from last week for Business Policy & Strategy.  I think I will end up with a high B in that class, as well.

Day 6: 5pm
This is what I looked like at 5pm today.  I had just finished my power walk and was whipped!!