Matchbox Twenty/Goo Goo Dolls Concert

This past weekend we took a road trip up to Minneapolis with Kevin's sister Heather (oops! and MY sister now!) and our best man Brian. Destination: Matchbox Twenty and Goo Goo Dolls concert!

When Heather alerted us to the fact they were touring together, my 5th grade self got suuuuper excited! I loved them as a kid, especially Matchbox Twenty. I especially love music that makes me feel nostalgic; music that instantly takes me to the place in time where I first heard that song. For this concert, I immediately traveled back to my best childhood friend Kayla's house, in her computer room chatting with boys on MSN messenger and downloading songs on Limewire, eating grape popsicles. Ahhh, those were the good ol' days.

Anyway, I digress. The concert was at the Basillica Block Party, an outdoor concert/festival to raise money for outreach programs. I had the best cheese curds I've ever had and you could even get your picture taken with the pope. Unfortunately, we forgot to do the latter. It was a pretty cool setup. Now, I've never watched a concert NOT in the front row so that was my only regret of the weekend. We found a spot off to the side in front of the video board.

Best photo bomber!!

The Goo Goo Dolls were up first, and my first impression: that guy has GOT to lay off the plastic surgery! He looked exactly the same as he did 10 years ago, but...something was different. See below.

Scary, right? Nonetheless, he sounded great and played all their old hits. Iris, Slide, Black Balloon, Here is Gone, Sympathy, etc. Remember those?? Kevin and I made an untimely beer run and missed seeing Iris :(.

Heather caught the Goo's coozie............. or maybe it was just a random one. We'll never know.

I was most excited to see Matchbox Twenty and they definitely did not disappoint. In fact, they far exceeded my expectations. Rob Thomas is one good looking guy! He is so intense when he sings and he put on a fantastic show! I was in no way disappointed. He also played EVERY song that any of us wished to hear, which was much appreciated since they've come out with new stuff recently. They played nearly every song on their first album, which was AWESOME!! Real World, Long Day, 3AM, Push, Girl Like That, Back 2 Good, and other favorites... How Far We've Come, Unwell, If You're Gone, Bright Lights. So. Many. Songs!!

The best was the encore, when they came back and said, "We're just gonna play a bunch of old shit!" SO GOOD. I have been listening to Matchbox Twenty NONSTOP since the concert. My favorite songs they played were "Back 2 Good" and "Push," which was the last song.

Funny story: I remember as a kid being very offended by "Push," and boycotted listening to the song. The lyrics had me a little confused... "I want to push you around, well I will, well I will," "I want to take you for granted." Haha! Glad I got over that.

After the concert, we went back to our hotel, ordered some pizza, and reminisced on oh amazing the concert was. Heather was also subjected to some dares. Oh--I feel it's also worth mentioning that Brian was dared to shotgun a Straw-ber-Rita before the concert and did so in a matter of seconds!

Protein Energy Bites

I got this recipe from my mom who makes these a lot and they're pretty yummy so I thought I'd give them a try. I'm always very skeptical of my mom's health-related suggestions (sorry, mom) because I tend to take a more natural and holistic approach to health. I'm a bit of a hippie.

In the Farrell's program, the main focus when it comes to healthy meals is a good balance of protein and carbs, and these balls are a perfect fit.

Here's what you need:

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup flaxseed
1/3 cup honey (I used a little less... I was suspicious of the fact there are no nutrition facts on honey.)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla (I used 1 tsp...what's the point of a 1/2 tsp?!)
1/2 cup peanut butter

My mom uses "meal" or "ground" flaxseed, but I wasn't sure what to get and of course mom never answers her phone when it's imperative. :p. I can't really taste the difference. I think mine have a bit more of a crunch because I used whole seeds but I'm ok with it. I think I actually like it better with the whole seeds. If you're shopping at Fareway, flaxseed is in the baking aisle. If you're at HyVee, it's in the Health Market and every employee you ask will look at you like flaxseed isn't a real thing and you'll have to hunt it down yourself.

Both flaxseed and oatmeal are pretty high in protein, as is peanut butter. Flaxseed also provides healthy fats and is high in fiber. I also use Omega-3 peanut butte because the NuVal number is higher at HyVee and I think it's yummier.

Mix it all up and let it chill in the fridge for an hour before rolling into balls.

This recipe makes 20 balls. According to my calculations and similar recipes I found online, each ball has about 10 carbs and 5 grams of protein. As far as serving size goes, I will probably eat 2 at a time, maybe 3 if I'm really feeling lethargic.

This will be a perfect snack right before a workout to give me a little extra energy before my workout. It will also be great to tide me over (is it 'tie me over' or 'tide me over'? I've never actually typed that phrase out before)... in that stage after my workout when I'm so hungry I could eat my arm off, and too hungry to properly function to make something.

I also want to point out the fact that Kevin is a really good husband to actually let me get these dishes as seen below. Every time I open up my cupboard I just stop and stare at how pretty! They're Fiestaware if any brides-to-be out there are plotting register for them also. And did you happen to notice my measuring cups? Also a rainbow. While we're pointing things out, that mason jar tumbler is from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and is the perfect travel mug for breakfast protein smoothies.

Let me know if you give these a try! They're pretty yummy and I actually do feel like I have extra energy after I eat a couple. Off to do a double kickboxing class! Happy Hump Day.

I Miss My Husband (still weird)

For the last 3 days Kevin has been in Milwaukee for work and I've been sad. I am very needy with my Kevin time and I've been in a large, debilitating funk since he left. Meh. He gets back tomorrow night and I am VERY excited.  Probably too excited. I need a life. We've been surviving sending each other Snapchats of crazy faces.

Also--a note on Snapchat. Have you jumped on the bandwagon? Or are you thinking, "Isn't that the same thing as sending a picture message?" Believe me, I thought the same thing at first but I've converted. Snapchat is so much fun! You can send a crazy picture of your face and the recipient can only see it for 10 seconds, and it disappears. I don't know why, but it's better than just sending a picture. Maybe it's the little dancing ghost. I don't know. I just love it.

I am also paranoid of ghosts and jump and every little thing. Kevin protects me from the ghosts. Also, I forgot our building was sending in a crew to clean the exterior windows, and I look up from my book to see a man outside on my balcony. That wasn't fun.

While Kevin's been away, here's what I've been doing:

*Sleeping
*Reading
*Watching Gossip Girl (what?! ugh. I know.)
*Summer school
*Relentlessly checking my email for our professional wedding photos
*Running
*Going to Farrell's
*Being paranoid
*Repeat

I've also been Pinteresting and came across this pin. If you know me, you know I HATE feet. All feet. Everyone's feet. Feet are disgusting. At Farrell's, shoes aren't allowed on the mat and socks are frowned upon because you don't get that great "pop" when you kick the bag. It's important, just trust me... So, I'm barefoot, which leaves my feet feeling like icky boy feet. That's all I'm going to say.

So I thought, "Hey. I'm home alone. I'm on my 7th episode of Gossip Girl. Why not do a little at home pedicure?"

The "recipe" called for 1/4 cup mouthwash, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 1/4 cup warm water. Soak for 10 minutes and "the dead skin practically wipes right off!" Ummmmm no. It didn't work one bit and now my feet smell like vinegar and I'm on my 8th episode of Gossip Girl.

Kevin, come home!!! :(

I'm Baaaack!

If I had a dollar for every post that announced my return to blogging, I'd have about $3. However, this lady has a whole lot of content built up since I've last blogged. I GOT MARRIED! That's right, I'm a wife with a new last name and I'm here to tell you all about it. I have given my blog a new look and I'm excited to document all the special moments of our wedding and share it with you. Thanks for hanging around and sticking with me through my long absence!

Here are a few teaser pictures for you:

I had a few awesome showers thrown by some lovely women

I had a wonderfully inappropriate bachelorette party with the help of some dear friends

 Then...we got married!!

Then we went on a perfectly relaxing honeymoon to Mexico :)

Life After Farrell's 10-Week Challenge

I wrapped up my 10-weeks at Farrell's about 5 weeks ago but never got around to sharing my end results. In the end my "transformation" exceeded my expectations. I didn't think I'd see such results so quickly. Since my 10-weeks ended, I've lost about 3 more lbs. I've been at a bit of a plateau, but I also haven't been taking my diet as seriously. I'm starting to see my muscle tone rather than weight loss, and I think that's because I'm nearly at my natural body weight.

I recently hit my "goal" weight and that was a very exciting day. I haven't seen this weight since high school and knowing how hard I worked to get there makes it even sweeter. When I saw the number on the scale I couldn't stop looking at it. I weighed myself 2 more times just to make sure.

One of our wedding shower gifts-- a mason jar mug! Perfect for protein smoothies.

Overall I have lost about 13 pounds since beginning FXB. I haven't measured myself since my 10-weeks ended, but I had lost 12 inches. I went down a pant size for the first time since...I don't even remember! That was an exciting day also! Now, 3 weeks after buying the new pants they're a little baggy so I'm hoping to take it down one more by the end of the school year. I also had to buy new workout pants because my old ones kept falling down.

These used to be my favorite pants but now they don't stay up! I found that out during one unfortunate run.

I increased my pushups in a minute from 33 to 79 (from my knees both times), sit ups from 37 to 46. I took 1:16 off my mile time. I also lost 3.5% of my body fat. I'm anxious to see what that number is now! I am very proud of those numbers. I have so much more energy. I don't feel dead tired at the end of the school day (ok, some days are worse than others...). I am SO much stronger and I can't stop looking at my muscles. I make Kevin squeeze my bicep probably 10 times a day :) I'm annoying.

You won't want to run into me in a dark alley

The best part of completing FXB is my self-confidence. I wasn't an "unconfident" person before, I just wasn't as excited about the way I looked. I am so much more confident and happy about myself. I am in much better moods and just have a better attitude. Another great part about it is I enjoy getting dressed and wearing clothes that would have been uncomfortable before. I used to get really down on myself when I went shopping and nothing fit me right. I don't look at pictures of myself and cringe anymore. That is better than any number on the scale. :)

My mom got me the most perfect workout shirt :)

I mentioned in a previous post that my wedding dress that was purchased in September no longer fits me. Since I am still losing weight, I am going in in May to get it measured for alterations. I am going to take a picture of me in it before it gets altered so I can see the change (I'll have to keep it hidden for 2 more months until the wedding.)

I decided to blog about the rest of my FXB journey thanks for my friend Jeff who said he read my blog and decided to join. I'm glad that I could pass pass on the inspiration that I received from others who had inspired me to do the program. It really does work, but you will get out of it what you put into it. I never skipped a day if I could help it (I did have to miss 2 days for snow days and 2 days for conferences.) I ate clean and followed the meal plan and busted my butt when I was at the gym. Since "graduating" from FXB, I don't eat as religiously as I used to, and I can definitely tell. I'm trying to muster up some new motivation to get back on track. 

Can't forget about the best day of the week... Saturday! My free day is the only thing that gets me through the week sometimes.

Kevin has since started Farrell's since I finished my 10-weeks. He is doing a great job and I am very proud of him. He gets up before work and runs a few days a week, and then gets in a full workout after work. He eats better than I do and works really hard even though this is something that is out of his comfort zone. It's been an experience doing FXB together. He had his 5-week testing yesterday and ran his mile in 6:06! That's after taking a whole minute off his starting time. He is looking good.

Eating healthy is much easier with a partner 

After the first 10-weeks, you become a "FIT" member. Basically just a veteran I guess you could say. I don't have a coach or a team, it's more independent. You have the option of doing "doubles" which is 2 classes a day, and there is an extra long class on Saturdays that is both resistance training and kickboxing combined. I usually do doubles once or twice a week, Monday and Wednesday, at 5:30pm and 6:30pm, depending on how I'm feeling. I am usually spent afterwards but it's a good kind of pain. Saturday class is also rough because my body is usually in need of a recovery day but I feel like I can give it all I got. I know I have a "free day" coming when it's done and a day of rest the following day. I like being a part of FIT because I feel like I am putting less pressure on myself and can just work hard and enjoy it. Someday I would like to be a coach or instructor, I think that would be a good summer project for me.

Anyway, if you have any questions about FXB or are thinking about joining let me know! I obviously recommend it :) 

Farrell's: Week 5 Progress

Farrell's is the bee's knees, people! IT WORKS! I am a changed woman.

To read a more elaborate explanation of what Farrell's is, you can read this post I wrote at the beginning of the 10-week program. In a nutshell, Farrell's is a lifestyle change that begins with a 10-week program, 6 days a week. Kickboxing is 3 days a week, resistance bands are 3 days a week. In FXB, food is viewed as "fuel". We eat six small meals a day, intaking a certain amount of protein and carbs per meal. No calorie counting, not a fad diet. Fueling your body with the nutrients it needs to function. That's the key. FXB is a family and a community, not a gym. Each new member is put on a team with a coach to hold each other accountable. And we do! I have made some great friends in FXB and I always look forward to the workouts.

At the halfway point, 5 weeks in, we retest to see the progress we've made. For some, it's an exciting time to see how much we've changed. Others may use it as a motivator to kick it into high gear. For me, it was a happy day :). Here are my half-way results:

*I lost 8 pounds
*I lost 10 and 1/2 inches (around my arms, waist, hips, chest and thighs)
*2% of my body fat
*Took a minute off my mile time
*Doubled the amount of pushups I could do in a minute (33 to 66)
*Increased my sit and reach flexibility by 4 and 1/2 inches

Needless to say, it was very motivating to see those kids of results just halfway through. It goes to show how far you can take your body by giving it the food it NEEDS and exercising regularly.

Part of my success is due to my regular attendance. I am a kindergarten teacher, and am apparently motivated by the same thing my student's are. The very first day, our coach made us write our promise to her on the top of our attendance card. I have taken it seriously, and have not missed a day in (now) 6 weeks. That's 36 workouts in a row. So now, unfortunately, I can't skip because I just can't bear (...bare?) to ruin my perfect attendance! Plus, coach Carma puts a sticker on my chart each day I'm there :)

Now, this is the best part. Back in September, I ordered my wedding dress. It fit me perfectly back then, but of course we had to specially order one that's short enough for me. My dress came in this week, and I went to try it on Sunday, a little curious as to if it'd be a little big now. The saleswoman was in the room to help me in and help me zip it up. When I stepped in it and she lifted it up, she said, "Well, someone's lost some weight!" Oops! I stood with my arms out, waiting for her to zip it. "Sweetie, it's zipped," she said. WHAT?! I knew I had lost some weight and inches, but physically being able to SEE how much different my body is now was pretty powerful. The bad news is the dress didn't fit me right whatsoever, so it'll have to be altered to look right again. I can't wait for it to FIT again!

I've convinced two people to join FXB during the next 10-week session. Kevin is going to do it with me, and my lovely co-worker Amanda has also signed up! If you are interested in knowing more about FXB, let me know! I have signed up for the FIT program (what you do after the initial 10 weeks) and am looking forward to seeing how much further I can take it.

Oh, I almost forgot the second best part. I had some goals in my mind when I began Farrell's as far as my physical measurements go. But my TRUE goal was to be asked to become an instructor. At FXB, you must be ASKED to be an instructor by the head coach. My "secret" goal was to be asked to be an instructor. (This could also have a little something to do with the kinergarten teacher in me...gotta love verbal affirmation!) I wanted to be seen as a hard worker. This goal, I think, is really what pushed me to work as hard as I did (and am!) I am halfway through my 10 weeks, and I am happy to have reached my goal of being asked to instruct.

The best part of all this is I feel fantastic. I have so much energy, I'm not exhausted at the end of the day, and I feel great about myself. I have my eye on the prize...and that's looking good relaxing on the beach on my honeymoon!

I'll be back in 4 weeks to post my final results! Thanks for reading. :)

My New Fitness Adventure

Hi friends! I know, I know. It's been awhile. I'll skip the excuses and get down to it.

I'm getting married in 5 months (160 days to be exact, and that number just gave me a small panic attack) and I want to look my best. I also want to make this new chapter a HEALTHY one. It's been a busy year. I'm in my first year teaching, which is busy enough on it's own, and I'm planning a wedding. As someone who has always regularly worked out, I found exercising slip waaaay down on my priority list. Honestly, it slipped off my priority list. I found myself with very little energy at the end of the day, I was grumpy (sorry, Kevin), and just not happy with myself. It's hard to find motivation to go to the gym after 8 hours of 23 kindergarten students. My Aunt Kristin came up with the perfect analogy, it's like "trying to herd cats." Because I wasn't able to motivate myself to go to the gym after school, I knew I needed a lifestyle change or I would continue on this way. Having a wedding on a horizon, that isn't an option.

So, I joined Farrell's! I have been wanting to do Farrell's for a long time, but couldn't justify spending the money. What really motivated me was hearing the stories of Kevin's co-worker who joined Farrell's with his wife. I don't know their end results, but after seeing them when they finished the program I was amazed at how good they looked! Kevin helped me make the decision (the financial decision was what was holding me back) and encouraged me to do it.

Farrell's is a 10-week, 6 day a week program. Monday, Wednesday, Friday is kickboxing and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday is resistance bands. I was a kickboxing instructor in college and am in love with it. Until I started FXB, I didn't realize how much I missed it in my life. There is something about kicking the crap out of a punching bag while thinking about all your daily griefs that is so motivating and fulfilling. It's the best stress reliever. Bands are a new thing for me, but I love them already, and they're kicking my butt! We are also each assigned a coach who we can ask questions and they help keep us motivated. My coach is Carma, and she is very motivating and very fun.

For me, the exercise is the easy part. I look FORWARD to going to Farrell's at 5:30 everyday. I give 100% and feel amazing after the workouts. In Farrell's, they call this "Living Life at Level 10." The hard part, of course, is the nutrition plan. It's very specific and for a some a huge lifestyle change.


I'm no expert, but so far this is what I've learned. We think of food a fuel. Only put into your body what it needs. We don't count calories. We focus on REAL food: lean meats, whole grains, fruts, and veggies. Most importantly: KEEP IT SIMPLE!! We eat 6 small meals a day every 2.5-3 hours. Your meals should be the size of your palm in size and in thickness. We need to eat a protein within a 1/2 hour after our workouts.  This is what our meals should look like.

1: 1 protein and 1 carb
2: 1 protein and 1 carb
3: 1 protein and 1 carb and 1 veggie
4. 1 protein and 1 carb and 1 veggie
5. 1 protein and 1 carb and 1 veggie
6. 1 protein and 1 carb

Examples of protiens: eggs, almonds, cheese, greek yogurt, protein bars and shakes
Examples of carbs: veggies, fruit, whole grains (avoid foods with a high glycemic index)

Some things I have eaten this week: baby carrots, greek yogurt, almonds, chicken breast, broccoli, potato, oranges, appleas, fruit and spinach smoothie, low-fat english muffin with peanut butter, low-fat string cheese, Koshi cereal, etc. I am a VERY picky eater, and I am trying to expand my palate and giving other foods an honest try.

Went to the grocery store and came home with this! I tried liking peppers but I couldn't do it.

I plan my meals ahead of time and fill up my lunch bag and grab things throughout the day. Being a teacher, it's hard to get 6 meals in a day because I can't exactly eat when I'm trying to teach the children. I eat 1 meal before school, 1 meal at lunch (which is actually at 10:40am...I know), 1 meal during specials at 1:00, 1 meal after school at 3:30, 1 meal when I get home around 6:30 after Farrell's, and 1 meal later in the night usually around 9. It's hard to get all the meals in, sometimes I only get 5, but it's a work in progress.

Another important element is drinking TONS of water (1/2 your body weight in ounces). Again, HARD for a teacher. I can't exactly leave the kids unattended to use the bathroom after drinking all that water but my body is getting used to it. They also recommend drinking a lot of water before a meal, so you eat less. Makes sense! I like drinking water so this isn't hard for me.

We had a nutrition seminar today where we could ask questions and give advice and recipes, which was very insightful. Here are a bunch of random things I learned:
*We learned a lot about toxins and things we're putting into our body. For instance, think about those vegetable steamer bags: microwaving vegetables in a PLASTIC bag?
*Our leader also talked a lot about diet soda being "the devil" and told us she'd even rather us drink regular soda. Very eye opening!
*Ooh! This was another good one. When we use sweeteners or flavors like Crystal Light in our water, our body treats it more as something to digest rather than something hydrating our body. Very interesting to think about.
*When you're hungry you should eat a protein, when you're tired you should eat carbs.
*If you like cottage cheese (I don't) if you eat a 1/2 cup of non-fat cottage cheese a 1/2 hour before bed, your body goes into burn mode for 6 hours rather than storage mode.
*Fiber is good for reducing toxins in body, it makes them sticky and "exit" the body quicker
*HyVee has a "Nuval" number listed by their prices where you can see the food's nutritional value. The higher the number, the better.

Another important aspect of Farrell's is that you get a "free day" each week. My free day is on Saturday, since I'm home more and Kevin and I tend to eat out this day. Your free day is 8-12 hours of eating whatever you want. Literally. Whatever. Today is my free day and I had a little sugar that I had been "craving" after eating clean for 6 days, and you know what? I made me feel sick! It did not taste good to me AT ALL. Now at this moment I am craving baby carrots instead! Never thought I'd see the day. And that's just after eating well for a week.

I made a bunch of pre-made smoothies, so now in the morning I can just throw a bag in an add a few other ingredient rather than getting ALL that stuff out of the fridge. My typical smoothie consists of a couple of handfuls of spinach, an assortment of fruit, 1/2 container of Greek yogurt, oatmeal flakes, and milk. Tastes delicious, trust me!

Last night Kevin and I wanted to go out to eat, but it wasn't my "free day" so I knew I needed to be careful. I looked up the menu of the restaurant (bar) we were going to (Quintons in the East Village) to look at what they had. I ordered a grilled chicken breast and a side salad and a glass of water...at a bar! It was painful but it felt good. Today is my free day, and I get to pick the restaurant :)

I only at one slice of the wheat bread and used fat-free dressing, which was disgusting by the way. I gave cucumbers an honest try and actually liked them!

When you first start FXB, you are in a 10-week program. We get measured, weighed, poked, and prodded (just kidding) to begin, we do it again at 5 weeks, and then again at the end. We also take a before and after picture (could have done without that one...) I can't wait to continue with this program and see where I am at the end. I "taught" Kevin all about the nutrition plan and he has been following it as well, though he's not enrolled in the program as he is in busy season right now. After busy season is over, he is going to do the program with me and I am SOOO excited! I really can't wait to do it together. After the first 10 weeks, the program changes a bit but I'm not well-versed on life after the first 10-weeks yet.

That should about cover it! Congratulations on reading this whole thing. Hope I didn't bore you to death. If you're interested in changing your eating habits and have questions about what I'm doing, ask me! I love talking about it (just ask Kevin.) I don't feel like this is a "fad" diet, or a temporary thing, I truly believe this is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE and I am so excited about it.

Thanks for reading! I'll check back more frequently to update my progress and thoughts on the program as they change and evolve. YAY FXB!