Thursday, May 30, 2013

The You Betcha Family's Summer Bucket List

What an awesome link up from Holly & Trista!

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So, let's take a look at the You Betcha Family's Summer Bucket List...
 
 
Camping
 
Some good ol' tenting it. We will likely do this near a lake or river and mix in Fishing, Floating Down the River, or Both. Before we know it snowflakes will be falling again so we have to get in as much as we can while we can.
 
Backyard Bonfire
 
We have tried to get this one in a couple of times already and the weather keeps interrupting us. Rest assured we have the hot dog & s'mores materials ready for the next nice weekend evening Mother Nature gives us.
 
Fishing
 
Mr. You Betcha wouldn't let us get buy without this one. Honestly, I find being out on the lake very relaxing and many days it's the only way to beat the heat {or should I say humidity}.
 
Biking at Itasca
 
They have some amazing bike trails at Itasca State Park and ever since we went kayaking there two years ago we have wanted to go back to take Little Man biking. Kinda cool to have the Mississippi Headwaters practically in your backyard.
 
Float Down the River
 
If you have never experienced this I am sorry. It's a summer must around these parts.
 
Drive In Movie
 
Every summer we say we want to go and we never do. There is one only 45 minutes away and I say this year is our year. Only $5.00 for adults and 5 & under are free!
 
Minnesota Zoo
 
We have taken Little Man to a few smaller zoos and I think he is finally big enough to appreciate the Mac Daddy Zoo of the Great State of Minnesota. It really is a great zoo and I can't wait to see it trough my son's eyes.
 
Play in Sprinkler
 
Backyard fun at its best. Nothing better or cheaper than setting up the kiddie pool and the sprinkler.
 
Fireworks
 
This is also a summer given and another first for Little Man.
 
Alexandria Races
 
This is where Mr. You Betcha went on our first date. Since this summer marks 10 years since that magical night I think it's time for a walk down memory lane. We also got ice cream after the races so I might have to add that in.
 
Hometown Days
 
This is the first annual city celebration I am helping organize. I have several bundled up emotions regarding this event but it should be a good time.
 
Twin Cities COLOR RUN
 
Looking forward to meeting up with some of my bloggy friends for this FUN RUN. See you in July Lisa, Candis, and Kayla! Go Team COLOR ME RUNNING!
 
Grand Marais 5 Year Anniversary Trip
 
September will mark 5 years since I married the man who drives me crazy {I wouldn't have it any other way}. We plan on celebrating by traveling up the north shore for a few days to get away from life, just the two of us.
 
5k's
 
There are about 3 of 4 local 5k's Mr. You Betcha and I want to do together. I am not too serious about them and just plan on doing the best I can. However, like I said before Mr. You Betcha has gotten pretty intense about his running. He had me print him a training schedule and everything. He really wants to be the fastest fireman at the Smokin' Hot 5k the end of July.
 
Minnesota State Fair
 
This may or may not happen but I think it would be fun if it did. I haven't been there since I was a little girl. Sometimes huge groups of people stress me out so I might change my mind after The Zoo & The COLOR RUN.
 
Garage Saling
 
Sportin' Heels and Getting Deals Baby!
 
I realize that all this seems like alot. We will probably just take summer a day at a time and see what happens. Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff!
 


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

I have created a MONSTER!

It's been forever again and I'm sorry. I won't whine and tell you about how busy I am because if you know me at all you know it's true and I love the life I live. However, I wanted to drop in to tell you about the monster I have created.

No, I'm not talking about Little Man...


His current "THING" is scaring people in the most obvious way. I find it absolutely hilarious.

Back to my story...You see, in early May, Mr. You Betcha and I did a 5k to fulfill his wellness credits for work. It was his first 5k and I started the year with a PR. I wrote about it HERE.

The following weekend we did a run for Breast & Ovarian Cancer and we both officially PRed!

 

It was cold & windy {we are talking 20 mph sustained winds}!

 

I was pushing for 37 minutes of less and before the race he had told me he wanted to do it in 30 or less. The coarse was not laid out to make it easy. It was a turn around and there was a HUGE hill in the middle. So just after you went up it and came down the other side you had to turn around and go up it again! 
I look like a gomer but was happy to be closing in the the finish line!
 
My official time was 37 minutes and 12 seconds and although I was shooting for 37 minutes or less I will totally take it based on the circumstances. Heck, it was 2 minutes off my time the week before! I was damn proud!
 
 
Mr. You Betcha finished in 31 minutes and 41 seconds. Not far off his goal of 30 minutes or less. The weekend before he had a time of 35 minutes 45 seconds {he held back with me for over half of it}. I say not too bad for the first race he ever pushed himself at.
 
It was funny because that day he told me that 5k's weren't so bad and he would probably continue to do them with me because they made him feel good. That was until this came out...
 

A neighboring fire department is hosting a 5k Run/Walk and  will be presenting an award for the Fastest Fireman and someone has decided he it out for blood bragging rights.

He has been cracking the whip and most nights tells me we need to go in the basement and workout/train. This is usually as I am sitting on the couch looking at him like "You have fun!" This girlfriend has had NO motivation lately.

Just wanted to share with everybody....I think it's funny....I have created a MONSTER!

Friday, May 10, 2013

New Blogger Love

Hey Friends,

Go check out Mary at Life With Mary Britni.

She is my newest follower and is hosting her first giveaway HERE.

 

I Unofficially PR'ed!

I know I haven't been around lately and for that I apologize. Let's just say April was a cold {we had extra below average temps for April} mess!

I just wanted to swing in to tell you all about my unofficial 5K last Sunday. I was super nervous because it was the first time Mr. You Betcha and I ran together. It was a walk/run hosted by his employer to earn their wellness credits for the year. I was terrified that I was going to in some way embarrass him.

Picture of nervous me on the way to the 5k.

You see, earlier that morning we had gone to a neighboring fire departments pancake feed and I was convinced that half way through I was going to be in dire need of taking a pancake poop. -OR- I was going to vomit in front of everyone. -OR- I would have to be hauled away on a stretcher.

Good news is NONE of those things happened and I unofficially PR'ed!

Since the walk/run was the easiest of several activities that employees could do to fulfill their wellness credits for the year the majority of participates showed up in their jeans and hunting boots. It was clear that many were just there to put in their time and were planning on walking it {there is nothing wrong with that}.

When the group was gathering by the starting line Mr. You Betcha and I decided we wanted to see what others were going to do; we didn't want to be the only "runners."  Mr. You Betcha got in a few good laughs because I kept scanning the crowd looking for others who might be "runners" and saying things like, "She has running pants on!" and "That guy looks geared up to run!"

When the fitness coordinator gave everyone the go ahead to start and a handful took off at a jogging pace so did we. We stuck together for the first half doing my walking/jogging intervals but I could tell that I was holding him back. I kept telling him to go ahead and that he didn't have to wait for me. It took much convincing but finally when I went into one of my walking intervals he kept going.

Mr. You Betcha finished around 35 minutes 45 seconds and I wasn't too far behind him at 39 minutes 15 seconds. Almost 2 minutes less than it took Lisa and I to run/jog/walk/crawl our first 5k last September! WooHoo!

Finally, I am pleased to announce that this crazy girl is doing another 5k tomorrow for Breast & Ovarian Cancer and YES I am dragging Mr. You Betcha along. I am encouraging him to do his own thing for the entire race since I think he is curios as to what he is capable of. I am pushing for a time of 37 minutes or less but we will see what happens. I will try to take more/better pictures and get a recap up for you guys early next week. I have missed everybody!

Here's to being better, to being faster, and to being stronger!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Thursday Tale from the Scale

one hundred sixty nine point four
DOWN 12.6 lbs TOTAL
I wish this was due to some clean eating and exercise but in all honesty it is 100% from being sick. However,  I have not seen the 160s in close to 5 years so I will take it all day long!

I'm on Day 6 of my antibiotic and feeling much better so am working on getting back into my routine. I need to get some decent groceries, dust off 30 Day Shred, open my Zumba DVDs, and fire up the treadmill lace up my sneakers and run outside because it has been beautiful.

I am getting SUPER excited for the upcoming 5k season and have been looking for local races to do this summer besides The Color Run. I have 8 that are for sure on the list and a few that are maybes.

I have been playing around with the idea of a 10k or a Half-Marathon but I just don't know...

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

I'm Alive...

...but NOT well.

I have not posted for 12 days and for that I apologize. If you follow me on Instagram you kind of already know what has been going on but I am going to fill everybody in.

March 21st  - I had one of my city celebration planning committee meeting.

March 22nd - 24th  - A great weekend. I attended a Thirty One party at a girlfriend's house Friday Night. Had myself some cheap wine, cheese, and crackers {a fat girl's dream}. Saturday, Mr. You Betcha had band practice during the day and that afternoon I headed out of town for a bachelorette party {great story for another time}. Sunday, I taught Sunday school and we lounged around for the remainder of the day.

I'm Going Out Tonight
Monday, March 25th  - Fairly normal day. I went to work, tanned, and home after that. {I know tanning is horrible but I am in a wedding April 6th and that dress is black. This girl looks like Casper!} That night I felt supper tired and honestly had ambition to do nothing but lay around.

Tuesday, March 26th - It hit me! That morning I went to work as always but I was chilled. All morning I had the little heater under my desk cranked and aimed straight at me. I thought it was because I got a little burned while tanning and figured I would feel better after lunch. WRONG!

After lunch I felt only worse and decided to go home. When I got home, I was VERY chilled and crawled into the bathtub to warm up before going to bed. This didn't seem to help and when I went to bed I only tossed and turned because I was freezing. This is VERY uncharacteristic of me, usually when this girl decides she's going to sleep she is out like a light. When I finally checked the thermometer around 2:30 p.m. it registered 101.7° F and not even 30 minutes later it was 102.0° F.

Yuck
I called Mr. You Betcha and asked him if he would come home from work and bring me to the doctor if I could get an appointment. He was willing and there was one last opening with a Nurse Practitioner {I REALLY didn't want to go to the ER}. We made it on time for my appointment but they were running behind. While in the waiting room a kind old man ask if I wanted a wheel chair and I heard the receptionist page the nurse and tell them to hurry since their patient looked miserable.

When we finally reached the room and they took my temp it registered at 103.4° F so they brought me some ibuprofen and a heated blanket to help with the chills. After a couple test the only answers we had was that my blood pressure was low, my fever was high {103.7° F by this point}, I had a high white blood cell count, it was not a bladder/kidney/liver infection and the clinic was now closed. Time to go the the ER.

Dazed and Confused
In the ER I was met with more heated blankets and tests including a CT Scan. The lower abdominal/back aches I was having combined with my high fever had them concerned that it was my appendix. We found out that likely wasn't the case as it wasn't inflamed. I was also given a pregnancy test to rule out a tubal pregnancy. By this point {about 10 p.m.} they had giving me a bag of IV fluids and my fever had come down some but since there were still no answers they admitted me into the hospital for the night to be monitored and give me some IV antibiotics. The on call doctor also wanted me to consult with the surgeon in the morning {My thoughts: Why? You said my appendix was fine}.

Quality Time Together
Wednesday, March 27th - I already knew this, but for those who haven't had babies and don't know, HOSPITAL = hardest place to sleep ever! Nothing like being woken up to have you vitals checked at midnight and blood drawn at 6:00 a.m. They also took away all fluids from me at midnight and I remember telling the nurse I knew what they were thinking {they wanted to take my appendix out} and it wasn't going to happen.

Somewhere between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. my fever broke and my morning blood work came back showing a normal white blood cell count. The surgeon consulted with us and I informed him that he wasn't taking out my appendix and he informed me that he didn't want to. I also had him make the nurses give me food because I was HANGRY and those chicks are sticklers when it comes to the rules. Since everything looked good and I was eating and walking just fine they had to discharge me without identifying what caused the high fever, headache, chills, and body aches.

FYI - They found a 2.5 cm cyst on one of my ovaries but do not believe that was what caused the problem. It's just coincidental and I will have to do a follow up appointment to monitor it.

Doctor's orders were to rest the next couple days and let her know if I developed any new symptoms or if the ones I had changed. Sounded good to me! Before we went home we washed the truck {it was gorgeous out and I wish I could have run outside} and had Mr. You Betcha get my some Gatorade and 7-Up.

Waiting for Mr. You Betcha
Thursday, March 28th  - I felt pretty good in the morning. I actually went to work for half the day and slept the other half. That means I sorta followed Doctor's orders. I'm a terrible patient.

Resting

Bed Buddy
Friday, March 29th - More symptoms developed. Boo!!! Headache, sore thought, and runny nose you are not WELCOME! I called the doctor and she finally gave me a prescription for an antibiotic. She thinks I have a sinus infection. My day consisted of work and my night consisted of more laying around.

Saturday, March 30th - I got my hair done. I would have rescheduled my appointment but needed it done for the wedding this weekend. We also got ready for Easter Dinner. I may not have told my grandmas that I had been sick and in the hospital because I didn't want them to cancel on me.

New Hair
Hot Mess Express
Sunday, March 31st - I was exhausted but it was a great day. My family attended Easter Service with us at our church {my husband played trumpet for the service} and came to our home afterward for dinner. My mom helped with a lot of the food to take some of the load off of me. It was fun to see the great-grandparents watch Little Man hunt for his Easter Eggs and play with him. Warms my heart!

Happy Easter from the You Betcha Family!

This week hopefully my health continues to improve. So far, my nose has continued to drain, my throat is still sore, and my voice quality continues to suffer but each day is a bit better.

I'm NOT Against Modern Medicine
As you may have guessed, Operation #165by26 has been placed on hold. However, this has been the best/worst diet I have ever been on.

one hundred sixty nine point eight
DOWN 12.2 lbs TOTAL
I am looking forward to feeling better and catching up on everyone's blogs. I have missed you guys!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Operation #165by26 Update & Non-Scale Victories

Operation #165by26 has certainly had its ups and downs and since I have been missing in action for an entire week I thought I should probably fill everybody in quickly.

Friday - Day 4
Saturday - Day 5
Sunday - Day 6
173.4 LBs is easily the lowest number I have seen on the scale in FOREVER. However, Days 1 - 6 had NOT been easy and I was beginning to get very tired and crabby. When my sister-in-law Lisa suggested we go to the local brunch buffet after church on Sunday I was all like Hell-to-the-Yes!

Monday's weight in was evidence of the waffle, ham and cheese omelet, and biscuit with sausage gravy I devoured the day before. Oh yes, let us not forget the pizza I had for supper too. I'm fairly certain a crazy women took over my body on Sunday!


Monday - Day 7
Sunday night we were hit by another mega snow storm and although I made it to work that morning I left at noon because it was blowing and drifting horribly.

What is a person to do with a toddler on a snow day? Make sugar cookies of course! I ate just a little cookie dough, shared half a warm cookie with Little Man, and had one after supper. In my head I was thinking they were probably 100-150 calories each. WRONG! When I sat down to watch The Biggest Loser I used MyFitnessPal's recipe calculator to figure it out the damage done and those suckers were 273 calories each!

Not proud to say I also made chili {not bad on its own} that night for supper and served it with sour cream, shredded cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches.

SNOW DAY = Giant Diet Fail!


Tuesday - Day 8
Tuesday, I dusted myself off and have been back at it ever since.


Monday - Day 9
We did celebrate and order food out last night but I had worked out and tracked all my stuff. Hence, no loss no gain and I will take that all day long!


Today - Day 10
If you are following along on my journey you know that marks 2 SOLID LBs lost for Operation #165by26. I know I could have done better in the last 10 days but I also have to realize I could have done much worse.

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So I don't get down on myself, let's take a look at some of my Non-Scale Victories: 
  • I tracked absolutely every single thing I have eaten in the last 10 days on MyFitnessPal.
  • I stayed between 1200-1400 calories 7/10 days.
  • I did 30 Day Shred 8/10 days and am catching up on the 2 workouts I missed.
  • I made it to ZUMBA last night and last Wednesday night.
My SPECIAL areas of focus for next 10 days: 
  • Continue to track everything on MyFitnessPal.
  • Stay between 1200-1400 calories 8/10 days {I have a Bachelorette Party to attend this Saturday & the 31st is Easter}.
  • Catch up on the 2 days of 30 Day Shred missed and complete the next 10 days of the program.
  • Do Couch to 5K at least 5 times.
  • Do ZUMBA at home at least 3 time {My DVDs should arrive today or tomorrow} and make it to class next Wednesday.
Now, just so there is a photo of something besides my feet in this post:
 
Little Man & My Sweet Nieces
Aren't they the cutest?
 

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Day 3 - Operation #165by26 Cleanish Food

Sorry, IG photo
Firsts things first, all of last nights packing and prepping was well worth it because we had a MUCH better morning.

Next, let's get to the nitty gritty...

one hundred seventy four point four
DOWN 0.8 lbs Since Yesterday

DOWN 1.8 lbs for Operation #165by26
DOWN 7.6 lbs TOTAL
...I'll take it!

Also, fitness is a family affair!

St. Patrick's Night @ Zumba
Another IG Photo
Little Man does 30 Day Shred

Finally, the food...
Cleanish Food I Picked Up
Asparagus
Broccoli
Carrots
Celery
Garlic
Lettuce
Hummus
Green Apples
Bananas
Strawberries
Green Grapes
Pineapple
Frozen Fish
Shrimp
Ground Turkey
Corn
Black Beans
Taco Seasoning
Salsa
Brown Rice
Whole Wheat Noodles
Marinara
Raw Almonds
Natural Peanut Butter
Oatmeal
Granola
EVOO
Eggs
Orange Juice
1% Milk
Greek Yogurt
Light Sour Cream
Lean Pockets
{these are for when I want to cheat}
Clif Bars
 
Some Prep
 
From Yesterday's Post
Ground Turkey Taco Meat for Salads
 
 
I pured my Salsa because I don't like chunks but like to add it to scrambled eggs or salads for flavor.
 
 
 I have decided asparagus is NOT for me, evil cross between pees and green beans!
 
 
Baked Chicken for Salads or a Quick Grab
 
 
Clean, Fresh, & Ready to Eat
 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Day 2 - Operation #165by26 & A Rough Morning

one hundred seventy five point two
DOWN 1.0 lbs Since Yesterday
DOWN 6.8 lbs TOTAL
Operation #165by26 is in full swing. I even got myself out of bed early this morning but my plans of quietly doing 30 Day Shred, making oatmeal or scrambled eggs for breakfast, and packing my lunch before getting ready for work quickly dissolved.

Unfortunately, the earlier I get up the earlier everybody else in the house gets up. I can be as quite as a mouse but I swear both the dog and Little Man have mommy sensors. Mr. You Betcha got up, got ready for work, and left by 6:30 a.m. and neither one of them made a peep. Seconds after he left, I stepped foot out of our bedroom door and the dog started whining to be let out of her house {if I didn't let her out the whine would turn into a bawling howl}.

Of course Daisy {the dog} wanted to be taken outside right away and when she came back in the house she insisted on chasing the cat while I whisper yelled at her so she didn't wake up Little Man. After all of this horsing around, I was finally able to get my workout in and get dressed for work before she asked to be taken out again and we repeated the whole cat chasing process. This time I wasn't as successful at getting her to shut her snout and Little Man started babbling/fake crying in his room.

So...I got Little Man up, changed him, and got him dressed {t-shirt & camo pants}. Of course the first thing he wanted was juice and half way through pouring it he decided he didn't want juice he wanted milk. I got him what he wanted and went to the bathroom to do my hair and makeup. Not even 2 MINUTES later someone decided he didn't want to wear a t-shirt he wanted long sleeves. Oh my achin' ars!

After a wardrobe change we brushed our teeth and took our vitamins together, I finished my hair and makeup, and rushed to the kitchen to throw my lunch together. I was very grateful that last night I did a little prep work for my lunches. Before we rushed out the door Little Man needed his diaper changed again {liquids run straight through the kid} and I settled on a Clif Bar and coffee for breakfast since my plans of oatmeal or eggs were nothing but a dream.

Today, I am practically dancing in my seat thinking about Zumba class tonight. After I get home I have a ton of prep work to finish with the groceries Little Man and I got. As I mentioned, I was able to get some turkey taco meat made for taco salads but I didn't get any of the rest of it done. I will do a post on what I got and what I am doing with it all tomorrow.
<---Mostly Mine & Mostly Theirs--- >
Turkey Taco Meat
I am also going to put together as much of our stuff for tomorrow morning as possible. I will preset the coffee pot, pack my lunch, fill the milk cup and have it ready in the fridge, lay out our outfits, pack Little Man's daycare bag, and put all of our stuff by the door. I might even sleep in my workout clothes. Too much?

Can you tell I don't want to set the alarm for an earlier time?