Monday, June 30, 2014

Much to do in Little Time

This weekend we were able to work in some relaxation time with a Saltdogs game Friday night and Famous Dave's Blues and Brews Saturday night. Friday after work I ran a few quick errands and then did the quick 6 with Brian before we headed to Haymarket Park. Sadly the Dogs lost - but there was an amazing fireworks show. Saturday morning I got up for a 6 mile run with Susan but there was lots of thunder and a little rain, so we waited an hour and I only ran 1.5 of the 6 miles and walked the rest. In the afternoon we planned to do yard work but it rained so we cleaned house and I got a massage before seeing Lil Slim and the Teardrops. Brian and I walked to and from the show and were treated to a lightning show on the way home. Thankfully it didn't rain on us! Sunday morning we slept in until 7:30 and then took the chainsaw and all the trimming tools to Jim and Becky's and my mom's house for a round of removal and trimming. I put in another new flower bed and a TON of mulch at my mom's While the boys took out 2 trees along the fence line and did major work on the willow. In the afternoon Brian mowed his parents while I mowed our house and after dinner I walked the dogs to Walgreen's to buy stamps. It was a lovely day outdoors but I must be dehydrated because the scale was definitely moving the wrong direction this morning!

Friday, June 27, 2014

Jeepers it's the Creeper

Yesterday after work I raced home and took the dogs for an hour walk. The trails were pretty deserted since there was a little thunder and LOTS of storm clouds but we made it to the gas company and back without so much as a drop. I threw together enchilada stack with black beans and shredded chicken and headed to the Y to lift. I am no stranger to the flirting that goes on at the gym but yesterday there was a creepy guy who followed me a lot more than I would have liked. Guess I'll need to recruit Brian and Erik to go with me a few times so he knows I super married! I didn't really get a lot done the rest of the night but Brian is home again and it was nice to relax a little! This weekend is going to fly at our house!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

To the Top of the Dam - to the Top of the World

Erik texted me early yesterday morning to let me know that the mission trip was going to stop early due to the breakout of a GI bug. The kids were disappointed but glad to be safe from passing it to one another. When I got off work I picked him up from church and we zipped home to meet my mom who came bearing pizza and blueberry dump cake! After dinner I started laundry and headed out for a 20 mile ride. This was my first time for the year tackling the Holmes Lake Dam and I made it all the way to the top without stopping, and I didn't get off my bike and guppy breath once I was on the upper trail either - success!!! The rest of the evening was pretty quiet with chores and a shower. This morning I'm still sleepy but so glad that I took that route last night and got my miles in. The best part? I'm back in the top 300 for the national bike challenge!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

There Was No Rain

The weatherman yesterday was pretty iffy, and the weather channel app on my phone didn't get me a strong opinion either way so I had to play my day by ear. Prioritization is an important part of life! Yesterday I got off at noon and met a friend for lunch at Las Margaritas. It was so nice to relax, chat and inhale a plate full of Mexican goodness!!!! After lunch I mowed at my mom's, did supplemental watering at home, rode the quick 6 (I'm in 303rd place for the national bike challenge), walked the dogs and did July birthday cards while I watched (you already know right?) the Denver qualifying round for American Ninja Warrior! It was a great episode with a woman making it to the end of the course. I think I might be addicted, which is really funny because I am totally afraid of obstacle courses. Brian arrived safe and sound in Paducah and I have a lot of hope that he'll find the right job in the company =) Unfortunately, the hotel made an error with his dates - so he isn't staying where he wanted to stay - but was at least able to find a room close by! Today will be a whirlwind with major typing and meetings.... still so excited about my new job, but much to do before I move over!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

We Let Our Hair Down - Once the Chores Were Done

I'm still on cloud nine with news about my new job. I love what I do know, and being an assistant has been a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow, but it's time to use my Masters Degree. Yesterday after work and a few errands I mowed MOST of our house (until the mower ran out of gas) while Brian mowed at his parents. Then I went over to Cooper Y for a 30 minute session with the weight machines. I am trying hard to be committed to lifting twice a week, I know it will make a difference in the way that my body processes nutrients, burns calories and helps me in my other physical activities. If it wasn't so monotonous I'm sure I would like it more! After lifting I went home and hit the showers and then Brian took me to the Parthenon to celebrate. We used to go ALL the time when we were very first dating. It was DELICIOUS with saganaki, falafel, and HOMEMADE ice cream!!!! The rest of the evening was spent getting Brian ready for his trip to Paducah for training. Today I have an exceptionally long to do list at both work and home so we'll see how far I make it!!!

Monday, June 23, 2014

I Have a Bright Future

I have the most AMAZING news. After all the interviews, and prayers, and hopes, I have officially accepted the position of project management at the hospital. I could not be more excited!!! I'm not sure yet when I'll be starting but the knowledge that the job is mine is AWESOME!!! This weekend was good, the boys both got home from their trips and I did a TON of laundry. Friday evening I rode 12 miles, Saturday morning I ran 4 miles with Susan and Sunday morning we did trail Trek and rode 16 miles from our house to Devaney and back. Tonight we'll celebrate the new position, once we get the yard work done =)

Friday, June 20, 2014

Two for One

Wednesday after work I raced home to see Brian and our crazy Basset Hounds! Brian has been at camp all week but got a one night reprieve for a meeting at church Wednesday night and a funeral first thing Thursday morning. Lucky for me the meeting was cancelled. We feasted on Pizza Hut and talked about some diet and exercise changes that Brian is going to be making. He has hereditary high blood pressure and his diabetes is starting to ramp up, so it's time to get a little more control. We will probably blog a little more about his life changes and challenges. After dinner I jumped on my bike for my Wednesday "long ride" and ended up stopping quickly at the Bike Rack. My new seat has really been hard to adjust to, so I decided it was time to ask a professional. The guy at the shop took the challenge and told me that my seat has three positions, perfectly level, slightly down and slightly up. I had been riding with it slightly up and knew that was a match made in hell. Slightly down put way too much pressure on my arms and wrists so perfectly level was the winner. I'm not sure it is exactly straight but we can play with that some more at home. The ride home was AMAZINGLY comfortable and I'm so glad I took it in! After I got home we watched some television and Brian got things done so that he could go back to camp. Thursday I took the day off work so that I could get my mom to the dentist for an implant. That means that my entire family has been Dr. Zysset this year - I should ask for a coupon or discount =) Before the appointment I got up early to make chicken noodle soup for my mom and cut up watermelons for the scouts. After my mom's implant was done I went to her place and did dishes and cleared off the counters, then laundry and then went home for a few minutes. In the afternoon I went back to her place and planted the rest of her perennials, made a new flowerbed, spread some mulch and weeded two of her flower beds. It was hot and exhausting but SO worth it. After a shower and dinner I took the dogs for a short walk through the cemetery and lifted weights at Cooper. In the evening I was a SNACKING MACHINE so I finally had a baked potato, brushed my teeth, put on my pajamas and watched TV in bed to get away from the temptation!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Mowing - CHECK

I thought about naming this post "hot and wet" but that might get the blog the wrong kind of attention! Yesterday after work I mowed all three houses - in a little less than three hours. With a heat index of 103. In JUNE! It is good to have them done for another day and Brian's mom even reached out and said thank you last night. This is MAJOR for me! After I got through the yard work I finished watering, jumped in the shower, watched a little television and got things together to drop off for the Pilger tornado survivors. We had two bags of BARELY used bath towels and wash cloths so they are now on their way to help out people recovering from 75% of the town being destroyed. Today is going to fly by at work - and tonight Brian will be home for a meeting at church before heading back to camp tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Pilger Tornados

Monday was a sad and scary day for many in Eastern Nebraska. Two tornados sparked up between Seward and Stanton nearly leveling the town of Pilger with two dead and 16 still hospitalized. I am so glad that we are all safe and sound! I had a quick dinner with my mom last night before spending some time with the television, running the sprinklers (in the wind), lifting weights at Cooper and then taking the dogs for a short walk through the cemetery. Erik and the rest of the Schuyler VBS group are planning to leave on Sunday for their mission trip, I wonder if they will try to add on a day to help/work in Pilger or the surrounding area.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Rollin to Colon Recap

It was a VERY busy weekend at our house! Friday after work I walked the dogs to get Erik's car from the shop and did a bunch of food prep. Brian's parents came over for a lovely Father's Day picnic and then Brian and I got groceries and went to bed early. Saturday morning I did the Quarter Century Gravel Ride for ALS. I'm not going to lie - I HATE wind training so I generally avoid it. Saturday when we got ready the wind was out of the south at 24 mph with 60 mph gusts. There were a few times I thought my bike and I were going to eat gravel. I pushed all the way to the turnaround (12.5 miles in 1 hour 30 minutes) and then raced back in under 40 minutes. We had a yummy pulled pork lunch and LOTS of water and spent the rest of the day getting Brian ready for camp. Sunday morning Brian got ready to go and I headed to Valley, Nebraska - about an hour from home - for the Rollin to Colon ride. I was registered for 20 but was seriously considering dropping to the 10 mile ride. When I got to the start there were TONS of people and donuts - so I decided I was all in for the 20! The first 5 miles were nice and flat, and gorgeous. The first hill getting into the 20 was a KILLER. The serious cyclists ahead of me were struggling - I dropped into low gear and crawled all the way to the top. After that I had a short flat stretch to catch my breath and then it was 4 miles of non-stop hills - and I wouldn't call them "rolling". About a mile from the turnaround I had to convince myself that it would be easier on the way back, that I had come too far to stop, and if I turned around early everyone would see me. The last hill stole my breath, and I was passed by more than one person, but I made it to the top for a banana and a granola bar and a Dixie cup of Gatorade before jumping on my bike to get back. The ride out took an hour and the ride back was done in 40 minutes - so the downhill’s were AMAZING on the way back. After stowing my bike and gear I got lunch from Firehouse subs and drove back to Lincoln. I killed three water bottles and half a soda on the way back. Since I was still plenty sweaty I delivered the neighborhood newsletters, walked the dogs to pay the cable bill and then spent the rest of the day getting ready for dinner, cleaning house and watching television.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Assessment

When we got back from vacation last summer I set a goal to lose 100 pounds in a year. I have now set a mini goal to lose 6 pounds in the next 4 weeks. That will put me at 60 pounds lost since we left for vacation (and 68 pounds lost since we got back). For a little bit not meeting my original goal made me feel pretty negative. Even though I am working out 5-7 days a week and eating a pretty good diet I have been struggling to break plateaus for awhile now. I know that my body is better, stronger, healthier, but I would like to have the scale keep moving! I have officially decided that the tri training schedule isn't working for my life - so I'm going to make my own. I have two long rides this weekend so starting Monday this is what my workout schedule will look like - it's conducive to our "family schedule", gives me time to get through all the training, provides a rest day and will help with brick training. I will still have energy to walk dogs, I will add the super important strength training that my body seems to crave, and I will hopefully see a lot more changes Monday - Lift and Swim (30 min each) Tuesday - Bike 30 Run 30 (Brick) Wednesday - Long Ride (75 min or more) Thursday - Lift and Run (speed work 2 miles) Friday - Swim (500 yards) and Ride (6 miles) (Speed work Brick) Saturday - Long run (4-6 miles) Sunday - Rest and yard work!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Looking Forward to a Break

Our summer has been pretty hectic!!! Erik is home but did a week of vacation bible school and then has a few major church commitments in June. In addition to that, Brian is helping on the APNC group at church to get us two new associate pastors (the first one is hired and in), getting scouts ready for camp and doing a lot of traveling for work. It is now 5 weeks until we leave for vacation and I told Brian last night while we were walking the dogs that once things are back to "normal" (I'm not sure what that will look like exactly) I am taking an entire week off from household responsibilities at home including dishes, mowing, cooking, cleaning toilets, running errands, etc. The last several weeks I have been taking it all so that the other outside tasks can get done and, while I don't mind it on the "short run"; I'm getting pretty worn out from full time work, training and 100% of the house chores, and our parents’ outdoor work. Last night after work I started the sprinklers and Erik's last load of laundry, made dinner, did dishes, ran to Target to get the rest of the things he needed for his trip, packed his suitcase, walked the dogs and did the 30 day ab program before falling into bed at 9:40. This morning when the alarm went off at 3:30 I thought I had hit a time warp! Hopefully we can get a little rest between rides this weekend!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Back to the Band

Yesterday was ridiculously busy at work so when I got home it was nice to do a few loads of laundry, make dinner and go for a bike ride. Erik and I saddled up about 6 and took the Bride Ride route to 27th and Hwy 2 before connecting with the Rock Island Trail to Antelope Park. It was the last performance for the Lincoln Southeast Band before they depart for Hawaii. It was fun to hear the patriotic music and see the kids who were freshmen and sophomores during our time as booster presidents. I couldn't believe how much some of them had grown up. On the ride home I raced a much more serious cyclist up the mile incline from South Street to Calvert and then got up 17 mph on the flats closer to home. It was a GREAT ride, even though I'm a little tender this morning. Once we got home Brian fixed our problematic sprinkler head and Erik and I completed day 10 on the 30 day ab workout - I confess - I am SO happy to be a third of the way done - and looking forward to our rest day on Thursday!

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

The Grass Is Always Greener

On the other side of the snow fence! Our sod was finally dry enough to cut and lay! Yesterday after Brian's appointment with the oral surgeon we went home and got to work. I helped to rake up the back yard and spread out the first 800 pounds of dirt and then Erik and I hauled sod from the Highlander to the deck. While Brian got everything rolled out Erik and I headed to Lowe's for another 400 pounds of dirt and 25 bags of mulch. When we got home we helped to get the rest of the dirt spread down in the lowest corner of our yard and Brian finished rolling out the sod while we heated up dinner. After a delicious dinner of leftover pulled pork (Kelle Lambert rocks my world!) I headed out with the dogs for an hour walk while Brian adjusted sprinkler heads and put up the snow fence to keep the dogs off the new sod. When I returned Brian drilled 80 holes with our fancy lawn auger and I planted all the grass plugs. We decided all that work deserved a beer before doing the dishes and cleaning up tools, empty bags and dirty cars. Now all we have to do is water 2-4 times a day and pray for rain!

Monday, June 9, 2014

Resting/Racing Weekend

Our weekend didn't go exactly as planned! Friday the sod company called Brian to report that the sod at the sod farm was too wet to cut, so we were deferred. I got off work around 2 and mowed all three houses - with a little help from Brian Spatz at Jim and Becky's. After dinner Brian got down seed and starter fertilizer at his parents and my mom's while I got groceries. Saturday morning I got up early to get a ride in before we picked up plugs and sod but we were in the middle of a storm that dumped 2 inches of rain at our house. It was great for my mom and Brian's parents but it made it too muddy for us to lay sod. I napped off and on in the morning and then we took the dogs to the vet. Saturday evening we walked the dogs to get a movie and then went to bed early instead of watching it. We slept 10 hours Saturday night which is almost a record for me! Apparently I needed some rest. Sunday we left for church in two waves. We got a new associate pastor and Brian was on the nominating committee so we helped with the lunch and then the clean-up and got home a little after 2:30. Brian got our yard overseeded and fertilized while I did a trail ride to Roca Road and back. After dinner we did 2 loads of dishes, watched the Simpsons, typed the deacon minutes and hit the sack. I'm not sure why I was so tired this weekend but hopefully the extra rest will help me get ready for the next two weeks!

Friday, June 6, 2014

Ride, Chill, Fill Water Balloons

Yesterday was another semi harried day at work. I got off a few minutes late, met Erik at Pro Active to get him set up for summer agility, drove through Amigo's since yesterday was the 5th and we LOVE soft tacos, went home and rode 16 miles to Devaney and back on my new seat, relaxed with dinner and laundry and then filled 100+ water balloons. I'm glad that Erik had to move the cooler out to the car instead of me. After a hot shower and an ab workout we crashed hard! This weekend is yard or die. Brian is picking up sod on the way home and I will mow all three yards so we can sod, overseed and fertilize before dark since there is rain in the forecast overnight tonight into tomorrow morning. Hopefully we can get it all done before sunset!

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Shell Shocked

Yesterday was a CRAZY day at work - being pulled in WAY too many directions and with way too many deadlines. I had what might be my last interview for the Project Manager position and in my opinion it didn't go well. Honestly it was like my brain locked up and I couldn't give any good answers. After work Erik and I had dinner and then took the dogs for an hour walk and I watched bad TV (isn't it all bad) until it was time to sleep. On a brighter note, the shim for my seat post made it in yesterday and Brian did the repair last night so I can ride again. Keep your fingers crossed, I am so happy for the opportunity for the project management position and terrified that I blew it yesterday!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

30 Day Ab Challenge

I'm not on Facebook so I live vicariously through Brian's. Last week Brian brought home a calendar with a Facebook challenge for 30 days of ab workouts. He wants to do it to improve his cycling, I want to do it to re-strengthen my abs and Erik wants to do it so that he has a crazy hot body - and an amazing core for football. We finished the third series last night and even though it looks like it should be pretty easy my abs are seriously burning when we get done and I still feel a little tender the next day. Hopefully it will work for all of us! Yesterday I got off early and met Marche for lunch, and then went to Sam's to get a few things for Erik and a few things for church. When I got home it was hot and windy so I took the dogs for a quick walk, ran two miles in the basement and lifted with Erik after dinner. I'm still trying to get caught up with some of the Tri Training workouts that I missed. Hopefully my bike is fixed soon. I'm thinking about riding my cruiser in the interim - we'll see how ambitious I actually am!

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Sucking Sucks - Run Faster

My 5k Saturday was disappointing and embarrassing. My calf was SUPER sore, which I wasn't expecting, and since I haven't committed much time to my running I didn't have a great pace or cadence. I was among the LAST 10 to finish the race. So that can never happen again, and it was my WORST race time by 5 minutes. To remedy that I need to recommit to my runs and work harder on the non-stop aspect again. Saturday after the run we prepped food for Sophia's (Brian's cousin) graduation party and got ready for communion. Sophia's party was fun and completely packed with people. We did take a little break and hit a few of the small antique stores along 17th Street and I fell head over heels for some succulents - now I'm trying to decide if I should go back and buy a few. In the evening we went to another grad party and were surprised by Nitro Burger and Heoya - what a fun and delicious way to celebrate! Sunday we had lots of church followed by lots of yard work and evening storms. Monday was a VERY stressful day at work. Once I made it home I unwound by planting and cleaning off the deck at my mom's and weeding at home. After dinner Brian and I headed out for a planned long ride (18 miles) but I got a new seat over the weekend and it wasn't in total agreement. I had a lot of wiggle and eventually stopped at the bike shop where they ordered a shim to fix the problem. Hopefully it will be in soon. We rode 12 miles and this morning my sit bones and rear end are pretty sore.