2nd Opinion a Success

Last Tuesday I went for my 2nd opinion on my neck. It was insane trying to get there. There was a wreck in Southpointe and 79 was backed up past Canonsburg. For my 9:00 appointment in Sewickley, I left the house at 7:30. My mom went with me and we ended up taking 19 to Bridgeville and getting on 79 past the accident. Ugh! The receptionist called me and told me I'd have to reschedule and I pretty much went postal on her. I took a half day off work and had this appointment for 4 weeks. I'm not rescheduling because an accident happened of no fault of my own. She insisted I would have a long wait. We arrived at 9:10 and they saw me at 9:27. Ya, real long.

I immediately liked Dr. David Oliver-Smith. He had a fantastic personality and was so kind and warm. He pulled my MRIs and we looked at them on the board. He explained exactly how the pictures worked and what they were showing and it was very obvious I have a herniated disk at the C5-6. He asked how much pain I was in and I told him it varies greatly but when I feel fine I could probably do cartwheels and when it's pinching a nerve I consider suicide. (Not really, but yes. It's excruciating and I've told Ryan multiple times I could not and would not live with pain like that)
Dr. Oliver-Smith said he understood exactly and that while a pinched nerve from a herniated disk is unbearable, it is quite fixable. What he couldn't understand is why my nerve is only getting pinched occasionally and isn't constantly painful. He said most people are living on painkillers until their surgeries because their nerve is constantly being pinched. Mine gets pinched and then is fine for weeks, months even, before it is pinched again. So although I've been dealing with this for 15 months, it isn't constant and I have more good days than bad and therefore surgery shouldn't be considered at this time. Great news! I was really worried his opinion would match the 1st neurosurgeon's who suggested I would need surgery by the end of the year.

I also asked Dr. Oliver-Smith about what the first neurosurgeon said- that trying to conceive and getting pregnant would be a huge risk and he advised against it. In all the doctors I've seen for whatever medical reason, I've never had one give such a sincere smile that reached his eyes like Dr. Oliver Smith's. He said that a herniated disk can be fixed at any time but that starting or having a family can take who knows how long. He said he can fix my disk tomorrow, next spring, next year, or in 5 or 10 years from now and said to not put my life on hold or worry about anything involving this herniation. It was definitely the best news I've received since beginning this journey 15 months ago! 

So that's my appointment. Continue living life to the fullest and know that the herniation probably won't go away on its own, but until it starts getting worse, becoming more frequent, or lasting longer each time the nerve is pinched, to not worry about it. The extrusion isn't pressing on my spinal cord so there is no immediate damage.

I'm posting some pictures below of what exactly the MRI shows. These aren't my images but they look like mine did.
 
You can see where the white narrows and the black bulges that there is a herniation. The gray running through the white is the spinal cord. This MRI is also showing a lot of disk degeneration.
 

The picture on the left is a non-herniated disk. The picture on the right, where the light blue is pushing out of the teal is the extrusion pushing on the nerve (dark blue). My MRI looked exactly like this.

Update

I have been awful at not posting lately! In my defense, ever since we got home from Mexico (which was awesome and I'll cover in another post!) my life has been a disaster.

About a week after we got home my neck and shoulder started acting up again. I tried to get in with my normal chiro and it's a blessing in disguise he's out of office. I ended up seeing Dr. Webb and I've never been happier switching practices. I immediately liked him and the entire staff.

I saw a massage therapist who insisted my shoulder was one of the tightest she has worked on in awhile. After some stem and traction I saw Dr. Webb who asked how I managed to make it through the day waiting on an appointment! He promised it would feel better after a couple of visits and I set up another appointment for the following Monday.

Same on Monday, saw a therapist and did stem and traction, but when I saw Dr. Webb he asked if I'd be willing to get an MRI. He said all that tightness wasn't compatible with Cervical Torticollis (my first diagnosis a year prior). Dr. Webb said the worst he thought it would be is a bulge on my disk. I reluctantly agreed and had an MRI on Tuesday. Don't ever get an MRI if you don't need one. I'm not claustrophobic and I wanted to die. It was awful. 

Wednesday I met with Dr. Webb to get my results and the first thing he said was, "Well the good news is we got some great shots of you neck." Um, that's the good news?? "The bad news is it's worse than I anticipated." Turns out I have an extruded c5 disk. In short it means it's herniated and blown out and pinching my nerves and bulging into the spinal canal. Oh, the fun never ends, does it?

Dr. Webb referred me to Dr. Oliver-Smith, a neurosurgeon. Since we all know I'm Type A, I called a neurosurgeon in Washington who agreed to see me without a referral. I met with him this Monday. After reviewing my charts, MRI, X-rays, etc. Dr. Prostko said it is highly unlikely my body will repair the disk itself. Normally if a disk will be repaired by the body, it will happen 4-6 weeks after the first incident. My first incident was 14 months ago.

So now I'm left in limbo until I get a second option from Oliver-Smith at the end of the month. My options are surgery or a life of pain killers and muscle relaxants until one day it's so bad I won't have a choice but to do surgery. I have an appointment in early November with Prostko to make a decision (unless Oliver-Smith agrees those are the only two paths and then I would need to decide on a surgeon) and until then I am doing pre-op treatment twice a week. Basically it's building muscle strength around the disk so my post surgery therapy time is diminished. 

Please keep me in your thoughts for the upcoming weeks. This decision is weighing heavily on my mind and I'm extremely nervous for mostly likely an impending surgery.

Staturday! Week 7 Aug 26-Aug 31

Yesterday was the end of week 7 for me. Last week I was unable to post my stats since I didn't have Ryan measure me until later in the evening. I lost another 2 inches for 10 inches total. I can totally tell by the way everything fits.

I'm not going to do the usual run down of the week's workouts because they were all easy and I nailed them all. I was reading a few forums about the beta cycle and it seems that beta is more  toning while alpha was the work. This REALLY disappoints me because I thought beta would be the killer. Plus I gave my friend the alpha workouts so I'll need them back to burn them. I'm thinking when we get back from our trip I'll start over with Alpha again or mix the most effective Alphas with Betas. Ugh. I feel like beachbody totally tricked us here. It was all "you have to do alpha and master it to complete beta" and I had this feeling all along that beta was easier. Some people disagree but the majority thinks alpha was the tougher workout.

Besides that, nothing much happening. Everyone's back to work because of school starting so the office is packed again but it's nice to be back with my co-workers. Now that I have my own office it's really nice to be around with everyone!

 I am just counting down the days to vacation!

Custom scarf! (Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon lyrics), yes, another batch of pretzels, selfie!, pastel flowers blooming, Coala photobombing a could've been cute pic, new gel nails I found in the clearance bin, and my mom's wave petunias that come back every year and grow like crazy. Even our family dog Buddy made the cut this week!

Week 6 Aug 19-Aug 23

Back to work! I was called back to my previous job and I started school on Thursday. I cannot even believe the summer went by that fast. The leaves outside have already begun to turn. Only a few more days until Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back :)

Here's how this week's workout went!

Monday- Dynamic Core- This video is the beta version of alpha's ab intervals. I love this workout. I ended up switching Core Cardio and Dyanamic Core's days.

Tuesday- Core Cardio- Easy!

Wednesday- Rip't Circuit- This isn't easy. I want to say it's easier than TBC.

Thursday- I ended up doing doubles on Thursday because I knew I'd be beat on Friday by the time I got home from work. I did Upper Focus first and then Speed 2.0. By the end of Speed I could barely move. It's a circuit of repeating moves and the end is super fast.

Friday- Rip't Circuit.

This was a busy week. On top of going back to work, my co-teacher's wife just had their first baby so I ended up handling the bulk of the work load this week. It wasn't bad just unexpected. On Friday I met up with my friend that I worked with last year and I sure have missed her! We try to get together monthly and I always look forward to seeing each other. We talk almost daily but it's always nice to be together in person. I gave her the Alpha round of the dvds so it'll be interesting to see what she thinks of the program!

Today is the end of week 6 so I am 66% of the way through the workouts. I do not have any measurements because Ryan's working, but I am down 1.2 lbs from last Saturday meaning I've lost 13.2 lbs total. I know it is a lot more inches though because of the way my clothes are fitting. I'm surprised I lost this week after plateauing and being stuck for 3 weeks. We ate at Cheesecake Factory with our friends Tuesday night and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we ate after 7:30 because of other things going on. Obviously it's not as great as I was hoping but I guess I shouldn't be too shocked because of my poor eating habits this week.

I don't even have a photo dump!

Smores Cheesecake which was ah-mazing. And Nittany showing that although the flowers are still blooming, all the leaves from the buckeye tree have started to fall. Yay!

Staturday Week 5 August 12-August 16

This is a tough post to type. Last week I decided to move onto the Beta round. I'm glad I made that decision because I was starting to get burnt out on Alpha and I really, REALLY love Beta. I was so scared to start it because of all the reviews saying it was so much harder, but I actually think it's easier. It is more fun and I feel like I'm getting a great workout.

Core Cardio- There's not a single move I can't do. It was fun.

Speed 2.0- Easily my new favorite dvd!

Ript Circuit- I was terrified on Wednesday to try this because it's the grown-up version of Total Body Circuit from Alpha. To me it was better than TBC. There's not near as many planks either.

Dynamic Core- Again, easier to me than Ab Intervals from Alpha.

Upper Focus- A lot of lifting. I used a resistance band AND Core Cardio (double Friday). My legs were on fire trying to get through Core Cardio.

And my results. This week I didn't lose a single pound. All along the way I have been documenting and taking pictures so I think I can tell a difference. The pic on the left was taken almost 2 weeks ago and I saw some definition. The pic on the right was taken last night pre-workout and I think my stomach looks a bit flatter. I love how there is a different dog sleeping in the background on both pics :) The difference in these pics is about 2 lbs. I also feel stronger and my endurance has skyrocketed. I can do all the workouts without being completely exhausted at the end. As I've said all along though, I'm someone who needs to see the scale move. I may try doing doubles 3 x a week next week. I'm also going to work on cleaning up my diet. My friend ordered Shakeology so although I said it wasn't worth it, I'm thinking of taking the 3 day challenge with her again.

This week I went back to my job. They called me back for a middle school position. I was definitely in for a shock when I transferred from K-3 to grades 7 and 8. I cannot even believe the amount of disrespect the kids have for themselves, their peers, and their teachers. Towards the end of the week they realized I was serious and started listening a bit more. It's going to be a long year if I had to constantly remind them to stop their back-talking. Two girls got in a fight on Monday and voluntarily chose not to return for the rest of the week, and on Tuesday the principal suspended a boy in our program and a boy in another camp for fighting. I think I have my work cut out for me trying to raise enrollment when I heard every student say how dumb school is. It makes me sad to think these kids are our future.

Here's this week's photo dump:

I had this created before posting the top pic so the one is a repeat. Sunset out the road, spider web in the grass, Coala taking a selfie with me and finally (finally!!!!) some work being done on the backyard where the new septic system went.

Staturday Week 4 Aug 5-Aug 9

How is everyone's August going? I can't believe we are almost halfway through! This summer absolutely flew by and I didn't do a single thing, haha.

So I decided this week would be my last week of Alpha. I know you are supposed to do 5 weeks then 5 weeks of Beta, but I only have 9 weeks instead of 10 because of vacation. Also I just felt off this week. I can do 95% of every move and workout so I think I'm ready to move on and be challenged. I'm not saying the workouts are easy...I'm still sweating hardcore and exhausted at the end but I can do them all without breathers or modifying anything.

This week I just felt off. I ate clean all week. If anything, I had trouble getting 1200 cals in some days. You know I weigh myself daily so I knew something just wasn't happening. By Thursday I was only down one pound and I fluctuated all week 4-6 ounces. On Friday for doubles I decided to push myself and do the Core Speed workout in hopes it would give me a boost, but waking up this morning I knew the scale wasn't going to be a huge budge.

Monday- Cardio. Simple, easy, can do it all. Like I said, exhausted by the end, but no longer feeling like collapsing.

Tuesday- Total Body Circuit. Just like last week I liked it. Pike ups are insane but I feel like I'm working which is what I'm lacking with Cardio and Speed now.

Wednesday- Lower Focus. I LOVE this workout. During the deep lunge pulses my quads and calves are screaming at me and I am all kinds of wobbly after but it feels good.

Thursday- TBC again. Nailed it.

Friday- You were supposed to do Speed 1.0 and Ab Intervals. I ended up doing Core Speed which is a bonus dvd. Wow. This dvd was no joke. It's a circuit of about 16 moves. You do the first 8, 3x each shortening the length of each move as the rounds progress, and then the next 8 moves you learn in the same fashion. By the end you are doing all 16 moves in a 2 minute span with a jog recovery in between. I almost gave up at 15 minutes, then again at 7 because it was insanely hard but I pushed through and finished. I had to stand in front of the a/c and catch my breath for probably 3-4 minutes at the end. I told Ryan I liked it because it was crazy hard but I NEED that burn. I easily get bored and having mastered the moves in Cardio and Speed 1.0 I just need the challenge.

I did Ab Intervals after a breather and it definitely still kicks my ass. It's probably my least favorite workout right now. It's not a challenge in a good way.

I'm scared for Monday and looking ahead at the same time because I know I can get amazing results once I master the Beta moves. 

So for this week's results I lost 1.2 pounds. This means I've lost 12.2 pounds total in 4 weeks. This is pretty consistent with how I normally lose weight so I guess I can't really be disappointed but I know I am someone who needs to see the scale move. As far as inches lost I also measured this week and I've lost 8 inches total.

Saturday night we met Ash and John for dinner and then they came back here. I couldn't stop singing Blurred Lines. It was so much fun to hang out with my sister and BIL and I wish we saw them more often! The four of us always get along so well.

On Tuesday I got a surprising phone call from my old job calling me back to work. It's a middle school position and it sounds like a lot more administrative communication than teaching but I'm still happy to go back. I really liked my job before and this is working with someone new, so hopefully he and I can get along great and make this program successful.

Wednesday I went with my parents to visit my grandma. I am always happy to see her and it is bittersweet because the person she is now is still my grandma but not at the same time. I remember my grandma for the 20+ years I saw her almost daily. This woman now is fragile and cannot hold a conversation very long. She is still active, healthy, and most importantly, happy but she is a shell of who she used to be. My cousin and her family take amazing care of her. They are always taking her along everywhere they go and I think that helps that she is so active. We also were able to view my other cousin's new house. It is his other grandma's old house and he and his wife have completely remodeled it and added a beautiful addition. I could live in their kitchen! It was amazing to see someplace completely reformed and it makes me so excited for work on our house to begin next spring.

This week I started listening to The Civil War's new album and it is amazeballs. There are a couple songs I cannot stop listening to! Actually, there's 3 songs this week that are on repeat for me.

The Civil Wars Dust to Dust

Robin Thicke Blurred Lines (warning: NSFW)

The Civil Wars The One That Got Away


Here's this week's photo dump. I know...I was awful at documenting anything this week.

Seeing definition, Pumpkin cookies, and my new favorite thing- Chobani Coffee Yogurt.

STATurday! Week 3 Progress, July 29-Aug 2

Week 3 is already done! I cannot believe I've been doing this program for three weeks already. Yesterday I had some swimsuits arrive for our upcoming vacation and I am determined to rock them! Here is this week's updates:

Monday- Total Body Circuit. Killer. I almost feel like I need to do another workout with this because it's so hard. I had to force myself to do it.

Tuesday- Speed 1.0. For some reason I didn't enjoy doing Speed today! For a workout that I really like it was difficult to finish through it. I think partly I also had the a/c off in the house because of how nice it is outside and it was much warmer than usual inside. I definitely need to remember to keep the air on while working out!

Wednesday- Lower Focus. I am beginning to really like this. A LOT of squats and lunges but the break from cardio is appreciated.

Thursday- Cardio. Nailed it. 

Friday- Double Day! I did TBC first because I just know how I dread it and wanted it get it done. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I enjoyed it! I never ever like this workout and for some reason I really got into it. I still can't do the running lunges on the floor without my sciatic nerve screaming, but I moderate by sprinting during that part. Ab Intervals was the next workout and I was able to do about 90% of them. I actually had sweat drip onto the floor while doing oblique push-ups. I can't tell you the last time sweat dripped onto the floor from a workout...that's just not me! Proof that I was nailing it!

And this week's results~ I'm unsure about inches lost because I'm only measuring every two weeks, but this week I lost 2.6 pounds meaning I've lost 11 pounds total in 3 weeks! Insane, insane. Thank you, Shaun T! 

Nothing very exciting happened this week. Monday we met Ryan's brother Julian before he went back to Juniata for his new grown-up job. We went to Harry's Pizza and normally I can eat 4-5 slices and I could barely finish two. Eh. Tuesday Ryan was gone all day for the Pirates double header and Wednesday Ryan and I went to the Pirates game ourselves. I spent almost all day Thursday online job searching and Friday night we went to our friend Ramsey's house. We haven't seen Ramsey in almost two years!! It was really nice to see his family again and I forgot how sweet his entire family is. 

So that's about all! The weather is fantastic, not a single day over 80 degrees for the next 10 days still (which would bring us to halfway through August!) Honestly, I can deal with 75 every day in the summer :o) Have a good week everyone!

~R

 

Funny picture of Nittany!, Chalkboard I found at TJ Maxx, Chicken and Avocado Sandwich, Ryan and I at the Pirates game, Diesel!, Cinnamon and Sugar Chocolate Pretzels, and the new living room

Staturday! Week 2 progress, July 22-July 26

What a fantastic week :) The hot streak that we had finally broke and I am 1000x happier. One day this week I even wore a long sleeved shirt! Love it!

So week 2 of FocusT25 brought some different challenges. I did think overall the workouts were easier but I haven't been able to check "Nailed it!" for Total Body Circuit yet. I'm scared because this coming week you do TBC twice and then 3 times next week!!

Monday- Cardio. Easier. WAY easier than the Friday before even. I gave myself a "Nailed it".

Tuesday- Total Body Circuit. Oh how I hate Spiderman Push-ups. Barely made it.

Wednesday- Speed 1.0. Again, I love doing this workout.

Thursday- Cardio. I thought Cardio was harder today than Monday for some reason.

Friday- Lower Focus and Ab Intervals. Lower Focus I can do about 95% of. Ab Intervals...how do they do some of those moves?!

Now for the results of course. From last week to this week I lost 3.6 pounds which gives me a loss of 8.4 pounds in two weeks. WHAT?!! That's crazy. So I'm 25% into my goal weight loss and only 20% into the program. Here is hoping I can keep it up because.....

Ryan and I FINALLY booked our honeymoon! Yes, we have waited almost 4 years to take our honeymoon. After much consideration we decided to go to Riviera Maya and Playa de Carmen. I am so excited and can hardly wait. And because I have so much faith in this workout program, I even ordered a few new bikinis. Woo!

Possibly even more shocking is the fact that I have an interview tomorrow evening with a family. Yes, a family. I know I said I could never ever nanny again after having my heart shattered but at the same time it can be such a rewarding career. There has yet to be a position I've enjoyed more than raising babies :) Here's hoping that they are a wonderful family and we can each see a future together.

In sad news this week, our dear friends have ended their relationship. They were together for 7 years, lived together for 3, and were engaged for 6 months. They are our closest couple of friends. It was very hard for me to digest the news and Ryan couldn't understand why I was so upset about it. I know they had 7 fantastic years together and we've had 7 fantastic years with them. The break-up is amicable but it doesn't make it any easier.

Finally, our other dear friends announced they are having a baby. This news hit me like a ton of bricks! We love this couple dearly and know they will be wonderful parents. I can hardly wait to have a little baby to spoil and be a baby hog with :)

Here is this week's photo dump:

Where we will be staying!, homemade pretzels, Ryan and Nittany napping on the new furniture, sunflower that bloomed in the garden and Coala giving me a kiss after surviving TBC!!!

Staturday!!! 1st wk, July 20th

I survived! I did the entire first week of Focus T25 Alpha Week One. I feel ah-mazing. I am a bit sore but I will sum up everything!!!

The sorest I was was on Tuesday. I think that's just because I was getting back into the swing of things. By Thursday I wasn't sore at all anymore. Friday I got up and did the Cardio first. You have the option of doing two workouts on Fridays, or saving one for Saturday too. Fridays workouts were Lower Focus and Cardio and I did Cardio to get it out of the way. Still hard, but I was able to do more moves than Monday's Cardio. In the evening I decided to do Lower Focus. I loved doing this workout. A lot of squats and lunges but it felt really good to stretch out my lower body. The 25 minutes flew by and I was still sweating insanely like I had run a marathon!!

Today I did the Stretch workout. Although it is only stretching, I was still sweating in the beginning. Shaun T was right and it felt amazing by the end and I'm so glad I did it. I think I may even do it tomorrow as well.

So here is what you are waiting for- the results. From Monday morning until this morning I lost 4.8 lbs. Not a huge difference but almost 5 pounds in six workouts is fantastic I think! Most importantly, I enjoy doing the workouts. They are hard and they make me sweat and grunt like a pig but getting results is the motivation I need to keep going.

Here's this week's photo dump!

From the top left: Nittany being a porker with two dingos, my shakeology, 50 Sucks! lollipop bouquet I made, Ryan and I enjoying my last beer for 10 weeks!, Luna has allergies and her face swelled up, a beautiful sunset out the road, and how I found all three dogs huddling during the storm.

~R

Total Body Circuit and Ab Intervals

Today is my 4th day of Focus T25. That only means that tomorrow is the double workout day. Augh! Yesterday I completed Total Body Circuit and it just about killed me. I had to follow almost ALL of the modified moves and even then it was probably not full strength because I just couldn't get them. Planking is extremely hard for me so when you are planking and have to do some oblique crunches...well, I might as well just die. I did do it though and that's another day done!

Today I did Ab Intervals and it was difficult but not terrible. My ab strength isn't fabulous so I was a big shaky but still, better than nothing! I thought today's workout FLEW by. I glanced at the time and it was under 8 minutes and I could hardly believe it.

Today I also weighed myself because I did the 3 day Shakeology cleanse. I was down 4 pounds since Monday morning. I'm not extremely happy with those results because 1) I saw people losing like 8-10 lbs, and 2) I was literally STARVING when I went to bed. Yesterday evening I almost ripped Ryan's head off waiting for him to grill chicken for dinner. Would I do it again? Probably not. I don't think the results were worth it for me to be so hungry and miserable for 3 days. On the other hand, I didn't leave the house because I was worried of the "side-effects" I read about. I didn't have any side effects and I think if I was out running around like normal I would've dropped another pound or so. I was pretty sedentary besides working out in the mornings and my 2 mile jog each evening.

I'm very excited for tomorrow and doing both workouts. I can hardly wait to wake up Saturday morning and weigh-in for the first Staterday!

~R

Cardio and Speed 1.0 Focus T25

Yesterday I did Focus T25 workout Cardio for Day 1. Wow, let me tell you that it was unbelievably hard! You can check either Nailed It or Barely Made It on the calendar provided, and I definitely had to check Barely Made It! I had to follow Tanya for a lot of the modified moves but I give myself a high-five because I did it. I completed it. I did have to take a couple 2-3 second breathers but got right back into it. And for that, I'm proud of myself.

Today I did Speed 1.0. This workout was extremely different that yesterday's and I was encouraged because I saw someone post in our group on Facebook that Shaun T gives a little break a.k.a. stretches. Those stretches were a tease! You were still working while doing them. I'm typing this about an hour after I finished the workout and I am STILL hot. I sweat more doing this workout than I remember sweating in a long, long time. I did like Speed 1.0 way better than Cardio though. There were some tough moves (slow cross jacks anyone?) and clearly I am not the most coordinated and graceful athlete. I was dripping by the end of the 25 minutes but I enjoyed it, I did it, and I'm past it and looking forward to tomorrow's Total Body Circuit.

Yesterday I began the 3 Day Shakeology Cleanse. I had a shake for breakfast, took a green iced tea grocery shopping with me, had an apple when I came home . I had another shake pre-dinner and had a salad and shake for dinner. I already had a shake this morning. According to my scale I'm down 2.4lbs this morning from yesterday. Here's hoping I get some amazing results this first week!

-R

Stat-urday! 7-13-13

Last weekend I was invited to join a group of ladies on Facebook who are doing the 10 week Beachbody Focus T 25 . What an honor! Some of these women are coaches for Beachbody or have their own coaching systems to help people lose weight and become healthier. Knowing someone wanted me to participate totally made my weekend.

Almost two years ago now was when I began my healthier lifestyle journey. I'll admit, it's never easy and I am such a foodie! I love food so much and it's really hard to maintain a healthy weight. I am beyond excited to start this program on Monday. Every Saturday is going to be "Stat"urday and I'll be posting updated weight loss for the week. I know so many people say it's not about the number on the scale, but for me it really is. I lost 18 pounds in six weeks doing the Slim in 6 program so I have full faith in this 10 week program. My goal weight to lose is 25 pounds.

Of course I'll have before and after photos and stats, but you will just have to be patient and wait until the end to know! Now, time for some deets on the program!

Shaun T who is the creator of Insanity is the mastermind behind T25. Shaun T designed the program so those who hate spending an hour a day working out will no longer have to but still will receive incredible results. Yes, the program is only 25 minutes a day. Praise the Lord! I actually do have the time to work out longer, but I am so easily distracted and bored. There are two parts to T25. The first 5 weeks are the ALPHA weeks. Cardio, Speed 1.0, Total Body Circuit, Ab Intervals, and Lower Focus. For 5 weeks you rotate through these workouts according to the provided calendar. After those 5 weeks you are on to the BETA stage. Same idea, different and harder workouts.

So the next 10 weeks should be hella fun! I can hardly wait to begin on Monday. Check back next Saturday for an update on how I survived my first week. Ryan has the honors of taking my before pictures tomorrow night, hehe.



In other news I was laid off from my educational specialist position at the end of June. Because of the sequestration, no grants were renewed for Afterschool education. This has been very difficult to accept because I honestly and truly loved my position. It was a lot of work but I cared about those kids so darn much! It also really stinks because I believe the work I did make an actual difference in those kids' lives. Not necessarily always their grades, but in their personal lives. Some of the questions they asked and some of the stories they told made me realize how truly blessed and fortunate I was growing up. Two parents, a home we owned, two cars, a cooked meal every night, clean and new clothes, a safe yard to play in, Christmases, Easters and birthdays to celebrate...and a dog or two. When I told one of my students "Happy Birthday" she looked at me confused. She didn't know it was her own birthday and you better believe there wasn't a cake or ice cream or candles or a present when she got home from school either. Yes, let's cancel a program and get rid of educators where we are the only ones wishing a child a happy birthday.

As I began my search for another career path I filed for unemployment. I believe unemployment is there to help people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The benefits received help cover the cost of bills and groceries until the person finds another position. I was informed that I am unable to collect unemployment because I didn't make enough in the base year. Sure felt like a lot was being collected from my pay though. I did appeal the claim and am waiting to hear what the decision will be. In the meantime, I am fortunate enough to have found a few positions to apply for, and have friends and family also sending me possible opportunities.

Lastly, every Staterday I'll probably have a "photo-dump". This is simply a collage of some of the interesting (at least to me) pictures I've taken in the past week. You have been warned: I'm sure the overdose of dog cuteness will  be at an all-time high.

Have a great week everyone!

-R

 As the storm came, first attempt at 4 strand braiding, dyeing mason jars, Ryan and I taking pics after the storm, and the T25 workout schedule hanging on the fridge :)

joining twitter

Last week we ended up canceling afterschool due to a snow storm. I emailed all of the mentors to let them know and I concluded the email with- "And please get in touch with the other mentors via facebook, email or AIM...however you communicate these days!" Apparently, I'm way behind.

All of my mentors told me if I want to reach them to send them a tweet. A what? So I reluctantly joined twitter. Yes, I'll now be tweeting.

If you want to follow me, it's RcelesteV. And if you want me to follow you, somehow get in touch with me...I'm still iffy on that part.

-R

New Tattoo

Lately I have been narrowing down my ideas for a new tattoo. I really, really want Ryan and I to get tattoos together. His cons are a) he'll either regret it later, or  b) he will become obsessed and end up with a whole sleeve. (The latter would be fine with me. I think sleeves are pretty hot on men.)

Originally I wanted to get a quote somewhere. I only have the one tattoo on my foot and I love it. I wish I would have had it placed more along the outside than the top, but it was my first one and honestly I was intimidated to tell the guy to change it. Fast forward three years and I ain't scared of shit. :o)-

So when I thought of all the quotes I love, it turns out that they are mostly about love. That's fine but I feel like my foot tattoo was already devoted to my marriage and I really don't want another about that. The quotes I like also would make sense when we have kids so I think I'll hold off until then and then get one. These are some that I liked though. 

 First up- Galileo. This quote is absolutely beautiful to me and it also makes sense to go along with one of my favorite books, "The Passage" by Justin Cronin. In "The Passage", citizens 100 years later after a vampire outbreak live in fear of the dark because that is when the virals attack. When the group finds a safe place they are able to see the stars and are amazed at all they have lived without seeing. However, if I'm completely honest- I'm scared to death of the dark. Freakin' terrified. I won't go down to the basement at night because I'm scared of the power going out while I'm gone; I broke my toe the first time by ramming into the bed leg running into bed in the dark (I was am scared of what's beneath the bed); I hate, hate, HATE taking the dogs out in the dark, etc, etc. So this tattoo is probably out.

 Second contender- e.e. cummings' i carry your heart. I have always found this poem breathtakingly beautiful. My favorite lines are: 
here is the deepest secret that nobody knows
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
Once again, there is a reference to the stars. Maybe I'm onto something here.

Now THIS is one of my absolute favorites. "You have been in every line I have ever read". It's from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. This is the paragraph in its entirety. 
"You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read...to the last hour of my life, you cannot choose but remain part of my character, part of the little good in me, part of the evil.” - Charles Dickens (Great Expectations)
This would be perfect anytime as well. I enjoy spending hours of my life reading. 

Alice in Wonderland lines. Definitely not my style and I'm not a huge AIW fan, but the quote is fantastic. 

One of my other absolute favorite ideas for a new tattoo involves watercolor. I would love to have some color in my next tattoo. I probably would end up choosing my favorite flowers to be included. A lot of these remind me of Monet and he was my favorite artist to study during my World Art electives I took in college. 

In no particular order:

 Tulips and peonies are my favorite flowers :o)

 I like this scatter print but it's bit out there for me.

 Simple bouquet.

 This looks more like crayon. But I like how I could have a quote as well.

 Beautiful. More realistic than the others but it looks so real. The colors are amazing.

 This reminds me of a Kate Spade wedding!

 Simple, fresh cut hydrangeas.

 More abstract but reminds me of my favorite tank ever.

 Love these colors.

So that's what's been on my mind lately. My friends Alisha and Ski are getting tattoos together before the new year and I cannot wait to see theirs!

Ultimate Wish List

Just because I'm not Oprah doesn't mean I don't have an ultimate gift wish list. But let's be serious- these would all be for me, not my studio audience. Although, it would be sweet to give a trip to Australia, flown in by John Travolta!

Without further ado...my ultimate wish list for 2012 :o) feel free to contact me for my address if you just so happen to feel like buying me something for sharing yummy desserts with the world!

Tiffany's Garden Flower Ring

I am in love with this ring. I first noticed it about two years ago while browsing the Tiffany & Co. store at Ross Park mall. There are also earrings that match, but I never take out my studs. My grandma has a ring quite similar to this. I love the purple and rose gold together.


Louis Vuitton Mahina Selene PM 

My LV is one of my favorite gifts I've ever bought myself. Yes, that's right. It was something I had wanted for years and finally decided that you can never go wrong with a handbag that's been in style for over 100 years. I bought my LV galleria PM over two years ago and have used it pretty much every single day since. At first I only used it for special occasions, but honestly, if you're going to spend a crazy amount of money on a handbag, you should probably use it as much as possible. I told Ryan it would be a good investment down the road and our daughter will be super lucky her mom is so cool. (I actually said it will be vintage for our kids and he got that scared look in his eye he always gets when I mention "baby")

So on my ultimate wish list is this beauty. The Mahina Selene PM. I am obsessed. The price is astronomical but hey- good things don't come cheap. 

An iPad

An iPad, preferably white and engraved on the back. This is actually an ultimate wish gift because Ryan is 100% against Apple products. ("We're a Droid family!") Ugh. So I really want actually a tablet because I hate being upstairs in the office/man cave when I could be downstairs online shopping while watching Dancing with the Stars. Is that so much to ask for!?

Jimmy Choo Dylan Biker Boot

"She's fabulous, but she's evil." -Mean Girls

These are fab-oo-lous. Gah! I am speechless over these. I can only imagine how amazing they would be. 

Any Le Creuset Cookware/Bakeware

I love Le Creuset bakeware. I pretty much want everything on their site. But this dish would be great for casseroles and cobblers. And I'd get this for Ryan because I think a salt block is actually high on his wish list.

This bedroom set

Ethan Allen bed with Anthropologie Georgina Bedding. I have loved this bedding since it came out last year and I check at least once a week to see if it's on sale yet...it never is. Eh. I may just have to break down and buy it eventually. Let's see it just one more time, just because. 

Yep. I love it.

An Italian Vacation

 

 I'll admit- I'm a bit concerned about what we're going to do when we actually take our much delayed honeymoon. Ryan wants to go to Alaska and I want to take a European vacation and especially Italy. When we were in Germany, my extended family was soooo fantastic to us, and I would love to go back and spend some time traveling with them as well. Since we have waited at least 3+ years when we finally go somewhere, I'm sure we will go all out when we finally do celebrate :o)

OPI's entire Skyfall collection

Oh my goodness. I love every single color in this collection. Being a Bond fanatic, this would be a great gift. Our first date was also to see Casino Royale! Man with the Golden Gun has flakes of 24 karat gold in it and is sold separately than with the normal 12 pack collection.

Pottery Barn Chandelier

I'm not sure where I would even put this, but I love it! I want to get new lightning for our entrance way, and this is entirely too fancy, but I still think it's gorgeous. 

For the dogs 

Because they are a huge part of my life. They make these also over at a place near Seven Springs. This would be awesome because they provide shelter. I would have it open though and fenced in around it so the dogs could use the yard.

If the dogs needs a new home, so do we. There is property out where we live that Ryan and I are interested in purchasing. If that would ever happen we would build our dream home. Ryan wants something with a wrap around porch that would face the sunset and I want a kitchen big enough to hold 30 people. Here are some that I love.

I especially prefer the first one. But neither of those have porches. 

 This kitchen with the exposed beams and brick. I don't even know what I'd bake first in here.

 Heaven.

Eerily similar to my parents' house.

So I will leave you with this. Because this picture is almost identical to what it looks like now as the sun is setting on another glorious fall day, and because these are just all materialist things I would enjoy receiving. Because at the end of the day it is better to give than receive and that is why I left the house for last. It is something Ryan and I discuss often and we are beginning to shape and plan our future. A home we built ourselves would be the ultimate gift because we could live many happy years together with our future family.

What is on your ultimate wish list?

Ryan's 27th birthday

First off, Happy Birthday to my dear husband. I owe you a million for all you do for me. I'm so happy and thankful to be the one to celebrate all your birthdays with you :o)

I owe everyone an apology! I am an absolutely awful blogger and I don't update nearly as often as I'd like to. But, I do feel like I have a semi, half- ass excuse. This new job makes me work insane hours and I'm normally exhausted by the time I crash into bed at the end of the day. Ryan's work schedule doesn't help either. 

Updates :o)

So, I enjoy my job. It's clearly not my DREAM job, but let's face it- who is actually doing what they want to do for the next 50 years? (Oh, you do Heidi Klum! Sorry, I forgot you follow me!) I work at least 3 early shifts a week (515am-115pm) which means I get up at 410. Yikes. I am not exactly what you'd call a morning person. Actually, if you talk to me before 7 am and I haven't had a cup of coffee and read USAToday I'll probably smack you. So when I get a lot of compliments from 80 year olds at the Wellness Center saying they just love how perky I am at 530 am and think I look fabulous for having just rolled out of bed, it really makes me nervous because I'm either super good at being super fake or it is true and you do get glaucoma when you hit 75 and can't see a damn thing. 

After I leave work at 115pm I come home and take a two hour nap. Best part of my day hands down. I love, love, LOVE taking naps. Nittany takes a nap with me, Luna sleeps on the floor, and Coala guards the house out in the living room. It's perfect. So I get up around 4 and take the dogs out for a bit to run around and then do some dinner prep. Run 30 minutes on the treadmill then finish dinner, wake Ryan up (if on midnight, if he's on day I just wait for him to get home at 6, if he's on afternoon we don't see each other for a week straight), and we see each other for a max of 30 minutes during dinner and clean up. Then I drive to my parents' house with the dogs and go for a 2 mile walk. Come home, throw a load of laundry in or vacuum and then....begin Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Yes, I've become a Shreadhead. This video is not for the faint of heart. I was grunting, panting, sweating, swearing, and crying the first night I did it. The next day I could barely pull my pants up because I couldn't squat and my arms were burning. Seriously. After wanting to murder Jillian I take a shower, read for approximately 7 minutes and pass out by 945 pm. I have no life.

So today I finished Day 4. Still Level 1. It is recommended to do each level (there are 3) for 10 days each but since I never follow any directions I'm going to do each level for 7 days each. There are mixed reviews online for the results people have gotten, but I think you get out of something what you put into it. A lot of people say they didn't get any decent results with Slim in Six, but I lost 18 pounds and 2 pants sizes in 6 weeks with it. I also gave it my all and I'm giving 100% with the 30 Day Shred as well. So I have pretty high expectations.

Last night we celebrated Ryan's 27th birthday. Wow. 27. That sounds old. And then I get scared because that will be me in about 73 days. I honestly don't know where the time goes. I do know that 27 will be a great year for us and when my 27th birthday rolls around I will probably start thinking about 13 things I want to accomplish in 2013. One of them I know is to complete a 13.1 mile marathon. I'll probably walk about 8 miles of it so I'm pretty sure that's do-able. 

Anyways- I asked Ryan what he wanted for his birthday and the only thing he asked for was a chocolate cake. Easy peasy. I was like,  "Ok, like the kind in the pan with chocolate icing?" And he goes, "No, an extremely dark, dark, dark, black out chocolate cake." Hmmmm. Sounds simple enough. So I began researching recipes about 2 weeks ago to get some ideas of what I'd maybe even mix together and came across a 7 layer decadence. After reading the reviews, suggestions and whatnot, I decided I didn't have the time or patience to create that cake yet. I think I could probably handle it...but I knew I was working on Ryan's birthday and you have to make it all in one day and it would just be impossible. My friend Alisha sent me the recipe for a copycat Cheesecake Factory Black Out Cake. It looked much simpler and sounded pretty yummy.

I ended up baking the cake layers on Thursday night because I wanted them to definitely be cool for icing on Friday. All I can say is thank goodness the recipe said that the cake batter would be thin because it was incredibly runny before being placed in the oven. The batter puffed up nicely and my two 9'' round cake pans had a dark chocolate goodness in them. When I tried to flip the first layer out it was an epic fail. Half the cake came out and half stayed in the pan and I almost freaked out. I was able to let it cool more in the pan and use a spatula to get the rest out and piece it back together. I was a bit ahead of the game on the second pan and hit the bottom of it with a meat tenderizer for about 30 seconds before lifting it. It came out about 98% in one piece. 

   
I let those puppies cool overnight uncovered and then wrapped foil over them the next morning before I went to work. When I came home I immediately made the chocolate ganache and placed it in the fridge for two hours while I napped. It didn't stiffen up as much as I wanted so I dumped it into my stand mixer bowl and beat in about 3 cups of confectioners' sugar. I am SO happy I chose to do this. I think the regular chocolate ganache as icing would have been overkill. I placed the bottom layer on my cake plate, placed some whipped chocolate ganache on it, layered some regular chocolate ganache on top of that (I reserved about 1 cup from being whipped) then placed the second layer on top. 

I did a crumb layer all over the sides and top. Then I piped two rows on the top outside layer and pressed sugared toasted almonds into the side and top of the cake. Ta-da!

This cake pretty much put us all into a sugar coma. I only ate the smallest sliver because I'm sure there's about 13,000 calories in each bite. Ryan couldn't eat his entire piece either. Needless to say, we have about half a cake left in the fridge to be eaten slowly but surely over the next week. :o)