For Sale

Yesterday I posted this picture on Instagram:

I have since posted a photo home tour and the flyer for the sale of our home on Facebook.  I have been flooded with texts, comments, and messages asking why we are selling and where we are going, so I thought I thought I would just take care of answering those questions here.

First, I would like to clarify that in no way are we selling because we HAVE TO.  We are not under financial strain.  In fact, our financial position is the best it's been since we moved into the home we built from the ground up.  Given the recent market history and the fact that a lot of people have had to short sale or foreclose their home, that's where people's minds automatically go.  Fortunately for us, that is not the case.

It just so happens that the market in our area right now is really good.  And since we have been in our home for just over 3.5 years with a low interest rate, we are in a position to increase our financial position even more by selling our home.  After all, equity is just money on paper...

This was by no means an easy decision, as we have been discussing it for quite a while now.  WE love, LOVE, love this house.  We watched this house go from a piece of paper, to a foundation, to our first home together.  We chose the color of the walls and cupboards, the size of the tile, selected the slab of granite for our counter tops.  JB proposed to me in this house.  We had our rehearsal dinner in this house.  My bridesmaids and I got ready on our wedding day in this house.  We learned how to live together here and make decisions for our future together here, which has led us to where we are now.  We have discussed our goals, plans, dreams, etc.  And in the end, taking all factors into consideration, this is a great opportunity for us prepare for whatever opportunities may come our way (professional, recreational, or otherwise).

There are some that may think that we are moving backwards in the social progression of marriage -> home -> babies -> retirement, but that is subjective, and JB and I don't feel that way.  We feel like we have the opportunity to reset and rediscover our passions and future plans.  Some people think that this amazing home we have now is never going to come around again.  But maybe something better will?

The other question I have been getting a lot is "Where are you going?".  We currently don't have any plans to leave the area as we are both still employed here, our families are here, and we love the community we live in.  Based on our research, we should be able to rent something suitable in the same area for $500-$800 less per month.  You read that right.  How do you deny that fact?  Lower rent, lower utilities, and debt free?

Sign. Me.Up.

Now we just need someone to buy the house....

Fitness Friday: Crossfit Update

Crossfit Anywhere posted my last Fitness Friday post on their facebook page and quite a few people a the gym told me they read it. Pretty excited about that! If I gained any new readers from that, hello and thanks for reading!! In that post, I also promised an update. Let's start with my workout journal:

The CFA website has an awesome component that allows you to make a profile and track your progress and make notes. My journal snapshot doesn't have a description of the workout, but I have the ability to click on it and see the actual workout and how I did. I didn't post my first couple of weeks becauses I was still in the on-ramp process and wasn't doing the WODs.

A couple of weeks ago, JB and I were able to attend the Open WOD 13.4 to watch some of the CFA folks attempt to qualify for regionals. My coach was oh-so-kind as to put my name on the board to particpate. Obviously I wasn't trying to qualify as I was not even doing RX weights (95# RX for females, I was doing 55#)but it was still pretty cool to do a WOD in that environment with a lot more people around cheering you on. I was on the fence about participating that day, but my adrenaline had been raging since the drive over. Blair's parents were on-site participating and photographing and I was actually in some of the shots.

I just said I did it, I never said I looked good doing it.

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I went in this past Saturday and did my InBody test. The InBody is a machine that tests body composition using a very minor electric current (trust me, you don't feel anything during the test, except maybe shame when you see your results). According to the website, it measures the following;

Intracellular Water, Extracelluar Water, Protein, Osseous/Non-Osseous Minerals, Body Fat Mass, Skeletal Muscle Mass, Soft Lean mass, Fat free mass, Body Mass Index (BMI), Percent Body Fat, Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR), Segmental Muscle Mass, Segmental Muscle Mass Ratio, Edema index, Segmental Edema index, Section area of intestinal fat (growth curve for children under 18-year old), Nutritional Assessment (protein, minerals, fat, edema level), Body symmetry, Physical Strength, Health Diagnosis, Suggested Weight, Suggested Weight Control, Suggested Fat Control, Suggested Muscle Control, Fitness Score, Obesity Degree, Body Cell Mass (BCM), Bone Mineral Content (BMC), Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Arm Circumference (AC), Arm Muscle Circumference (AMC).  Provides Segmental Impedance values at multiple frequencies, 30 individual impedance measurement values (1, 5, 50, 250, 500, 1000 kHz at each arm, leg, and the trunk) and also Reactance values at 5, 50, 250, kHz at each arm, leg, and the trunk).

Did you get all that?  Mine looks a little something like this:

I know, sorry for the terrible picture, but you get the idea. I was told to come in not having had anything to eat or drink for the two hours prior to measurement, not having worked out, and having done "my biznass" for the day. I wasn't really surprised by my weight, but I was disappointed in my body fat percentage. I'm glad to see that my extremeties are pretty evenly distributed though.

Silver lining, folks.

The point of doing this is to set a baseline so I can see the progress I am achieving. I have no doubt that the numbers will be better a month from now, and the month after that. I need to take before pictures as well, as those are always the best progress indicator.

Happy Friday!!

The Importance of Clean Eating

NO, I AM NOT PREGNANT!!



me and my food baby

As I mentioned in my last post, I started getting my nutrition back on track in January.  I was still drinking occasionally and would indulge in sweets here or there, but once I started Crossfit on March 1st, I cut that stuff out completely...

Until last night...

Last night I met a friend for dinner at a local Mexican food restaurant and indulged in some steak nachos.  I barely put a dent in them before I was stuffed.  Afterward we headed over to a gelato shop and I had the smallest serving of strawberry gelato.  Actually I had half of their smallest serving because I got half lemon and half strawberry and the lemon was so tart I couldn't even eat it.  By the time I got home an hour later, I was in a lot of pain.

The above picture is probably the most legit food baby I have ever had.  I think the dress contributes to it a little, but it stands up next to most of the baby bump pics I have seen others post.  It definitely reinforced my commitment to eating clean, and for that, I am thankful.

Some that have seen this picture told me to post it on Instagram or FB, but I am way too worried about the karma that comes along with something like that.  Hence the sentence before the picture.  What I do know is that the food I ate wasn't worth the consequences to my body.

Back on the wagon I go...

Fitness Friday - I Drank The Kool-Aid

I am now a member of the Crossfit cult community....

I don't know if I have ever addressed my feelings about this on le blog, but I have always been a little apprehensive.  Knowing what I have learned through my husband, who is a corrective exercise specialist, there is a lot to be done wrong in the world of crossfit.

As with any "fad" or "new craze" out there, there are people that jump on the bandwagon to get a piece of the pie.  Where there are people obsessed with a product or service, there is plenty of money to be made.  Depending how you go about it, opening up your own Crossfit gym, or Box, doesn't take a ton of start-up capital.  Some people start theirs in their garage.  All you need is a certification and a group of people to sell your service to.  Unfortunately with a lesser business model in crossfit, the owner isn't the one that gets hurt.  It's usually the client.

Done the right way, Crossfit can be awesome and empower you to feel confidence in finding a strength you never knew you had and doing things you never dreamed possible.  Done the wrong way, it can cause injury.  Improper form and over-use without rest/recovery/release can cause the body to break down, which puts you even further from the goal you initially set out to achieve.

I went to high school with Blair.  Take a moment to click on the link and see how awesome he is. 

You're welcome.

Quite the physical specimen and also a really nice guy.  After he came back from college overseas, I suggested he look into getting a job with my husband, enhancing the future of fitness professionals.  He also decided to open his own Crossfit gym which happened to be on my way to/from work.  His approach to Crossfit is phenomenal.  JB and I went to the open house and I was really excited to come check it out once it opened.

But then I got scared.

I have major anxiety about going into gyms alone.  Doing most things alone, really.  But especially gyms.  If you have been reading my blog for any length of time this may come as a shock to you.  I hate people thinking I don't know what I am doing, and even worse, ACTUALLY not knowing what I am doing.  Instead of realizing that everyone there is focusing on their own workouts and fitness goals, for some reason I always think they have nothing better to do than observe and judge my every move...

The next couple of years passed and I never went in to work out at the gym.  See, people who do Crossfit are seen as elite athletes in my (and most people's) book(s).  The olympic lifting mixed with serious metabolic conditioning is not something any old Joe Schmoe can just power through on his first run.  It was always something that intrigued me though.  The competetive part of it speaks to me.  I am always striving to be a better version of myself, and if I happen to be better than some other people in my class, well, good for me.  I also hated knowing that I would go in knowing no one, and there would already be a camaraderie amongst the members. 

The problem is, you have to start somewhere, which means you have to actually START.  Knowing the issues that can arise from a poorly trained coach and a poorly laid out program, I didn't just want to join a random Box. 

And you know me and my Groupon/Living Social deals.

Blair had now expanded to three gyms and had a promo running for the one closest to my house, so I bought it.  I tried like hell to get a buddy to join me and no one would.  Not a single soul.  Bitches.  I knew I needed to wait out the other people that had bought the deal as I didn't want to deal with the crowds these things tend to bring in.  But mostly, I was stalling.

I stalled until I could stall no more.  I do have a trip to Greece coming, you know?  I spent the months of January and February getting my nutrition back on track and told myself come March 1st, I was going in.  I sent Blair an email to make sure that starting on a Friday wouldn't be a problem and he told me to go for it.  And I did.

I'm pretty sure I sweat more sitting in the car waiting to go into the gym than I did during that first workout.  I got there early and just sat in my car surveying the gym, strategizing my plan of attack.  I noticed that the "front desk" was actually in the back of the gym and I would have to walk across the entire workout floor just to get to someone who could help me sign my waiver to get started.  As the minutes ticked down, I became increasingly more anxious and worked up.  By the time I got in there, I was shaking so bad I could barely fill out the paperwork they gave me.

So ridiculous.

Long story long, I did it.  I got started that night and as each day went by I met another person.  I was still uneasy and anxious as I walked into the gym.  Planning my timing just right so I didn't have to stand around too long before the workout, with a bunch of people I didn't know who all knew each other.  I made it through my five days of "on-ramp", each day learning another lifting technique with proper form, new terminology and movements, and was finally cleared for Level 1; which meant I could work out with the general population who already knew what they were doing.

These people?  These elite athletes?  They are pretty cool people.  Very supportive and kind and welcoming.  I guess when you are all battling a common enemy (the workout), it's easier to join forces and support one another.  Seeing people achieve a new personal record on a lift or master a new skill is something worth celebrating and congratulating.  Knowing how hard it is to get through a particular workout makes you want to cheer that next person on who is trying to finish.  Knowing how overwhelming it can be to be the new person, an outsider, makes you want to introduce yourself to new faces.

Last night I bit the bullet and signed up for the next three months.  I know that I won't be able to achieve what I am hoping for in the next week, or next month for that matter.  I am already stronger and am seeing improvements in different movements.  My dance/gymnastics background has really helped out with balance and my previous experience with personal trainers and weight lifting has come in handy as well.  I love the feeling of achievement I have after a workout, even if it wasn't my best.  I know that I will improve over time.

So for the next three months I will be driving all of my FB friends crazy with my check-ins at Crossfit Anywhere Roseville and using Fitness Friday to check in on my progress.  Next week I will try to post some of my initial stats that I am currently tracking on my phone.

Have you ever done Crossfit?  What did you think? 

Breezy Goes North - A Match Made in Blog Heaven, Part 3

Welcome back for our final installment of Breezy Goes North!! Can I get an AMEN??  If you missed parts 1 & 2, go check them out, I'll wait.

We left off with way too many adult beverages being consumed, leading to waking up with another slight hangover. This was the day we would head 3.5 hours back to Portland for another date night and a day of bumming around Portland before I had to head back to Sac.

After we got our bearings and got ready and packed, we hit the road. At this point there was no worry about filling another 3.5 hours of time with conversation because we felt like we had known each other for our entire lifetimes. We got checked into our fantasy suite room at the Marriott and hit up the concierge lounge for some apps to go with the cocktails we brought for the room. After more deep conversations, this time about religion, we headed out for a lovely dinner at Varitable Quandary, or VQ.

The view from our room

Hot date

Veal.  NOM.

That girl loves her some duck farts

After dinner we headed back to the hotel bar for some more drinks and conversation.

And then this happened...



Raven joined Vine, so we had the waitress take a video of us taking more duck fart shots. Little did I know what Raven had planned. The timing of the video could not have been more perfect. I laugh so hard whenever I watch it. Simply amazing.

The next day we dragged our haggard asses out of bed and got read for our day of bumming around Portland. We had lunch at this amazing cafe and then walked from one end of town to the other in search of Voodoo Donuts. And donuts we did find.

She didn't understand why I wanted to take a pic of this with all of the amazing sights in Portland

After we returned from our trip to the donut shop, reality started sinking in that we only had a couple of hours left before my departure. We made our way back to the airport where we exchanged a magical hug and promises that it wouldn't be too long before we saw each other again. Since crying makes Ravey-poo uncomfortable, I waited until she was out of sight to shed a tear or two. It was so hard to leave this person I felt had become such a huge part of my life in such a short period of time.

As I relayed this story to my sister the other day, I told her "If I weren't married and this had been someone of the opposite sex, I would probably consider relocating my life to Tri-Cities." LOL! I have read about other bloggers' experiences with meeting each other, but never really understood what they felt until I experienced it for myself. I would love nothing more than to be just a short drive from Raven so we could share a cup of coffee or a cocktail on a regular basis. JB and I are going to try our hardest to make it back there for the boat races this summer, and supposedly Raven and Rob will be heading my way to visit a new baby in the family. All I know is our next meeting can't happen soon enough!

Breezy Goes North - A Match Made in Blog Heaven, Part 2

Day 2 (read day 1 here) in the Tri-Cities was nothing short of domestic bliss with these folks, minus Rob cuz he was fishing...

The guest room at the Smith Manor consists of a bed in a loft nook just outside of the bedroom doors of Raven's two angel babies. Even sleeping with my earplugs in, I was awakened by the shrill screams from Coltie in the middle of the night. Raven had warned me that if anyone woke up crying in the middle of the night, she would be there to take care of it, so not to worry. It still scared the shit out of me.

I awoke in the morning to Gunner hopping up on the bed asking me who I was. I informed him that I was a friend of his mother's and that he should go see her with any questions. I promptly dozed off, only to be interrupted a short while later by the same adorable child, this time in a towel, asking me to get up and come play race cars with him. How could I resist.

I headed downstairs to find Raven passed out in her bed with Coltie sitting next to her watching cartoons. She informed me that Colt had thrown up in his crib in the middle of the night and proceeded to puke a few more times in her bed after she brought him downstairs. Poor guy. He seemed to be fine that morning though, so all was well. As soon as she introduced me to him, he promptly climbed out of the bed and into my lap. Both kids took to me immediately, actually. It was pretty adorable.

We took Gunner to school and then headed back home for a couple of hours to have breakfast and coffee, before returning to pick him up.

After we picked up G-Man, we ran a couple of errands, like returning a chicken costume to the party rental store, and dropping off a puke-covered duvet at the dry cleaners.

When we got back to the house, Raven showed me how to bring the garbage can up from the curb, lazy-chick style:



I knew I only had a small window of time to get my fitness on before we started our day drinking, so I showed the boys how to work it out.

Once I got my workout out of the way, we put the boys down for their naps and I experienced some Dr. Phil with a cocktail, Raven-style.

Dude's in-laws tried to straight up kill him in their garage. That shit cray!

After a couple of hours of lounging, we decided to get off our asses and start getting ready. Raven was taking me to the country club for dinner, so I had to look legit. After the boys woke up from their nap, Mama Piper came over to get the boys so we could have date night. We enjoyed dinner at the country club, where Ravey-Poo photo lurked me in the bathroom.

Dinner was followed by a drink or two at a local bar. Pretty sure it was college night. The drinks were weak and the crowd was young, so we took our bad selves home to continue the party our way.

The rest of the night got a little fuzzy, but I think there was more trashy television and deep conversations before crashing out for the night.

Saturday we woke up slightly hungover. We stopped by her sister's house to drop something off and see Poppy, the most perfect little baby you will ever see.

We met Mama Piper to pick up the boys and then headed to the grocery store to stock up on stuff to make wraps and pizza, plus we were out of booze. The kids were running crazy through the store and my blood pressure was through the roof by the time we got out of there. I honestly don't know how she does it. It was pretty close to nap time, we hadn't eaten yet, and there may have been a minor meltdown in the parking lot...

We got home and I promptly made wraps and adult beverages while Raven put the boys down for their naps.

I have been obsessed with these things since I left Kennewick and have eaten my weight in them. So goooooooooood.

After naptime there was more playing, Pocoyo, screaming, crying for no reason, looking through photo album after photo album of Raven's ridiculous photo shoots (girl loves a camera...), jumping on the trampoline, taking a tour of their yacht boat, playing with the puppy, consuming cocktails (adults only), and bath time (kids only) before bedtime.

Once we put the kids to bed, Raven made me one of her famous veggie pizzas on the traeger.

Raven assumed her position in her chair, with her computer, and the puppy by her side while we drank, watched more amazing television, continued to pause the TV to have in-depth conversations about society, politics, relationships, blogging, etc., and stuff our faces with pizza until bedtime.

Like I said, domestic bliss!

Check back later this week for my final recap...our overnight in the fantasy suite Portland!

Happy 60th Birthday Daddy!!

Yes, I still call him Daddy. And yes, today he turns 60! We had a partay for him on Saturday night. Friends and family were in abundance for a NASCAR-themed event.

Photo-collages at parties are the best! I never realized how much I looked like my dad until I go older and someone pointed it out with a picture from my college graduation party. Looking at these old pics of him, I see it even more. That top right pic, the glamour shot? My favorite picture of my father that has ever been taken. He's so blue steel in that picture. I tell so many people about that picture and I am so glad it's still around in all its glory.

Me and the birthday boy!

Some of the spread

His cake

Drinking out of the water bottle?  What's next, college?

Opening gifts

Thanking Monkey for his gift

Just some random people that don't know each other...J/K - siblings!!

Happy Birthday Song!

The Many... 

Faces Of...

Monkey!!

Don't mind my chins...

Dad and his daughters

Dad and Seesters...missing Lauren this time

Another one with his sissies.

Happy birthday dad!  I can't believe you are the big 6-0!!  Here's to many, many more birthdays ahead!  I love you!!