Christmas Recap

Wholey Moley!  Christmas came and went with vengeance this year it seemed.  Figured I would do a run through to let you know about our Christmas celebrations.  Keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times, things are about to get crazy.

Thursday, December 22nd
-After work Peter and I took off for Prescott to spend the evening with my Mom, Jack, and the Pechacek's.  As always we were warmly greeted by Dain at the door, huge smile, squealing "Aaaabbbbby!!!" (one of my favorite things ever).  Mom prepared lasagna, garlic bread, and salad for dinner (I toted my own dinner of chicken and salad).  Not soon enough for Dains liking, we opened presents and enjoyed some tasty Christmas Cookies (not me! going strong on my new program).  Many laughs, and thoughtful gifts later, Pete and I were on our way back home.  Some things I/we received included: BOSE headphones (with microphone; LOVE these, for workouts and for now having hands free talking on my phone), and a gift certificate good for hundreds of Bed & Breakfasts across the country (awesome!).

Friday, December 23rd
-Again after a full day of work, Peter and I embarked on our next adventure.  This time headed DT Minneapolis to The Depot.  An old rail yard, turned hotel, restaurant(s), and ice skating rink.  We met my dad, Sheila, Sheilas Mom and Step Dad, and my brotha from anotha motha - Mason.  We laced up some skates and had a blast hitting the ice.  It was Peter's first time ever on skates, and he did quite well actually.  This was one of my favorite parts of the holiday season.  I love the fact that it was an activity, and not just sitting around eating sweets.  Of course after we skated, we headed to Pizza Luce, for some grub (they have an excellent salad menu, and gluten free too!!!!) and for some gift exchange.  It was here I received a Spa gift card, money for a proper bra fitting and bra shopping spree, a cookbook from the Hale Church (where my gma is burried, and where many family members have been wed, or baptized), and several other thoughtful gifts and treats. Another fun celebratory Christmas evening.

Saturday, December 24th
-Off to Prescott early (after a stop at Caribou to pick up some delicious beverages), to go to the Pechaceks to spend some time with the kiddo's, then hopped in with Mom and Jack to head to Osseo for the Sieg (mom's side) family Christmas.  Whenever I travel with my mom, I bring along a book and read aloud the entire way.  This year I read the Alchemist (which I received from an coworker).  Almost finished it all, but came up about 40 pages short.  We arrived at Dan & Carla's, did some mingling, and playing with the kids, had a delicious Ham dinner, and then headed to candle light service at Osseo Evangelical Lutheran Church.  I have spent every Christmas of my life (that I know of), as well as many Easters and celebrations at this church.  I have very fond memories of this church and the times spent there.  It is there that I feel closest to my late Grandma Johnson; I can close my eyes and still hear her singing along to the classic Christmas carols, not always singing the right words, but singing loud and proud none the less.  After a great candle light service, we headed back to Dan & Carla's for some treats and the dice gift game.  Soon after we hit the road to get back to Prescott/Eagan so we could spend some time with Pete's Parents.  Me, Pete, and Clint (Barbi zonked out as she had been up early that morning) headed to 11pm candle light service at Easter Lutheran Church, where I am a member. After a fantastic service, we went home and crashed after a long, fun, eventful day.

Sunday, December 25th
-CHRISTMAS MORNING!  We spent Christmas morning with the Andrus family: Barbi, Clint, Maggie, Angel, Peter, and Kate.  We had some breakfast, coffee, Christmas music, and gift opening.  We had mountains of gifts to go through, and had a blast doing so.  After some family fun, we all got ready and headed off to more gatherings.  First off was Clint's extended family, at Grandma Andrus's place for appetizers, socializing, and gifts.  In just a few blinks, we were off to Barbi's extended family gathering, at Paul and Shirley Richardsons.  Where all 28 or so family members were there.  We played an exciting gift game, had some amazing food, and spent time with everyone.  Needless to say, when we got home at 10pm, we crashed.  It was an amazing day, and Holiday season for us.  We are so blessed with our friends and family, and the gifts God has given us, including the gift of his son.

Nolan's First Christmas <3

Not only am I praying that our good fortune in family and health continues in 2012, I'm praying for snow!  Peter gave me awesome new snowmobile apparel, and we are both chomping at the bit to get snow so we can head up north and play in the powder.

Thanks to everyone for a great Christmas.  Looking forward to 2012!

"I got the Power" - Willpower

While browsing, or stumbling, on StumbleUpon, I found this Boston Globe article: How Willpower Works.  I have often been credited by family and friends with having rediculous will-power, which while flattering, is something that I feel as though everyone can obtain.  So when the subtitle of this article stated "Research indicates that willpower can be strengthened like a muscle - and is a key predictor of success in life", I knew I had to read and blog about it.

The article states that high levels of self-control, aka willpower, is related to good health, healthy relationships, as well as finances - which are all typically predictors of 'success'. Thus why I'm even more flattered when I'm attributed with high levels of will power.

How Willpower Works - Boston Globe

There are many aspects of this article that, I love, and that I think snowball off of eachother.  Hunger, fatigue, stress, metabolism all have an effect on our willpower muscle (prefrontal cortex).  Which strengthens my position on living a healthy life; consisting of a healthy balanced diet, exercise, leisure activities, adequate rest, and intellectual pursuits.

When we are fatigued (even myself), tend to have a depleated willpower bank - therefore not selecting choices that are best for us.  Whether that be poor food choices, financial decisions, whether or not to wear that hideous sweater your great aunt gave you for Christmas last year, ya know, pretty much anything.

As a 'willpower-virgin' (if you will), one will immediately realize, that utilizing willpower requires energy.  Our brain requires glucose to opperate, and if you have not supplied your body and brain with appropriate nutrients, your willpower muscle will be sorely lacking in ability - and as the article states, "will turn you in to the worst version of yourself".  Even more evidence that we need to fuel our bodies with proper nutrition, or eat for fuel and function, not for FUN.  (I'm not against the culinary arts, but its just an added challenge to make sure what we are enjoying or creating is nutritious.)

Another critical aspect of healthy willpower is overuse.  Just as a muscle can become depleted during a workout, our willpower can be depleated when overused.  Which actually is evidence that although I like to think that I can recruit my willpower to battle through life making ALL the right decisions, ALL of the time - it is okay and beneficial to give it a rest sometimes.  But the key is to not get down on ones self, as shame and guilt is counterproductive and can lead to a snowball effect of slip ups.  (so about that cheat/refeed day on Christmas!)

As I said, I have never felt as though I have been givin this magical special gift of willpower; I strongly believe that we are all capable of developing and demonstrating killer willpower.  This article backs me up on that.  So how do you build and tone this willpower muscle?  Easy.  By setting small simple goals, or habits.  The article gives the example of brushing your teeth with the opposite hand you'd normally use.  While this feels awkward and takes some getting used to, it will eventually become easier and easier, and is a task that is pretty insignificant - therefore it is easy to get yourself to commit to.  While you are brushing your pearly whites with your non-dominant hand, you will be strengthening your self-control.  Its a win-win, for you and your chompers.

As the new year approaches, and many people tend to set lofty New Years Resolutions, try to break your goals down and built your willpower while you are at it.  For me personally, embarking on my new program in the midst of the holiday season, is even more motivation to achieve my goals.  I have built up my willpower muscles to be able to resist temptation during times of many celebrations, treats, and indulgences.  So I'm looking forward to the amazing feeling of overcoming temptation and staying the course for my goals. The bigger the obstacle, the bigger the reward.

The article talks of David Blaine and his amazing feats, inwhich he credits to willpower training.  Achieving little goals will help you built up to achieving bigger goals.  He has become an "endurance artist" through his acts of willpower; so here's to the pursuit of becoming a better "endurance artist" in 2012.

The Program: Week 1

(internal mantra: just get to the point, keep it short).

Hokay, A couple of weeks ago, my trainer asked me to help her through her own new program (nutrition and workouts), by just being part of her support system, and to keep her focused.  So I offered to not only do those things, but to also participate in the new program myself.  So.  Last Monday I started the new scheme (a week behind her), and so far.....so EXCELLENT.  Here is the 411 on the program.

Nutrition: 

1800-2000 cal.  5-6 meals every, scheduled every 3 hours.  Typical day looks like the following.

Meal 1: Whey Protein w/coffee, little over 1/2 cup oatmeal with Flax.(6:30am)

Meal 2/Postworkout: Whey Protein & Water (9:30/10am)

Meal 3: 4-5oz Chicken, 12 almonds, steamed veggies, and 1/2 cup oatmeal or 1/2 Sweet Potato. (12:30pm)

Meal 4: 4-5oz Chicken, steamed veggies, 1/3 Sweet Potato (4:00pm)

Meal 5: 4-5oz Chicken/Protein, steamed veggies, 1TBSP Almond Butter (6:30-7:00pm)

Meal 5.5 - have been having another dose of veggies around 7:30ish

My biggest struggles with the nutrition tend to be staying on schedule.  Time tends to get away from me at work between meetings, sessions, workouts, etc.  And when I fall behind on my schedule, I get ravenous, and your body goes into starvation mode (not good).  We want to keep our metabolisms active and busy.  

Workouts:

5 Day Split.  Lifting 5 days a week, with circuit like sessions.  Usually 5-6 different lifts (area specific) per day, done with no rest in between, with a minute of intense cardio at the end of each cycle.  The last two program focuses I did before this program, focused on Heavy Weights and significant rest times.  Needless to say, last Monday, I had to take a few pauses so I didn't lose my breakfast.  The circuit like lifting gets your heart rate jacked.  

Additionally, the program has an intensive cardio aspect as well.  Which will be my focus for this week.  It is recommended to do cardio each morning before meal 1 (fasted), 5 mornings a week. Days 2,3,& 5 Steady State Cardio.  Days 1 & 4 Intervals.  Each week the duration increases 5 min, with week 1 starting at 30 min. 

My biggest hurdles for workouts, is in my cardio.  I loathe cardio.  Would much rather just lift weights all day.  So just getting committed to doing the cardio is one thing, and committing to do it in the morning, before you eat.  Oye.  Especially when work/the gym is about a 10 min drive minimum (without traffic), and typically 30 min (with traffic).  So I have a few options.  1. Set up the bike on the stand out in the spa room (ahem*peter*), 2. Go to Eagan LTF (still a 5 min drive), or 3. Hit up Anytime Fitness for a few months (just down the road).  I want to do option 3, because it commits me to it.  I'd be paying for the access, and thus would be committed to it, and its on my way to work.  Option 1. would be the most economical, but it would be like working at home.  It would never work for me, because I would get distracted by multi tasking (laundry, chores, etc.).  I woke up at 4:30 this morning, ready and alert, so I did go use the spa room, but its not my favorite piece of elliptical equipment.  So we'll see how things go today and I might be stopping by Anytime to checkout rates. (which feels so wrong, working at LTF, but gotta do what ya gotta do man).  

Alright, this is getting lengthy.  And the weights are calling my name.  The goal of this program is to decrease body fat.  And although I pride myself on being a positive person, I was negative this week.  Negative 3 pounds! Chya buddy.  But more importantly, I feel amazing being focused and active again.  The physical changes are just bonus.  Oh and my retest results for my cortisol (S&R) testing are due anytime this week.  Excited to see the changes and overall results.

Hope you all have a happy and healthy week!  Send happy thoughts my way if you are up early...I'll be hitting the cardio!

"Me not workin' hard.  Yea right, picture that with a Kodak." -Pitbull

al-che-my: 2. a power or process of transforming something common into something special

While session Tuesday with one of my Team Members, we started talking about life, and how both of us stepped back, reassessed our lives, and made decisions - and are continually doing so. Which is what brought me to my new position with Lifetime Fitness.

This last fall, a few days before meeting with my then boss, I had come to the realization that I wanted and needed to make a change in my life. So when meeting with her back in September, and her presenting me with the opportunity to make a change - I knew it was the guy upstairs lighting the way. While talking about truths in my life, I ignited truths in hers. And now three months after that change, we were talking about the day that I was sitting in her office (now my office), both of us with tears of I don't know what, talk of "The Alchemist" came up.

I have yet to read the Paulo Cohelho book, but its on my list - and through YouTube I had come across and interview of Will Smith discussing the content. After meeting with one of my Team Members Tuesday, I have been hooked on watching this video. Like literally hooked. I woke up yesterday morning at 5:30am and had to watch it. I've watched it in my office on my lunch breaks on repeat. I shared it in our leadership meeting yesterday. I posted it on Facebook Tuesday. And now I'm blogging about it. I love the content. I love how passionate Will is, you can hear it in his voice. And that is how I feel about it. The inflection in his voice, is exactly how I feel about it in my core.

My favorite line of the interview (which this is not the full interview, this is just a clip): "Make a choice, just decide what its going to be, who you are going to be, how you are going to do it. Just decide."

I, too, feel very strongly, we are who we decide to be. And there is a redemptive power in making that choice. So make an intentional choice today, to be who you truly want to be.

Sweet, Simple Things

"I'm beginning to realize it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all" - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Last night, I had the idea of a blog post that I've been thinking about off and on today.  And now that I've been catching up on reading the misc. blogs that I follow, and am successfully, and due to hormonals in a blue place, I have even more reason to crank this one out.

I caught up on my blog readings by checking out the blog of two of my college teammates/roommates/friends.  One being Katy and Joey Werner, the other Palmer/Depies.  I love being able to check up and catch up in a way with friends I haven't seen in way too long. The Werners are currently in Austria, and recently had beautiful baby Myla.  Seeing the pictures of their oh so proud and loving parent smiles, and watching some of their videos, hearing their voices, brought back so many warm fuzzy feelings, and made me feel so proud of those two and their beautiful family.  But at the same time gave me a lump in my throat, thinking about how much I miss having them in my life.

Same with the Depies family.  Located near Milwaukee, Palmer and Freddy recently brought Ms. Cameron into the world, and hearing about the birth story, the traditions, the newborn photo shoot, etc. makes me so proud to know these amazing individuals, but so bummed that we are all so far away from one another.  Ubber sad face.  Although I'm incredibly blessed with the life I lead, I feel there is a puzzle piece that is missing - my friendships with these people.  For that reason, growing up sucks.  But like I said, I'm so stinking proud of them all, and love their little ones so much - even from afar, not having met them in person (yet!).

Okay, long introduction short.  I wanted to blog about things that make you feel good. Which as I said, after the nostalgic trip down memory lane, and now missing many of my favorite people I need to get my mind focusing on the good.  So forgive me for the lack of structure, but I'm just going to go at it.

showering and putting cozy clothes on, shaving (arms especially), brushing your teeth, getting 7-8+ hours of sleep, waking up with no alarm clock, breakfast, the movie ELF, laughing until you can't breathe, a movie that makes you cry (both because you are laughing or its moving), snugly puppies/dogs, fat snowflakes, the feeling of thawing out (after you are outside during winter for a long time - coming inside and slowly warming up), hugs from Dain, kisses from Ella, smirks from Nolan, the smell of a Christmas Tree, listening to KDWB Christmas wish, listening to my uncles B.S. with each other, hearing my dad do his Asian accent, listening to my dad sing, laughing with my aunts, helping people feel great with massage, the smell of eucalyptus spearamint Bath & Body Works products, dancing with my dad, listening to Louis Armstrong/Judy Garland/Frank Sinatra, pretty baked goods, baking with my mom, Christmas lights & music, eating for function, a cup of coffee, the smell of coffee shops, working out in the morning, lifting heavy weights, cleaning your ears, sneezing, having goals, watching a great movie, hammocks, getting in the car right when you're favorite song comes on, candles, pedicures, the feeling/self-esteem boost right after a hair cut, finding the perfect Christmas/Birthday present, being prepared, coming home to the smell of a crock-pot cooking, playing board games (especially at Holiday gatherings), the anticipation of a new year, thinking about life and all its changes throughout the years, where I've come from, when your favorite team(s) win, connecting with a stranger (grocery store, coffee shop, etc), making Peter breakfast, snuggling into our sleeping position, Peter's eyes when he smiles his guilty smile, hearing Dain say "Like you, Love you Abby", sports montages, cooking for others, looking at wedding/engagement pictures (people are always so happy), randomly doing things for people, cleaning...anything, the smell of winter, being optimistic, a good protein shake, jazz, and blogging.

I'm sure the list could go on and on, but as I mentioned, I love getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night, and my bed time is quickly approaching.  So time to wind down.  Great day on tap for tomorrow.  Started my new program today, and my workouts are very different from what I've been doing.  So I'm sure my body could use as much recovery time as possible to prep for tomorrow.  I'll post soon to update on the new scheme.  Till then, enjoy the little things in life.

"A mountain is composed of tiny grains of Earth.  The Ocean is made up of tiny drops of water.  Even so, life is but and endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts." 

Smiling the best Superpower

Welp, Brian Johnson did it again.  Delivered to me an awesome food for thought message, and $25,000.  According to Frank Lipan's studies, smiling one smile has the same physical benefits as recieveing $25,000, or 2,000 bars of chocolate (minus the caloric intake).  Pretty awesome.  This TED talk, is a more than worth it 7 minutes.  Here it is, check it out: The Hidden Power of Smiling

Lipman discusses his 32 year longitudinal study at Berkley, measuring success and wellbeing in conjunction with measuring participants smiles.  Studies have also used athletes smiles on their baseball trading cards to correlate with their lifespan.  Players who had beeming smiles on their cards, lived up to 80 some years, whereas players that didn't sport (pun intended) smiles, had a shorter life expectancy.  So stop trying to be a hard ass in your athletic photos, and show your pearly whites.

Now on to the kiddos.  Thanks to 3D ultrasounds, we can now see that even in the woom, developing children smile.  Interestingly, Lipman also points out that blind children/infants smile.  So its not just a learned behavior from watching our peers or parents smile, its an innate behavior.  Children on average smile an amazing 400 times a day.  Now multiply that by $25,000 - children are the richest little buggers on the planet.  We should take note.

Smiling is also evolutionarily contagious.  So when you are faced with a smile, the odds are against you if you are trying to maintain your stern face or frown.  Also, interestingly enough by mimicing a persons smile it helps us determine is sincerety.

Lipman discusses a study that inhibited individuals from smiling (pencil in mouth), and the result was severly impared judgement on sincerety of the smile.  This is known as the Facial Feed Back Response Theory.  Inhibiting your physical response interrupts cognitive processing of emotional content.  How rude, huh!

Smiling makes us healthier, inhibits stress hormones, increases mood inhancing neurotransmitters, reduces blood pressure, makes us look good in the eyes of others (scientifically proven), makes us percieved as more likeable and more competant.  Humans smile to display joy and satisfaction, and by faking it until you make it you can change your physiological status to that of joy and satisfaction.  1/3 of humans smile 20 times per day, where as children smile 400.  Wow.  Tis the season for joy, so its a perfect time to try to catch up to those ankle bitters.

To quote one of my all time favorite movies, Elf, "Smilings my favorite".  :)  Your mission today smile 400 times. Go get em.

To The Hunt

I just have to brag about my AMAZING Thursday.  It has been a jam packed week as I’ve been marketing my tush off for Black Friday and Team Member Appreciation Week, as well as conducting interviews for new Team Members, working, working out, packing up my apartment, and getting some eating and sleeping in there too. 

So when Thursday morning rolled around, I embraced the EMPTY morning schedule.  I got up had breakfast, and indulged in getting sucked into a Cena movie, 12 Rounds.  Thanks Clint! Ha.  Luckily he had recorded it so we could fast forward through commercials. 



GREAT DAY.



I finally got my rear in gear, and did errands.  Fun errands.  I had a Barnes & Noble Gift Card burning a hole in my pocket since my birthday, so I picked up The Paleo Solution.  A fun read about the way our ancestors, the cave men, ate; and how that is how we should be mirroring our nutrition schemes.  I picked up some new tennis shoes.  I love how comfortable running shoes are, but they aren’t made to hold up to squats, leg press, and dead lifts; therefore my poor Saucony’s were pretty much floppy socks.  For fun, I tried on a funky pair of Nike Cross Trainers…and ended up loving them.  I’ve stayed away from Nikes for a long time, but since they are Cross Trainers I thought I’d give ‘em a shot.  They have a wider base and are more sturdy than the average running shoe.  Plus they are pretty shnazzy.  I went to Sam’s Club to fill up on the $3.09 per gallon gas, and pick up our usual.  15 ½ dozen eggs, bag of sweet potatoes, bucket of Organic Spinach/Spring Mix, Low Carb Monster (my down fall lately – woops), and some turkey tenderloins.  OH! And some delicious RED MEAT for dinner Thursday night. 

I attempted to go get an oil change, but they were pretty busy…so I headed home and got the steaks marinating, had some eggs for lunch, and went to the Chiro Clinic for a few appointments.  I got home fairly early and started to throw together dinner for the fam.  Steaks, sautéed mushrooms, roasted red potatoes (sweet potato for me), Apple Raisin Almond salad with homemade Apple Cider Vinegar and Greek yogurt vinaigrette, and cucumber water.  NOM NOM NOM.

Great day followed by great dinner.  Today (Friday) has been equally as hectic as the rest of the week, but I’m excited as I’m leaving town later this afternoon to head to Osseo.  Part of me wishes I was going back for Deer Camp again, but this fall was just a bit to crazy to make that happen again.  This year, I’m heading to Osseo for a different kind of Hunt.  Dress Hunting for Bridesmaid dresses for Brianna Joy’s wedding on 6.9.2012.  I’m looking forward to spending some time with my favorite cousins, and actually looking forward to the drive.  Some alone time, with some tunes.  But before I head out, I get to pump some iron. Leg day. Squats, press, front squat, more press, and to reward my hard work, trap work. Again, NOM NOM NOM. 

Good luck to all the Hunters!  Be SAFE, don’t over serve yourself tonight so that you can’t keep your eyes open in the stand tomorrow!  And I’d me more than happy to take some venison off your hands, so call me when you get that Turdy Pointer.

OATS

The USDA estimates that only 5% of the world's entire oat crop is actually eaten by humans.  Its my new mission in life, well maybe for the week, to increase that percentage.  Oatmeal is my favorite part of my nutrition plan, the highlight of my morning.  My tummy acts as an additional alarm clock most mornings, and oatmeal is usually part of the remedy to shut it up.

Oatmeal is claimed to have the almighty power of reducing cholesterol, and this is because of the beta-glucan (soluable fiber) in the oats.  Not only is oatmeal able to reduce cholesterol, I've read an article that claims it can diminish your high cholesterol issue completely.  Many nutritionists compare oatmeal to little sponges, full of soluable fiber, that absorbs the bad cholesterol, and carries it out of your body.  I won't get any more graphic than that, but We love fiber! :)

Good Man

Oats have long been a staple of many athletes' diets (myself included), especially weight lifters. Why?  Oatmeal has a high content of complex carbohydrates and water-soluble fiber that encourages slowwwww digestion and stabilizes blood-sugar levels. Thus the old addage that oatmeal "Sticks to your ribs".

I remember my parents making my sister and I oatmeal for breakfast before school.  But back then we would throw raisins, brown sugar, and top it off with some milk.  Yum, but things have changed.  Although delicious masking this superfood with sugar does it no justice.  This morning I put banana slices and some chocolate protein powder.  Deeeeeelish.

Mmm, already looking forward to tomorrow morning, for my next rendezvous with one of my favorite foods ever, OATMEAL.  NOM NOM NOM.  Have a great day!

Ketchup

Actually, my Grandma (Helen) would say "CATS-SUP".  TomAto, TomAHto (pun intended).  None the less, its time to do some catch-up as its been awhile since my last post.  So forgive me if this post lacks structure and proper flow.

Last week I spent an evening at my apartment sorting through anything and everything, in efforts to pack up and move out.  I moved to Eagan in June of 2009, with an opportunity to live in an incredibly reasonably priced town home with a then coworker.  I inhabited the basement, equip with bedroom, living area, full bathroom, two closets, and laundry.  Middle floor was main living room, and kitchen; third floor was my roommates space and a spare bedroom and bathroom.  So the town home was technically a 2 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2 car garage, and a terrific space.  But that's exactly what it was....space.  I never felt like it was a HOME to me.

Long story short, I've spent the majority of my time over the last year with Peter and his family at their HOME  Because of some changes with my roommate, I now have the opportunity to conclude my residency at the town home, something I've wanted to do since late Spring.  Since the Andrus establishment always has friendly faces (including Peter), fun to be had, and welcoming family it truly has been my Home (away from Home - Prescott).  Peter and I have decided that rather than waste funds on renting an apartment, we have decided to stay put at the Andrus establishment so we can save up to take advantage of this buyers market sometime in the next year.  With my recent job change, and Peter's recent Hamline graduation we could use some time to get a head start on savings and to get our bearings with where we want to be and qualities in a home we want to look for.  It also helps to have a place that we aren't forced into a lease or a strict timeline...at least the 'rents haven't gotten too fed up with us to give us an eviction date yet.  

Okay.  Again, get to the point.  I went to my Crane Creek town home and ended up spending quite a while on Memory Lane instead.  With my initial move to Eagan, well, scratch that, with my move from La Crosse to Prescott, I down sized my belongings quite a bit, and even more with the move to Eagan.  So I don't really have all that many belongings.  My clothes are the issue, and not like most females.  Most of my drawers are filled with sweats, mesh shorts, sports bras, tank tops, and my favorite...cut offs.  The bulk of the remainder of my belongings....books.  I have a slight fetish with books.  Textbooks, coffee table books, quote books, autobiographies, photography books, and even many of my 3 ring binders of notes from some of the various courses I've taken and loved.  It was fun to revisit many of these pieces of literature and try to justify keeping or getting rid of them.  Since my previous downscale, I didn't have to part with many, but I did have to put most of them in storage.

I also came across my basketball memorabilia portfolio, and pretty much got lost in Mitchell Hall Memory Lane for quite some time.  Gosh those were great times.  Playin' ball with the gang.  Can't get much better than that.  I decided that between Peter's college football memorabilia, and my La Crosse collection, we will have a pretty sweet 'Man Cave'/Sports Den some day.  Its going to be pretty sweet. 

I'm not quite finished with packing up my belongings, but I'm getting there.  And it feels good to get rid of some irrelevant clothing and miscellaneous things; it makes me not want to spend any money on pretty much anything (besides food).  

Jump to the weekend.  Friday night we attended a beautiful wedding for a high school friend of Peter's - Vanessa (Leonetti) Rutz.  Sometimes weddings hit more than others, meaning, sometimes they make me tear up and cry (joyfully), and sometimes they don't.  Well, I took one look at some of the songs listed in the program, turned to Peter, and warned him..."I'm going to cry".  The song that the beautiful bride walked down the aisle to, was Etta James "At Last".  HOLY GOOSEBUMPS.  During the social hour they had some classic jazz (Louis Armstrong, Sam Cook, etc.) playing - I LOVE this genre.  And made the evening even more beautiful.  Peter and I spent time Dance Floor watching, entertained by the group of adorable little kids dancing with out inhibitions, and watching the spirited adults also dance with no inhibitions.  Lots of happiness happening.  Great wedding.

Saturday, I got up and went to MIXX class (aerobics) at Eagan - something I haven't done in a long time, and had been missing.  Got ready for the day, and took off for DT MSP to have lunch with Peter's parents before we headed to TCF Stadium to watch the Badgers battle...well, slay the Gophers.  It was a terrific day for a fun rivalry, and it was a blast to see SO much red in Dinkytown.  When we got to the Stadium, while waiting for Peter to get back from the bathroom, I was standing on the main level looking out to the field.  I turned and kind of bumped elbows with someone...I looked over, low and behold.  Tubby Smith.  I smiled and said Hi (he said Hi back), and I was kind of dumbfounded and didn't know what else to say.  And I was happy that Peter got back from the bathroom before he went too far, because he never would have believed me (which he agreed that he wouldn't have).  None the less, we had a fun Saturday!  And its so nice to be able to utilize the light rail and transit. We didn't have to worry about traffic or parking.  We are looking forward to 2014 when the St. Paul section is finished!

We both slept like BOULDERS (opposed to rocks), with all the fresh air and walking we got in (not to mention my aerobics class) Saturday.  I didn't even stir until 9am opposed to my usual 6:30am sans alarm wake up.  I got up, had a nice slow morning, then headed to work, got a workout in, brought some revenue in, and here I am relaxing with my boys (Peter, Clint, and Mac; Laci & Barbi too), getting ready to gear up for a great week.  Lately Mondays have been kicking my arse...so I'm pretty determined to have a GREAT day tomorrow.  I'm sure this week is going to FLY by, as I have a hot date with my favorite Bride To Be - Brianna Joy and the rest of the bridesmaids for the Hunting Opener.  Dress Hunting that is. I'm excited to see my favorite cousins, and to spend some girl time chatting about wedding/bachelorette/bridal shower planning fun.

With that said.  Enjoy my memory lane and weekend photos.  Sorry for not inserting them into the post where they belong, but I don't feel like doing that much monkeying around this evening.  So have a great week, "Oh and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night" (Truman Show, Jim Carey).  

Millions of LaX hoops sweatshirts and my TO THE HUNT Hat from the Werner's Wedding

My final semester I took this course through the Y...fun times.

Actually didn't let myself open these up, because I knew it would deter productivity for another few hours.

Physiological Psych class. Love hate relationship with that one.
BUT I got to hold and probe around a human brain.

Senior year Program Cover.  Love and miss you people.
This will be framed and displayed in my Sports Den some day.

Scantron.  Woof.

BOB's & SOB's ya'll.  BUCKS anyone?!

Probably my FAVORITE college course: Group Dynamics. 

The beginning of my love for anatomy.

Wish I could go back.  (minus test days)

Hoop Dreams

I think I pretty much started 'playing' basketball shortly after I could walk.  My dad played hoops with a bunch of guys a few times a week at an open gym a few blocks away at the local middle school; he would take my sister and me along, and we would run-a muck playing on the sidelines, the bleachers, the stage, and anywhere else we found amusing.  The guys he played with also brought along their kids, so there was always a group of kids to play with. As we got older (as in 3rd/4th grade), our dads started to develop our basketball fundamentals.  My dad would put me through post drills (where my jump hook was established) on the sidelines when he wasn't playing, and before leaving we would each shoot 25 free throws.  Five at a time, and rotate between myself, my sister, my dad, and another father-daughter team.  (I accredit my 90% high school, and 80% college free throw percentage to this practice specifically).

I believe I started to play 'organized' basketball in 4th or 5th grade, and for most of those late elementary and middle school traveling basketball years, dad was our/my coach.  Now, my dad has always been, and will always be a coach to me, but he literally was our coach.  And because of the group of little athletes we were, and our coaching staff...we. were. good.  I think our 8th grade year, we went 16-1.  Looking back those were some of my 'funnest' years.  Gosh.  To be kids again, traveling a few hours on a Saturday morning to play (at that time) 5-6, maybe 7 games.  (They have now decreased the amount of games they play to around 4 I believe).  But gosh, I would go back to those days in a heart beat.  Not a worry in the world, just playin' ball, hangin' with your friends.  

And now that I'm old enough to realize and appreciate, I have to be so thankful for the dedication of our parents to allow us those opportunities.  Driving us to and from practice, traveling on the weekends, putting up with a group of up to 15 obnoxious preteen girls, and loving us all the same.  That's what amazing parenting is all about.

Like any little athlete, I had dreams of making it big.  I first remember wanting to play division 1 college basketball, and not just for anyone, for the Wisconsin Badgers.  When I was younger my dad took me to many college sporting events, including Badger basketball games, especially since my uncle had a connection with the university.  I remember one game in particular that I got to sit behind the bench, and go back to the press room where they hold post game interviews.  For an 8th grade girl, I was pretty much in awe.  

I think it was also that same year that the WNBA was established.  So not only did I have aspirations to play college basketball, now there was a dream to play beyond.  One of my favorite players was Rebecca Lobo.  I had read her book, and I had her New York Liberty Jersey.  (which some obnoxious preteen boys often taunted me about).  Okay, this post is getting way longer than intended.  To the point.  In case you are new to my blog or are completely oblivious, neither of those dreams came true.  But I did have a great high school career, enjoyed playing 4 years at the D3 college level, met many incredible people, and was exposed to many incredible opportunities (i.e. playing basketball/traveling to London).  

Me holding the WNBA Championship Trophy

Yesterday, I achieved another dream.  Kind of. 

 I don't feel an ounce of failure when it comes to those childhood dreams, rather I am proud to have been bold with my dreams and achieved what I did.  I really didn't think that I would be so inspired and excited to see the WNBA Championship trophy yesterday at our LTF location.  But it brought me back to being that little girl, that just wanted to play basketball.  That mind set that the sky is the limit, and that the only way to dream is to dream big.  Good stuff maynard.  Good stuff.  

lack·lus·ter

lack·lus·ter/ˈlakˌləstər/

Adjective:

Lacking in vitality, force, or conviction; uninspired. (of the hair or the eyes) Not shining; dull.

This pretty much defined me for most of the day.  'But Abby its 1/1/11.  Its a new month.  A fresh start'.  Usually all of those things would excite and inspire me.  But such is not the case anymore.  Now that I have a job that relys on monthly performance and revenue; the fresh start is daunting.  We had a great month in October, and we achieved our goal and then some.  (105% to be official).  However, the day after month close out...kind of sucks.  Because you have to start from ground zero.  And depending on your new goal and the circumstances, you could be in for a tough battle. 

Our revenue goal is higher than it was last month, but there are less (business) days in November.  So we have to perform the same amount (our 105%) in less amount of time, to even reach 100% for November.  And November to me seems like a pretty bland month.  October is so colorful, and exciting with Halloween.  December is winter and Christmassy.  November is brown, and dull, and full of tryptophan.  Zzzzzzzzzz. 

So.  Lackluster was pretty much my demeanor for majority of the day.  BUT, I finally snapped out of it when I got to do my hands on work with my clients.  I can always rely on this time for me to think creatively, and brew up new inspiration for the days/weeks to come.  On top of that I'm holding my first employee meeting tomorrow evening.  I decided to hold off until my 2nd month into my leadership position to hold a team member meeting, because quite frankly I've been too busy running around learning with my head cut off to be able to hold a worth while meeting with my team members.  So I'm excited to celebrate October sucesses, establish November expectations, break bread (I'm making some chicken veggie soup), and as a cherry on top...the WNBA Championship trophy, owned by the Lynx this year, will be in our club at our meeting time.  Will be cool to see a Championship trophy up close in person, not just myself, but with my team.   Hopefully we will come away with some inspiration and some good LUSTER for our month of November. 

Mia Hamm has been quoted to say, "It is more difficult to stay on top, than it is go get there."  I couldn't agree more, and this is exactly why I felt pretty lackluster earlier today, but I believe in my abilities as a leader, and in my teams abilities to work hard and come through with yet another victory.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!  Happy November...here goes nothin. :)

Ugh. Mental battle.

I'm struggling this evening, so I need to process it all via the written word.  Although I have the mind set that I'm going to leave the topic ambiguous, I know it would probably be better if I didn't.  I feel as though we hold back because of our fears, so lets start there.  I fear sounding like 1. a broken record, 2. a stupid girl, just craving attention or a compliment (which I'm totally not) 3. I'm weak. 

Okay.  Now that those things are said and out of the way.  I'm having horrendous negative self talk about my self and my body tonight.  Like intoxicatingly negative.  Heavy heart, like an elephant is standing on my chest.  I went to collect some of my things from my appartment tonight and I came across some jeans.  Decided to see if they were something I could wear Saturday for our Annual Falliday.  That was a bad idea.  I know my body has changed substantially since last fall, but at the same time I think part of me was content pretending like I hadn't. Well, those two frames of mind met, and reality kicked denials ass.  Both pairs of jeans I tried on came no where close to fitting.  Like got them to just above knee and it was game over. 

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I tend to want to do or start things on a specific time frame.  Like not leaving to go to the gym until 12:30 opposed to 12:24.  Same with weeks and months.  As I admited, I've known my body has grown, and I know reformative action is in my future, but I've been waiting til that opportune moment.  After my S&R retest, after the month is over, etc. etc.  I hate that game.  I need to eat my own words via Dr. Phil, "Someday is not a day of the week". 

I also need to remember two other important things.  1. (before the jeans incident) I felt healthy and strong. And, 2. "You either make yourself miserable of you make your self strong.  The amount of work is the same" -Carlos Castaneda.  Feeling negative about yourself or your circumstance gets you absolutely nowhere.  I think its okay to honor all feelings, but do it and move on.  So I request a moment of silence for my pity party this evening regarding my growing arse and number on the blasted scale. *............................*Okay.

With that said, I'm determined to kick the negative thoughts to the curb..and not just the curb down the street.  How about a curb down in Timbuktoo.  Its going to be a beautiful weekend, and there is lots of fun to be had. 

Oh, and maybe this is a perfect time to announce that my goal for 2012 is to actually complete my "Body Image Workbook".  And I'm going to see if I can't start a small group.  I have a fabulous book, full of terrific information as well as worksheets and activities to complete to assist individuals in reshaping their body image.  So if you are interested at all in following along with me, please let me know.  I ripped appart the actual book today so I can scan/copy everything, so I can get whomever a copy so we can truck along through it together.  And if I send you an invitation to do so, please don't think its because I think your body needs some work.  Maybe its because I, need your support and help to hold me accountable; and I think I've heard a statistic that only 2-3% of the worlds population of women considers themself beautiful.  Lets change that. 

I think this girl needs some Just Dance to get some endorphins and those feel good neurotransmitters flowing. 

The Good Life

Lately I have been LAD....similar to LTD.  Opposed to Living THE Dream, I say I have been Living A Dream.   As an achiever my dreams are constantly changing, but I can admit that right now...Life Is Good.  I'm in love with: my job, my best friend, my health, my family.  What more can a girl ask for.  Well...ok, no I won't go there.  Although there is always room for improvement, I know I'm blessed. 

Yesterday was the awesomest, yes, awesomest, day at work ever.  I got caught up on the last 45 days of reconciling closing paperwork and sending it to corporate (a task that should be done daily, but has been neglected with our departments management change), I have created a streamlined version of our business binder (includes my DH Daily Walk through/tasks, team member daily duties for opening and closing, as well as a communication log and a business tracker), participated in our DH/Leadership meeting, and to top it off got to enjoy craft time for a majority of my day.  All at Work.  I think I have found a true fit.  I get to utilize all my talents, and daily.  

Ashley cleaning up the Ghost Poop (brown paint spill)

This weekend we are hosting a Spooktacular Open House, in honor of Halloween.  Slowly we have been transforming our sleek and sophisticated lobby into black and orange Halloween fun.  As a leadership team we put our brains and creative juices together to design an exciting Saturday including pumpkin painting, cookie decorating, HallowWiin Contest, trick or treating, and photo booth opportunities.  Our OPS guy went and bought some wood, our talented GM drew a Halloween scene with the characters faces cut out, and the BA and myself went to town on painting.  It was a blast.  So Saturday, if you aren't busy you should come over to Bloomington North Life Time Fitness and have some Halloween fun from 10-1.  We will all be there, in costume, ready to party.

Continuing the dream, we all got home last night and had some dinner, and then had some family fun playing Tetris Party for the Wii.  Suuuper fun.  Lots of laughs.  Before I got too carried away, I cut myself off from the Wii and went to bed by 10:15. (Previous nights Barbi and I have been up playing Tetris til 12:30...makes for a rough morning).

Thursday mornings are bittersweet, because I don't have to go to work at BN-LTF...but then again, I don't have to go to work at BN-LTF.  When you enjoy your job as much as I am right now, its kind of sad - but I know time away is important.  Rather, I do whatever I want for the morning, and work at the Chiropractic clinic in the afternoon/early evening.  Thursday mornings I usually get up, have an awesome breakfast (eggs, apple, oatmeal, and coffee), kick it with the puppies, and watch Holmes on Homes with Clint.  Which has been exactly the case this morning. We love this show; although it makes me leery with wanting to purchase a home in the next year.  You never know what you are getting into.  Oye. 

Last week, and likely today in a little while, I will get outside for some fresh air at Lebanon.  Like I said, Living A Dream.  Loving the fall weather, the bright blue sky this morning, and that cool crisp air.  So I should probably wrap this post up and get my rear in gear.  

Looking forward to Saturdays Spooktacular, followed by FALLIDAY.  For those of you who don't know Falliday is the holiday in between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Falliday is when I get together with the women from my moms family (gma, aunts, aunt from Texas comes to town, sister, and cousins) for a girls day.  Previous Fallidays we went to a vineyard/wine tasting and a boat cruise in Stillwater.  This year we are going to go to some retail locations, a coffee/wine bar, and a well known Italian restaurant in St. Paul.  So stay posted for more Falliday news and recap.  

Have a BEAUTIFUL day.  "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." -Robert Brault 

 

All that Jazz

This post would have likely looked and sounded a lot different had I actually posted it prior to 12pm like I intended.  But regardless, here it goes. 

I had thought of the title "All that Jazz", because, this morning I was Jazzed about life.  It was a fabulous, and then some, weekend.  To recap:



Fierce.



*Friday night strolled the MOA with Peter (crazy busy with Nebraska fans), went to bed early - being on my feet all day, and then walking the mall for a few hours left my legs slightly aggitated. 



Get it.

*Jumped out of bed Saturday morning, went and did a heavy leg lift (love), got my squat back up to a reasonable weight.  Still have work to do, but at least I'm well into the 2-hundo's for 5 reps. 



*As a result of my ubber tight hamstrings, and some core weakness, my low back got a bit aggitated; so after my shift I stuck around and had a fellow MT work on me.  Instant relief!  She did some deep work on low back, glutes, as well as psoas and abs.  If you've never had deep tissue on your abs/psoas, don't.  Okay.  Well do.  But be prepared.  It. Is. Intense.  I'm still sore and my internal organs are still trying to settle down.  (Lets just leave it at that). 



Abby's Packer/Halloween Gang Green Toes :)



*Then Margot and I went to treat our piggies to some TLC.  PEDICURE. Yum.  Talk about Happy Feet. 

*We went back to the Andrus compound and vegged the rest of the day.  Kickin it with Barbi's nieces/nephew who were staying for the weekend, grilled, crafted, played Wii, had an awesome day. 

*Played wayyy too much Tetris with Barbi, wayyy to late - so I didn't exactly jump out of bed Sunday morning.  None the less, got up, got to work, did my thang.  Then picked up Peter (he was at Hamline Homecoming Festivities Saturday), and we made a run for the border. 



*Went to Mom and Jacks for birthday (Jon & Peter) Grillebration (Grill + Celebration).  Got to love on Dain, Ella, and Nolan (which I was experiencing withdrawls it had been so long since I'd seen them). 



Aaron Rodgers driving the mini-golf cart around the yard



*Watched the Packer/Viking game.  Lets not talk about any other sports happenings.  Wisconsinites have been pretty lucky for fall sports, but Saturday was a definete dark spot.

Love Bug Packer Cheerleader - Ella Jane

*Got to take care of some overdue laundry; and while waiting for 3 loads to dry, we watched the Blu Ray version of Soul Surfer.  This is why I was Jazzed about life this morning.  I could watch that movie every day, and it would move and motivate me every time.  There are a few parts that make me misty eyed, even for the fourth time watching. 

*Today, Monday October 24th, I woke up Jazzed about life.  I got up, had my breakfast (oatmeal, and Chocolate Whey Protein Coffee Shake) and got in my shoulder/bi lift.  Wahoo.  Start your day with that breakfast and that lift...its bound to be a great day! 

*Random: Over the weekend, since Barbi's nieces/nephew were around, one of them kept getting startled by my intense text notification sound, so I changed it.  Well, I forgot I changed it until I finally had the ringer on today.  Sitting at my desk.  All of a sudden I hear "bbbbbbbpppptt" (electronic fart noise).  Scared the shit out of me (no pun intended).  Def made me laugh.  Reminds me of Peter, and when I asked him "why are farts so funny?".  His response, "because it comes from your butt, and you can't see it."  

*Currently, my back/abdomen is still aching, and I'm thinking some hot tub time and stretching is def in my future.  Despite my current slight discomfort, I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all.  Its going to be a great week!  Hope ya'll had a great weekend.  Halloween is around the corner.  Can't wait!!!! Stay Posted on Spooktacular happenings in my world.

Consistency & Fundies

Holy Buckets.  I had a case of the Mondays today.  Not in a bad way exactly, yet I don't know how a case of the Mondays can ever really be a great thing.  But I just felt like I was plugging away at all my various tasks, but getting NO WHERE on anything; and when I feel like I might be getting somewhere, another 5 things get put on my lap.  Oye.  I had to take some time to revisit some brilliance of Brian Johnson, and the PhilosophersNotes I've been missing terribly.  (I signed up to receive the notes at with a different email, so I'll be going through them again, and I think some new ones!  SCORE!)  

So, due to my day of what seemed to feel like running in place for 8+ hours, I decided to visit two mini chapters.  To start with, I selected "Consistency on the Fundamentals".  Check it out, and the next paragraph or two of ramblings will make more sense.

Sharma explains that throughout all levels and styles of greatness the re-occurring theme is that these individuals exhibit passionate consistency on their fundamentals.  They show up day in and day out, and take care of the 'big rocks'.  The things that will set them up for success.  In my new role as a Department Head, this is one thing I have been spending a lot of my time working on.  Although previous leadership did great things, I tend to have a very particular and detailed look at the fundamentals of any and all organizations.  Many fundie tasks (I like that, "fundie") have been neglected, so not only do we need to revisit these neglected tasks, we need to learn how to move forward and manage these tasks weekly, and in some cases daily.  I have had to go through all the procedures we use, and take a very critical and analytically look at the processes.  Break them down, decide what is critical, recommit to abandoned procedures or implement new ones.  This process is incredibly time consuming, especially when you have to stay current with what is going on in the hear and now.  Life doesn't slow down for you to catch up.  Which is why I understand and accept the craziness of the last few weeks, and probably the next several.  I'm establishing my fundies.  Which will just set us all up for success in the future.  Gotta have the fundies, man.

Second mini chapter I scoped out this evening, "Consistency over Intensity".  Oddly and perfectly enough, Brian uses the Personal Training metaphor to help explain this chapter.  The number one thing that stuck with him as he trained to be a personal trainer is that consistency is better than intensity.  Now that's not to say that once you are consistent, you can't jack up the intensity.  But as he says: "It's way better to simply put on your shoes, head out and do a nice, mellow workout, CONSISTENTLY then it is to go all gonzo and then never go back."  I have been doing a pretty good job at work, but I need to remember this mini-chapter, all day, everyday; because as I meticulously go through and recommit our fundies, I need to just be consistent.  Even if that means that everyday (for awhile) feels like today did.  Just pluggin' away.  I can't get it all done in one day.  Ugh.  That was painful to type.  But if I'm consistent, things will happen, and I won't burn myself out in the process.  So self, although you brought home work and just came in the office to print work related things, and totally got side tracked by blogging/Philosophers notes...it's okay.  I've consistently been at it since about 9am today...I think I've done enough.  Tomorrow is another day.

So.  Conclusion.  Consistent Fundies Consistantly.  Reminds me of the story of the stonecutter.

  A stonecutter hits a rock with his hammer.  The stone splits.  The casual observer sees this and things, "Wow, That guy is really strong.  I can't believe he broke that huge rock with a single blow!"   

The reality (obviously) is that the stonecutter didn’t break it in a single blow—he’d been hammering away at that rock for a long time. Many, many blows went into the rock before it finally split.

Most people see someone who has achieved some level of success--whether it’s enlightenment or celebrity status or financial wealth--and think, “Wow, they sure must be lucky.”

Obviously, the stonecutter isn’t strong enough to break a rock in one blow and no one is “lucky” enough to reach any level of excellence without an equally diligent and consistent effort.

So, hit the rock

Again. And again. And again.

You will break the rock.

Rock on.  Make Tuesday a GREAT one!  Much Love.