8 Miler this Saturday-sheesh!

The weather has turned sour! Yesterday was full on blizzard mode here in Teton valley, so needless to say I took the day off from my run. Today looks a little less scary outside so I shall run 5 miles when I get home from work. I am planning an 8 mile run this Saturday! I am excited and nervous about it at the same time. Due to the mileage increasing drastically I am planning a water station with a protein bar break on mile four. I keep reading everywhere how important it is to refuel during long runs. I already have my route planned, now I am just trying to see if I can get anyone to join me.

Nick and I signed up for our romantic getaway this Saturday at Spring Creek Ranch. The local special is such a great deal. I am so looking forward to spending some quality time with my favorite husband, and best friend. We are going to be celebrating our 2 year anniversary soon! I can't believe we have already been married two years! Time is flying by so fast I wish there was a pause button. Turning 33 this year is surreal to me. I still feel like I am 25.

My horoscope tells me I will get good news at work around May 5th, I am hoping it is referring to the middle school opening up the RtI position. Then my dream would finally come true and I can start getting paid a decent salary! My boss tells me he/she should know something by the middle of May, so I only have to hurry up and wait two more weeks! Fingers crossed. If you are reading this, please go ahead and say a little prayer for me!!

Last night I called Gramma and we talked on the phone for well over an hour. She is such an amazing woman. She is my hero. Granddad seems to be doing well with his health, Gramma says his appetite is starting to come back. What an amazing couple, those two. Married for 64 years! and going strong. If Nick and I could be so lucky.

Well the bell is about to ring and my classroom will be flooded with the little kiddos, so I must go. I'll write more later...

Until next time...

Free Period..

My lovely seventh graders get a free period today because we spent the last month studying for their final science test and they just took the final. I have an ELL science vocabulary class. It started out pretty rough because I am not a science major, but over the months it has become one of my favorite classes I teach. The kiddos have such personality and I just adore all of them. They are watching Amazing Panda Adventure which is pretty darn entertaining if you ask me. So, what a better time to blog then free period. Nick told me last night I need to blog more often. So here I go. He and I are talking about taking advantage of the Jackson Hole local special and go spend the night up at Spring Creek Ranch. The special includes dinner for two and breakfast for plus a deluxe room. The way this year has started out, my dad, his dad, and all of the drama I really believe it is past due. A get together for a little rekindling is in need. Plus, a night out on the town is always nice, it has been a while. Spring Creek has a secluded hot tub surrounded by trees, and considering it is supposed to snow all week it would be perfect to relax with a glass of wine, my favorite perfect, love of my life and a soak in the hot water during a snow fall. Ahh. Heaven. Hopefully we go.

Today I am do after school for homework help, then I spend an hour hanging out with my mentee, Meraldi. She is a sweetheart. We hang out every week. I wish I could find a way to open her up a little more. She is extremely shy. I am working on it. So I wont be getting home until 6:00. Then, I have to go run five miles, cook dinner, and go to bed. Ugh. Exhausted already.

Until next time.

Eat Clean Diet!

My friend from high school, Caitlin, introduced me to Tosca Reno's book, The Eat Clean Diet. I really like the principals. Eat 6 smaller sized meals a day, cut out animals fats, processed foods, and refined sugars. Simple simple stuff, but the goal is to lean out someone who is very active as well as give them tons of energy. The concept is that in each small meal there is a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate. An example from the recipe section is broiled salmon topped with mango salsa, served with roasted brussel sprouts and sautéed mushrooms, plus black bean and tomato rice pilaf. See picture. I only ate 5 small meals this day so my portion were increased at dinner because I combined two smaller meals to make one. Delicious! Plus, this morning I got on the scale and weigh 156 lbs!! I finally broke that plateau of 160! I think running the longer distances really helps, plus now with eating clean I am really watching what I take in versus what I expend with exercise. I am a size 8 and it is shrinking to a 6 as I type this!!

Nick and I went to the Eco-fair in Jackson over the weekend. It was a beautiful sunny day, with a little chill in the wind. They gave out free samples of fresh baked bread from the brand new local bakery, local micro-brews, and free samples of locally raised beef, pork, and other game. We walked around and saw the sights then took off for lunch at a cute little cafe with great wraps.

I ran a new record for myself. Saturday morning I ran SEVEN miles!! I went from five to seven, but that morning I was feeling extremely ambitious so I went for it. The weather was amazing and I loved every minute of it! This Saturday I am going for EIGHT mile. Shew! The miles are really starting to get up there! Yikes! Last week I ran 20 miles and this week I will have to run 22!! Crazy how far I have come. I remember January running 3 minutes and walking 2 for 15 minutes and thinking I was the woman! Persistence! I owe it all to the fact I kept running a little bit every other day. Now I run almost every day. 5-8 miles! I am still in shock!!

Until next time...

Update...

As of 4-19-2010 I have officially completed the first year of my Master's program at the Western Governors University. Hooray! It is such a great milestone because I feel like I can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My professor claims I will have my ELL endorsement by December if I continue with the pace I have been working. I will not have the Degree, but I will be able to teach if need be. So I continue to truck along. I have signed up to teach summer school at the high school this summer, not sure if I will get it though. I am hoping so, because Nick and I are planning a road trip with the dogs to the north panhandle of Idaho. We will bring our camping gear, and do a 10 -14 day natural hot spring tour around Idaho. He has never been up north near McCall Idaho, and Coir' de lane (spelling?) so, I am really looking forward to it. This year has been so trying with all of the dramatic things that happen in the first three months-Dad, Nick's Dad, Mom's Eye, Tucker's eye, that I know Nick and I both need a getaway. Hopefully summer school will pay for it.

As of today, 4-23-2010, I haven't heard any word yet if the superintendent of the school district has found the funding to open up a second RtI position. I am trying to remain positive and hopeful. It is hard though.

The running has been going great. Tomorrow I will run the c

omplete distance of my race=

6.2 miles! I am excited. Part of me wants to push it to seven miles but I will just see how I feel. I took yesterday and today off from running so I will be strong for tomorrow. With all of the races approaching this summer, I am getting more and more excited everyday and constantly want to continue to challenge myself with the distances. On Wednesday I went running with my girlfriend Karee. She is a strong runner, she clocks herself at 10 minute miles where I am around 13 and a half. She was cracking me up on our run because first of all she wanted to talk the entire way. This was bittersweet because I enjoyed catching up with her and hearing her awesome stories, I was so out of breath trying to converse with her. The other thing that cracked me up was the fact that she kept turning around and running backwards! I wanted to kill her! She made it look so easy, but then again she was in the military for several years! She definitely has the discipline! It was great for me because I really had to push myself the entire five miles! The run was great. I was so soar at night I could barley sleep with muscle aches.

As far as the dogs are concerned, they went on a run with me on Tuesday. It was 70 degrees so pretty warm. We ran 3 miles while they kept running along the ditches on the gravel road in search of water. There was no water so instead as we pass the old farmers house they decide to duck the fence (again) and run to chase the horses (again!). Tuaca was suddenly side tracked when he spotted a puddle of muck and horse do-do, so instantly before I could do anything about it, he and Summit were wallowing in the mud puddle. It was about chest deep on them and stunk to high heaven! I yelled for them to stop but it was too late. When Summit stood up, he looked completely black. All of his white hair was soaked in the horse poop. Then of course now that they were cooled off they ran back to me to try and shake it all off on me! I was so mad, it stunk so awful. Tucker was an angel and never left my side during the run. He was rewarded after and allowed into the house for the night. The other two trouble makers were not! And Nick says Summit will not be allowed in until we get him groomed! Ha! Our dogs-like our children.

Until next time...

Great weekend.

Wow, the sun finally came out over the weekend and blessed us with beautiful weather. I woke up Sat morning feeling great and went on a 5 mile run. Then, Nick and I got out and about Sat afternoon and made our way up to Mesa Falls to see all the beauty. Unfortunately for us, the roads had not been plowed and were closed due to all the snow. I guess Nick and I were premature on our Spring outing. So we took another fork in the road and detoured to a place called Warm River. I felt like Nick and I didn't have any recently updated pictures of us so I wanted to find a pretty spot and take a few. We also had to take our sons, so they could get out and go for a swim. Such a lovely Sat. When we got back Nick was fired up and went to work raking the back yard, while I read a book in the sunshine.

On Sunday I Went on a run with my girlfriend Steph and we ran another 5 miles! That was 10 miles in two days and 18 miles for the week!! Running has become my hobby. I love it. Nick and I stayed close to home Sunday, lounging in the sunshine. It was one of those weekends were there was nowhere to be, no pressure to do anything- Just relax and enjoy. My kind of weekend, with my favorite husband. OXOX

Venting some MAJOR frustration!!!

Ok. The running has been awesome. Going to the gym three days a week weight lifting check. The scale going back up to 160, Ugh!!!! I am so annoyed. I started all of this at 165. Beginning of spring break went down to 156. I was so happy and motivated. Now the scale says 160! What the heck? I am been eating the healthiest of my life, thanks to Nick's new diet. I have been exercising more than I ever have in my life. And yet the scale is not moving. Granting to lighten up on myself I will admit I am losing inches, but when I joined the Girls with Goals weight loss club we agreed to lose weight not inches. So I will not even make it to the drawing of 1,000 dollars because it is all based on pounds. So frustrated. Guess I can kiss that 100 dollars goodbye! I am not giving up yet. I still have about 5 weeks. The scale needs to read 145 in order for me to get my name in the drawing for the money. 15 pounds in 5 weeks...really? I should stop eating now and maybe I will make it. Ugh! What is the deal with my 160 weight? Come on already start showing some progress already!! I may just be forced to take the scale behind the house with a sledgehammer and have my way it it! Oh well, I guess purging my frustration here makes me feel a little bit better. Until next time...

Whohoo!!!! 5 miler!

I haven't written in a while, need to update. Today Nicky-boy went off to the gym and I was due for four miles. The sun came out, but there was an intense chill in the breeze. I started running and never thought about running for the first time. I was thinking about what to cook for diner, what to do tonight, laundry and realized I wasn't thinking about my jog. When the turn off came to complete my four mile loop I thought about going another half mile. That was it, one half mile up and one back. Tack on another mile why not? I wasn't that tie rd, or out of breath so I went for it. Amazing! Flew by 5 miles without breaking a sweat. Well, I was sweating but you know what I mean. I am so amped by this because the 10k I signed up for is only 6.2 miles. I am almost there now and still have 11 weeks until the race. I may even start practicing the speed of my runs. As of now I am averaging about 13 minutes a mile. Which I am extremly proud of. I can't believe I ran 5 miles!! Whohoo!!
School starts back on Monday so no more Sprinfg Break! BOoHOo! Oh well, only 10 more weeks till summer break, I think I can make it! Until next time...