3 Reasons I'm Happy on a Monday Morning

Good Monday morning!  I am in a great mood (especially for a Monday) for a few reasons.

First, I had a fun weekend.  Friday after work I went to look at a car my parents found and insisted I see.  I know I had mentioned I was buying my mom's car after all the drama, but they said this particular car would be worth a look.  I drove to Sulphur (about 20 minutes from my house), decided I wanted the car after test driving it, and told the salesman to wash it, change the oil, fill it up with gas and I would take it home.  Well, I shouldn't have been surprised when he told me the oil change and washing would not be happening, because the shop guys went home at 5:00.  But, I could pay for it and either take it home and bring it back to be detailed and maintenanced or leave it until I could come pick it up later.  No thanks.  If it's meant to be, I'll be back to take care of everything at once.  Problem is, I won't be able to get back over there until Thursday. Have I mentioned I hate car shopping?!?  The trip to Sulphur wasn't wasted, because my sister cooked me dinner. After eating a pretty delicious meal of pesto shrimp "spaghetti" (it was spaghetti squash) and steamed brussels sprouts, I headed back to Lake Charles.  A friend had called and asked if I wanted to get drinks.  Of course!  So we headed to Micci's and sat on the patio since the weather was nice.  We talked about everything you could ever imagine from boys to literature to finances to music.  When we went inside to pay our tabs and leave, I noticed a huge, gorgeous magnolia someone had picked and put in a vase on the bar.  Magnolias are blooming like crazy right now!

Saturday morning I woke up early and packed Lola and my bags.  I wanted to get an early start on our trip to the lake, but I got sucked into watching recaps of the CrossFit games Regionals.  We finally got on the road and reached Toledo Bend at about 11:00. 

It was a short trip and we headed back Sunday morning.  I arrived home at 11:00, and the day consisted of more CrossFit Regionals updates, laundry, other things around the house, watching Tough Love and Real Housewives of New Jersey, reading and bed.

The second reason I'm in a great mood is because CrossFit Lake Charles represented at the CrossFit Games Regionals: South Central in the biggest way possible.  I had absolutely nothing to do with their success, but am so proud that I work out beside and am coached by these athletes.  (If you want to know more about what the games, otherwise known as "CrossFit Christmas", are all about, here is a post I wrote about it.)  They went into the games ranked 24 out of 30 qualifying teams and after day one of competition, were in third place!  Who doesn't love an underdog story?  They finished 7th, which is huge when you consider they are competing with gyms from big cities like Houston, Dallas, and Austin with bigger pools of elite athletes.

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 Unfortunately, I wasn't there to support the team, but I did watch "event summaries" on the Games website, which was basically a highlight reel of each workout.  When I would see our team on the video, I would get so excited and yell at the computer, even though they couldn't hear me and the things going on onscreen had happened hours earlier.  Next year, I want to be there in person!



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Thank you Ashley, Megan, Danielle, Detlef, Ben, and Mitch for working so hard and making us all so proud to be a part of CrossFit Lake Charles.  Here is an article that was written about the team. And here are some pictures posted to the Facebook page of CrossFit Games - South Central Regional.

 

CFLC team during workout 1.



Danielle during workout 3 snatching 70#.  To show you what a beast she is (besides what is obvious by looking at her body!), I one arm snatch 15#...and struggle.

This is my favorite photo from regionals! Mitch cheering on his wife during workout 3.  It was a 2 man workout (actually, 1 man and 1 woman) and they completed it for the team.  A couple that competes in CrossFit games together, stays together.

Ashley working overhead squats during workout 4.

Detlef doing wall balls while Mitch chin hangs during workout 6.

Detlef doing muscle ups while Mitch holds 225# (and Ashley cheering them on.)

Team hug after the last workout!

The third reason I'm in such a great mood is because I woke up early and ran before work.  Why have I been fighting this?  I love early morning runs.  I love being awake before the rest of the world.  I love feeling like I've already been productive by 7:00 AM.  Since I now have to exercise before work Monday through Wednesday, my week of workouts looks like this:

Monday: morning 3 mile run + tabata workout (My start was later than intended.)

Tuesday: 5:30 AM CrossFit

Wednesday: morning 3 mile run + tabata workout (push ups, sit ups, squats, lunges)

Thursday: 5:30 AM CrossFit (might as well make early mornings a habit!)

Friday: 5:30 PM CrossFit

Saturday: 9:30 AM CrossFit or bleacher workout on my own

Sunday: run or bleacher workout on my own

I have a beach trip planned for Memorial Day weekend (26 days away) and in my current body state, will have to wear a moo-moo rather than a swim suit.  So, for the next 26 days I'm going to work hard, eat clean and Paleo-ish, and limit my cheats.  (I think I make this statement every week.)

Sorry for such a long post (I probably should have made it 3 posts), I'm just so excited and wanted to share!

How is your Monday morning?  What exciting happened to you this weekend?

I Had a Bad Day, Again

*Warning: This post is in no way positive or encouraging.  It is a rant about life.  It is filled with bitterness.

I have been in a MAJOR funk lately.  A friend used the word "grump", but the words bitter, angry, frustrated, and out of control would work, too. 

Lady luck has not been on my side, and my all day, every day pity parties have me feeling very unlike myself.  I'm trying to focus on the positive.  I keep telling myself how fortunate I am to have my health, a stable job that pays my bills, and a family that loves and supports me.  But then I feel like a selfish beast for being such a brat, and I hate myself even more.  Talk about a vicious cycle.

So here goes my vent about my awful day yesterday.  I would call it the worst day ever, but all in all, in the big picture of my life, nothing that happened yesterday matters.

I woke up with a Quasimodo eye.  My right eye was swollen beyond recognition because of my allergies, I assume, despite the fact that I took an antihistamine before bed.

Then, mom and I drove all the way to Houston to check out some cars I found online with hopes of replacing my totaled Jeep.  First stop, they sold the car I wanted to look at less than an hour before I arrived at 9:30 AM. 

At the second stop, my luck was looking up.  They had a car almost identical to my old Jeep at a fair price.  I decided to buy it, with the stipulation that they replace one tire to match the 3 other brand new tires.  The salesman, whose name was Ron and I dubbed Ron Burgandy (He was equally as pretentious and douchey as Ron Burgandy), agreed to my negotiation. We got inside and he tacked on $750 in "dealership fees", which he admitted went straight into the dealerships pocket.  I was furious and got up to walk out.  He agreed to talk to his manager to "see what he could do" and he knocked $250 off the price.  He told his boss I was a single mother, to get me some sympathy.  This put an awful taste in my mouth.  First of all, if I was a single mother, I wouldn't want his or anyone else's sympathy.  Secondly, it was a flat out lie.  I was so tired and didn't want to do this all over again, so I told him to clean up the car and put the new tire on while we went to lunch.  We went to Subway and I had a disgusting salad with rubbery chicken and tasteless tomatoes.

We returned to the dealership to be to be told they do not accept out of state checks, and we needed a cashiers' check from the bank.  So after telling us about how he spends 3 hours a day in the gym and his sons are IronMen triathletes and other sundries about his life that I didn't give a shit about, Ron Burgandy sent us on a wild goose chase to find the most hidden branch of Capital One in all of Texas.  After passing by it approximately 27 times, we finally find it.  Might I mention that we passed a plethora of great looking restaurants, including a Whole Foods, when just an hour earlier all we could find was a jankey Subway?!? 

We get out and a woman yells at us from her car not to bother because they are closed.  Sure enough, computer systems are down and they are closed until they can get them back up.  It may be a few minutes, but it also may not happen today.  Then, a gaggle of Muscovy ducks cross our path. I take this as a bad omen, because Muscovy are trash birds to eat and I'm in an awful mood. But miraculously, about 15 minutes later, they open the doors and we get the cashiers check.  Maybe from now on I'll see Muscovy as a sign of good luck.

We return to the dealership.  I see the car all cleaned up and have immediate feelings of regret. Nothing about this process has been done on my terms.  We find Ron Burgandy, I sign the appropriate paperwork, I call my insurance, and then he drops the bomb that pushed me over the edge.  They have not replaced the tire.  They don't have a tire shop on site.  I firmly told him I am not leaving without a new tire that matches the others, and that he better get a roll on because I don't want to be in Houston traffic.  He proceeds to try to convince me traffic won't be bad.  Bucko, I lived here for 2 years, don't tell me traffic won't be bad.  You can bullshit me about cars all day and I'll listen, but don't think you know better than me about rush hour in Houston, TX.

So he tells me to go to the tire shop where they have an account and charge the tire.  Um no.  You already sent my an a hour and a half adventure to find a bank.  Oh, and they don't even have a tire to match.  So he wants me to get a "similar" tire. Not an option.

My other option is to pay for the car, go to Sears either in Houston or at home, buy a tire to match, and he will reimburse me.  Also, not an option. I've already wasted an entire day and taken time for work, I'm not spending another 2 hours of my life putting a new tire on a new (to me) car, when 4 hours ago you promised me you would take care of it. And after you have my money, I have serious doubts I'll ever hear from you again.

So I walked out of the dealership.  I heard him yell "the key?"  It was already on my keyring.  I handed it to him, and he said, "You don't have to get all upset over a tire.  It's just a tire.  It's not a big deal."  Maybe it's not a big deal to him, but he promised me he would take care of it.  I refuse to do business with dishonest people. I added, "Oh right.  I'm all upset because I'm a single woman and can't control my emotions, right?!?"

To add insult to injury, I missed both the 4:30 and 5:30 CrossFit classes on the day I needed to lift heavy weights and blow off steam the most.  I planned on a run to release some of my rage, but ended up eating a turkey and Gouda sandwich, Cheetos, taco soup, and a cupcake plus the icing off another when I got to my parents.  I didn't taste a single thing I put in my mouth.  Anger must do something to my taste buds.

I felt disgusting and slovenly when I got home. Running wasn't an option on my full belly, but I leashed up Lola and took her for a walk.  There was a train running along the sidewalk by my house.  I looked at my arms and realized ash or something from the train must have spewed.  I was covered in spots of black that didn't come off with rubbing.  

When I arrived home and looked in the mirror, my face was smudged with black all over.  I didn't even think it could have landed on my face because I was wearing a hat and over sized sunglasses.  Ugh. It was a gorgeous evening and I passed about 10,000 people while walking.  How embarrassing?!?!

Oh, and my cell phone was nowhere to be found.  I must have left it at my parents' house, which is 30 minutes away.  Sure enough, when I check my e-mail, I had a messages in my inbox from mom and sister saying my cell was there and my sister would bring it by before work.

2 Benadryl and a dream I had a baby later (it must have been all that single mother talk), I woke up to the doorbell ringing.  My sister with my phone.  There was a message from one of my oldest friends letting me know her grandfather passed away.  Here comes that selfish beast feeling again.

Please keep my friend in your prayers.  Her family is very close knit, and I know they are devastated.


How do you get out of a very deep funk?

The Friday Five

1. What I'm Reading: The Mockingjay

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I finished The Hunger Games and Girl on Fire.  I have yet to see the movie; Mom and  I may go today.  The first book was very enjoyable, but the further I get into the series, the less interested I become.  I feel no real attachment to any of the characters and am much more into the political aspects of the book than the relationships.

Although, I do think it is a great series for young adults because Katniss is a great role model (especially compared to the heroine of another wildly popular, made into movie, science fiction young adult series) and it raises the question of how much government control is too much.

2. What I'm Watching: Shahs of Sunset


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Bless you, Bravo, for this wonderful gift.  I am in awe of the cast; they are amazing, ridiculous, hilarious, and downright entertaining.  Reeza's one-liners kill me!

3. What I'm Eating: Asparagus.

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It's no secret I'm obsessed.  Since it's in-season and has been on sale, I've been eating absurd quantities.

4.  What I'm Listening To: NPR podcast: Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me

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It's very entertaining and the perfect length for weekday runs (between 45-50 minutes).  A humorous way to fit the news into my week.

5.  What I'm Pinning spending countless hours online scouring: cars

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It's official that my car is totaled, so I'm currently car shopping.  This is the only kind of shopping I don't enjoy.  *Sigh.  


Bonus: What I'm Contributing to Easter Dinner:

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strawberry ice box cake (I'm attempting to make it more Paleo friendly by using full-fat coconut milk in the place of heavy cream and agave instead of confectioners sugar)

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white wine sangria with apples, blackberries, and hopefully peaches, if I can find some

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hummus (My aunt fell in love with it when she tried it at Zeus, so I'm hoping she likes mine just as much.)

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guacamole deviled eggs (A healthier alternative to traditional deviled eggs, which are always made with the broken paquing losers.)


Your turn.  What are you reading, eating, watching, listening to, searching the Internet for, and making for Easter? GO.