Everything is SORE!

My brother's wedding was last weekend. It was great! I didn't expect to have as much fun as I did but I don't know what I was thinking. Mix booze with my family and the fun never ends...until the next morning. I was paying the price with an epic hangover! I had to drive home too. I don't now how I made it. I am just feeling better today!

Me and my brother. I basically walked around with booze in my hand all night.

Needless to say, I didn't have time for my workout on Saturday. It was a plyo challenge and I was really looking forward to it. I had a hair appointment in Corpus Christi at 9 am, which means I had to leave my hotel by 8:15 am, which means I had to shower at 7. I am not a morning person. I do not do morning workouts. You can't make me! When I used to sub for 9 am pump, I hated every minute. I know that is not very early, but it felt like that to me.

This week, my coaches have turned up the dial on our workouts. Not only are we required to do the WOD, we have to add 30 minutes of cardio. The cardio has to have our HR up to about 130, which means the elliptical machine at work won't cut it. Twice a week, they are incorporating HIIT. I do love HIIT workouts. Did the first one yesterday. Not too bad. I went right in to the WOD, which was back.

The HIIT workout was simple but effective. Three sets, 90 seconds long, three rounds. I did 9 total rounds of exercise for 90 seconds. The exercises were body weight based, so it was stuff like skaters, jump lunges, squat thrusts, high knees in to a side lunge and planks. We would do exercise 1 for 30 seconds, exercise 2 for 30 seconds and then exercise 1 again for 30 seconds.

Set 1:
Skaters (30 seconds)
jump lunges (30 seconds)
Skaters (30 seconds)
[90 second rest]
Set 2
Walking plank with jack (30 seconds)
squat thrusts (30 seconds)
Walking plank with jack (30 seconds)
[90 second rest]
Set 3:
Side jump with 90 degree turn (30 seconds)
8 high knees with side lunge (30 seconds)
Side jump with 90 degree turn (30 seconds)
[90 second rest]

Repeat twice - 9 sets total

I. Am. SORE! Every muscle in my upper body is hurting. The only saving grace I had were my legs, and guess what today is....LEG DAY! Can't catch a break.

I need to eat so I have energy to do this workout but I am not hungry yet. Who am I kidding...I am ALWAYS hungry. But I want a hamburger, not this turkey meat with asparagus!

I had my fun this weekend. Back to the grind!

Extra Curricular Activities

I know the title of this post seems like I am talking about cheating, but I am not. I am talking about my kids and all the stuff they do outside of school.

I love that they are so active. I would not have it any other way. But it is killing me! I am stressed all the time about getting them to practice on time, especially my daughter.

I really hope, from her perspective, it does not seem like I am trying to live through her. I am not. I did all of this. I STILL do extra stuff outside of just work and family. The schedule is wearing me out a little. I am glad school basketball is over but now starts extra basketball to go along with club volleyball. In an effort to give her opportunities, I am pushing her and putting pressure on her. I have to. I see that in other successful people. She will regret it one day if I don't push her...if WE don't push her.

It has been a couple of days since I started this post and I am feeling better. Not stressed. This goes in waves. I am headed out of town today. I will miss her practice and training Thursday. My son had flag football practice and he did so well that they made him captain for his game. He loves it. I think she loves it too. She is having fun, which is the most important thing.

I need to keep telling myself they are young and having fun. The most important thing is that they are both getting better as time goes and working hard. Sometimes I get wrapped up in the attitudes of the other parents and I don't want that.

Speaking of parents, there are some shady parents at my kids' school. TA and I have decided to go around some of these people and do what's best for our kids. If that means we move schools, so be it. At the end of the day, I want them to value hard work, no matter what they do.

It happened

I know. I have been gone for a while. Not that you all noticed. :)

Before I begin to explain my absence, I have to talk about my baby girl. Remember THIS post? Well, I got a call from the school nurse Monday at about 10:30 am. Nurse said my baby girls was in her office with menstrual cramps. Impossible, I told her. She has not started her period. Nurse put Biggs on the phone. She says she THINKS she started. UGH! No one there could give her any meds for her cramps (against school policy). She had to suffer all day with on and off cramps. Poor thing. She asked the nurse for some "supplies" and I said we would discuss when she we got home. This was a Monday, which is usually a very busy day at work AND I teach Bodypump on Monday nights.

I tried to leave work. No dice. My schedule has been insane at work. I work every night after I get home and do whatever it is I need to do that night. Biggs took the whole thing in stride. I asked her if she was prepared at school. She said she wrapped toilet paper and put it in her underwear (told her to do that). Asked her if she was ok or worried. She wasn't. This was a well covered subject between us. We have talked about this for a while.

I sent a text to TA and my mom. TA asked if there was anything he needed to do when he picked her up. I told him he didn't need to do anything and that I would take her to the store to get supplies after I got home. My mom was worried for some reason. She wanted someone to go to the school to check her. HA! No!! I am not driving to the school to embarrass her even more. And check what?? No one checked me and I was fine. I got my first period in 7th grade. I was a latchkey kid. I had been since I was in third grade. I called my mom at work to tell her I thought I started my period and she laughed. Well, first she screamed "WHAT?!", and then she laughed. I became so embarrassed and unwilling to talk to her about this AT ALL. Not a good way to instill trust.

When I got home, I talked to Alexis. I told her I didn't know what to say, congrats or I'm sorry. I told her this was a big step in her development and that I would always be there to help her with whatever she needs. We went shopping. While we were shopping, she spilled her guts to me. About everything! Any slight piece of drama happening at the school, I heard about it. Anyone giving her shit, I heard about it. I heard her opinions on everyone. It was so great! I loved it. I don't know when I will get that chance again, but I can't wait. I am SO GLAD she trusts me enough to tell me all this stuff. She even called me yesterday to tell me that her crush called her. She talks about him to me a lot. I worry, all the time, that I will do something to something to break this trust unintentionally. The best I can do is just keep being honest with her and constantly showing her she can trust me.

So maybe this was a good thing. A great thing. Hopefully during the next milestones of her life, she will share them with me. Her first kiss. First love. All of it. She is growing up so fast. I hate it. But I love the young lady she is becoming.

Maui

Torrey and I were able to take the family to Hawaii today, including my mom and dad. It was a great thing for us to be able to do for my parents. On the trip, they kept saying they thought traveling to Hawaii would be a dream they would never get to do. That made me so happy. They are there for Torrey and I all the time. Anytime we needed some help early in our marriage, they were there to help us.

We have travelled with my parents before and each time, there is something unusual that happens. This time was no exception. We were in the ER Friday before we left. J broke his arm. Luckily, the ER had waterproof splints. It worked out very well. Three days in to the trip, he caught a fever and a cold. He was a trooper though.

On the balcony of our resort as soon as we checked in

We had to cancel our zip lining tour. No way J could hang on with a broke arm. He hurt it twice while we were there. Once he slipped at the resort and tried to catch himself. The other was jumping off the side of the boat we were on while we were snorkeling. His orthopedic doc asked us NOT to let him swim any more. OOPS! He did all the activities we planned during the day but by the end of the day, he just wanted to rest. I missed the luau but that's ok. That's what moms do. Happy to do that for my boy and everyone else.

Checking in to the beautiful resort with mom and dad

Three generations in Maui

The guys hangin loose

On a mission to give mommy a heart attack

I had more pictures but I am having trouble downloading them now.

All in all, great trip. Thanks to my travel agent for recommending this place, considering the size of our group and age difference. There is no other place I would have stayed. Thanks to Yvette for the setting it all up for us. If you want to travel and don't know where to stay or get the best, let me know. I will put you in touch with her. She is great.

I worked a little while I was there. I wanted to. I am really enjoying my job now. 

Wonderful trip. THE BEST SPA EVER! I came back with no knots in my neck. Great to give this gift to my parents and memories for my kids. The first few days were a tough time adjustment but all worth it.

We came back just in time to watch Sharknado 3!!!

That mom in Baltimore that hit her kid

I'm sad about that whole situation. I am mad about what happened to Freddy. I am mad that these types of thing keep happening to the youth of the country. But now I am upset and scratching my head at all the people that are applauding this woman that, out of frustration, dragged her son from the protests and hit him over the head. I get where she was coming from. She was scared to death that she would not see her son again, with great reason. I know she was most likely thinking that she would rather embarrass him and beat him before the streets killed him. I get it. That was something that should have been done in private. That was their private moment to discuss and for her to let out her feelings to him. IN PRIVATE.

Several other things make me pause about the situation.

Most of the people applauding her are doing it for the wrong reasons. They are saying "Hey! She gets it! More of these parents need to be present in their kids' lives and discipline them to keep them off the streets!" Perhaps. What I saw was a private moment now exploited by most. I am not one for embarrassing my kids in public. I hated it when it happened to me. I won't do it to them. I was thinking about some of the times I was embarrassed in public and how today I completely disagree with the reasons my parents did it. Now, as a parent, I can see how easy it is to lose your cool and go off! I have felt fear turn to rage inside me when one of my kids did something dangerous or they were in danger. Controlling your emotions in that situation is very tough but you have to do it. You have to. I pray for patience and clarity all the time because I know there are times I feel lost as a mom. Feeling lost turns to anger or frustration. I can't let it control me. I try every day to do better than the last. For their sake, I have to do better. We've got to be better than that. We have to!

The first thing I thought when I saw the footage mentioned above was "Now America is seeing that the only way to control a young black man is with violence." This whole scene felt like justification for the actions of the police. The thought makes me sick to my stomach. SICK. I have a son. He is half black. He is half Mexican American. I would HATE the thought of someone thinking the only way to control him is with violence. Teaching someone that violence is wrong with violence doesn't make the point in the long run. It does strike fear. But once the fear subsides, the lesson is lost and the memory of violence remains. I worry about when he gets his first speeding tickets. I worry about his smart mouth and short temper. I worry that he won't be seen as an equal because of his ethnicity. That will most likely happen. I see it now and he is only in second grade. I worry about so many things for him. Things like the situation in Baltimore don't put my mind at ease.

I am not generalizing. I am not about the hate. I am one of the most positive people around. I am not obsessing about this. My wish and prayer is that all of us do better. Everyone wants change. I know I do. But do those same people WANT to change? I do. I want to do better and set that example for may family.

13 years

Today is our 13th wedding anniversary. People say that it feels like it was yesterday but it really does. I keep telling my husband that we are just getting started! I strongly believe that. In the grand scheme of things, 13 years is not that long. It feels long because we have been together since 1996. That is almost 20 years together. Still feels like we just started.

We didn’t do much to celebrate now. We went to Monday burger night and I ate WAY too much. I swear I can’t walk out of that place without gaining 20 pounds. Saturday night, we went to the Rockets’ playoff game. They won! We had fun. We actually rooted for the same team. Lord help us if the Spurs and Rockets play each other in the next round.

Tomorrow, we head to NOLA for Uncle Steve’s funeral. Torrey is speaking at the service. He’s been thinking about what he would say for days now. My daughter wants to speak too, which means my son will feel obligated to speak. HA! He has to do what his sister does. Torrey was close to his uncle and aunt so he is being very thoughtful about what he will say. Our kids loved him. There is already slight drama but doesn’t that happen with every funeral? I told TA that I have been through enough funerals with my family to know that it is always better to rise above and take the high road. You will never feel better when you get on the lower level that some people go to during these times. It is not right. You won’t like yourself later and think of the people that you will possibly hurt in the process. Take the high road. It is better up there. I have seen family members take a swing at each other on the day of the service. It is crazy! Is this just my family? I never talk about this but I assume the crazy is usually contained in my family. Let’s hope it is not spreading.

TA is a really thoughtful person. One of the things I love about him the most is his forward thinking. When I am stuck on something, he is able to help me reason out of it in to a solution. He is the only person I know I have to bring my “A” game to when I debate/argue. He always pulls out something unexpected and smart. What a PITA! I know people say this about their spouses but he is a natural leader. He is someone people want to follow. He has worked on developing that skill and he is getting better and better all the time. He is a leader in every arena of his life. He is a YODA! (I think I am going to start a label and any time I talk about a leader I admire, I will tag it “Yoda”.) Anyone who knows me knows I would never choose to spend my life with a dud. He is far from it. He’s the best man I know. Maybe he’s the best person I know. He challenges me mentally and always pushes me to be better. I can’t say enough great things about him. He frustrates me weekly *coughdailycough* but there is no one else I would rather be with every day of my life. Everyone has a light, and he makes mine shine brighter. I know I do the same for him.

Here are some pics from our time together. I love my big lug!

Our Wedding day, right after we said “I DO"

House divided college edition. Game day! This was the game Johnny Football was suspended for half the game.
We won. They lost. :)

Our couple shower a month before we got married

We were dating in this pic. This was in Seattle when we went to visit Travis in college. This is TA with hair!

Alexis took this picture and used a photo editor. She was about 5 at the time. Her take on her parents.

House divided, NFL edition, at Jerry World. Cowboys won this one. YAY!

Date night at Tasting Room. Fun night for us.

Happy Easter and other thoughts

We went to Alice, TX for Easter. The weather did not cooperate but we had a great time...until J got sick. Saturday night was not good for him. He had a high fever and threw up a couple of time. Poor baby! He just laid around and watch the Bugs Bunny marathon on TV. He loved it! He watched old school Bugs and laughed his head off. Those cartoons are timeless. Not like the ones on TV now. A few times he asked me to watch with him. I happily obliged. That stuff is hilarious.

He felt better Sunday and went with us to church that morning. During the homily, the priest asked that we reach out to those that could not be with us that day and wish them a happy day. I really enjoy this priest. He is so charismatic and authentic. He is a true leader. He's a YODA. You can tell because the service was packed. A few years ago, that church was empty on Easter and Christmas. When I look at leaders, I try to see if they have the "yoda factor". Do they have the quality, when they speak, that inspires you to get up and do something? We don't need another Luke. We need more Yodas. (If you don't understand these references, you are dead to me.) I have three key words that come to mind when I think of my leadership style: Passionate, Courageous, Authentic. I interchange the word courageous sometimes with inspiring. I try to be a yoda both at home and at work. I have a young female leader at home. I am doing my best to guide and inspire her to develop those inherent leadership skills. She really is a leader and already very charismatic. She is held back a little in being who she really is (the price of attending a small school) but I try to re-enforce her uniqueness and all the beauty in who she really is at home. She is going to be a great leader at whatever she chooses to do.

I am a day late but I would like to wish all those who read this a Happy and Joyful Easter! Whatever your beliefs, this is a great time to celebrate life and celebrate your family.

And also...GO BLUE DEVILS!