I'm going to document my goals

So maybe there's a bit of motivation behind my goals and I can go back and revisit them, we'll say....monthly. To keep myself in check, so here we go.

1) I will finish C25K, when I got "sick" we'll call it, I was on week 5 out of 9. I'm hoping tomorrow to pick up on week 5, where I left off, and finish the end of Sept.

2) Finish my 5K in Nov, preferably with little to no walking.

3) I will rejoin my old gym(when money allows) and start a good workout regiment. More than just running.

4) I will lose 15 lbs

5) I will run a 10K either in the winter or the spring. Maybe both.

6) The big one. I will run the Chicago, Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon.

So there they are! And so it begins!

YAY Weekend!

Today I went back to work and it was ROUGH. Between the pain and working while I was medicated out of my mind, it was the longest day ever.

So I look forward to sleeping in, doing some housework, catching up on reading and maybe having a date night with IG. We're getting together with some friends for football and free food on Sunday! YAY!

I have a follow up at the doctor on Monday to make sure my body is going back to normal on it's own. Some good thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated. :)

I've been slacking

With my running updates. I've been trying to get the occasional run in but for the life of me just felt like crap. The last couple of days I had a horrible stomach pain, thought maybe it was something I ate and tried to play it off. Well....that didn't work so well. Yesterday it was so bad that I couldn't stand up straight and it hurt to walk. My boss convinced me to go leave and try to get in at the dr. As soon as I started driving, the bumps hurt so bad I almost got sick. I made it about 1.1 miles to the hospital by my office before crawling into the ER. Some EMTs were are the doorway and saw my crawling out of my Jeep and helped carry me in(sweet guys).

(TMI Alert)

So after 7 hours in the hospital and multiple tests, the doctor determined I had a hemorrhaging cyst on my right ovary. My ovary is swollen from the rupture and there's a bit of fluid built up around it that isn't helping the pain(at all.) Because it's hemorrhaging, it's basically spasaming and releasing blood a little at a time. She said that it's not large enough that she suspects any issues, it only released a small amount of blood. She gave me some pain killers and anti-biotics just in case. My white blood cell count was elevated so she thinks my body is already protecting itself and I should be fine. I have strict orders to follow up with my GYN today.

So I guess my body knew something was up and maybe that's why I've been so blah feeling and tired? Anyway, hopefully this thing goes away and I can get back to my normal self and get back into the swing of things soon.

Busy busy busy busy

Things have been super busy, sorry for the lack of posting. So what's going on...

My extension packet is still on hold. No change there. I got dates to go down to Springfield and inprocess for my new job! YAY! So in two weeks I will be one step closer to starting! Ummm.....I'm taking this semester off school, I hate to be set back but at the same time I need a break and until I know how the hours of the new job are going to work, I think it's best to put it on the back burner. I'm 8 classes away from finishing my AAS so hopefully I won't be set too far back.

This last weekend was my good friends bachelorette party, we spent the day/night in downtown Chicago. I really should go visit downtown more often. This coming weekend I have my Aunt's bridal shower back in my hometown, then holy heck it's labor day! We're pretty sure we're gong to visit family for labor day weekend. Then after that I start the inprocessing for my new job! YAY!(I'm really excited, can you tell?)

I found someone to run my 5K with me! My friend J will be running with me and she's going to help me start training for a half marathon sometime next year. Guess I need to get back on the wagon. Luckily, she's hardcore and will keep me in check.

I'm dealing with a couple of medical issues that I'm not sure I'm ready to share yet but rest assured I am seeking the treatment I need. :)

Quick update before the weekend!

So yesterday we found out that my extension packet is on hold. *le sigh* Right now I work as a temporary technician, so I get paid as a civilian. I may be temporary but because I have had the job more than 6 months, I am considered permanent and not eligible for a bonus. So we have to wait until I come off technician status which is 30 Sept. The trick is that my packet has to be complete, signed, and I have to be sworn in no less than 90 days from my ETS date, that would be 5 Oct. So, we're in for a tight fit but the people in my unit have assured me that it will happen. My packet is ready and the day I come off technician status, we sign, date and send it in. Keep your fingers crossed.

We're heading out for a road trip weekend! Thanks goodness since Chicago has an excessive heat warning AND an air quality warning. I feel like we're turning into California! We're going to Columbus to visit some family and friends tonight, then the four of us(Me, I.G. his cousin and his wife) are going to pack up and head to Pittsburgh tomorrow morning. We got preseason Steelers tickets for tomorrow! We will also be celebrating our friend Ron's birthday at a yummy place called Bucca Del Peppo. Heading home sometime Sunday. Busy...but fun weekend!

Just another day in paradise

That's one of my favorite responses when someone asks me "How's it going?" at work. I often get a laugh out of them and a chuckle myself.

Nothing too crazy went on today. Myself and my NCOIC rearranged our office. Did a little PT, didn't quite get a run in since it was 103 today. We have an excessive heat warning for the next two days too. Awesome.

Uh, my infomration is officially "in" for an extension for the next 3 years. We're waiting to hear back about my bonus before I actually sign and swear in. Hopefully I will sign the next 3 years of my life away and pledge my allegiance sometime next week.

Talked to my soon-to-be boss and he hopes to have dates for me next week as to when I can go down to the state HQ and start my inprocessing. WOOHOO!

Oh and we're going to watch the first preseason game of the Steelers this weekend in Pittsburgh. SO EXCITED!

Hello all!

I've toyed around with the idea of starting a blog for a while now. So here it is. It's a work in progress and you will see it change a bit as I play with the backgrounds and layouts and such.

Back story: Inspector Gadget(my husband) and I(GI Jane) are both enlisted in the Army National Guard. We live outside Chicago with our dog and cat. He's been in for almost 9 years and works on the civilian side as a contractor working on computers. I work full time for our national guard unit until Oct. In Oct I will begin my new position as a counter drug intelligence analyst. I'm in the process of extending for another 3 years(I hit 6 years in Jan 2011).

After a brutal knee injury resulting in surgery and physical therapy, I've decided to train for a 5K. This story will have a lot of updates of my progress in the Couch to 5K program(C25K) and my weight loss journey using Weight Watchers.

I hope this blog will give me a way to channel my thoughts, share my experiences, and mostly, keep me in check with the progress I have made! My first 5K will be the "Run for the athletes" in Aurora, IL. The Aurora PD put together this event to raise money to fund the Illinois Special Olympics. Both things are near and dear to my heart and I can't wait to run in it!

Anyway, I think that's enough rambling!

Menu for the week!

When I make our menu for the week, I don't actually assign things for the days of the week. I got the idea from a dear friend KD. She makes a list of things to make and each day(or night before) her and her husband decide what sounds good for that day or the next. They cross it off the list. That way it's not an argument of "Well I don't want that." "Too bad because I already have all the stuff thawed." It's more of a menu, here's the options, which do we want, by the end of the week, we know what's left. So enough blabbering.

WW friendly broiled tilapia oreganata

Spaghetti and spinach meatballs from skinnytaste.com

Orange Chicken in the crockpot

And probably a night out since we have drill this weekend and will be forced to eat Army food. :P If not, I will probably just do some easy burgers or grilled chicken.

Turkey Crockpot Chili!

Chili in the summer is kind of weird, but still fabulously delicious. After the following conversation, the husband admitted my chili was good. This is a huge accomplishment for two reasons. 1) He almost always makes the chili. 2) He rarely tells me anything is good. The normal response is "It's ok." because he has lost about 80-90% of his sense of taste and smell. So for him to say "It's pretty good!" Is like winning an award. The convo we had was....

Husband: Well it looks like chili
Me: Smells like chili
Husband: But it can't be chili
Me: Why? Because I made it?
Husband: No. But you used that ground turkey stuff instead of hamburger.

So, I completely winged this recipe but it turned out really well. Should be fairly low points since I kinda went off a WW recipe found on www.skinnytaste.com

First I browned some ground turkey.
Then in the crock pot I added...

1 can of whole kernel corn(undrained)
1 can of whole tomatoes(undrained)
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of pinto beans(undrained)
1 can of black beans(undrained)
1 small can of mushrooms
1/2 C of fresh chopped cilantro
1 ea. chopped red, green, yellow and orange bell peppers

Then I added the meat. Stirred everything together and added the spices. Now when it comes to spices, I know how we like things(spicy and lots of flavor) so I go off the taste but here are my approximate measurements.

1 tbsp Adobo salt
2 tbsp taco seasoning
2 tbsp Chili powder
1 tbsp of ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp of black pepper

Cook in crock pot on low for 8-10 hours then switch to warm. Or high for 6 hours.

My theory is as long as you know your audience, you can pretty much throw anything together. Start off with a little bit of spices then as it cooks, take a taste. A little bland? Add a bit more. It's all about your personal taste and experimentation. :)