Update...the 10 things that are keeping me from blogging!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:01:36 -0600

Wow...well...clearly we are super busy as you can tell from the lack of posts. So I will just give you a quick rundown of what has been consuming our time in the last few weeks:

1. Tried to go snowmobiling in Michigan, but there wasn’t enough snow, so we came home
2. Babysat Lucy’s boyfriend, Chance, which was great fun for her for a long weekend
3. Went to the boat show...no...not to buy...just to escape the cold
4. Insanity week 6 & 7...yep, we are still going strong. One more week and we will have another break week. We have decided to continue with the program after the break week. We will go back to the first month and add in a few other types of exercise on certain days. Results are going well. I haven’t lost pounds, however I have moved my belt in 2 notches, so I am losing inches by firming up! Woohoo!
5. My master’s program starts again on Monday...in my last semester with graduation in May. So excited to be done.
6. Finally able to take Lucy for walks on the lake.
1. News will be coming soon, but hopefully my brother Daniel gets an engineering job out here in Minnesota. Will update when I know.
2. School has me super busy right now with meetings, conferences, workshops, committees...everything is very delicately balanced...can’t drop any of the balls otherwise I am toast!
3. Ben has been called up for jury duty.
4. Meals and movies with friends and family!

That is our life in a nutshell!

Insanity Week 4, Recovery Week, and Week 5

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:28:44 -0600

Completed week 4 and the recovery week at the cabin. It was actually easier than I thought it would be to fit it into our schedule. We usually worked out prior to dinner when everyone was showering and winding down for the evening anyway. The recovery week was great. Definitely needed it. It wasn’t stretching and rest like we had thought. It was a 36 minute workout that gradually built up to harder exercises, but quickly came back down again. He (the instructor in the video) didn’t want your heart rate to get super high. I stuck to all the days, but Ben took 2 days off. He was out snowmobiling and got them stuck a few times. We figured that getting the machines unstuck was about as much of a calorie burn as the video :). In terms of food, we were a little more lenient the few weeks we were at the cabin. 4 of our meals during the day were on our own and then we shared dinner with the rest of the family. So dinners, even though they weren’t technically in the right calorie amount, we just made sure to control our portions. We enjoyed some snacks too. The biggest thing we are noticing about the food is our lack of cravings for the sweets. I actually crave yogurt and apples now more than a bag of gummy bears or something candy related. I will eat the sweet because it tastes good, but I don’t crave it anymore. Totally awesome because it makes it that much easier to resist.

Week 5 (we have 1 more day in this week tomorrow) has us back at home. Although month 1 was definitely hard, I was not prepared for the increase in difficulty with this second month. My body is more prepared for it than if I hadn’t done the first month...but man...this is where the video gets the “Insanity” name. Most workouts are 55-60 minutes long. There is a lot of jumping, which is harder than you think. Ben and I are really struggling to make it the entire length of the exercise. We do the whole video, but typically the last 10-15 seconds of each exercise we are on the floor trying to breathe. It feels so good when we are done...but I know that this will challenge my motivation to want to do this every day. It is pretty extreme. We continue to support each other and stick with it even though it is mentally tough. I look forward to the results at the end of the 60 days...beach body here I come!

Holidays at the Cabin

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:10:33 -0600

Day 1 (driving): Today was all about starting the drive to the cabin. We packed all of our stuff in buckets and loaded them into the trailer surrounding the snowmobiles. Due to Scott and Libby (Ben’s parents) selling their house, they were getting rid of a lot of their belongings. So Ben and I also hauled a queen bed and frame, lawn mower, weed whipper, and decorative stones to my parents for their use at the cabin. The trailer was packed to the gills, but I felt like a true Haynes. Our family always hauled everything in trailers growing up. But, back to the driving. We left the house at 9 and drove to Bozeman. We got into Bozeman at 12:30 mountain time. We made good time, but we had really strong head winds which really ruined our gas mileage. We only got 8.6 miles to the gallon while hauling 3500 pounds and going 75 miles an hour. Ouch! Fortunately, gas was cheap...only $2.95 in North Dakota. Here is a picture of our rig...yes, we are about as long as a semi truck!

Day 2 (driving): We continued to drive today. We left the hotel at 9 and stopped in Missoula around noon for a nice lunch at MacKenzie River Pizza...brought back memories. We didn’t face any wind today, but had 3 passes to conquer. Our gas mileage was 11.8...which was a big improvement over having all that wind. We finally arrived at the cabin around 6 pm...just in time for a nice pizza from the Sweet River Bakery in Pateros (small town that my parents cabin is in). Tonight was just about setting up our room and getting the trailer unloaded (not a small task :). My mom, nana, and Aunt Kathleen arrived shortly before we did. My dad came in around 2 hours later, and my brothers arrived somewhere around 9 or 10. It is so nice to finally have some family time...it has been 6 months other than seeing them on Skype.

Day 3 (Christmas Eve): Took the dogs on a walk with Garrett this morning and let them run and run and run down on the beach. Lady is having a little bit of a hard time with Lucy being around...a little jealous of the attention. They will work it out though. A lot of relaxing with reading and chatting. Ben and Garrett went snowmobiling, but the snow wasn’t too great yet. We enjoyed venison chili tonight with cornbread for dinner. Ben and I both got our workout in today...yeah! Pictures below of the dogs next to the Christmas tree.

Day 4 (Christmas Day): Started the morning with stockings and presents. I got more quilting supplies which is awesome and a gift card to Norwex (environmentally friendly way to clean). Ben got a tool for snowmobiling, solar blankets (in case we get ourselves into a pickle while snowmobiling), a reading light for the airplane, and a lap top tray that cools the computer. We had our family waffles for breakfast this morning of course. Mom and I took the dogs for a walk and a run on the beach. The fam mostly napped today and chilled with reading, crosswords, and games. Garrett and Ben went snowmobiling again today and had much better snow. It was actually snowing so hard on their way home that they had to pull over and wait it out. It is exciting that we may get snow after all. Quail appetizers, venison roast, red potatoes and a salad are for dinner tonight...yum...love all the family caught food we eat here. Tonight we played Bananagrams and watched a movie. Pictures below of Haynes family Christmas morning.

Day 5 (December 26th): Went for another dog walk with my mom this morning. Ben and my Dad went snowmobiling and my brothers went bird hunting. I was able to enjoy some quiet time because my mom took my Aunt Kathleen and Nana back to the Seattle side. My mom will be working for a few days and will come back on Friday. Another low key day at the cabin...love it! I am finally reading books again and actually able to get through them in more than a few months due mostly to a lack of time. Books that I have enjoyed recently are Born to Run, The Help, Into Thin Air, and Gang Leader for a Day.

Day 6 (December 27th): A family hike today. We went to the same spot that my brothers and dad bird and deer hunt. The dogs came along and loved every minute. They chased each other through the sage brush and we worked on some “hunting skills.” Daniel and I hid in the bushes, the other guys covered the dogs eyes and then they released the hounds to see if they could find us. Lady, my parents poodle, was much better at locating us. Lucy admittedly hasn’t had much practice with locating based on smell only. We continue to watch “The Pacific” at night. Another film series by HBO similar to “Band of Brothers.” It is good so far and the historical context is remarkably accurate.

Day 7 (December 28th): Snowmobiling today. Ben and I after walking the dogs in the morning decided to go out for a ride. My first time on my snowmobile this season. I am such a nervous nellie! I only went about 15-20 miles per hour the entire time. The wobbling and tilting always gets to me. Tried Ben’s new sled today as well. It rides much nicer on the bumps and turns. It feels so much bigger, so no wonder it is more stable. The views were spectacular and the snow was pretty good today. However, it was raining on our way home, so we know the snow won’t be great tomorrow because it will either be wet and sloppy or it will be solid like ice because the rain will freeze overnight. We will have to check the weather report tomorrow. Below are pictures from our walk this morning and our snowmobiling trip.

Days 8 - 12 (December 28th - January 1): Went to Chelan for a day. Ate pizza at Westside Pizza and shopped a bit. My mom came back on Friday night. We have had an enjoyable few days reading, playing games, taking walks, and watching movies. The boys continue to snowmobile a lot. I will go again this week when my mom leaves, but I am trying to maximize my time with her because she is going back on Monday. We are eating great food...Ben and I are continuing to attempt to control the calories...doing our best to stay on the Insanity plan as best as possible. Below are some pictures from the last few days.

Last Few Days of Break: We had a wonderful time at the cabin. I wish that break could have been longer...even though I know that I am pretty lucky to have so much time off. We enjoyed more snowmobiling, more family time, and a nice dinner at Rivers Restaurant in Pateros (town where my parent’s cabin is located). Below are some pictures of the last few days.

Insanity - Week 3

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:46:20 -0600

Still going...we are both feeling stronger. I am noticing the highest gain in strength in my upper body. Prior to this workout, I had zero upper body strength. Now, I can do multiple pushups and hold plank positions. The food guide continues to be awesome. We are actually saving money over the way we used to grocery shop. We are also utilizing all of our food because the ingredients are used in a variety of the meals, so there is less waste. As the holidays approach, we know that we will face some more temptations than usual...but we will attempt to stay strong. This last week at school there was temptation at every corner. The staff lounge was filled with cookies, bowls of candy, and many other sweets. The kids brought tons of gifts that were food based. I definitely passed with flying colors. I did have a cookie because Ben and I have agreed that we won’t hold ourselves back from everything fun...but fun is about moderation. So far so good. We just need to get through this week and then next week is a recovery week, whatever that means. We still work out, but I think it is more yoga based rather than cardio based.

The 2011 Thomas Family Christmas Card

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:58:24 -0600

We have much to be thankful for this year. We both have great jobs that challenge us. We have a warm, safe roof over our heads. We have begun our true travels around the world. We have vehicles that are safe to drive in the crazy Minnesota winters. We are blessed to have a variety of activities that we enjoy (snowmobiles, a boat, a jet ski). Most importantly, we have a wonderful family. We are coming up on 5 years of marriage this summer, 8 years together. We continue to grow stronger as a couple and cherish all of our time together when we aren’t working. Lucy, our baby, is a great dog. We love the adventures that allow her to join us. 2011 was a great year and we look forward to many more! Below are some highlights from this year...Enjoy!

* Washington D.C. over Thanksgiving break

* St. Thomas over MEA Break

* 3 weeks of quilting time with my mom at the cabin

* 2 weeks in New Zealand

* Fun times with Lucy
and her boyfriend
Chance