the H word

May 23, 2012

I’m warning you now……that this post contains the H word.

First i must warn you…..

I decided to go vegan and gluten free.

I also decided to give up alcohol.

I might even home school.

Then i woke up from that nightmare and stared up at the swirling fan above our bed and breathed a sigh

of relief.

The good news is: I am still maintaining my weight and i’m feeling great.

amazing

full of life

and i feel like i’m still going strong.

I even bought some more shorty shorts in different colors….

one for each day of the week.

Two weeks ago our besties from Chicago came to visit….

they actually came with a work group and stayed at the hotel Bryan works for.

Unfortunately they were only here for 4 night…..

but let me tell you…..those four days we packed in as much goodness as we could.

Luckily for us…..these are our active friends….and i think we only spent one afternoon lounging at the

pool and the other days doing really fun things.

I’m working on a post all about the things you should do if and when you ever come to Kauai…..

{lots of them are free things}

and the best places to eat and drink.

Anyhoo….Bryan really loves to SUP…..

so we got some boards and showed our friends

how easy it is to fall in the water.

word up

just don’t ask your nine year old daughter to get a photo of you SUP’ing….

because this is what you might get

at least i hope Bryan was thinking to himself

“hey girl…..i’m glad you shaved your bikini line today”.

After us girls had some fun paddling around the bay for a bit…

but before we would have been eaten by a tiger shark…

we headed back in for safety and let the boys have their turns.

I introduced Shannon to my famous drink….

The Hanalei

which is fresh squeezed grapefruit juice…a bit of ginger and vodka

over ice.


Then we headed over to the pier….

and i initiated her to the club.

I’m not suggesting anything…but i’m sure a few of those “Hanalei’s” helped.

Shannon came to Kauai with her own list of things to check off….

there were only a handful of things on them…

and we crossed off 2 of those that day. Sup’ing and jumping.

I threw in the “hanalei drink” as a bonus.

Kinda like extra credit.

{almost like homeschooling}

The following day we marked the third thing off her list….

hiking 4 miles of the Hanakapi’ai trail.

I’m on that trail weekly now…..

since i have no more gabby…i feel like adding in the 4 mile hike after i drop kids off at school

is helping me in keeping my lower body using all the muscles it has.

We had such a great time with our friends Chris and Shannon…..superstars i tell you.

Anyhoo….back to the H word.

Somehow…..and don’t ask me how…..

i volunteered to accompany each of my kids on one of the field trips this year.

Mason’s field trip involved hiking.

that damn h word

I actually signed up for this one because

a. i knew i could do it

b. i knew it wouldn’t involve sitting on a bus with 5th graders

c. i wanted to see mason amongst his peers

The trail we did was the Okolehao trail which starts by the taro fields of Hanalei

and switchbacks up the mountain behind Hanalei so that when you hike 2 miles up…

you reach a point where you have gorgeous views of Hanalei Bay.

The 5th graders did great….and it was fun hanging with all of them.

I don’t think i would want to hang with them much more than that….but it was good.

I interrupt the H word with this photo of Fin at sunset last week….

he was trying to touch a rainbow.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him he was reaching with the wrong arm.

Alrighty….now back to the regularly unscheduled program.

On Friday night….last minute….a friend and i decided that we should get up really early and

hike to a waterfall.

First of all….

i was over-served that evening…because i don’t really remember saying yes…

but more importantly….i don’t remember her telling me that it would be muddy….

or that we would be hiking a total of 8 miles that morning.

All that got me through that mess was

1: that there would be a waterfall

and

2: that Buddy the dog would lead us the whole way

The only thing we know about Buddy the dog is that he joined us on the trail at about mile marker 2

then lead us all the way to the waterfall……hanging out with us…..

and leading us the 4 miles back out.

We think he had an owner that probably lived up there.

{i only mention the living up there thing because there are a lot of gypsy like peeps that

have decided that living like normal citizens is just WACK….not to be confused with smoking CRACK

and live up in the mountains. They also think clothing is optional…..hmph}

Anyhoosier……..

we sort of fell in love with Buddy the dog.

What i love about the photos below is the perspective of the waterfall.

The photo on the right is showing the waterfall a good 1/4 mile away….

and the one on the left is showing it right up close with a nice pool to swim in.

It was pretty amazing after we finally got up and sat there.


That concluded any and all photos that involve the H word.

oops….

sheet….

there is just one more.

Mother’s Day 2012

They blindfolded me and said we were going to spa day.

Apparently “Spa day” meant we would jump illegally into the hotel next door’s hot tub

aka spa

after a 4 mile hike up the Hanakapi’ai trail.

you know you live in Kauai when you run into friends on the same trail on Mother’s Day.

I have a feeling they told their mom that they were doing Spa Day too.

I hate to end this post with sweaty photos of my family….

so i’ll show you the panzanella salad i made the other day.

It was amazeballs.

and just because i didn’t go gluten free…i did have some really good gluten free

lilikoi coconut cream cake.

I had this cake not to long ago for one of Lola’s friends birthday parties…so i got a few slices

to have with my mom.


Here is to cake!

gluten free or not.

Tagged family, getting fit, Kauai, life Filed Under life 16 Comments

so i bought some shorty shorts today

April 30, 2012

So….i thought i might warn you that this post is full of fat photos and dimples……

and some cute shorts and a cute bikini.

Today i went and bought my first pair of shorty shorts.

I’m not and never have been a shorty shorts wearer…..because well….

{some of us over the age of 26…just shouldn’t be wearing them}

but today i felt differently.

I guess it’s because i’ve finally met my goal which was to have lost 25 pounds in 6 months…

tone up

lean up

be normal up

still drink vodka and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice up

eat lots of quinoa

buy a juicer

cut back on cheese

still eat cheese because you won’t change what you love

and after all of that and then some

i decided i’m going to go out and buys some of those damn shorty shorts.

I didn’t even tell Bryan.

{good thing he’s out of town at the moment…}

sheet

If you are new to my blog….i’m sorry about the fat photos you are about to see.

If you are a long time reader {i won’t quit you}………

i’m sorry about some of the phat fat photos you are about to see.

But first…i will show you a thinner photo of me in some shorty shorts

and my new hat….and non pedicured toes.

Good thing i’m not up for an award.

This is the part i warned you about.

I’m about to show you {again} the before photo…

shoot me now because i want to lay down and die a slow death

but it’s real….and i’m real…..and well…..i was 162 pounds back on November 1st.

You wouldn’t have known what i looked like because i was always in skirts and rarely got any photos

of me waste down…..but when we had our family photos done on Thanksgiving…..

even though i was 3 weeks into Gabby’s class and working on my goal….

i still felt like SHEET and hated the way i looked.

It doesn’t help that i looked pregnant

or that i weighed more than my 2 inches taller husband.

Enough was enough.

I was heavier than i was in the delivery room birthing babies

with my narcotic of choice dripping in my arm…..uh huh…

and i realize it was a whole lot of things that had happened to make me want to just

keep on eating and not really put my heart into losing the weight i was slowly gaining.

It didn’t help that before we moved to Hawaii…..we ate pizza every Tuesday night

while watching Biggest Loser.

It didn’t help that Bryan lost his job.

It didn’t help that i loved layers and was able to hide any weight gain.

What did help was moving to a place where everyone is wearing shorty shorts and bikinis year round.

{and the only moms in tankini’s are the tourists….honest to goodness….even the heavier set moms

that live here will wear a bikini}

What did help was that everyone i know here is extremely active and health conscious.

The island is all about eating local and supporting the farmers markets.

It helped me tremendously…because if i’m going to be honest…if i was still home in the burbs of

chicago…i might not have made it as heavy as i had gotten….but i wouldn’t have had the motivation

that the warm weather and beach living has done for me.

I only state this because i was still going to the gym up until the day we moved….

and you don’t see a whole lot of moms in bikini’s at the local pool back home.

It’s different.

I’m not putting it down…don’t get me wrong…..it’s just different.

I needed the change to help me change.

I guess i just wanted to wear a bikini and OWN it….and work really hard so that i could say i did it.

You know the saying….”nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”….

i actually hate that saying.

DESPISE IT

because i don’t just want to be skinny

i want to be fit

i want to be healthy

i want to look healthy

i want to be able to run 4 miles without feeling like i am going to die a slow death

i want hike and paddleboard.

I want my arms to look great and my thighs to not start a fire when rubbed together.

I want my family to be proud.

I want to keep up with my kids .

I want to kick ASSphalt.

I’ve made my goal.

6 months.

25 pounds lost.

I can run 5 miles. {barely….let’s not get ahead of myself…}

{and no…i have no intention of doing any half marathons….no need to kill myself}

I worked out with Gabby Reece.

I worked out with Bethany Hamilton.

I still eat things i want to eat….like brie and goat cheese and cheeseburgers….

as a matter of fact….last weekend a friend and i met up for breakfast and split a huge

macadamia nut cinny roll and a cheese omelette.

I just work harder when i do.

I also juice.

{spinach or kale, celery, cucumber, green apple, ginger and carrots every single day}

I refused to cut out alcohol.

I don’t want to change who i am and seriously….if i did…i’m sure the weight would have come off

so much faster but i’m good with 25 pounds in 6 months.

I don’t eat before i run in the morning…..and i juice as soon as i get home.

It’s what works for me….and i eat eggs or oatmeal mid morning.

I really try and do 4-5 small meals throughout the day and i really try not to eat after 7 pm.

It doesn’t always happen….and it’s okay.

I still order Kalua pork nachos at the Common Ground every other week…..

because i love them and i like food.

I just work a little harder that morning so i can.

I’m not going to lie….

i’m worried that now with no more Gabby classes that i will fail….

slowly fall back into my old habits.

Most of the other girls in class will move on to Crossfit classes or do more yoga…

but for me the fact that Gabby’s classes were Free…..helped me more than you know.

The closest gym is 30 minutes away….and the cost of gas is ridiculous here…..

and my hubby waits tables.

It’s the life we knew we had to accustom ourselves to for the year….

living lean…

but loving it all the way.

I might have to buy some weights…..and run stairs an extra day…..

do some planks and pushups in my living room while watching Kathy Lee and Hoda drink

fine boxed wine

but i will try.

Anthropologie catalog honor!


I’m still going to work hard…..eat less….and love this new body i have.

I did it…..

and hopefully i’m not quite done yet;-)

Tagged getting fit, life, style Filed Under life, style 95 Comments