Day 9 + a few Days LOL

OK, so I am a failure when it came to blogging 9 days in a row. But I actually stuck with my diet for the 9 days. Lost 4 pounds and an inch around my waist, hips, thighs, arms and lost 2 1/2 inches around my chest. Most girls would gasp...but if you saw my chest... then you would know I have a few inches to spare.

I really thought I was going to blog 9 days in a row about my diet. Well the reason that did not work is because it is boring! I hate being on a diet let alone talking about it all day long. I would rather write about foods I can't eat and at least fantasize about eating them. So no more blogging about the same subject. With that said I am still staying focused on my diet. Over all goal is 50 pounds before Jamaica. Until next blog...

Sharee

Day 3 and 4 Fat Smash

Day 3 and 4, yes that means I missed my blog entry yesterday. How do people do the 30 day blog challenges? Talk about commitment I have a hard enough time committing to my new "way of life". Although I missed my day 3 blog I continued to stay focused on diet and exercise program.

After a stressful day at work @408down and I headed to LVAC. We completed 45 minutes of cardio and an intense ab workout. This is my 2nd day at the gym this week and @408downs 3rd. Thank goodness we go together it adds that extra support that I need. Thank goodness for @408down!

I stayed under my 1200 calories for the day easily. My sister Shaila had an event at the Red Rock last night. We dressed as if we were B-Boys about to battle on the dance floor(I will add a picture once I load to computer). That part was easy. The hard part was staying there till 1:00AM on water. I can handle no alcohol but no REDBULL, you lost your mind! It took everything in me to stay and watch the B-Boy challenge and see super crew perform.

That leads to day 4. Day 4 started off waking up late and @408down having to wait an extra 5 minutes when picking me up. That is no good! Day 4 will be an evening at the gym and wrapping the day up with dinner and So You Think You Can Dance. Each day has been a challenge, but what is the point of life if you are not challenged.

Day 2 Fat Smash

Day one down and day two to talk about. My Tuesday schedule is crazy. Let me break it down for you before I talk about day two. I work like everyone else out there (well almost everyone economy sucks). I wake up around 5:45 AM which is very difficult for me. I arrive at work at 7:00Am and work till 4:00PM. I have school from 6:00Pm till 10:00PM. That gives me about 2 hours to choose to workout or prepare my snacks and diner.

When I woke up this morning I could barley move from the workout with @408down on Day 1 of Fat Smash. It feels good in a bad way though. When I left work I had only eaten a little of 400 calories for the day and stuck with the correct foods (fruits, veggies, oatmeal and water). I log all my food intake and exercise I did that day at www.livestrong.com. This was recommended by @408down. In ways I wish she was an application I could download on my G1 Phone. If she was an application the name would be the little Asian application.

The two hours that I had available (hour for travel home and travel to school) I chose to prepare a small diner and snack for school. Eating to maintain my metabolism is my priority and I will use my Tuesday as my rest day. I needed it after yesterdays workout.

Day 2, I feel great though. I am on a schedule and trying to show consistency. That is the hardest thing about diets. Whelp day 2 is almost complete. Looking forward to @408down picking me up tomorrow for another great day at the gym.

Day 1 Fat Smash

Well our house has become a FAT SMASH house. The next nine days we are in our detox mode. We have done this before two years ago. I plan on blogging for the first 9 days to see if this helps me out. The Fat Smash diet was very successful last time we followed it. They key to weight loss is the obvious don't eat more than what your body works off. This diet assists us to a normal healthy way of life.

Today started off GREAT!! @408down picked me up for work because we started working out together at the gym. I packed my my lunches and morning snacks and afternoon snacks for the week. That was a whole lot of fruits and veggies. I followed my diet to a capitol "T" and it felt great. After work we went to LVAC and began our workout (Monday).

@408down and I started with stretching and a lite jog twice around the indoor gym. We then collected an exercise ball two sets of 10 pound weights and a step stool. We did three sets of a variety of leg workouts and incorporated the revolving step machine. Then we did resistant abs and finished of with 15 minute cardio. We incorporated cardio in our weight training. We I arrived home my sister Shaila followed in right after. She had been at the park playing basketball and tennis. FUN!!! Kimberli worked out as well.

We cleaned up and started making diner. As we all helped each other making diner we stopped and stared at each other. We all realized that we miss spending this family time together. This is the first day of our diet and it started off great. We even cleaned the house and finished the laundry. It goes to show that when you take care of yourself things get taken care of around you.

Excited to blog about the next 9 days. After 9 days will be phase II. Once I reach that potion I will explain phase I and phase II. Skinny Biatch out!

Ruff around the SPANX

Chubby ladies have it ruff! I guess we choose to have it a little ruff by some of the decisions we make. For example we love to swing by Jack and the Box on the way home from a long night of dancing and eat what we call "double dinner".Every action has risks. The risk I am speaking of has been discussed on Oprah and can get a little expensive at times. The risk is the purchase of SPANX. You know a chubby girl has to try to control her muffin top when braking it down on the dance floor.For those who do not know what spanks are let me explain. The best way to describe spanks are control pantie hose for the whole body. The key word is control and whole body.

Chubby girls have it ruff, Spanx are no joke. The struggle of spanx begins at the time of purchase. Who wants to be seen purchasing spanx? That's like walking around the mall after purchasing something from Torrid or Lane Bryant saying... yeah I shopped at the fat girl store. I have shopped at Torrid once and even purchased something. When the sales department lady pulled out the bright pink bag that displayed TORRID I freaked out. I thought to myself how the hell am I suppose to get out of the mall while being displayed as a chubby girl. She handed me my bag I looked at my exit and bolted. Next thing you know I burned a few extra calories while breathing heavy in my Jeep. Like I said chubby girls have it ruff.

Now back to the struggles of wearing spanx. You have finally purchase your spanx after viewing the size chart (which is always an uplifting experience). When you first purchase your first spanx you try to hide it from the world. After a while you tend to forget that you are wearing them and become one, which is not always a good thing. Putting on spanx becomes a team effort at times. When you first look at the spanks you just purchased you think to yourself how am I suppose to get all of this in something like that.

The first task is to sit down. Then you step into your spanx and begin to fear the worse. You wiggle around and start to tuck and pull and wonder if the size is too small. The spanx have reached just below your muffin top now. This is where you take a little time out and breathe. Now you are standing up. The wiggle and jiggle gets a little more aggressive. Then the final phase to putting on spanx is I scream KIMBERLI COME HELP ME WITH MY SPANX! That's right time t0 enforce the team effort. I brace myself when she gets a hold of my spanks. She grabs the spanks from the back side. She pulls and tucks the spanks under my bra for that added support. Now I am armed and ready to put on the rest of my clothes.

Chubby girls have it ruff. You would think after experiencing something like putting on spanx the chubby girls would bi-pass the double dinners. But that is not the case. It is because of the spanks we continue to eat drink and be merry. We are just a little confined doing it now. How I love my spanx!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFnwWUHvFc0

Valentines 2009

My stepfather (father) passed away April 27, 2007 and left behind my lovely mother Donna. Their wedding Anniversary is February 14 of every year. That’s right Valentines weekend. Before my father’s passing I rarely visited home. In my mind, I felt like it was ok. I talked to my mom and father at least every other day. When I did visit which was every other year he would lecture me about the importance of family and my mom. “You only have one” he would say.
When my parents met, I was in 5th grade. My mom had five kids and my father had four kids. That is right at one point there was nine kids in one household. My stepbrothers and sister were the same age as my brothers and sisters. We all went to the same grade school together. This made growing up in our household even more exciting. Imagine our hide in go seek games in our neighborhood.

When my mom and father started to hang out and date my mom said, “We are just friends”. Now with five kids you could imagine what it was like for my mom bringing home boyfriends. Let me tell you it just did not work. We did everything we could to get rid of every single one of her boyfriends. First of all my mom is hot and full of fun. I can remember one person in particular. He would come over and call us kids “critters”. My sister Corring did not like this guy at all. I remember her screaming at the top of her lungs “we are not bugs…you think we are bugs…MOM” Yeah that one ended real quick.

Then we meet Jonnie. He was persistent. However, remember my mom wanted to just be friends. I went to high school with is son Jeffery and we became friends. One day Jeffery asked me where I lived. I gave him very vague direction on where we lived. No bigger right. Wrong. Jonnie went up and down east and west looking for my mom’s green van. If you knew my father, he was going to find it. Did I mention he was persistent.
“Ahhhh quick kids pick everything up” as my mom ran around in her under clothes in disbelief on how he found her house. After their visit, my mom asked me if I told Jeffery where we lived. I was in shock because I barely knew how to give the directions. I gave him my bus route. My mom was not happy. Nevertheless, we were. We loved Jonnie the minute we meet him. He was special.

Mom is number one. You watch movies like the Notebook that has these great love stories with tears and laughter and difficulties but in the end, everything works out. My mom was my stepfather’s number one. Rules were mom, family, school, work then our own personal adventures. Whatever my mom wanted or needed he was there in support and love. He would have done anything and everything to keep her happy. What kind of man marries a woman with five kids? Well if you have not met my mom then you would have thought a crazy one.

When my father passed, they were together for I think eighteen years and I am proud to say he was the man that raised me and fathered me. He would always remind us that he is not our dad. He would say, “I am your father, anyone can be a dad but a father is someone who raises you and loves and supports you”. He did all those things and more. It was not an easy path at all. If you know me then you know that there were some bad times. If it were not for the love that my mom and stepfather had for each other, they would have split within 6months. Come on do not forget nine kids.

Before my father passed he would talk (or should I say lecture) to me about the importance of my family and our mother. You only have one he said and once she is gone, she is gone. You have to treat her good every day. You would never want to think to yourself “what if” after she is gone. He would talk to me about how we are the next generation of Aunties and Uncles. We need to be there for all the new generation growing up. I always think of these lectures when I think of my father.

Since his passing, I have visited countless times. My mom had (to me still has) a husband that truly loves her. They were inseparable. They had so many different hobbies that they were able to experience together. Old school cars, peddle bikes, NASCAR, Motorcycles, landscaping, computers, Guitars, Ukuleles, photography the list could really go on and on.

Family needs to be number one. My mom is number one. The past two years I have visited home to create new memories with my mom. I am her daughter and her friend. I visit and spend time with all my brothers and sisters. We watch their kids play and grow. These are things our father in stowed in us. I miss my father tremendously. He was such a great man. He loved my mother and showed her respect. He loved his kids and opened his heart. We have to remember our mother and fathers. Most of us only have one. Treat them with love and respect.

People and Airport

I am unsure why I am enjoying waiting for my 9:15 flight to Portland Oregon so much. My co worker 408 Down dropped me off around 4:45PM and I have enjoyed every minute of every second of it. I think this has become my new hobby. Airport + Vegas + people to me is better than watching the Grammy awards or a movie. People should just pay the parking fee and sit down and be entertained.

As I sit sipping my $10.00 airport Starbucks coffee (like purchasing a small bag of popcorn and a cup of ice at a movie theater) I start to notice a certain color of people. I'm not talking black or white people. I am noticing the color orange. This color of orange comes in so many differnt colors and sizes and sad to say but gender.

There is always that one girl or guy out of the bunch that seems to have that glowing orange tan thing going on. Teeth so white and skin so orange if the airport would have a blackout they would use these girls or guys to help guide airplanes in to land. The groups of girls seem so excited to be inVegas. Some already have their "I'm in Vegas outfit". I am unsure why these bright orange people tend to think it is so cool to wear the same outfit that you find in a strip club. Don't tourist know they get paid to wear those outfits? Poor little orange wannabe strippers.

As I sit her at the airport I remember the good times when we use to just look for the mullets. Now we are able to choose differnt categorizes. Life it so great and entertaining who needs cable now a days. Save some money and turn off your cable. Entertain yourself by joining me at the airport... it's worth the $10 Starbucks coffee!

Friday 13th

This is a day where you do not want to walk under a ladder or have a cat cross your path. WTF! What is the big deal with Friday the 13th? I decided to do some digging regarding the number 13 and the day Friday. Everything has history right?

Before 13 is number 12 and what does the number 12 symbolize? Well the first thing that comes to mind is there are 12 hours on a clock, 12 differnt signs in a zodiac, 12 months in a calender year, 12 Gods. I think they were called the 12 Olympians. The number 12 also represents the twelve apostles of Jesus. The list could go on. I mean how is the number 13 going to stand up against the 12 apostles of Jesus.

With Jesus on my mind and the number 13 the first thing that comes to my mind is the last supper. This was where Jesus and his Apostles ate bread and drank from a cup. Again I am unsure of how accurate this information is. In my mythology class I remember talking about how the number 13 had an evil shadowing. One of the books I read called Holiday Folklore, Phobias and Fun by Donald E Dossey mentioned that the 13Th guest at the last super was uninvited. God of Joy and gladness was shoot by a mistletoe tipped arrow. Now that is some crazy stuff. I am not saying all this stuff is true I mean hello the class was called Mythology.

It seems that the number 13 has just had a bad wrap. I am flying today on the 13Th to visit my mom in Portland so hopefully this myth of the date Friday the 13Th is false. If it is true... then dang I'm screwed!

J-E-L-L-O

J-E-L-L-O, not the Bill Crosby happy jello. I am talking about the wiggle jiggle jello that has been attached to my body for the past 3 years. Oh yeah that J-E-L-L-O! Today was my first day with my personal trainer DJ at LVAC. He was there to witness my jello in motion baby! Oh yeah, now that is hot...like red jello hot! I am your typical women who has a new diet every other week but instead of losing weight I end up gaining in the long run. That's the problem with all these diets. I keep looking for the short cuts and avoid the hard work and dedication it actually takes to lose weight.

My first set of lunges were okay. Each step was like learning how to ride a bike again. That's right... this is what it feels like. Then I think why the hell would anyone put themselves through this then the jello image came back to my mind. You know the image I'm talking about right. For example your doing a jump jack and you stop but her body still does the wiggle and jiggle jello move. That motivated me to finish the second set of lunges then the third.

Well this sexy bowl of jello is excited to move toward hard work and dedication. That's right inbetween school and work will be my only man in my life called GYM. Well I guess two men GYM and DJ. Dang I am good! So JELLO I love you but you G-O-T-T-A go.

Dance and Live

I barely remember when when I first met Niki. I think it was on the dance floor at a club. In fact I am almost positive we were out on the dance floor doing the kid and play or better yet the the roger rabbit. Yeah we had moves people only wished they had...so we thought. Niki and I were friends through friends. She always happened to be at the same place I was. This is how we created our friendship.

In early 2008 I heard a disturbing rumor about Niki. I thought to myself no way not Niki, she is so young and full of life. The rumors became a reality when Niki came over to one of our famous BBQ's we had. You know the typical BBQ by the pool lots of beer and margaritas and lets not forget the 30 girls in bikinis. Our neighbors loved us! Niki started talking to me and eventually started talking about the big rumor. While she was explaining what has taken place everything became cloudy and empty once I heard the words Breast Cancer.

Niki was a 23 year old women who was facing the fact that time here on earth was going to be short lived. See we all thought she went home to visit these past few months when in fact she went home to battle chemo. She lost the battle and was told she only had a few more months to live. At some point she decided to come back to Vegas where her friends were. She needed to live these next few months.

After she explained her fight against Breast Cancer she looked at me and said "I didn't want anyone to know in fear of being treated different." My response was, "Niki your black...we always look at you different." After that comment we never brought up her battle of cancer again. Instead we went out, we dance and we lived.

As I mentioned Niki and I were friends of friends. We were not best friends who talked everyday. Having to face a battle like Breast Cancer at the age of 23 is something I could never bare. I could say she lost her battle to cancer in January of 2009 but that doesn't suit Niki. Although she is gone I don't feel like she lost a battle but yet she is experiencing another journey. A journey we will experience someday.

Simplicity in Friends

Living in Vegas we tend to forget what the word simplicity means. My friends and I sat around the bar at Three Angry Wives drinking our beers listening to my sister Shaila's stories about Costa Rica. Shaila's stories tend to lean toward fantasy land rather than reality. This makes her stories all the more interesting. As I mentioned before in a previous blog Shaila and I couldn't be more different from each other.

While in Costa Rica she attempted to surf and managed to get 5 stitches while swimming or should I say floating in a non swimming zone. Of coarse Shaila's story started off, "while I was surfing" but in reality she could barely paddle with the waves pushing her toward the sandy beaches. When Shaila broke through the wave she was sliced by a friends surf board. She felt the pain but all of her friends informed her it was just a scratch.

At this point everyone gathered their things and thought she should get a professional opinion. In reality when they looked at her head they noticed a huge gash that would definitely need stitches. Instead of getting Shaila worked up they convinced her it was a small scratch. Although while Shaila was walking the 3 miles to the hospital she felt quizzie, faint and was in pain while blood was gushing across her forehead. I mean come on it's just a scratch right?

"You need 5 stitches," the doctor explained to Shaila. Shaila said...no it is just a scratch. In disbelief were her friends wrong or did they avoid worrying little Shaila while in Costa Rica. Shaila got stitched up and drank a lot more cold Costa Rica beer and stayed clear of that surf board for the remaining of the trip.

What does this little story have to do with simplicity? Living in Vegas it is hard to find little bars down the street where you can enjoy your friends stories. We tend to grab our keys instead of walking to the bar, store or anywhere. We decided to do the walk and enjoyed the beer the stories and the walk of Bocca Park and our neighborhood. As we walked home we couldn't help but remember when we were young and had to be home before the street lights. We would race home from playing all day. To me this night means simplicity. We were kids racing home from a good day of play time.

Where does the time go? We tend to forget to take a little time for ourselves. We consume ourselves with work, school and people we love. We always remember to groom our dogs or detail are vehicles so they look and feel good. What about polishing up ones self.

It seems hard to put energy towards ones self. This should be a requirement. This is just a thought in my mind. Just wanted to mention it here. Think about the times in your life when you were most happy. What were you doing? Where you putting yourself first? I bet so. Food for thought.

ReeRee

Sisiter Overseas

For those who don't know me I come in a package. I have a twin sister who couldn't be so similar but then so opposite. This year we hit our dirty 30. My twin sister and I are very rarely apart from each other. One of her goals in her third decade of life is to travel. She started this year off focused toward her goals.

She arrived in Costa Rica on January 7, 2009. The following day San Jose had a 6.2 magnitude earthquake. I was unaware of the earthquake since I barley watch the news anymore. I arrived at work the following morning and greeted Kri and she nonchalantly mentioned to me, "Hey did you hear about the earthquake in Costa Rica" like it was no big deal.

My heart dropped and I could not remember the last thing I mentioned to my sister. What were their plans, did they have a plan? Is she ok and why hasnt she called me? Two days went by and I realized I hadn't checked my myspace profile in a few days. I had a few new comments and scrolled down and noticed a post from my sister. Thank God, she was already somewhere else when the earthquake hit.

Now here is where we are complete opposites. She felt it would be better not to worry friends and family and made the decision to not contact anyone. Now I dont have the best common sense but usually if you want people to know you were ok you would make contact with them. Not my sis, no contact is better contact. As I read on I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that this is truely how she is. So laid back so calm. It must be that quarter hawaiian blood she had running through her veins.

I do miss my sister. I am thankful that she is in my life. I think someone upstairs knew that we would do so much better together than apart. I am excited for her safe return home.

Las Vegas hosts many conventions throughout the year. Today I had the privilege to attend Affiliate Summit Las Vegas for the second year in a row. Last year I only went for a day and it was mainly a social event. This year we have a booth and plan on networking and getting the desired face time with our current clients.

I would assume that conventions are a tool in which our company can obtain possible new ways of revenue and new contacts. But we have to realize we live in Las Vegas. I couldn't help overhearing about all the after parties and the late nights already taking place. I am very interested to see how the convention is going to turn out for me, being a rookie and all.

As I walked around the "meet market" with my project manger and operational manager I soaked in how they spoke to other attendees. I was fascinated on how my project manager was so witty and confident. She had this swagger that could not be resisted by male and females.

I will post another blog regarding the outcome of my Affiliate Summit experience. I hope to gain a better client relationship with my current clients and establish new clients.

Sharee Macy

Fear of Blogging

Stepping out of my comfort zone and writing a blog is not a simple task for me. This will be my first blog entry I have ever composed. Sounding like an idiot is something everyone fears I guess. I do this best in my writing. This is the reason why I am challenging myself and stepping outside my comfort zone. 2009 is going to be a year where I create a healthy mind and start to focuss on little goals that will benefit me in the long run. Fear or no fear this is going to be a great adventure!

ReeRee