pacific delights

Leaving for asia in just over 36 hours! Up first is hong kong, then moving on to shanghai, xi'an and beijing. Since I spent two months in hong kong a couple years ago, I'm most excited about getting back here and doing/seeing my favorite things. I'm actually giddy. This will be the part of the trip that's more laid back/less scheduled, while our stops in mainland will be accompanied by a tour guide. Typically I'm an ocd planner (as evidenced by my computer printed packing list), but as my father's more so, I haven't spent the hourly equivalent of two weeks researching each destination and the top places to see there. He has, though, so I'm not worried.

Cooper's also packing, but not for a trip to china. He'll be visiting with two different sets of friends- one with a baby and one with a dog. He's a bit nervous as he won't be able to protect me from (ie- bark at) random strangers who approach me, but is excited to have his first sleepover with a non-family member.

nightmares

I had no less than three terrifying nightmares last night and awoke from each sweaty and with a racing heart. Here's the little I remember of each...
1) In some weird house/building with a bunch of other people, trying to get away from the "evil" thing/person that was trying to kill me. It was a given in the nightmare that my life was over- there was no way I was going to win.
2) Driving my car somewhere. Every time I tried to brake, it would take significantly longer than it should have. I kept being stuck in traffic and needing to stop, but despite fully engaging the pedal, my car would very slowly slow down which always resulted in me hitting the car in front of me. At one point I was reversing, and the same thing happened- I rolled back into someone. Every time this happened, I had that prickly adrenaline feeling and felt like I was going to throw up.
3) Something to do with swimming/drowning/dying and being chased by something evil.
I'm not excited about what these may mean, especially all three in one night.

Fitness challenge update. Week one.

The first week went relatively well, though I had to squish some stuff in since I forgot the week ends on Thurs. My c25k week is Mon-Sun, so it can get a little confusing. Here's how I did with regards to my goals:

1) Minus 7.7!!!! I'm using my wii fit as the official measurement for the duration of this challenge. I didn't have time to weigh in on Friday, so my numbers will be a bit off. Plus, I don't think I actually lost that much, so hopefully it won't increase this Friday!
2a) I planned my meals and made my list on Sunday, went shopping on Monday, and did my cooking on Tues and Thurs. Tues meal was an asparagus, tomato, cottage cheese and ww tortilla bake thing. It was far better than I anticipated. Tonight I made a stir fry (lemon, asparagus, chicken, onion, garlic, broth), but didn't eat it yet. I'm bringing it to work tomorrow night since I have a packed day and won't have time to cook.
2b) This starts tomorrow.
3a) I'm right on track with this- finished week 6 day 2 today.
4) Cooper had a great week of new walk locations. We got three in! I may up my goal to 10.
Walk 1= A visit with Nora and Pax- we did a three mile loop near them which included Tufts, Davis Square, and a nice bike/walking path.
Walk 2= A wooded trail near my parents' house where I spent tons of time as a kid. Cooper balanced over narrow bridges and generally loved every minute of it.
Walk 3= Brookline reservoir. A one mile sandy/gravely loop around the water. One of my favorite places to run.
5) Class= I went to my favorite class last Friday- sports drills. I love this because we do fun stuff that changes regularly and involves more than the typical step or aerobics class.
Swimming= Laps on Weds. Will adjust my goal to specify 1/2 mile distance each swim. Totally doable.

This coming week seemed like a good one for me to try the no carbs goal, so I've stocked up on the stuff I need. I've also decided it's finally time to make myself like cottage cheese once and for all. I've tried several times before, but still am not a huge fan. By the end of this week, I'll have eaten enough of it to either like it, or never want to see it again.

fitness challenge

Our friends at the hose introduced "the hose spring fitness challenge" which began on 4/1/11 and ends on 6/30/11. All participants were invited to come up with 1-5 personal challenge items which they then work towards and share their progress throughout the time span. Woohoo! I'm all about this type of challenge, especially because it focuses on personal challenges while still offering a prize (ie- winner=competition!). Here are my 5 picks:

1) Lose 15+ lbs
2) Eating:
a) Cook at least 2 healthy meals/week which I'll plan and shop for in advance (I already make massive vats of  soup regularly which I then live off for a while, but figured I should mix it up a bit).
b) Make it through at least one week with no carbs- just protein and veggies.
3) Running:
a) Finish the couch to 5K program (I'm currently on week 5 of 9).
b) Sign up for a 5K and run (or jog) it. This is tentatively scheduled for 6/5/11.
4) Take Cooper to a minimum of 5 new long walk locations (like ponds, hiking, etc- not just a new route in the neighborhood).
5) Lap swim and take a class at least once/week.

I figured I'd write an update at the end of each week (which will be Friday-Thursday) to keep me (and anyone who cares) on top of it. You're all welcome to join us as well- just add your goals in the comment section and get cracking!

Cooper!

Almost 4 weeks ago, Andrea and I drove to PA to pick up my new friend, Cooper! Here he is in his new favorite clamshell bed-

He's awesome. Follows me around at home and is always excited to see me when I come home from work!
Cooper likes: playing fetch with small tennis balls, going outside for walks/jogs, curling up in soft places, and head scratches.
Cooper doesn't like: chewing on anything (tennis ball = only exception), having his paws touched, baths, and going to the vet.
He used to wake up between 6 and 6:30 which was too early for me. Luckily, spring forward resulted in him sleeping until 8:10! And today (after being neutered yesterday) he chilled out until 9:30am! I'm guessing this is because he's still a little drugged up/tired/sore, but I like to think it will be his new routine!

Sheet work

I work in a pediatric emergency department and spend most of my time hanging out with the kids. For the most part they're pretty cool, so I like to give them stuff to do while they're stuck in a room. One of my favorite things to give the above 4 crowd is a pack of washable markers and permission to color on the bed sheets. You'd think I just told them they could run loose in a candy factory from the looks of disbelief and excitement I get. I've seen some pretty creative and involved drawings, and have decided to start taking some pictures and posting them here. Tonight's design by a 6yr old boy and his parents took the cake. This is the most creative I've seen so far.

treats

I had lots of And time this weekend. First we met up downtown after her workout and my haircut for a trip to the movies...double movies. We saw the king's speech followed by true grit. I liked and recommend them both. Tonight we had a dinner date after work (for me). We went to canary square in jp which I also liked and recommend. To finish the meal off (like we weren't stuffed enough already), we split some dessert. What dessert? Why the deep fried twinkies, of course, and they were better than any of us could have imagined.