tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41891196769688730872024-03-13T00:30:26.975-07:00itsQuinntendoCaitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-52203977867706367952015-09-10T16:24:00.000-07:002015-09-10T16:24:28.133-07:00You Matter; And So Do I.<br />
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Today is World Suicide Prevention Day.<br />
This is always a weird day for me.. As important as I believe this day is to raise awareness and start conversations, I tend to try avoid talking about it too much. It's difficult to acknowledge the past and sort through those emotions. It's painful! And for someone like me who feels like an annoyance and burden more often than not, telling my story can feel awkward - I tell myself that no one honestly cares.. I imagine people rolling their eyes as they scroll through Facebook, or biting their tongue as I pour my heart out to them. So I don't.<br />
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Self-hatred is something I still deal with day in and day out. Living with clinical depression and anxiety can be debilitating at times. And although logically I know that talking helps, I clam up. I pull back into my own shell until I'm in this dark and very scary place. A place where I continue to tell myself lies - believing that no one, not even my husband of nearly 6 years, actually loves me. A place where I sit with phone in my hand, debating on whether or not I should call someone.. reach out. A place where I've been alone in my house for a week and have no desire to leave any time soon.. Although serious thoughts of suicide have become fewer and further between - I would be lying if I said this is something I have truly overcome.<br />
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Depression is not something that affects only moody and hormonal teenagers. It has been 11 years since my diagnosis. [<span style="color: #cc0000;">Trigger Warning::</span>] I vividly remember being 12 years old, sitting in my bedroom with a bottle of stolen prescription pills ready to end my entire life. 12 YEARS OLD!! I was a child. After I didn't die (I didn't know what I was taking, thank God. But I did end up very sick) and I told my parents what I had done, I remember someone telling my parents that this is something teenagers do. A psychiatrist I had seen told my mom I could be put on Prozac for a few years and that would fix things until I was "over it." Luckily my mom had enough sense to yank me from his care and have me seen by someone else. Now 11 years later, as a married woman, I'm still not over it. It sickens me that SOME people have this mentality that this is something that only threatens our youth..<br />
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In the last 12 months, my husband and I have lost 2 people very close to us to suicide. Of course I won't go into much detail, but I can tell you that neither of them were teenage girls. They were 2 very different people with very different lives, yet they both felt there was no other way. They felt there was no hope. They felt they had no choice. Their own demons had fed them lie after lie and led them to believe their life was not worth living... that they didn't matter enough. And by the mourning that followed their deaths.. I can tell you that was not true. EVERY life matters... Right now our world is consumed by this race war. Everywhere you look you see- Black Lives Matter. White Lives Matter.<br />
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Whatever.<br />
WHATEVER! ALL LIVES MATTER!<br />
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How is this a difficult concept to understand? This year we lost 2 great lives. 2 lives that affected us in such a way, that with their death, a piece of us was taken. We were shaken. And it's changed the way we live our daily life. I wish that those 2 incredible people knew how much they mattered.. how the life they lived still matters to this day.<br />
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Now I won't say suicide is selfish. I won't talk about the pain it leaves behind for everyone else. Because the times that suicide became a real option for me..When I thought it was my ONLY option... I didn't care enough about other people to stop. I didn't care about myself. I didn't care about anything. And when I DID care about other people... I hated myself so much that I turned to self-harm. Of course I don't believe that suicide is ever the answer... but shaming people will not keep them here.<br />
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So what CAN you do? You can be there for people. Be kind! Be a loving and caring human being to everyone you meet. Sometimes we don't know that people are struggling, we don't know the battle they're fighting. Think of Robin Williams .. his death took the world by surprise. One of the funniest men to have lived, yet his own world was so dark and sad.. So show love to everyone. I have become pretty good at faking a smile the last 11 years of my life. Some people are shocked when they hear about the extent of my depression and anxiety. However, there are people in my life who DO know... and for the most part, these people have been my solid ground in this world. I have amazing friends who look for signs of me pulling away back into my own shell. When they notice these things, they offer support. They check up on me. And because of their encouragement, I get help. For me, help comes in the form of prayer, meditation, vitamins and supplements, exercise, sunshine, and quality time with people. If this is something your friend needs, please be there for them.. Don't make them feel like they are burdening you, because soon they will stop asking for your help.<br />
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It has taken my YEARS to come to the understanding that my life DOES in fact matter. Years to even accept that if I were to leave this earth that my husband would even miss me. THAT is the kind of craziness my depression hisses to me. If you have never experienced it, you might not quite get it, but my hope is that you'll make an effort to gain some understanding for your friends sake.. your mom's sake.. a sister.. brother.. grandparent.. uncle.. Depression and suicide does not discriminate based on age, gender, sexual orientation, or economic standing.<br />
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And if you are the one feeling alone.. please hear me. You life matters. You would be missed. And life is so worth living... I KNOW that it doesn't feel like it now. I know that you can't imagine any alternate universe where things will ever feel okay.. but I promise it does get better. That phrase has become so cliche, but that's because it's true. If I had ended my life at 12 years old, I wouldn't have made some of the best friends in the world, wouldn't have married my soulmate, wouldn't have found God and become a Christian... I wouldn't have traveled from coast to coast singing Taylor Swift songs with my husband. I wouldn't have learned to cook. I wouldn't have a chance to still learn to bake. lol I wouldn't have learned more about the military or helped other spouses get a handle on this crazy life. I wouldn't have seen my nephews grow up, even from afar. I wouldn't have become so close with my sister. I wouldn't have a chance to become a mom someday.. I wouldn't have known what it means to live. Please believe me that your life matters, because I know now that my life does too..<br />
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-Quinn<br />
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<b>If you are feeling like suicide is the only option, or if you're concerned for someone you know.. please call the National Suicide Lifeline. 1 (800) 273-8255</b>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-12526081462498194792015-04-27T06:39:00.001-07:002015-04-27T06:40:38.801-07:00Easiest Pulled Pork EverAlright friends, honesty hour. I was not fully prepared to be a wife. Yesterday when I spent my entire afternoon in the emergency room, (I'm fine. Just back problems.) I was watching a rerun of 19 Kids and Counting where Jessa Duggar was preparing to marry Ben. They mentioned how Jessa had spent the months leading up to her wedding taking over preparing meals for the family. She learned how to cook so that she would be fully prepared to become a wife. I did not do this. When I married Brent, I could rock some Mac and Cheese and make a killer PB&J. The first few months of our marriage, we did a lot of eating out and precooked or frozen meals. We lived on Hamburger Helper, Taco Bell, and frozen pizza. When I finally decided I needed to start learning to cook, I had NO clue where to start! I wanted easy recipes that required very few ingredients. Less ingredients means less of a chance of messing it all up, right? So that is how I stumbled upon an amazing recipe for 3-ingredient pulled pork! And being able to provide an amazing home-cooked meal for my husband gave me the confidence to continue learning to cook! These days, we eat at home more often than not. I'm able to cook from scratch. I've even made up new recipes! So in an effort to encourage my friends who feel they can't cook, I wanted to share this recipe for 5-ingredient pulled pork! (See? 2 new ingredients! That means I can cook! ;) ) You CAN do this! All you need is a pork loin, root beer, onion, season-all salt, and BBQ sauce.<br />
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First things first, just throw your pork loin into the crock pot. You can throw it in frozen or thawed. Whatever you want. This is part of a gigantic pork loin we bought from BJ's and cut up ourselves. From a piece this size we get enough for about 8 sandwiches! So that's perfect because we love leftovers. :)<br />
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I didn't have an onion on hand when I made this, so I just threw some of this chopped onion I got from Costco a while back. These 2 ingredients are optional and just something I have thrown in over time. The Season All I just sprinkle on top to give a little extra flavor. You could use your favorite pork rub if you want or any seasonings you really like. Or leave it out all together. Again, these 2 are completely optional. <br />
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Here you can see I just sprinkled about that much onion on top, and added my Season All salt. <br />
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Use any root beer, and any BBQ sauce you want. I'm a big fan of Stubb's BBQ or Sweet Baby Ray's. But I'm also a big fan of sales! So here's my Kroger brand root beer and BBQ sauce. I'll give you a hint, Kroger root beer is the most delicious root beer I've ever tasted!<br />
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Take about a 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce and your full can of root beer. Mix that all up really good. You don't HAVE to do this part. When I first started making this pulled pork, I just threw in the root beer without the BBQ sauce until later on. But I have found adding just that little bit of BBQ sauce early on really adds to the flavor.<br />
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After you've mixed your root beer and BBQ sauce, just pour it all over the pork.<br />
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Cook your pork low and slow. I shoot for 8-10 hours or so on low. But if you're like me that day and completely forget about dinner until noon, you can cook it on high for 6 hours. The meat won't be quite as tender, but it'll still be great!<br />
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I forgot to take a picture of this part, but 30 minutes before dinner time, pull the meat really good using 2 forks. At this point, it should pretty much just fall apart. If there's way too much juice, drain the meat a little. But you want to keep some of the moisture. Add the rest of your bottle of BBQ sauce, or however much you want. If your family likes things really saucy, add more. If your family doesn't, add less. Let it cook the last 30 minutes to warm up the BBQ sauce and let the flavors mix a little.<br />
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When it's time to serve, just pile it high on whatever buns you like. Usually we add a little more BBQ sauce and/or ranch to our sandwich. When we serve this for friends, we get coleslaw to pile on our sandwich. Whatever you like with your BBQ. Serve with fries, baked beans, chips, whatever floats your boat. And this tastes even more amazing as leftovers! </div>
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This is one of our favorite meals to make. It's quick and easy, and my husband LOVES it! Let me know if you make this!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What was the first meal you learned to make? </b></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5-Ingredient Pulled Pork</b></span></u></div>
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<b>Ingredients</b></div>
<ul>
<li>Pork Loin (or pork butt or pork chops. literally whatever pork you can find on sale)</li>
<li>1 can of Root Beer (or Coke, Dr.Pepper, Pepsi.. any dark-colored coke.)</li>
<li>1 bottle-ish of your favorite BBQ Sauce (I typically use what's on sale.)</li>
<li>1 onion sliced (optional)</li>
<li>Season-All Seasoned Salt (optional)</li>
</ul>
<b>Steps </b><br />
<ol>
<li>Place pork in slow cooker.</li>
<li>(Optional) place onion on top and sprinkle with Season All salt.</li>
<li>Mix 1/2 cup BBQ sauce and 1 can root beer. </li>
<li>Pour root beer mixture over pork.</li>
<li>Cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 6 hours.</li>
<li>30 minutes before serving, pull pork, drain most of the juice, pour remaining BBQ sauce in with the pulled pork. Mix well. Let cook for remaining 30 minutes.</li>
<li>Serve on buns. Enjoy the compliments you receive for an amazing home-cooked meal.</li>
</ol>
Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-32721787131264564992015-04-25T11:46:00.001-07:002015-04-25T11:46:56.559-07:00Dating My Husband | Making It WorkHello friends! I have wanted to write this post for a while now, but I just haven't had a chance to sit down and gather my thoughts enough to type it all up. Today I am taking it easy because of a pulled muscle in my back and I thought I'd take advantage of my forced rest day by finally getting this post out there!<br />
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If you know me and my husband at all, you probably know how much we love to go on dates! I'm actually asked quite a bit how we manage to go on dates all the time. Since getting married, we've felt strongly about the importance of continuing to date each other. Ironically, we have done more dating since getting married than we did while we were "dating." We are 5 1/2 years into marriage (still newlyweds practically) and I'll admit, we sometimes get into ruts! Looking back at this last year, the theme of our dates was Cinema Cafe. We discovered the awesomeness that is dinner and a movie AT THE SAME TIME! We loved (and still do love) going to our local Cinema Cafe, ordering a Pina Colada, "Kevin Bacon Burger," and watching whatever latest movie was playing. It was always fun. We were still going on dates. But if I'm being honest, our dates had lost some of their sparkle. It seemed more routine than romantic.<br />
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My husband and I have learned in the last year or so about <a href="http://www.5lovelanguages.com/" target="_blank">The 5 Love Languages</a>. I am bilingual in my love language - mine are Words of Affirmation and Quality Time. Both are extremely important to me, and quickly fill my "love tank." So as you can imagine, dates that became routine, and dates that we didn't talk to each other, were NOT filling my love tank at all. This year I wanted that to change! We have made an effort to find other date ideas and spend more time talking and continuing to learn more about each other.<br />
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I wanted to write this post to share one of our recent dates, but I also wanted to do a little bit of excuse busting! I have many friends who admit they haven't gone on a date in months or even YEARS! That just completely blows my mind. I understand busy schedules, I know kids take up a lot of time. I get all that! But dating my husband is such an important part of our marriage. I was reading 1 Peter 3: 5-6 in the Contemporary English Version and I was struck by the way it was worded. <i>"<span class="text 1Pet-3-5" id="en-CEV-28316"><sup class="versenum">5 </sup>Long ago those women who worshiped God and put their hope in him made themselves beautiful by putting their husbands first. </span> <span class="text 1Pet-3-6" id="en-CEV-28317"><sup class="versenum">6 </sup>For
example, Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her
true children, if you do right and don’t let anything frighten you." </span></i><span class="text 1Pet-3-6" id="en-CEV-28317">This of course is controversial. Many women today do not feel strongly that their husband should come before their children, work, and their ever-growing to do list. They actually feel the opposite! Husbands are regularly placed on the back burner. They get the leftovers. But the Bible tells us - God comes first, and your husband comes second. That doesn't mean God comes first and your husband gets lumped in somewhere with everything else you have to do. It means he gets second place ABOVE everything else you have to do. And think about it - 18 years from now when your kids are grown up and out of the house, will you even know your husband any more? If you spent 18 years with someone, but without learning about them, talking to them, dating them... will this be someone you want to spend your remaining years with? That is why my husband comes first (right behind God.) And you may say "Well that's easy for you to say - you don't have kids!" Yep, that is totally true. But will my convictions change? No. Why? Because this is what the Bible says. So I'll obey it. Is it always easy? <u><i>Absolutely not</i>.</u> Between my husband's work schedule, my volunteer work and Scentsy business, church, leading a Bible Talk, and my husband being in school.. Sometimes it can feel like there just isn't enough time! There are 48 hours in a weekend. Recently all 48 have been booked with baby showers and church events and other obligations! Does that mean it's okay to put my husband on the back burner and just forget about date night? No way! We make it work.</span><br />
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<span class="text 1Pet-3-6" id="en-CEV-28317">So let my tell you about our date this last week. First of all, it was this past Monday night. Yes, date night on a Monday! Like I said, we make it work. Recently my husband and I have begun Dave Ramsey's baby steps to getting out of debt, so we are on a very tight budget! But we have a date night envelope, and we've been able to come up with some pretty frugal dates. Monday my husband invited me on a date, and he had the whole thing planned out for us! Our first stop was actually our local library! Our reason for going? To play board games! I don't know if this is a common thing, a local thing, or if this library is just super cool since it's remodel - but our library has an entire Gaming Floor! So we went and played a few games together. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzmZh2jaE00e0Xgazk5lzp3WMRMYzeg3uOaQmsM6nUgboitq8zTQOlhdXsAA_ScWR3ehDZY3Xi0p6zsKb_5VNXMyQBXWnVhgk7y_Cogxv9s-jetYQk27PUZoenrPwJ0tTwKM8Vn6E_xeG/s1600/11148862_10206588084201646_1456866533_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzmZh2jaE00e0Xgazk5lzp3WMRMYzeg3uOaQmsM6nUgboitq8zTQOlhdXsAA_ScWR3ehDZY3Xi0p6zsKb_5VNXMyQBXWnVhgk7y_Cogxv9s-jetYQk27PUZoenrPwJ0tTwKM8Vn6E_xeG/s1600/11148862_10206588084201646_1456866533_n.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I promise he's happy, he's just concentrating.</td></tr>
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<span class="text 1Pet-3-6" id="en-CEV-28317">First up was Battle Ship. Brent beat me twice! I really thought I was clever in placing my ships strategically, but he kept finding my ships so easily! Maybe he's just so in tune with the way I think. So to redeem myself, we placed 2 rounds of Mancala! Thanks to my uncle, and many hours of practice while growing up, I am a BEAST at Mancala. I smoked Brent twice! It was time for a tie-breaker and an INTENSE game of Phase 10. It was pretty back and forth, but in the end I was victorious! We had so much fun playing silly games, laughing, and talking. I know you're supposed to be quiet in a library, but we had so much fun laughing together that we got more than one sideways glance. </span><br />
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After board games at the library, it was time for our next stop! Now let me tell you, I hate surprises. I try so hard to figure them out. But this next part was fun because I was not expecting to go here at all! We had talked about it several times, but there was always a reason not to go. So when we pulled up, I was so thrilled - We went to Doumar's! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my picture - It was actually taken from guyfieri.com</td></tr>
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A local Barbecue joint known for it's ice cream and waffle cones. It has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and we have wanted to check it out since we moved to Virginia. And with it being only 10 minutes from our house, I have no clue why we didn't check it out sooner! Brent ordered a waffle cone with a scoop of vanilla and scoop of butter pecan. I ordered a banana split. Both were phenomenal! I love me some ice cream! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course we had to take an ice cream selfie. And of course my husband had to make a ridiculous face.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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There wasn't anything outwardly spectacular about this part of the date. It may just look like ice cream. But for someone like me who enjoys quality time, this was perfection. Just hanging out in the car, enjoying the drive-in ambiance, listening to music, talking, and enjoying amazing ice cream. This is definitely one of those dates I will always remember because it was so special to me.<br />
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So what excuses do you give for not going on dates? There are 3 main excuses I hear from people when they admit they rarely go on dates. <br />
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<u><b>Time- </b></u>Let's face it. We're busy people. I gave you an idea of how busy our lives are at the moment. Sometimes I feel like we don't have a second to breathe. But when we found an evening that we could make work, we took advantage! Instead of a night of Netflix or video games, we made it a point to spend quality time together. And sometimes I have to say no to things because we're going on a date. When we have a date planned, it's non-negotiable. Our date this week was about 3 hours long from start to finish. If you can't find 3 hours at any point during your week, make it an hour. Go to a cool coffee shop just the two of you. Spend one whole hour just talking. Ask each other silly questions. Try to avoid talking about work or kids. Just talk about the two of you! It's amazing how just one hour of focused quality time can make you feel closer to your spouse.<br />
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<u><b>Money-</b></u> Money is tight these days. We have a strict budget, and stick to it. We have had to stop thinking dates mean a nice dinner and a movie. Those dates are GREAT, but pricey! There are so many cheap date ideas out there. Go to a park and have a picnic, check out a local karaoke bar, spend the evening in a small coffee shop. Go grab an ice cream from Burger King or somewhere similar ($1 each) and walk the beach. Even have dates at home! If Netflix is your thing, cool. But make it special! Silence your cell phones and put them away, make popcorn, grab some candy (like the movie theater boxes you can get from Dollar Tree), turn the lights down low, and snuggle up on the couch together. Make a romantic meal together. Just make whatever you're doing SPECIAL. And when you go out, find ways to make it budget friendly. Our latest date for example -<br />
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Library - $2 for parking<br />
Ice Cream - $10.13<br />
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Total for an awesome, special date - $12.13! That is well within our budget. Just make the dates work for you and your budget.<br />
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<u><b>Babysitting-</b></u> This is probably my favorite excuse. Why? Because the people I hear this from, have never asked us to babysit for them. 99% of the time, if you ask me to babysit because you want to go on a date with your spouse, I will find a way to make it work! And I know a lot of people feel the same - they are MORE THAN HAPPY to babysit. If you have exhausted all of your options, and no teenager or childless friends are willing to babysit, start a rotation with your friends who also need babysitting! 1 weekend they'll watch your kids, the next you'll watch theirs. And if that doesn't work and there just really is no way to get babysitting, put the kids to bed early, and stay up a little later. Play board games together, sit around a fire pit in your backyard, feed the kids Mac and Cheese for dinner, but after they're in bed make a super fancy gourmet meal and enjoy a bottle of wine (the good stuff!) Having kids is not an excuse to neglect dating your husband.<br />
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There is ALWAYS a way to date your spouse. Always. Give me an excuse, and I'll help you bust it. This is obviously something I feel strongly about, and I hope that you will grow in your conviction to date your spouse. And if you can't remember the last time you went on a date, plan one right now! Call me up for babysitting. I'm serious.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>So let me ask you, do you go on dates regularly? What is your favorite date you've ever been on? </b></span><br />
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<span class="text 1Pet-3-6" id="en-CEV-28317"><br /></span>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-43377349488802142402013-01-31T06:33:00.001-08:002013-01-31T06:33:37.182-08:00NSV Linkup #2 on my new blog!Hey everyone,<br />
I decided to create a new blog that would be specific to my weight loss so that I can focus on that. I'll keep this blog around for military related stuff (care packages, deployment updates, etc.) as well as some ramblings from time to time.<br />
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But I wanted you all to check out my new Non-Scale Victory post (if weight loss blogs are your thing.)<br />
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http://thefatfriend.com/2013/01/31/harder-better-faster-stronger-nsv-linkup-2/<br />
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Check it out, ya'll!Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-60994820856970364042013-01-26T06:06:00.000-08:002013-01-26T06:06:00.522-08:00Non-Scale Victory Link UpThis week -- has been nuts.<br />
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I have been trying to post a blog since Wednesday, but it just hasn't happened! I am very thankful for my sisters at church for keeping me busy, don't get me wrong, but I'm glad to have this morning free so that I can catch up. :)<br />
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So here's what's been going on this week<br />
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<b>Monday:</b> Spent the day relaxing and playing way too much Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 with Brent. It was nice to just spend some time forgetting about deployment.<br />
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<b>Tuesday: </b>Rushed around all day getting ready for Brent to leave. He was being pulled around in every direction that day and we both felt kind of jipped. The day started coming to a close and I had to say "see ya, later" to my best friend. It's always hard to see him go.. I've realized it won't ever get easier..<br />
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<b>Wednesday: </b>I cleaned a little, worked out a little, and then finished my day at church midweek service. I realized how lonely I felt not having Brent by my side. But I love my brothers and sisters and how they try to keep my mind off of him. I definitely cried a bit at different random points at the service. I just missed him.. but I was glad to hear the message that night and thankful I didn't stay cooped up in my house.<br />
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<b>Thursday: </b>I started the day off with two of my favorite people (Stephanie and Nicole) and we did some Rockin' Body! Oh man, what a fun workout. We only did the first 15 minute workout together because it was their first time, but we got a nice little sweat going.<br />
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It's always more fun to workout with friends, right? I definitely had a blast! We have decided to make it a 3 times a week kind of thing. :)<br />
Later that evening, I met up with another one of my favorites, Anna, to have a nice healthy dinner at her house. Then we went and walked around target and shared a lot of laughs. Thursday was a really good day and I was thankful to get out of the house and also get active.<br />
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<b>Friday: </b>Well I woke up for a weigh in, and was pretty disappointed to see that the scale didn't move at all. I was definitely disappointed because I thought that I had done pretty good about eating, drinking tons of water, and staying active. But this week just wasn't my week.. so I had to just smile and promise to work harder this week.<br />
I then spent the day babysitting and pretty much sitting on my butt reading a book until that evening. Then I got to drive in snow for the first time! lol Soooo Friday probably wasn't my favorite day of the week.<br />
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But all in all, I'm glad I stayed busy this week. I was determined to get out and not let deployment crush me. And it definitely hasn't. :)<br />
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Okay, so on to the NSVs! One of my favorite new (to me) bloggers Katie (<a href="http://www.ktjweighingin.com/" target="_blank">KTJ)</a> is co-hosting a new link up every Thursday. It's one that I was definitely looking forward to and was bummed that I didn't have a chance to post up a blog on Thursday. So I just decided to post it a few days late. :) Katie says it best in <a href="http://www.ktjweighingin.com/2013/01/non-scale-victories-linkup.html" target="_blank">her blog</a> when she says:<br />
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<i>"Too many of us base our success just on the number we see on the scale,
but there is so much more to it! All the little changes we make are
helping us make a healthier lifestyle. Whether you lost weight this week
or not, let's celebrate your non-scale victories! So whether you said
no to that birthday cake in the office, ran a 5k, or tracked your food
every day this week. . . it is time to celebrate!"</i></blockquote>
I know that sometimes I definitely get caught up in the numbers and not the lifestyle changes. This week, for example, I was really discouraged to see I hadn't lost anything, but there are 2 things that stick out in my mind that I DID do this week and I feel very proud about those. So here is my contribution to the NSV Link Up:<br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>I didn't binge.</b></u></span> <span style="font-size: small;">- Every<span style="font-size: small;"> time Brent leaves, I <span style="font-size: small;">eat m<span style="font-size: small;">y feelings. It's a serious <span style="font-size: small;">pr<span style="font-size: small;">oblem.. I don't know that I'd go <span style="font-size: small;">so far as to say I have Binge Eating Disorder, but I definitely bin<span style="font-size: small;">ge
at least that first week that I'm alone. This week I made the conscious
decision to really watch what I was eating and not fill my body with
junk. And I'm happy to say th<span style="font-size: small;">e McDonald's drive thru didn't get any of my business<span style="font-size: small;">!</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>I packed a lunch. </b></u><span style="font-size: small;">- Usu<span style="font-size: small;">ally when I babysit, it's at home. So for m<span style="font-size: small;">e to spend the entire day Friday away from home, away from my own food, away from a comfort <span style="font-size: small;">zone, I was d<span style="font-size: small;">efinitely nervous<span style="font-size: small;">. It was<span style="font-size: small;">n't that I was afrai<span style="font-size: small;">d I would eat my friend out of house and home or anything. I was actually worried I wouldn't eat at all. I <span style="font-size: small;">didn't want to spend the <span style="font-size: small;">ent<span style="font-size: small;">ire day not eating and by the time I left <span style="font-size: small;">be so starving that I stopped at a drive thru. S<span style="font-size: small;">o I packed a lunch :)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>It was actually my morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack. I was very proud that I woke up early enough to pack my lunch AND eat breakfast before going.<br />
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These are the kind of small victories that you can't see on the scale. These are the small victories that will add up and show when people take a look at your life. I am very thankful for this journey that I am on and I can't wait to share more NSVs with you!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So <span style="font-size: large;">tell me, when was the last time you packed a lunch?</span></span><br /><input id="signupTrigger" type="hidden" /><input id="triggerLogout" type="hidden" />Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-68355289255320646592013-01-17T11:47:00.000-08:002013-01-17T11:47:10.990-08:00Busy BeeI promise I haven't forgotten about my blog again. I tend to make a habit of updating for a week and then forgetting for a few months.<br />
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<i>Not this time, I swear.</i><br />
<br />I am fully aware of how many days have passed since my last post, but I have just been SOOO busy lately that I haven't had a chance to sit down and write a proper post. This is one of those "Don't-hate-me, I-promise-I'll-post-soon" posts. As most of you know Brent is deploying VERY soon, so every spare moment I have is being spent with him. :)<br />
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But here are a few things you have to look forward to:<br />
<ul>
<li>Recent eats (including some gnarly looking, but rather <b>DELICIOUS</b> smoothies.)</li>
<li>A couple new recipes. </li>
<li>Beginning a BeachBody workout program.</li>
<li>Favorite new bloggers.</li>
<li>Deployment posts and care package pictures.</li>
<li>Mindless babble and pictures.</li>
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So I hope you're all having a wonderful week and staying warm!Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-46696834734130482912013-01-03T04:00:00.000-08:002013-01-03T06:21:04.597-08:002013 ResolutionsHappy New Year! I know that it's already January 3rd, but in true Quinn fashion- I'm behind. I was so busy reading everyone else's New Year and resolution posts that I totally neglected my own blog. *sigh* Better late than never I suppose.<br />
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Well to start things off, I need it to be known that I am officially <b><i>in love </i></b>with <a href="http://www.fitandfreeemily.com/2013/01/the-start-fresh-weight-loss-smoothie/" target="_blank">this new blog</a>! Emily, from Fit and Free with Emily, is a <u>REAL</u> and honest blogger who isn't afraid to let her readers in on the ups and downs of her own journey in health and fitness. It is absolutely refreshing to read her blog. Anyway, I was reading through some of her posts and really enjoyed reading her New Year's resolution posts from the past few years. What I like so much about them is instead of picking a few cliche resolutions, she picks a theme for the year. For 2013 she picked Simplify :) She then listed a few things she will do in an effort to simplify her life! Cool, right? What an awesome way to make sure your year is productive and you stick to "resolutions." So also in true Quinn fashion- I'm going to steal her idea. ;) Hope you don't mind, Emily!<br />
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My theme for the year 2013 is simple: <b>HEALTH.</b><br />
As much as I'd love to be skinny, I think it's important that I address my need to get healthy! For me it's more than just wanting to look good or fit in smaller clothes. My family has a serious history of obesity related health problems. Diabetes, kidney failure, high blood pressure, etc. Also, I am battling PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) which is something I need to get a handle in order for Brent and I to conceive in the next few years. Also important is my mental health! I have struggled with clinical depression almost half of my life now. It's something that still affects my day to day life and needs to be addressed. So many things that stem from this excess weight and just general lifestyle that I'm leading. So yeah, I'd love to wear cute clothes, but first priority needs to be my health.<br />
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So what am I going to do?<br />
<ul>
<li><u><i>Drink enough water!</i></u> Those of you who know me know that I am a big advocate for water! I have done my research, I know how much I need to drink, I understand what happens to my body when I don't. But does that mean I always drink my water? Heck no. I struggle with it just like everyone else.</li>
<li><u><i>Eat clean.</i></u> It's scary how much of the food I eat on a daily basis is heavily processed. Even scarier is what those chemicals and additives can do to your body! I am going to clean up my diet and get back to giving my body what it was made to digest.</li>
<li><u><i>Do things for me.</i></u> I have a habit of making sure everyone else is taken care of before I stop to make sure that my basic needs have been met. I need to make sure I am taking care of my mental health as well as finding my happiness. I've realized in the past month or so that I've given up so many of the things that used to bring me a lot of joy. I used to love to write. I used to love to take pictures. I don't really do any either of those anymore. This year I am going to make more time for the things I love.</li>
<li>And lastly, <u><i>seek professional advice.</i></u> Am I the only one who still has an irrational fear of the doctor? I don't know what it is.. I feel like an ostrich putting my head in the sand. If I ignore the problem long enough, it won't exist. Ha. If only it truly worked that way. I know that I need help from a trained physician before embarking on this journey of mine.. Mental and physical health shouldn't be taken lightly. Who knows, I might benefit from someone who knows what they're talking about. But there's just something about doctors.. *shifty eyes* .. I don't trust them.</li>
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So that's it! My plan for 2013. I really think this year is going to be a good one. Despite Brent being away the majority of the year, I see a lot of good things coming my way. With faith, friends, and family I know that I will make this a wonderful year of change. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>So <span style="font-size: large;">tell me<span style="font-size: large;">:</span> <span style="font-size: large;">W</span>hat are your 2013 resolutions?</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">** A quick P.S.<span style="font-size: small;">: I will <span style="font-size: small;">most likely be moving <span style="font-size: small;">to a differ<span style="font-size: small;">en<span style="font-size: small;">t blogging pla<span style="font-size: small;">tform soon. <span style="font-size: small;">Blogger has just become<span style="font-size: small;"> a little insane to navigate..</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><br />
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<input id="signupTrigger" type="hidden" /><input id="triggerLogout" type="hidden" />Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-53448345040755008962012-12-26T07:18:00.001-08:002012-12-26T07:20:41.055-08:00{WIAW} Recent EatsHey ya'll,<br />
I'm participating in What I Ate Wednesday! I don't even know how long it's been.. Because it's been so long, I was not consistent with taking pictures yesterday. So I thought I'd just post some of the highlights from the past week. And yes, all of these pictures are from Instagram.. ;)<br />
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If you don't know what WIAW is all about, go <a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/p/what-i-ate-wednesday.html" target="_blank">here</a> to learn more about it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE5OCFhxNdN19yjeEQKzr-NHo5LExNSB13aXKfPBKwGH-ZOIoLRwQW9Kc4SrFwyhPaeuYqfk-BUL8UTGW2DYGD1DDqvRF5_7BOIK5WaxM3TUTYD1QqX9pMTbeOV8Lbv2ipoRLR9gKP2b5/s1600/27666f844e2911e2af3622000a9f17ea_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE5OCFhxNdN19yjeEQKzr-NHo5LExNSB13aXKfPBKwGH-ZOIoLRwQW9Kc4SrFwyhPaeuYqfk-BUL8UTGW2DYGD1DDqvRF5_7BOIK5WaxM3TUTYD1QqX9pMTbeOV8Lbv2ipoRLR9gKP2b5/s320/27666f844e2911e2af3622000a9f17ea_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of Salad..</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiN_rMh6o25UUJ71J5fEAa06JswxQXVOEjlRnc1gAoTnMWxWc1l6uGm1E52_g92f9J4pA2LYdgcSi9OjRQ2NOHxHrpSG9CKAXl6nUh8kJ3MN8bXk42TXeyp6YpOqqDppyvk7kkM2ND_LtX/s1600/2a9e853e4e1e11e2b38022000a9e070a_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiN_rMh6o25UUJ71J5fEAa06JswxQXVOEjlRnc1gAoTnMWxWc1l6uGm1E52_g92f9J4pA2LYdgcSi9OjRQ2NOHxHrpSG9CKAXl6nUh8kJ3MN8bXk42TXeyp6YpOqqDppyvk7kkM2ND_LtX/s320/2a9e853e4e1e11e2b38022000a9e070a_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edamame sprinkled with Tony Chachere's! Phew! That had a kick to it. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQLFFxS3c42ZC7PtSxb_SLXZ__bm7JqTkxarxH8p9_pbLYPfP-yCSGyuy5f2Ho_mIXhke7WB0olbXCaanENm6ArHGtB-fGJSpsFwQyL4JtIAX90dkpksTEX2PxmWQiLRU2LGzh9cs9qMq/s1600/470864204abc11e2851d22000a1fb71f_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQLFFxS3c42ZC7PtSxb_SLXZ__bm7JqTkxarxH8p9_pbLYPfP-yCSGyuy5f2Ho_mIXhke7WB0olbXCaanENm6ArHGtB-fGJSpsFwQyL4JtIAX90dkpksTEX2PxmWQiLRU2LGzh9cs9qMq/s320/470864204abc11e2851d22000a1fb71f_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious chocolate banana coffee protein shakes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtsuFhD4k7mSL0YhsYVgfgk0nzeOUy7tkb3AxVcjXiHbDAvGBO0SyqA5ZGiiGBDSis3PgupZCUWXdRqCw8R0-PQSeir1TzFIbt1UXHrlqhdc0E1ZQLvh_kN501FPevF3M36aSaASsFmvm/s1600/a9ea7de04d7c11e2b74c22000a9f1427_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtsuFhD4k7mSL0YhsYVgfgk0nzeOUy7tkb3AxVcjXiHbDAvGBO0SyqA5ZGiiGBDSis3PgupZCUWXdRqCw8R0-PQSeir1TzFIbt1UXHrlqhdc0E1ZQLvh_kN501FPevF3M36aSaASsFmvm/s320/a9ea7de04d7c11e2b74c22000a9f1427_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frozen spinach cubes for green smoothies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and LOTS of coffee to stay nice and warm. <3 td="td"><!--3--></3></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><!--3--></tr>
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It's been nice getting back into the swing of eating relatively healthy. I still have changes to make and a long way to go, but I'm getting there. I have an incredibly supportive husband who encourages me to eat the right foods.You can see my full daily food log on MyFitnessPal. I would love to see you on there: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/quinntendo<br />
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So there you have it, WIAW for the week of Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your families and that you are all staying warm and toasty. :)<br />
<input id="signupTrigger" type="hidden" /><input id="triggerLogout" type="hidden" />Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-18602676765831786132012-12-24T07:00:00.000-08:002012-12-24T07:00:10.773-08:00Merry Christmas Eve. (Motivation Monday)Alright, so I'm back! It's been an interesting few months.. But I'm ready to get back in to the swing of things! Actually, on a Facebook group that I created a while back, we are getting ready to start a 2013 weight loss challenge! How exciting, right? Well with a new challenge comes the need for new motivation. I'm realizing the same things don't motivate me that used to. Since making some major changes in my life (like becoming a disciple! woot woot!) I've noticed how even certain songs just DON'T do it for me anymore. lol So what better excuse to search for some new motivation than to continue Motivation Monday?! So without further adieu --<br />
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My top 5 motivators for the week:<br />
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#1: 1 Corinthians 9:25 -- Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.<br />
Yeah, I understand this isn't exactly talking about weight loss specifically, but isn't exercising self control when it comes to eating important? Isn't being disciplined enough to exercise daily (or according to a schedule) a sign of maturity in all aspects of your life. I can't very well be a disciple and talk about self control when I'm lacking MAJORLY in this area of my life. So boom. Big time motivation.<br />
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#2: T-Swift's We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.<br />
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For some reason when I'm "lifting" (struggling with 20 pounds) this song really pumps me up! haha and since I'm getting more interested in weight training, it's important to find the right music. Songs that are crazy fast and great for cardio just don't do it for me when it comes to weights. <br />
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#3: The splits!<br />
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I can't remember the last time I was flexible enough to do the splits. I think even in my soccer days when I was actually fit, I was never flexible. So hey, I wanna get that limber.<br />
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#4: Kutless - Strong Tower<br />
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An oldie, but a goodie. This song also motivates me when it comes to lifting. lol I guess 'cause it's got the word strong in it. lol And it's just a straight up inspirational song.<br />
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#5: This little nugget of truth<br />
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I'm only TWENTY! I shouldn't feel this miserable throughout my day to day life! I should be able to hop out of bed, run as long as I want, make babies, play with kids without being out of breath, and I just can't..<br />
So I'm gonna change that.<br />
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Well that's it. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and I hope that you'll all join me in making 2013 the best year of your life.<br />
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<br />Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-68204011631533141902012-12-23T19:32:00.004-08:002012-12-23T19:32:33.262-08:002013 is gonna be my year.New weight loss competition.<br />
New motivation.<br />
New work out plan.<br />
New work out buddies.<br />
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Happy (almost) New Year.<br />
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More to come...</div>
<input id="signupTrigger" type="hidden" /><input id="triggerLogout" type="hidden" />Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-63915843846401891062012-07-18T05:00:00.000-07:002012-07-18T10:56:23.805-07:00[WIAW] Carrot Cake Protein BarsIt's Wednesday! And that means What I Ate Wednesday :) If you don't know what I'm talking about, head over to {<a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/p/wiaw.html" target="_blank">this blog</a>} and see what it's all about!<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u395/plaughlin1/wiawphotobutton.jpg" /></a></center><br />
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Instead of documenting just one day, I thought I'd just show some of my recent eats and share a recipe with you guys :) So get ready for a lot of pictures! Ready?<br />
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Apple Pie Shake made with Choboni Cinnamon Apple Yogurt</div>
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Lots of watermelon</div>
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Delicious breakfasts!</div>
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Subway :)</div>
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Protein parmesan sauce pasta with split chicken breast</div>
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Mushroom spinach mozzarella chicken</div>
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Banana, peanut butter, and dark chocolate chips</div>
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And last but not least, Carrot Cake Protein Bars! (excuse the Subway napkin. lol)</div>
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I used <a href="http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/video-jamie-eason-carrot-cake-protein-bars.htm" target="_blank">this recipe</a>, but had to make them in the crock pot because the oven wasn't working in my apartment! haha they came out great though :) The only thing I would suggest is to cut down the amount of sweetener used. They are just kind of too sweet for my taste.</div>
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These are the ingredients I used.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbw0hgCdig6zymmPLHzr796t0_7HPX-V1ObDwLiFsCAsJgrmJAdV_ByPAy4mps2hYV95xoh7m2uYCINuSpfmbDI5xeFg7A0-odCNxTA8EQtUD7P5Yux2TgnJXkT0ItJf9aB2AfHEXJz2I/s1600/561083_4302634964916_2073011333_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbw0hgCdig6zymmPLHzr796t0_7HPX-V1ObDwLiFsCAsJgrmJAdV_ByPAy4mps2hYV95xoh7m2uYCINuSpfmbDI5xeFg7A0-odCNxTA8EQtUD7P5Yux2TgnJXkT0ItJf9aB2AfHEXJz2I/s320/561083_4302634964916_2073011333_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And a little of the process ;) haha</div>
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All in all, I'd say I've been eating pretty good lately! Lots of new yummy things and recipes. Let me know if you have any tasty, healthy recipes you want me to try out!</div>
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<b>So tell me, what delicious foods have you been eating lately?</b></div>
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<br />Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-79793559646192042802012-07-17T10:37:00.001-07:002012-07-17T10:37:25.810-07:00Chik'n Fajitas.<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't remember if I shared this on here yet, but YES! <strike>We</strike> I have started Meatless Mondays around here! lol Brent isn't so excited about coming home to all this healthy eating stuff in a few months. lol But I'm hoping he'll realize it's not so bad ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you don't know what meatless Monday is, you can check them out <a href="http://www.meatlessmonday.com/why-meatless/" target="_blank">on their website.</a> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2EZvWKv6PbXkBujRGP_e90gMTPFMz5b0JVlOy9RHUZiaCddHoKMCVqbGMuWsKw1vKxiUXkazXcZftLZJZ8o_39X1Gogm8zEHqUzf09lCvgtcC7I8tUvWdjg6xvg76C4DW0iCWhCdOf68/s1600/meatless-monday-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2EZvWKv6PbXkBujRGP_e90gMTPFMz5b0JVlOy9RHUZiaCddHoKMCVqbGMuWsKw1vKxiUXkazXcZftLZJZ8o_39X1Gogm8zEHqUzf09lCvgtcC7I8tUvWdjg6xvg76C4DW0iCWhCdOf68/s320/meatless-monday-logo.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Basically, they promote giving up meat once a week. From their website: "</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Geneva, sans-serif;">Our goal is to help you reduce your meat consumption by 15% in order to improve your personal health and the health of the planet." After looking in to the program and giving it a lot of thought, as well as doing my own research, I pledged to go meatless every Monday! I don't think it's any secret to my friends that I would really love to go vegetarian. But I think the leap and making it "official" is intimidating. I already strive to eat primarily meatless, and only incorporate lean, farm-raised meat. And I haven't had any red meat in nearly 2 months. I'm really not a "animal cruelty activist" or whatever. It's definitely sad how animals are treated to provide meat, but that's not what sparked my interest in eating meatless. I am really more interested in the health benefits for ME! As selfish as that sounds.. I just know that months ago when we ate primarily greasy beef.. I felt awful all of the time. My body felt like giving up, and I'm only 20 years old! I'm not ready for digestive problems this early on. So do your own research and think about it, but I really encourage people to join the Meatless Monday campaign! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Geneva, sans-serif;">Anyway, so Meatless Monday can sound intimidating if you've never given the idea much thought. But for newbies like me, there are so many alternatives that resemble meat enough to ease you in to it. Not all vegetarians eat tofu! One of my favorite meat alternative products are Quorn brand Chik'n Tenders!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Geneva, sans-serif;">I'm not going to lie and say they taste just like chicken. Cause they don't! But they taste really good regardless. They have a taste similar to chicken, but you're probably not going to fool many people. But if you're looking for something to try and ease you in to meatless meals, I definitely recommend these. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Geneva, sans-serif;">Last night I used Quorn chik'n tenders to make chik'n fajitas! It was a quick, simple meal that left me feeling VERY satisfied!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Geneva, sans-serif;">I started out by cutting strips of onion and green bell pepper. If I had other colors on hand, I would have used those as well, but I stuck with green since that's what I had. I tossed these in a little bit of olive oil and cooked them until they were just starting to turn soft.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I pulled out the chik'n and these plain wraps I got. I would normally use tortillas, but they were frozen. lol (yes, I freeze my tortillas.) So I forgot to take a picture of the chik'n cooking, but use your imagination here that I'm cooking the chik'n with the peppers. Most people take the peppers out with cooking the meat for their fajitas, but since these aren't meat, I just tossed them in :) The peppers continued to get soft and the chik'n warmed up and browned a bit. I didn't have fajita seasoning, so I just grabbed some of my mexican seasonings and tossed them in with the chik'n with a bit of water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the chik'n was done, I opened a can of black beans, rinsed them really well (always make sure to rinse canned black beans) and warmed them up just a few seconds in the microwave. the peppers and chik'n were hot enough that I probably didn't have to warm up the beans, but I decided to anyway. Then I put together my fajita! Black beans, peppers and onions, chik'n a bit of cheese, and then salsa and a dollop of greek yogurt post picture.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7A6uLUdXyqcwElXeRdRqL7NKBX2FwM-Dt_n0na6svXBfW2omc9fqrLGL3g-skA8B5gcOSh8CGtXR7r4tMm0GFuwiQugQy-a7Qr1pZec5JFv5R3ZZMzph26Z-I6wlcqeaYRccOAiIbAu9j/s1600/fajita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7A6uLUdXyqcwElXeRdRqL7NKBX2FwM-Dt_n0na6svXBfW2omc9fqrLGL3g-skA8B5gcOSh8CGtXR7r4tMm0GFuwiQugQy-a7Qr1pZec5JFv5R3ZZMzph26Z-I6wlcqeaYRccOAiIbAu9j/s320/fajita.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I just have to say, this fajita DID NOT disappoint! It was so good and very filling. I think this is something Brent would be okay eating on a Meatless Monday :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So this is just the beginning of my yummy meatless meals. I have many more ideas in store. Also, some new recipes coming your way (like carrot cake protein bars! you'll see that tomorrow) as well as my recent eats. :) I am very excited to be sharing this experience with you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>So tell me, do you or anyone you know participate in Meatless Mondays? Would you consider it?</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-36331376565547400562012-07-16T10:43:00.000-07:002012-07-16T10:52:19.043-07:00Motivational Monday!Hey everyone! How are ya'll this Monday? I woke up this morning feeling recharged, refreshed and ready to tackle the day! As I type this, I am about to continue cleaning, and then bake up a batch of Carrot Cake protein bars (more on this later). I just wanted to share a little motivation. I try to stay on point every day and find motivation everywhere. But there's just something about Mondays, isn't there? I often find myself fighting with the snooze button and dreading Monday. So let's make this an opportunity! Let's start off our week right with some motivation to power us through the week! Here are some pictures I found on Pinterest, as well as some songs that pump me up! Enjoy :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlU36fMOsjQoVH6_7dlRtH1dvVGBJA4SfQD_s5B9DlaBNVU-xCyo3aJTgmrI5LaPTKIlM_zg0Gn2M2A0jjKufxevjVMrDSgFd-6Cqh1yTG12D5RP3Dr8IyrepNqIj4sQqK8YcbSGt-L0uD/s1600/120612096240910008_nlTuiNMK_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlU36fMOsjQoVH6_7dlRtH1dvVGBJA4SfQD_s5B9DlaBNVU-xCyo3aJTgmrI5LaPTKIlM_zg0Gn2M2A0jjKufxevjVMrDSgFd-6Cqh1yTG12D5RP3Dr8IyrepNqIj4sQqK8YcbSGt-L0uD/s320/120612096240910008_nlTuiNMK_f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDboSocVe19eA5oc3PvPxWqChjz-MeHoUDnF9C-w6fNlwO1IrAtwIDNfIbjpOGL47G9N5aatazmmTzyjYU4bbgs7kZNE-z92LL6a3oUHzfUy4X8dvcazHVRLQmYX_iYqegKFhlNm3VCtI/s1600/103160647684931707_vB3uVg0P_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDboSocVe19eA5oc3PvPxWqChjz-MeHoUDnF9C-w6fNlwO1IrAtwIDNfIbjpOGL47G9N5aatazmmTzyjYU4bbgs7kZNE-z92LL6a3oUHzfUy4X8dvcazHVRLQmYX_iYqegKFhlNm3VCtI/s320/103160647684931707_vB3uVg0P_f.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
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^ Mmmm. I'll be right there, Ryan. ^</div>
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Hubba Hubba.</div>
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If you don't know about Kelsey and her story, you can read more about it <a href="http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/body-transformation-clean-eating-made-her-a-model.html" target="_blank">here!</a></div>
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She's all about clean eating. What an inspiration!</div>
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And then here's a picture for the not so faint of heart:</div>
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oops ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3reiPf3Vg2nNPCq58Sbw7Hbaxq9K7A9VtUzBa6kPnao1nnv5hXd9RZNrq1EvRSaqY5OWbS1O2IxjZLW5c1DqB2phcOwg1ktfRQP7yFp8oRwhNvIF4HtF0CB56vd81p73XCLzkdG_PcVw/s1600/44965696249833137_8EYcLcZ9_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3reiPf3Vg2nNPCq58Sbw7Hbaxq9K7A9VtUzBa6kPnao1nnv5hXd9RZNrq1EvRSaqY5OWbS1O2IxjZLW5c1DqB2phcOwg1ktfRQP7yFp8oRwhNvIF4HtF0CB56vd81p73XCLzkdG_PcVw/s320/44965696249833137_8EYcLcZ9_f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And here's some music to pump ya up!</span></div>
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Snap Back Swag Remix by Crizzly!</div>
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Rock N Roll (Will Take You To The Mountain) by Skrillex</div>
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Drive By by Train</div>
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Blister in the Sun by Violent Femmes</div>
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Shave It by Zedd</div>
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Those are the songs and pictures that get me pumped and ready to tackle a new day! I know, quite a mix. lol</div>
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<strong>So tell me, what songs make you wanna move?</strong></div>
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<br /></div>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-81104936927907582642012-07-14T09:08:00.002-07:002012-07-15T08:24:16.652-07:00Recovering.Let me set a scene for you. Imagine a sixth-grade P.E. class. This Friday they're using roller skates on the gym floor as some sort of special exercise program. It's supposed to be a treat. Imagine a twelve-year-old brunette with hazel eyes who is scared to death of roller skates because she's only ever used roller blades. She has no coordination at all when it comes to maneuvering with the four wheels spread out. How does a person even use these things? Taking it slow, she makes her way around the gym once. Hey! This isn't so bad! She is starting to feel a bit more confident when a group of rowdy sixth-grade boys, skating the opposite way of the crowd, rushes her way. In a panic, she tries to get out of they're way. But it's too late. One particularly large sixth grader collides with the girl, knocking her right smack dab on her tailbone. Suddenly all she can see is the fluorescent lights of the elementary school gym. She can't breathe. OH MY GOSH it hurts so bad.. In shock, she can't move. And there's the boy -- getting up and continuing his skate around the gym. "HEY! Ya big jerk! The least you owe me is an apology!" .. the words don't make it out of her mouth. All that escapes is a scream. Followed by several "ow ow ow"s. With the help of friends, she hobbles, in excruciating pain, to the nurse's office and waits for her dad to arrive and take her to the doctor. Several hours and lots of tears later, she finds out it's a tail-bone fracture and a shock to the spine. "I fractured my butt?!" You've gotta be kidding...<br />
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Fast-forward 8 years later. The same girl is sitting here with back problems she shouldn't have at only 20 years old. And they all stem from that stupid day in P.E. class. The big jerk didn't ever apologize, by the way. The shock to my spine left me out of alignment. Something I'm sure is fixable.. Its just never been addressed by a doctor, no matter how many times I tell them I have a lot of back pain. Because I'm out of line, I pinch nerves in my back ALL THE TIME. It literally happens at least once every two months. When I'm more active, working out, and stretching more often, it happens more often. When I pinch a nerve, the pain lasts several days and leaves me couch bound. This would all be fine and dandy if I wasn't trying to lose weight. This past Monday, I hit the gym. And it felt great! Got a great burn, felt all hot and sweaty, left with a big smile on my face. Tuesday I was ready to do Week 1, Day 3 of Couch to 5k! I'll just bend down and grab my headphones.. and bam. Pinched a nerve. Fell to my knees. Couldn't breathe. NOOOOOOOO! I laid on the floor a good 10 minutes before I crawled my way onto the couch. Worst timing ever. It really put a damper on my week and the things I was trying to accomplish! The pain made the thought of standing in the kitchen to make a meal sound like the most unappealing thing in this world. So I read a lot. Didn't eat enough. Obviously wasn't able to work out. Didn't drink enough water because that required walking. I felt like giving up, honestly. It would have been easier to order pizza and not worry about making my own meals. It would have been easy to get sucked back in to the TV. It would have been easy to just say F it. But I didn't! Luckily I've found some great support and they keep me going. Yeah, I was scolded for not eating enough.. but I think that's better than eating a large pizza. lol<br />
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So now I'm feeling better, recovered for now.. but I'm trying to take it easy and be cautious of the strain I put on myself. I don't want to be couch bound again for a looooong time. So today is day 2 of no back pain! Yesterday I did some of the Week 1, Day 3 C25K. But when I felt myself maybe pushing it too much, i went ahead and just walked the rest. I didn't mark that day as complete because I know it wasn't 100%. But at least I did something. Today I'm doing some light weight training (and by light, i mean like 5 pounds. lol) on my arms. Still taking it slow and easy. I'll probably go for a walk as well. But I'm really hitting the diet hard. My problem is getting enough calories! I managed to choke down a 400 calorie breakfast (PB and dark chocolate oatmeal) and a Luna bar so far. I'll talk more about these delicious discoveries later. :) Also upping my water intake since I used an ItWorks wrap last night! Maybe I'll actually see a bit of results since I'm actually drinking the correct amount of water! haha<br />
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Anyway, just wanted to update on how the weight loss/fitness stuff is going. So far, okay. lol I owe a lot of my motivation to friends I've made on MyFitnessPal.com as well as the Battle the Pooch facebook group I'm a part of. Lots of motivation coming from different directions. If you're on MyFitnessPal, add me - quinntendo :) Thanks guys! You're all awesome.<br />
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<b>Tell me, have you ever fractured/broken a bone? What was it?</b>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-25753895911086815992012-06-30T12:05:00.000-07:002012-06-30T12:05:19.933-07:00[Sweat it out Saturday] without the gym!Hey everyone! I know it's been like a month since my last post, life has just been crazy busy. Finally, things are settling down and I'm able to get back to taking care of myself and putting me before everything else. So here's just a quick recap of what's been going on, and then we'll get to the point of this post:<br />
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Alright, we moved to Virginia, spent 2 weeks in a hotel, 1 week at Brent's ssgt's house while he was away, spent another week at a friend's house, and then FINALLY got in to an apartment! I never thought we'd have a house again, and now I know, no matter what anyone says-- go with your gut. If we had listened to ourselves and got a base house from the beginning, this wouldn't have been such a hassle. Oh well, live and learn. :) Soon after we got into our new place, Brent deployed! So I had the pleasure of receiving our HHG and unpacking by myself. I am NO WHERE near finished unpacking, but it's hard to find motivation when you're the only one here and everything you NEED is already unpacked. lol But it's slowly happening. So far, I like Virginia. I can't really complain much :) It's a bummer not having friends around, but if that's my only complaint, then I guess I have it pretty good. lol<br />
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However, through all the moving and being without a home, I gained all the weight I lost PLUS some back.. So that was a huge disappointment.. and in an effort to do this the healthy way, I'm making changes and documenting them as best I can. I'm hoping that staying accountable will keep me from going on a binge or something. lol So part of my documentation is participating in Sweat it out Saturdays (recently renamed Sweat it out with Stefanie.. but seeing as how my name isn't Stefanie, I'll stick with Saturday :p lol). SioS is a celebration of all things sweaty! Posts will be about workouts I've found, quotes, songs that keep me pumped up, and ways I make myself sweat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXO20fpPmEDYsVFKv6aRELyGFeTBxQHmSN9gGopHb6rkMyXAw3QqGpfv-ybb7wpKrkTm3aXJe4ulpKJ-GQtfZWCLtrSP6wQKIXiIKRrm_0DNsvQ0CoJnG3OehRnu9S7yEHGhGjlz3D2BG/s1600/sweat+it+out+with+stefanie+button%5B4%5D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXO20fpPmEDYsVFKv6aRELyGFeTBxQHmSN9gGopHb6rkMyXAw3QqGpfv-ybb7wpKrkTm3aXJe4ulpKJ-GQtfZWCLtrSP6wQKIXiIKRrm_0DNsvQ0CoJnG3OehRnu9S7yEHGhGjlz3D2BG/s320/sweat+it+out+with+stefanie+button%5B4%5D.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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visit Stefanie's blog <a href="http://www.the-new-healthy.com/2012/06/sweat-it-out-with-stefanie-full-body.html" target="_blank">here.</a></div>
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Today, I'm gonna share my most recent form of workout. Since moving, I haven't really had motivation to leave the house much because I don't want to get lost! lol So most of my workouts have come from the computer and are performed in my living room. My favorite right now, is Zumba. And while I have the Zumba DVDs, I really prefer the YouTube method.<br />
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That link takes you to my YouTube Zumba playlist! All I do is hit Play All and follow the choreography on the screen. Take the time and make your own, follow mine, or search for others! There are several Zumba playlists and until recently, I just skipped around and followed random videos. Just keep in mind that it takes about 15-16 videos to make up an hour of Zumba. :) Don't make your playlist too short, or too long. I do this playlist at least every other day, but sometimes I can't wait and do it on my "rest" day. Another important thing to remember is to cool down after Zumba and STRETCH! I have a cool down/stretch song at the end of my playlist, but if you don't find any you like, just put on relaxing music and make your own stretch choreo. As long as you're staying active, working those muscles, and then properly caring for them after, you're golden.<br />
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Something else I like to do is TV workouts like this one!<br />
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This workout came from Tarlynn at <a href="http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com/post/25943321085/television-tuesday-workout" target="_blank">this blog</a>, but I know you can find these kinds of workouts everywhere! They're always on my Tumblr feed and all over Pinterest. Just look for a show you like, and I'm sure someone somewhere has a workout for it! And if not, make your own! :) These can be fun and not make you feel so bad about watching TV all evening on Tuesdays! </div>
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Although I'm not super motivated by quotes, songs really do get me up and moving! Sometimes I just can't help but to start moving when certain songs come on! Some of my favorites include <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTCkmvSwIjw" target="_blank">this one</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC0wp9p4aOg" target="_blank">this one</a>. And I REALLY like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_Hgzz0Ooqc&feature=related" target="_blank">this one!</a> I have a playlist on my itunes that has all of these songs and when I'm feeling blah and don't want to move, I turn this playlist on. Sometimes it's for the gym, sometimes it's for "lifting weights" (which, don't get the wrong idea, I'm weak. I'm not benching 220 or anything. lol), but mostly its for calisthenics. :) </div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">So basically, my philosophy for working out is</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">-get a Tumblr</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">-get a Pinterest</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">-get a YouTube account</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">-and make good use of your itunes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We don't ALWAYS have to hit the gym to get sweaty! It's all up to you! :) </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">So tell me, how do you get sweaty outside of the gym?</span></b></div>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-5533419856593305552012-06-01T19:30:00.001-07:002012-06-01T19:31:17.865-07:00Learning the hard wayYou know those times when people try giving you advice, and you ignore it because you think you have everything under control? Then you find yourself in a really messed up situation and you wished you had listened all along?<br />
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That's me right now.<br />
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I read up on how to go through a PCS. I listened to TMO when they briefed us on how it would go. I had a plan. But, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, The Universe really hates us and likes to screw up our plans. We needed a trailer hitch for the truck. Easy enough, right? We'll find one used. Nope. FINALLY found one brand new. $250. Went to install the hitch, Brent couldn't find the bolts. Called all around, and finally found some that fit the next day. Went to pick them up, and ended up finding the original bolts. Got the hitch on, and went to pick up our uhaul trailer. The electrical harness wasn't compatible. We'll just get one from Auto Zone. Nope. Wrong year. We call all over the place. Find one the next morning (the morning we were leaving Texas), get it. $50. FINALLY we're on our way.<br />
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We get to Virginia. WOO HOO! But now, we have been in Virginia 16 days, and still don't have a place to live. I didn't listen when people told me I shouldn't wait until our move to find an apartment. I was like "Eh. Apartments are easy to come by. We'll find something." Wrong. SO WRONG. I guess I didn't realize how spread out things are here, how many people there are, how busy apartment leasing offices are this time of year...<br />
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We had an apartment all lined up. All we were waiting on was a little extra money from our move to come in, and we would be moving on in. Well ya know what? They gave away that apartment RIGHT out from under us. So we were homeless, and back to square one. We managed to find a place that we both liked, was close to work, pet friendly, and most importantly, in our price range! But they wouldn't be available for a couple weeks. Now we are going to be staying with a friend of Brent's until the 12th, which is when we can move in to our new apartment! Ughh. It was like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.<br />
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The one thing I have learned, that no matter what life throws at us, Brent and I are strong! It makes me feel good that through this all, we're becoming stronger. We're relying on each other. Easing the stress for each other. I can't imagine enduring all this BS with anyone but my wonderful husband. We're living and learning. and doing it together. I am so very thankful to have him by my side through thick and thin. My best friend for life. <3<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VtpM0ka1NAhoWKukJtXMtFB1lIuyAvwqG6UbtHbeKGHJyYjuwNzD8y0VPqiKXdYbUAlXm-bV204htiGxzdzVyPbyfObF_WPUtyG9MvWdynGYLeiOHFFqPEw1S_xyO8Uk1Rp0jULpV_I_/s1600/brent_and_i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VtpM0ka1NAhoWKukJtXMtFB1lIuyAvwqG6UbtHbeKGHJyYjuwNzD8y0VPqiKXdYbUAlXm-bV204htiGxzdzVyPbyfObF_WPUtyG9MvWdynGYLeiOHFFqPEw1S_xyO8Uk1Rp0jULpV_I_/s320/brent_and_i.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-48807141374804339042012-05-01T07:49:00.001-07:002012-05-01T07:52:26.077-07:00April Foodie Pen PalsI know, this is late! I'm sorry! haha between packing and cleaning, this is the first moment i've found to just sit down and write out this post. (I'll tell you more about the packing/cleaning/MOVING stuff later!)<br />
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<a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/" target="_blank" title="The Lean Green Bean"><img alt="The Lean Green Bean" src="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/fpplogo.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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For now, it's time to talk about my new favorite part of the month. and that would be the monthly foodie penpal program! If you don't know what I'm talking about, take a little visit to <a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/" target="_blank">THIS BLOG</a> and learn more about foodie pen pals, what its all about, and how to join! This month, I got my box of yummy treats from Jane over at <a href="http://thehealthybeehive.com/" target="_blank">The Healthy Beehive</a>! And let me tell you, I am in love with everything in this box!!<br />
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I got a sweet card and HOME MADE chapstick! It's wonderful and lovely and every other pleasant word you can think of. I love that chapstick.</div>
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I have a new obsession with granola, and I am not ashamed of that. the ginger taste in this granola is a bit much as first. but soon.. it's addicting. And the Oatmeal is awesome! Seriously the coolest "instant" oatmeal i've ever seen! Maybe i'm just behind the times, but this oatmeal package can hold water and has a measure line so you don't even need a measuring cup. it's awesome. and I haven't tried the chia cereal yet, but I am very excited! lol</div>
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Okay, the Goodness Knows granola bite/bar things. AMAZING! Seriously in love. they were both gone the day my box arrived. haha my husband and I ate those quick! Also, behind the times, I had never heard of honey sticks before! Those are seriously too cool! I'm saving the Bee Bars for our trip across the country this month. So I can't give you an opinion on those yet, but if they're anything like the rest of this box, I'm sure they'll be awesome!</div>
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Thank you Jane, for the amazing box of goodies!</div>
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If you would like to become a foodie pen pal and get the incredible chance to connect with other bloggers through mail and food, be sure to click the button above! I promise you won't regret it!</div>
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Well that's all for now. I have a growing to-do list and want to get as much done today as I can! I will be back soon to tell you all about our upcoming events and why I've been absent! Thanks for reading :)</div>
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With love,</div>
<br />Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-91432638134121715192012-03-22T11:59:00.003-07:002012-03-22T12:04:14.347-07:00If you need some inspiration today..<div><span ><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A0G5J6aAVv0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Watch this video. More ShayCarl, but I just can't get over it.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">So much goodness.</div>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-73548966725736457852012-03-20T21:10:00.008-07:002012-03-21T00:07:59.490-07:00{WIAW} New FoodsHello There! It's officially Wednesday, so here I am to bring you this week's edition of What I Ate Wednesday. As you all may know by now, WIAW is a celebration of recent eats! This week, I would like to celebrate a few new foods. Because I am participating in <a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/">Lindsay's</a> Foodie Pen Pals program this month, I was able to try a few wonderful new foods! And I have to say.. I love every single thing I've tried so far. Anyhow, these are foods that I ate Tuesday, and I'm presenting them to you this Wednesday!<br /><br /><center style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u395/plaughlin1/wiawphotobutton.jpg" /></a></center><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Breakfast-</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViR1qAagA0fHoWscHCVrJc6kAY1JWiNZeTGAmoJJG5rD38hYHp9hAq7H1Bn8NNsFVy_MShvgPnWI-O_VwFWOESX3z5LgVUMnih04BCaxyLB97Jz6XBBcVT82nmfk_eFyz2YaZF4Sn40Ar/s1600/IMG_2796.JPG" style="font-weight: normal; "><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViR1qAagA0fHoWscHCVrJc6kAY1JWiNZeTGAmoJJG5rD38hYHp9hAq7H1Bn8NNsFVy_MShvgPnWI-O_VwFWOESX3z5LgVUMnih04BCaxyLB97Jz6XBBcVT82nmfk_eFyz2YaZF4Sn40Ar/s400/IMG_2796.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722199317235468482" /></a><br />White Chocolate Oatmeal sent to me by my Foodie Penpal (more on that next week), Leftover pineapple from a smoothie I made yesterday, and string cheese. It was sort of a thrown together breakfast because I woke up really late and needed to get my day started! lol<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Snack-</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUzU3B2uVuhYXRVFI7pxjeohRk2C0McdvsWMN-dOBADGfLnPcJmeVJTCasrmk78L0EDoCWex39pqaIZ5yi0s8G70qa21P6SPbT4lSX3syPf12Vhv3HNYgcANmak1D0R1r2w1YRe_7Wrqn/s1600/IMG_2801.JPG" style="font-weight: normal; "><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUzU3B2uVuhYXRVFI7pxjeohRk2C0McdvsWMN-dOBADGfLnPcJmeVJTCasrmk78L0EDoCWex39pqaIZ5yi0s8G70qa21P6SPbT4lSX3syPf12Vhv3HNYgcANmak1D0R1r2w1YRe_7Wrqn/s400/IMG_2801.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722200067863202962" /></a><br />I made <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/pico_de_gallo_a/" style="font-weight: normal; ">Pioneer Woman Pico de Gallo!</a> and it was yummy! I made enough to share with my neighbor, and I think she really appreciated that. :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Lunch-</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjS9Q4CAaY62VjEjY8GUCiagFpkVzi7oeJlHj8JQKbeFxLvnVJIk9AXi_PPKwKONhCc38dYmpvc9FLlNvTSsstMb0_7Git_8iUVQm6JrgdKIbICGOvFx6OvSX7BRMzStQbmci0hSj-2HkF/s1600/IMG_2803.JPG" style="font-weight: normal; "><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjS9Q4CAaY62VjEjY8GUCiagFpkVzi7oeJlHj8JQKbeFxLvnVJIk9AXi_PPKwKONhCc38dYmpvc9FLlNvTSsstMb0_7Git_8iUVQm6JrgdKIbICGOvFx6OvSX7BRMzStQbmci0hSj-2HkF/s400/IMG_2803.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722200779207322418" /></a><br />Sandwich made with a chocolate hazelnut butter (also from my foodie penpal) and pico de gallo with baked Tostito scoops. another lazy meal just thrown together. lol<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Dinner-</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxeE_f1TaD-m7fjRq8j80vgOt5xixI96vCpaXgAVdXX6XjLrGkaOkKbxAN7rshI0h2M1RUTZo6KtC9d0c8z5aMW7FFVx4CQC1hJaWHM1z6xuYk3QiO94YJRndl56jckqI8_vJ_xshUuwb/s1600/IMG_2806.JPG" style="font-weight: normal; "><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxeE_f1TaD-m7fjRq8j80vgOt5xixI96vCpaXgAVdXX6XjLrGkaOkKbxAN7rshI0h2M1RUTZo6KtC9d0c8z5aMW7FFVx4CQC1hJaWHM1z6xuYk3QiO94YJRndl56jckqI8_vJ_xshUuwb/s400/IMG_2806.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722201991551795682" /></a><br />andddd I totally failed with dinner picture-taking. haha but here's the aftermath! Beef and bean enchiladas. Delicious :)<br /><br />I also had a ridiculous amount of ice water. lol Tuesday's eats were definitely lazy. But sometimes you just have to be lazy.<br /><br />If you would like to participate in What I Ate Wednesday, click the button above to visit <a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/" style="font-weight: normal; ">Peas and Crayons.</a> Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you all participate in WIAW.<div style="font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div><b>So tell me, what interesting NEW foods have you tried lately?</b></div>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-338629291827482602012-03-18T17:40:00.004-07:002012-03-19T23:45:45.760-07:00Motivation?So the past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for me. My husband left for MOS school on February 23rd. He's training to change his MOS to Security Forces. So he's been in Virginia for close to a month now, and in that time... I have just not been myself. I've lost friends, neglected sleep, neglected the gym, and I just haven't been taking care of myself.. I was completely unmotivated. I WANTED to be motivated.. and some days I'd even have a little spark of drive to go to the gym and get back into the swing of things.. But it wasn't sticking. Well I woke up yesterday morning feeling extra guilty about the way things have been. So i pulled out the yogurt, said adios to Toaster Strudels, and said a big Hello to Jillian Michael's 30-day shred (although I would have liked to tell her a little something else.. lol). Yesterday, I managed to get through all of Level 1 and I thought my heart was going to stop. lol my legs were jelly, i couldn't breathe, and I just wanted to take a hot bath. But it felt good to be proud of something again. :) Proud that I made it through the entire first level when the first few times I attempted it, I stopped after like the first 8 minutes. lol Then today, I did it again and got through Level 1 with a little less difficulty. I was exhausted, heart pounding, but I didn't think I would die! lol So that's a plus.<div><br /></div><div>I think what sparked my motivation back up is Shay Carl. I know, I know. I'm a nerdy YouTuber. lol but really. If you don't know who Shay Carl is, he is a YouTubing dad who is probably one of the most inspirational people I know of. Using YouTube videos as a tool, he started his own production company, became completely debt free, and just recently lost over 100 pounds in a weight loss video competition. A year ago, this guy was nearly 300 pounds and would get winded playing with his kids. Yesterday morning, he ran a freaking MARATHON! Unbelievable, truly amazing. He is the kind of person I want to be. Someone who sticks to goals, reaches them, inspires, and knows that his life is on the right track. So because I want to be just like Shay Carl, I'm back at it! Workout out, eating better, and taking care of myself. :) I'm down a total of 7 pounds since I started this whole thing. I still have a LONG way to go.. but at least I'm doing it..</div><div><br /></div><div>and I'm going to continue to blog it all! Don't worry ;) Here's a few things you can look forward to--</div><div>-more thoughts on 30-day shred</div><div>-Shakeology?</div><div>-Foodie pen pals</div><div>and perhaps a few other nifty things :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you to all my readers, for caring enough to read what I have to say. And thank you to those bloggers who I can't seem to get enough of that always keep me motivated and wanting to do more. :)</div>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-54287961147084008052012-02-22T08:14:00.000-08:002012-02-22T08:28:54.817-08:00[FIRST] What I Ate Wednesday<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Have any of you ever been over to <a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/">Peas and Crayons</a>? It's becoming one of my favorite blogs to visit. :) Well on P&C they do a cute little thing called What I Ate Wednesday! You post a blog on Wednesdays with pictures of a day's worth of eats! It's popular with this community to take pictures of Monday or Tuesday's meals and post them on Wednesday. So here are my Tuesday eats on What I Ate Wednesday.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div><span ><center><a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u395/plaughlin1/wiawphotobutton.jpg" /></a></center></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDA08r7IWs5aG7YwLI1BAjkaFthqfyqkkoGwQTvh5IEZfZ_t9ceewGLRuQAOucRUfrr5imXU_ylOeJefx8YBZEYdvK4Aoae5KtdgtrNtFiPIo1OX2kX1yRuCqVczvjTfUbB1FwszZauk9/s400/IMG_2758.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711995012618196178" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95g1eFqPdb1Dz2zx3_dYhyjMiB9o9meLzdKEwagoAiAkQnEEtUJT-lzruvglmrCeX2wGLJ-rClxrqdOnwRmm_kUZm-PUwKyL-JmNRnspa3oxhjNDy7NczV4FRf-V0npewq2Y0jlGOT72l/s400/IMG_2761.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711995018596673954" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVG5tTeZ-5XgziQFKJDwsgDD854OfA8X3N2qSsq_IKx06psFumncZx4uGXIyJIrgT6ptHd1Ze3pBrK2fULIz2ldOpGEPAfwLr5VbwIW-mZIJI18bibBr4eoVOEYwvKGEZJktPbtMg711l/s400/IMG_2763.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711995027435747266" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span><div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXyn3xwnW9cj2jFFiL3gAEqZerAHR-B9pMmRdObSwGKHH5raJ5fM3jMCfGewb50ekenpE0I1rk5cBMM8OHUxrDs8alFHbeDfSKB5W2aGW6NhHDkmR5UJ-UpL0htyMt0G3BnhUR726lKdw/s1600/IMG_2764.JPG" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXyn3xwnW9cj2jFFiL3gAEqZerAHR-B9pMmRdObSwGKHH5raJ5fM3jMCfGewb50ekenpE0I1rk5cBMM8OHUxrDs8alFHbeDfSKB5W2aGW6NhHDkmR5UJ-UpL0htyMt0G3BnhUR726lKdw/s400/IMG_2764.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711995045169227218" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQMmMeUGDHhtQjBzuK7RQbaEKkCJwB6dw5S3rsr0vcWGrTR7sRZVK0h-gxhpeXFQW3tufjroM4x-x2MrH2Xdmfm6AwrLmQvvQlvDtuRMN759wTbqc-b0mHNeeCYHTa1IAZGWbBF1RoTAA/s1600/IMG_2765.JPG" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQMmMeUGDHhtQjBzuK7RQbaEKkCJwB6dw5S3rsr0vcWGrTR7sRZVK0h-gxhpeXFQW3tufjroM4x-x2MrH2Xdmfm6AwrLmQvvQlvDtuRMN759wTbqc-b0mHNeeCYHTa1IAZGWbBF1RoTAA/s400/IMG_2765.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711995049978210754" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Delicious! Now today is Ash Wednesday. I am giving up red meat (looking to give up all meat, but we'll see), and an hour a day of technology! Have a wonderful Wednesday!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What are you giving up for Lent this year?</b></div>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-11551624853640723482012-02-19T18:14:00.000-08:002012-02-19T18:32:42.960-08:00Lost chihuahua and setting weekly goals.So today is going to be 2 days of blogs in one. Friday was mega hectic, so I didn't get to post about my weigh in. and on Sundays I want to start making goals for the week so I can track more progress than just a number on a scale. So today is gonna be long, but good :)<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">Okay, so pretend it's Friday. YAYY! Get ready for the weekend. (haha, just kidding. Tomorrow is Monday.)</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">I weighed in and lost 1 pound. I decided on this blog I was gonna be honest. As painful as it is to be honest sometimes.. especially about such a sensitive topic.. I can't go through this journey lying to myself and to you guys. So let me go ahead and tell you, I was pissed that I only lost a pound. I wasn't surprised, but I was mad. I chowed down on Valentine's Day. I ate bread sticks, candy, creamy pasta with chicken, shrimp, and bacon, we had a large appetizer.. I ate way too much. And I woke up Wednesday morning feeling so guilty.. so I hit the gym. I was there an hour, and barely went 2 1/2 miles. I didn't push myself the way I wanted to because my feet were killing me. So I said okay, i'll go to Zumba tomorrow. So Thursday afternoon (after sitting around the house all day) I went to Zumba. And I barely made it through the class. My feet were still killing me! I have a high arch, and don't have arch support (I know, I know.. I need to fix that) and I have a history of getting stress fractures in my feet because of the lack of support. Friday, I didn't go to the gym because I wanted to rest my feet. Saturday, I was a little hungover.. so I spent the day sitting around. and Today, I did 35 minutes of Pilates. So basically, I haven't been pushing myself the way I know I can.. I've been resting too much. I WANT to do better. and I will. I just need to do it. So after being all sad about only losing a pound, I remembered that since I started this weight loss journey, I've lost 5 pounds. So I decided to check my handy dandy list and check what 5 pounds relates to:</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmp2ouJXs3leBvjDChrPP4HOFkl47onn1_YgimiWNOZnjvaRBrP9KPfiyVLUN5HNpWxI_CQJFLTpfaRGjgNBCfo8jFGcruK_AcIIs4mqF_BkaxRXpAd2TEK6q7Kild7Zx1GtN70JAuUgH/s400/howmuchhaveyoulost.jpg" /> </div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">I lost a chihuahua! Hollaaa! lol So I guess only losing 5 pounds isn't so bad. I don't have to carry around a little ankle biter anymore ;)</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">___________________________________________</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">Okay, so now it's Sunday. :)</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; ">I decided to set some weekly goals so that I can track my progress. This journey isn't just to a smaller me.. it's to an all-around BETTER me. I want to be healthy, smaller, fit, happy. So I'll just make a few goals each week to get me there!</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-style: normal; "><b>This week's goals:</b></div><div style="font-style: normal; ">-drink at least 100 oz of water a day</div><div style="font-style: normal; ">-spend time with my husband and puppy each day</div><div style="font-style: normal; ">-find something that will make me smile or laugh each day</div><div style="font-style: normal; ">-take 80,000 steps a week.</div><div style="font-style: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-style: normal; ">So next Sunday I'll post again and let you know how many oz of water I drank each day, how much time I spent with my husband and puppy, what I found to make me smile/laugh, and how many steps I took that week. :)</div><div style="font-style: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-style: normal; ">I'm looking forward to gauging my progress with these goals! I'll see you all later this week. </div><div style="font-style: normal; "><br /></div><div><b><i>How was your weekend? Do you have any weekly goals?</i></b></div>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-73528957947663606732012-02-15T13:55:00.000-08:002012-02-15T14:42:56.817-08:00Dancing Queen and Olive GardenHappy Day After Valentine's Day! :) Did everyone have a wonderful Valentine's Day with your loved ones? I have to say, this is the first year I didn't go crazy on the chocolate treats. My wonderful husband DID wake me up with a small heart-shaped box of Ferrero Rocher.. and as badly as I wanted to eat the whole box yesterday, I'm rationing them :) lol BUUUUUT, I did indulge last night. More on that in a minute. <div>First, I want to tell you about my very first Zumba class! Never heard of Zumba? It's like this:</div><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fWmdYmrIi9Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> </div><div>^^this was my favorite song we did yesterday!</div><div>(Have you all taken a Zumba class? If not, look for one in your area RIGHT NOW! I had a blast!)</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3i0vxb-8FTAjypVh2cwaRgBTPljwJ4CMQrg1U83scunxnHSUPEaXRkJgEwxqTwXeiyECUOjnzz1GjLmG4WPpRdsl4VkALRaTc8WmWDrMRcnx3vZC9G3DMsk56CCvicBLLLcq7_-3AP1h/s400/Zumba+how+we+feel+how+we+look.jpg" /> </div><div><br /></div><div>LOL! This picture cracked me up before, but now that I've actually taken a class, and I know how true it is.. I just can't stop giggling! Okay, I have a few things to say about my Zumba class, and I'll use numbers so I don't get all confused :)</div><div><ol><li>STRETCH! Okay, this should be obvious.. But I'm a dumb-dumb and didn't stretch before. See, here's the thing. I have irrational fears and an s-ton of insecurities. I didn't want to stretch in front of everyone because I didn't want to look silly.. I didn't want people to laugh, point, and stare. I'm telling ya, I'm irrational.. but somehow I thought me stretching would result in ridicule. So when I got to the gym, I stood by the wall, Facebooking until everyone started to gather on the floor and class started. And I am REALLY paying for it today. My legs and knees are so tight. I am sore and stiff all over. No fun. lol I'll know better next time!</li><li>I am so glad there weren't mirrors in that room. I KNOW I looked silly. The best part, was for a moment there I was thinking "Daaaaaamn girl, you can dance!" And then.. I started paying attention to how my booty shaking looked and realized No.. No I can't. haha But it's not about skill! It's about getting out, doing something different, and having FUN! And yeah, I had fun!</li><li>DRINK LOTS OF WATER - If you're like me, and just getting back into the fitness game.. Don't be scared to fall out and take a breather and drink water when you need to. No one knows your limits better than you. However, that being said.. TRY to keep going. If you can do another 10 seconds, do them. And see if you can bump it up to 20 before falling out. See if you can make it the whole song without stopping. But between songs, DRINK WATER! Everyone in that room yesterday was sweating up a storm. I know I was! And you have GOT to stay hydrated. Being hydrated in the key to healthy living. :)</li><li>HAVE FUN! Don't go in to it with a poor attitude or dreading working out. Think of it as just getting out and dancing with some friends! Don't look at the clock or worry about how much time has gone by. Just enjoy it :) </li></ol><div>Like I said, I loved Zumba yesterday, and I hope you all try it out soon. Or maybe if dancing isn't your thing, find another class to try out. I think it's important to make a schedule when it comes to working out and getting fit. What better way to adhere to a schedule than to take classes??</div></div><div><br /></div><div>____________________________________</div><div><br /></div><div>Alright, so after I had a blast at Zumba. I quickly showered and got ready to go to OLIVE GARDEN! I decided that last night would be this week's cheat meal. What better meal to splurge on than Valentine's Dinner??! And boy.. did I splurge.. We got an appetizer, I got a chicken and shrimp carbonara with a creamy parmesan sauce. holy jeebus, it was delicious. and chock full of calories. I don't know how many, seeing as I didn't even dare to look at the calories when picking it (It's a cheat/splurge meal!!) but I can only imagine. Delicious as it was, I knew I'd have to work my tooshie off the next few days if I want to have a decent weigh-in on Friday. (Crossing my fingers!)</div><div>I hopped on the scale this morning before going to the gym, hoping it'd motivate me. and it did.. I am +.6lbs since Friday. Now.. seeing as how I KNOW I've lost weight this week, and I KNOW I gained a whole lot last night... I'm disappointed I didn't see the scale before my Olive Garden indulgence. lol I know I would have been pleased to see a low number. But maybe I would have been even more heartbroken to see it this morning if I knew my pre-Olive Garden weight. lol I'm just hoping I can bring it down before Friday.. And in an effort to achieve that good weigh-in.. I'll be attending another Zumba class tomorrow :)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>How did you spend your Valentine's Day? Did you indulge or stick to healthy eating?</b></div>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-13146771351021041842012-02-13T18:13:00.000-08:002012-02-13T18:41:09.378-08:00No Excuses!I am notorious for making excuses. Until recently, I always had a reason why I couldn't work out or eat better. I didn't want to waste my time dieting if I couldn't work out. I couldn't go to the gym. I don't have the time. My bike chain is rusted. I don't want to walk alone. I don't have a dog to walk with me. I don't have a stroller to push around. I don't have a treadmill. There's not enough room to use my kinect or workout DVDs. <div><br /></div><div>But what I've learned is.. there are no excuses.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you have 20 minutes to spare, you have time to work out. And if you don't have 20 minutes to spare.. set your alarm 20 minutes earlier. YOU HAVE TIME! You don't even have to hit the gym. Here are a few of my favorite at-home workouts which involve calisthenics. Calisthenics are exercises designed to promote muscular tone using your own body weight. You don't need machines, you don't need weights. You just need yourself.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwGJW8w-X622F4f2Ez3j8tEIQ78zqA70G9MbZmOOn-6TKxGUQBFsCXfYpzhVYgZHXKeM0K5z_z26H98uU-TGJmwR5iBFVmewdN-O-v6hQwjd7JWanDO4fn-6KsERCacurTbCjKLcW9JQF/s1600/101753272800709755_fENQsshU_f.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 252px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwGJW8w-X622F4f2Ez3j8tEIQ78zqA70G9MbZmOOn-6TKxGUQBFsCXfYpzhVYgZHXKeM0K5z_z26H98uU-TGJmwR5iBFVmewdN-O-v6hQwjd7JWanDO4fn-6KsERCacurTbCjKLcW9JQF/s400/101753272800709755_fENQsshU_f.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708812651844512850" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzYOE4rEt28_DoXR8hEqG0nHBu38fs9mar8_iMv3FKfhNq3QrrJu5VA81iS6_BOV57lWMsUWQsa3DVCYdIVLQFdLr3bvslwMqTElwM1IMVB-oMWRpYgMas3X5Buyvs2ukBuPJlleUMXFm/s1600/181832903674902985_du9x2BMV_f.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzYOE4rEt28_DoXR8hEqG0nHBu38fs9mar8_iMv3FKfhNq3QrrJu5VA81iS6_BOV57lWMsUWQsa3DVCYdIVLQFdLr3bvslwMqTElwM1IMVB-oMWRpYgMas3X5Buyvs2ukBuPJlleUMXFm/s400/181832903674902985_du9x2BMV_f.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708812650075422722" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghA1yqtilpmR6ByYm9wPwtTKuKxaUZVCvHihUBfERCWf1kXEq-ajd4H-NwrMAp3Yc0dWSt7iVq4WiftkVBN5zteUtPYZvHuKV1HTz1mgluHvsMLhz6pC-sM6ChOeK_hdsfiiDSl3JWD6cv/s1600/211809988694611729_JUjKgIg5_f.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghA1yqtilpmR6ByYm9wPwtTKuKxaUZVCvHihUBfERCWf1kXEq-ajd4H-NwrMAp3Yc0dWSt7iVq4WiftkVBN5zteUtPYZvHuKV1HTz1mgluHvsMLhz6pC-sM6ChOeK_hdsfiiDSl3JWD6cv/s400/211809988694611729_JUjKgIg5_f.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708812642458052722" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuB3EES83kcsyDkGcEvpkvpoNypZz4Qblgmi2nAXWBaoKm-2FM-TuM2iCX4fCJiGJLJFRuRvgcFIn_cSkXa8_JuhZ9Hmf8Yi9Lp-biDMYAUEbVCl6RrMhoKrDUeVAcTxW5TV_rsny7l5O/s1600/digital+clock.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuB3EES83kcsyDkGcEvpkvpoNypZz4Qblgmi2nAXWBaoKm-2FM-TuM2iCX4fCJiGJLJFRuRvgcFIn_cSkXa8_JuhZ9Hmf8Yi9Lp-biDMYAUEbVCl6RrMhoKrDUeVAcTxW5TV_rsny7l5O/s400/digital+clock.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708812639930987666" /></a><br /><br />^^ This is my favorite one!!^^<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8rQmq4DGX-ej5jpYC0g9f6bHX4CEnWuILyyozuwMmmPOeBeUZ5QCVLPkEKbjw1VaZ4XwtspTJmkijVv56PdOcHRzuX4_MdbwJuH65AWxnoQGoWI3lEwHZ0Kl1-NCmGco5kD6zqoB1y7f/s1600/275634439663652382_4VvoGhnt_f.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8rQmq4DGX-ej5jpYC0g9f6bHX4CEnWuILyyozuwMmmPOeBeUZ5QCVLPkEKbjw1VaZ4XwtspTJmkijVv56PdOcHRzuX4_MdbwJuH65AWxnoQGoWI3lEwHZ0Kl1-NCmGco5kD6zqoB1y7f/s400/275634439663652382_4VvoGhnt_f.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708812640387878578" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTp5CIbOpo18wBXelu0RlN-bAmPSgoP4WyWsVhdyWV-bcmAOd7hRwDZY6-xlTaYSIQTM5uehjKjTPwkJFaFE_VKgQNB2iPWk2Q9hypJvZWFijN3kpjdeYMJxrVYPP0Y7jTCtjolHGdzeZ/s1600/49539664620917538_94aiah6y_f.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 359px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTp5CIbOpo18wBXelu0RlN-bAmPSgoP4WyWsVhdyWV-bcmAOd7hRwDZY6-xlTaYSIQTM5uehjKjTPwkJFaFE_VKgQNB2iPWk2Q9hypJvZWFijN3kpjdeYMJxrVYPP0Y7jTCtjolHGdzeZ/s400/49539664620917538_94aiah6y_f.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708813008217318546" /></a><br /><br /><div>So let's try to make less excuses and more progress!</div><div><br /></div><div>_______________________________</div><div><br /></div><div>So anyway, it's Monday and the start of a new week! Is everyone feeling refreshed? Motivated? I'm ready to tackle a new week! I know this one will be wonderful for a few reasons.</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>I got my thumb-lock wrist weights by Reebok in the mail today. I can't wait to try them out at the gym tomorrow :)</li><li>I am attending my very first Zumba class tomorrow! FINALLY I'll be for sure going. :) I'll make sure and post about it Wednesday.</li><li>Also, tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I actually get to spend it with my husband! We've been apart the last 3 years on Valentine's Day!</li><li>We're getting our marriage tattoo tomorrow!</li><li>I am looking in to taking an Aqua Zumba class! (more on this later in the week)</li><li>I'll be participating in "What I Ate Wednesday" (more on this Wednesday!)</li><li>It's my last full week with my husband before he goes to MOS school for a while!</li></ul><div>And that's all I can remember right now. :) I might also post about my favorite "fitness items" as well as post a fun survey! It's gonna be a fun week, and I can't wait to share it with you all!</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>How do you plan to make this week better than last?</b></div>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189119676968873087.post-69146782113527266962012-02-11T15:49:00.000-08:002012-02-11T16:33:20.684-08:00Taking it easy; Taking it slow.Alright.<div>So those of you who know me well (and those of you who sufficiently stalk my Facebook), know that when I pick up a hobby.. I kind of go in to overkill mode. When I was younger and learned to latch-hook, I wanted to buy every latch-hook kit they made. Thank goodness my mom knew better and only let me buy one. which I never finished.. When I played soccer, I played soccer 6-7 days a week. When I joined band, I was thankful that drumline required so much practice. When Pinterest came about, I spent hours and hours (still do some days) pinning EVERYTHING. I learned to bake, cook, etc.. and I didn't leave my kitchen all day long. Okay, you get the point. It's just the way I am. I still LOVE doing all of these things (except latch-hook. I think i've completely forgot how to do it..), but I learned to do them as a PART of my day to day life instead of MAKING them my life. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's what I'm going through right now. Once I started working out and eating healthy (keep in mind.. it's only been like 2 weeks), and learned that I actually LIKED it.. Well that did it, baby! I want to hit the gym, go hard, reach goals.. I wanna do it all. But because of this mentality, today I find myself sitting in my comfy chair, feet propped up on the ottoman, and pretty positive I won't be getting up any time soon. My legs are KILLING me. I've done some sort of walking/running combo every day this week. I've proven to myself that I can walk a 5k. I've braved the gym (two different gyms, actually) alone. I've lifted free weights. And because of all of this.. I feel miserable right now. Not saying that working out isn't <b>WONDERFUL</b>. Not saying I regret it at all. Not saying I'm going to stop... But I wish my overkill attitude had been at bay these past two weeks so that I could have been smart about this. Two weeks ago, I was literally sitting in front of my computer desk at least 12 hours a day... literally not doing anything. If I had a job or some reason I was REQUIRED to spend that much time in front of the computer, that'd be one thing. But I didn't. I was just lazy. lol I'll admit it. So for me to go from a complete couch potato to walking at least an hour a day.. it's tough on the legs. lol</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>So here is my vow -- I'm gonna cool it a little. I'm gonna take care of my body. I'm gonna have a rest day (don't ask which one yet). I'm <b>not</b> going to give up.</div><div><br /></div><div>____________________________________________________</div><div><br /></div><div>Other news. I completed my FIRST day of Cool Running's <a href="http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml">Couch to 5k</a> today. And.. by following this program.. I think I'll work up to running a 5k the SMART way instead of the Quinn way. That being said, I was VERY proud of myself today. I wanted to work out this morning, but didn't want to run in to all the Marines at the main gyms (my regular gym is only open on week days). So what did I do? Oh.. woke up at 5:30, hit the gym by 6. and let me tell you something.. It was awesome.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv18f65z_UI8r_r9qMm9azehE8LC0G25Yvgwt1dnRu64JYPSUZDoWabyZi-okLcth3iCLeHebO7FA-yAzp0Ji1Kd9b9RYcUq2Vg91lPKlXSkLjapguUAJTHiG3LtpDz0fee6WbJbeK1zFh/s400/AlYP2v0CQAAZC1l.jpg" /> </div><div><br /></div><div>I had the whole treadmill room to myself. Well.. basically the whole gym. lol I think there were 2 other people and then staff. Which was AWESOME. lol I quite like having the gym to myself, but next time I have a gym session that early.. I'll go to sleep a little earlier than midnight :) and BECAUSE I had the gym to myself, I decided to try the couch to 5k. I've been meaning to try it.. but I was embarrassed of the way I jog, how hard I breathe, basically the whole idea of it sounded mortifying in front of others. lol (remember, i'm a BIG girl.. shit's not pretty when you're jogging.. hahaa) but I surprised myself with my endurance. I lasted the full 20 minute intervals (90 seconds walking, 60 seconds jogging) and didn't puke, faint, or die! #winning.</div><div><br /></div><div>So because I was so proud of my accomplishments, and because I had started my day before anyone in their right mind should.. I hit up Starbucks.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-XhSROxw6ikaDKlxaWaf1djXvh22go5XHnt92xaKBdClB_nct83Jlsen8B4ydAxcwDPq7o0un1uhgm7CJJH_TF9mBnvZcLU2Epl8dKhJxSY_oTL-kCzTUzjsEND8FVNYGXTLuAA6M8HS/s400/AlYdxAiCAAAvjfJ.jpg" /> </div><div><br /></div><div>Tall Iced Skinny Vanilla Soy Latte. (only 80 calories, and <i>DELICIOUS!</i>)</div><div><br /></div><div>So I took my guilt free beverage home and started my day. And it's been a long one. It started early, was a busy morning, and a looooong, sleepy afternoon. I'll be making dinner soon, cuddling with the husband, and watching Breaking Dawn Part 1!</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_GsrPvqnL0RFT8CKuR4kN6MLDSY0jHJMEDQt7w-dz9iHhq3cBwrz43YDGu0J7UhgJtvie3XP6pKKyDu326T1TaotXvQiuIb7jt06Je69Xq2eXBEg2uq3pvTxUtG0WlBCxgAzqsCVWAaij/s400/AlaYlCqCQAAsnDG.jpg" /> </div><div><br /></div><div>Are any of you adults also shamelessly in LOVE with Twilight? (Bueler.. Bueller..?) Nope? Just me? Alright, cool. lol I love this movie and I'm Team Edward all the way! I wish I could have gone to the midnight release, but when the nearest Walmart is 30 minutes away.. psh. Not happening.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend and taking extra super care of yourselves!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So tell me, what's your guilty pleasure?</b> (Mine's Twilight. And Ferrero Rocher.)</div>Caitlin Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00219284231943151873noreply@blogger.com0