Days 157 - 159: A Happy New Distraction!

Sorry for the late posts! It was an eventful weekend!

Friday didn't involve nearly as much walking as Thursday, but I did use it as my day of rest for the week.

Breakfast was more Activia breakfast blends. I found another flavor during a short trip to Wal-Mart on Saturday, so I'm looking forward to trying it Monday morning.

Nick's cousin Jake wanted to meet Nick and me for a super late lunch/early dinner, so I only ate a snack during the day. This is the banana I smuggled out of the dining hall on Thursday...

I left work earlier than usual and I went to Tokyo with Jake and Nick where we shared some edamame, onion soup, and sushi.

OMG ROLL. Nom nom nom

Orchid roll! Double nom nom nom

And like I said earlier, I used Friday as day off for the week from working out. :)

Saturday was pleasant despite all the rain. I got to sleep in and I made myself some brunch of wheat toast topped with Smart Balance made with Flax with 1 egg + 3 tbsp egg whites. 

After brunch, I was able to get in 25 minutes on the treadmill and another 25 minutes on the elliptical after breakfast.

It's just easier for me to video my work on the

elliptical because it turns off when you

stop pedaling. I have to slow down a lot

so you can read the numbers, though.

This is the view I stare into while I'm running on the treadmill...

On sunny days, the pool is super crowded

And sometimes I can watch some TV while running. I got to watch part of the Aggie/Arkansas game, so that helped the time pass a little more quickly. As little as I'm into sports these days, I still like to see how my ol' Ags are doing every once in a while. 

Hello, blurry football player man.

So Saturday was a little out of the ordinary because I got to see my cousin Stacy and my Uncle Herbert! They were on their way to Louisiana, and Stacy had mentioned to me on Facebook that they had an electric piano/keyboard that they weren't using that I could have for FREE. So Nick tagged along with me, and we met the two of them in Silsbee to get the piano from them. One of my biggest regrets in life has been quitting piano lessons when I was little, and this new and improved Melanie is ALL ABOUT killing any regrets if at all possible! I truly can't thank them both enough for taking the time to bring the piano down and to meet me! Thanks for all the fitness tips and for commenting on my piano post, Stacy!!!! It was so nice to see you and your dad! 

After the piano excitement, I went out and ran a couple of errands. Before I headed out, I had a quick/light dinner at my apartment

Leftover chicken & veggies

Sunday morning started off with a sprint to my apartment complex gym. I have missed biking this weekend, but the rain has not allowed me to go out to the trail. 

I started out with a mile walk/run.

Not sure why the pic is crazy distorted like that,
but my camera was too slow to catch the time/distance
in time before it went away.

I try to reserve Sunday mornings for heavy duty strength training because I can grunt loudly all I want since no one else is usually in the gym with me at that time. I did 9 sets of 12 reps of various types of squats on the Smith Machine. 

Hi, I'm a Machine named Smith.

I also did some upper body work with 10 pound dumbbells before sprinting back to my apartment to drink this before showering and heading to church...

After church, my mom had a lovely spread waiting for my dad and me for lunch. She wasn't feeling well, so she wasn't able to go to church, but I'm thankful she made some yummy things for us. She made a Filipino vegetable dish and some chicken mechado.

Cucumbers, kangkong (I have no idea what it's
called in English) with tofu and chicken mechado

We also had some fruit cocktail with
some kind of gelatin for dessert!

We watched a movie after lunch, and then it was time to eat again! I just had a chicken leg with some rice before I headed out. I was able to eat the rice before 5:00, so I didn't break my new no big carbs after 5 rule! Thanks for all the yummy food, Mom & Dad!

Whew! I'm now all caught up. I shall go and play my new piano for the rest of the evening and hopefully catch the season premiere of Revenge! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

OOOH! And special shout out to one of my most loyal readers! Happy birthday, Mrs. Laura Furry!!! Your words of encouragement are always inspiring! I hope I've been able to inspire you, too!

And of course, I can't forget to promote my fundraising efforts for the Heart Walk! 

Please click "SPONSOR ME" on the image below this paragraph. I know financial times are tough right now, but any amount would be greatly appreciated! If you cannot or would rather not donate online, please feel free to e-mail me and we can make other arrangements.