The Recap - First Wedding Anniversary

PINTEREST. SAN ANTONIO.

Brian and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary on July 7! It's hard to believe a year has passed. Year 1 of long distance marriage complete. Woohoo!! HOPEFULLY we only have one more full year of the long distance thing. Prayers up! For our anniversary day, we spent most of the day in Corpus Christi because Brian was on the schedule for a morning flight. When I went to pick him up I gave him his homemade anniversary gift. My first Pinterest inspired DIY project success! It was effectively a jar that contained (1) Reasons why I love him, (2) Quotes about various things related to us, (3) Memories I love about us, (4) Songs that remind me of him and I, and (5) Encouraging quotes, phrases and passages. He loved it!! I gave myself brownie points for actually tying my present into the anniversary year 1 theme: paper. Pretty sure Brian knows nothing about anniversary themes.

DIY Anniversary Jar - Front 

DIY Anniversary Jar - Back

After some down time we went to an early dinner with another couple. What?! You shared your anniversary dinner with another couple? Uhhh...yes. While my trips to TX are for Brian and I to spend time together we also like to be social and spend time with our friends, as couples, so sharing a Hibachi dinner with friends for our anniversary was just fine by us! Following dinner Brian and I headed out to San Antonio for the remainder of the weekend.

I had reserved a hotel at Fort Sam Houston sometime early in the year. Not exactly sure why I booked the hotel that I did [probably because it was cheap] but when we arrived Brian could tell I wasn't thrilled. It wasn't dirty or poorly kept. It was just old. Old bathrooms.Old carpet. Just old. Fairly certain the hotel was/is used for barracks. I tried to hide my dissatisfaction but I'm not very good at that. Brian offered to change hotels for Saturday night but I told him it was ok. Needless to say I didn't get the best sleep that night. Brian slept like a baby. He has no problems sleeping in ugly or old places. I shouldn't have had an issue with this place but I did and it carried my mood the entire time we were in the hotel. Sorry Brian!

The next day Brian picked a place for us to go hiking, per my request. We set out for Eisenhower Park and hiked the long loop. It was a good time talking and walking. We got a couple good views of landscape but mostly just hiked amidst trees and rocks. After hiking we grabbed lunch and headed to the hotel for showers (and a nap for Brian). By this point we had decided we would head back to Corpus after dinner, so we checked out of our hotel a night early. From there we headed to the Riverwalk. The plan was to catch a movie, enjoy the Riverwalk and head to dinner. Those plans didn't happen. To our surprise seats were assigned at the theatre so the only seats left were in the front row. Instead of breaking our necks, we decided to forego the movie. Cue my attitude. As we walked the Riverwalk in the heat my attitude rose with my body temperature. My attitude finally subsided after some ice cream and an apology to Brian. I must have been hot and hangry. After my hot mess had chilled we ventured to the Alamo where Brian got his history fix.

Eisenhower Park

Eisenhower Park & Brian

After the Alamo we hopped back in the car and headed to dinner at Pappadeaux's. BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANT I'VE BEEN TOO SO FAR!! It was delicious! Brian agreed. We headed home to Corpus after dinner, cutting our weekend trip short by one day.

All in all I had a good time with Brian but in the future I plan on splurging on anniversary hotels and reminding myself to keep my attitude in check whenever I find myself hot and hangry.

Highlights - 20, 19 and 18 Weeks Out

Saturday, June 24 - Friday, July 14

JOB REDUCTION. WINGING IT. TEXAS.

I'm three weeks into prep and haven't posted a thing. Oops!! Things have been moving. My main job has picked up, in a good way! Bikini prep is in full swing and yet...I feel like I have MORE time. Why is that you may ask? Because I do. At the beginning of July I relinquished 2 of my jobs. I've officially stepped down as a personal trainer and cycle instructor. I'll still maintain my certs. because I think it's only a matter of time before I get back into them BUT for now I think it's the best move. It has been hard to leave my clients but I think it's time I make more time for other areas of my life, like my family, my full-time position and bikini prep. Last time I prepped I made the mistake of allowing too much on my plate at one time. I don't intend to make that same mistake again. I'm currently down to 1 full-time job and 2 part-time jobs which drastically lightens my load and helps my mood. Who knew?!

On the June 24th I thought I'd be getting my workout plan from my coach. Instead I got a questionnaire via email that stated my plan wouldn't be coming for another 7-10 days. I was slightly annoyed but then realized the fault was probably my own. Since I still had my old plan to follow, I used that for the first 2 weeks (20 and 19 weeks out). I ended up getting my new plan toward the end of the first 2 weeks. During week 3 I was able to follow the new plan, which actually only changed my lifting and cardio. My coach was fine with me keeping the same macros I had come up with on June 24th. Those were derived from the meal plan he gave me the first time so he effectively determined those macros anyways.

During the 2nd week I spent the majority of my time in TX visiting Brian and celebrating our 1 year anniversary. I was able to lift, without having to wake up extremely early to get my lift in before work. That was nice, but short-lived. I'll share more about our anniversary and my trip to TX in another post sometime this week. Promise.

RECAP:
20 Weeks Out - 6 days of cardio (20+ min). 5 days of lifting. Mood: Exhausted 24/7. Macros: 165C/153P/45F. Water: 1 gallon / day.
19 Weeks Out - 3 days of cardio (20+ min). 6 days of lifting. Mood: Excited. Less Tired. Macros: 165C/153P/45F. Water: 1 gallon / day.
18 Weeks Out - 4 days of cardio (20+ min). 6 days of lifting. Mood: Chill. Macros: 165C/153P/45F. Water: 1 gallon / day.
While weight loss isn't my current focus, I'm down 2.2 lbs.

When Will You Begin Bikini Prep?

SATURDAY, JUNE 24. 20 WEEKS OUT.

It's 5 days away from go time. I've been working out regularly and eating somewhat healthy. "Somewhat" won't cut it though. On June 24th, I'll officially be in prep. This also marks the 20 weeks out point from the competition I'm planning to compete in.


Different from last prep, I'll be following a macros regiment rather than a fixed meal plan. I'm hoping this allows me to learn how my body responds to the various combinations of macros. I'm thinking this will allow be a better transition into and out of the competition as well. It'll also allow me a little more flexibility than a meal plan. I'm excited to get started, excited to see the changes and even MORE excited to finish this prep ALL THE WAY THROUGH!! Money has been paid to my coach and all systems are go!

Where Did Your 2017 Cruise Take You?

Western Caribbean: Mexico. Grand Cayman. Jamaica.

How does time go by so fast?!?! I've neglected to post about this trip [or anything else] in over 2.5 months. My bad. Life has been crazy (in a good way). I promise to get better. Starting now.

In March, B and I took an impromptu cruise. 11 days prior to the cruise's departure date Brian tossed out the idea of taking that specific cruise...in 11 days. I quickly hit him with an eye roll and a "boi bye", but this was over the phone so he didn't see the eye roll. I'm sure it was implied.  A for effort on B's part BUT I'm a planner and 11 days to plan, book and prepare for a cruise is not my thing. Turns out I can be persuaded and wouldn't you know it's not all about me. GASP. After a day or 2 of discussions, B and my parents broke me down. Knowing the time B and I get to spend together on real vacation trips will be far and few between at some point, I reluctantly said "let's do it". I'M. SO. GLAD. I. DID.

B and I shared 7 days away from work [mostly] and our hectic schedules. We spent EVERYDAY together and it was well worth the money and uncertainty. B and I booked an excursion at all 3 ports. I'm not sure we'll do that again but it definitely gave us new adventures...

First stop was Mexico. There we went to an adventure park in Rivera-Maya Cancun. In order to get there we had to take a little boat to that area. For a whole 45 mins, I listened to my fellow passengers puke into barf bags. I'm a sympathetic puker so I had to plug my ears and clothes my eyes. Brian found this hilarious. I was not as amused. I made it though...with my breakfast still in my stomach. Once at the adventure park we went zip lining through the trees, zip lining into water, paddle rafting, riding on a dune buggy type thing and then more zip lining! It was a blast!! We napped so hard when we got back to the ship. Let me be honest though, I can nap just about any time. This just gave me an excuse.

Dune Buggy Cruising "safely"

Ziplining

Brian and Sheri - March 2017

Second on our agenda was Grand Cayman. There we did a Jeep Tour and beach day. We visited a place called Hell, drove on the left hand side of the road, tasted (and purchased) flavored Rum and got extra crispy on the beach. It was a relatively low key day. I know Brian was hoping for more off roading in our Jeep, but it was still a good time.

Beach Stop while on our Jeep Tour

In Hell w/ Brian

Last place we ventured was Falmouth, Jamaica. While there we visited Dunn's River Falls (gorgeous waterfall you can hike up) and went to a cultural spot and ate native food, watched dancers and relaxed.  As we were leaving Dunn's River Falls we had to walk through a market to get to the exit. Our tour guide informed us not to stop for people trying to sell us things, as that would make us lose the group BUT wouldn't you know my husband decided to forego that warning and stop and get us little personalized tiki men. So for about all of 1 min I freaked out thinking I'd lost my husband in this market and he was going to get left behind (because I was making the bus), but he showed up eventually and we can laugh about it now.

Sher aka Sheri Tiki

Our balcony view while docked in Jamaica

While on the ship/cruising we ate way too much, napped frequently, went to shows, worked out, and climbed the rock walls. We spent SO MUCH time together (for us). I'm so grateful B had the idea.

The Recap - March 2017

VACATION. QUALITY TIME. GROWTH.

March ended up being a whirlwind of fun! It exceeded and fell short of all my expectations. How so? Well, from my horizons post I wasn't expecting too much out of March: a few days of visiting Brian in FL, to take [and pass] my PMP exam, and to tackle spring cleaning. None of these things happened as anticipated...

I moved my PMP exam...again, due to work/weather concerns this time, but still that was definitely not part of the plan. If I'm being completely honest, I didn't care that much. I've got more time to study [and foster my anxiety...HA]. I'm mildly annoyed with myself for rescheduling but ultimately think it worked out well, given the surrounding circumstances.

I haven't done a thorough spring cleaning yet. I've managed to do some decluttering. Nothing major though. It's in the works.

Lastly, I managed to spend not just a few days BUT a whole 2 weeks and four days with Brian!! A couple days prior to my planned trip to FL, Brian recommended we take a cruise vacation. Sounded like a good idea, next logical question would be...when? To which he responded with a date that was 11 days after his proposal. Boy bye. No way in heck are we planning a cruise that's 11 days away! The planner in me was extremely resistant to the idea. Alas, a few pep talks from my friends, parents and Brian later I changed my tune. With 7 days to spare, we booked a 7-day cruise to the Western Caribbean and I'm SO glad we did. That fun adventure gets its own post though...


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Anniversaries & Flight Selection

MARCH 9...

...is a day for the books. It was a milestone in more ways than one for my little family of two.

March 9 marked the 1 year anniversary of the day Brian and I got engaged AND the day we started living 5 states apart. Yep. It's just as romantic as it sounds. B proposed 4 hours before I was on my flight back to VA from FL, and 1 hour before he had to leave for work. He's a man of many talents, timing isn't one of them. It was a bittersweet day, but an amazing one all the same.

Fast forwad EXACTLY 365 days later, Brian selected his flight platform on March 9, 2017. B found out that he will officially be flying C-130s for the the USMC!! C-130s were his first choice and I'm so thrilled for him that he gets to fly his dream aircraft. I haven't heard him this excited in a long time. Warms my heart to see his hard work finally pay off. I only wish I could have been there but the pic and video I was sent will have to do this time. Soon he'll be off to TX and I'll still be here in VA. The geo-bach timeline is winding down though...even if we still have about 1.5 years left of it!

Brian at his Flight Selection Ceremony (VT-6) 

On the Horizons - March 2017

VISITING BRIAN. PMP EXAM. SPRING CLEANING.

I feel like nothing new has really been going on these days. I work, workout, work some more, sleep and REPEAT. So while nothing new is currently going down, I have some things to look forward to in the coming month!

I haven't seen Brian since January 3rd, so we're due for a visit. In 1-2 weeks, I should be flying down to see him and I. can't. wait! While I don't know the exact date just yet, the plan is for me to fly down the weekend after he finishes primary flight school. I'm hoping for this weekend but based on the weather down there its not looking like he'll be able to get all his required flights in this week. If he graduates next week, the pressure is on me to decide whether or not to go. Why wouldn't I go?! Because the following Monday I take my Project Management Professional (PMP) exam and I KNOW I won't do any review while I'm down there. Brian says he'll make me study...yeahhhh right.

I've been studying for awhile to take my PMP exam, I've pushed back my test date a few times out of fear of failing, BUT I've finally decided to suck it up and go for it. If I fail, I fail and I reboot to take it again. I'm fairly confident I know my stuff  and I score decent on the practice exams but I still get anxious about under performing on the test. Regardless of the outcome, I plan to get my PMP certification by summer 2017. Pray for me!!

In March I also plan to tackle spring cleaning. This may not seem like a serious event to some, but to my organized, moderately obsessive self, it is. I'm looking to declutter and redecorate my closet and bedroom and provide these spaces with more organization. When I'm more organized, life is just better. Stay tuned for a post or two on how that goes.

What's Your February/March 2017 Workout Routine?

BEACHBODY WORKOUTS. JOG/RUN. LIFT. CYCLE.

My current workout routine centers around my current 2 goals: (1) Build muscle, and (2) Prepare for my May/June races; Semper5ive and Tough Mudder, respectively. Another bit about me...I thoroughly enjoy checklists and plans. For that reason, I utilize routines that are laid out for me with specific dates and/or schedules built in.

I'm currently in Week 3 of the T25 Gamma schedule. I complete these workouts 5x/week. Depending on my work schedule, I may double up 2 workouts in a day to make sure between Sunday and Saturday I get all 5 workouts in. Sometimes it rolls into the next week. Not a big deal (to me) as long as they never roll into a third week. I also do a majority of these workouts with 2 coworkers during our lunch break or after work. So while this is probably a part of my routine I could drop, it's fun to workout with coworkers and keep one another motivated.

For my jog/runs I follow the C210K app (aka Couch to 10K). The routines for the C210K app include warm-up and cool-down walks with run/walk intervals in between. The run time increases each week, until you're no longer walking at all. A week consists of 3 runs. I chose to do my runs this way so I don't get bored. While I can run 3+ mi now without stopping, I'd get bored doing that from now until my races PLUS once a run is complete, I get to check it off (in the app). #WINNING! On occasion I'll go off plan and just run without intervals.

 I lift 4-5x / week, targeting a specific area of the body each time. If I get a 5th lift in, it's either a second Leg day or a second Shoulders day. I'd say my weakest area right now is legs, so that's the one I SHOULD be doubling up on but Leg days are rough to complete 2x/ week with runs...& cycle class, for me anyways.

 Last thing I've been doing is cycle classes, and this is mostly because I teach it. I primarily teach once per week, and occasionally 2 or 3 times. I try getting to cycle classes outside of where I teach. Not only to get in more cardio, but to see how other instructors teach and pick up on cue and instruction ideas. Getting to other classes is a bonus though and not on my weekly requirement list.

So that's the routine for now. If I were to make a prediction of how this would change if I were in bikini prep mode, I'd imagine less cardio and most rest days. Since I have the races to train for, cutting/minimizing cardio won't be on my agenda until after June, at which point in time I'll OFFICIALLY start bikini prep, which will give me about 15-18 weeks of prep time (depending on which competition I decide to do). I'll update you the next time I change my routine!

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What Are the Pros and Cons of Being a Geo-Bachelor?

PROS: INDEPENDENCE. FOCUS. FINANCES. APPLICATION. COMMUNICATION.
CONS: UNCERTAINTY. TRAVEL. INTIMACY. COMMUNICATION.

I am almost certain there are articles that present research based stats/figures as to what the cost and benefit of living separate from your spouse are or could be. This is not one of those articles. My pros and cons are strictly experience-based, from my own personal archive of experiences. Feel free to share your own in the comments!

I'll start with the positive aspects of geo-bachelordom <-- that's not a word:

• Independence. The great philosopher, Webbie, once said, "I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T do you know what that mean, mayne?". He's actually not a philosopher. He's a rapper. The lyrics to that song resonate with how I feel about myself though. Maybe not ALL the lyrics to that song...don't judge me. Moving on. Being a married woman who lives apart from her husband has definitely engaged my independent side MUCH more. I can and do do things for myself and by myself more often than not. I ask Brian for nothing because I can physically and financially take care of myself. That DOES NOT mean Brian doesn't provide or take care of me. He does. He's a giving unselfish man *cough* most days *cough*, but I don't NEED him to do or buy things for me. The same goes in reverse. We're both very much capable of functioning without the other. That sounds bad, but it's true. Don't read too much into it. All I'm saying is we can handle life without the other's physical and financial assistance. Now if you're worried about how we will coalesce once we do cohabitate, don't worry. We will judiciously utilize the power of compromise. If that doesn't work, he'll just do what I say. KIDDING!! *smug sideways grin*
• Focus. When Brian is not around I am SO. MUCH. MORE. PRODUCTIVE. Now this may be a 'con' of the geo-bachelor life because I feel like I'm less productive when I see him because all I want to do is spend every single second with him, but we're in the pro section so let me continue on that note. My productivity is amazing when Brian isn't around. I workout more. I work more. I'm more focused on my work and completing tasks.  I'm sure this will change and I will be able to be as productive and focused as I am with or without Brian around, but such is my life now. I also feel that my absence helps him stay focused on his flight school studies. Primarily because I'm not trying to make him scratch my back or spend time with me 24/7. When I visit him, I imagine [and can verify], he studies less. In conclusion, I think my absence benefits his test scores.
• Finances. Due to the fact Brian and I both work, our finances are not stressed. We are able to operate our budgets separate from one another. All this means is we can sustain our lifestyles, independent of the other's finances, solely because I am working in VA.
• Application. This is a HUGE pro for me. I spent the majority of my life in school. The usual K-12th grade years, 4 years for undergrad #1, 2 years for undergrad #2, and 2 years for my Masters. All that time in school and by golly, I want to apply it and get paid for it!! My certifications in Personal Training and Group Exercise offer me "side hustle" potential so that I ALWAYS have options, but I prefer working in the fields where my degrees are relevant and applicable. In VA I'm guaranteed that ability.
• Communication. This is on the con list too, but as for it being a pro..our communication has improved tremendously. We talk daily and have figured out better ways to communicate with one another. For example, Brian is a terrible texter. I used to get extremely offended and upset when he wouldn't respond or would take 8452894382 hours to reply. He now tries to respond to my text or at least acknowledge them and I'm less offended because I know he's busy with work, napping, working out or he really is ignoring me but will apologize later. If I really want to talk to him or share something important I know to email or call him. On the other end, I used to fall asleep on the phone or zone out and not listen to him. That irked him, and rightfully so. He now knows the signs of my tiredness and I know it's best to speak for only 5 min even if I wish we could talk longer. Quality over quantity on that one. It's not exact rocket science, but it's helped make each of us more excepting of how the other best communicates and remains engaged. I still get annoyed at times as does he, but we're growing our communication skills and that's a beautiful thing.

Moving on to the drawbacks of this lifestyle:

• Uncertainty. I'm typically never certain of the next time we'll see each other. We try to make it happen as often as possible but it really hinges on when I have enough saved up leave to get away OR he gets approval. It's one of the biggest issues we face when trying to see one another. We make it work, but it's proven extremely difficult to navigate a couple times.
• Travel. Now B and I both enjoy traveling BUT paying to see one another gets old after awhile. Especially flying in/out of Pensacola, FL. Small airport = bigger price tag to get/leave there. We do it and it doesn't kill us but it'll be nice when we don't have to fork out that money to see one another.
• Intimacy. I'm not going into excess detail here, but this encompasses more than just physical intimacy, people. It's emotional intimacy as well. Lucky for us, neither of us ranks 'Physical Touch' extremely high on our Love Language totem poles. If that were the case, I imagine this lifestyle would be harder to manage. It is hard not being able to be as intimate with one another as we'd like. I'm sure you can relate if you have a significant other that you haven't been able to see or touch in awhile. It's hard to not be able to hug or cuddle when all you know the other one needs is some reassurance more than just words over the phone. For us, touch is an automatic conflict diffuser/defuser?! It doesn't make the conflict go away but it does help soften us each up so that we're better able to communicate through the conflict. For example (and this is a VERY trivial one), Brian accidentally dried my LulaRoe leggings in the dryer. If you have LLR leggings and have done this before, you know this takes away the buttery feeling that makes them so well-loved. I know he didn't mean to mess them up, he didn't know any better, he was trying to help by doing the laundry AND he apologized, but I still mentally wanted to roundhouse kick him...Mortal Combat style. He then hugged me and gave me a kiss on the forehead. IMMEDIATELY, all I mentally wanted to do is flick him in the Adam's apple. Conflict defused. He still owes me a pair of leggings though. I haven't forgotten, Brian Edward.  Also violence is never the answer. I don't condone it. I'm just speaking my truths here. I realize I mentally overreacted. I do that sometimes.  
• Communication. While our communication has gotten better, it's not perfect. Text messages don't convey tone and phone calls don't convey body language. I MUCH prefer face to face communication with B, but it's not possible often, even when we try. We primarily talk when one or the other is driving too/from work or at night. Brian prefers to stay up late and sleep in. I opt for the 4 am wake up and 9 pm bedtime. While we only have an hr time difference, it matters. In the year that we've been living in separate states, I can count on one hand the amount of times we've done Skype/Google Hangout sessions. The struggle is real. Not THAT real, but I mean it's really annoying sometimes.  

So for us, the pros outweigh the cons. I didn't get Brian's opinion on this so he or I will comment those below sometime soon. Again, feel free to comment with your own experiences, advice and tips. I'd love to hear them!!

 

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Why Don't You Live With Your Husband?

VALUE. OPPORTUNITY. PURPOSE.

If I had a dollar for every time someone directly or indirectly asked me this question...I'd have thousands of dollars. JK. Only hundreds, but you get my point.

WARNING: You may not agree with what I'm about to say on this question, that's fine. When reading, please remember this is why I don't live with my husband. Everyone is different and one size doesn't fit all. I mean no offense. <3

 

When Brian and I first started dating almost 6 years ago, I had 2 jobs. Since then I haven't had less than 2. Max has been 5, with the average being 3. I don't take for granted being able to work or being able to work multiple jobs. I enjoy being able to financially provide for all my needs and some of my wants. I find value in the work that I'm doing. Most importantly, I feel my jobs provide a greater purpose for the skills I've acquired through school and past experiences, in and outside of my work environments.

Remaining in VA to work within my career field will [hopefully] afford me greater opportunities for career-specific work when I do finally live with Brian. That is one of the primary reasons I remain where I am. I don't, at present, see myself as someone who will be ok NOT working and I'm not on the stay-at-home mom train right now either. For us, Brian included,  having the opportunity for me to continue my career wherever we are stationed is important. I am aware that this may not be possible at some point. All I can and will do is everything in my power to make sure I've capitalized on all career-specific opportunities afforded to me until then.

I realize most people harbor good intentions when telling me why I should live with Brian, but I still find it ironic. The irony comes from the assumption that I can't fully support my husband and foster our marriage without being in the same physical location. As a military spouse I think it's even more important to be able to manage your family and support one another while apart. That'll be the nature of our relationship moving forward, especially as a pilot's wife. At least that's what I've been told.  He WILL be gone throughout our marriage. During those times I don't plan to let it [figuratively] separate my family, tear apart our marriage or minimize my support for him. So why can't choosing to live apart mean the same?

That's just my take on things though. When I asked Brian for his POV on why we live apart he gave me the short and sweet Brian version:

 

1. You wouldn't he happy here doing nothing.

2. You deserve to pursue your dreams too. As your partner, I should do what I can to make that happen.

3. You went to school for a reason. Use those degrees.

Love that man of mine. All in all, B and I are satisfied with our decision to live apart. We're both able to pursue our career endeavors and support each other and our marriage along the way. It's not easy, there are definitely pros and cons to the geo-bachelor life (I'll share those next week), but it is worth it...to us...for now.


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How Was Whole30?

REFRESHING. AN IDEAL RESET.

Today I finish up my second round of Whole30. The first time I completed Whole30 was August/September 2016. Back then it seemed like more of a chore. I think that was because I didn't know what to expect and I anticipated each day with the W30 road map. It was fun and delicious but getting to day 30 seemed so hard. Not this time. I simply planned my meals/snacks ahead, ate what I had and kept it moving. If it hadn't been for MyFitnessPal app telling me my logging streak (I started tracking my food consistently on W30 - Day 1), I wouldn't have known which day was which!

This time around it was significantly easier to manage. The most challenging part seemed to be making sure when I went out with friends I did my research before hand. Luckily, all of the friends I ate out with during this round were nice enough to go to places where it was easiest for me to piece together a W30 compliant meal. Like round one, my energy has significantly improved and I feel better when completing workouts. I have noticed my skin is and my mood is...well I'm still moody. Lol.

I did have one unintentional slip this round. On Super Bowl Sunday, Day 28, I had ribs with sugar on them!! It wasn't until after I ate them that I knew they had sugar on them. My cousin made BBQ ribs but he made some just with the rub (no BBQ sauce) for me. I didn't even ask what was in the rub because I automatically assumed it was all dry seasoning ingredients and that sugar was in the BBQ sauce and ONLY the BBQ sauce. I was wrong and he was overly apologetic. Lol. That night I paid for it with a headache but accidents happen and I don't consider this round a loss because of it. [Though by W30 standards you are supposed to restart from Day 1 after a slip up. I do realize this.]

So what's next for my diet? Well I'm not quite at the point where I want to begin my "bikini prep diet", primarily because I want to see how I manage formulating an ideal diet on my own. I'm highly interested in following a macro diet for this bikini prep so I'm looking to give that a try for now. Right now my goal  is to increase muscle mass. That means I'll need to increase my protein intake. I need to do more research before I decide my starting macro numbers but that's where I plan to take it from here! Until I figure that out, I'll stick with W30/paleo compliant meals and snacks. I'll be giving myself SOME flexibility: one cheat meal / week. But I'm not flying off the deep end. I'm pleased with how far I've come and I don't want to go backwards. Not to mention, working out after eating junk food IS. THE. WORST. All in all I'm happy with where this round of W30 has taken me and where I'm going from here!

Feel free to share if you have any tips on beginning a IIFYM diet.

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What's It Like Being a Marine's Wife?

DIFFERENT FOR EVERY SPOUSE. NORMAL. EXCITING.

 

This is the only wife I've been, so I don't know any different. Brian and I will have been married 7 months on Feb. 7th. During that time we've been what one familiar with military slang would call "geo-bachelors". This simply means we live in separate places, geographical bachelors. For us that means one of us lives in VA and the other in FL. This is our normal. I could tell you it's the worst thing ever and I can't live without Brian but I'd be lying. We both have chosen to fully support one another in our career endeavors. At present, those endeavors leave us 1000 mi apart. While I do wish I saw him much more often and we were together in OUR home, I can't minimize the value living apart has given us. Brian is able to focus on flight school fully with minimal distractions from me [most days]. I am able to focus on my career as well, gaining as much experience as I can in my respective fields until it comes time for me to make the move with him. When's that? Best estimate: 1 to 1.5 years from now OR when he gets a permanent duty station, whichever comes first. So we embrace it, live it, and make it work to the best of our abilities. What we've chosen to do isn't for everyone, but we're both truly invested in making it work, so it does.

 

Living apart means planning trips to see one another. Those usually tend to fall around holidays or gaps in either of our work schedules. Sometimes they can be random, but more often than not they are planned in advance. So far the longest we've gone without visiting one another has been 3 months. Not terrible when you look at our future options, but it was difficult at the time. I love my trips to FL though. I get to see B in his element and socialize with lovely pilots' spouses. It's all fun and games (plus catching up on sleep), so it feels more like vacation than anything.
 

Paintball in Pensacola, FL

I love the Marine community I've experience thus far! I live close to a Marine base in VA and recently started volunteering with the L.I.N.K.S. program there. The program is essentially an intro to the Marine Corps lifestyle and that specific base. I met two of my closest milspouse friends through the L.I.N.K.S. course I took in July '16, so it only felt right to share that experience moving forward. I also feel through immersing myself in the Marine community now I can better understand my husband when it comes to Marine Corps demands. So far, so good in that respect. I'm still on the Marine Corps acronym struggle bus, but I'm getting there! There's a lot to this lifestyle that I've yet to learn and understand but I'm excited to take this journey with B and I love being his wife!!

 

USMC Birthday Ball - Nov. 2016

 

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Where Has the Time Gone?

I HAVE NO IDEA!
 

It has been approximately a year and 3 months since my last post. For real?! For real! I've been contemplating getting back on the keys (READ: back to blogging) for awhile but just never made it happen. Alas, here I am and ready to post away through 2017! Many things have changed since my last post. Let's see...I graduated with my Master's in Systems Engineering, I work 5 jobs (1 FT, 4 PT), and I also [finally] got engaged, married (and renewed my vows...I'll explain later) to B!! It's been a heck of a year and some change!



Vow Renewal w/ B - Dec. 2016 (M Harris Photography)

 



What hasn't changed? My desire to compete. I STILL want to give it a shot, which means starting back at square 1.5 because I have regressed physically. During summer 2016 I weighed more than I ever have in my life, so that was a downer. Pleased to say I've managed to get back on track and drop into a healthier weight but I've got a ways to go until I'm bikini competition ready. 

 

I decided to make a change in January, I began a routine consisting of Whole30, 4 lift sessions per week and T25. I've managed to keep it up for the past month and plan to pick it up a notch later this month. By no means did I jump into bikini prep mode right away. My plan is to get my health / lifestyle / mindset back on track before I begin officially prepping. Feel free to follow along as I figure it out [again] all while navigating this milspouse job-filled life I've got!

 

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The Decision

HERE IT GOES...


Over the past month I had been fighting the urge to make a decision on whether or not to compete. I whole-heartedly believed I could tackle work, school and competition prep at the same time. Turns out I can, but not well or safely. The first two weeks of October I worked 60 hrs / week. That was just the nature of the beast at the time due to the overwhelming need to hire new staff. It was definitely NOT a norm I was accustomed to, nor one that I expected. I was still meeting my workout requirements, which averaged out to be 3 hours of gym time / day and I was functioning well enough in my two grad school courses. I was doing what I thought I needed to do, but it wasn't helping matters any. Sleep was almost nonexistent, headaches became an every day occurrence and my overall health, body and mind started to deteriorate.

This past weekend I made the decision to NOT compete on November 14. It still sucks even talking about it now because I still want to compete so badly. Knowing the state of my body and mind after those two weeks, the progress I've made this year and the effects of my actions on others, I realize it was neither safe nor smart for me to continue for this competition. That being said, I will be competing in 2016 and will continue to train with my coach until then. Guess that means this blog stays around a little longer. =P

FUN FACT: I ordered my custom made competition suit 10 days before I made the decision to not compete this year. Today I get an update on its progress. Bittersweet. BUT if you have any doubts on whether or not I will actually compete in 2016, Google the average bikini competition suit price...Ha. I'm competing. Trust me on this one. The question isn't if I'll compete...simply, when?

Highlights - Week 7

Sunday, September 27 - Saturday, October 3

LIMBO. FALL WEDDING SEASON.

Ohhhh Week 7. The week I've been most nervous about for quite some time because it comes before Week 6. Dun. Dun. Dunnnnn. You know what I found out though...Week 6 is NOT the end all be all deadline. Well. Kind of. So at the end of week 7 my coach informed me that I still have a lot of time left. A LOT OF TIME LEFT?! Coach say what?! I'm over here freaking out and my coach thinks I have a lot of time. Hmmmm. OK. I mean, he would know, right? He's the expert! So I shall take his word for it. He said it is too soon to tell if I am ready to compete or not, BUT this is a step in the right direction. He didn't flat out tell me I wouldn't be ready or I'm too far behind, so I'm hopeful. I have time. I can do this. Woosah. I'm in limbo at the moment. I may compete (if I'm ready). I may not compete. I shall just continue to do my best and see what happens!!

What did end up happening though was I was put in contact with my coach's wife (second half of the coaching team) to begin work on ordering my bikini!! Details to come in Week 6. So exciting though! I think this was the first time I came to realize I will be wearing the least amount of clothing I've EVER worn in front of complete strangers. I'd like to think I'm generally a modest person when it comes to attire, so this is definitely outside of my norm / comfort zone but I'm going for it!! I'm so pumped and terrified!

The end of week 7 also kicked off the start of the Fall Wedding season. I love weddings! Brian and I attended a wedding for one of his friends in Charlottesville. The weather was cool and rainy, but the wedding, reception and bride were beautiful. It was a good time and a nice break away from the norm. The food was really good as well. I tried not to crash and burn my diet on that one. I think I did well enough. No mini delicious burgers or chicken and waffle bites for me. I must confess I wanted to body slam Brian when he asked if I wanted one. I didn't though. Not proper wedding etiquette. I'm sure he meant well. He'd know better if I was more consistent, so I'll take responsibility for that one. I'm rambling. I digress. In summary, CONGRATS Rachel & Rob!! Jessica and Rashad are up next in 2 weeks. Yay for fall wedding season!!

At the Wedding Reception w/ Brian

Highlights - Week 8

Sunday, September 20 - Saturday, September 26

CONSISTENCY YIELDS RESULTS. TURNOVER. MIRACLE NOODLES. GRANDPA'S 80TH!

Sorry for the delay. Life got a bit hectic in Week 7, which delayed me posting Week 8 Highlights. No fears! I'm back in the blog game...

This week's consistency was on point! Yay! Lucky for me it showed. My coach was pleased with my progress and life was good, so yay for that. Still grinding it out because at Week 6 comes the final decision. Eeek! Can you tell I'm nervous?!? But I digress...for now.

Work is on level 1000 at the moment. My graduate assistant position has experienced A LOT of turnover this week. Thanks to that we'll be hiring new fitness attendants to work in our facilities! Yayyyyyy! Right?! Kinda of. Hiring is a LONG process, of which I am in charge. In the meantime, while we are hiring new attendants, all unassigned shifts are falling to the coverage of myself, the other grad assistant and the office assistant. We have a pretty solid plan worked out, BUT it generally means more hours of work. We'll manage! I can't deny that it is a bit overwhelming at times though. Oh well! All part of the job.

Awhile back I found out about these 0 calorie "noodles" called Miracle Noodles. Figured I'd give them a try and see how it went. Loved them! They don't taste like anything on their own. They take on the flavor of whatever seasoning/marinade/dressing you add to them. I'm not sure if it's a mind trick or not, but it helps me feel like I'm eating more while having a minimal effect on my caloric intake, which makes me happy. I chalk that up to a meal plan win!! I've ordered enought to last me the remainder of my prep. I'm oh so serious.

Favorite part of Week 8 was my Grandpa's 80th birthday dinner on Saturday!! I still can't believe he is 80. He looks so good for his age (see below if you think I tell lies)! Love that man so much!! <3 The whole family celebrated at my grandparent's house with dinner and cake.

Always a good time when my family gets together. We even enjoyed a friendly game of Guesstures, in which my team won. That was to be expected. I don't joke when it comes to games. Go hard or go home!! I'm kidding...no I'm not.



The winning Guesstures team!!

Highlights - Week 9

Sunday, September 13 - Saturday, September 19

RESOLVE / MOTIVATION.

This week was fairly a blur. Everything was happening, but nothing was getting done. I realize that potentially makes no sense, but that is exactly how I felt in Week 9. I was definitely going through the motions for everything: work, school, workouts. I muddled through my lifiting and cardio sessions and remained on track 95% of the time with my diet. Just another "OK" week in terms of prep.

The true hammer during Week 9 was the text from my competition coach letting me know I needed to pick it up. My progress has been good, but it was by no means where it needed to be for this stage in the game. I was a bit discouraged, but I knew I was to blame with my "mini cheats" and reduced cardio sessions (in terms of minutes). My coach challenged me to make a change, and SO towards the end of Week 9, I decided I needed to find my motivation. I've started giving myself weekly goals, prioritizing my weekly tasks and really challenging myself to do what it is I said I wanted to do. My diet and workouts have changed up  this week and so far Week 8 has been going great!! Guess you'll have to wait and see why though...

3 Week Bikini Prep Update

Now comes the part where I share my embarrassing progress pictures. I've been somewhat dreading this post, which is part of the reason why I've chosen to post progress updates every 3 weeks, instead of every 2 or 1. =) BUT I promised to keep it real and share it all, so here it is...

Over the past 3 weeks I've been doing alright with my bikini prep. Not perfect, but not terrible. Not amazing, but not bad. That's mostly related to my diet. I slip up more than I should when it comes to eating on my diet 24/7. It's hard, truly the hardest part of this whole prep thing for me (right now).

I've been seeing daily progress, but not anything "major" from my point of view. I've clung to a cardio routine that has me doing some type of cardio everyday. I'm not one of those people that can do 20 min of cardio a day and lift and see the results I need to see. I do a lot of cardio. I break it up most days, but trust me when I say I'm putting in a lot more than 20 min a day to see the results I'm looking for. I try to stick to my cardio routine religiously but tend to fall short on the weekends when I take more downtime than I should aka I sleep. Lol. It's a constant battle, but it's one I need to get better with if I'm going to compete in November! Gah! I'm working on it...everyday. I'm getting better with my consistency. I'll get there (& stay there) soon. Soon! I lift 5-7 times per week. Depends on what I can manage. In my perfect world, I'd hit 6-7 times a week. Most consistently I'm at 5-6 times, but it's still working so I try not to dwell on it too much.

Another thing that I haven't shared with all of you who don't personally know me is that I've working at this since February of this year. I knew in January I wanted to compete sometime this year, but hadn't locked down a date until this summer approached. November is the last competition date in my area, so that's what I went with after the August competition I originally wanted to compete in approached too soon.  Ok so enough talk, here are the pics...







Full-body (Front)
R to L: 8/26/15 - 9/2/15 - 9/9/15

Full-body (Back)
R to L: 8/26/15 - 9/2/15 - 9/9/15
 

Front Shots
(R to L. Top to Bottom)
5/22/15 - 8/29/15 - 9/5/15 - 9/8/15





Side Shots
(R to L. Top to Bottom)
8/23/15 - 8/29/15 - 9/5/15 - 9/8/15


So in the full body shots there is no special lighting, flexing or body turning to show my "good side". It's just me standing there. Nothing fancy. In the mirror pics, I'm partially flexed, but not sucking in anything. The pictures aren't stretched and there are no special filters used. I think my bathroom lighting makes for the best body pics, which is where I take the non full body pictures. There you have it people. Some progress. The odd thing about this whole prep is my consistency and why I've been so inconsistent. I geniuinely happy with the way I look now. There are minor things I would change (lower body tone) but other than that I'm content with the way my body looks. BUT for this competition I'm not where I need to be so I need to power through and find my darn resolve to be fully consistent and get the job done.

At 6 weeks out, my coach will let me know whether or not he thinks I'll be ready to compete in November, so these next 3 weeks are extremely crucial to meeting that hurdle. I'm nervous I won't be ready in time. I want it, but again, I need to do what it takes to get it. All in. It's hard to juggle it all with school, work and minimal sleep, I'd be lying if I said it was easy. What I need to do is keep reminding myself this is only temporary. Grinding it out for the duration of this prep is what I need to do if I want to get to the stage on November 14. I need to be all in. I've got to find that missing resolve and increase my motivation. Let the planning begin...

Highlights - Week 10

Sunday, September 6 - Saturday, September 12

1ST CYCLE CLASS.  MORE CLIENTS.

In the grand scheme of my life, Week 10 was tame (for the most part). Busy and hectic per usual but no major tests, or deliverables for class. No major assignments or deadlines for work. Just a regular week, minus the Monday holiday for Labor Day!

Diet was alright this week. Not perfect. Lifting went well. Cardio was good. & in speaking of good cardio...I taught my first cycle class of the semester on Saturday morning. I had 9 people total, so that was decent. Not a lot, but not 1. It was a blast! I was more nervous than I should have been, but I always get that way when I'm doing something "new". Teaching cycle for the first time in over 2 years, I'd say that counts as "new". Class went well though. I didn't pass out, no one in my class passed out & I even managed to make some people laugh throughout. SO all in all, I'm looking forward to teachning more classes in the future. Oh and extra bonus, it helped knock out some of my cardio for that day. Win-win!

Post class selfie (after everyone left)

Related to work there was a minor [read MAJOR] change that took shape in Week 10. Part of my job as a graduate assistant is to oversee the Personal Training program. For the most part that entails connecting with the trainers, planning/conducting PT development and hiring, and pairing clients with trainers. When that system is operating smoothly, all is well. However, what I experienced in Week 10 were the joys of supply and demand. The client demand is much larger than we can support with our current trainers' availability. Good problem in the grand scheme of business and facilitating people's fitness journeys. Bad in the sense of "ahh shoot what shall I do now?!". Well, rather than lose clients or delay their training, taking on new clients becomes my responsibility if no other trainer can take them. In Week 10 I went from having a comfortable 3 clients to...10! 3 to 10. 233% increase. Gah. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE training and I LOVE helping people reach their fitness goals but in terms of the number of hours in a day and a week, adding 7 more clients to my load is rough. I'm fairly certain I'll become obsessed with my clients once I meet them and begin their programs but I'm realizing the hours in my day are quickly slipping away. I shall manage. I'll hire and train more PTs and life will gradually go back to normal, but for now...I vote we add 6 more hours into everyday!! Who's with me?!

Highlights - Week 11

Sunday, August 30 - Saturday, September 5
SURVIVED THE FIRST WEEK OF FULL ON CRAZINESS. NUTELLA. DROPPED COURSE.

Week 11 was my first week of the semester, which meant it was my first week of classes, work and workouts. It was without a doubt a rough week. I woke up EVERY morning by 4 am. Most nights I'd go to bed by 11 pm. Like I had anticipated, sleep is going to be a rough one to maintain. Over the weekend I was able to catch up on sleep, but the weekend always seems to fly by faster than I can handle. Make it slow down...please.

This week's cheat meal dessert sent me over the edge, CINNAMON SUGAR NUTELLA CRESCENT ROLLS! Urrrrmahgosh!!! They were so good...ugh...just great! I ate 1 (or 4) too many, so that was bad. On top of that I had too much of my cheat meal (spaghetti). So I need to work on that. Definitely can't let that happen again. I ate so much my stomach physically hurt from the amount of food inside of it. I had to lay down. I'm serious. It wasn't good...but it was good. Know what I'm saying?! Regardless, I can't over indulge like that on future cheat meals. It's not good for my progress and my mental state. =P

 I ended up dropping one of the courses I was orginally registered for. The course instructor and I weren't in agreement on project topics, and since I technically don't need the course right now, I decided to drop it and wait until next semester. Hopefully at that point I can work on a project I genuinely care about and produce something I'm thoroughly proud of. Fingers crossed that works out! I added an online course, which is great because that gives me 3 extra hours during the week because I don't physically have to sit in class. All in all, I think the change was a good move, especially for the goals of this semester. We'll see if I made the right decision soon enough!!!

3 week progress update is coming soon!! It'll have some "transformation pics" in there, so for those of you that have been asking...it's coming! Week 10 is upon me. Almost done. I can't believe how quickly time has passed, 1/3 of the way there. Ahhhh!! O_o