Pool Fun

It has been hot, hot, hot in Colorado! We have been staying cool by hitting the pool as often as we can. O loves the pool and I love being able to spend that time with my sister, brother-in-law and MrHoppy.

Our town has a new pool this Summer. One part has a crazy-play-town-contraption thing. There are 2 big slides and a lazy river. The fun part of the lazy river is that there are waves in one portion of it. It's so much fun watching O ride on the tube with his Daddy and go over the waves. He loves it!

On the downside, I have now been burned TWICE this Summer. Stupid - I haven't ever burned my stomach before but I guess I need sunscreen on it from now on!

Here are some fun pictures from our pool adventures.

Chilling in my shades with Auntie and Mama 

Sunscreen is such a fun toy


I don't want to wear my hat! Really, this lasted about 30 seconds. He is such a happy boy

 Sharing his sandwich with Uncle

Kisses for Uncle between bites

Fit Friday

Whew, this week has been a whirlwind! Work is still busy which is a positive. We have been so busy at home which is both positive and negative. I'm not really sure what we have been doing outside of our normal activities but I can't seem to get anything NEW done! Week was kind of blah fitness/eating-wise but I'll lay it out there. Because life gets in the way sometimes. 2 weeks in a row sometimes...

Fitness: I did work out 5 times this week. Thank goodness because good ol' AF arrived last weekend and I was a bloated and miserable mess! Midol and exercise were my friend and I was still a bloated mess! Possibly due to all the salty food I was craving? Working out seriously keeps me sane so I don't know how my week would have gone without it! It felt really good to be back at the gym after my hectic schedule the week before. It's amazing how fast I feel a difference when I'm not lifting. A week without it and I'm completely weak-sauce!

Nutrition: FAIL. I don't know how or why it happened this week. I had a few stressful days (insane traffic, things not going my way, etc) and it seemed every night when I got home MrHoppy and I looked at each other and wondered why we hadn't planned dinner yet. Fail. We did OK all things considered but the universe was not on our side. After cleaning the house top to bottom Wednesday night we cooked the chicken we had thawed. It was the 2nd part of a package, and after we took our first bites we remembered the first part... So gross. Disgusting. I don't know what was wrong with it but it went in the trash. So at 8:30 2 very hungry Hoppys ate tortillas for dinner. Our week went that way pretty much from Monday on... Curses!

 Weight: 119 - I think that's the same, or more, than last week. Eh, I'm not too worried. Between not eating the best and being on my period that's not too shabby. It's only a number anyway! Right?

And let me just say, I am so ready for the weekend. We have fun plans that I'll write about next week. It's much needed let me tell ya! TGIF!

It's A...

I forgot to write about our family's good news last week!

My sister was sure they were having another boy. The heart rate was on the low end which sometimes indicates a boy. One of her doctors even said that was his guess and to tell him if he was wrong.

Well... Last Monday he was proved wrong!

I was so excited when I saw her pull into my parking lot at work. I knew she was done with the ultrasound but she was torturing me with random texts all the way to my office. :)

My BIL got out of the car and held up 3 fingers. I knew what it meant immediately! We had talked a lot about what they look for to confirm a girl and the "3 lines" were there! We got to look at the pictures on my computer right away. It was a really exciting afternoon. They are so happy and I am so excited for them (and us!).

I am so looking forward to having another niece. J is so far away and I miss seeing her grow and change. This new babe - being close - will be very spoiled by her Auntie! Let the girl shopping begin!

Some MrHoppy Funnies

Nobody likes to have fun more than my husband. Seriously, this man loves a good time. If there is fun in a 50 mile radius - he will find it. It's something that drew me to him and something that I absolutely love about him.

Sometimes, along with having fun comes planning. And preparing. And since we are fortunate enough to have lots of great friends and family around us it usually involves a few (or 10) couples.

Funny #1: MrHoppy thinks he is laid back. This is one of the funniest things he has said to a group of people who know him. We all burst out laughing. I'm actually chuckling as I type this.

Which brings us to...

Funny #2: MrHoppy is far from laid back. He stresses out and stresses everyone out around him when he gets in a mood. His Dad calls it a "moment". This usually happens when we're planning something a little bit complicated. The plan is all set and we're ready to roll. He inevitably tries to change the plans at the last minute. Every.Time. We all just wait for him to come up with a bigger, better (and WAY more complicated) solution to the plans that have already been made. And then we laugh when he does it. And smoke comes out of his ears...

And then comes...

Funny #3: MrHoppy thinks he isn't picky when it comes to what we eat. He goes as far as to tell me I have to decide. Whoa,  putting such a big decision in your wife's hands?? (Sidenote: I hate making food decisions, I'm happy for someone else to pick and I'm good to go).
Take a night recently for example. We were going to get dinner out and he told me on my way home from work to pick the place. I wasn't thrilled, but agreed. I got home and said my ONE stipulation was that they have a patio, I was in the mood to be outside. I then listed 3 places that have outdoor patios. He didn't want to go to ONE of them. He even said "I was thinking maybe Chili's".
Really?? Why did you talk me into deciding if you were going to shoot down all my suggestions and you already had somewhere in mind? I admit that I got upset for a little while. It was so annoying. But guess where we went? You guessed it. Chili's. Chili's doesn't have a patio people...
Tonight? I have hamburger thawed and peppers ready to go for stuffed peppers for dinner. Guess who doesn't want them? I'll give you ONE guess... And it's not me...

Funny #4: MrHoppy hates to be told to do ANYTHING. If I tell him we should clean Thursday he will argue and pout and declare that he will NOT be told when he is cleaning. Personally, I like to clean Thursdays because we go into the weekend with a clean house and don't have to worry about another chore on the weekend.
I've gotten wise to his ways. I ask him what night HE wants to clean and guess what his answer is? Thursday. Because he likes to start the weekend with a clean house and get that chore out of the way. Isn't this getting exhausting?

Funny #5: He is always starts "pissing contests" with me. And now I, in turn, have started doing it to him! If I say I have done something he says "well I did this", to which I answer "well I did This!", to which he answers "WELL I DID THIS!!!". Seriously, it's a problem. Here's a typical example.
     -MrsHoppy: I emptied the dishwasher.
     -MrHoppy: Yeah, well I cooked dinner.
     -MrsHoppy: Yeah, and I did the dishes
     -MrHoppy: Yeah, well I mowed the lawn after work
     -MrsHoppy: Yeah, well I put away all the towels and sheets
I could go on. And on. And sometimes we do. And it drives me insane but now he's sucked me into the habit and I'm doing it too! I told him that he's created a monster in me. We one-up each other all the time now!

In all seriousness though - I am super lucky. I have friends whose husbands are total bumps on a log and they can't get them to go out. I'd much rather be reigning my husband in than trying to convince him to have a good time! I am so glad he takes interest in our plans and doesn't leave everything up to me. Is it more of a pain sometimes? Absolutely. But at least he cares right? I'm also really lucky that he helps with 1/2 the housework. Again, I have friends whose husbands don't lift a finger at home. This would NOT fly at our house. We split the chores as best we can so we both feel we're doing equal work. Sometimes we bicker about it but so far, it works for us.

What are some quirks of other husbands out there? I hope we aren't the only crazy ones... Happy Tuesday!

(UN)Fit Friday

This week... Seriously has been chaos. It has tested me and although I've tried hard I feel like I failed.

Monday night we had dinner plans. I had all day class/meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday an hour from home. Which makes that 1:25 minutes from the gym. Thursday I don't know what happened. And this morning I was dog tired...

Nutrition: Aside from our dinner plans Monday we ate pretty well this week. I did go to Sunflower Market and pick up lots of fresh produce. Tuesday and Wednesday were challenging since lunch and snacks were provided at our meeting. I had a cookie in the afternoon on both days. Which isn't like me at all, I was just hungry and didn't have access to my normal healthy snacks.

Fitness: I got up early and ran outside on Monday morning. It was so nice. Quiet and peaceful that early.
I ran outside in the heat on Tuesday. Some of you may think that's crazy but let me tell you. I LOVE Summer and the heat. It doesn't bother me one bit. Just ask MrHoppy who pretty much thinks I'm crazy.
Wednesday was sans workout. I went straight from my meeting to get my hair done and didn't get home until 7:30. Long day and early to bed.
Yesterday I ran outside again in the evening. Heat!
We could not sleep last night. We both tossed and turned all night. When my alarm went off for my morning run I hit snooze and rolled over for more sleep!

The biggest thing I miss on weeks like this are my interval/speed runs and lifting. I need both of those things to keep me feeling my best and to keep my weight down.

Weight: 119 today. Up from last week. All things considered this week I'd say that's not too bad. :)

I am hoping next week will be more normal. Things are crazy busy at work which is both good and bad. I'm working an event tomorrow (planned kind of last minute) so I'm hoping things go smoothly.

Oh and in exciting news: I'm going to have a new niece in December! My sister found out Monday they are having a little girl. To say I'm SO excited would be an understatement...

The 4th - Better Late Than Never!

It's been tradition for the last 4 years to head to Nebraska for the 4th of July to visit some dear friends of ours. L moved to Colorado when her fiance landed a job here. They are both originally from Nebraska and L was lucky enough to grow up on a private lake there. To say that the set up is amazing would be an  understatement.

4 years ago they moved back to Nebraska for another job opportunity and to be close to their families. So the Hoppys made it tradition to visit them every year on the 4th! We miss them but each year it's like not a day has passed.

Now she and M are married, they have a daughter and another baby on the way. I miss her so much but am thankful we get to see each other even with our busy schedules.

It doesn't hurt that her parents are amazing, welcoming people. They let us stay at their house, provide us with food and drinks for as long as we can stay. She has a brother and sister that are both fun and amazing, and both married fun and amazing spouses! It's a big, loud, rowdy and fun loving group. We may or may not have sang the "America" song from Team America a time or two. Or 10. And we may have drank our weight in beer over the 3 nights we stayed. And then some!

The trip went way too fast.

The Beach

The View

L driving us on one of many booze cruises

Love this family

They pulled us around the lake on this raft. S, L's sister B and I

The "Island" in the middle of the lake. Note the Amierican flag that is always there. Love.

Look at this lil girl.

Let the party start!

L's Mom and me

The 3 crazy boys

M, L, and MrHoppy

The party always ends in the garage with karaoke (spelling??)

MrHoppy, B and S. We were getting a little wild...

We got home in time for fireworks on the actual 4th. MrHoppy had to be up at 4AM so he went to bed while I joined my sis, BIL and O for fireworks in our town.

All he wanted to do was snuggle with his "rah-rah" which is what he calls me. I love having a nickname!

So that's our 4th of July. I'm loving Summer so much!

Fit Friday

TGIF everyone!

I'm happy to report that I have another healthy week under my belt. Well, not counting dinner on Wednesday night but we already talked about that. :)

Nutrition: We are still consistently eating at home and eating whole and natural foods. I can't tell you how much better I feel eating this way. I have so much energy, I don't crash in the afternoon and my workouts feel easier. Not to mention that I don't feel bloated. I think you can see my muscle definition better when I'm eating well. No bloat to cover it up!

Fitness: This morning I finished my 5th workout of the week. Woo Hoo! It's nice to be in a good place with fitness and to still feel motivated. Are there days I would rather be home, relaxing with MrHoppy and drinking a beer? Absolutely. But I feel so great when I'm done. Plus it's "me" time, time to be alone in my thoughts and sweat out any frustrations I'm feeling. I know I'm doing good things for my body. Being healthy during the week makes me feel OK with a few indulgences over the weekend. I see a cocktail in my future tonight!

Weight: Holding steady around 117. I'm really comfortable here and don't mind some fluctuations around this weight. I think I'm continuing to tone up which is awesome.

I'm getting ready to head into a meeting I'm kind of nervous about. More on that later and if anything materializes.

So, any fun plans this weekend? We'll be cleaning the house tonight - Exciting Friday night!