"Look What I Can Do!"

     Wow, I've had a whirlwind of a week! We are out of our apartment...goodbye, Sujain 601...and now we are living in lodging. Lodging = "hawse keepinggggggg" once a day...woot woot! But it also means that we have to put Seyo in a cage anytime we leave this place and that = sad face. Anyway, with all of the changes going on my schedule has been different (duh). I don't adjust well with things that are different. I'm a sentimental person. Sentimental people enjoy things that are constant, predictable, and scheduled. With everything up in the air, my brain has been going in a million different directions. Every single day I sit down to write a new blog post. I have like five different rough drafts taking place because my thoughts are everywhere. And ya know what...? I'm sensing some negativity from these drafts. Let me elaboraxplain....
     There are key lessons in life that I have missed out on, like serious "I own a home and should know what escrow means" lessons. Way too many times a day do I sit and reflect upon on all the things that I don't know how to do. Now, it's okay that I don't know how to perform open heart surgery or speak Latin because 1) I didn't sleep at a Holiday Inn, and 2) I've not been trained in those skills. No, the areas in which I'm referencing are things in life I should know...like how to blow dry my hair. I'm not really going to elaborate right now because, believe me, you'll be reading about it soon enough.
     I can't be gettin' all caught up in that kinda negativity, yo! So, that got me thinking about something that my fellow faculty members from HEC and I did with our students for a group project, and I thought I'd apply that to myself. What did I learn? I'm a freakin' miraculous person that has nothing but random awesomeness to offer to anyone lucky enough to be in my presence. To put it shortly, I'm a keeper.
     "What is this practice you speak of, ex HEC faculty member?" Oh, I'm so happy you asked; let me explain. Our students partook in a project called All About Me. Many schools have done it, many grades have done it, and many students have hated completing it but were secretly appreciative for having been given the opportunity. One part of this project was making a list of 50 things THEY COULD DO. They all complained, "But I can't do nothin'" in which I would respond, "Oh, yes, you can. Look, you can you use a double negative!" They were hesitant at first, but then they ran with it. Can you see where I'm going with this? I've been spending so much time focusing on what I can't do: I can't run a mile under 7.3, I can't lose 5lbs in two weeks, I can't complete Insanity without taking breaks, I can't stay in the bounds of my calories for two days in a row...so on and so on. It's time for me to think about the all things I can do, and here I go x2:

1. I can spend money I don't have on things I don't need.
2. I can watch The Little Mermaid back to back for days at a time.
3. I can get lost in my hometown.
4. I can control my cat's life with a little red dot.
5. I can car dance like a pro!
6. I can eat more than most men.
7. I can dare you to challenge me about what I can do in #6.
8. I can sing out of tune with pride.
9. I can make a shower last longer than it should.
10. I can read a book in a day.
11. I can read a book in a few hours.
12. I can walk around Wal-Mart without purchasing anything.
13. I can quote almost every single episode of Friends.
14. I can keep my husband guessing.
15. I can lose myself in an amazing workout.
16. I can make restaurant owners question the profit margin of All You Can Eat options.
17. I can misspell restaurant every single time...thank goodness for little, squiggly red lines.
18. I can sleep past noon.
19. I can cluck like a chicken...perfectly.
20. I can be the best Aunt there ever was.
21. I can make easy things look difficult.
22. I can talk while running an entire marathon...every mile of it...ask my husband.
23. I can clog drains with my very thin hair.
24. I can follow a recipe like a champ!
25. I can read a kindergartener's mind.
26. I can fail at whistling.
27. I can speak a little bit of French.
28. I can eat 98 jalapeno peppers in 2 minutes.
29. I can make it look like a five year old painted my toenails.
30. I can demolish an embarrassing amount of Kit-Kats.
31. I can spend an entire day on Pinterest.
32. I can charm people I don't know with my Southern accent.
33. I can drop it like it's hot.
34. I can maintain a 4.0 in grad school.
35. I can admit when I'm wrong.
36. I can admit when I don't know something.
37. I can also admit that I'm stubborn and #35&36 might take some time, but I will do it.
38. I can make people laugh.
39. I can accidentally hurt someone's feelings, and that makes me sad.
40. I can sing gospel like a proud Southern woman.
41. I can hide behind a pillow while watching a scary movie.
42. I can make my husband smile.
43. I can get tipsy from one glass of wine.
44. I can draw the world's best ugly stick figures.
45. I can make my student's wonder about my motives.
46. I can sell items on the internet.
47. I can download fun fonts!!
48. I can learn from my mistakes.
49. I can cry from a commercial.
50. I can cry from a greeting card.
51. I can cry from a book.
52. I can cry from telling Reuben about a book.
53. I can cry from a dream.
54. I can my husband shake his head with laughter when I start crying.
55. I can pray and mean it.
56. I can torment my cat with shadow puppets.
57. I can eat trays and trays of ice.
58. I can wait tables.
59. I can put off an important phone call until the last minute.
60. I can pack more than I should when going on vacation.
61. I can give a pretty mean guilt trip.
62. I can run into corners of walls.
63. I can choreograph a Zumba routine from my driver's seat.
64. I can complete math homework up to second or third grade.
65. I can do 40 power jumps in 30 seconds.
66. I can take a blurry picture.
67. I can eat myself into a miserable state.
68. I can be a strong confidant.
69. I can captivate a room with my charisma and a microphone.
70. I can lay in the sun.
71. I can still sing along to Hanson's first album.
72. I can make a Reese's cake that makes you want to slap your momma.
73. I can fail all of my New Year Resolutions.
74. I can write a ten page paper in three hours.
75. I can get dirty on Black Friday.
76. I can pee on myself from laughter induced by my sisters.
77. I can remember full conversations I had years ago.
78. I can hurt for those who have lost someone.
79. I can forget how to ride a bicycle.
80. I can put off doing the dishes.
81. I can watch an entire series in one sitting.
82. I can be adventurous.
83. I can stub my toes at least four times a week.
84. I can roll my R's.
85. I can still do a high kick.
86. I can make people stare...and wonder.
87. I can speak Korean using only hand gestures, smiles, and head nods.
88. I can fall asleep while driving.
89. I can gag at the thought of plants/bushes/trees in natural bodies of water.
90. I can make someone's blood boil in seconds.
91. I can make things up as I go.
92. I can rely on a GPS.
93. I can get super cranky when either hungry or sleepy.
94. I can push my body to its limit.
95. I can read over my grammatical errors.
96. I can speak for those who can't.
97. I can remind others of someone they used to know.
98. I can deliver good news.
99. I can slide at least two feet on wooden floors while wearing my husband's socks.
100. I can keep going if you'd like...

Workin' on My Beachbody...

     In April, I wrote an entry about the size of my derriere . It was absurd. In May, I did something about it, or rather, Coach Mer did something about it. Now, for those of you who know me, like really know me, know that I don't do things that are trendy. My wardrobe alone should tell you that I'm not a trendy person. I missed that lesson in life. It's not that I purposely stay away from the trend, I just don't keep my ear to the ground to figure out the "ins and outs" of social acceptability.
     With that being said, it took me until recently to truly experience what the company Beachbody has to offer. Apparently, it's been around for quite a few years...apparently, Abigail just jumped on the wagon. "But, Abigail, didn't you blog about Insanity once..." Yes, I did, but it's different than just getting my hands on the program; the Beachbody experience--like with a coach and all--really sets one up for success.
     Now, I'm not saying that these are the final results, but these are my results from one month of Insanity and Shakeology. I'm nowhere near finished with this journey/challenge. I still have a second month to go. But having these results after one month puts things into perspective. The results came from a combined effort of having to track food, calories, motivational quotes, workout selfies, and meaningful conversations. And I am a huge fan of accountability, it's the only thing that really makes me work to my full potential. Working with this group of ladies was a dose of motivation every single morning. They were putting their all out there, so why not put mine.
     Once again, I present you with a picture walk through of what this past month has looked like...  

Little did I know how true these words would become...

We had to purchase our supplemental nom nom noms.

We had to track our food.

We had to track our calories.

We were even held accountable with our grocery purchases.

We had to spread the "healthy band wagon" message.

And we had to workout...

...again...

...again...

...again...

...again...

...and again!

All of this work (May 15-June 15) provided these results:

The ironic part of this entire past month is that I didn't lose any weight. And, boy, did my coach have some fun trying to hammer that 'weight doesn't matter' into my brain. I still have a long way to go before I reach my final goals, but I know to rely and measure my progress on pictures instead of the scale. Oh, you know me too well, I'll still jump on the scale to see, but I'll be lining up pics side by side from here on out. This is just a snapshot of what the next five weeks will entail...I can't wait for those pics!!

Coach Mer -> Thank you for putting up with me and my whiny, stubborn self. I look forward to future challenges and more butt kicking honesty. 

Team Train Mean -> You, ladies, are fierce competitors and make me work harder than I thought I could. I look forward to partaking in future challenges with you all. I've become reliant on your efforts!!

Team Eat Green -> You, ladies, have the strongest willpower I've witnessed in life. You've inspired me to take on the reset, but at a later date. Thank you for showing me that it is possible...lol.