P90X3 Results and Review

I may have a new favorite Beachbody program.

Ok... it's a toss up. I have loved the challenge of Insanity ever since I first started the program. Once I heard about the new P90X3, I thought I had better give this Tony Horton guy a chance. Personality-wise, about as different from Shaun T as they come, but I thought I'd give it a try.

And man am I glad I did.

Rewind to last fall. I had to quit working out due to a back injury. Then I went to North Dakota for work for two weeks and ate out every day, and did NOT make good decisions. Oh well. I'm human. Then the holidays came, I was still trying to let this back injury heal... not good. I stepped on the scale nearly 20 pounds higher than were I was at my lowest and a good 15 from where most of my clothes fit comfortablly. In a decade I was determined I would NEVER see again. I NEEDED the structure of this program.

P90X3 has 4 different programs to follow, based on what you want out of it-Classic, Mass, Lean, and Doubles (if you're crazy or something). It took a lot of thinking, but in the end Justin pointed out that I would be going right from X3 to half marathon training, and the extra cardio of the lean program would probably help me out. I don't know if that's true or not, but it made sense to me at the time so I decided to go for it!

The thing I love the most about this program is you do NOT get bored with the workouts! There are 16 different ones, and with the way it is broken up into 3 phases, things get changed up in a hurry. I think I had a new favorite workout every month! All I needed for equipment was a few dumbbells (I used 5-12 lbs, wish I had heavier ones for some of the workouts but definitely got by with what I had) and resistance bands attached to a door frame (I got a special strap from Dick's Sporting Goods) instead of a pull up bar, since there is nowhere to put one in our house.

The changes I have noticed in my body are crazy! Aside from the before and after pictures, I can tell I am so much stronger. I even have definition in my biceps, which I have never had before!

I compared my measurements from now to when I finished Insanity just over a year ago. I'm still 5 pounds heavier, but my measurements are right where they were after Insanity! And that means more muscle!

       
       
       

A Life Update + I Ran a Half Marathon

Well it has been about 4 months so it's probably time to dust off the blog... I really do have a fairly good reason for neglecting it-last time I posted was in the middle of boys basketball season, which stretched into March, and then BOOM we moved back to Reliance, South Dakota. We had always said we'd like to get back to the area someday, never thought it would be so soon though! Justin had an opportunity to return to his old job and we decided to take advantage of it, even if I was unsure of what my future would hold.

Luckily things lined up just right, and I found a job I am loving as a crop insurance adjuster, and jumped into that position two whole days after I returned to South Dakota from finishing up basketball season in Wyoming. Needless to say, it has been a crazy four months! I love the interaction with the farmers in the area, and have ran into several of them in the past in my agronomy days. I'm not so crazy about all of the driving time, but I'm thankful for my XM radio!

Justin has now been calving for four months, since we were calving heifers out in Wyoming in February. Luckily, the end is in sight for him and he is now getting ready to brand, and then start haying. Sooo maybe there isn't much of an end for him!

And now the really crazy part--I survived my first half marathon! I probably didn't get to run as much as I should have in the few weeks before due to my work schedule being a little on the crazy side (I spent a week and a half living in a hotel), but I did stick to getting my long runs in. I was a little disappointed in my official time of 2:32:40, but my time on my Garmin said 2:30:06 which is pretty darn close to my goal of 2:30! I heard other people say they thought the course was a little long too. I learned my lesson though-I'm pretty sure that when my iPod Shuffle is plugged in and my laptop is asleep, the charge drains back out. It lasted a whole mile... talk about a let-down! Luckily I had some music downloaded to my phone and plugged into that-it wasn't my running playlist but at least it was something! And yes, I'm already looking to see when I can sign up for my next race :) This summer is shaping up to be a busy one!

Sandra, my mother-in-law, and her friend Pat walked the race too!

It's that time again!

Time again for what? Late night calf checks!

I really want to go to sleep right now, but in 45 minutes I need to wake Justin up to go check on the first-calf heifers. There probably won't be too much action for another week, but of course we can't take any chances.

These late night calf checks (6, 8, 10, and midnight) are in addition to my regular office work, coaching, working out, and trying to keep the house from looking like an absolute disaster... Yup it's goodbye free time for awhile. But getting to see these cute little guys come into the world makes up for it.

Insanity Results

I'm only a month late, but here's my Insanity results, with before and after pictures. I stuck to the calender as written.

Overall-I LOVED it! Did it hurt? Yes. Did I cry? Yes, more than once. Do I regret it? No, not at all.

I cried on a couple of different occasions, for different reasons. I cried the first day because I couldn't believe I actually could do it. I was an athlete-at a very high level of competition. College and life happened, and I found myself quite overweight. To be able to be wearing smaller clothes than I did in high school is something I am very proud of.

I cried the first day of month two. I had to workout by myself because Justin ditched me to go elk hunting. I cried because it was hard. I cried because I was doing it alone. I cried because I hate in & out abs (burpees). And then, I cried because I did it. Me, who could hardly make it thru the 30 Day Shred just a few short months before was now doing hour-long Insanity workouts.

I've heard a lot of people complain about how tough it is on their knees, but I have/had a torn meniscus. Did not bother me one bit. Justin has had his ACL repaired twice (same knee) and did not have any pain with the workout. Now if he goes and plays basketball, he comes home and automatically plops down with an ice pack. In my opinion, as long as you are using proper form on your jumps and squats, there shouldn't be much trouble.

Now for the results-bottom is before, top is after. 14 pounds gone difference...

And measurements-

Justin and I decided to take some time off over Christmas and just started round two this week! It's been a little rough getting back in shape (my triceps are KILLING me) but we both know it is so worth it!

I'm sure you all want to know more about me

Well since Emilie at Inch by inch and step by step nominated me for the Liebster award, you get to learn more about me whether you like it or not!

The premise behind the award is simple.  It's awarded to bloggers by bloggers, specifically with a following (as I understand it) of under 200 people.  It's basically a way to recognize the blogs that you really like to follow and get other people reading those blogs too!

Since I've been nominated I have to tell you 11 things about me. Then, I have to answer 11 questions that Emilie asked me, and nominate 11 other people for the award, and ask them 11 questions! Sounds like fun!
So... here's 11 things you may or may not know about me.

1. I spent a semester at Luther College in Iowa, halfway thru the semester I decided that I'm a farm girl at heart and needed to pursue a career in Agriculture. So, once I finished out the semester I transferred to South Dakota State and majored in Agricultural Business.

2. Basketball has always been a HUGE part of my life. My senior season of high school was probably the highlight of my life-as a team we were the runner-up at the state tournament, I was All-State HM, All-Conference, All-Area, and scored over 1000 points in my high school career. (Yeah I'm bragging a little)

3. I don't drink beer, and I really shouldn't touch vodka.

4. My usual XM channel rotation consists of The Highway (Country), Prime Country, and 80's on 8. Totally threw you with the last one, didn't I? Once in awhile I'll throw in The Blend or The Pulse.

5. I'm absolutely obsessed with the game Solitaire Blitz on Facebook.

6. My go-to brands are Ariat for boots, Cowgirl Tuff for jeans, and Under Armour for workout gear.

7. I am a SUPER competitive person, in just about everything. It bugs the crap out of me that Justin always gets more reps than I do on the Insanity Fit test! Everything from board games, to Wii, I love competing. I think this may be the one thing that will help me start/stick with running.

8. I've always been a picky eater and I just can't get past it!

9. I HATE putting clothes away. I always let it pile up and then do a big clothes-putting-away session. We won't talk about how often (or not) it happens.

10. I took piano lessons for 8 years when I was younger, and can (kind of) still play.

11. My cousin Becky is my best friend-if we don't chat with each other throughout the day at work, our days are pretty lonely!

And now my answers to Emilie's 11 questions

1. What is your first and most clear childhood memory that you have? Oh wow-tough one! Probably riding my John Deere tricycle through the barn when it was brand new.


2. If money and time were not issues, where would you travel to and why? I would go to Vegas for all 10 days of the NFR and buy a whole new wardrobe and more at Cowboy Christmas.


3. When you were little, what did you want to be when you 'growed' up? A waitress was the first thing I remember! Don't know why!


4. Where did you have your first kiss4? Outside the "little gym" at the East Chain school


5. What is the one thing in this world that no amount of money or coaxing could ever make you do? There are probably a lot of things! One that comes to mind is there are a lot of foods I would never eat.


6. What challenge will you conquer in 2013? Staying skinny!


7. If you woke up on a deserted island tomorrow morning, what are the 3 most important things you'd want with you and why? My phone (I do everything on it), an unlimited supply of drinking water (you need it to survive), and Justin (the most amazing guy ever!)


8. Who do you not want to ever read your blog and why? I can't think of anyone-it's pretty family friendly!


9. What was the catalyst that led you to blogging? I started blogging to help promote my photography business (yeah that one that has gotten pushed to the side lately)


10. What's the one life lesson you hope to teach your children/nieces/nephews? The value of hard work! It is something that unfortunately is going by the wayside in this society!


11. Where is your favourite (yes Emilie is from Canada-we'll let it slide :)) place in the whole, entire world? Oh wow, there are several that come to mind, but if I had to choose just one it would be the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The 11 people I nominate are: YOU! Yes-I am going to break the rules and nominate everybody who reads this post :)

And my 11 questions for you are:

1. If you could have any career, what would it be?

2. If somebody gave you $1000 right now, what would you do with it?

3. What is your current favorite song?

4. If somebody were to write your biography, what would the title be?

5. What was your best birthday?

6. If you had to travel to one place for a month, where would you go?

7. What is your favorite month of the year and why?

8. What is something you enjoy doing that others may think is a chore or boring?

9. What is the most exciting event you have ever witnessed?

10. What is your favorite Christmas song of all time? Yes-I know it’s a little early for this.

11. What is one future event you would really like to know the outcome of?

Have fun!

Insanity Update

I'm more than halfway through Insanity! And still surviving-most days. This week I started the Max workouts and they are a definite step up from the first month, but I definitely was ready for the step up.

The first month's workouts were tough, but towards the end I think my body was getting used to it and looking forward to mixing it up. Recovery week was NOT was I expected it to be! I was expecting a much slower pace than what it was, but it was still a little bit of a step down.

Now-for the fit test results from Day 1 to Day 36.

	Day 1	Day 36	Change
Switch Kicks	53	65	12
Power Jacks	40	48	8
Power Knees	56	90	34
Power Jumps	20	27	7
Globe Jumps	8	11	3
Suicide Jumps	10	13	3
Push-up Jacks	16	23	7
Low Plank Oblique	20	50	30

My goal was to improve from my first test 20% and I either met or exceeded that goal on every move! The fit test is a major workout in itself-when Justin and I do it we are both pushing so hard to beat our last score (and each other!).

I lost 6 1/2" and 6.5 lbs in the first month of Insanity. I thought that was pretty good-and then I added up Justin's measurements... he lost 13 1/2" and 7.5 lbs-wow!

Here's a before and after picture. Top is Nov. 4th, bottom is Oct. 1st.

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens after the next month (or 3 weeks and 2 days, to be exact). I've decided that I'm giving up sweets for the next ten days to see if that helps push me along. Wish me luck!

October Update

Well it's safe to say that life has gotten a LOT busier lately! Since I last posted, I have started coaching basketball, which will take a considerable amount of my time between now and March.

I'm assistant coach for a great group of ten girls. They make going to practice 3-4 times a week and games 2-3 times a week so worth it! We played our first game Friday. It was the typical first game of the season-playing against a team of 8th graders, while our team only has 2 8th graders, period. There are only 3 8th grade girls in the class, so needless to say we were going in with a huge disadvantage. The score definitely was not pretty, but we were so impressed with the girls' defense. The high school coaching staff had worked with the girls the night before on their defense, and wow did they pick it up in a hurry! Now I'm really excited to see how we can improve on it in four days of practice this week!

Since I don't get home until after 7:00, I've been trying to make Justin's life easier by prepping and freezing some meals. Last week, I made 2 pans of Lasagna and 2 pans of Tater Tot Hotdish (just a normal recipe, split into smaller pans. I don't like leftovers!) on my lunch break one day. He's happy that all he has to do is throw something in the oven!

Let me know if you would like recipes!

Work has been a little busier too. We weaned the rest of the calves last weekend, so now there are 700+ calves around the ranch to monitor daily. What does weaning entail? This is when we separate the babies from their Mommas, and we give them vaccinations to help prevent them from getting sick, as well as weigh the calves to track the performance of the cow and the bull (or the calves' parents). Of course, the weather was not very cooperative, so I had to work my first Saturday in a long time! I guess it probably worked better that way anyway, because then I didn't have to worry about rushing to basketball practice.

Justin and I are still doing the Insanity workout-and still seeing great results! Last time he told me, Justin was down about 5 lbs, and I'm down 6.4, to 181.6! So close to getting a new pair of jeans :) We won't take our measurements til after next week's recovery workouts, but I did lose 3 inches in just the first two weeks. I'm excited (but nervous) to see what the second month of the workout brings!

Sunday rambling and photos-I need help!

Today I finally took the time to sit down at my "photography" computer and went thru some pictures from the spring/summer/fall. Yeah it's been awhile. I finally had a deadline (company photo contest) coming up and with the crazy that the next two weeks will be, it was now or never.

What's coming up in the next two weeks? Well, girls' basketball practice starts tomorrow (still not sure how I feel about this), and then tomorrow night our boss will arrive from England for a visit. So, we will be busy weaning calves, getting cows moved around, sorting off open cows and shipping them, and weighing and tagging lots and lots of calves (around 700).

Justin and I are still doing Insanity in the mornings so my weekdays will look like this:
5:00-wake up and get ready to workout
5:20-ish-start workout
6:00/6:15-finish working out, I get breakfast ready and watch last night's news while Justin showers
7:00-Justin *should be* out the door, and I start to get ready
7:30 or so-get to the office, check email, check answering machine, do "work stuff"
3:00-leave work, get ready to head to basketball practice
3:15-leave the ranch to head to practice
3:55-get to town just before school gets out at 4 so I can get the gym ready
4:10-girls start to arrive at practice
6:00-practice wraps up
6:15-once everybody has left and I lock up, I head home
7:00-get home, hope that Justin has made something for supper
7:30-sit down and check facebook, emails, etc.
8:15-I'm ready for bed!

And so the fun that is the next 6 or so months begins...

Anyway-here's the photos I promised...

 

The top two were taken a few weeks ago-the orange skies are compliments of a smoky haze. The bottom is from calving, earlier this spring.

I need your help! I'm entering 1 of these in our company's photo contest (winners will go into a calender) and I can't decide which one!

Ripped in 30 Results

I finished Ripped in 30 Saturday... and I'm finally getting around to blogging about it (oops)!

I did 6 days on each week, with 1 rest day. I moved my rest day around from Sunday/Monday depending on what was going on in the week. I've been pretty frustrated with my scale as it's pretty much stayed put for the past month. But, even though the scale has stayed put, I've dropped inches!

Here's the before and after pictures-

Before----------------------After

The workout is definitely a step up from 30 Day Shred. My results probably aren't as dramatic because I'm getting closer to where I should be.

As far as inches lost:

Bust-1"

Chest-1.5"

Arms-.5" each arm

Waist-1.5"

Midway-1"

Hips-1"

Thighs-.5" each leg

For a total of 8"!

I guess I'm not overly excited about my results, because I was hoping for more, but looking at how far I've come since earlier this summer gives me a little more motivation to keep pushing!

July 2nd-----------------October 2nd

The Border Fire

The last 2 weeks have been a little on the crazy side... I had blog posts all planned out in my head but haven't had time to get things taken care of!

We've been busy with the usual fall ranch work-weaning, preg-testing, moving cows, feeding calves, and to top it all off, a fire broke out on the ranch yesterday. GREAT... not. My plan to spend Friday afternoon coding invoices and getting them submitted was replaced with baking cupcakes, Rice Krispie bars, muffins, and then at about 8:30 I decided to throw in a batch of Chex Mix as well, assuming that the guys would be out fighting fire most of the weekend. So much for that team sorting today.

Around 11:30 yesterday we got a call from a neighbor wondering if anybody had checked out where the smoke was coming from, since it looked pretty close. Kelby, our boss, headed out to investigate. While he was gone, we got a call from another neighbor saying the fire was just about to jump on to our land. Justin got instructions and hopped in the fire truck as soon as he shoveled a couple of brats down. The day just went downhill from there. The fire burned through three of our pastures, one that hadn't been grazed this year or last year, as we were saving it for our commercial herd to graze in another month. I haven't heard anything as far as how many acres were burnt, but with 30 MPH winds yesterday, that fire moved FAST. Luckily we didn't have any cattle in the path of the fire, although there may have been some in the pasture where the fire started, I still haven't heard. They were supposed to get moved down to that pasture Thursday or Friday.

The smoke cloud at about 12:30 yesterday-it was much worse a couple hours later

Surprisingly, Justin did get to come home and get a few hours of sleep. It was after 1 when he crawled in bed, and by 6 he was up making coffee already. I don't see too much smoke this morning, but they will probably be on "mop-up" duty into next week. Thankfully the forecast isn't calling for any windy days.

Needless to say, everybody around here is ready for a big dump of snow. Since wishing for rain hasn't done anything the last three months, I guess we will just have to start waiting for snow.

I am in love with Ripped in 30.

I am in love with Ripped in 30. Oh Jillian...

This morning while I was getting ready in the bathroom, I thought hmmm my waist looks a little smaller. Wondering if I was just imagining things, I decided to pull out the tape measure. From Tuesday afternoon to Friday morning, I've already lost a whole inch on my waist. 3 workouts. 1" gone. CRAZY. Is it comparable to 30 Day Shred? I think it builds on it. There's no way I would be able to go as hard as I do now without having done 30 Day Shred first. Ripped seems to move a little faster, and I think the month's workouts will go faster too. I've already finished 4 of the 6 days of level one, and I'm just starting to get the whole workout memorized. 30 day shred did get a little old after about day 7 so this will be a whole different story!

I made Justin pick up some heavier weights for me yesterday while he was in town for his doctor's appointment. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to go all out. Will I see a size 7? Not sure. I don't know if it's even physically possible for me. But I do know I'm not ready to get complacent any time soon.

Check another one off the list...

Shaun T's Rockin Body-done!

Overall, it was a pretty fun workout, and definitely a change from what I was doing. By the last few days I wasn't looking forward to it quite so much, but kept going along. I wasn't really excited about the longer workouts (some days are over an hour) but once I just budgeted it into my day it really wasn't a challenge.

The DVD claims to have 7 different workouts but really there's only 6-one is only 15 min. long and your "intro" to the basic dance moves. I can't really say there was one I didn't like! As far as results, I slimmed down a little more-hello size 9! And I've lost another 7 or so pounds-slowed down a little this month but when I'm only 8 pounds away from my goal I kind of expected it. The biggest change I noticed was my legs-whoa! They've definitely gotten much skinnier with this workout, since you are continuously moving. There's a lot of plyos (jumping stuff) so we'll see if I can impress my basketball kids with my jumping abilities next Thursday when we start open gym!

From July 2nd, to July 31st after a month of 30 day shred, to August 30th after a month of Shaun T's Rockin Body.

Up next-more Jillian! Gotta love to hate her. I'm giving myself the weekend off-ish. We're headed to the Black Hills for an extended family vacation to celebrate my Grandma and Grandpa's 80th birthdays!

Calm Before the Storm

It's about to get a little crazy around here...

As I enjoyed my hour and fifteen minute workout today, I started to wonder how working out is going to fit into my schedule in the upcoming future.

Friday I have First Aid/CPR training in Sheridan-it's something I have to keep up for my coaching license. That license I still have to complete four different classes for...

Next week will probably be pure craziness. It's shipping week for our yearling cattle. So far, I think the plan is to gather heifers one day, load the next, then gather steers, and load them out. I'm still not sure exactly how this is going to go, but it should be better than last year when we weighed and loaded four trucks from three different groups in one day. But, I still haven't gotten the run-down on exactly what's going on...

After that crazy week, we'll be headed to the Black Hills Labor Day weekend for an extended family vacation. Then it's September aka the month all h3!! breaks lose. Ten million different things going on at the ranch, calves getting weaned and weighed, cows preg-tested, more pairs moved around... then before you know it October 1st rolls around and there's hunters showing up, and then bang it's October 15th and I'm starting 5 months of basketball.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it. For now, I'll just enjoy the peace and quiet while I can, until the end of next June rolls around.

I survived.

I survived 4:38 a.m.

I guess.

Yesterday I woke up to Justin poking his head around the corner, 22 minutes before my alarm was set to go off, informing me that I needed to get up and get ready, because everybody was running around and getting trailers hooked up. I realized that I hadn't gotten my work stuff ready to go, still had to put mail in the mail box (we only get mail service 3 days a week-and this is before USPS budget cuts), and I had better just get up anyway in case I decided to ignore my alarm clock. Plus I have this problem where all of my clothes are too big and I didn't know what I was going to wear.

It's kind of difficult going from being able to wear every pair of jeans I've acquired since freshman year of college (which was like well over 30) to only having 4 pairs that actually fit. Just sayin'.

But anyways... back to Monday morning. I got out of the house before 5. Like I told Kelby, my boss, there's no makeup or perfume at 4:38 in the morning... I tried to sleep on the hour long drive to the corral, but Justin had to ooo and ahh over every nice buck he saw. Unfortunately we missed seeing the 4 elk though!

One of the things I love about my job is getting to work with my husband from time to time. Not so much that we get sick of each other, but instead we get to have fun with each other, and some quality conversation too.

And, I even managed to make myself workout later on in the evening.

I am not a morning person.

I am not a morning person. Not at all. So when my husband informed me that we are leaving at 5:30 tomorrow morning to preg-check heifers (aka see if they are pregnant and how far along they are), you can imagine my reaction.

Normally, I let the guys go out and gather whatever herd we will be working that day, then just follow in another pickup about an hour or so later. Unfortunately, these girls are on the other side of the ranch, a good 30 miles away, and I haven't been to that part of the ranch yet. Justin tried giving me directions (go up the road to so & so's house, then head down SA road until you get to so & so's ranch, then take a right and the road turns to a two track after awhile...) but I think for all that I'll just get up and head out with the guys and take a nap in the truck while they gather the heifers :) There's no way I'll be awake enough at that point in time to ride a horse.

Just another day at the ranch!

30 day shred-the before and after pictures!

Cross that one off the to-do list...

I managed to make my goal of dropping 10 lbs this month, and I've lost who knows how many inches (learn from my mistakes-measure yourself before starting the shred). I can't believe how toned my legs got during level 3-the cardio is almost all jumping/plyo stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to awe the kids at basketball practice this winter with my jumping ability... haha. I also hit the big 5-0 for pounds lost. Only 15 to go, then we'll see how much harder I push from there. So now for the pictures...

Day 30 -------------------- Day 1

Day 30 -------------------- Day 1

 Day 30 -------------- Day 1 (somewhere around then)

Now to get rid of the next 15 pounds... I have a feeling it won't be easy but I'm so ready to hit my goal. Shaun T's Rockin' Bod is sitting next to my DVD player for Thursday! I think I deserve a day off tomorrow!

Only 3 more workouts?!?

Ummm whoa. Where did July go?

Maybe looking forward (or dreading) my workout every day made the month go faster. Who knows!

Friday I almost skipped my workout. I had came up with every excuse in the book as to why I shouldn't work out. But, eventually I realized that I was this close to the end, why blow it now? It is crazy to see the difference in how much I can do in one week. Last Sunday I just laughed at myself trying to do jump lunges. Yesterday, I stuck with it, toughed them out and did them for all but about the last 5 seconds.

Tuesday will be day #30. I'll try to get some before and after pics up sometime around there! I bought a new pair of jeans this weekend (nothing in my closet fits any more :( ) they were size 9/10... kind of figured I'd never see that!

What's next after 30 Day Shred? A day off, then conquering Shaun T's Rockin' Bod. I'm going to set up my workout calender today, since of course my schedule is just too wacky to follow the normal Sunday-Saturday workout calender. Justin wants to start Insanity, maybe we will try that after Labor Day weekend!

Halfway picture update

No wonder my husband keeps saying "You're so skinny"

 Day 16 -------------Day 1

I still have a ways to go, but I like what I'm seeing. I've lost about 6-7 pounds so far, and who knows how many inches.

Now I just need to wait for this headache to disappear so I can go do my workout for the day, and figure out what I'm making for supper.

Halfway

I just completed workout #15 of the 30 day shred... and WOW. It hurts so good! It seems like yesterday I was yelling for Justin to come scrape me off the floor as I completed the first day of level 2. Now, 5 workouts later it's still a tough workout, but I can do the whole thing now, and it feels so good.

I've lost about 6 or 7 pounds since I started, but I really wish I would have measured myself before I started. I can already tell I've lost quite a few inches. A lot of my fitted t-shirts aren't quite so fitted any more. I also have some major jean shopping to do, and I had to buy a new belt this weekend. It's awesome seeing the definition in my biceps and triceps. Justin is even impressed!

Best Laid Plans...

So tomorrow is Justin's birthday. I decided that tickets to the Justin McBride concert in Sheridan to kick off rodeo week would be a GREAT birthday present. A couple weeks ago I was still able to get front row seats, so I jumped on that.

So much for front row seats being a great idea... I was a little hesitant to purchase tickets in advance in case something came up at the ranch. And of course... I sent Justin a text at 3:30 to let him know I made reservations for supper. A few minutes later I got a reply-Fire on Russ headed up with the truck. Truck, meaning the grass fire rig that permanently sits at the ranch. So here I sit, not having heard from him in the past 3 hours, trying to figure out what I'll make for supper since Rib & Chop House isn't in the plans for tonight anymore.

Having plans get ruined is one of those things that really bothers me. Even when I can't do anything about it, it really upsets me. Unless Justin walks in the door in the next ten minutes, the concert will probably be a no-go... So much for the great birthday present.