Wedding Attire

So.

I'm going to my cousin's wedding (like I haven't mentioned that a million times yet) and I need something to wear. I don't want to spend too much money since I have very little to begin with, so I've been scouring the internets for some options. My mom and I are going shopping either tomorrow or Sunday.

I found a couple of dresses at JC Penney that I really like. I'm hoping that they are as cute in person and on me as they are on the website. I've tried to post their pictures but Blogger doesn't seem to want me to...grrr.... Anyway, they are all three on sale for less than $30! Woot!

I also found a dress at Macy's but it is over $100 and a little out of my price range for now.

Kohl's also has some Lauren Conrad dresses that I like but sometimes her clothes are a little short for me...and that is saying something because I'm a short girl!

If I can get blogger to cooperate, I'll post pics of the dresses and let you help me decide!

Meat or No Meat

If you've read my last few posts, you know that I don't like meat. As a child, I remember not liking meat but knowing that I had to eat it. Now, as an adult, I really don't like it. Honestly, even the thought of meat sometimes makes me gag.

Part of the Page diet that I am now following, means that I have to eat three servings of animal protein a day. In case you are slow, that means I have to eat meat 3 times a day! I am really struggling with finding ways to hide meat so I can eat it. Everything I can think of is off limits due to having potatoes, bread, or pasta in it.

So, my question, dear readers, is this: Does anyone have a good recipe I can try out that requires some meat (no pork-it is off limits on the diet too!) but disguises it enough that I can eat it?

Craziness!

All I can say is I hope this weekend is a little safer and less scary than this past weekend!

I was a boring singleton Friday and crashed early in anticipation of Saturday's festivities. Saturday was my cousin, Shannon's, bachelorette party. She is getting married in less than two weeks now and I'm super excited to see my entire family. We haven't all been together in a VERY long time! I'm the reader for the wedding and was informed that one of the readings is a little funny. Great! Now I'll be fighting the giggles!

Anyhoo- I met the party at Fast Eddies (a local establishment known for its cheap food and cold drinks). It was well under way and I ended up hopping on the bus to continue with them. All was fine and good until we were headed to drop me back off and one of the bridesmaids decided to get off of the bus. While it was driving down the road. The bus wasn't going more than 30-40 miles an hour, I'm sure, but it was still one of the scariest things that I've ever seen. I was sitting backwards at one of the tables so I didn't see her actually leave the bus. The bus came to a sudden hault and the driver ran off the bus. By then we all knew something happened and two of the girls ran off the bus to help. She ended up being ok, I think, but it was still scary. Who the heck does that?

Here's hoping the wedding is slightly less dramatic!

The Page Diet

Yesterday I hinted at how I have to overhaul the way I eat. Dr. Dinkelmann of Dinkelmann Heath Center (http://www.dinkelmannhealthcenter.com/) did a hair analysis and found the following:
* I'm hypoglycemic. There is too steep of a fluctuation in my sugar levels.
*My body is not able to use the calcium and magnesium that I eat, therefore it is being deposited elsewhere.
*My thyroid activity is altered and my metabolism is very slow.
* I have too much copper in my body which is affecting many other mineral levels.
*I have very low iron and toxic metals aluminum and arsenic in my body.


This is just a tiny sampling of the long analysis. I just hit the big points. So, I am now following the Page diet found here:http://www.ifnh.org/lifestyle_diet_wholefood_nutrition.htm

This is rather intimidating since I HATE meat and LOVE all things bread and starchy. I'm making the best of it right now. My hope is that my metabolism is finally going to kick itself up a notch and I'll begin to lose some weight finally. And feel better finally.

I'll keep you posted- and offer my thoughts on some meals/things I eat.

Have I ever told you how much I love bread?

Alright, I know I haven't blogged in a while...ok more like a couple of weeks... but I've been waiting for some news. And I'm glad I waited because there is a lot!

1. My brother had some very exciting news but I'm trying to keep my big trap shut for once and not blab to everyone. I've been waiting for some FB activity about it but nothing so far.

2. My dear friend Joi has become a celebrity pretty much overnight. She was selected to be in St. Louis magazine based on her AH-MAZING decorating skills and beautiful home. Her home will be featured in the December issue. But that isn't all! She was also flown to NYC (cue Empire State of Mind) to be a guest on the....wait for it....Nate Berkus Show! Yes, Joi is now a print and television star! I could not be more happy for her! Read all about it here: http://daveandjoi.blogspot.com/

3. I had the opportunity to take a group of 14 students next door to the high school to meet James Dashner. Probably means nothing to the one reader who actually reads this blog, but he is a young adult author who I think is pretty cool. He did not disappoint and we got our picture taken with him.!

4. I finally figured out the answer to all of my fatigue and crappy moods. I know I alluded to it previously, but I've been feeling lousy for a long time now. Not only have I been tired but I was beginning to feel a little depressed. Not slit my wrists depressed, but I knew that something wasn't right and it wasn't just because I'm tired, stressed at work, overweight, or single (although all of those things didn't help, I suppose). Enter Dr. Dinkelmann from Dinkelmann Health Center. He's a lovely South African chiropractor who had my hair analyzed to determine why I feel so bad. Turns out I'm hypglycemic in addition to some other stuff going on. Now I must eat 6 times a day, eat meat (I don't even like typing the word meat much less eat it), take some supplements, and pretty much never eat a piece of bread, candy, cake, or any other sugary, carby treat again. This is devastating to me and I'm attempting to adjust.

Ok, so this post is getting extremely long and if you made it this far you deserve some sort of award. I'm going to continue with more info regarding my doctor's visit later....

These Shoes Are Made For Walking

So, I completed my second half marathon yesterday.

When I signed up for this race (Lewis and Clark Half-Marathon), I was all about training for a second one. I had such a good experience with the first that I was sure I could recreate it on my own without having to raise a bunch of money. WRONG! I've been so tired I couldn't manage to get myself up and run in the mornings.

Knowing this I went into the race with the intentions of running as much as I could and then walking the rest. Easy, right?! Wrong again! I started out strong and made it to the end of the first two miles in spite of an uneasy stomach (which led to an unscheduled bathroom stop on the way to meet my ride). Things went downhill from there. I got a side cramp, I was still worried about eating/drinking for fear of the stomach rearing its ugly head, I was too much in my head and started to doubt I could do it...

Let's just say that I finished. The last two miles felt like I was walking 15 miles and I was near tears for the last 4 miles but I made it. I am so happy that I finished in spite of myself and managed to only come in about 11 minutes over my previous time.

The problem is that I'm super sore...like way more sore than the last one in which I JOGGED a lot of it. And to top it all off, I have two enormous blood blisters on the inside edges of my heels. We're talking quarter sized. And they hurt. So wearing shoes feels like I'm dying. I'm trying not to get up at all if I can help it.

Moral of the story: TRAIN for a race and make sure to break in your running shoes before the race so you know exactly where to put moleskin.

Oh, and if you are wondering if I'd do this again...yes, I'm crazy and I'd do another...but I think I'll wait until next year.