Caloric Intake

This morning as I was sitting in traffic during my commute into work, my mind was wandering and I started trying to figure out why the scale had been mean to me this week.  I tracked all of my food and tracked it honestly.  I worked out three days on the elliptical. And yet, I was up a half a pound on Monday, and two pounds as of this morning.

I ran my week thru my brain over and over trying to figure out what the deal was and what I could do to fix it.  I knew I went over calories a few days, but it wasn't by much and the days I worked out I was under calories.  In my head that broke even.  But I figured I should probably check the numbers to see if that might be my problem. 

Here is the last 10 over/under:

3/4: -185
3/5: +374
3/6: +437
3/7: +237
3/8: -383
3/9: -72
3/10: -571
3/11: -31
3/12: +248
3/13: +61
3/14: -897

Total:  -782

Yea. So. Makes sense now, don't it?

Granted, yesterday's emotional random binge didn't help the situation.  I would have been +115 if I had been a good girl yesterday.

So maybe that's not my problem after all?

Regardless, it's not good what I am doing.

This is what I miss most about Weight Watchers: Weekly Points Allowance. 

After looking at all of this, I have decided to start keeping track of my over/under.  I need to keep it as close to 0 as possible.  That's my new goal.  I don't need to be under calories every day, and some days I can go over, but as long as in the end, I still break even, we are all good in the neighborhood.

And on a completely unrelated note....This happened:

It is so amazing to me. I can't believe it. I look like that in a bikini. I don't hate it. I'm not embarrassed. I don't feel the need to cover anything up.  Hard to believe that in 2007 I was that chubby girl...and I got bigger than that before I realized the error of my ways! And now, here I am, bikini ready for a vacation in 15 days. And the best part about all of this? This body ain't going no where. I didn't do all of this work the last 5 years just to go back to that girl. I refuse, flat out refuse, to be her again.  I will NOT be one of those people who lose all the weight just to put it back on again. My health and my body are too important to me.  I love myself like this and will do whatever it takes to keep it this way! :)

Well darlings, I hope you have a fabulous weekend. I know there are a BUNCH of races this weekend and to be honest I'm a little sad to not be running one of them. (I don't fully miss running yet...maybe I will soon.)  Good luck to you all!

XOXO

Race Recap: Bridge to Brews 10k

As those of you who follow me on Twitter or are lucky enough to know me on Facebook know yesterday was my first ever 10k.

I went back and forth between nervous and excited in the days leading up to the race. Some days I felt confident and ready, and others I felt like I would die before the finish line.  Many of these feelings came when I looked at my running log and noticed that I had only actually run the 10k distance once prior, with several runs just below that distance.  And then all my runs in the week prior were hard on me physically even though they were small distances. 

Packet pick up was on Friday.  I love it when races have free beer at these events!



I love that this was my number. 53 is my fave number and 68 is my lucky number!

 This race had the option of not getting a shirt with registration which is what I signed up for. I kind of regret that decision now. I will be looking into trying to buy one if they have any left.

Fast forward to race day.  I got about 5 hours of sleep. I made a smoothie out of leftover coffee, milk, ice , and a Weight Watchers Chocolate Smoothie mix for my breakfast. I would have liked a banana, but I was all out. While I was getting dressed I kept going outside after each layer until I had enough clothes on to not be cold before the run or too warm during the run. The Man got quite a good laugh out of it.

I got to the Max station just as the train I wanted was pulling away which meant I had to wait a half hour before the next train came. I used that time to pace the platform and stretch. I also took my traditional "look how silly I look" picture.



 While pacing the platform I was people watching and noticed that I was the only person dressed for the race that was alone. Everyone else was in groups of 2 or more.  I suddenly got super sad and lonely. I had told the Man to stay home because I was worried he would be bored waiting around for me.  I tried to self talk myself into not feeling sad, but it only got worse as the morning progressed.

I got to the race just a few minutes before the start time. Rushed to bag check where I found a friend who I knew was also racing.  I lost him in the crowd while I was heading to the Honey Buckets but we agreed to meet after the run so I didn't mind.

By the time I made it out of the potty lines the race had already started. The race was starting in waves and I knew I needed to be in the back of the line since I am slow so it didn't bother me.  I have to say, it was really well organized for such a large race in a small space!  According to my timing chip I crossed the start line about 8 minutes after the official gun. 


If you look closely you can see runners on the middle bridge!

After the first corner was the biggest steepest hill I had ever seen. It was not a good sign for me and I got winded really quickly trying to get up it at a good pace.

After that hill was the first of 2 bridges we crossed.

This is the view from ON the bridge you could see in the above picture



I love running on Portland's bridges. We have so many of them and the views are amazing. I wish I had gotten more pictures, but I needed to focus on what I was doing unfortunately.



This is another view of the 1st bridge



It was right around this area (mile 3ish) that I started to see people along side of the road waiting for their friends/family to pass buy. I saw one guy actually stop to hug and kiss his wife before moving on. It almost made me tear up.

I had over planned my wardrobe and was SUPER hot. I wanted to take off my long-sleeve shirt, but didn't want to stop even more. I ended up folding the bottom edge of my shirt up so my stomach was exposed (but still covered by my light jacket so no one would die from the sight of my floppy skin), and pushing down my knee socks to let my calves breathe. Just about everyone passing me was in tank tops. It was in the low 60's and I would have tripped one of those bitches to steal one of their tanks if I could. (Note to self: Invest in a few of those tanks before your next race!)

When we got into the downtown area, I started to struggle both mentally and physically. I wanted to barf and my head was going into places that I didn't want to be. I needed a cheerleader, and I didn't have one. So I stopped, and sent out a text to Twitter: "2.4 miles to go and I may die..." I was hoping that my Twitter friends would come to my rescue and give me the pick-me-up I needed to carry on. And they did. Almost instantly I could feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. I didn't even need to stop and check what they said...just knowing they were there was all I needed.

The last mile and a half was a lot easier, especially when the 2nd bridge came into sight.



The 2nd bridge - saw a guy puking off the edge of this one...into the river.

Following that bridge was another hill from hell, but I knew that the finish was just around the bend so I pushed thru it.

I crossed the finish line in 1:07:46.  I had hoped to finish in 1:06 but I will gladly take 1:07!

My friend who I met up with earlier was waiting for me at the finish line and it warmed my heart enough to forget about all the faces who I didn't see at the finish line but wanted to. We went off to bag check to retrieve my ID, then jumped into the beer line!



2 free beers!  Yes, please!


We finished those beers, then had 2 more beers show up, then decided that being drunk at 10:30 on a Sunday morning wasn't a good idea so we headed out for some food (and another beer).

I got home to find the Man working hard in the back yard. He didn't care at all that I was stinky and gave me the big "well done" hug that I needed. He followed that by telling me he was sad he missed the race. If I wasn't completely dehydrated, I would have started crying. That man knows just what to say to me sometimes. I love him so freaking much.

My heart was still hurt from the feelings I stirred up while running, so I thanked all my Twitter friends for their support then poured out a rant on how lonely my race was. I got a lot of feedback from everyone that made me feel a lot better (not completely better tho).

I need to remember that I race for me, and not for glory. I also need to remember that some people are just assholes.

After a long shower, fresh change of clothes and about 80 glasses of water I got a text from the friend I saw at the race asking me to be his "race buddy". I guess he is tired of racing alone too! He has already emailed me several races to sign up for that he is doing and told me to send him any I wanted to do for him to sign up for.  I am SO excited for all of these races now, knowing I don't have to do them alone!

Stay tuned....lots more race recaps will be coming in the next few months as my racing schedule is now FULL!  :)

xoxox

Lifetime Update: Week ending 2/13/2011

Let me begin by saying...I have had a half a bottle of champagne...but it took the semi-drunk me to realize that my last 2 posts had the wrong year on the subject line. 

So this last week was pretty darn great for me (and for KT too!).  I got on the treadmill 3 times, going a little farther each time, except for on Sunday, because I just wasn't feeling it.  I have to confess that I was under my points during the week, several times.  I just wasn't hungry.  I tried to eat them, I really did, I just wasn't feeling it!  I even text KT asking for suggestions on ways to add some points to my dinners!  Didn't work too well.  Not because KT didn't have great tips, because she did.  I just couldn't get them into my mouth.  I even tried to guzzle booze to kill points but was unsuccessful!  Which is totally NOT like me at ALL!! 

I  made up for what I lacked during the week on the weekend though and totally scrapped my tracking and went to town with my eating.  I did just fine at school on Saturday but I went to try a new Chinese place with the Man that night and forgot that General Tso's Chicken is deep fried.  (I need to remember that it is Kung Pao that I like!)  I only ate half my portion, but it was still a big greasy 21pt+ mess of sugar and fat.  On Sunday, I needed guacamole and refried beans to soak up all of the Chinese grease lining my stomach so I made another bad decision.  It happens.  I am over it.

I saw a beautiful -1 lb loss on the scale putting me at tied with my lowest weight ever.  I am thinking that this just might be the number my body likes with my current diet and fitness level.  I am going to keep trying to get to the number I have in my head, but if I don't get there, I am fine with that too.  I don't want to have to struggle and sacrifice to just to make a number on the scale.  My current fitness level and eating habits are fine for me to maintain the number I am currently at so that is all good.  

KT had an amazing week!  She had a "baller loss" and earned herself her 2nd 5lb star!!  Her -3lb this week made up for her disappointing and inappropriate gain from last week.  She is doing so well, and I am so proud of her!  She has an amazing attitude and just won't quit!  I really think the Weight Watchers lifestyle was meant for her.  She loves to weigh and measure her food, and she pre-plans like a pro! 

I have to say though, what I am most proud of is that she is actually learning to cook while on WW!  Before this she was totally a 'quick and easy' kind of girl.  She had some fall-back recipes that she would make but wasn't too into experimenting in the kitchen.  Now, she is actually looking forward to trying new things and recipes!  I got her to taste some red and yellow peppers a few weeks ago, just so see if she liked them (which, believe me, is a step, and she didn't like them) and there is a recipe in the WW Weekly for a Mexican brown rice casserole, that contains spinach, she is really looking forward to trying!  There was some other cooking accomplishment she had this past week, but I can't think of it right now (damn champagne). 

So, today is Valentine's Day.  I am NOT a fan of the holiday.  Never really have been.  It is just a made up, Hallmark holiday, designed to make single people feel bad about themselves, and married people obligated to spend money.  This year I told the Man to not even bother.  I tell him I love him each and every day.  He does the same for me, and I don't need him to send me flowers once a year because it is required by the standards of the holiday.  For the last 3 years the Man has gotten me the same card, which I love, and we do something semi-nice for dinner.  We don't go out and we don't buy gifts.  This year, he got me a different card (because they don't carry the regular one any more) and an adapter for my iPod that I needed.  I got him a bad of candy hearts.  We had salads for dinner as we do every Monday, with the exception of the champagne.  The only reason we had champagne tonight...it was already chilled, and we were out of regular wine. 

But...for the sake of Valentine's day...and because I know he never reads this blog...may I just say, I have a pretty damn amazing husband!  He really puts up with a lot of my crap and seems to enjoy it.  I just don't understand it sometimes.  I am a major pain in the ass, and yet he loves me.  He loved me when I was fat, and he loves me now.  He knows all of my flaws and either embraces them or works with me to change them.  We have the same weird sense of humor, and on many occasions, we think the same things at the same time.  I would marry him again tomorrow.  He may be a pain in my ass, but he is MY pain in the ass, and I wouldn't trade that for anything!  Happy Valentine's Day, Love Bug!

 And just so KT doesn't feel left out...here are some pictures of HER Valentine!!  Her beautiful and smart 6 month old awesome daughter AJ!!  Let me tell you, I am not a baby person...but this baby...ugh...she has me wrapped around her chubby little finger.  Greatest baby ever made!

Muddy Buddy!!!

I know I am behind on my Tombstone posts, but I had so much fun at this race yesterday I had to tell you all about it!

In case you didn't know, I am super active on Twitter (@SuperERizzle) and I follow PopChips (@popchipsSeattle) because not only are they an amazing low point snack, they really appreciate their fans and offer all kinds of fun prizes for following them!  (They sent me a great gift basket with a month's supply of Popchips just for being their 50th follower!  Anyway, a few weeks ago the tweeted looking for people who wanted to participate in the Portland Muddy Buddy and of course I volunteered.

I frantically looked for a buddy for the race since it was only a week prior that I found out about the race.  My awesome friend Kim agreed to do it with me even though she felt like she wasn't "in shape" enough to do it. 

The day before the race we went to pick up our race packets and shirts and decided to stop by the pre-race party since they said there would be free beer!  Even though we only had a half  hour left on the parking meter, we hauled ass and got back to the car only 12 minutes past our time with NO ticket!  (For the record, I am not a beer person, but Redhook's Mud Slinger is AWESOME!  It made me nervous because it was so dark, but it wasn't bitter and had a great honey taste to it!)

The morning of the race I had to get up at 5, which I did not like.  And it was freeeeeeeeeezing which I also did not like!  It was a day FULL of things I don't like because I do NOT like mud either!



Kim and I all bundled up before the race.  Please note the fog and frost.

 

We are two Bad Ass Bitches!!


The premise of the Muddy Buddy is simple.  Two people, one bike, 6 miles, 3 obstacles, and one HUGE mud pit!



The mud pit before the race started.  They told us it was heated....they lied.

When the race starts one buddy is on the bike and the other is on foot, when you reach the obstacle you swap so that the other buddy is now running and the other is biking.  This back and forth happens 3 times until the end where you meet up and go through the mud pit together.  I ended up running 3 legs and biking 2 and Kim biked 3 legs and ran 2. 

It was HARD.  I thought I was in shape and that I could totally handle running 3 little miles.  I was wrong.  These weren't just any miles, they were 3 miles up hill on a rocky path in the middle of the woods.  I thought that the biking would be even easier but it was even worse!  The hills were so steep and rocky that I walked the bike more than I rode it.  I was terrified of the downhill and falling flat on my face.  I walked most of my running portions too since the path was so hazardous and I was pooped. 

I wanted to give up about 100 times but I was in the middle of the woods in the middle of no where so there was no where to go except to the finish line.

Speaking of finish line....

We are in the two in pink.  (Love the chick in front feeling herself up though!)



We hesitated for a minute. 



 It was super cold and super gross in that mud pit, but I have to say it really was the best part of the whole experience!

Well, almost the best part...

MORE FREE BEER!!!

Nothing like being covered in mud and drinking beer at 10 AM on a Sunday!!

After the race, we hosed off, enjoyed our free beers (Yes, we got more than one free beer!), changed into some clean  dry clothes,  and headed off to get lunch.  (I was starving and once again, didn't eat breakfast like I know I should.)  When I got home I got in the shower and spent the next hour scrubbing mud out of places that one should NOT have mud! 

Overall, I had a fantastic time and I learned several important lessons.

1. Eat breakfast before doing a race.
2. Being skinny does NOT equal being "in shape".
3. Jalapeno poppers are the perfect after race food.
4. My husband really is willing to do anything for me!  (He has a terrible cold and still got up early and braved the cold to cheer me on!)
5. Not all dark beers are created equal!

The rest of my Tombstone posts are coming soon....I promise!!

Portland to Coast: Part 2 - Pictures of previous years

Yesterday my picture from PTC came in the mail and it makes me so happy I cannot even begin to explain!  I put it with my pictures from previous years on my entertainment center for all to see!  I am even keeping my old pictures out with it instead of shoving them into a drawer some where pretending that I didn't used to be a big ole fatty.  I like showing off my progression pictures and I am extremely proud of them! 
(There are 4 medals and 3 pictures.  I did not purchase a picture in 2007 for an reason I cannot remember at this time, but I totally wish I had!)

2008               2009                   2010

I can't stop staring at them!! 

2008 - Roughly 200lbs give or take

2009 - Roughly 175 lbs

2010 - 145 lbs

AMAZING!!!!!!

Please scroll up a few more times to stare at them some more....I can wait.....





Okay, enough staring....

So in case you are wondering what that pink band is you see in front of my pictures, it is what we use at the exchange points to designate the walker for our team.

 

Since I was the final walker and crossed the finish line, I got to keep the bracelet this year.  I love that it is pink and the 20th anniversary bracelet!   

Why do I keep calling it a bracelet?  Oh, easy.....(flash back to the late 80's early 80's)

IT IS A SLAP BRACELET!!!!!   Remember those??  They were all the rage until some crazy mom's said that they were a health hazard because you could sever an artery out of the metal they were made out of if you pulled off the plastic/fabric cover, or something shitty like that.  I remember my mom raided my bedroom and threw all of mine away the second she saw that on the news. 

Okay, back to the point.  When you walk you wear the bracelet, when you get to the exchange point you pass on the bracelet to the next walker in line.  Like the baton they use for track events, but easier to walk 6 miles carrying.  Get it?

As seen here in action from 2009

Now that the muscle pain and tiredness are gone, the only thing left to report from my weekend is the final number of pounds I lost or gained this year.  In previous years I lost roughly 6 pounds, but I had a lot more to lose then and I don't expect that to happen this year AT ALL!!  I don't count my WI on the Monday after the race because my muscles are so sore and retaining so much water that it isn't even close to accurate!  For example:  I left for the weekend weighing 146 lbs, the scale on Monday said 149.3, and today it said 147.2.  I never weigh myself daily, but that 149 number freaked me out a little so I have been peeking to make sure the numbers are going down.  It has also helped me feel less like a big chubbo!  I won't be looking any more this week as the numbers are back to an acceptable range and I can be patient until Monday with the way things stand right now. 

The Mother of All Relays: Portland to Coast

This past weekend after much anticipation and drama, I got to do Portland to Coast for the 4th year in a row!  It is my favorite weekend of the year by far and I am so happy that I was able to participate this year because for a while it didn't look like I would be able to. 

For those who don't know, Portland to Coast is a 127 mile walk relay race from downtown Portland to Seaside, Oregon.  (You can find more information about it, and the other race that goes on at the same time but a longer distance and for runners, Hood to Coast: HERE.)  Basically, you fill a van with 8-12 people and you walk, one at at time to the beach.  The coarse is divided into legs of various length and difficulty.  Each person takes a turn in sequence and walks a leg.  (We were a 10 person team, so 6 people did 2 legs, and 4 people did 3 legs.  I was lucky and got to do 3!)  Start times are staggered based on fitness level and estimated finish time.  (So the slower teams start first and the faster teams start later.  There were 102 walking teams this year.)

My weekend began on Thursday after work.  I had to take home a Freightliner Sprinter van that I borrowed for work.  This van is 20.5 feet long, which is whole lot bigger than my Honda Fit, and made for some interesting driving!!  When I got home it was time to start packing and get the van decorated.  My friend C who was also on my team this year (and a PTC virgin) came over to help.  We packed, and double checked our bags to make sure we had everything, then carb loaded with PB&J sammies while watching a movie.  We finally crashed on the couch at 12:30 and got a full 2 hours sleep before the alarm went off at 2:30 AM.  We brushed our teeth, grabbed our bags and headed out the door.  C got the first shift driving the van and she wasn't too excited about it!  It is a BIG van!!

We got to where we were meeting our team, packed the van and headed off to the starting line. 

At promptly 5:15 AM the whistle blew and we were off!!

Now, the fun really begins!  The van follows the course along and stops to meet the walker on the side of the road to make sure they are safe and to bring them water and moral support. 

Until it was my turn to walk, I had a lot of fun cheering my team on.  My Sissy was on my team this year and it was her first year as well as C's.  I also had a returning walker J on my team too.  (I didn't know any of the other people on my team so they will be left out of the story.  Sorry.)  I was pretty jacked up on 5 Hour Energy drinks due to lack of sleep so silly things started happening involving self portraits.

Hey there!

At about noon it was time for my first walk.  (Yea, noon....which means that in 29 hours I had slept for a blissful 2 hours.)  It was a nice and short "Easy" leg that I knocked out in under 45 minutes for a 13 min mile average.

Now, an important tradition at PTC (and HTC) is counting Roadkills.  Not the dead animals you see on the side of the road (which you see plenty of).  Roadkills are other walkers that you pass during your leg.  You keep track of them with hash marks on the side of your van for bragging rights.  Being 'killed' is a bad thing.  However, making 'kills' is a great motivator!  I spot a person in the distance and aim to 'kill'.  It makes the walk time go by faster and gives you something to focus on and challenge yourself.  My first leg I got 8 kills.

If you look closely on the left of the picture you can seen an elbow belonging to a woman in pink?

I had her in my sights during the last mile and finally got her.  Just as we hit the exchange point she sped up and tried to kill me, but I sped up and made the exchange before her!  (My team mate is the one in white with the backpack on. The pink bracelet is what designates the teams 'walker' and is what we exchange at the beginning of each leg.)
 
The next leg belonged to Sissy:

Yep, those are her legs!  HA!  Pretty nice, huh?  (She has lost over 50lbs on WeightWatchers and is fricken awesome!!)

Here she is at the end of her fist leg just after her exchange with J. 

Sissy is in grey, J is in blue.

She was really nervous about the walk and didn't think she would be able to do it, but she totally rocked it and I was so proud of her I made this face:

 
So, when you do PTC you live in the van for 30 hours with 10 other people.  You eat and sleep in the van and frequent the Port-o-pottys placed at each exchange stop.  (Which is awesome.  Nothing like sharing a toilet that is baking in the summer sun with hundreds of sweaty people...especially people jacked up on high fiber, high carb diets...think about it for a second....are you picking up what I am putting down here?  Don't make me spell it out for you....)

J grabbing a bagel in the back of the van!

At about this point, things start to get really silly....

I have no idea who this guy is...or why he was dressed like a monkey...

The walking continues throughout the day and the sun starts to set...

All the vans waiting to pick up their walkers at an exchange point

And things get even sillier...

I am so sexy!!

After the sun sets, the walking gets harder as we are all tired and starting our second legs.  Night walking is pretty dangerous so we all wear reflective vests, headlamps, and blinking lights on the front and back.  We carry flashlights as well too.  A local motorcycle group drives up and down the route making sure people are safe and the vans go extra slow and double check their walkers haven't been attacked by badgers or cougars.
 
My second leg began around 1 AM.  For those keeping track, it would be a grand total of 2.5 hours sleep (I got a nap in) within a 42 hour period. 
 
What?  You don't trust my math?  How could it be 42 hours, you say?  Well, lets to the math:
Thursday, I get up at 7 AM, I work a full day and go to sleep at 12:30.  I wake up at 2 AM on Friday morning, catch a half hour nap sometime during the day.  So at 1 AM on Saturday it is 42 total hours since my head was on a pillow getting a full nights sleep.  Got it?  Good!  Let's move on.
 
I have done this leg all four times I participated in PTC and I lovingly call it "My Everest". 
 

This time around it was the best walk of all time!  The first 2 miles I struggled and had a pace of about a 15 minute mile.  The next two were not much better.  When I hit the crest of the hill and could feel the back of my ass start to burn from the new angle, it happened.  I got my first ever "Walker's High"!!  I didnt' think it was possible or that it even existed, but it happened!  I could feel all the muscles in my body working together.  Everything went into sync, and my pace increased to a 12 minute mile.  It was glorious!!  I got 3 'kills' going up hill and 3 going down.  One of the 'kills' was a guy that 'killed' me on the way up hill!  At the end of my leg, I hit the exchange point hard, and kept walking!  I didn't want to stop!  My team captain chased after me and I said "Nope, I gotta keep walking while I can, this is too good of a feeling to stop!"  I don't know how much more I walked, but eventually I started to slow myself down so I could stretch and get back into the van.  I changed out of my sweaty clothes, curled up in a seat, and got a blissful 3 hours of sleep with interruptions roughly every half hour.  But it didn't matter, everything was still feeling perfect after the walk I had just finished.  But then, the feeling started to wear off, and the pain started to kick in...and it occurred to me that I had a blister....so I took off my shoe and found this...
 

A beautiful and painful blood blister on my heel!!

I still had one leg left to do, so I did the best I could padding it with bandages and put my shoes back on.

The sun came up to a new day which meant our race was coming to an end soon. 

My girls: J, C and Sissy gabbing in the van

My last leg was also the very last leg of the race!  I was so honored to get to bring our team in for the finale! (In a previous year, I got to start the race.)
 
 

I decided to take my camera a long to capture some of the scenery coming into the finish! 

The first section was on a gravel road in the woods!

I make this look good!! 
(My visor did a great job of keeping the sun out of my face, but I got a nice sunburn on the top of my head at my part line!  Oops!)

See that white speck?  Yea, that bitch was 'Roadkill'!!

I had to put the camera away for the final few miles of the race as I was really in a groove and had a good pace going.  (About a 12.5 minute mile)  I had to stop part way to help an old man who fell in his driveway while washing his car get back up again, but the good karma was worth the extra 3 minutes on my walk time!
 
I made it to the finish like which was right on the beach to meet my team and walk across together!  The whole crowd cheers, we get beautiful medal, and a team picture taken, then we are free to relax in the sand!! It is a full on party at the beach!  They have a big stage with bands playing, a beer garden thanks to Widmer Brothers Brewery, and food vendors.
 

In case you aren't up to speed with your American history, Seaside is where the Lewis and Clark Expedition ended! 

 

Sissy ran off with her boyfriend, and J left with her husband so C and I grabbed some greasy junk food and chowed down!

C had a cheeseburger, I had chicken yakisoba

After our meal, we hit the sand for a nap.  And I attempted to take a picture of myself with my medal.

I wasn't successful....at all...

After a lovely hour of sandy rest, C and I headed back to the van to meet the team and head home.  But wait...who is that I see?  Could it be?  OMG it IS!!

AMY ROLOFF!!!!

Wow, that totally made my weekend perfect!  I didn't talk to her or anything as her camera crew was with her and she looked pretty focused on what ever it is they were doing.  But, WOW!!!
 
After seeing Amy, we stopped for an ice cream and I ate a waffle cone with one scoop of double fudge brownie and it was amazing!  (I can't tell you the last time I ate real, full fat, ice cream!!)
 
We loaded into the van in total silence and all fell asleep (except the person driving, but he had to swap half way home).  We cleaned out the van and went our separate ways!  I got home around 5 on Saturday, showered, loaded all my pictures onto Facebook, crawled into bed and slept until Monday.  (Totally not joking...I really did!)
 
And, that my friends, is the end of my adventure! 
 
Oh wait...one more thing....remember that blister?

IT GOT BIGGER!!!