i'm back!

I had a little break last week after finishing a larger order and then getting ready for a visit with my family (and a trip to help Jed's brother move to the Uni of IL). So our week was pretty full! It's always fun having people come visit and a good excuse to explore Chicago some more! We had a fun time visiting the Aquarium with Jed's family and we drove around and went to the lake every day that my family was here. It was pretty laid back and a fun break for both Jed and I.

I have been so bad about taking pictures these days. I'm considering getting either an iPhone or an iPod touch. Anyone know if one or the other is better? I'm guessing the iPhone is a bit better, however, it seems a lot more expensive, but I still need to look into all that more. Anyway, I think it might convince me to take more pictures when I'm out and about. And perhaps make a fun video (like Cathy's super cute video of a typical summer day in Rome)! So what say you? iPhone or iPod?

Here's an update on my workout routine! Well, I completed the first 30 day shred video and it really was hard at first, but after a few days it was not bad at all. I also ached like crazy, probably mostly due to the fact that her stretches after the workout are useless. I started taking a small amount of L-glutamine, which helped a ton with sore muscles. I also did some yoga afterwards, although I should have done more because I developed a bad back ache exactly 1 week after starting the workout. Talk about annoying! I figured it had a lot to do with some of the lunges with weights she has you do along with not stretching my hips, like I should have. SO... I ended up having to take a break. But that was mainly due to having family over and such. But I started back up today with my workout. I did something a bit different, though. I know I said I'd do the 30 day shred, but I honestly am getting really sick of Julian Michaels. She's somewhat tolerable, but I don't look forward to the workouts. The music is annoying and her attitude grates at me. I might check out her second workout, but at the moment I'm doing something that is more fun for me, but still very challenging! I actually discovered this when I was searching for what my back pain could be from. I found this body building website and oddly enough, it's actually very informative. I'm no body builder, but this guy seems to know what he's talking about (even though he looks kind of whacko). And the workout he set up for women is really challenging for me. On top of that, I can turn on my own music and have fun doing it! I'm still pushing myself and when I really cannot complete one of the sets, I just do a bunch of jumping jacks or leg kick backs or dance to keep my heart rate up. I think it will be easier to add in other exercises to the routine as well. And he has you do the workout every other day along with jogging or another sport for 30 min on the other days with a break on the weekend. I can see myself sticking to this workout rather than following a video every day. I think adding in a video for variation would be good too though.

Sorry that was so long! I am trying to make this a lifestyle change and it's not easy! So I tend to over think everything! I promise I'll get back to talking about pretty clothes and such!

Here's my workout music if you care to have a listen. I have to say, I'm kind of crazy about Shaun Cassidy (Shirley Jones' son)! He's sooo groovy! ;)