My arm won't extend straight.....

I am sure you are wondering how is Summer's diet coming along? You might have even been losing sleep over it. Well, it is pretty tragic really. I miss bread. I miss dessert. I miss the feeling in my right bicep and forearm. And I miss being able to pee without throbbing pains in my quads. But other than that it is going swimmingly well.

I think it is day 4 of the diet. Hard to really say because due to my lack of caffeine and carbs I can hardly focus for my than 10 minutes. Sad.

I have only had water and A LOT of it to the tune of 12 (8 oz) glasses a day. Yes...I am floating.

I have hired a trainer who I have nicknamed Todd the Bod. He is one of "those" types....the triathlon running, bike riding, organic eating, "I do push-ups with one hand just for fun" types. And I like him. (NT works out with him too)

Iphone camera comes in handy yet again~

Here is a brief outline of my 3 days with Todd the Bod.

DAY 1: The DIET. I am doing 1700 calories a day with a food journal. It is broken down by starches, veggies, fruits, protein and dairy/fat. Each category then tells me what foods I can eat inside the calorie limit. Strangely I looked 10 times through the pages trying to find chocolate...not available! There will be more on this diet in a separate post.

DAY 2: ARMS. Oh my goodness....the arms. It was the most painful experience in my life. The pain was so intense in my biceps that it hurt in my nose (I don't know why but it did). i wanted to cry but figured that would be bad on our first workout day.

I even tried my usual cheating....you know...he tells me to do 15 reps and suddenly I forget how to count and OOPS! did I only do 12 reps? my bad.
But this was the move that actually did me in. My arms were like jello...like little lifeless limbs and when I went to do the move above....I basically face planted to the floor. Todd the trainer was like just hold it for 10 more seconds. Really? "Sir, maybe I have not made my tiredness known. Let me explain. I am so tired that I am willing to lay my face on this GROSS gym floor just so I can rest. Dear Trianer, do you now understand how tired I am?"


DAY 3: Well....actually, I should tell you the conclusion to Day 2-Arms. At 4:30am this morning I awoke because my arm was writhing with pain. Like a Charlie Horse but in my arm. I COULD NOT straighten it. I per usual yell for NT and wake up the pets but there is nothing they can do. A handful of Ben Gay later slathered from my shoulder to wrist, I was able to stomach the pain and go back to sleep. (for about 10 more minutes until Mason was ready to start his day)

Okay....back to DAY 3 (today): LEG WORKOUT (P90x style). All I have to say...is Girl Bye! We did more squats that Tiger had mistresses. After about the 100th squat and 5th wall sit, I was ready cry or die. And Todd the Bod had a new nickname....The Devil. He seemed to find it funny that I would have hard time squatting to pee by tomorrow.
This move which is known as the explosive squat was "special." See the gal above seems to be having fun for some reason as her quad muscles rip to shreds with each and every jump. Well...okay...it is not that bad. This gal looks like a cheerleader, I looked more like a bloated frog. We probably did about 5.3 million of these today (obvious exaggeration)

The funny part is that I pay Todd the Bod (aka:the devil) to torture me in this way. Don't worry friends, NT has his first workout next week and I will have the muscle cream waiting!

BTW, our little gym is super cute-see logo below.Sweet little Denver, NC.

Enter Captain Obvious

So....we have a small situation on hand. Let me attempt to explain through a series of pictures.

My lovely sister-in-law Jaime is getting married. This is her...cute huh?
She is marrying a very nice gentleman named Lee. Handsome little devil.
She asked me to be a bridesmaid. I was honored. I have helped with showers and bachelorette parties--fun times. I even ordered a super-fun bridesmaid dress from J Crew--and it is actually a bridesmaid dress that I would wear again (for real). Here it is in all of it's cuteness...
Now here is where the situation arises. I ordered the aforementioned dress last May. Do you know what else happened last May? I got married.
Do you see the problem yet? No? Well let me explain. I worked out at least 5 days a week before my wedding and ate only 1300 calories a day.
Now you see the problem right? I was about 2 sizes smaller or 10 pounds lighter when I ordered that dress. Yikes! Jaimes wedding is in 3 weeks and I can't fit into my dress.
So my very first thought was to try to get the dress altered. This would be the easiest way and would prevent me from having to eat like a rabbit for the next 3 weeks. Here is where Captain Obvious enters the picture.

I was at the tailor and had just tried on the dress. I am wearing spanx and sucking in but that is not enough. I exit the dressing room and the tailor states...."Your zipper does not zip all the way." Really? Did you think I didn't notice the draft on my back?

Then CO (Captain Obvious) states "you must have been 2 sizes smaller when you ordered this dress." Okay....again....why don't you just a girl while she is down? geez.

And then the final blow...the knockout punch. He tells me there is not enough room to take out the seam.

The basic gist is that I need to lose 1-2 inches in the next 3 weeks. I know it can be done but I am not sure if I have the will power to do it.

Did I mention we live 1 mile from a fabulous donut shop? I plan to blog about that once I go off my diet!
I then decided to do what any "desperate to lose weight" person would do....I googled. And here is what I found:
Yet, another Captain Obvious. Step One: Remove all junk food. My problem with this eHow article is that it is rated as Moderately Easy. What world do they live in? Obviously not one with peanut m&ms and brownies a la mode.

So the plan is to make this dress fit. I have 3 weeks to do it. Here we go.

My blog is normally a happy non-serious place. A place where pink unicorns can roam in a field of gumdrops.....

However, I must pause for a moment of reflection. NT and I went to Raleigh this weekend and for the first time I felt like a visitor. It was weird. A place that was home for 10+ years now feels like a place we would go visit for the weekend.

And things had changed. For one.....there were more potholes. Weird I know...but true...you Raleigh peeps know what I am talking about. Second, El Rodeo has a new sign. How could one of my favorite mexican restaurants change their sign without my approval? Next, the State Farmer's Market restaurant now welcomes "happy dogs." And North Hills has a 2-story Harris Teeter. Did I mention that Hillsborough street almost has a traffic circle?

I guess my point is that I left and expected things to stay the same while I was gone. But instead there is change and it doesn't feel like home anymore.

Of course, I still did my obligatory cruise through the NC State campus and reminisced (thank goodness for spell checker for words like reminisced) of the good ol' days. NC State....I still love you....Go Pack!

Ok re-enter the pink unicorns. the moment of reflection is over.

Sidebar--do you know what I love about warm weather? .....everything! but here are top 5!

1. Walking the dogs.
2. Sitting in our new outdoor furniture
3. Mason "sunning" himself in the yard. He is certainly not missing the 2 foot square of grass at our old townhome
4. Riding with the windows down
5. Grilling out!

PS: Mom and Dad you picked the perfect name when you decided on "Summer" because I adore warm weather and summertime!

Wendy's For Life.

So everyone has a favorite restaurant, right? For example, I heart Sushi-Thai in Raleigh. NT loves Mellow Mushroom. My padres adore Stag N Doe in China Grove. The in-laws are fans of Carraba's. But my Grandma....she loves Wendy's. Yep, the gal with the red pig tails. the home of the square burger and the Carolina Classic.

I find it to be very interesting that my Grandma can eat at Wendy's every day of the week. It is a simple order. Chicken Breast Filet sandwich (sometimes spicy), Fries or B Potato, and a senior coffee.
It really cracks me up that she still looks at the menu. I do that too. I go to restaurants and pretend to look at the menu and then I get the usual. For example I get the Pad Thai (not @ wendys-obv) but I still pretend I might get something different.

By the way... how cool is my Grandma? Gorgeous, huh? I can only hope and pray that I look like her after I am 80 years old. She tells me her secret it baby oil. Funny since baby oil is $3 bucks and my face cream is....well....it's a lot more than that.

Back to the point...ask yourself, could you eat at your favorite restaurant every day?

The cool thing is my Grandma knows everyone in there because several of her friends also eat there everyday! pretty neat, huh? I would love for all of my friends to meet me at the same restaurant every day.

Per usual....I decided I needed to document this Wendys trip. Hey, don't judge me...it is hard to blog about things other than your dog when you have no kids, can't cook worth a dang and work at a home office. Wendy's becomes a true field trip! No worries, I was not busting out my big girl camera....I just pretended to be making a phone call and then snapped a few photos with my iphone. Obviously it would be weird if people knew that I was taking pictures in Wendys...for what....for my blog? WEIRD.
There is my lovely grandma with her baked potato and spicy chicken breast filet sandwich...having no idea that I am taking a picture for my blog. perfectly happy to be eating the same thing 3 days in row.

Now-please note this visit to Wendy's was pre-diet. now I eat lettuce. and water. and sometimes a peanut or two. and i am very moody due to lack of carbs.

The Face of a Monkey....the Heart of an Angel!

Yes I said it. And yes I was talking about our puppy Hines. I decided to check out the breeder's website just to see where our little bundle of love game from. And here is the exact quote from the home page at www.brusselgrifflady.com

"Brussels Griffons are the perfect dog. Charming, smart, easy to train, easy to groom and even easier to love. Small...Smart...Sturdy...Sensitive...Social. THE FACE OF A MONKEY, THE HEART OF AN ANGEL."
I think we all look at the picture of Hines and kind of think....wow, that dog looks like a monkey or a rat. But to be polite we say Gizmo or an Ewok. I really don't normally admit that my puppy looks like a senior citizen monkey but when the breeder says it....it really gets you thinking. (PS: Did you notice it said "easy to groom," she must have missed my post about bathing hinsey)

The breeders website has a page on the puppies. See below. Which one do you think is Hines?
Did you get it right?

And yes.... I also wonder why the breeder takes pictures of all the puppies in front of a fake fern? Of all the backgrounds to choose from.... they choose faux greenery.

If you did not find Hines, see below:
Okay-try your best to look past all of the fake ferns and look at the puppies. Why does our dog look like the crazy one?!? Seriously look at his face and the eyes bugging out. Here it is close up for your viewing pleasure.
mmmm.....yep. I don't really have anything to say about this picture.
Seriously, is this really happening? ..... as if the faux fern was not bad enough now the dog is in a mini jungle wearing a crown. I think this is Hine's half sister.
Ok, I promise to stop now. I simply had to show you these last two.

Ok so I am certainly not judging ANYONE for being crazy because you know I beat to a different drummer myself. However, when the breeder names her dogs after drugs....

You may think I am kidding and I wish I was. But the dogs names are Prozac, Midol, Advil, Zanex, Zoloft, Botox and Lipitor.

To sum up this post. The breeder of our dog says he looks like a monkey, hid him in a fern and produced him from Zanex and Prozac. And we wonder why Hines acts da' fool?

at least he is a cute monkey.

Rub a dub dub.....

Have you seen all the cute pictures of babies taking a bath? Adorable little suds on the tip of their noses or little rubber ducks in the background.
Well the thought of it inspired me to take photos while bathing my baby....Hines Dudley. Now I am not sure if it is difficult to take pics of bathing babies but let me tell you what....it is EXTREMELY difficult to take photos of a 5 month old puppy getting a bath.

First, Hines hates the water and trys to jump out of the tub every five seconds. Second, he shakes often which makes it hard to catch the shot because I have to keep covering my lens. Finally, he is solid black and just looks like a furry blob most of the time. (Would it be too much to ask to die his hair so I can get better pictures?)

The Supplies: Pet Head Shampoo, Large Georgia cup for pouring water over small dog's head, pet head smell good product (b/c I tend to miss a few spots), a comb for that crazy beard, and of course the Georgia shirt (can someone please buy me a NC State t-shirt for little man?)
Okay this is the beginning of the process. I am wearing my "dog washing" shirt. I knew the 500 sorority shirts that I bought in college would come in good for something. Notice, how he is already trying to escape. And yes, I see that my hair needs to be highlighted...no worries that is happening this week. (Thank you Mom for your photography work)
In the words of Aaron Neville and Linda Rondstadt..."Look at these eyes..." pleading with me to PLEASE put down the camera. It is hard to be a family member of a blogger, because I stop the natural flow of life to take pics. For example, small dog is FREEZING his tookus off right here but I had to take 5 pictures because he wouldn't look at me.
Dear my family members (especially you HINES),
I love you guys for supporting my blog. For future reference if you would just look at me as instructed and strike a pose instead of avoiding the camera, things would move faster. For example, Hines....just look at me, smile....and then I will take you out of the tub.
Love, Summer
Here he is the calculating risk of jumping the 3 feet vs. staying in the tub with crazy photographer lady.
The drying process goes quick because he so small. He doesn't really like it much though...my Grandma suggested using a hair dryer but I am afraid that would feel like Hurricane Hugo to this little guy. (And yes....I had an "I survived Hurricane Hugo t-shirt in the 80's)
His beard cracks me up. He catches everything in it....fuzz, food, dirt....henceforth why he needs a bath each and every week.
Here is the final product. As I look at it now, I am trying to figure out if he looks cleaner? He kind of looks like he put his paw in a socket. Definitely more fro like and fluffy but I am not sure about cleaner. Good thing I have that smell good spray to cover it up....it is like Febreeze for dogs.

PS: Hines, thank you for your support. Next time I promise to not take 1.2 million pictures while you shiver in the sink

How many Triompos does it take to change a battery?

Just a story that I wanted to share with you....

We were sound asleep when we heard the ever so annoying chirp of the smoke detector. This set the nervous Golden Retriever into a tailspin of anxiety which gets the small dog upset. Thus begins another sleepless night. You may wonder, why did we not just get up and replace the battery? Well, because we are stubborn. Instead we cranked up the sound machine alarm clock. The sounds of the ocean were so loud it was as if I was a fish in the sea....but it was not match for the incessant beeping that seemed to get louder and louder.

Have you ever noticed that your batteries always go out in your smoke detector in the middle of the night?

Finally, when it seemed Mason might crawl under the bed, we waved the white flag. yelled "Uncle"....we gave up.

Get the ladder. Get the batteries. Get some patience.

As it turns out, our builder was apparently 10 feet tall and the maker of our smoke detector was an idiot.

The smoke detector was no lie about 14 feet high....really sir? Mr. Builder.....was none of these other walls and ceilings satisfactory enough for you? You had to actually choose the highest point in the house--that is some sense of humor.

So, here we are in our pajamas climbing up the ladder trying to open the Fort Knox of detectors. This is where NT had the revelation that he is scared of heights and has bad balance. Really?

Enter She-ra Summer (yep...by the power of gray skull). Using my pilates techniques for balance, I focused on one spot, tightened the core and headed on up to the top rung...which felt like the top of the Empire State Building. I teetered on top of that ladder for a mini lifetime trying to figure out the battery pack.

.....45 minutes later. (no really....that is not an exaggeration) We got it!

Battery is in and we have such a feeling of accomplishment.

Then.....beep.....beep....beep. What? The battery we put in was apparently bad.

Here is the crazy part. NT tells me to just unplug it. Excuse me? What did you say? You mean we could have just unplugged this little bugger? I slept in an ocean with a dog on my head and climbed up a 10 foot ladder in my pajamas and stood there with my core sucked in for an hour....and we could have just unplugged it?!? Geez.

I will point out that it is now FIXED. Which is good because in this house, it is important to have fire detectors. okay--next posting it about giving Hines a bath....is this too much excitement or what??