DDG Derby! U

Yes, I know, I have been awful at writing and just as awful about getting active lately.  I have been working a lot of overtime and I know it shouldn't be an excuse, but I tend to be a bit lazier the later it gets. 

With that being said, I received the worse beat down over the weekend that I have ever experienced in my life!

As I may have mentioned previously, I have started roller skating occasionally.  Honestly, I am not looking to become a derby girl any time soon, or ever for that matter, but I would like to at least take advantage of the encouragement and advise that my amazing league of girls (and guys) have to offer. 

With that being said, I finally saved up the cash and bought myself a new pair of skates. I got them in the mail about a week and a half ago and got to try them out on the rink for the first time last Wednesday.  I went to the open skate at Riverside arena before practice so that I would have some Derby friends there to help show me some more beginner steps to take.  I have to admit my feet sure did hurt, and my legs were screaming after about an hour.  But I smeared on some Tiger Balm and kept on going. 

By the end of the night, a friend and fellow Stat Army member convinced me to do DDG's Derby! U the upcoming weekend.  Why not? Worse that can happen is that I learn what else I need to work on and make a fool out of myself in the process.

Thursday night left me running around town looking to get knee & elbow pads as well as a helmet.  Thank goodness I had randomly decided to buy a mouth guard previously so I didn't end up with a big bulky one! Friday I got to bed nice and early, and by Saturday morning I was up and running around like a fool.  I got a good breakfast of yogurt and bran with some craisens, got my water bottle filled and all of my gear packed, while Mikey graciously scrapped all of the ice from my car windows. 

Upon arriving to the Masonic Temple in the frigid weather, I found my fellow Stat Army friends and settled in for the unknown. There was a brief introduction and then it was into gear and onto skates.  We skated around and warmed up, were shown some brief stretches and then it was on to the basic skills.  It was very encouraging to know that many of the people in attendance were just as new to skating as I was.  Unfortunately, one of the participants managed to get tripped up and had to take a trip to the hospital in an ambulance.  Just another good reminder why its important to learn the basic skills and wear the proper safety equipment.

The girls with the DDG are fantastic at offering up tips and advise as we were skating around learning our new skills.  If there was ever anything I was having trouble with (T-Stops, Plow Stops, stops in general) one of the girls would skate up, watch me, and then offer their own personal advise on how I could correct what I doing wrong, and if it didn't quite click the first time, another girl would be there soon to offer something else.

Just about the time that I thought my thighs were going to give out, we were finally out of our skates and eating lunch.  After lunch came two sessions, one on Health, and one on Skate Equipment & Maintenance.  Both workshops were very informative.  And that was day one.  I could only imagine what would be in store for us on day two.

Sunday I was up, and not quite as well organized as the day prior. I got to the Masonic and found out we'd be doing off-skates exercises first. And boy was I unprepared!  It has been a few months since I had been dedicated (in the most relax sense of the word) in going to the gym. I have to say, the exercises that they led us in that morning, made me doubt I was going to be able to skate at all. After the rigorous (my words) workout, had an overview on what the skills test involves, and then we got back on our skates to work on what we had learned previously.

I do have to admit that when they started going over more advanced skills, I snuck out of the pack to get cleaned up. Those that participated in Derby U were welcomed to stay and watch some of the DDG girls have a scrimmage, and I was already signed up to work the penalty box. Lunch was again very welcomed and very tasty. And I have another awesome shirt added to my collection.

By Sunday night I could feel my muscles screaming out, and I tried to ice my sore knee a bit.  What really surprised me however, was how bad my abs hurt come Monday morning. I could barely move! If anything this was definitely the kick in the butt that I needed to get myself back in gear and working on losing some of this excess weight, I have been fighting with for so long.

Thank you Detroit Derby Girls for the wonderful opportunity, I look forward to doing it again in June and seeing how I have come along on my skating.

Resolutions

So as I mentioned earlier this week, I had an idea to make a board in my room and post my 2012 goals.  I wanted to have a variety of goals that would not only be serious, but also fun.  And they would be small enough that they would actually be accomplished.  There are a few bigger plans on the board, but I think I was able to break them into increments so it wont be too overwhelming.

Here's what I did. 

I went on Amazon and found a magnetic white board, some chart tape, and some printable magnetic 8x10 sheets.  I got on Word over the past few days while I was awaiting the arrival of the supplies and started jotting down some goals.  Picked a nice font (ok, its comic sans but it was the cutest, yet readable and bold enough to choose from), Lined them up in 3 columns, adjusted the margins and what not.  As the week went on I added more and more little ideas and finally came up with a list I found deserving of my time.

Today, all of my goodies arrived in those cute little smiling boxes and I set out to get the board made.

Goals: Typed and Cut Up, Magnetic Board, Magnet Sheets

I printed out my goals, and used my slide cutter (excuse me, my sisters, slide cutter) to cut them all down to size.  Some of the goals were bigger, some had additional pieces.  For instance, I would like to lose weight, so there are goals in 10 lb increments, I would also like to do things like "Go to the gym every (week) day" but I know I can't do that so they are in rewarding increments like "For a week," "For a month," and "For 3 Months" and so on.

Originally, I wanted to have a side that was for "Need to Do" and a side for "Completed" (thus why I bought the chart tape. Yes, I am a nerd and I didn't just want to draw one. And it was only $2.) But once I got every thing on, there wasn't exactly enough room.  I didn't count them, but there are a lot!

My Goals Board: Complete with all my goals

And I of course hung it in my room where I could see it.

I know, I have some strange things on my walls

So, now you are probably wondering what kinds of goals I set for myself.  Well here's the list, in it's entirety:

• Lose 10 lbs.
• Lose 20 lbs.
• Lose 30 lbs.
• Lose 40 lbs.
• Lose 50 lbs.
• Lose 60 lbs.
• Lose 70 lbs.
• Lose 80 lbs.
• Save $100
• Save $500
• Save $1,000
• Save $2,500
• Save $5,000
• Save $7,500
• Save $10,000
• Visit the Zoo
• Go to a Tigers Game
• Go to a Concert
• Go to a Pistons Game
• Go to a Lions Game
• Go to a Red Wings Game
• Go to Boston
• Go to the UP
• Climb a tree with Mikey
• Go Fishing
• Go Hunting
• Learn to Skate
• Go Camping
• Bike the CRT:
• From Adams to Roch
• From Opdyke to Rochester
• Bike the PCT:
• From Roch to LO
• Go Swimming
• Eat Better
• Pack A Lunch Every Day:
• For a Week
• For a Month
• For 3 Months
• For 6 Months
• For 9 Months
• For a Year
• Go to the Gym Every Day:
• For a Week
• For a Month
• For 3 Months
• For 6 Months
• For 9 Months
• For a Year
• Take Diesel for Walks
• Babysit the Clark Kids
• Go to a Fair
• Go to Cedar Point
• Ride a Rollercoaster
• Take a Hot Air Balloon Ride
• Go to the Dentist
• Drink More Water
• Drink Less Pop
• Write Every Day
• Read More Books
• Learn to Drive my Motorcycle
• Drive my Motorcycle to Work
• Line-Up Track
• Penalty Track
• Penalty Time
• Box Official
• Score Keep
• Head NSO
• Go Skydiving
• Finish Molding in:
• Bathroom
• Bedrooms
• Living Room
• Kitchen
• Replace Storm Door
• Put in Sidewalk
• Install Metal Roof
• Insulate Attic
• Promote Blog around Town
• Visit Mackinac Island
• Visit Greenfield Village
• Visit Henry Ford Museum
• Visit Motown Museum
• Visit DIA
• Drive Motorcycle to Cooks Dairy Farm
• Pick Strawberries
• Go Boating on Lake Saint Clair
• See a Shipwreck
• Visit Hartwick Pines
• Donate to a Charity
• Complete a Charity Walk
• Go Bowling
• See a Movie
• See a Play
• Get Carpets Cleaned
• Paint Doors
• Install Doorknobs
• Plant Flowers

I think one of these goals should also include learning how to make columns or some sort of table in HTML.

So there it is.  My Goals for 2012.  I will try to come back and cross things off as I get them accomplished.  As for my board, I will just be removing them and putting them some where.  I think a lot of them can be used for years to come. Some of them will get done sooner than others and I am sure at the end of the year I might look back and say damn, I missed getting that one.  But I am not going to be sore about it.  I am just going to keep trying to clear them as best as I can. 

Good luck to anyone else that has resolutions this year.  Feel free to share with me some of your ideas as well!

A New Year, A New Start

I know resolutions are only ever set so they can just be broken, and I'm probably not the first person to say this, but this year feels different. Maybe it's because this could be the last year before the zombie apocalypse/end of the Mayan calendar. Whatever it is, I want to take advantage of this feeling and really get some things done this time.

One thing I would really like to do is write more. And I'm thinking I really don't have any excuses to not write at least once a day. For instance, right now I am writing from the passenger seat of my car as Mikey, Diesel & I are on our way home from up state. Smart phones really are changing the way we live.

While we're on the topic of smart phones, I should really start using my Noom app again. I need to really focus this year on eating better, exercising, giving up soda, and losing weight.

Another thing I want to do is post a board in my room with things I want to do this year, one side for things to do and the other for completed items. Simple things like go to the zoo, household chores like finally finishing the molding, and more serious stuff like losing 10 lbs. And fun things like go to the UP, and to Boston to visit my aunts. Saving some money will also be a nice goal to set too.

So many things to do, and why not have some fun doing it. I hope everyone has a great 2012. Be safe, have fun, be yourself, better yourself. :)