There were so many winners on the Academy Awards red carpet last night!

Top 3:  Ellie Kemper, Jessica Chastain, and Natalie Portman

Runner Ups:  Octavia Spencer, Sarah Hyland, and Tina Fey

Overall, I thought the show was a bit of a snore.  I was very happy to see Hugo win so many awards, but I was even more thrilled that Octavia Spencer for Best Supporting Actress in The Help.  She was outstanding in that film.  In all honesty though, I kind of would have been happy with Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids.

I stayed up far too late watching the show; I wish they would have started a bit earlier so it didn’t end after 11:30pm!  I was sleepy, sleepy this morning!  I had my usual peanut butter toast for breakfast, plus a swing into Biggby for a latte.  I finally found the gift card I knew had money on it, but couldn’t find the last time I stopped.  Free coffee?  Yes, please!

I totally forgot lunch today!  I dug into the desk drawer stash.  I had some mixed nuts and a ProBar.  It looked like someone took a bite out of it!

A couple weeks ago, I got a Groupon for the local Pure Barre studio.  Five classes for $30 sounded like an awesome deal, particularly when a single class is $21!

Overall, I was a bit underwhelmed with the classa as a whole.  I couldn’t hear the instructor that clearly (even though she had a headset on), and she wasn’t given very quality instruction as to what each movement entailed.  I did the best I could to follow, but by the time I felt like I caught on, she was onto the next move!

An hour of class and I didn’t feel like I got a huge workout.  Perhaps I’ll feel the effects of it tomorrow? I sure hope so!  I’m going to try a different instructor next time and hope for a better experience!  Everyone I’ve talked to that has tried it (albiet at other studios) thought it was a rockin’ workout.  Better luck next time.

For dinner, I kept it quick and easy (TWSS) with an egg, cheese, and jam sandwich once I got home.  Nicki sent me home with some awesome bread and it tasted awesome!

Time for The Voice!  Adam Levine, you’re a sexy beast.  You keep me coming back for more.

Source: smartologie.blogspot.com via Mindy on Pinterest  

Source: google.com.au via Mindy on Pinterest

Nicki made the most delicious pizza for dinner last:  mushroom garlic!  It was a Better Homes and Gardens recipe, a definite winner.  The flavor combination with the caramelized garlic, the mushrooms, the Gruyère cheese…it all was perfect.  I made a salad for a side.

I had the last of the scones from yesterday’s breakfast this morning…with a Disney princess plate in honor of all my blog friends that were running the Princess Half!

Since the family was at church this morning, so I had the house to myself for a quiet couple of hours.  I did my devotionals, some reading, got ready for the day, and had a couple cups of coffee.  A lovely morning all around.

Emma drew a picture of what Lent is all about.  I was quite impressed at how well she grasped what this season is all about, particularly at a young age.

Nicki and I did some grocery shopping – hitting a total of three stores by the time we finished.  I had leftovers from last night’s dinner, with a stop at Culver’s for an ice cream appetizer.  Snickers ice cream, FTW.

I stopped at the gym on my way home from Battle Creek.  I got a much needed sweat sesh in.

I’ve been toying with the idea of a sprint triathlon early this summer, but if I’m being honest, the swimming portion intimidates me like crazy!  I love, love, love being in the water, but I’m not so strong when it comes to actually swimming.  I’ve been putting off getting in the pool, but today I decided there’s no time like the present.  I had all my swimming stuff with me, so into the pool I went.  I got in about 400 yards, which felt like a solid start.  I should have looked at the clock before I started, so I have no idea how long it took me – 10 minutes, maybe?

While I was at the gym, I also did 8.0 miles on the bike (33:00) and really light and easy mile (11:30 – 1 minute walk/3 minute run intervals).

It’s Academy Awards night!  My money is on The Artist for Best Picture, but I think Hugo is going to make a great showing in many of the nominated categories.  I’m absolutely adoring the red carpet fashion tonight – Hollywood brought out all the stops!

I’m spending the weekend down in Battle Creek (home of Kellogg’s!) with my sister, Nicki, and her family.

We went to the basketball game for one of the local high schools – it was the coach’s last home game before retiring.  Two of the girls on the team are baby-sitters for the kids, too!  We made a quick stop at Subway for dinner before the game.  I had my usual veggie sub, but I was really excited to see some new Sun Chips – made with some awesome grains like buckwheat and quinoa!  They were great!

Max may not have been all that interested in the game, but he sure was a fan of having his picture taken!

The team just barely squeaked out a win.  They had a solid lead for most of the game, but the away team played really well in the last quarter and it ended up being only a six point game.

I slept better last night than I have in ages - asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow and didn’t wake up at all until the kids came down to wake me up in the morning.  It felt so amazing to get a really good night’s sleep!

What a better way to top off a great sleep than with homemade (!!) scones topped with lemon curd and some fresh strawberries for breakfast!

Nicki, Emma, and I bundled up to take the pups for a snowy walk after breakfast.  Winter certainly isn’t my favorite, but it was quite beautiful this morning.  Norman loves the snow!

Hi to my brother-in-law, Eric.  He just told me to say something nice about him.  He’s a good guy, and he treats my sister and the kids well.  So, we’ll keep him around.  The same is true of my same brother-in-law – hi to Christopher as well!

Apparently, it’s a sports kind of weekend – we went to Emma’s indoor soccer game this afternoon.  She’s a rockstar out on the field!  She’s the one in orange…

After the game, we headed to Red Robin for lunch.  I started with a crazy delicious mint brownie shake, plus a five alarm burger (with a Gardenburger patty) and fries.

Clearly, the junk food free challenge has turned into a bust…but, this was absolutely worth it!

I am stuffed to the gills after all that food, and I didn’t even eat it all!

After reading – and absolutely loving – Sarah Jio’s debut novel, The Violets of March, I was anxious to get my hands on a copy of her latest effort, The Bungalow (affiliate).

(source)

The story begins in present day when Anne Calloway’s granddaughter, Jennifer, brings her a letter written by a stranger on the other side of the world, asking about events that happened one mysterious night seventy years before.

Set primarily in Bora Bora during World War II, The Bungalow is a tale of mystery, heartache, and love.  The central character in the tale is 21 year old Anne, a recently engaged nurse who enlists with the Army Nurse Corps to serve her country, along with her best friend Kitty.  Leaving behind her wealthy fiancé, Gerard, Anne is determined to experience more of the world than just being a wife and mother.

Almost immediately after landing on the island, she meets a soldier by the name of Westry, and the pair quickly develop a strong bond.  In short order, the friendship develops into love, as they spend time in an abandoned beach bungalow they discovered.  Despite warnings from locals that the bungalow is cursed, the pair continue to visit.  Their relationship develops both in the time they’re together, but also in the letters they leave for each other in the times they are apart.

As their relationship continues to grow, Anne is plagued by guilt, knowing she has a fiancé who also enlisted and is serving in Europe.  I appreciate that not only did their relationship grow slowly, but that Anne struggled with the fact she was already engaged to a man who deeply loved her back home.

After their year in Bora Bora comes to a close, Anne returns to her home in Seattle while Westry moves on to serve in Europe.  It is not until Anne returns to Bora Bora seventy years later that she is able to unpack the truth of events that happened on the island so many years before.

Much like in The Violets of March, Jio has a mastery with words and creates vivid imagery of Bora Bora.  I could envision the home away from home Anne and Westry created in the bungalow, smell the salty ocean air, feel the sand, and imagine life on base.  The writing flows seamlessly; I felt invested in the characters and the story until the very last page.  The Bungalow is another successful effort from the talented Sarah Jio.

Although I’m not Catholic, my church still observes many of the more ancient traditions, such as Ash Wednesday and the Lent season as a whole.  Services today were at 6:30am or noon, so I was up bright and early for the morning service.

Why yes, I do know I have something on my face, thank you.  And no, I’m not Catholic even though I have ashes.

I’ve been in the practice of giving something up during Lent for the past few years.  I like the idea of a season of sacrifice, of giving up something to draw closer to God.

Sacrifice is hitting a point where you see your own limits, and give beyond that. It’s saying to God, “Fine, let my life make no sense at all, let it be a failure, let it be wasted, but above all, let it be yours.” It’s throwing yourself out across a canyon you could never leap across, trusting somehow there will be a parachute, or a net, or a bridge, or somehow it will be OK—even somehow better—because of your leap. It’s knowing this: God is in charge. Period.  [source]

While I’ve gone through years of giving up soda, chocolate, etc., in the past couple of years, I’ve craved something deeper.  I think the people that give up those things are awesome and I have respect for anyone who is willing to give something up for a season.  For me, Lent has become a season to look inward, to focus on my faith, growing as a person and as a Christian, and I want to give up something that will help me in that journey.  While I certainly missed chocolate during that 40 days, it didn’t do anything to help me grow.

This year, two things continually came to mind as to what I should give up as I thought about this season.

negative self-talk.

This is something that I’ve definitely gotten better at in recent years – but, I still have a long ways to go, which I was reminded of during Saturday’s unsuccessful shopping trip.  I believe that God created me in His image, that He sees me as a beautiful child.  I don’t often act like I believe that, though.  I’m critical of anything and everything about myself, particularly when it comes to appearance.  I’m not pretty enough, I’m not thin enough, toned enough, smart enough, witty enough, vivacious enough…you get the picture.

ENOUGH.  Enough with the negativity.  I am enough, but I won’t ever believe that if I constantly contract it with the things I say about my identity.  Every day, I want to replace any and every negative though about myself with a positive one.  I want to create a great list about the things I love about who I am, I want to truly believe I am enough.  I want to celebrate my accomplishments and cherish my identity.

snooze button.

I have a very close, personal relationship with my snooze button.  We’re BFFs.  Inseparable.  Joined at the hip.  It’s a bit ridiculous.  It’s not like that extra 15 or 20 minutes really does anything for me.  So, no more.

Rather than lying in bed for that time, half-asleep, I’m going to  get up when my alarm goes off and use the extra few minutes to start my day with God.  I’m going to spend a few minutes in the Bible, going through devotionals, in prayer.  Rather than fit that time in during the last few minutes of the day, it’s how I’m going to start each day.

On a grander scale, I want to think within the framework the student ministries at my church uses:  identity, belonging, and mission.

[identity] Who am I?  Who is God?

[belonging]  Where do I belong?  What is the church?

[mission]  Why am I here?  why was Jesus here?

How do these questions fit in with how I see myself and how I see my faith?  What ideas and perceptions and habits do I need to change to better reflect my own identity, belonging, and mission?

So, for the next few weeks, those are the things I’m focusing on.  I’m anxious to see how this season fundamentally changes me.  I’m craving growth and change.  I’m excited for the possibilities.

Beyond Words with Friends (wanna play? My username is grmindyjean), I’m not huge on playing games on my phone.  Somehow, though, I stumbled upon Save the Pencil last week and I am completely hooked!  The premise of the game is that in each level, you guide the pencil in a connect the dots type venture, collecting stars upon the way; all the while, avoiding villains like erasers and paperclips.

I don’t know what it is that has me so addicted to this game, but I absolutely love it!  Although, trying to beat some of the levels might give me an anxiety attack!

Today was my first day in the office for the week – I was home with a migraine yesterday.  I did get to start my morning playing with this cutie!

Oh Emerson, come visit my desk anytime you’d like!  Lunch was a great mix – I tried the new Blood Orange Chobani for the first time and loved it!  A bit more tart than I expected, but once I got past that, it was great!

I’m super addicted to these mixed nuts.  I’m making a quick dent in the jar.

I tried really hard to push myself during my run tonight.  Although I didn’t end up finishing quite in the time I had hoped, I was feeling good with the run overall.  3.0 miles in 32:36 (a 10:52 pace).  Bit by bit, I’m getting a little faster.  I went to yoga afterwards and I was crazy disappointed that my favorite instructor isn’t leading the Tuesday night class anymore.  Sadface.

So, since it’s Fat Tuesday, I had the only appropriate food tonight:  a pączek.  Yeah, that whole junk food free challenge has quickly done down the tubes over the past few days.  Any other day of the year, jelly filled doughnuts are not my favorite.  But on Fat Tuesday?  Yes, please!

Grammer lesson.  If you’re having one, it’s a pączek.  Pączki is the plural form.

Clearly, dessert was the highlight of my dinner.  Noodles seriously paled in comparison.

Okay, Glee is on and it’s Regionals (not to mention a seriously intense episode in general…)!  Let’s go New Directions – kick some Warbler ass!  Sebastian, you’re obnoxious.  Get off my show.

When I was at my heaviest, I hated going to the mall.  More often than not, shopping trips ended in tears as I had to buy pants yet another size bigger or simply just couldn’t find anything that fit the way I wanted.  I remember thinking how easy the thinner girls had it – walking into the dressing room with jeans in single digit sizes, a massive armful of clothing that must have all fit just perfectly.  I longed to be that girl.

As I lost weight, shopping started to get much more enjoyable.  For the first time in my life, I could buy clothes in smaller sizes!  As much as I knew I shouldn’t, I definitely found a bit of my worth in the size of my jeans.

This weekend, I ventured to the mall to buy a couple new pairs of dress pants.  I tried one store and nothing caught my eye.  I went on to the second store and ventured into the dressing room, my arms overflowing with clothes.  Everything was fitting just, well, wrong.  The pants that I thought were the right size were clearly not.  I tried the next size up and they were still too tight.  They just don’t make pants for girls with some curves!  The tops I had grabbed were clinging in places I didn’t want them to cling.

As I rushed out of the mall, fighting back tears, I had flashbacks to former shopping trips.  I hated shopping trips that ended in tears and was, yet again, finding my worth in my clothing size.  This time, though, it wasn’t such a positive feeling.

By the time I made it to the car, the tears had come in full force.  I was thinking horribly negative things about myself, my body, my weight, my figure.  I’ve come so far on my journey, but in that moment, I couldn’t see any of it.

Through the tears and the negativity, I struggled to regain my composure.  It was as I looked at the wallpaper image on my phone that I took a deep breath and got some perspective.

It’s the freakin’ weekend, baby!  This week went fast, yet felt like it dragged on forever, all at the same time!  Does that even make sense?!  By about lunchtime today, I was so over the week – the afternoon dragged by!

Did y’all watch The Biggest Loser this week?  The restaurant that Conda met her friends at – Rockwell’s – is one place in Grand Rapids that I love!  Although, the last time I was there was almost a year ago!  I got so excited to see them on television (even if she’s not my favorite contestant this season).  It’s so fun to see someplace so familiar to my life get its 15 minutes of fame!

Since I haven’t really blogged much this week, I haven’t written about my runs.  I had one that felt awesome and one that was miserable.  Tuesday, I felt so great – it felt like the best, strongest run I’ve had in a really long time.  I only took a two short walking breaks, maintained a higher pace than usual, and finished feeling confident as a runner.  I ran 3.5 miles in about 38 minutes – for me, that is FAST!

After such a great effort on Tuesday, I was excited to take on another run for Thursday.  I had 4.0 miles on the agenda.  The first mile?  Awesome.  Then it was all downhill from there.  I took a quick walking break before going into intervals and when I started running again, my shoulder kept tightening up, sending shooting pains down my back.  I tried running through it, but it was increasingly worse.  I stopped to walk until it wore off, then tried running again.  More shooting pains.  I started really struggling mentally.  I really, really debated giving up but I just couldn’t do it.  I ended up doing a lot of walk/run intervals, but finished – with an extra mile to boot!  Considerably slower than Tuesday, it took me just shy of an hour.  In that moment, the feeling of accomplishment of not giving up, seeing the run through to the end?  That alone was worth its weight in gold.

Most of my eats this week haven’t been anything particularly noteworthy – although I had pizza three times in two days.  So, that was delicious!  Tonight, though, was awesome.  I met my friend, Amy, for dinner at Bartertown Diner – one of my favorites!

The just introduced the latest variation of the Michigander – this time it was a “black bean, cherry, and quinoa burger with spiced walnut aioli, caramelized onions and sautéed apples, topped with fresh greens” – plus a side of homestyle fries.  It was crazy messy, but so delicious!

I cheated at my junk food free challenge for a red velvet cupcake.  The cupcakes they have a Bartertown are amazing!  And, I love that they’re vegan!

I’m ready to redeem Thursday’s off run with a rockin’ seven miles tomorrow!  I’m equally excited to have no major plans for the weekend – I’m ready to have some time  to relax, do some reading, get some sleep, and enjoy a Sabbath day!

I’ll be the first to admit that, being single, Singles Awareness Day Valentine’s Day isn’t generally high on my list of favorite holidays.  I spent a good chunk of the morning feeling kind of crabby, a bit like a Debbie Downer.  As the morning went by, I got sick of my lousy mood pretty fast.  Rather than letting this day bother me, I challenged myself to think of today beyond the romantic aspects.

I may be single, but I have so much love in my life!  I’m a daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, niece, friend, and so much more.  Each of those relationships represent people so deeply important in my life, people that I love and cherish from the bottom of my heart.  Every day, I am reminded that I am loved, that I am cared for, that I am not alone in this world.  I am truly blessed.

Oh, and then there’s this:

I freaking love this time of year:  awards show season!  Although I love all of the movie/television shows, I love, love, love The Grammys.  I like to fancy myself a music buff and this is THE awards show of the year for music.

First, let’s talk fashion.  I was not particularly impressed with the majority of the red carpet decisions (I’m looking at you, Nicki Minaj), but some were looking stunning!  A few of my favorites!

Carrie Underwood:  looking freaking perfect, as usual.  Seriously, how does she do it?!

Adele:  simple, classic, and flattering for her figure.  You can’t (generally) go wrong with basic black.

Taylor Swift:  at first glance, this wasn’t my favorite dress, but it really grew on me once they did close ups of the detailing.  I appreciate her hair was pulled back to not distract from the dress.  The girl has a gorgeous head of curls, though.  I’d kill for her hair.

Giuliana Rancic:  love the shorter dress.  She looked fab.

Julianne Hough:  clearly, Ryan Seacrest needs to stop hogging all the hair products, but I loved the dress.

Rihanna:  again, not the biggest fan of the hair, but she otherwise looks stunning.  Take that, Chris Brown.

Overall, I really liked the show itself.  That being said, they could have cut some of the performances to keep it a bit shorter (3.5 hours = too long).  My favorite performances were from Adele (welcome back, indeed!), Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson,Taylor Swift, and Bruno Mars.  I really wish they would have given The Civil Wars a full slot.  They’re perfect.  Jennifer Hudson’s tribute for Whitney was stunning.  Nobody will ever fill those shoes, but she sure gave it her all.

I was pleased with the winners – particularly Adele sweeping her categories!  Seriously people, if you don’t have Adele’s albums, go buy them.  There is a freakish amount of talent in that woman.  Justin Vernon’s (aka Bon Iver) acceptance speeches were particularly awkward, although his success warms my heart.  Next up for awards show season is the Academy Awards!

Did you watch the Grammys?  What did you think?

I’m taking a night off from the gym.  My hip has been really bothering me all day and since all I had on the plan was the New Rules of Lifting and some light cardio, I didn’t feel like I was missing too much.  I’m only doing NROLFW two days a week right now, so depending on how the week goes, I’ll try to add that in later in the week.  If not, life goes on.

Disclaimer:  I’m not an expert – the following thoughts are just my own ideas and opinions. 

One thing I think is so crucial for people who spend time working out to learn is how to listen to your body.  Cardio and strength training are inevitably going to lead to sore, achy muscles, even perhaps some fatigue, particularly when you add something new to the mix or increase your endurance efforts.  It’s a phenomenon known as delayed onset muscle soreness (or more affectionately, DOMS) and while generally not comfortable, it’s a good thing!  Your muscles are growing stronger!

What is so important is figuring out when it’s just DOMS and when you’re body is trying to say “hey, something’s not right here!”.  In many ways, I think knowing the difference is a very individualistic thing, knowing what works for your body and what your limits are.  What might be a cry for a rest day for me might be a completely tolerable pain for you.  Either way, sometimes an unplanned rest day is just what the doctor ordered!  Pushing through the pain may make you feel like a badass now, but you could just be making things worse later on.  I learned that one the hard way with my knee and running last year, and it resulted in physical therapy and six weeks with no running at all.

Today was one of those days for me.  My hip was progressively worse throughout the day.  I had two days in a row of pretty intense workouts and it feels like I just tweaked something.  Rather than pushing it and sidelining myself for a couple of days later in the week, I’m taking one day to myself.  Now that I’m finally feeling like I’m getting my running groove back, I’d rather miss a day like this than tomorrow when I have a run planned.

I grabbed some groceries on the way home from work and curled up with some major comfort food for dinner.

So perfect.  Another “just what the doctor ordered” moment.  I ate the whole container (at least two servings) in one sitting and I’m not even ashamed.  They were that good and I can still smell the garlic.  Love.