Day 27: Have I really been doing this for THAT long?

I realized this morning that it is day 27, and that means ONLY THREE DAYS UNTIL MY 30TH DAY!

This is huge.

This is OFFICIALLY the LONGEST I have ever stuck to any kind of workout program. It is also the most effective. Two weeks before I started 30 Day Shred, I bought two pairs of new work pants. Which are now huge on me.

Part of me is like, "This sucks! I just bought these pants!!"

The other, bigger part of me says, "That's what tailors are for!"

I'm sure that part of the change I'm seeing is related to diet. I have all but stopped drinking sugary things like soda and sweet tea. I am allowed one such thing per day, since giving up sweet tea is out of the question. I've also started snacking on things like cheese, yogurt, or fruit instead of grabbing chips or a cookie when I'm hungry.

But really. I have never gotten any kind of result from changing my diet before. Or from any self-planned workout program. Nothing. So I am very happy.

That being said, tomorrow I will be in Chicago with Rachael for most of the day (if not all of it) so we can see our friends Kate and Megan and Forest (and maybe hit up a yarn store while we're at it), so I will be taking the day off, aside from all the walking I'll be doing in the city. I'll pick it back up Friday with running and 30 Day Shred.

No quitting will occur now that I've seen what a big difference that challenging exercise can do to my body. Nope. I am sold. Exercise is a thing now.

Laura and Rachael Go to Noblesville

Today, Rachael and I went to see Sarah Rees Brennan, Christine Johnson, and Saundra Mitchell in Noblesville. And it was epic. On our way, we stopped for cupcakes, which we promptly delivered to the authors, because authors love cupcakes.

I called this "Operation Cupcake."

And we went to the Barnes and Noble. And gave the cupcakes, which Sarah thought were just for her. But we tried to convince her that sharing is good.

Then Sarah told a story about climbing on Millennium Bridge in London to see if it would support human weight. (It did.)

To properly tell the story, she had to climb on her chair.

And all three of them read from their books, and we fangirled. And Sarah threw a Team Human shirt, and I caught it. Which means I have two shirts from Sarah's books, and I am in fangirl heaven.

And books got signed. And this happened.

And then this happened.

And this.

And there may have been a group hug. Yeah. There was a group hug.

Thanks to Saundra, Sarah, and Christine! It was awesome to get to see you all! You are wonderful. You deserve all of the cupcakes.

And a special thanks to the Noblesville Barnes and Noble! You brought us authors. We love you lots.

Day Thirteen: In Which Laura Forgets to Blog

Yeah...I totally forgot to blog yesterday.

This is because, after getting out of work at 11:00 AM due to a power outage, I went home, played Zelda, did LEVEL TWO of 30 Day Shred, and then I went to Rachael's and we ate eggplant parmesan and it was YUMMY and then we talked about her crazy neighbor lady who is GENUINELY CERTIFIABLE and it was lots of fun.

And after that, I went home and collapsed, watched Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and finally fell asleep at the late hour of 11:00 PM*.

As for day two of level two...It was easier. This is because I figured out how to do a "skater," and it looked a whole lot less like a Riverdance routine when I figured out how to do it right.

But for now, I am rushing off to dinner before my evening of work! I just wanted you to know I didn't cheat and skip a day, and I won't tonight, either. Promise.

* SHOCKING, I know. For some reason, the insomnia took the night off. It was glorious.

How I almost maybe kind-of died. Again.

This winter, Rachael and I have been CURSED. Well, maybe only I have been cursed. Or maybe Rachael is arranging meet-ups with me, then informing a hit-man/woman of my route in order to get me killed. I don't know. Rachael, did you put a hit out on me? Is it because we accidentally buy and make the same clothes?

The first time, I was driving to Rachael's house so we could go to Fort Wayne to go to several yarn stores, Biaggi's, and as many bakeries as we could find. On the way, it was snowing. It wasn't bad enough for me to descend into raw panic, but it was bad enough to cause some slippery road issues. The solution was to drive normally, but reduce speed for turning and also to not slam on the brakes like one would when stomping a spider into oblivion. No problem.

But then, as I drove past the Happy Horse Farm, which Mom named because the horses there looked well cared for and...happy, a dude with some kind of top-of-the-line Chevy truck pulled out of the Happy Horse Farm Driveway, pulling an empty horse trailer. And while the truck had awesome traction and what-not, the horse trailer may well have been the FIRST HORSE TRAILER EVER, it was so beaten and abused, and it did NOT have traction at all, resulting in the trailer swinging back and forth behind the truck like a toddler with one of those duck pull-toy things. You know the ones.

That would not have been a problem, except I was in the opposite lane and suddenly a ginormous truck-plus-trailer was heading directly toward me, poised for a head-on collision. And I had nowhere to go, except off the side of the road, which was elevated, then down into the ditch where I would be trapped until my car could be drug back out, if my car did not flip and roll several times.

Mercifully, the truck regained control before I had to choose between the two.

Then I met up with Rachael and Katherine, and we ate lots of pastries to make up for the near-death experience. And we also bought yarn. To cushion us in case of a deadly, deadly crash.

Today, I was meeting Rachael for lunch, because we do that sometimes. And on my way, as I drove through yet another snow storm, I came to a stop at a light. It was a red light. Then I looked in my rear-view mirror.

In the mirror, I saw a giant Mack truck. They are bigger than the Chevy ones, and are often used in road repair to carry around gravel and things. But this one must have been empty, because it was not heavy enough to avoid the fact that it was going too fast to stop for the light where I was stopped. Much too fast.

But the driver tried to stop anyway, resulting in the entire truck veering to one side, then proceeding down the road, sideways. So, I was about to be rear-ended by this truck, or rather, the truck's side. If I was lucky, only the top of my car would be sheared off as the truck slid over my car.

Have I mentioned that I just finished paying off my car? This is why people keep trying to destroy it.

The light changed, so I drove forward, hoping that my slow acceleration would allow the truck enough time not to kill me, and I was RIGHT. The truck corrected and proceeded behind me at a safe distance, and I met Rachael and we ate BLTs. This was much better than being subjected to the jaws of life.

And now, I have the extreme pleasure of driving home on the questionable roads this evening. I am planning on a night covered in the heating blanket I got for Christmas, and maybe even a cup of hot chocolate before bed. If I survive the drive, that is. Wish me luck.

And here is my favorite snow-driving video, for entertainment purposes. I was not driving any of the cars in this video.




**A Note on Blogger-ly Things: You may notice that the comment form has changed. Hooray! This is a wonderful thing, because one can now reply to comments, meaning I can reply directly to you! Isn't that lovely?**