I guess I'll start this entry with a little health/fitness update since, in fact, that *IS* the main purpose of my journal.

Basically, I did a pretty good job last week getting myself back on track. I started journaling my food again. It's a tedious "diet" practice, but one that works. And I'm finding I still have the same old weakness that I had the last time I logged food: I never log on weekends. And it's not because I want a food-free-for-all. I just am busy and don't even think about the little black notebook while I'm traveling around doing my weekend thing. I was mindful, though, with everything I did eat.

So, looking back on my week, I did pretty well. There were two days I didn't make my 5 servings of fruits & veggies quota, but I assure you, those days I finished closely with 4. I guzzled down a lot of water, too. And to both my husband's & my amazement, I spent our Friday night outing at a bar drinking water instead of beer. And as for my alcohol imbibement, I ended the week with 8 drinks total: 1 beer, 6 glasses of wine and 1 cocktail. While this may seem like a lot to some, it's an improvement for me. James and I like wine with dinner and when you consider we have it with dinner Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- well, it adds up. So, my goal is to get to (or under) 7 drinks per week since that is the amount a woman can safely have without increasing her chances of developing breast cancer.

Fitnesswise, I hit the gym 6 out of 7 days this week, and three of those days WERE pre-work morning workouts. I took 2 spinning classes, one interval class, did two cardio machine workouts including treadmill intervals and the step mill and I strength trained with free weights. I'm pretty happy with those numbers. The only thing that could be improved upon here is more pre-work workouts. Already this morning, I took a 5:45 am spin class.

This morning, I stepped on the scale too.

156.5.

So, I'm down 1.5 lbs since last week. I'm not sure if I just got rid of excess water or what, but I feel a little better. Whether it was fat or not, I feel like I've detoxified my system and got myself back on a healthier track.

So, Yay Me! Hopefully this week will go just as well.

Now for the weekend antics...

I'm officially 3 for 3.

This past weekend, James and I had tickets to the American Player's Theatre to see A Midsummer Night's Dream. American Players (APT) is an outdoor theatre located in Spring Green, Wisconsin. They perform mainly Shakespeare and are in a luscious setting of rolling hills and trees. The theatre is not far from where Frank Lloyd Write lived and taught.

At any rate, whenever you purchase tickets to APT you always risk the chance of rain. It's an outdoor theatre, for goodness sake. However, USUALLY people get lucky and the day is beautiful. Okay, sometimes it's hot. But it's Shakespeare. And it's outdoors. And it's Spring Green. So, it's pretty much always good.

But, for some reason, every time *I* go, it rains. And this Saturday had to have been the worst yet. The only reason James and I even drove to the play was because we were hoping they canceled the show and we could get some sort of refund. At times during the drive, we couldn't see 5 feet in front of our car, it was raining THAT hard. And when we arrived at the theatre 30 minutes early, we were positive they would call off the show. I mean, they HAD to. But the parking lot was ominously full and people were wandering around in all sorts of rainwear.

James and I came prepared. Armed with two rain coats each and an umbrella, we reached the Box Office to hear the same news that all that came before us had heard. The show was still scheduled to start. And they have a 45-minute window into the performance to cancel. What that means? They'll wait until 45 minutes after start time. Then they'll make a decision.

Ironically enough, the downpour stopped. It honestly didn't rain while the performance went on and the show was quite good. But we were all wet. And a little grumpy. It only adds insult to the injury that the very next day was sunny and 80+ degrees.

But I just can't believe my luck. Just the weekend prior, James and I attended The Winter's Tale. However, last Saturday, the rain held off in the beginning. It was actually sunny at the start. But an hour into it, it started raining. Raining hard. And the actors kept going. And we just sat there trying to listen through the rain and ignore the fogged up glassed and mascara-stinging eyes.

Oh. And the time I went to APT before that? It may have been three years ago, but it rained that time, too. It was Richard III. My boss and another couple were supposed to meet us, but they stood us up instead because of the rainy forecast. They never called to let us know. So, there we were, James and I, the only two in a row of 6 getting drenched to the words of King Richard.

Honestly. I don't mean to sound so negative. Each and every performance I have mentioned here has been exceptional. And I haven't regretted a single show. But is it too much to ask for at least one sun-blessed production? Is it?

I think it is.

Lotsa produce.

Before getting ready to take off to the theatre, James and I went to the Farmer's Market early Saturday morning to stock up on produce for the week. You shouldn't be surprised that the morning was actually very lovely and sunny. We had no idea at the time of the impending rain.

Nevertheless, we found lots of goodies to spend our money on. Fresh tomatoes from our favorite tomato guy. These suckers are THE BEST I've ever had. Honest. In spring the tomato guy is actually the arugala guy because then he has the best arugala as well.

We also came home with a pint of both fresh blackberries and raspberries that I'm hoping to make a tart with. However, every time I open the fridge, I grab another handful of these sweet beauties and I wonder if I'll have any left when the time to bake the tart comes.

Cabbage made our bag this weekend along with three bulbs of Fennel which I plan to roast and then mix with the fresh tomatoes, some pasta and a handful of Basil that I picked up as well.

Oh, and then there is Harmony Valley Farms, my favorite vendor who sent us packing with their wonderful Spring Mix full of greens and sometimes edible flowers. And who can forget Crestwood Bakery. They make the BEST breads that are naturally levened and made from amazing whole grains. We got the Expedition loaf this week made from everything from Kasha to Spelt to Whole Wheat to Flax Seed. They also make these great Trail Cookies that contain no eggs or dairy products but TONS of nuts, raisens, seeds and carob.

So much food, so little time. And so little money.

I always manage to spent $35+ there. But it's worth it and I love supporting the local farmers.

Well. If you think my weekend sounds packed thus far wait'll you read on. Heather was a very busy lady.

I still can't believe I managed to pack in everything I did on Saturday. It's no wonder I only managed to grocery shop and workout yesterday.

After the play Saturday afternoon, James and I showered and had my brother and some friends over around 9ish. Our initial plan was to go dancing. But the club we went to had an incredible cover charge that seemed a little over the top considering there was only a DJ there. So we went to some other bar instead that was smokey and loud. Not much fun.

A pitcher of beer later, the five of us went back to our apartment and played Cranium instead.

I bought this game back in November and had yet to play.

And it was really, really fun.

We ended up playing until 2:30 am!

Cranium is a good game because it incorporates a lot of skills. There are four "brain" categories: the Word Worm (which includes spelling, definitions and other word-related challenges); the Data Head (trivia); the Star Performer (charades, humming and impersonations) and the Creative Cat (drawing and sculpting with lemon-scented purple clay.)

We broke into two teams: naturally boys against girls. And my brother's girlfriend and I kicked ass. We got off to a slow start fumbling on a few definitions and spelling challenges (do you know the difference between flout and flaunt?). But then we discovered our strong point: the Creative Cat and we sculpted and drew our way to the finish.

It was really fun watching people imitate celebrities or try to sculpt the word "running." I probably laughed the hardest when JR, a friend of my brothers, tried to act out "Dances with Wolves" in a charades-inspired challenge. He was dancing and then walking around on all fours. And if that in itself wasn't funny enough, know that this is coming from a very quiet and serious IT person. I had tears streaming down my face. It's been a long time since I've laughed that hard.

I forgot how much fun games can be.

Just last weekend, James and I got online and played online versions of both Who Want's to Be a Millionaire and You Don't Know Jack. For two hours we played games, laughed and competed wits instead of sitting on the couch like the zombies we normally are. And it was really, really nice. We need to do that more often. It keeps the mind fresh, the interaction going and provides many more laughs than an evening with the tube.

I really recommend it.

As fun as Cranium was, it still sucked to get up at 10:30 am the next morning. I felt like I'd lost my day. And since I had to go to bed at 10:30pm, my entire Sunday was only 12 hours long.

Blah.

Still. It was a good weekend and yesterday was a good recoup day. James took an nice bike ride on his new Lemond bike. (Had I mentioned he purchased a new one?) I went to the gym for some free weight action with the added bonus of listening to college-aged boys talking about spending mom & dad's money and how drunk they'd gotten the night before.

For dinner, James made up a truly delicious Salmon dish which involved cornmeal and molasses. I went the old fashioned route using a recipe to fix a Quinoa and Pecan Salad with Dried Cranberries. The salad was truly excellent and I'm hoping to upload it to share for all this evening. It's just too good to keep to myself.

So, that was my grand weekend. I think I may have had a little too much fun because I had a hard time sleeping last night. But, I got up at 5am for an early Spinning class anyway. My hope is that will make me all the more sleepy tonight.

I guess the only thing I DIDN'T get to doing this weekend was my resume update. I'm still not sure if I was too busy or I just conveniently forgot. Have a mentioned how I truly hate to job search? It is on my agenda for tonight, though. I promise.

That and writing bills.

I guess that makes it pretty obvious. The weekend is definately over.