Great Aloha Run

On Monday, Scotty, and my two co-workers Misty and Karesse and I all walked the Great Aloha Run! It is a 8.15 miles and the route goes from the Aloha Tower in Downtown Honolulu to the Aloha Stadium. We got up early (4:00 am) to park at the Aloha Stadium where we met up with Misty and Karesse. We parked the cars and rode buses back to downtown to begin the race.

We met up at the lunch room in the office where I work with a bunch of other employees. We got a few energy bars, bottled water and bananas to give us some energy. It was fun to see everyone in their matching t-shirts.

 

As we headed out, it was crazy to have the downtown streets closed and packed with tons of people all lining up to begin the run.

My friend Olivia gave me a tip for the run, she said "Now when you get with the big crowd, be sure to hold your elbows out so you can make sure people don't come into your personal space!" Ha! I thought that was so funny as I was just WALKING and she was an "elite" runner. I think that the elbow technique is more for the hard core runners who need to make sure they finish in a particular time frame. However, it does get a little crowded so it's good to have a tough looking husband to accompany you and keep others out of your personal space.

Some of the participants like to dress up in crazy costumes. I saw this lady with the funky hat several times.... I wonder if it made her head sweat more than usual....

There was also a guy dressed up like one of the Nabi people from the Avitar- we had to take a picture...

Yeah.... I saw him at the end and most of the blue make up was all sweated off and he looked pretty terrible....I should've taken a before and after picture of him.

It was so exciting as we crossed the start line, everyone had these little chip things that you put on your shoes to track your time. There was this consistent ringing noise as everyone's chips made the sensors go off. It was so fun to feel apart of something with so many others

Scotty has this camelback backpack that we use for hiking. I LOVE it and was happy to have my hands free for the whole walk. We filled it with ice and water which was so refreshing as we walked the 8.15 miles.

A majority of the walk's route is under the freeway which is pretty nice cuz it is out of the sun. This was my 4th time walking the Great Aloha Run and this time was most enjoyable while walking under the overpass since it was nice an breezy that day.

I had Scotty take a picture of this girl's hair in the pink shirt. Her hair was so pretty and I loved the shape of the back of it....I'm hanging on to this picture for the next time I get my hair cut, cuz I always seems to get it cut straight across the back.

It always amazes me that some ladies can exercise with their hair down. It  gets so sweaty and hot!

I think one of the funniest things about doing the walk/runs is that you can't help but notice the back sides of everyone in front of you. We definitely all come in various shapes and sizes. lol! It was neat to see us all sharing a common goal as we are all different in many ways but then not so different either.

Poor Scotty- he ended up walking most of the way by himself as us girls had a chance to catch up. He did a great job at capturing the moments though- thanks Scotty!

We forgot to take pictures at each of the mile markers, but about halfway through our feet started getting a little tired and then we discovered that if you walk on the rocks on the side you get a little mini massage.

I think this year there were a tons more participants than before. It was neat to see the roads filled with people. 

We saw lots of runners running back after completing the run. Crazy to think they ran there AND back!

There were water stations set up at various points on the route. Lots of people drink the water and then toss the cups. I felt sorry for the people who had to clean up the messes! But it seemed kinda fun to down the water and then squish your cup and drop it on the ground like a REAL runner! I couldn't bring myself to do it since I was one of the slow walkers and everyone else was dropping their cups in the garbage bags.

For some reason, we thought it was hilarious that this guy had a small puka (hole) in his shirt.

There were a couple of times where we saw the medics helping people on the side of the road which made the walk more interesting.

It was so fun to see the finally see the finish line at the end. This year I was smart and used moleskin on my feet so I didn't get any blisters. It made for a lot happier ending to our walk.

They had this counter clock thing at the finish line. We actually finished just under 3 hours. Not too bad for our strolling pace.

So once you cross the finish line you aren't quite done yet, they make you wind around to the front up a ramp and a small hill where they give you water a banana and hostess cupcakes! Because we were part of the ASB Team we also got a couple slices of cold pizza which we were grateful for cuz by the end we were pretty hungry. 

Scotty and I got burgers and fries at Teddy Burgers afterwards- so yummy. After taking a shower I settled down for a nice long nap.....it was AWESOME. What was the most amazing thing was I WASN'T sore the next day! INCREDIBLE! My going to the gym everyday has paid off! Plus I didn't have any blisters!

So the next day for my exercise I walked the 2.5 miles home from work and I think I might have sprained the bottom of my foot. I've been limping around for the past few days and haven't worked out since! I also haven't been packing my lunches and have been indulging in a little too much dinner cuz I've been coming home hungry.  It's terrible that it's so easy to get off track after doing so well. Working out really is a mind game for me. Just because I walked 8 miles one day does NOT give me an out to be lazy the rest of the week. But I need to take it easy on my sore foot...... Guess it's back to the elliptical for me! Maybe next year I might even partially run a little of the way......hmmmm......

Lessons learned and 5 lbs lost....

It’s been 3 months since I completed Megan’s 6 week boot camp class. I went 2 times a week lost 3 pounds and several inches and developed Achilles tendinitis- which set back a lot of the progress I was making. Then of course Christmas time hit and I got stressed out and thrown off track. I joined 24 hour fitness but went sporadically. Up until just recently I have pretty much just “dabbled” in exercise and haven’t fully committed myself to a “program”. Honestly, I still think that if I pray REALLY hard that I’ll wake up skinny one day….but I know that’s not how it works. So I have begun taking things one teeny tiny small step at a time.

I am very happy to report that I have gone to the gym everyday except for Sundays for the past 3 weeks! Yay me! AND I lost 5 pounds so far!!!!! Super YAY me!!!!I am trying to keep on track and it is almost a minute by minute struggle. For now I’m taking things one day at a time and make a conscious choice moment by moment to be healthy. This morning I woke up a little later than usual and my first thought was “I think I’m gonna have a rest day- after all I’ve been doing pretty good and I DESERVE it!” So I rolled over to get a little more sleep and had a tiny fleeting feeling that I should get up and get to the gym anyway. My second thought was that if I don’t work out today I won’t have my extra 500 calories to eat and that got me up and out the door! After 3 minutes at the gym I was so glad that I didn’t give in to my tempting warm and comfy bed.
So what have I been doing? Well it has been SUPER DUPER hard hard HARD! I finally figured that I need to just do it and do it NOW! I decided to take it one day, one moment, one trip to the gym and one snack or meal at a time.

1. I’ve been going to the gym every week day and hiking on every Saturday. I select “fat burner” on the elliptical and go at it as hard as I can for 40 minutes each day and our hikes have taken at least 2 hours to complete each time. The elliptical doesn’t aggravate my tendinitis but I get a good workout. I found this machine in the gym that combines the stair climber and elliptical machines and it REALLY gets me sweating- which I figure must be better. Today I did the REAL stair climber for 10 minutes and it’s REALLY hard. I hope I can work up to doing that one more.

2. Thanks to my sister Crystal I found this AWESOME app for my phone called My Fitness Pal. You input your height and weight and how much you want to loose and it calculates how many calories you should be eating a day. Then you input the foods you eat and it minuses out the calories so you can keep track of how much you eat. It adds extra calories based on how much you work out which is really great. What’s been the most effective for me is to realize how much calories things are and I substitute better options for things I like. But the main thing for me is that if I want to eat something I have to have it. Otherwise if I try and deprive myself of something I get all obsessive about it and over indulge. My personal trainer Megan reminded me that after about 3 mouthfuls you don’t even really taste the food anymore- so I’m trying to keep that in mind…..I have to exercise a lot of portion control.

3. I’m eating veggies, veggies and more veggies. I absolutely LOVE chips! They are salty and crunchy and fried! Nuff said. But I’ve figured out that I really like crunchy textures. So I’ve been substituting cut up cucumbers and carrot sticks for chips. I’ve been living on Turkey sandwiches and have been filling them up with lots of lettuce, green bell peppers and tomatoes. I usually have pretty plain sandwiches with just bread, meat, and cheese and I noticed that when I add extra veggie toppings it all of a sudden glamorizes my little sandwich. Lots of my co-workers comment on how yummy my lunches have been looking and I’ve got my cubicle buddies snacking on veggies too! I drink a can of V-8 daily- I actually really love it! Except the reduced sodium one….yuck….but maybe I can work up to drinking that one cuz it it probably much better for you.

4. I’m keeping Heavenly Father in my game plan by having daily prayer to ask for his help as I make better choices in what I’m trying to do be more healthy. He has given me such a wonderful gift of having this body that can do such extraordinary things and yet I haven’t treated it well enough to work at it’s optimal capacity. My daily chats with Him give me the strength to keep going and I can always share with Him my frustrations, challenges and successes. My daily prayer is helping me to keep things and perspective. I look forward to talking with my Father in Heaven. I noticed that when I set a goal for myself I usually get all off balanced because that becomes the focus of my life. With exercising and trying to eat right I have a lot less free time. My evenings are spent getting my lunch and snacks ready. So I’ve found that the best time for me to read my scriptures and have my little chat with Heavenly Father is actually while waiting and riding the bus to work and the gym (24 hour fitness is right across the street where I work downtown). I usually wait anywhere between 5 minutes to 20 minutes for the bus and ride another 15 to 20 minutes. So I can easily get in 2 or 3 chapters of reading and say a nice long prayer to Heavenly Father…..it’s been a nice ME time and I look forward to it.

5. I drink LOTS of water. I have this 52 oz double insulated cup from 711 that I fill up with ice and water in the morning. I’ve set a “task” on my outlook program at work for every hour and when it goes off I take 10-15 gulps of water. After coming to Hawaii I’ve had 2 kidney stones- so NOT fun. The doctor thinks its because I sweat so much more and loose lots of water. I’ve never been a water drinker –thus the timer to remind me, but I’ve actually worked up to drinking lots of water. I actually have to refill my big cup before the day’s over!

6. I read inspiring blogs. Before a few weeks ago I was walking on the treadmill in the gym for 30 minutes on my lunch break. I would return all sweaty and gross and decided to go before work and shower and get ready at the gym. So now I actually have a full lunch break to check out blogs, update the Relief Society blog and my blog and read lots of fun stuff on everyone else’s blog. Becca- you are so INSPIRING you’re blog is one my favorites. You are so real and so fun! My sister Crystal’s is one I check just about every chance I get- I can’t get enough of my niece Chenoa and nephew Tristan. Seeing what all my Internet pals are doing keeps me motivated.

I’m trying to stay positive. In reality 5 lbs is nothing, but it’s a lot better than gaining 5 lbs! I afraid of failing at the goals I’ve set for myself and just like this morning, I’m gonna be fighting the voices in my head every step of the way but I need to find a way to drown out the negative with the positive. I’ve made excuses for not loosing weight long enough. While I do have some real things working against me like my slow thyroid and my PCOS my 5 lb loss shows that weight loss IS possible.

What’s exciting about getting healthier so far:

1. I’m “trimmer” looking. While most can’t see any difference I’m seeing a little more shape happening right below my bust line and on my back. It’d be nice if I could select exactly where the weight comes off of but at this point I'll take anything!

2. I like that I can say “I’m on my way to the gym” or that “I work out”.

3. I’m more conscious of why I’m eating and what I’m eating. Lots of time I notice I eat just because it’s “time” to eat or I’m bored. I’m starting to figure out what I’m feeling at the time and am getting a better understanding of myself.

4. I like getting ready after working out at the gym cuz I get to steal other ladies’ secrets at how they style their hair and do their make-up. I’ve actually worn my hair DOWN for the past week and a half and have flat ironed it- mostly because others make it look fun.

5. I love that I’m taking time to do something for just me.

6. I’m catching up on movies and shows I’ve missed. My awesome hubby downloads movies to my phone that I watch 40 minutes at a time while exercising. It makes me look forward to seeing what happens in the movie the next day and helps to motivate me.

7. I am in control of myself, and am owning up to the fact that I can choose to be healthy instead of standing by while I allow my health to decline. It’s so much better to be working towards a something instead of making excuses that make me feel awful. Instead I’m at least working towards a goal instead of being stagnant and letting the possibilities of a better self pass me by.

Valentine Cookies with Auntie Sommer

Olena, my 4 year old niece is going through a little phase right now where she loves to call people on the phone. She figured out one day how to call Grandma Joelyn and then no one was safe from her cute calls. My phone number has been her newest discovery. Auntie Pohai and Uncle Scotty have had their share of Olena's daily calls..lol!  Last week while talking to her on the phone about what she did with mommy and sister I mentioned that she and Ana could come over one day to make Valentine cookies....well when you promise something to a 4 year old you can't go back on your word....so I had my nieces Ana and Olena over on Sunday afternoon to make special Valentine cookies. I invited Becky's kids Gracie and Grayson over too and they had a blast making a mess and works of art.

Olena enjoyed squishing up the dough and then rolling it out.

 It reminded me of when I was a little girl, my mom was really great about frosting each of us kids' interests. She let me make some pretty big messes in the kitchen learning to cook and bake. I remember spending hours playing restaurant and making all my family members "pay" for their food as I played waitress. I remember wanting to be just like my mom and I would follow her around as she did all the house chores. She even let me help with the dishes a little kid. I loved playing with the soap in the sink. As I became more interested in sewing she would get out scraps of fabric for me to practice on. I remember one time when I cut out a huge chunk of fabric right in the middle of some fabric she was saving for a dress she was gonna make. She definitely wasn't happy but helped me to work on my project I was doing. with the fabric she was saving.

These early experiences really shaped what I wanted to do when I grew up. The fun times I had with cooking and crafts and even house work led me to majoring in Home Economics Education at BYU-Provo (now known as Family and Consumer Sciences). Lots of people are surprised that they still have such an old fashioned major but I think it's one major that I actually use my education every day of my life. I love it! Oh yeah, and the teacher training hasn't gone to waste either even though I'm working in the banking industry at the present moment.

I love how doing creative things fosters personal growth and achievement. I love how excited the kids all got to have an opportunity to make a mess- not something they get to do everyday.

Yeah, I had a few trails of pink frosting and had to wipe down the chairs and table afterwards, but it was very rewarding to see how much fun they had.

A little sugar and food coloring really goes a long way.  I love how intend each child would get when decorating their cookie. Ana was so focused....

This was the first time I made royal icing - the kind that turns hard. It actually was pretty yummy. Usually I like to make a butter cream icing but it doesn't hard set so it's hard to package up. I got decorating gels from Walmart for all the decorating. I love  how creative the kids got.

We made a couple plates of cookies to take to 2 neighbors. The little excursion was short and sweet.

After cleaning up the mess....

I got to work and decorated some cookies for Scotty and my co-workers for Valentines Day.

Now I got a post to add to everyone's yummy sugar cookie posts that I've been looking at for the last few weeks. I think it all started with my sister Crystal's post- yummy cookies! I wanted to add sprinkles but forgot to get some so I used red hots instead.

Pretty Cellophane packages and bows finished off the yummy treats. It was funny to learn that some of my co-workers have never had a moist soft sugar cookie with pink icing before! Crazy to think since pink frosted sugar cookies are a rite of passage for some!

Hiking with the Hoveys

Scotty LOVES hiking....as I've said before he would like to go on hikes where you are strattling a ridge scooting yourself along with nothing but a tiny little rope to hold onto. He and Kai went on an 11 mile -hike (yes 11!) a couple weeks ago. They left around 4:30 in the morning and didn't get home til almost 8 pm! Scotty came home sun burnt, muddy, scratched up and sweaty but had a big smile on his face. He goes at least 2 times a month and I've agreed to go at least once a month. So this past Saturday we hiked Kamehame (yes.... it's spelled that way and it isn't a misspelling of Kamehameha). We ivited our friends Mike and Kat Duvernay to join us and met up around 5:15 am (yes it was a Saturday morning- they were good sports).

Thankfully the "trail" or road more accurately was a paved road the whole way. It was uphill the whole way but was lots of fun especially with friends along. It can get kinda scary for me when it's pitch black and you're hiking uphill to an unknown desitnation but it sure helped having to big husbands around and a couple of flashlights....very safe.

At the top we got to enjoy watching the sun rise. I don't think I've ever done that before, so it was pretty awesome. The sky started to get a little lighter....

Then all of a sudden there was a speck of sun shining thorugh the clouds, I didn't quite realize what it was a first.

It was a hazy day due to the Kona winds but when the sun rose above the clouds it was pretty neat.

We took turns taking pictures at the top.

It was pretty high up and the ocean was so calm and clear....

I was tired of seeing myself with my boring old ponytail so I tried a little something different this time by wearing pigtails and a bandana- kinda fun for a change...

The trip back was a breeze and DOWNHILL all the way.

The guys had fun exploring and taking pictures- me and Kat had fun hanging out.

Afterwards we headed to Kuru kuru for some sushi to top off our morning hike. Check out our "family blog" The Happy Hoveys for more pics.....we might have to change the name to the Happy Hiking Hoveys!

Puff the magic Pastry

Last week on my day off, my mother-in-law Joelyn and sister in-law Chas and I all got together to figure out what we were gonna do for my upcoming Relief Society activity about using puff pastry. Since my father-in-law is the general manager of a local restaurant chain we get to learn about all the great spots to get food supplies for a lot cheaper than regular grocery stores. It's funny that I haven't tapped into this resource until just this last week.....hmmmm....I need to get more on that....

Anyway, we spent the day gathering supplies and trying out recipes. We had tons of fun and learned how EASY it is to work with ready-made puff pastry. It is so forgiving and you can do almost ANYTHING with it. It puffs up so perfectly and is VERY yummy to eat (in moderation of course!)

I think I might be grooming my little niece Olena to be a baker as we are always baking up something in the kitchen together. Here she is very carefully poking holes in our mozzerlla sticks.

You can pretty much fill the puff pastry with practically anything. We experimented with making all sorts of shapes to hold the fillings.

I think I found that the easiest shape to make was to use mini muffin tins and then you can fill them up with anything- like nutella.....yum.....

As you can see you don't have to make it all perfect cuz it puffs up and "hides" any flaws that give the pastry "character".  We made turn overs, purses, pouches, packages, squares, and shells - they were all super yummy...

Originally we tried to make a sort of "pizza" with the crab but realized that if you get a middle section you don't get much puff pastry- so we ended up making them into individual squares.

What took the most time was all the prepping of fillings- lots of chopping but well worth it.

I got a chance to use Scotty's new ceramic knife that he got from his brother for Christmas. I kinda felt just like Ming Tsai! I love him!
All in all we had a great time and got to try something new. Olena's smile says it all.

Check out the post of the activity by clicking HERE.