Busy Little Man

Damien can now pull himself up into a standing position. He did it for the first time tonight and Scott took a picture :) He did it a couple more times with the couch too. So exciting! Although, it's a little stressful to know how mobile he really is. Also posted is a video from the other day of Damien crawling towards me. He's getting better. He's always on the move. I swear he's only still when he sleeps.

Official Photo

Here's an official AF photo taken on Tuesday. It's for an awards package. I'm missing a short tour ribbon from my time in Korea, but it hasn't been added to my records yet. On 6 July, I'll have been in the AF for 7 years!

Please, stop the heat!

It's so hot here. I'm BAKING upstairs which is where our computers and bedrooms are. We have Damien sleeping downstairs so he can get some better rest. Crazy weather with no A/C. I drive with the windows down in the car, and Damien and I are still sweating and miserable by the time we get anywhere.

In other news, over the weekend I had bought myself some new work out pants. I was so excited for today to get started with my new program, but my personal trainer was really sick and she had to cancel. Guess I'll just have to wait until Thursday.

I made homemade strawberry jam last night. So simple--just strawberries, sugar, and gelatin. I tried it with frozen strawberries to save a little time. I tried it tonight on some blueberry wheat frozen waffles. Not too bad actually.

Friday Outing to Big Emma's

Scott and I went to lunch at a restaurant off-base named Big Emma's for the first time. The portions are gigantic! Not exactly diet friendly, but it was so tasty!

Germany has the best salads EVER!

I ordered the schnitzel topped with mushrooms-YUM!

Scott ordered the 1/2 burger. I'd hate to see the full one!

Mmmm

Day One: The Assessment

Today was the first day with my personal trainer, Sandi. We talked about my goals and she did an assessment on where I am now. From watching me do some exercises, she could determine where my weaknesses are and what I'll need to work to improve. She also did a heart rate bike test. Basically, the test is used to determine how high your heart rate goes based on the amount of energy you're exerting. So if you're in shape, your heart rate wouldn't go up a lot doing a rather easy exercise. But for me, it was higher than it should have been for the amount of effort put in. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I'll be getting very individualized workouts, but at the same time, she is going to work me hard. I'm going to be sore. When I hear what she expects me to do eventually, it seems so distant. One thing at a time though.

Personal Trainer

I'm pumped! I just got off the phone with my new personal trainer, Sandy. We are going to work out every Tues and Thurs starting this Thurs. It's so exciting to have a professional who can help me get into shape and pass my PT test. She's also a licensed nutritionist so she said she could help me with food as well. Thursday will be an initial assessment to see where I am now. Wow, I didn't think I'd be this happy about exercise :) I know I'm going to have some sore muscles ahead of me...but I'm READY! If this goes well, then Scott will get one too. We both need the extra push when it comes to working out. Desk jobs and desk hobbies will do that to you, I guess.

The Great Cookie Experiment: Part 2; The Results

Scott and I tried the cookies with wheat flour. They were okay. Scott said they were "plain". They didn't have a whole lot of flavor, but weren't bad. This isn't over yet...Maybe I'll try adding coconut or something else next time. I also thought of adding banana to them to add a little more flavor. I think wheat flour as a pizza crust will be good. 

Chocolate chip and walnut cookies made with wheat flour.

Damien sleeping on me today :)

The Great Cookie Experiment

I love the idea of making healthy, yet tasty food at home. Today, I went out and bought ingredients to make chocolate chip and walnut cookies using whole wheat flour. I'm really curious to see if they taste good or not. I'm waiting for Scott to get home from work tonight so we can try them together. If they're good, then I think I'll be trying a whole wheat pizza crust next. Maybe after a while of eating it, it won't be as weird tasting. I know I've tried the store-bought whole wheat pasta and I didn't like it. I can't remember though if I didn't like the taste or if the grainy consistency was just too gross for me. 

Crawling

Damien is now an amateur crawler. He is going to be keeping me very busy because he just never stops moving! 

Being Productive

I'm excited to announce that Scott has applied for his tourist passport today!!! It should arrive within 5 weeks so hopefully we'll be able to travel outside of Germany by the end of July. YAY! Took long enough...

Scott and I also scheduled a river cruise for mid-July. It sounds like a lot of fun and people recommend it so I can't wait :)

Exhausted

Lately, things have been more organized at home, but I think it's safe to say that Scott and I are pretty exhausted. Between long hours at work with stressful jobs, entertaining Damien at home, and trying to keep up on the household chores...we are TIRED. Date night went well. We went out to Chilis to eat dessert. I can't believe how absolutely full I am. Too much dessert! Why can't they serve half the size for half the price? I'm still struggling with portion sizes when it comes to food. Maybe someday I'll get the hang of it. I can do well for a while, but somehow I always go back to old habits. You'd think that they excitement of losing weight would be motivation enough. It's strange. Of course, with the e coli outbreak pulling lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers off the shelves, it takes away from some of the healthy choices I was willing to eat.

Date Night

Scott and I have made Friday nights our date night. We're going to take turns picking out a different kind of wine to try and each rate it. We're going to be keeping a log of the results like unofficial wine tasters :) We're also going to watch a movie or a good TV show and just relax after Damien goes to sleep. It will be a great end to the work week and spend some quality time together. Gives me something to look forward to too.  We're also planning a day cruise/castle tour in mid-July.

In other news, Damien is active as ever! He can get up on his hands and knees and is super close to crawling. He also is starting to pull himself up. Oh, and he now has 4 teeth. I took him to his 9 month check up on 2 June and he's a healthy baby :) Just under 20lbs and just under 29in.