An early New Years Resolution

It's almost Christmas, but I am looking forward towards New Years 2013. Every year I promise myself I will get in shape and with the exception of 2010, it hasn't happened. 2 years ago my husband was deployed and I made the same goal, and almost reached it. I soon gained all the weight back, however, even before he had returned from deployment.

This year I reached my heaviest weight at 174lbs. My husband still doesn't know that number, I was ashamed. I have lost 14 pounds since April, but it's not enough. I made strides to a more healthy lifestyle this year by joining a roller derby team and starting Herbalife, but outside of practices I haven't stuck with a fitness routine.

I'm starting early. I'm not waiting for New Years. My husband just deployed for the second time and this time I WILL lose the weight and keep it off. Today I finished day one of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD and the first day of Couch To 5K. Surprisingly, C25K was much easier than the 20 minute workout of 30DS. I barely got though it, but I know it will get easier. Tomorrow will be a challenge. I have Day 2 of 30DS ahead of me and a 2 hour derby practice that evening. I will be sore, but I'll push through it. I want to be healthy.

Corey is already worried about my health since bad health runs in my family. I don't want him to worry about me. I'm only 23. I need to get a start on this to keep the health issues away as I age. I don't want to worry about my heart or high blood pressure or diabetes like my mom and grandma suffer. I don't want to be overweight anymore.

Derby has already made me more confident and comfortable with my body. It has already helped my endurance and given me stronger legs. But derby isn't enough. I have plateaued in my weight loss at 160 pounds. I need to weigh under 140 pounds to no longer be overweight. My goal is to hit the 120s since, for my height, a healthy weight range is anywhere between 107lbs-140lbs.

So this is my accountability post, if anyone reads this. It's public now. I have to stick with it and meet my goals. I want to be within that healthy weight range before May. That's almost 6 months to lose 20lbs. I'll be updating with my results.

Happy Vacationing

Corey and I decided to vacation in Alaska. He wanted someplace cold so he could snowboard, but we're over a month early for that...we didn't know this til a week before we planned on leaving and decided to go anyways since he deploys soon and we won't get another chance til next year. Well, that wasn't the only speed bump this trip: we took Space Available travel so we were stuck near Tokyo for a week, we both got colds, and we found out after arriving in Alaska that Autumn isn't a tourist season and all that fun stuff they mentioned in their brochure and online aren't available this time of year.
We still found stuff to do though.
While on mainland Japan, we visited Tokyo Disney Resort. Corey hated the lines so we only went on 3 rides, but even taking the tram there and back was an experience we're happy to have had.















Once in Alaska, we headed straight for Alyeska Resort.



We went hiking, but weren't brave enough for the hand tram thing.








Then it snowed!



The most memorable activity we did was the flight seeing tour in a helicopter! We even landed on a glacier and got to walk around. I learned so much!























We wrapped up the vacation with a visit with my aunt and cousin. It was nice seeing them and getting to talk.

Also, I made Corey take a picture with a taxidermy moose named Hank.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Pet shipping scam. Beware

Last night, I responded to an ad on Okinawa bookoo for a pair of yorkie puppies. At first, everything seemed normal, but then in the 3rd email, the puppies are suddenly located in Scotland and the owner is willing to part with them for free, if i just pay for shipping. This is where I recognized it as a scam. I'm lucky I did. Many people don't realize until after money is sent and no puppies are delivered. Luckily, they only got my email address and I didn't give them the other info they were asking for. They followed everything in the next paragraph exactly...I'm disgusted that people would prey on anyone, let alone a site that caters to a military base. Hopefully no one else responds to this ad.


From Yahoo Voices :

"Another such scam is based on pet adoption. The scammer first posts an advertisement offering pets for sale at a ridiculously low price, most often using stolen pictures from other websites and respectable breeders. When a victim responds to the ad and questions the low price or reason for giving up such an expensive pet the scammer first explains they've recently moved where they can't keep the pet. Maybe they don't have time to properly care for or have too many other pets. Often they will ask for follow-up holiday photos and a continued line of communication so the victim does not expect a scam.

The scammer and victim exchange emails, id's and phone calls to prove their credibility. The scammer offers to ship the pet and asks the victim to only pay for shipping or drops down the original price. Scammer then asks for untraceable money grams, western union, or money orders for payment. After transfer of money, the victim doesn't receive the non-existent pet and when the victim does hear from the scammer again its only for more money to be sent for various reasons such as airport holding of the animal for quarantine or unexpected vet bills, until the victim finally just stops sending money."

My actual correspondence:

I understand you.But I assure you,to leave the stress to me,The agency
is very efficient and will take only a few hours for the puppy to
reach your destination.Trust me.I used the same service 2 weeks ago to
send one of my Siberian Husky pups to a family in Bangalore who
adopted the Pup.I may also give up Kylia up for adoption to you too.If
the finance is the problem,we can both share the financial burden in
the transportation of the pups.All I want is the well-being of the
pups.Are you ok with that?

On 8/19/12, Sapphire Edwards wrote:
If you haven't found a home when you return here, I'd love to care for one.
But I'm not comfortable traveling all that way or with a delivery service. I
hated flying my puppy over here, it was the most stressful experience for
him and me both. Thanks for the correspondence tho. I hope you'll find them
loving homes.

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 19, 2012, at 4:44 PM, andreano bonavista
wrote:

I am not sure.I have already requested for release at my place of work
so that I could be near my mum.Her condition is getting worse and so,I
need to be closer her during these moments.Hence,since I'll be mostly
occupied with my mum,I will barely have time for my pups.That's the
more reason I'm desperate to give them out for adoption to better
family who can take proper and full care of them.I have seen that you
have a good heart and environment to bring them up in the best of
health and state of mind.But If you are not contented with this
situation of things,you should let me know so that I could continue in
the search of a proper home for my pet.
Thanks for everything and God bless
my regards to your family

On 8/19/12, Sapphire Edwards wrote:
Are you coming to Okinawa eventually?

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 19, 2012, at 3:29 PM, andreano bonavista
wrote:

Hello Mrs Edwards,

Thanks for the reply and answers to my question. I will recommend
you adopt Jessica.,She's my sweet female princess.Well trained and
lovable to other dogs and kids.Attached to this mail is her picture
with Kylia,my other pup. Please i am also very
sorry for the late reply. All the same, I wish to let you know that,
what i need most for now, is a loving and
caring home for this puppy. That is where they shall be spoiled
with love and beautiful things . From the way you sound from your
mails , it tells me that my puppy shall be well cared for in your home
, as such i need not ask you to promise if you are going to take good
care of the puppy or not. I want you to know that i am not asking for
any
money for this puppy. As i know you would always be there for the puppy
How ever what i ask of you is to promise you shall send me regular
updates on how the puppy is doing and some pictures as well . I am
currently in Scotland with these puppies TO TAKE CARE OF MY
SICK MUM AND I DO NOT KNOW WHEN I WILL BE BACK UNTIL I DEEM HER FIT TO
GET BACK ON HER FEET. Sorry for the distance. So please when would you
like to or intend coming over for viewing and pick up? . Well if you
think
flying this long over here would be a little stressing for
you , then i can help arrange for a home delivery to your home . It
is going to cost you £300 for the puppy to be delivered directly
to your home
, which you shall be making the payment upfront and directly to the
delivery
company. So if that is OK by you then all you need to do is send me
your full contact and delivery details , which i shall use to process
the change of owner documents of the puppy to your names and also
have it registered with the delivery company for delivery to your home
.
The information i need is....

Your Full Name...............

State.........................

City..........................
Your Phone Number.............

Your Post code......................

House Address.....................
I understand you might be concern on the puppy's welfare
traveling this long to your location , considering it's young nature.
How ever i wish to let you know that, the puppy's welfare will be of
optimum priority

On 8/19/12, Sapphire Edwards wrote:
My husband and I are 23 and live on Kadena. We have one fur baby.
He is a male Pomeranian and will be 3 in November. We've had him since
he
was 6 months and trained him ourselves. He is fixed and up to date on
all
vet care. We take him to the vet on base, but in the states we used
Banfield. He also goes to the groomer every 6 weeks and I'm strict
with
what
treats I feed him because rawhide upsets his tummy. He's spoiled and
very
loved. We want a companion for him. He's really friendly to other
dogs,
but
is skittish around bigger ones. That's why we want another small breed
puppy, and one young enough we can train ourselves.
I'd like either a male or female. Which would you recommend since we
have
a
fixed male?

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 18, 2012, at 9:52 PM, andreano bonavista
wrote:

Hello there,
Thanks for Contacting in regards to my lovely puppies which are still
available.I have one female and one male.So,if you can get back to me
with the exact sex you will want to take home so that i can get back
to you with photos of the sex.They are well raised,potty trained,vet
checked,have Health Guarantee, playful with kids and other home pets,
very good companions and they love a lot of attention.They have a
weight of 1.6 lb at 8 weeks ,they are pure breed,really in need of a
home. Before giving them to any home i will need to know who? where?
and the environment which they are going to,please sorry for asking
but really must do so,because some breeders pretend to be pet lovers
and get puppies from
people to make money without taking care of the puppies.So i will
need
you to answer these questions if you don't mind
am offering this babies at $200 each

1 Have you any pet-care experience?
2 Where are you located?
3 Are you a breeder?
4 How old are you, are you married with kids and
what do you do for a living?
5 When are you ready for this puppies and Which of the sex do you
want?
7 Give me a Brief Description about your Environment?
8 Do you have a vet doctor?
9 Why are you so interested in this breed, what do you know about
them, what do you admire in them?
I will be waiting to read back from you.

Regards


On 8/18/12, Sapphire.edwards21@gmail.com
wrote:
===============================================
Yay! This is a message from a user on the wildly fun Okinawa
bookoo.
Note the notes at the bottom of this note. Noted? User message:
===============================================

How old are they? Are you asking for an adoption fee?

Link to item:
http://okinawa.bookoo.com/item.jsp?itemId=28755667

Title:Two gorgeous Yorkie puppies remaining for adoption
Price:


=============================================
IMPORTANT NOTES
=============================================

1. Make sure you reply to the SENDERS email address and NOT
"info@bookoo.com"

2. Over 99.99324% of our users rock. However, because Okinawa
bookoo
is
so
addictive, we get an occasional scammer. Here are some tips to stay
safe:

http://okinawa.bookoo.com/scams.jsp

3. Have fun!

=============================================

SELLERNOTE:4656350

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Bout Time!

That's right, I survived my first roller derby bout! Bonus, we won! I don't remember the score, but we, the Blitzkrieg Betties, won in our first bout of the season against the Parachuting Pollies. Next month we play the Machinegun Mollies.






































- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sin R Havoc is born!

I have been skating for 3 months now! Next week I have my second scrimmage and the week after, my first bout! My first scrimmage, I wanted to cry. I had barely started practicing with my team, the Blitzkrieg Betties, and had not learned or practiced any strategy stuff. I felt like I was thrown in the deep end and had to learn to swim with no prior experience or "know how", if that makes sense. I was knocked down A LOT, and earned a couple bruises. It was both frustrating and exhilarating! However, I survived! And I didn't give up! I'd never been so tired, I skated harder than I ever have.
Now, a few practices later, I am going into these next couple weeks with more confidence in my skating and a better understanding of the sport. I'm still nervous as hell, but at least I know how to swim!













- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Progress

I graduated the from the pound! I passed all of my assessments, but still need to work on my laps and crossovers. I'm no longer a pond puppy, but I am now a Blitzkrieg Bettie!



Today, I had my first team practice. It was amazing. My teammates and coaches are so supportive and welcoming. We started practice with skating laps while working on stuff like our backwards and sticky skating. Then we met in the middle of the room for some exercises; pushups, planks, and squats. We then did a 20 minute endurance drill. I made it all the way through it! I was so happy. After that, we worked on our pack work and hits. I even knocked one of the coached over with a hip check. I fell twice and will be sore tomorrow, but it was definitely a great practice and I can hardly wait for the next one, next week. I've learned some new skills tonight, which I will work hard on this week before the next practice.

In related news, I have lost 6lbs since starting Herbalife. I've also worked out 3 times this week so far and it's only Wednesday night! Tomorrow, I plan on doing my roller derby workout DVD or going to Torii and getting some skating practice in, either way, I will get a fourth workout in tomorrow. My squats are already improving, which means my derby stance is as well. :)

Here's some new products I bought.



I ordered the toe guards from Derby Vixen on Etsy. This is a custom order. They are pink voodoo dolls, which kinda goes with my derby name. Toe guards are meant to protect the front of skates since they are constantly getting scuffed and worn through in the front from dragging the skate in falls and stops. I paid $300 for my skates, so I definitely want to protect them!
I also received my name/number helmet sticker in the mail yesterday, but I don't have a good picture yet. I ordered it off of wickedskatewear.com in metallic silver for my purple helmet.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

New Me

I know, I know. We are almost halfway through the "new year" and I haven't kept up on my fitness goals. In fact, I gained weight. I'm making changes tho, and I'm airing them on here, so that I will be held accountable if I slack again.
The first step I took was joining a Roller Derby League. I am a proud member of the Devil Dog Derby Dames here in Okinawa, Japan. The league is full of inspirational military women and wives who support each other. I'm already making new friends.
Second, I'm about to start Herbalife. It's a healthy diet that many in the league use and have seen results with. It will also help me become aware of my eating habits and change them for the better. Less junk food, more fruits and veggies. I've already started keeping a food diary, at the suggestion of my Herbalife coach, which has helped me notice what I'm putting in my body and when I miss meals.
I believe that getting in shape will decrease the frequency of my migraines, and keeping a food diary might help me notice if I have any food triggers for them. This is more than about getting in shape. It's also to improve my quality of life.
Along with Roller Derby, I am using the Roller Derby Workout DVD and will begin participating in local Zumba classes. I've attended Zumba twice, a month ago :/ But it's not always easy getting to the gym. It's hard going from a sedentary life style to an active one with several workouts a week, so I'm easing into it.










- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Review: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I've been meaning to read this for a while. It took the movie coming out, to get me interested enough to read it. I saw the movie first. I loved both, but the ending in the book seemed to drag a little. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I haven't decided whether I'm Team Gale or Peeta. Katniss seems confused as well. The book portrayed this aspect of the story better than the movie.



View all my reviews

Review: Fever

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Fever was a lot darker than Wither. Both are beautifully written and almost poetic. However, Fever brings all of Rhine's nightmares to reality. There was just this constant fear for her and dread as I was reading her story after the escape. Then at the end, I couldn't stop crying. The last few words of the book give us hope for her future and I can hardly wait for the third book in the Chemical Garden Trilogy! Also, the covers so far have been amazing.



View all my reviews

Review: Third Grave Dead Ahead

Third Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This book is a great addition to the Charley Davidson series. I've waited months for its release and it is my favorite in the series so far.
Charley's humor is still present, even in the most unlikely situations. I love the banter between Charley and her BFF, Cookie. I guess when your life is in danger as much as my favorite grim reaper's, humor is needed to keep yourself from drowning in misery, the emotion, not the jeep :)
I hate how much of a jerk that a couple men in Charley's life were being in this book, and I can hardly believe their betrayals, which has caused emotional and physical pain to Charley in this book and the last. I'm starting to root for Swopes here...
The ending also completely surprised me, in a good and happy way. Not like in the last book where I wanted to throw it across the room, but didn't, because I feared my ereader wouldn't survive an impact like that.
Anyways, I'm definitely looking forward to the next book. It's killing me not knowing what will happen next.



View all my reviews

Review: Blood Rights

Blood Rights by Kristen Painter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Of course it ends on a hook ending...
It was a little slow to start, but, after the first 70 pages or so, it picked up.There was a lot of world-building and character set-up that took up most of the book, but it was easy enough to follow once I got into the flow of it. The back cover description implied more romance between the main characters than there really was, but the story in this book only touched the surface of their attraction. I was surprised by the ending, although I predicted the outcome of one thread of the plot, our villains relationship to one of the main characters, from early in the book. I'm going to start book 2 right away.



View all my reviews

So far in 2012...

I have read 3 books since the first of the year, and I am working on the next two. I've also beat "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," which distracted me from my books a bit ;) Black Heart Loa by Adrian Phoenix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was as fast paced as the first in the series. It starts where the last one left off, less than a day since the first books events. Kallie seems to have the worst luck, and she has to fight for her life while facing many unexpected obstacles and overwhelming concern for her cousin. I felt her worry for her cousin right along side Kallie and her sorrow at the wrongs that have been done to her and her family. She pulls through, just as time has run out, but her hardships are far from over. She still has to face her worst fear, her past, and reclaim what was stolen from her: something we have to wait for in the next installment of this series. I will definitely be picking up the next book.
Only a few days has passed since the beginning of the first book and the end of this one. With such a short timeline, it is hard to stop reading and easy to just power through to the end.

View all my reviews Shadow Heir by Richelle Mead
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was slower than the others. I don't agree with all of Eugenie's choices, but I was happy with how most things wrapped up. I'm not too upset about the ending, but it was left more open than I like. Also the book seemed to drag a little through some very mundane parts of the book. In addition, the timeline of the story seemed off to me. Eugenie seemed to take her sweet ass time doing things, for example. I find it hard to believe she would take 2 weeks (shopping for baby stuff instead of rushing to the twins) after events wrapped up in the Otherworld to get back to her children. But, then again, regarding her choice with them in the last couple chapters, maybe it isn't so hard to believe...She had no sence of urgency in her actions or decisions in this book.

--Spoiler--


Some things were obvious: the twin's father, which I suspected in the last book. Others caught me off guard and were kind of amusing: Eugenie's relationship to Ysabel, her son, and who Storm King's heir was. His death was a convinient solution to the impending profesy, but I'm glad that took Eugenie's son from most danger.

View all my reviews Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm disappointed in this book. I expected more. It moved too slowly and didnt pick up pace until the last 100 pages. Coming from the VA world, I anticipated more suspense and romance. Most of the plot was highly predictable. Only Lee's role in everything surprised me. Two loose ends from the VA series were acknowledged; we now know how Abe and Sydney were connected and how Adrian is coping after Last Sacrifice's events. I'm not sure if I'll be reading The Golden Lily.

View all my reviews My goal for this year is 50 books.

2012 Reading Challenge

Sapphire has read 3 books toward her goal of 50 books.

hide

3 of 50 (6%)

view books

Other than reading, work, and video games, this month has been uneventful.