Something Happened

Yesterday started like a typical Tuesday.  I went to school, taught 6 classes, thought about beating my head against a wall at least twice, and came home to get a work out in.  During the afternoon I had already decided to run outside.  Once I got home, I set the goal to run 6 miles.  That is two laps through my neighborhood and would be the farthest distance I have ever ran at one time.

As I took off running, I was going at a 9:15 mile pace for the first two and a half miles.  I knew if I was to go the entire 6 miles I needed to slow down.  There was one point {while still on my first lap} I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep going for another whole lap.  As I passed my house after completing lap one, I stopped briefly to take a drink from the water bottle I had left outside.  That reenergized me and I kept going.  Before I knew it, I looked down at my watch and I was at 5.6 miles.  I had just 4 tenths of a mile remaining. 

I was going to do it.  

I had set the goal to complete my 6 miles is less that 1 hour and 10 minutes.  I knew that was far more than a ten minute mile pace, but since this was the longest distance I had ever run, I didn't want to kill myself {read: frustrate myself and quit because my mind told me I couldn't do it}.  

I finished my run in 1:06.  

I did it.

It was slower than I would have liked and I walked more times than I would have liked.  But I did it.  It wasn't a perfect run, but my neighbor told me when I got back, "each time you run, that distance will get easier and easier."  He's right.   And at the time, that was just the thing I needed to hear. 

I cannot say I have experienced "runners high" yet, but I did feel the incredible sense of accomplishment and pride when I finished this run.  

Something happened yesterday.... I became a runner.

24 Day Challenge Challenge

Hey friends!!  Yes, you are getting two posts in one day.

Summer {aka bikini season} is almost here.  Here's what I'm thinking....  As you all know, I am an independent distributor for Advocare.  I want to start a 24 Day Challenge challenge.  

This post is to see how many of you would be interested.


Here's how it would work...




You order your 24 Day Challenge through the button below.





I will set a starting date.  On that day you must email me (ashley{dot}hoppus{at}gmail{dot}com) with a picture of your weight ALONG with the date written on a piece of paper.  Once the 24 Days Challenge is over, you must emal me again with a picture of your finishing weight with the date written on a piece of paper.  

The person who loses the highest percentage of weight wins.




CHANGE:  Winner gets a box of some of my favorite things... {hint, hint} workout swagg and $100.


Whose interested?  This is NOT a definite challenge yet.  I'm just finding out who all would be interested.

Sidenote:  I have done my research.  I read through my AdvoCare Distributorship agreement and asked Independent Distributors higher up than me. 

If you have a comment that I'm doing something against my AdvoCare Distributorship, please at least put your name and reply email on your comment.

25 Random Things

I'm late to the party, but nonetheless, here I am.  
This is going to be a quick post, without pictures.... {blogger fail, I know}. Sorry.
Several of you did this post last week, but I was so swamped I ran out of time to post it.  

Let's get started...

1.  I am OCD about the way my clothes hang in my closet.  They must be arranged by color and sleeve length with the tag facing left.

2.  My favorite color is red.

3.  My right shoulder hangs lower than my left one.

4.  I share my middle name with my Grandma.

5.  I have six piercings. 

6.  My favorite number is 6.

7.  I can almost lick my elbow.  {If you want proof, ask Meredith.}

8.  It's not hard to convince me to hang out with my friends.  Even if it's 10:30pm and I'm in my pajamas.  Just give me 30 minutes to get ready again.

9.  My favorite things to buy are shoes and summer dresses.

10.  I could spend all day, everyday at the beach.

11. I split my lip open when I was a kid, running through the halls of my church, then tried washing off the stitches after eating Oreo cookies.

12.  I dislocated my right shoulder in 2007, hence the reason for it now hanging lower than the left.

13.  I split my head open in 2011 in Mexico with a solid wood noise maker than you twirl around.  It bled like CRAZY and probably needed stitches or a staple, but I certainly wasn't going to have either of those done in Mexico.  There is still a dent on my head from the way he healed.

14.  My favorite holiday is the 4th of July.

15.  Outside of school or the gym, you will rarely find me wearing flats.

16.  My favorite fruit is pineapple.

17.  I could easily be a germaphobe if I let myself.

18.  Sweeper lines make me happy.

19.  Both of my thumbs are double jointed.

20.  I can wiggle one ear.

21.  I could eat my weight in cheese.  LOVE IT!

22. I am not a huge fan of chocolate.

23.  My morning routine has to be done in a certain order.  If it's not done in that order, something will be forgotten -- usually mascara.  Ugh.

24.  I still have my tonsils.

25.  I do not touch raw meat.  GAG!

Real and Honest

This post has been a long time coming. 

Last month I bought these pants as "goal pants".  I tried them on, not knowing if they would fit and the did!  They are more snug than I would like them to be, but they fit.  Ever since then, they have been hanging, just like this, on my mirror as motivation.  I see them everyday, several times a day.  I have yet to try them on again.  Not sure when I will.   But I do know my ultimate goal is to wear them when I go to StL in June.  

 Last night I somehow developed the courage to put my bikini on and take a picture.  I sent the picture to Mel as an accountability thing.  Now today, I'm sharing it with all of you.  Before I do though, please know I am a work in progress.  I have never loved what I see when looking in the mirror wearing in a bikini or less.  I wrote about that here.  In the last three months I have been incorporating more strength training and less cardio into my gym routine.  I am starting to see progress.  

I posted this on IG a couple weeks ago.  It didn't bother me, mostly because my upper body isn't my "problem area".  I carry my weight in my hips and thighs.  My upper body has never been especially strong, so I was excited to see this much progress.  

As for the rest of me.  Please know as I type this, I am having a huge internal debate with myself about pushing "publish".  I know once it's out there, I can't take it back.  Please be kind.

Please don't ask how much I weight, because I don't know.  I use to get on the scale far too often.  I'm talking several times a day.  When I started incorporating weights into my workout routine, I stopped weighing myself.  It wasn't easy, but I did it.  I am trying not to focus so much on the number on the scale and more on how I feel.  While I do feel better, I don't yet feel great.  Like I said, I am a work in progress.

This is real.

This is me.  And I have feelings.

My First Buttons

Happy Tuesday, world!

If you know me in real life, you know that I am NOT blog savvy AT ALL!  I know how to write a post, but that's about it.  Banner and button making.... not a clue.  

Cue Chris {aka Hubby Jack, aka Blog Design expert} and Mel {aka Big Sexy}.  

When I went to the Lou to watch Mel, Holly, Laura-who-doesn't-blog-but-will-soon-because-BigHolly-came-out-of-retirement, and the Memphis girls {aka Lora, Laura, and Meredith} run their half, Mel got the brilliant idea of putting my AdvoCare button on her blog!  {Why didn't I think of this?!?}  Just one problem... I didn't have an AdvoCare button or any button at all.  So being the lovely friend she is, she contacted Chris and asked him to make me one! 

A couple days later -- Ta-Da!!!  Homegirl has her first buttons!!  Yes, that's plural!  Chris was generous enough to make a button for my 24 Day Challenge bundle as well as a button for the 10 Day Cleanse bundle! 

If you are interested in starting a healthy lifestyle or simply ridding your body of the unnecessary waste we carry around, click the buttons I have posted below and check out the 24 Day Challenge or the 10 Day Cleanse.  They will also be over there on the right all the time.  I have done both and HIGHLY recommend them.  I would never sell a product I didn't believe in.  I continue to take several AdvoCare products daily - Mango Strawberry Spark being my favorite.  I also take the Omega Plex, Catalyst, and ThermoPlus daily as well. 

If you want to read more about my journey with AdvoCare, you can do that here.  

If you have any questions you can email me (ashley{dot}hoppus{at}gmail{dot}com) and I will happily suggest some products for you.  

Have a great Tuesday!  Do something today, to make you a better person tomorrow!

Weekend Recap

How is it Monday again???  

I won't lie... I throughly enjoyed the unexpected three day weekend.  It was nice to be able to stay at home with R on Friday.  He's been traveling for work and got home around 9am on Friday.  Of course he went to bed immediately (he's been working over nights), but I was able to get some housework done while he slept so we could enjoy Saturday and Sunday before he had to leave again for work.

Saturday morning we went down to the town where I teach and worked a race that benefits my school's PTO.  We were going to run, but they desperately needed workers so we took that route.  It was COLD!!  I kept doing jumping jacks, squats, and jogging around to stay warm. 

After the race we ran a few errands then had a movie night at home that evening.

Sunday we went to church then to my grandparents house for lunch.  R left around 2:00 to go back to work.  I got home around 5 and decided do bust out a run while it was still nice out.  

It wasn't my best run - I had side cramps the whole time - but I didn't quit.   

Tonight is McTeacher night at our local McDonalds.   Basically the teachers work and our PTO gets 20% of the profits for the 4 hour time span.  This should be interesting.  I'm scheduled to work for an hour -- but will probably stay longer.   Fingers crossed this McTeacher Night will provide some good blog material for tomorrow... 

Three Day Weekend

Hey, hey, hey!

I'm keeping this short and sweet today.  I unexpectedly got a three day weekend because of FLOODING!  This is the first time school has ever been canceled due to flooding.  

Here's a couple pictures some of the teachers I work with posted on Facebook....

There is a creek that flows back deep in those trees.... now it's a river.

I have heard there are cars under water in this county as well.  Prayers to everyone whose homes have been flooded.  

I'm off to the gym to put my new Garmin to use!  Boom!