Day 3 is Complete!

 Today was hump day... I can't believe I've survived 3 days!  It's hell... but you know what... I like it!  The trainers are awesome!  They know just when you need that pick me up to get you through the last set or last laps...

Breakfast rocked this morning.. Turkey sausage and egg sandwich with fruit.  The perfect thing before a hike!

Before I went on the Zuma Beach hike, I took time to talk with the Hiking director.  I was still a bit nervous about the group I was put in.  TJ was wicked cool and I got to talk over my fears/thoughts.  She totally got where I was coming from.  The way we ended it, I went down to group three, but she said, "She'll kick my ass until I get into group 4 next week."  She's giving me these next 3 hikes with an easier group.  But the funny part is, we went to the same exact place as group 4!

The Zuma beach hike was sooo beautiful!  We loved every minute of it!  The cool part is, Amy is in group three.  We got to talk and just enjoy the hike!  Loved it!  Here are some great pictures from it!

Here's the group of us - Frankie, Kim, Amy & I  hiking buddies!

At the end of the hike - Amy and I ran into the ocean... just to say... well... we were in the ocean!  It felt so amazing since we were hot and nasty and the water was FREEZING!

When we got back, it was time to get ready for the pool!  Today I had 3 separate pool classes.  It was AWESOME, but totally drained us for the day!  I've never been in the water for that long in years!  It was great, and again it felt awesome since it's sooo hot!  It's also a first that I've gone through two bottles of sunscreen in less than a week.  It's crazy.  Thank god Amy was going to Target tonight to grab some for me, otherwise I'd seriously be hurting!

The BEST part of today was the Kickboxing class lead by Camile.  She is truly HARD CORE!  She looks as if she doesn't have a single ounce of body fat on her and she's jacked!  I would not want to make her angry!  The class mostly focused on arms, so it was more boxing than anything else.  I loved every minute of it!  Michelle and I were partners right next to Rob and Josh.  We kept seeing "the gun show" while we worked!  It truly kept us laughing.  In fact, I think we laughed about it every class.  Michelle and I did our own show for the boys...  We had our guns blazing after that class.  I honestly don't know if I'll even be able to use my arms tomorrow, since it's seems like thats all that we worked on.

Dinner tonight was great too... I love salmon!  And the desert... it looks just like pineapple. But man... the sauce on the top - a raspberry reduction sauce just made it taste so very sweet!  We were in heaven.  The funny part about dinner...  We were all so tired that I could have put my face down the table and fallen asleep.  We actually didn't talk through much of dinner - which is strange because we truly are the rowdy group!

I ended the night with a massage.  All is right with the world now!  Completely relaxed and feeling great!  I even had to do laundry tonight despite the HUGE bag of clothes I brought.  We changing close to 3-4 times a day!  It's nasty, so I was already out of clothes!

Well here are the numbers for today.  the Body Bug registered - over 20,000 steps for 3,500 calories and then my heart rate monitor registered 2,026 for my calories burned during my 3 pool classes - so I'm looking at about 5,500 calories for today.  Not too bad!  Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!  Night all!

Day 2 is complete

Ok... so Day 2 was hard!  I was a bit sore... not too bad this morning.  After stretch class, I felt GREAT!    Here was today's menu:

Breakfast... yeah... fruit parfait before a hike... yogurt... hmmm... not a good idea - so I was able to sub in eggs and toast!  Just what I needed to get through my CRAZY hit.

We hit Zuma Canyon today.  Ok... to give you all perspective... it was 1,700 ft in elevation.  It felt like we did all 1,700 ft all at once!  We started off on a decent.  Easy... not a problem at all.  Then we hit the canyon.  The sun was BLAZING at 92 degrees - CRAZY heat!  And it was ALL uphill for what felt like an hour.  There were a few points that I honestly thought I was gonna die.  It was just soo much.  But it's good.  Today we found out that Group 4 and 5 are the same... so I'm the second highest hiking group.  Yeah... I was proud.... but damn... did I pay for it.  Here are a few pics from the hike.

We actually came from up over here <---------------- The left most mountain.  And hiked up to here -->

It was crazy.  They had cold towels waiting for us in the van afterwards...  We were mostly silent on the trip back.  We were ALL exhausted!  We came back to swim class which is alot of fun.  From there we had lunch which was fantastic.  Lettuce wraps.  Wow!  Couldn't believe how good it was!  Then we had a cooking demo with Chef Rodolfo Reyes!  He was amazing and had soo many tricks for us!  Can't wait to pick up those cookbooks!


The big joke of the day was with Rob and "The Gun Show." This guy is hysterical.  He's a hockey coach from FL, who is just an all around amazing guy.  We kept teasing him through lunch, that then he started showing off his guns... and finding ways to point to things.  We just laughed and laughed.  I'm calling him Mr. Muscles.  He's in the yellow group with me and a few others.  We've all kinda stuck together and hang out at meals and classes.  So throughout class today, I would catch him smiling... and flexing... Again... it's the little things here that keep us all going.

From there... 3 classes - Cardio Intervals, Total Body Sculpt, and H20 Intervals.  Cardio Intervals are hell.  You have to move up your speed 8 times - at every 30 seconds.  Once you hit 8, you give it all you have for 1 min.  Then you go back down.  Then we repeat it, but with incline - 8 levels, hold it, decline.  Switch machines... and keep going!  For as much as it hard... I liked it.  You truly had a sense of accomplishment after that.  Ran/biked a total of 5 miles in that one class alone!

Total body sculpt was cool too.  It was centers that we moved through.  2 mins at each station with 30 seconds rest in between.  It's great because you work your ENTIRE body in one class!

We ended the day with H20 Intervals.  Again - set up like centers, but we had a good time!

Dinner was filled with more laughs.  I think we are just soo over tired it's not even funny!  Here's pictures of Rob from the dinner version of the Gun Show!  We ended the night with a class on proteins and calories.

From there, we just hung out, outside and laughed alot - sharing stories... and hopes and dreams for the future.  It's really cool because we are all sooo different.  Most of us will be together for the two weeks which is great!

That's all folks!  I'm exhausted and need sleep!  I'll write more tomorrow!

Thanks for all of your support and comments!  It truly means alot and is keeping me going!

Love you all!  Steph

Day 1 is DONE!

Hey All!  Greetings from Fitness Ridge Malibu!  Well day 1 is done and over with and I'm SPENT!  It has been a crazy long day!

Here's how the day was laid out:
6 am - Stretch Class
6:30 am - Know your gym intro
7 am - Breakfast
7:45 am - Hike Descriptions
8 - 11 am - HIKE!
11:15 am - Stretch Class
12:15 pm - lunch
1:15 pm - Class - Budgeting your calories
2:15 pm - Circuit Prep Class
2:30 pm - Core Training
3:30 pm - Water Intervals
4:30 pm - Circuit Training
5:30 pm - Dinner
6:15 pm - Class - Spending your calories

All I can say is I worked my butt off, but it was great.  The trainers are amazing.  They are constant sources of motivation.  When you think you're done and can't handle one more thing, they're miraculously there beside you, pushing you to your best.  I've really connected with a few of the trainers, so it's great.  Tanya ROCKS!  She shared with us her personal story and what things were like for her, so it was really cool to hear.

For those of you who have been curious about the menu - Here is what we see when we walk into the dinning hall in the morning.

Breakfast was great.  It's kinda like what we do for Weight Watchers - Turkey Bacon & Egg Sandwich with soy cheese and a side of mixed fruit.

When it was time for the hike, we all took the 12 almonds and a banana with us.  We were told that you need something halfway through a hike.

The hike was beautiful.  This was the assessment hike to figure out which group out of 6 you will be in.  I got my wish - I'm in the middle.  I got group 4!  Not the worst... but not the best.  Today's hike was on the property.  I did 15,000 steps for 5.3 miles in 2 1/2 hours.  It was crazy!

The funny part about the hike - There is a sort of farm on the property.  One of the animals there, a cow is famous.  It's the cow from the California Cows Commercial.  We thought that was kinda cool!






For lunch, the Tilapia Tacos and mixed salad were amazing.  But the big surprise of it all, was the Sunchoke Soup.  I had no idea what a Sunchoke was, but we were told it's like ginger root.  Our server even brought one out for us to see!

Here's the Sunchoke --->

The classes were great... granted, we were all exhausted... they really rocked it with the music.  They had those songs that just got us all going.  Tanya was HELL in the pool.  She truly beat us up!

The cool part is, seeing the numbers on the body bug.  Granted, the bug died halfway through one afternoon class - yeah... that whole charging thing... but despite that and the swim class, I hit 25,577 steps, without those two... for over 6,000 calories burned.  It's crazy!

Dinner was good too!  We honestly can't beat the food... and to think, it's only around 1,200 calories.  It fills us up and is soo good!

Well that's it for today.  I'm off to go and get my knee taped!  I'm soo psyched to learn how to do it using the K-Tape!  From there... it's all about BED!  Night all!

I'm finally here!

It's been a LONG couple of weeks... but I'm finally here!  Dan and Scott, my heroes, brought me half way.  Then Judy B met us, and her and I continued on our adventure.  It took us a while, but I made it to the end of check in by the skin of my teeth!  Gotta love LA traffic.  I honestly didn't mind that it took so long because Judy and I got to catch up.  I have to say, I love my friends.  Like in previous posts, there are so many people I can just hang out with, like we just saw each other, even though it's been years!  It was so good to find out whats been going on.


When she dropped me off, I have to say, I was sooo extremely nervous, because everything is new.  But it was great.  The people hanging out on the porch all said hello and Jacob, one of the hiking guides was there helping with check in.  He took my bags and they had my stuff right there up front.  I went right into measurements.  The best part is... my last two weeks - The Civil Rights Trip & San Diego I'm down 7.6 pounds.  I can't believe it.  Right now that puts my overall total at 35.4 since May.  Wow... and we'll see what happens after these two weeks!

Dinner was good.  Got to meet new friends.  It's funny how the same types of people just gravitate together.  I ended up eating with a girl who is a history teacher.  Funny... since that's who I was with for the last few weeks!  And I didn't know it, but my roommate Kim, was also there.  It was a nice surprise to see it was her that I could share a room with.  I really like her!

We came back to the room, changed and headed for the hot tub!  It's huge!  There were about 10 of us.  The best part is, it was both newbies and people who have been here either in the past, or for the last few weeks.  They gave us some of the ins and outs and what to expect.

I can't wait to get started tomorrow!

Here's my home away from home for the next few weeks!  I'll write more and take pics tomorrow!

Say Goodbye to San Diego

I can't believe how fast these last few days have gone by!  I've been so fortunate to be here with Dan & Scott showing me all around.  I've loved our adventures!  It's been a time to catch up with old friends from home and from Bentley!  I will always cherish my time in San Diego.  It's been years since Dan & I have spent non-stop time together.  I miss that so.  My "Will," yes, we were truly Will and Grace in college, is one of the most amazing guys I've ever met.  He always knows just what to say or do to make you feel amazing.  I could not have imagined my adventure in California beginning any other way.  And then there's Scott.  Over the last few years, maybe I've been able to spend a few hours with him during the yearly visits to CT.  This week I've really gotten to know him and have seen first hand why him and Dan are such a great pair.  Just the way that they both make you feel welcome at all times.  It's just amazing.


Yesterday was truly an event!  We went to Disneyland!  I've been in Florida, but it's been about 5 years!  So seeing the sights through their eyes was fantastic.  They know all of this cool trivia about the places.  I felt like I was on one my TAH Trips getting the in's and out's of a place!  It is the happiest place on Earth!

We started off with Soarin' which I revealed to Jenn, I was totally a dork and singing the song from High School Musical in my head while on the ride!  I love all the sights and smells that are thrown your way while flying through the state of California!

And then there's the Tower of Terror... Ok, I've done this before, but I still totally jumped.  The people behind us screamed the entire time... which kinda made it a bit scarier!  But it's all good.  It's kinda hard to see, but thats one of the group shots they took of us.


We hit the "Games" from Toy Story.  OMG!  This was hysterical.  Everyone is playing against the other people in your car.  Scott was amazing... kicked my butt the whole time!  And then there's Dan - he beat all of us!  A great time was had by all!

Then there were the little shops as you come off the rides!  I still think Dan would look great in his Buzz Lightyear costume!  But my favorite there was the Mr. Potato Head shirt that said "Don't make me get my angry eyes!"  Hmmm... could I wear that at school... hmmm...

We ate dinner at a really cool Mexican place and listened to a great Mariachi band play throughout the restaurant.  Just a very chill and relaxing time!  From there we ended our time in California Adventure and headed into Disneyland!  We had to take a little detour back to the lockers since I forgot my ticket!  Sorry guys... I thought the hand stamp meant I could get back in... Oops!

When we arrived the sights and the sounds were brilliant.  I love the old school Disney look to downtown.  Hearing the bands play and crazy amounts of people everywhere.  But then again... nothing beats the view of the castle at night!  It is just breath taking!



We waited and watched the most beautiful fireworks I've seen in a long time that were set to Disney music which we all sung along to!  And then there was Tinkerbell who flew all around during the fireworks!  She's just dancing her way through the fireworks!

After the fireworks, we had to make our way through the crowd.  It was wall to wall people that you had to navigate in and out through.  This is where I have to say I love Scott.  Dan was getting us through and Scott was constantly checking to make sure I didn't get lost.  It may sound stupid, but it was a great feeling!  He is just a great guy!

We hit as much as we could before the park closed!  We were able to do Pirates of the Caribbean,  Space Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, and Indiana Jones.  Indiana Jones was truly my favorite adventure.  They don't have that ride in FL, so it was a first for me!  It was something that was well worth the wait!  They had a the coolest path to get there.  The way that these rides are designed in AMAZING!  But I'm truly a sucker for Dr. Jones!  I definitely jumped many times throughout the ride, but a great time was had by all!  I checked the Body Bug at the end of the night... We did over 25,000 steps - which about 5,000 was from my morning walk... but still!  CRAZY!

Of course we ended the night with a group shot by Downtown Disney!  This is a night I will truly not forget thanks to the most amazing men in my life!  I love you both more than you know!

Now I'm all about laundry, packing and traveling to meet a dear friend who I haven't seen in probably 10 years - Judy Bothelo!  Dan & Scott are going to drive me half way and Judy is going to bring me the rest!  I can't wait to see her and I can't wait to just get to the ranch!

San Diego

Hey all!  I know it's been a while since I've posted!  I've been relaxing and loving it in San Diego!


It took me over 14 hours to actually get here after all of my delays and travel issues... but this trip is well worth the wait.






Today was great!  I started out by enjoying a book outside by the pool.  Dan and I then took a trip to REI to get a few last minute things for the Ridge.  It was just fun tooling around the store...



From there, we spent time at the Beach and drove all around the county.  It was amazing just watching the waves and seeing the surfers.








God... I LOVE SAN DIEGO...  Honestly... If the education system was not as screwed up as it is here, I would totally live out here.  It's such a chill lifestyle.  I can totally see the appeal.   We did drinks at a fun beach bar and then I was off to meet Matt!









Dan dropped me off at the train station to meet Matt!  It was such a great day hanging out with him!  We haven't seen each other since Christmas, so it's always fun when we get together.  Matt and I walked through the beach and all around.  From there we headed to Union to just chill!  We relived old times... and did a TON of Laughing!  We even had to get his Mom, Robyn and Brian in the fun!  All I can say is... It's all your fault!






One of the best parts of this whole adventure is just hanging with Scott and Dan.  I've had such an amazing time just talking and chilling with them.  This trip is exactly what I needed to relax before the ranch.  I love them both dearly and so lucky to have them in my life!

Tomorrow will be fun!  We'll have dinner with Christy and Erin who I haven't seen in YEARS!  I'm psyched!  And yes Robyn & Val... tomorrow I will finally post pics of the house for you!  More later!  Night!