Drawing to a close...headed toward...2012!

So. I haven't blogged since the end of August. I didn't really plan to take a hiatus, but my life kind of did a dipsy-doodle, and I've been "circling the wagons" since then.

Things are OK, but just some changes we weren't expecting came our way...and we had to hit the ground running. We needed to change some things, adjust some other things, and then...make a new plan.

Patrick and I sat and drew up our five-year plan, and 2012 is going to be the year we start toward the future we see in our minds.

We have a New Years habit of choosing a word that we feel either represents our upcoming year, or represents something about our lives, dreams, represents our goals, etc. My word for this year is DIRECTED. I have a plan...a future that I see. And I am DIRECTED to pursue it. I will be taking steps this year toward something brand new.

2011 brought good times, uncertain times, scary times, and purposeful times. I pray that 2012 will be a good and prosperous year for my family...and for yours, too.

Happy New Year!

If I had a month to live

What would I change?

I'm reading a book, One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life. As the title suggests, the goal is to re-focus your life to living passionately and fully.

Have you heard the song "Live Like You Were Dying," by Tim McGraw? In it he talks about traveling, facing fears, loving more deeply, etc. This book is designed to help the reader learn to make these changes...all without actually having to die 30 days later, lol.

So, the question begs...if I knew I only had 30 days to live, what changes would I make to my life?

The first thing that comes to mind is that I spend a lot of time in fear. I worry. A lot. I believe that we are not meant to live in fear, and I have made great strides in overcoming it, however, it'd be really a stupid waste of time to spend my last 30 days on Earth worrying about stuff like money or insurance issues.

Second, I'm going to go with the understanding that I'm NOT going to die at the end of this 30 days (lol), and I'd like to continue working on my fitness and general health. I want to live my life as a healthy and fit person!

Third, I want to be more patient with my loved ones. I am extremely patient at work, but at home I find myself sighing or getting snappy when things don't go exactly the way *I* think they should.

I'd like to spend more time outdoors, exploring. Taking hikes, going to parks, climbing mountains, etc. I suspect that someone would make a lot more memories this way...rather than sitting on a couch.

I'm noticing that my changes aren't BIG like "ride a bull" or "sky-dive"...but if I can make these changes in my life, it'd be big to me. My last one for now is to do less procrastinating. I spend a fair bit of time looking at things that I'd like to get done. Seems obvious, but if I'd just DO them...they'd be done! LOL

Just catching up

Good heavens. So much has been happening in the past few weeks, that it was just easier for me to not even think about blogging. But now...I have WAY too much to say! You know what that means? Bulleted list!

• High school is going really well for Shannon. She's making friends, and doing pretty well! There are lessons being learned about needing to be organized, etc. But I think that's par for the course! Patrick and I have been to both 9th grade parents' orientation, and then curriculum night, and we are SO impressed with her school.
• Since mid-July, my dad has been hospitalized 4 times, for a total of about 3 weeks time. He is doing well now, and all we can do at this point is just pray it continues! I *think* we're finally on the right track...so here's to healing and recovery!
• I went back to work on August 11th and have been super busy getting my classroom and curriculum ready. Both of my assistants (one for each class) also help in other age levels, which is completely fine...but what it means is that I did quite of bit of work on my own. I'm really proud of how much I accomplished! This week we had a curriculum night for each class, and then an open house for the kids to come meet us and play in the classroom, etc. Now? Now I have over a week off! Woot! Classes start the day after Labor Day.
• Patrick's got some exciting stuff going on, but I'm not really at liberty to talk about it *just yet.* But any good thoughts you could send his way would be appreciated!
• We're watching The Weather Channel nonstop this weekend, watching hurricane Irene abuse the east coast. We're sending lots of love and prayers to everyone in her path.
  

High school???

Could someone please tell how it's possible that my sweet, loveable, darling baby girl started HIGH SCHOOL this week?!? I mean, it was like...last week that I was just snuggling her like this, wasn't it?



Wait. It wasn't? Sigh.

My sweetie had a GREAT day at school. She said it was the best day ever! She's gone to an out of district high school to be able to participate in the International Baccalaureate program. What that means is, she knows NO ONE at her new school. I am so proud of how outgoing she is being, and how many new people she's meeting. She's awesome!

Five Question Friday...first timer!

I've seen so many bloggers participate in Mama M's "Five Question Friday," hosted at My Little Life, that today I decided I was going to play too! If you want to play along too, it's easy...just head over there, copy the questions, and get to it!

OK...time for the questions!

1. Do you have siblings and are you close with them?

Yes, I do...I have a brother and a sister, and while my relationship is fine with both of them, I wouldn't say that I'm CLOSE to my brother. We email and text occasionally, but that's about it. I know he'd be there for me if I needed him, and hopefully he knows the same about me...but he's 10 years older than I am, and lives in CA...so that's kinda what it is. My sister and I have probably the closest relationship we've ever had, and I love it. She really took to heart the role of "mean big sister" when we were kids, and as a result...we didn't really get along until we were adults. But now, it's all love...and she may even be moving out here to GA soonish! Excited!

2. Would you rather be slightly UNDER weight or slightly OVER weight?

Well, I've been "slightly" (hahaha) overweight for much of my adult life. So, to answer, I guess I'd rather be slightly underweight, just to see what it feels like. But my honest answer is that I'd just like to be a healthy, fit weight. That's my goal. (And I'm working on it! I've lost 4.2 lbs in the last 2 weeks.)

3. What's your favorite State Fair food to splurge on?

Mmmm...corn dogs or funnel cakes.

4. What are your thoughts on your kid(s) going to school in a few weeks?

This is a big year for us; Shannon is starting high school! Mostly, I'm excited. But there are worries of course...will she like it, will she be overwhelmed, how will she handle the pressure, will she be strong enough to resist peer pressure? Also, she is going "out of district" for school, to one that offers the IB (International Baccaulaureate) program. Only 2 other kids from her school are going there...so she's going to be making all new friends, too. Next Thursday (the 11th) is the day!

5. Pool or Ocean?

To look at? Ocean.

To play in? Pool.

I love being at the beach. I love playing in the sand. I even love playing in the (shallow) waves. That's about it, though.

I love that pools are crystal clear, that there isn't any (potentially dangerous) wildlife in there, there are no big waves to knock you down or drag you out to sea. It's just much more my speed.

I hope you enjoyed visiting my blog...please come back again! If you'd like to visit another participating blog...look below!

Bye bye summer hair!

Early in the summer, we dyed the underside of Shannon's hair BRIGHT pink. I loved it, and we referred to in as her flamingo tail.



As the summer went on, her hair grew, and the pink faded. Last week, she got her "back to school" haircut, and most of the pink got cut out. Her dark roots were back, and some "shreds" of pink still peeked out. We decided to bleach out those dark roots and see how it looked, lol!



She jokingly referred to that as her "science experiment hair." With the start of (high) school looming next week (eek!), she decided it was time to go back to conforming.

Here's before,



And after:

Lose It!

All summer I've been trying to focus on my weight and fitness level, but have been hit and miss (mostly miss, sadly) with my results. I believe that any workout is good for your body, whether or not the scale actually does anything...so I know it's all been worth it...but clearly, I was missing something. My weight pretty much has not moved at all since school got out in May. Frustrating!

While I was sitting in my dad's hospital room, I stumbled across a FREE weight loss app for my iPhone (also available for Android) called LoseIt! In just the few days since I downloaded it, it has completely re-directed my efforts, and guess what? I've lost some weight!

It's really very simple and easy; nothing new or revolutionary. In order lose weight/get in shape you have to watch what you eat, and exercise, right? Right! So why do I love the app? Because it kind of feels like a game. When you create a profile, you enter your age, height, weight, goal weight, and how "quickly" you want to lose. (It allows you to choose increments between 1/2 lb. per week and 2 lbs. per week.) From there, LoseIt! establishes a daily "budget" for you. Then you simply enter the food you eat (it tracks all of the nutritional information), and all of the exercise you do...and it does the rest! It's so easy to see when you're "done" for the day. It's SO NICE to see how your meals stack up, and have a limit set to monitor your intake. Plus, there are fun little features like earning "badges" for sticking with it, etc.

Who knew the motivation I needed was an app?!? For the first time in a long time I feel like I'm on the right track!

(I was not asked to review LoseIt!, nor is this a paid endorsement...I just simply love this app and wanted to let you know about it!!!)

Home!

Oh, blessed home!

My dad came home from the hospital yesterday. Patrick and I brought him home around 4pm, thinking to ourselves "now we can take a nap!" But then we spent the rest of the day chasing prescriptions, getting the oxygen delivery, etc. We finally fell into bed around 11pm, lol.

But it's so great to have Dad back home. He's alive! He's recovering! Thank you, God.

I slept til 11:30 this morning. Can you imagine? But good lord, it felt good. Got up, and ate a hot breakfast and then went to the gym...where I KILLED it. You'd think I had some built-up stress or something, lol!!!

Tired

My Dad's surgery was a week ago, and he's recovering pretty well. He has COPD, so his lungs are having a hard time. Since surgery, he gets into respiratory distress when they have him move around too much, so we're having to be really careful of that. Plus, he's still retaining a lot of fluid in his chest cavity, which of course is affecting his ability to breathe deeply. We're looking at maybe Friday as the first chance he may come home. He will most likely come home on oxygen.

I kinda got to the end of my rope yesterday. It's been a long, long 2-1/2 weeks. I've been spending all day, every day at the hospital. I've been doing all the driving (it's down in Atlanta), running of the errands midday, hustling doctors, etc...and with all the worry, etc...I was just overwhelmed. I found myself just over-emotional. Weepy, angry, anxious, etc. Patrick took my mom today, so I could have a "day off." I spent the day with Shannon, which was just what I needed.

We did some back to school shopping, and got haircuts.

If you'd keep sending prayers this way, I'd appreciate it!!! <3

Surgery today

My dad had another bout of bad chest pains, and ended up readmitted, and then transferred to two different hospitals in a 24 hour period.

Today he is having a minimum of triple bypass open heart surgery. Please keep my sweet dad, Vince in your prayers.

A tough one

This week was one for the books. I am exhausted mentally and physically. I don't even know where or how to start.

My dad was taken by ambulance to the hospital with chest pains, and now we're looking at him needing triple bypass surgery...if the surgeon is willing to attempt it, due to his other health concerns and the locations of the blockages. He is home on medication now, and will meet with the surgeon on Tuesday to discuss his options.

Shannon was a counselor this week at Girl Scout camp, and on Wednesday slipped and fell on her foot. We thought it might be broken, but luckily an xray showed "just" soft-tissue damage. With a well wrapped foot she was able to finish her week at camp.

We had another major snafu this week with P's disability and a doctor's office, but it's way too detailed to rehash. We're pretty confident that it's all on the way to working out now, but it took a lot of miles and phone calls (and worry).

I'm not even going to go into the whole debt ceiling thing...and lack of guarantee of the disbursement of social security/disability checks in August. I can't control that, so at this point, I just have to pray and have faith.

I've got enough other stuff on my plate that this point.

I swear I've aged 20 years this week!

Blur

My gosh, this week passed in a blur.

When I left off, Shan had piano lessons...and then she offered to help prep crafts for next week's Girl Scout camp. (And proud mom alert...she was the ONLY counselor that offered to help or showed up.)

That night, Patrick and I went out on a date. We went out for sushi...and I was SO brave. I ate EEL! Anyway, then we went to see Larry Crowne and enjoyed it a lot! It's just a nice story. No big drama, just a story. T'was fun.



Thursday, we took Shannon out to Rome, GA to see Berry College. I think we might have a top contender on her list now. Not only is it strong academically, has a small student population, and just feels *right*...Shannon thought it looked like Hogwarts, lol. In fact, as we walked around, she kept the Harry Potter soundtrack playing on her iPod and had one earbud in. Hahahaha!





That night, she and I went over to my bestie's house (who has a daughter a few years younger than Shan) for a sleepover. Oh my stars, we had so MUCH fun. "What happens at Vegas stays in Vegas" type of fun, lol!!! We went to sleep at 5 am.



And THEN, we got up at 9:30 to drop Shannon off for a counselor team building outing. They went to this cool thing called Dialog in the Dark, down in Atlanta. It's an exhibit that takes place in complete darkness, that forces you to rely on all of your other senses. She LOVED it.



At 5:30 when we picked her up, I expected her to be exhausted. Instead, she said "Hey mom! K is having her bible study tonight...well, right now. Can I go?" So instead of bringing her home and putting her to bed, I dropped her off at the neighbors.

Today has at least been spent at home, but we shampooed all the carpets and then went to the pool while they dried. Patrick grilled us steaks for dinner while my mom and I did asparagus and salt crusted baked potatoes. Yummmmm-o!!!

So anyway! The summer fun continues! Shannon's got open house for GS camp tomorrow, and then camp is all next week.

Adding to the list of fun

So, Shannon got home safe and sound from her mission trip to Appalachia. Once again she LOVED it, although I swear to you, I think that every bug in TN and KY bit her legs. Good grief. Anyway, she got home on Friday afternoon, and basically ate, showered, and went to bed for 12+ hours! Doing home repair in the summer heat is HARD work.

On Saturday afternoon, my friend Tricia invited Shan and I up to TN (lol! Back to TN for Shan) for an impromptu quickie visit while they did some work at the IL's house. We threw our toothbrushes in the car, and hit the road! We ate dinner with Tricia and her family, and then went next door to their aunt's house for a night swim. We saw lots of fireflies, bats, and satellites from the pool. SO fun. After the kids went to bed, Tricia and I sat up talking into the night. We headed home around lunchtime on Sunday.





Once we got showered up on Sunday afternoon, we went and helped build a float for our preschool to be in our town's 4th of July parade. It turned out very cute and patriotic. We ran back home, picked up Patrick and my parents, and then headed to see fireworks! What a GREAT show! It was long too...which I love. Probably 20 minutes or so!





Monday found us at one of our local high schools at about 8:45 am...putting finishing touches on our float.



We stood around, then got ready, then walked the parade, advertising our wonderful school.





It was memorable, and super fun. Doing stuff like that, you really feel a part of your community, y'know? Anyway, once we got done, we met up with the fam and had lunch at Chick Fil A. We were BEAT! I think we all came home and took a nap in the air conditioning. For dinner we grilled out hot dogs (while it thundered), and ate corn on the cob, baked beans, and chips. For dessert we had red/white/blue strawberries!



Today, Shan met up with friends to go to the mall, and then see a movie. It's her first time going without a grown up...and whooo...I think that was way harder on me than it was on her! Hahahaha! Now she's sleeping over at her friend's house. My baby's growing up! Tomorrow is piano lesson, and then helping prep some crafts for Girl Scout Daycamp next week.

I'll say one thing...we sure are keeping BUSY this summer! I LOVE IT!

Empty Nest

Well, as empty as it can be with my parents living downstairs, and between us all...FIVE dogs. Anyway, Shannon's out of town...so we're "footloose and fancy free" this week.

We've been getting up everyday and going to the gym. I'm getting ab muscles!!! Not visible ones yet...but I can feel them! Annoyed that the scale only showed a .6 loss this week. Stupid thing. But I saw my BFF today and she said "Wow, you look great! Have you lost weight?" So...maybe I'm tighter or something. Anyway, I'll keep doing what I'm doing.

We went on a bit of a movie bender for a few days, and saw "X-Men: First Class," "Cars 2," and "Green Lantern." Super fun. I love summer movies! We're getting happysadexcited for Harry Potter to come out in July. I can't believe that's the end of it. Wah! I know I will cry.

Like I said earlier, my BFF and I got together today and got pedicures, lunch, and then hung out for about 5 hours and just laughed ourselves silly. Need to do more of that. In fact, we made a date for next week to hang out at our pool. I wish she lived closer. Here's our cute feet, lol!

Keeping busy

Since I last posted, we've been working on giving Shannon's bedroom a make-over. We haven't put any art up on the walls yet, but it looks great so far!!!





Shannon and I spent three days up with friends at their lake house on Lake Hartwell. We spent time jumping off docks, riding waverunners, swimming, going for boat rides, etc. Unfortunately, on our last day there, I got stung by a bee...and spent the next week in a Benadryl coma. I'm fine now, lol.

And now, Shan's leaving tomorrow for a week-long mission trip. We've spent the last couple days getting her ready and packed up!

Oh yeah! We also dyed her hair pink! Ha! Fun!!!

More summer fun!

In keeping up my summer fun list, I have LOTS to add! (Maybe I should do it more often than once every two weeks, huh?)

• Patrick and I took a 6-day trip to Myrtle Beach, just the two of us. Shannon stayed home with my parents and took care of the dogs, etc. We had THE BEST time. We went to the beach every day. We slept in. We drove go-carts, and played mini-golf. We went to a movie (Hangover 2), and ate like kings. We went to the Bodies: Revealed exhibit. Just wonderful!
• The day after we got home, we took Shannon over to Athens, GA and toured the University of Georgia. She had NO trouble envisioning herself going there...loved the classic architecture and history of the campus.
• We went to see the new X-Men movie, and we all (even me!) loved it. It was excellent.
• We broke Shannon's bed. Oops. To be fair, she's had it since she was 20 months old, and it was time for something new. So, we went to IKEA and outfitted her with new bedroom furniture. For the past few days we have been repainting her room from her 8-year-old-girl color choice of lavender...to her 14-year-old-girl color choices of aqua and slate gray!!!
• Shannon went to a soup kitchen in Atlanta today and prepared and packed meals for the needy.

Summer time!

Yay, school's out! This year, our "plan" for the summer is to "keep moving." Not to just become couch potatoes because it's hot outside.

We've been getting up each morning and going to the gym. I know, can you believe it? And what's weirder...we're actually LIKING it. It's great to get your workout done before it's super hot (and first thing in the morning, so you don't have to dread it all day)...and it gets you up and going with your day. No more finding yourself sitting around in your jammies at 2 pm, and being shocked that the day is half gone. Loving it! And the best part? I've lost 3 lbs. this week.

We're also making more of a effort to be conscious. That sounds kind of weird. But what I mean is that we are trying to be...present. To be aware, and appreciative of what's going on around us. It's actually very fulfilling! (Who knew, lol!)

I want to try to keep a list of the fun stuff we do this summer. I like to see it all in one place!

So far we've:

• Fed ducks
• Saw Kung Fu Panda 2
• Got frozen yogurt at Menchie's
• Shannon's rediscovered bubbles, and is actually having fun blowing bubbles, lol! (She's 14!)
• Got new curtains and rod for our bedroom.
• Keeping the top off the Jeep and going for spontaneous convertible rides (and occasionally with a dog...they LOVE it!)
• Shan and I found ourselves up late last night, and changed out the posters in her bedroom.

Crunchy?

I think I might be becoming "crunchy."

But first, let me back up...and just give a brief WOOHOO that I'm in my last week of school! I have class tomorrow, and then Wednesday and Thursday are the last days of school (programs and parties) for those kiddos. I cannot believe it, and yet...I'm so ready. I'm kind of getting to that overwhelmed/shut-down frame of mind where I just don't want to do anything. That's NOT so good. Time to relax and have some time to myself. Soon. SOON!

OK, back to the potential crunchiness.

Patrick hasn't been feeling well for about a month, and to shorten a very long story...they've tested him for a lot of things, and we're still waiting for the results of his celiac test. But the fact that they tested him for that made us look into the signs/symptoms of celiac disease...and we realize that even if he doesn't have that...that he almost definitely has a strong sensitivity to wheat. So he's cut it out. Hence, we've got a house full of gluten-free foods, etc.

Anyway, I just found myself sitting eating a snack of snikiddy fries, drinking orange barley water (not gluten free, obviously, lol). That alone made me chuckle. Then I realized I was wearing my Jeep "Life is Good" shirt, and Keen sandals. LOL! Yep, I think I'm getting a little crunchy!

Hello, two weeks!

This time of year is brutal...don't blink, or weeks will just simply be GONE!!!

I wish I could say I've been going to the gym every day, but no. I've gone to yoga twice since I last posted.

Preschool has been SO busy with Mother's Day Tea parties, and finishing art work, and then setting up the Art Show, etc.

And then I got strep throat. So I'm in bed. Sigh.

I have LESS than two weeks left of preschool, which I find absolutely astounding...so I'm tying a knot in the end of my rope, and hanging on!

I can do this!

Yoga sub

Sorry for the hiatus, lol! T'was unintended!

I ended up being sick last week (tummy trouble), and had to miss the rest of the week of workouts. And then of course, over the weekend was Easter and all it's chocolate-y, ham & scalloped potatoes goodness.

Now, Patrick has my illness, but Shannon and I headed back to yoga last night. Our regular instructor was on vacation, so we had a sub. It was neat, because she did things a little different...so we got to see something new. She said the class was along the lines of a "BodyFlow" class. It was fun and HARD! I was sweating so much that I actually had sweat dripping off my hair, and I sweated through the front of my shirt. Impressive, lol!!!

We've got tremendous, huge, scary big storms coming through tonight...so send good vibes, please!!!

Back at it!

I had to take a night off from yoga last night because I was having some tummy trouble. I really missed it...which kind of surprised me, since we've only been going for a week. Really made me feel like I'm onto something that I really love and can stick with. Yay!

Went to the gym tonight for cardio, and did 30 minutes on the elliptical. My distance was 2.04 miles, which ROCKS...that's further than I went on Monday during my walk/run. LOVE IT.

Rockstar Mode

I guess I should start off by saying that I ate like crap all weekend, and most of today.

OK, now that THAT's off my chest....

Earlier this week, I was attempting Week 1, Day 1 of C25K, which only requires that you run for like 30 seconds at a time. I was totally breathless at the end of each stint, and was like...oh geez, this blows.

Shannon and I went to the gym tonight, and I kicked some MAJOR booty!!! I had THIS SONG on my playlist...and oh my gosh, it instantly put me into rockstar mode, and I could do anything! (Well, actually I was borrowing Patrick's ipod, since I washed mine and killed it. Boooooo! So I guess the song is technically on HIS playlist.)

I did 30 minutes on the treadmill, 15 of which I RAN, in three 5-minute increments! (I alternated with 5 minute increments of walking.) Felt AWESOME!!! I went 1.88 miles in 30 minutes. Yay!

Cardio at home

Today I just wasn't feeling a trip to the gym. The idea of getting up and driving there, etc. was just a buzzkill, lol!

So Shan and I went on a walk in our neighborhood. We walked 2.24 miles in 40 minutes. Not breaking any land-speed records, but it's a hilly neighborhood and was really windy. So I think we did great!

Tonight, I met 4 friends for dinner and then we went to an instructional painting class! It was soooo fun!

Here's some cute pics from tonight. Click to make them bigger!

A Day of Rest

Didn't go to the gym today. I probably could have, but it was a busy day at work, and then I was just beat. I came home and napped for like 3 hours. Probably best. Maybe tomorrow we can go for a big walk, or go do some cardio, etc.

It's becoming clear to me (by my weigh-ins this week) that I need to start keeping better watch on what I eat. I'm exercising so much more, and my weight is not moving...or moving UP. Not what I'm looking for.

In non-fitness news...today was circus day at preschool, which means the only big thing we have left is Muffins for Mom. I can't believe there's only about a month left of school! Whoa!

Yoga, take 2!

Thank God for yoga mats. MUCH better than those squishy, stretchy workout mats yesterday. Tonight's session was great, AND intense! It's not that the poses are hard...it's that we hold them for SO long. Holy muscle fatigue. It feels SO good though.

Holy sore muscles, Batman!!!

I am soooo much more sore today from yoga yesterday, than I've been through all the weights/machine workouts thus far. Whoa! Yes! Just what I needed! We've decided that we're gonna do cardio 3x per week, and yoga the other 2 days per week.

What I need right now is to shrink my body, and build some muscle mass. This sounds like a PERFECT and fun way to do it!

When we went to the class yesterday, we didn't have yoga mats, so we borrowed "workout mats" from the gym. They were SO squishy/stretchy though, that it was really hard on my feet and ankles to hold the poses, etc. I have enough foot/ankle trouble that we went tonight and got yoga mats ($8 at Ross!) for us to take tomorrow. Mine's pink...squee!

Yoga!

I have never, ever taken a class at the gym. I have always been too nervous to, and slightly intimidated. I'm not sure what clicked in us today, but we saw that our gym offers yoga at 6:30 on T/Th, and we were like "Yep...let's go!" And so, we went!

It was GREAT. That is not to say it wasn't hard, painful (in that "OMG I didn't know I had a muscle there" way), and humbling! We all loved the instructor, and will definitely be going back. I felt like a hippopotamus about 50% of the time...hopefully that will lessen as I get thinner and more flexible!

My eating was pretty good today. I got STARVING after our workout and had a bowl of rice AND some hummus with "food should taste good" chips. The good news is I drank ALL of my water today, plus some. So definite improvements all around!

Oh...I weighed myself this morning and was 211 lbs. NOT what I wanted to see, but it is what it is.

Off and running

I had Patrick take "starting" pictures of me today, and then we headed to the gym!

I warmed up, did upper and lower body weights, and then did about 15 minutes on the treadmill...half running, half walking. I am SO out of shape. I know I have to start somewhere, but good heavens...that's very humbling. Ideally, I'd love to spend 30-45 minutes on cardio each time, but I've gotta work up to that for sure.

So here are my pictures:





At the end of March, I weighed 207...and then I had Spring Break. I'm gonna guess I'm around 210 now, but I'll weigh in the morning to find out. I absolutely am disgusted to post those pictures, but there is a certain freedom in knowing that I'll never weigh this much again.

A new purpose!

I had a blast of brilliance the other day. A moment of clarity, maybe. I have realized that it is important to me to be FIT BY FORTY. I turn 40 in September. Also, I will also run a 5K either by my birthday, or in celebration of my birthday. Shannon has expressed interest in training with me...but I will be doing it regardless.

My blog has been languishing without purpose...and now I will be using it to record my progress.

I am actually excited! It feels great to have had my eyes opened, and know in my heart that this is what I want!

Just because I like to remember

Spring Break 2011:

Friday night - Picked up P's new car

Friday night - Saturday afternoon: Shan to Emma's birthday party

Sunday - I pulled weeds, and Patrick mowed. Shan babysat in afternoon, and then slept over at Reagan's house. Started dog-sitting Rugby.

Monday - Shan got home in PM, and then immediately went to Rebecca Mack's house.

Tuesday - Chestatee Animal Preserve

Wednesday - Shampooed carpets, went to Rome in PM. Ate dinner at Harvest Moon Cafe. Discovered Shannon, GA

Thursday - Sad morning when our ferret, Noodles, had to be put to sleep. Lots of hugging and snuggling around lunchtime. Made birthday cake for my dad this afternoon, and then went and got (awesome) haircuts. After dad's birthday dinner of steak, asparagus, tater tots, and rolls we had cake. Then Shan and I went to a late showing of The King's Speech. My new all-time favorite movie EVER. Came home and packed her for her camping trip tomorrow.

Friday - Shannon left to go camping for the weekend with her BFF. Patrick and I had lunch at Tin Drum, and came home and just had a quiet evening watching TV.

Saturday - Last day of dog-sitting. Went and cleaned out our camper so we can sell it. We're watching auto racing this afternoon (Australian V8 Supercars right now, NASCAR soon). I'd like to play some video games tonight...hopefully P will feel up to it.

Sunday - Watched a bunch more car racing. P still not feeling great, so I went out and got him some "soul food." Shan came home from camping...a bit sunburned, but happy. I did a little preschool prepwork. And now...Spring Break is done. Sigh. It was a good one.

Happy Birthday to my boyfriend!

So, we all agree that I'm a goob, right? I found out today that the people I work with are just as crazy as I am.

Have I shared that I LOVE Abraham Lincoln? I think he is SO cool. He's always been the person in history that I admire most. As a kid I even had an Abraham Lincoln bedroom. Yes, really! It's "come out" a few times at work...and now a few people say that he's my boyfriend.

Anyway...today, I walk into this from my Secret Pal:




What was SO funny, was that people kept coming up going "Is it your birthday???" And I'd have to say "No...it's President's Day." And they'd kind of get this blank look, and then go "But the note said it's your special day???" Hahaha...and I'd have to tell them. Good lord. I swear, I smiled ALL day. I love my friends. I can't wait to find out (in May) who my Secret Pal is.

Oh! And then what's even funnier...

After school today, I took Shannon to the dentist. She's sitting there in the waiting room, reading "Family Fun" and suddenly goes "Mom! Look at this!"



Sooo, we know my secret pal reads Family Fun. Cracks me up that she saw this and thought of me, lol! My cupcakes were *exactly* like the ones in the magazine...gold liners, green icing, gold sprinkles...EVERYTHING!

At preschool when I got the cupcakes, of course the kids were THRILLED, and wanted to know who "that man" was. I told them that he was "Abraham Lincoln," which of course was met with "I dunno" expressions. I went on to teach/say that a long, long time ago he was president of the United States (I knew this was above most of them...but I like to start their brain's file folders on stuff early, lol!). So THEN I said "He was a very important man a long time ago, so we like to celebrate his birthday every year." The kids were excited by the "birthday" aspect.

So then, I said "who has Lincoln Logs?" Several kids said "Me me me!" So I said "Abraham Lincoln used to live in a log cabin...how neat that they made toys so you could have log cabins like him!" And then I left it alone.

About 45 minutes later, it was snack time. So (as I was holding the cupcakes) I asked the kids "Do you remember whose special birthday it is today?" One little girl yelled out "ABRAHAM LINCOLNLOGS!" Hahahaha!

And from then on, that's what everybody in class called him. When we sang happy birthday, that's who we sang it to, too! Ha!

8 Steps for Creating Your Best Life

Wow. God listens. I went to the gym today, and while I was walking on the treadmill, I was thinking to myself that I need to set some life goals. I've been sorta coasting for awhile, and I'm getting to where I don't like it. I don't feel like I'm moving or working TOWARD something. I even mentioned it to Patrick on the way home from the gym. I said a little prayer about it, and then got online.

I hopped onto on of my favorite bulletin boards that I visit...and a friend had just posted this today.

OK...I'm listening!!! LOL

8 Goals for Creating Your Best Life:

1. Take more risks without knowing the exact outcome. Over and over, I’ve asked clients to tell me about the highlights of their lives, as well as the biggest rewards they have experienced as a result of taking risks. Without fail, every major “win” in their lives has occurred when they have screwed up their courage to do something gutsy, but that wasn’t guaranteed to succeed. Examples have included traveling solo in a foreign country, stepping outside the family norms to pursue a different type of work, or taking up a competitive sport at midlife. The research is clear on this point: in the short-term, we regret the things that don’t work out, but long-term, our most toxic regrets come from the risks we don’t take. Bottom line: Don’t follow the herd.

2. Don’t be a quitter. My children grew up as part of the sadly misguided “Generation Me” that was told that everyone is a winner, regardless of effort or outcome. One of the biggest disservices we can do is send our children into the world with the idea that the playing field is level everywhere, and that all comers get soccer participation trophies. That’s not reality, although it is when you fall down the rabbit hole in “Alice in Wonderland,” where the Dodo Bird proclaimed after a foot race, “All have won, and all must have prizes!” The truth is that people who drop out when the going gets tough, like at red belt stage in a black belt martial arts program, have mediocre self-esteem because they know that they never truly tested themselves. New research out of the University of San Francisco even found that it’s the things that create the most discomfort during the day, and that stretch us outside our comfort zone, are the things we are proudest of at the end of the day. That’s the outcome and self-esteem we want. Bottom line: Don’t be afraid to be in emotional or physical pain if you are striving to achieve something hard.

3. Don’t be a Debbie Downer. Some of the most interesting research on behavior has been cascading out of Harvard Medical School, where it’s been found that behaviors ranging from quitting smoking, to obesity, to happiness, all happen in clusters. Thus it seems fairly obvious that if you want to flourish in life, and find the best possible outcome to every situation, you need to align yourself with positive, proactive, kind people. It’s even been found that how close you are in a company to people called “positive energizers” – people who make you feel hopeful, motivated and valued – is more predictive of your success than where you are in the influence network or the information network. The negative “de-energizers” – or Debbie Downers – have the exact opposite effect. Know what behavior you exude, as well as where the positive energizers always are in your personal and professional lives. Bottom line: Steer clear of the “black holes” who suck away your energy and happiness.

4. Have four in-person friendships. To be categorized as a flourishing person, you have to meet the definition of having strong interpersonal relationships. My daughter’s generation tends to text, email, Facebook, video chat and tweet their friends hundreds of times every day without ever being in physical proximity. Too much internet socialization has been found to increase isolation, while all the signs point to socializing in person as a key deterrent to depression. One study found that having at least four friends improved one’s recovery time from surgery, and another study found that loneliness is more toxic than smoking to one’s health. Go to your friend’s parties, be with them in times of sadness, be happy when they receive good news, and remember their birthdays and comment on them (Facebook is actually very useful in this way). Bottom line: The more you tend to the garden of friendship, the more blossoms you’ll enjoy.

5. Create a road map for your life. One of the most comprehensive studies of its kind found that the happiest people wake up every day to clear-cut goals, many of which involve relationships with others as well as doing meaningful work. Most people, however, wake up every day and react to what was left undone from the previous day, while proactive people wake up every day and do things that they have deliberately chosen to do, and that are part of a set of short-term and long-term leveraged goals. Choose the latter approach because you will always be on the stage of your own life instead of passing out programs in the back of the theater for others. Bottom line: Ask yourself every night, “Did I move the ball down the field in my own life today, and what did I move it towards?”

6. Give thanks for your good fortune by giving to others. People who are self-involved, and who don’t make an effort to connect with others, are not only unhappier, they are also disliked by their peers. When you always find a way to express gratitude to others (thank you notes, a quick call to someone who did something nice, a smile for the person who held the door for you), you not only get the validated chemical “helper’s high,” you make a difference in someone else’s life. A new study has even found that “Generation Me” has 40% lower empathy levels than previous generations, partly because of the overexposure to media violence and the drop in interpersonal face time, so find ways to fight those trends. Bottom line: Say thank you every day whenever you have a chance to do so.

7. Don’t allow an addiction to destroy your quality of life. Over twenty years ago, I wrote the bestselling book, “My Name is Caroline,” about my harrowing descent into bulimia and my hard-fought recovery in my twenties. Since that time, I’ve watched countless friends, and well as their children, live unmanageable lives of addiction to all kinds of things ranging from food to online gambling, which has cost them their dreams and their self-respect. If a substance or behavior is costing you the quality of your life, get help now and use your youth to get on solid footing and improve your self-regulation skills, because if you can’t learn to delay gratification, you will be unable to achieve any substantive goals. Bottom line: If you don’t have complete and voluntary control over your behaviors when you need to be, get the help you need.

8. Act childlike, not childish. When children are young, they have the quality of “zest” in abundance, but for adults, “zest” is one of the least common traits they possess. Zest is correlated with happiness because people who have zest are curious about life, eager for a challenge, inspirational to others, and contagious in their capacity for fun and play. Laugh regularly, play April Fool’s jokes on people, do outrageous things at times, and exercise to keep your spirit strong. If you have zest, you’ll never be described as someone who “has the lights on, but nobody is home.” Bottom line: Stay young at heart, and don’t die before your time.

Article credit to Caroline Adams Miller.

Ugh...sick with flu

My blog's been quiet for awhile now...but this past week, it's been quiet because I've been sick in bed with the flu.

I started feeling sick-ish last Wednesday. Thursday morning, I felt pretty awful (cough/congested head), but I didn't have a fever so I went to work. I got steadily worse all day, and by the time I got home from work, I had a 101.5 fever, could pass NO air through my nose, and was coughing my head off. A really tight painful cough.

I (obviously) stayed home from work on Friday, and stayed pretty much the same all day, and through Saturday. By Saturday night, my fever was going UP (doh!), so Patrick trundled me off to an urgent care center. I was tested...and diagnosed with the flu.

Since then...I've been in bed. Period. As of last night, my temp still goes up to 100 a few times through the day. The decongestant they gave me (Lodrane 24-hour) is amazing...and I'm still coughing quite a bit, despite taking my cough meds every 8 hours.

I AM improving...but my gosh is it slow! I've missed this entire week of work. Plus, when I'm sick, I lie in bed and worry. I start feeling like EVERYTHING is wrong, and it takes a lot of mental work to stay on top of it. Argh.

I'm hoping to wake up feeling TERRIFIC (or heck...even mediocre, lol) one of these days!

Keep moving forward

Thanks for the well-wishes and prayers for Lucie...she was released from the hospital on Friday...yes, only SIX DAYS after receiving her liver transplant. She is continuing to recuperate at a friend's home. (She and Patrick's dad live on a sailboat...not the best for recovering easily, lol!)

Things are good here...a busy week last week, so we are spending a lovely weekend relaxing. Yesterday we sold and then delivered our elliptical machine...and that's really all the running around we've done! Today we're just watching football, lol!

Shannon had a big week too...she won her class spelling bee a few weeks ago, so she got to move on to the school bee, which was Wednesday. After winning the school bee every year since 3rd grade, she came in 4th this year. She was disappointed for a few minutes, but by the end of the bee, I think she was actually relieved! Hahaha! That same night, she got to take her Social Science Fair project to the County level...and we found out the following day she made it to Regionals. So very proud of that girl!

On a personal note, I'm working on setting goals for myself. It's embarrassing (?) to realize that I've gotten so wrapped up in day-to-day stuff that I haven't been forward thinking much. Kind of sad to me that I'm having a hard time remembering what I'm interested in. Sigh. Working on it!

Transplant Day!!!

Patrick's step-mom, Lucie, has been battling liver cancer for almost three years, and has been on the liver transplant list almost that entire time. Today she got the call that they finally had a liver, and that it was a perfect match!!!

She went into surgery early this afternoon, and we just got word that she is out! Preliminary news is that it went well! Thank you, God!!!

We haven't heard if the donor was a living donor, or a cadaver donor...either way, we are keeping the donor and family in our prayers, too.

Here is a picture of us all from just about 3 weeks ago...Lucie is on the left end, in the red hat. Please keep her in your prayers.

De-Lurking Day 2011

Do you lurk? I know I'm guilty of it...reading along at someone's blog, but not really taking the time to comment very often.

Well, today is the day to NOT do that. Today is the day to "de-lurk" and leave me a comment! Just let me know you were here. My follower thingy tells me that 85 or so people subscribe here...so say hello, please!

I know I've kind of shot myself in the foot by being so quiet lately.... I am trying to take the time more often to stop in and leave a thought or two. What would you like to hear about? Sometimes I just draw a blank, and then figure it's easier to just post nothing. But I do miss it...so please, let me know what would appeal to you...photos? pre-school antics? Shannon news? Cindy news? parents living with us news?

We've had a WHOLE WEEK off from school due to our big Atlanta snow storm. I am hearing a lot of grumbling from people about it...but I for one, AM LOVING IT. I say "bring it on!" We've sledded, stayed up late watching movies, built a snowman, made snow angels, took walks, drunk hot chocolate, etc. Pretty much BLISS. Happy sigh.

Oh, and after our week off? We have Monday off for MLK, Jr. Day! Hahahaha!

Christmas, etc!

With the exception of the year Shannon was only 8 days old for Christmas, we had THE BEST, most magical Christmas this year! My parents live here now, my sister was here to visit...and get this...IT SNOWED! We had a white Christmas! Just marvelous.

We took my sister to the High Museum of Art to see an exhibit of Salvador Dali's work. It was amazing. We also got to spend time with several more relatives. We had a nice lunch with my dad's cousin, who I have come to simply love. We had a quick breakfast with our cousins we haven't seen in almost 15 years, and we were happy to spend 2 fun days with Patrick's dad and step-mom. I tell you what, though...I was WORN OUT by the time I went back to school, lol!

What I loved the most was sitting up late with my sister, just having fun. Wrapping presents, watching movies, and just laughing. I've missed her so much. (Yes, I'm working on her to move here too!)

And now...it's the end of the first week back to school, and time to exhale. Yesterday was Epiphany, which means tomorrow is the day we de-Christmas the house. I always am sad to pack away the Christmas decorations, but then I love having all the space back in my house. Shan came home early today from school with strep...so I'm not sure she'll be able to help...but I'm sure she'll make a great supervisor.

Remember I said we had a white Christmas? Check this out...we are under another winter storm watch for Sunday night...and they're forecasting for us to get 5-7 inches of snow! OH MY GOSH...I am so excited I can hardly stand myself. I don't want to wish my weekend away, but I can't wait to see if we get this weather! C'mon snow!