3.3!!!

Wow...it's been a looong time since I've posted! Life is just busy! Every day brings with it a new adventure! Ok let's face it calling it an adventure makes it sound fun, and may I just say, sometimes days just suck!!! There I said it! Now, many of the days between my last post and today haven't sucked, just a few. Yesterday being one of them. So, I ran a short run, then went home and ate cake and ice cream and felt a little better ; )
So, with all that said, I must talk about the title of this post. Last Friday, I went farther than I ever have. I ran 3.3 miles! That is more than a 5k (3.1 miles), so I feel like I am pretty ready for the Crim 5k. It's less than a month away and I am so excited! I can't wait! This "journey" has been fun and gruelling all at the same time. Just like life we may have a "suckish" day and then very easy, peasy days. We just have to push through. So, no matter what your journey entails, push through and don't give up! A friend reminded me today of a verse that will help with this...I can do ALL things through CHRIST who strengthens me!!! You can too! So, I don't have a picture that goes well with this post, but this little smile really makes every day a little easier! The day that we took this, we spent the day at Lake Michigan. It was a very good day : )

My Journey Partner

I haven't been on here in a while, life has been busy. That's the way with most journeys! While on the way, traveling on your journey you may stop for a rest or take a detour, but you're still on your journey and you'll eventually get to where you're heading! The journey that prompted this blog is going very well. I have only about 10 lbs to go with my weight loss, and I did buy that little bikini that I previously wrote about...and wore it in public, by the way!!! Although, maybe I felt more liberated because I was many miles from home and I didn't know anyone there, but anyway I wore a bikini for the first time in my life this summer and felt pretty darn cute in it!!!
So, the reason for the title of this wordy blog is while traveling on this weight loss/fitness journey that I'm on, my hubby and I are embarking on a new adventure. I'm very excited about this and glad to be taking this "detour" with him! I can't share any details with you just yet...but, in the next few months to come I will share more than you'll probably want to hear about! I just feel so blessed that God sent me the perfect partner for this journey called life. Now, we have seen our share of "bumpy roads", along the way and no we don't claim to be perfect. We have been married almost 14 years and still after the "bumpy roads" of life, I still wouldn't choose a different person to be "traveling" with! The past couple of years has helped shape us and brought us closer to God and to each other. I think that if we have gotten through the difficulties of losing a profitable business, financial stresses, job searching stress, on top of everyday mommy/daddy stuff we can do anything...TOGETHER!

Weigh- in Wednesday...

135.5!!!! I'm super excited about my progress! I now weigh less than when I got married, and even less than when Jeff proposed! I enjoyed the July 4th weekend, and allowed myself a cheat day ; ) The good thing is that I got right back on track the next day. The longer I eat better the more I realize that when I eat a lot of sugar or "junk", I just don't feel good. Remembering this will keep me on track, I hope! I hope your Independence day was a happy one too! 9.5 more lbs to go!!!! YAY!

Comfort Run

So today is Saturday!!! Yay, I love weekends! This past week proved to be a very challenging week. To start the week off I had two Dr. appointments on Monday, one on Wednesday, hubby and I had to cover for one of my friends, who works the small side business that we still have, and on top of all the extra, worked lots of hours. Ok...not asking for pity or an "awe you poor thing". I'm just setting the scene for what would normally cause a diet disaster! STRESS! To my surprise, I could not wait to go run! It was the thing that I looked forward to! It has become my escape. In the buried past, I would have escaped to Taco Bell, or to any ice cream parlor to drown my stress, but not this time! I LOVE running! Even after a looooong stressful day, I can't wait to run. This is just not like me. I am not the girl who stuck to a regular exercise routine, but there is something different about running. I am now a "runner girl" and I love it! I can't wait for the Crim! So instead of getting some comfort from filling my belly with things that are not the best for me, I am now finding comfort in the warm breeze, the sound of my feet hitting the pavement, the sweat dripping down my face and the awesome feeling of accomplishment when I have challenged myself to go a little bit farther! Trust me even as I read this I think, "who is this girl typing these words". It is the new me, the me that has decided to take care of me, the me that wants my kids to see their mommy healthy and fit, the me that is following God's plan and not being so stressed that I fumble around blindly doing my own thing. I am living life on purpose, making choices on purpose! So, in pushing through this week, and making good choices, I weighed in this morning at 135.5!!!! This is an 11 year low. So, whatever you're facing on your journey, don't give up! Push through and find some comfort in something that will make you a better you!

Weigh- in Wednesday...

Well, today is that day I promised...Weigh-in Wednesday. It seems that the closer to my goal that I get, the slower and harder it is to shed these last few pounds. I still have 12 to go, but I am not giving up! I've been eating good and exercising, so maybe I just need a "cheat day"!!! See, I told you that it's important to bury the past mindset! It tries to creep up and tell me to go and have chinese food...the really greasy kind : ) But, it is about health and that stuff just isn't good for me! This week I had to go for my first Mammogram and today followed up with an ultrasound. Ok...so this was a bit scary and though I was standing in faith that everything would be fine, my mind was going all over the place about it! I was told today that everything was "A-OK". Going through little "scares" like this makes you reevaluate health, life and the things that are important! So my weight loss isn't just about looking like a "hot mamma", it's so much more about health and being a good example to my kids! Mom's, you are so important and it is important to take a little time to care for YOU!!!

Let the past go!

Well, this whole blog idea has really just been a nice idea! Like many things that seem like good ideas when first started, I didn't realize how I just really don't have the time to manage this "thing" too! So, my posts will be scattered. I will try to do a "Weigh in Wednesday" to track my weight loss goal, which by the way is only 12 lbs. from becoming a reality! Then here and there I will post on my running progress. So here is my second installment! Enjoy : )

The reason I called this " Let the past go " is because there are just things in my past that try to hold me back, and just minutes ago I shared with my 8 yr. old that we don't dig up things that are buried. So let me explain. Billy the toad was Brendan's new pet. We purchased a new habitat for the little hopping creature and bought him food pellets, the works. To our dismay Billy the toad didn't like the pellets so he went on a hunger strike and refused to eat, and died. Brendan had a burial for the little guy. Brendan's friend came over to play today and he wanted to show his friend the "evidence". I told Brendan that once we bury something we don't dig it back up. We let it go. This simple command spoke something to me. I have started many diet and exercise plans and have not completed or stuck to just about all of them. So this time I have been fighting the past that wants to take a "cheat" day, or just not follow through. But, I've decided that this is not just a good idea, but the way that I am going to live for the rest of my new healthy life!!! The past is in the ground, and I am not digging it back up!!! Food is not going to be the focus of every event in my life, but a way to sustain life. I have made a commitment to run the Crim 5K in August and I am following through!!! My running partner and I ran 25 minutes straight for the first time in both of our lives the other night! It was such an amazing feeling, and yesterday for the first time in my life I tried on bikinis with the surprised hope of actually going in public wearing one! I'm not quite there yet, but maybe this summer ; ) I know these things may seem trivial to some, but when you've grown up not feeling good about the way you look and feel about yourself, when you finally start to find that person that you were meant to be, it is exhilarating! So, that's where I am today. I hope that this will encourage you to bury the past mistakes, attempts, failures or whatever is holding you back and start new! You can do it, and if you feel like you don't know if you can do it...do what Nike says and, "JUST DO IT"!!!

A new journey

So as of Wednesday I became a runner! This is very new for me and I am very excited! I thought I should start a "progress journal", but since this is the era of blogging, I thought it might be more fun to share my journey with the blogging world. So here goes! I hope this will help me be more accountable, and just maybe it will be a little inspiring to those who read it. So, a little history into what has started this journey. In January of 09, I started on a path of getting healthy and taking a little more care of myself. I quietly, to myself made it "my year". You know, as mom's we tend to care for everyone else and get whatever is left over. So, I started eating better and lost 35 pounds, I went back to college to get my degree in Early Childhood Education and should be done with that next spring. For a few years now I have thought about running, but let's face it I was the girl in school who always "forgot" her gym clothes! So, needless to say, I'm not very athletic. But for whatever reason, maybe it's because I'm getting closer to 40, I thought I should make it a goal to run a 5k. Also, added to this goal, I am working on losing 18 more pounds. All of this by August 28, that is the day of the 5k called the Crim. So, here we go! Join me on this journey. Cheer me on, kick my butt, if needed, or just read along as I start this new phase of my life. Here is a before picture. This is before I lost any weight, and I will try to post pictures along my journey.