As of lately...

News from the home front:

Lauren is home from her two week stay in Charlotte. Taking a much needed couple of days of R and R before starting to work on Thursday.

Andrew had a golf filled weekend in Myrtle Beach and is home with a little sunburn and sore from all the golfing.

Megan did a wonderful job on the church Mother's Day photo's. She was thrilled this week to discover that her camera wasn't actually missing the mirrored lens after all. So we didn't have to send it off for repair. She is happily snapping photo's again with her own camera. She is also watching for the Fed Ex truck everyday for the last couple of days looking for her birthday present. She is getting an iPhone. She is very excited about that!

Noah and I have have been doing some planting and working in our little garden.

We have been having lots of rain the last few days. And according to the weather reports looks like more is on the way throughout the week.

For some of you who have read my facebook page you know I have been on a search for some time to find some Lady Pea seeds to plant in the garden. Sometimes they are called Lady Cream Peas. We use to grow them when I was young. My granny use to buy the seeds in DeRidder and give some to us to grow. They are a small pea, with a delicate flavor. Mixed with cornbread, they were Divine. So recently I have become obsessed with finding some. I searched the Internet when I was unable to find them locally. Apparently they are a regional crop, not grown or known of except in the far south; such as Louisiana, East Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi. The rest of the world just doesn't know what they are missing out on as far as I am concerned.

Finally I found some on eBay. Someone in Texas was selling them. I jumped on it immediately. When a couple of weeks went by and I still had not received my peas, I contacted the seller. To make a long story short, although I had changed my primary shipping address on my eBay account, my old address was still on the account somewhere, and that is the address that the seller chose to send my peas. Well, after several emails back and forth, he told me I would have to take up the matter with eBay. So I did. At first they ruled against me and decided not to refund me for the purchase. I chose to appeal the decision and after a little sarcasm on my part, they changed the ruling and refunded the full amount of the purchase. I was thrilled, although it was only six dollars and some change, for me it was the principle of the matter.

With my refund in my pay pal account, I set out to find more lady peas. Much to my chagrin, no one else seemed to have any. Well in the meantime, a wonderful friend of mine in Louisiana took it upon herself to hunt down these illusive peas. She checked several places in the DeRidder area, and although many of the "ole timers" knew what she was talking about, no one had them. She finally visited the Mennonite Nursery and there she found them! I think she was a thrilled as I was to have scored them. Yesterday I received a 1/2 pound of Elite Cream Lady Pea seeds. I am so excited. I can't wait for this rain to pass so we can get another bed made for the peas. If all grows well, I am going to get those wonderful peas of my childhood and my kids are going to get to experience the thrill of sitting around and shelling peas. So everyone wins in the deal! I don't know that my children would agree, but one day they will look back on it and be glad for the experience, I am sure of it...Thanks Dana, I owe you!

In other gardening news:

As of now, we have two and a half raised beds built and mostly planted. I have one bed designated for later season crops. Right now it has Yukon gold potatoes and sweet potatoes in it. I have two rows left to fill with something. Maybe some beans of some sort. If I can find some speckled butter beans, I think I will plant those there.

The other bed is filled with tomatoes of different varieties. Mostly Roma since we use those more often. Several types of peppers, zucchini and yellow squash, eggplant, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach and basil. I still have some room for a few other items, maybe okra and broccoli. This bed is already showing quite well. I have been pinching blooms from my tomatoes everyday in order for the plants to get established and put more energy into the roots and growth before they start to put on fruit. Apparently I wasn't as diligent as I thought, some managed to get by me. I now have several tiny little tomatoes growing underneath and tucked away behind leaves on the underside where they escaped my sight. I also have beautiful squash blooms that open so graciously every morning. I have discovered a couple of finger sized zucchini growing as well. I have already harvested and dried some basil, so this bed seems to be doing quite well.

The third, or half bed is filled with leeks, carrots, and green onion. I have space in the middle of the bed to plant more herbs like chives, cilantro, oregano and thyme.

The final bed will be filled with those wonderful Lady peas.

I do have garden photo's to post, I just haven't managed to get them downloaded onto the computer yet. I will have them posted soon.

On Books:
I just got this book in the mail yesterday. I can't wait to get started on it.

I have a couple more on order that I want to read. Other than online research and magazine reading, I haven't been doing much reading lately. I do have to say that since I got my iPhone last week, I am really enjoying the KJV Bible app. It is so convenient to read your bible anywhere you are with that.

Exercise and fitness:
It has been four weeks today since I injured my ankle. I have done very little in the way of exercising during that four week period. I did try to continue with strength training, but not as regularly as before the injury. I just got a bit discouraged that I couldn't do more. Starting today, I can begin slowly to work my way back into my routine. I have been watching what I have been eating and have stuck to my eating goals for the most part. I haven't weighed lately because I just didn't want to know I suppose. I suspect I have stayed right at the same weight through it all. Next month will be my one year mark with Curves and I had hoped to be at or near my original weight loss goal by then. With this set back and the fact that my weight loss just stopped several months ago, I don't think I will be there by that time. As of the last time I weighed, I was sixteen pounds away from my original goal. With the set back of the ankle and four weeks until the one year mark, I don't think there is any way I will get more than maybe five pounds off between now and then. If I can manage that much.

My running plan is to slowly work my way back to where I was before the injury. By doing mostly walking and very little running in the beginning. I have to admit that I am a little nervous getting back to the cardio exercise that I was doing, I am fearful of re injuring my ankle. I didn't enjoy being injured, as I am sure most people feel the same way. It was more the feeling of limitation than the actual pain. I don't like feeling that I am limited by anything other than my own desires. I think that is what this journey is about for me. Taking away the limits that I have allowed to control me for so many years. Taking back the power of choice. I understand there are limits with everything...there are things that are beyond our control and ability, but many things are in our hands to either make happen or keep from happening. So as I approach a turning point in my life, I don't want my physical body or my mind to put limits on the things I can do anymore. I want to be able to enjoy a much better life without physical limitations of illness as I get older. I know again, that things will happen, but if I do my part I am hoping to lessen the probabilities of certain preventable illnesses.

I have decided however, through this time of injury to celebrate the progress that I have made. Not to just focus on the goal but to also enjoy where I am today and realize that this is a journey, not just a goal out there to reach and then be satisfied. This is something that will continue on and on. I have allowed myself to be happy with what I have accomplished. To look at myself and be happy with now and what I have done up to this point. Before I was just so focused on the goal that I couldn't allow myself any reward for how far I have already come. But now, I am able to see my sucesses and be glad in them. No, I am not where I want to be, but neither am I where I was, physically or mentally. I am stronger, wiser and more determined to make this happen, to make the necessary lifestyle changes to be the person I want to become.

So as the saying goes; it is time to get back on the horse and continue on this journey.

Today's Quotes

Serendipity: Look for something; find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for

~Lawrence Block~

Desire is the starting point of all achievment, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything

~Napoleon Hill~

Burning desire to be or do something gives us staying power- a reason to get up every morning or to pick ourselves back up and start in again after a disappointment

~Marsha Sinetar~

Just the day to day...

Yes, I have been very neglectful of this blog lately. I am sorry that I haven't made time for it in so long. I have been a bit busy but that isn't an excuse for not posting something.

At the moment Lauren is in Little Rock for a visit. She left last Monday to go back for Mid-America youth conference at FPC in North Little Rock. She is heading back starting today. She is leaving there going to her grandmother's in Tennessee, then will head back here tomorrow. She will then have to leave here on Sunday to go to Charlotte for two weeks for training for her new job. Her job will begin here on the 20th. I just hope that she won't get back here Friday so exhausted and tired from all the running she has been doing in Little Rock, that she ends up getting sick from it. That has been known to happen in the past.

Kids...What can you do? I suppose they have to learn from their own mistakes. I know that is how I learned most of the things I know today...because I was so hard-headed and didn't listen to the voices of wisdom. So I had to go through the school of hard knocks...I graduated with honors! I have tried to pass on the knowledge I gained from all of those mistakes to my children. Let's just hope that one of them didn't inherit the hard-head gene and actually will accept the advice I am offering.

Around the house:

I have one raised bed nearly full of plants. I am going to put in the last of them this week. The second raised bed is getting soil today and I will be planting in it this week also. There may be call for a third bed, but we will see after I get the others filled. I also have some gourd plants coming up from the seeds Noah and I planted. I have always loved growing gourds. I have been growing them off and on, depending upon if I have had the space, since the 1990's. I have grown them in Louisiana, Kentucky, Arkansas and now in North Carolina. I still have some dried ones that I grew back in Louisiana years ago and some from Arkansas. I tried a couple of new varieties this year, so we will see how they turn out.

Megan is working on school work and working on a website for her website building. She had taken a break from art class beginning the first part of the year until spring. We are now trying to decided when she will start back. She is really wanting to take piano lessons, so I am searching for someone that can teach her. I am so very surprised that there are no more people in the churches we have attended that teach lessons. There are so many talented people, but no one seems to be interested in teaching. I will have to keep asking around.

Noah is growing like a weed. He is so active. He has been spending most of his days outside playing in the backyard. He loves to swing and play in his sandbox. But a lot of the time he is walking around in the "forest" exploring his world. We have a grove of trees on one side of the backyard that he calls the forest, and he loves to play in there. He has also been helping me plant the garden. He is such a little worker. He loves to do anything like that to help. He is strong too, he doesn't get tired and give up very easily. He just keeps right on going. It sure does help him sleep good at night also. So I suppose that is a good thing.

The job is coming along according to plan. We probably won't know anything on the next job until July or August. So for now, we are here and I plan to continue to be here until they tell us otherwise. I am just praying that wherever we move that there will be a great church and we will really like the area. I am also praying it isn't Mississippi. I really don't want to live there. No offense to anyone that does. It just isn't a place I would care to live. For that matter, I don't care to go back to Louisiana to live either, and I am from there.

It is a cool morning this morning. We had a little rain and a front come through yesterday and it brought the sunshine and cool winds today. As I sit here in the kitchen I can see the shadows of the trees swaying on the wall beside me. I think the high temps today aren't even going to reach 70 degrees.

I have been making a real push to up my exercise routine and watching everything I eat. Trying to get the scale to move again. I am down a pound or two now. So I hope that it is going to continue to move downward. The only problem is last Tuesday evening while running, I twisted my ankle and fell. I heard a loud pop sound and it really scared me. I thought sure I had broken my ankle. But I got in and took my shoe off and there was no swelling. It did hurt pretty bad, but no outward signs of anything. I had the kids pray for me and we prayed that it wouldn't be broken and would heal quickly. So that put my exercise off at least the running part. I did manage to do some light cardio and strength training during the week. So my ankle was better, and I assumed was okay, and I did some heavy cardio and strength training Monday evening and yesterday I got out and dug up the dirt and cleared out the grass and debris in the new garden bed. Last night my ankle really started hurting again and I noticed some swelling. So I think I may have re-injured it. I will continue the exercise that I can do, but will really have to be careful what goes in my mouth. I will reach my one year membership at Curves in June and I haven't officially weighed in or measured since I joined. So I am making a big push to be at or near my original goal when I reach the one year mark. I have about six weeks or so before that time and I am hoping for good results. I just don't want this ankle injury to interfere with my progress.

The little dogs are barking wanting to go outside this morning, so I guess I need to let them out and get Megan up to start school. I have some household chores to get done today and I want to work on a couple of projects I have going in my craft area. So until next time I will leave you with a couple of quotes.

Thought for Today

Warning! Dates on calender are closer than they appear

~unknown~

Spend the afternoon, you can't take it with you

~annie dillard~

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the

friends I want to see

~john burroughs~

To changes ones life. Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly.

No exceptions.

~william james~

Working out, feeling good

It has been a few really nice days lately. I have been getting outside more and really enjoying the weather. We got our raised garden bed built, but now I am waiting on the okay to go ahead and plant. I am listening to some of the older folks who have lived in this area for years. Being from further south, I would have probably put some things in the ground already, but they say wait, we could get another cold spell. So I wait. I did build a small bed along the fence and planted my gourd seeds already. I did that on Saturday. Gourds need more time to come to maturity and I figured it wouldn't hurt them as long as we don't get a frost.

I have been struggling with the bathroom scale! We are not friends right now. I haven't lost anything in weeks...I lost 25 pounds and then nothing...nothing for weeks now. In fact, I have put on a couple of pounds. I am sure that it is only the fact that muscle weighs more than fat...yadda yadda...because I am continuing to see a difference in my body and in the way the clothes are fitting. So I know all this work isn't in vain. But the numbers are discouraging. If I could just drop a pound every once in a while, as long as it was moving some...So the last couple of weeks I have upped the intensity levels on my workouts, pushed harder and I am shaking up my routine some. Instead of the same thing every day, I am changing it up some. I have been trying to do a morning workout and an afternoon workout.

Yesterday I went to Curves and had an awesome workout. I did three rounds, hitting them hard each round. Then yesterday afternoon. I did about 25 minutes of strength training in the garage and 30 minutes on the elliptical. I worked it hard. I could really feel it when I finished, completely worn out. But in a good way, an accomplished way. Today I am thinking of adding my Tae Bo back into the mix. I use to love doing Tae Bo. I also have a Beach Body Slim in 6 dvd that I bought way back when we lived in Corpus Christi, before I got pregnant with Noah. I only did it once and boy did it make me sore...wow! I was so sore for days, but then I wasn't use to doing exercise regularly so thinking maybe I will pull it out and try to start it. There are a lot of squats and things like that in it. So I may do Tae Bo this morning and try that this afternoon.

I really like my Asics shoes. They fit great but now I am having an issue with ball-of-foot pain and my three middle toes go numb after walk/running for 20 minutes or so. It happens on the elliptical also. So I read that I need to get an insert for that. I have been trying to get out three

days a week for a two mile walk/run. I start out walking for a few minutes then I pick a point to run to, then I walk again and find another point to run to. I am trying run half of the time, broken up into short distances. I can feel I am getting stronger and my stamina is getting much better. I am still a little leery of my shins though. I am running on asphalt and after a bit I can feel it in my shins. So I ease off a bit. I have a fear of shin splints. I know they happen, but I don't want to get them right now at this point. It would sideline me at a point I need to be working up to more. So, slow and steady wins the race, is my motto for now.

I started on a six-week plan to try this working out twice each day and to pay close attention to what was going into my mouth. I started re-evaluating everything I am eating. A few things crept back into my diet that I really don't need, so I am cleaning my food intake up once again. I am cutting out the white chocolate mocha treat that I use to enjoy once or twice a week from Starbucks. I am cutting out the Stacy's pita chips and some of the mindless snacking that went along with having a bag of them in the house. After six weeks I am going to see what my efforts produce.

I feel good about where I am, and where I am heading physically. I would like to get off another ten pounds at least. But I know it takes time. I know that sometimes your body hits a plateau and you have to readjust to that level before you can move on. So that is where I am today. But I know that I have come a long way in the past eight months. I am looking forward to seeing where I can get to from here.

Most of my adult life I have wanted to be physically fit. I wanted to be a runner and I have never been willing to put in the work to accomplish that goal. Now I feel like I am on the right path. My head is in the right place and I feel like I know what it takes to get to the goal I have set. I really feel like I am on the edge...I feel like this is my opportunity to make this happen. I want to see just how far I can go with it. I want to spend the next 20 years and beyond of my life being active and healthy. Getting older isn't something I like to think about. But it is going to happen there is no denying it. I just hope by getting physically fit that I can avoid some of the medical issues that older people face.

I'm not trying to defy age, just trying to get my body in it's best shape in order to meet old age with a better attitude and more physically fit. Maybe this is my last ditch effort to try to stave off old age a bit more. I have a "now or never" kind of feeling about this whole thing. I see that if I wait any longer, it might be to late to reach the place where I would like to be physically. So yes, maybe in some way this is an attempt on my part to defy age, to trick it into staying away from me...at least the effects of age. By working out and getting into better physical shape I can feel younger and more energetic.

Although forty-three isn't considered old in our culture, I do think there is a mentality in some places that you are moving into a different part of your life and that you should act or behave in a certain way. I know some forty + year old people that are old, because they have an old mind set. They think they are old, so they are. Their minds tell their bodies that they are old so the body begins to be old. I think that is a generational thing. I think they saw their parents at that age being old, so they just assumed that they would be old by forty also. On the other hand, I know some ninety year old people that seem very young. They are active, alert and energetic. They move like someone half their age and they are cheerful and happy in their lives. They have a young mentality. So it shows you that your mental attitude makes the difference.

As I work on the physical me, I am also working on my mind. Reshape my thinking about life and the expectations I have about where my life is and where it is heading. I have heard people say for many years that their 40's and 50's were their best times in life. I can see how that would be. I think as you reach your 40's, you have learned a thing or two about the world. Some people spent their 20's and 30's trying to obtain, build, and create a life or a living. Then when you reach your 40's and 50's you realize that some of the truths about life you always held weren't really true after all. And you also reach a place where you no longer try to please other people or impress other people with your accomplishments and what you have amassed in life.

Maybe you see that what you thought was important at twenty, isn't really that important in the whole scheme of life after all. Maybe you realize that the people you were trying so hard to impress, weren't worth the effort.

I have always been a late bloomer. But I find that after reaching forty I begin to fit more comfortably in my own skin. I finally fit me and accepted me for who I was, not for what I was trying to be or what I thought I should be at forty. I let go of the expectations I had about what my life was suppose to be, and how it was "suppose to" become, and I just learned to enjoy where I was and what was happening, even if it wasn't a comfortable, pleasant place. Like the bible says, finding contentment in whatever state you are in. I have found an inner contentment in so many areas of my life. I have lived long enough that I know there will be times of joy, times of sorrow, times of plenty, and times of want. I know that whatever I am facing that with time the situation will change. The old saying, "This too shall pass." I have lived long enough to see that and understand that time passes quickly. What today feels like an impossible task or hard time, soon will be only a memory. Another time that God shows Himself true in my life. I know the things God has brought me through and I can look back now and know His hand was on me. So in faith, I understand that His hand will continue to guide me and bring me to new places and new understandings.

For this truly is journey that we are on...we are all trying to find our way. I think by accepting where I am, I am better able to understand that there is a reason for it, there is a purpose that is higher than my own and the desires that God places in my life are also there for a purpose. But I need to learn to put aside my thoughts and desires or my expectations and allow Him to show me the real purpose and lead me to His desired outcome.

Daily Life

Looks like another beautiful day in the Sandhills. It is suppose to be great weather for the rest of the week. I am so excited...

Not to much going on as of late. Andrew flew to Montgomery Sunday for a meeting on Monday. He flew back home yesterday. He decided not to go into work after he got home, so he spent the afternoon at home.

One thing he did find out on his trip is that they didn't get that other job here, so that means come fall we will be moving on to a new destination. Only God knows where, and He ain't talking, so I suppose we will have to wait and see. I am putting that in His hands and not worrying about it. He knows what is best and has placed us where we needed to be in the past. So I know that this is His plan and our steps are ordered by Him. So enough said about that...

Last week the kids and I went to the Cape Fear River Trail and walked it. It was four miles from one trail head to the end. Noah even walked the entire length all except for maybe a quarter mile of it at the end. He rode on Lauren's back for that part because his legs were getting tired. Next time we go I will take his running stroller and let him walk some and ride some. I can't wait until Andrew and I can take the bikes out there and ride it. It was very nice and had a nice view of the river at some points. There were several bridges and one covered bridge with a waterfall. The entire thing is paved and there are benches at points along the way.

On Saturday I decided to do my first walk/run to get started toward my goal of running a 5K. I mapped out a 2 mile track in my neighborhood using this neat website. MapMyRun.com

So I set out and walked for a bit then I took turns walking and running. I walked most of the time, but I did run. Then Monday I went to Curves early in the morning and planned to do another walk/run, but it started to rain. So I used the workout equipment in the garage for about an hour and got a great evening workout.

Yesterday Megan and I went to Curves and when I got home, I just felt so energized that I decided to do walk/run. So I started out walking again and added more running to the workout. I ended up running quite a bit compared to Saturday's workout. I felt awesome when I got home. I was tired and felt like I had really pushed myself. After I showered I really full of energy and glad I had decided to push myself more.

I am trying to get in a good workout everyday along with strength training at least three days a week. I am on an eight week training program that I hope will yield some great results. I have reached a weight loss plateau for the last three months. I just can't break through it. So I needed a radical exercise bump to get beyond the wall and lose more weight so I can reach my goal.

I want to push myself to see just how far I can get my body to go. I have never really put 100% of myself into weight loss/fitness. I gave some good pushes and would always reach a point and stop. But this time I want to go all the way with it. I will be 44 years old this year and I plan to be in the best shape of my life to celebrate my birthday in November. I am tired of just dreaming about doing it, this time I am going to do it.

It may seem as though I am a little one-track minded right now, and I have to admit that this fitness thing has consumed a large part of my life. The other parts are consumed by my family and family responsibilities. But it isn't going to be forever. Once I reach my goal, I won't have to put out as much time and energy toward maintaining as I have had to to reach the goal. I want to incorporate fitness into our family life and fun.

Since we haven't gotten my garden beds built yet, Andrew and I are planning to get out tomorrow and Friday afternoons and work on those. I am anxious to get the garden ready and planted. Since I know we aren't going to be here beyond this job, and we won't be moving until fall, I can move forward with my gardening plans. We are going to build two 3'x6' raised beds. With proper planning that should give us a great yield for our time and effort. I can almost taste a fresh, ripe tomato right off the vine, still warm from the sun. MMM...yummy!

It is almost 9:00 and the kids and I have decided to get up and go back to the Cape Fear River Trail again today. So I will leave you with these quotes.

Today's Quotes

The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible

~Arthur C. Clarke~

You cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind

~unknown~

First say to yourself what you should be; and then do what you have to do

~Epictetus~

A Beautiful Saturday

This photo was taken in Seattle at Pikes Place Market

Today has been a great Saturday! The sun was shining all day, although it stayed a bit cooler than I like. Noah got outside and played for a long time. Andrew had to work until noon, then he came home and built the gate for the dog yard.



The girls just took it easy most of the day and I caught up on a ton of laundry that had piled up because I was gone Thursday and Friday all day. Thursday the kids and I spent the day in Raleigh doing some much needed shopping. We went looking for Easter clothes, but ended up getting a few summer things also. It was mostly the girls that did shopping, Noah is not fond of shopping and I spent most of the day trying to keep him satisfied so they could shop.



Friday I got up early and went to Cross Creek Mall here in Fayetteville to find Noah an Easter outfit. I ended up getting him almost an entire wardrobe for summer. I got just about all he will need until winter for less than $250. So other than a few little items, he is set. I just wish it were that simple and that cheap to dress the girls!



Andrew is flying out to Montgomery tomorrow until Tuesday. He has to be there for some type for meeting on Monday. I will drive him to the airport and run back to the church for most of the service tomorrow morning. The airport isn't very far from our church so I shouldn't miss to much of the service. I will miss him. I hate him being gone even for a couple of days.



I went for my first walk/run today. I mapped out a two mile path in our neighborhood and set out. I walked most of it, but at least I did run some. And I ran longer than I have run in the past. It is a start, a small step, but a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. I feel pretty good right about now. I eventually hope to work up to running the entire thing, but that will be a while before I get there. I must walk before I run...one step at a time...trying to keep the end goal in mind but keeping my mind on the day to day progress. I plan to take it easy getting started. I definitely don't want an injury to side track my progress. So I would rather take my time, take it slowly, than push to hard in the beginning and cause myself an injury that could delay my goals even longer.



Well, I have a chicken on the grill and I need to get up and cook something to go with it. Need to make some plans for the coming week. I really need to go grocery shopping but I am trying to put it off as long as possible. However, I don't think I will make it past Monday before we will be out of all of the essentials. I am already out of oatmeal, so I don't know what I will have for breakfast for the next couple of days.



Leaving you with a few quotes to encourage you on your own path...

Today's Thoughts

When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on so long in the first place

~unknown~

Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can!

~unknown~

If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again

~Flavia Weedn~

A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn

~unknown~

Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do

~Liz Smith~

It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it

~Lena Horne~

An Easy Saturday

This has been a very good week. It seemed to just fly by. I did very well with my exercise plan. I made it to Curves three days and worked out at home five days. Andrew and I worked out in the evenings after he got home from work. I was worn out by bed time, but it was a good tired feeling. I slept very well most of the week, except for the two nights when Noah woke me.

Today Andrew and I had a lunch date. The last time I chose where we ate; Sushi Court. Today he chose; Buffalo Wild Wings. It was a challenge to find something fairly healthy on the menu, but we ended up getting the Naked tenders and I had a side salad to go with it. Basically it was chicken breast tenderloins grilled with garlic and some other seasoning with our choice of sauce on the side. It was okay, but there were large screen televisions on every square inch of wall space. So the noise level was uncomfortable to say the least. But other than that, we had a great time.

After eating we drove to Dick's and I finally broke down and bought a pair of running shoes. I didn't get my first choice, they were $125. That was well above what I am willing to part with for a pair of running shoes, since I am not sure how this whole running thing is going to work out. So I opted for the same brand in a different model. I got the Asics Gel 1150. They are the lilac color instead of the turquoise that I wanted but that was the only color in the size I needed. They were a little more than I wanted to spend but I figured the longer I waited the longer it would be before I could actually start running. The shoes were my last excuse.

After going to Dick's, Andrew bought a new sand wedge, somehow his got lost. I think he is planning to go golfing again in the morning and try it out. Then of course we finished our "date" out by going to Walmart and buying a few groceries.

All in all it was a great day. After coming home we all have just lazed around and relaxed. Getting ready for the hour we are going to lose tonight when we set our clocks forward...

Well not much else to report. I am reading The Coal Tattoo by Silas House. I am enjoying it so far. I am about half way through. After that I have another one by him, A Parchment of Leaves.

I am also pouring over all of my Runner's World magazines trying to learn all I can before I attempt this new endeavour. I just got the latest one in the mail yesterday.

Quotes

Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.

~Japanese Proverb~

You have a choice, throw in the towel or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face.

~Gatorade~

Of Birthdays and Blessings...

Message I wrote in the sand when Andrew and I visited the Pacific Ocean

Well today was a good day. I grew another year wiser. I spent the morning with the family and cleaning up around my creative space. Doing some necessary organizing, getting ready for Lauren to come and then my parents visit in December.

We made the 11:00 service this morning and it was a great one. God is such an awesome God. His blessings are so great, above all that we can ask or think...

I got in a great workout this afternoon. I am trying to increase my stamina for longer durations so when I start running, I won't get as winded. I know that may be a strange approach, but so far it is working. I am within four pounds of the goal I set for Thanksgiving. With a week and a half to go, maybe I can lose another pound or two by then. Once I reach that goal, then I will have 15 pounds left to lose to reach my final goal. As of today, I have lost twenty pounds since August. But the aspect of it that I am most proud of is the exercise. I have really made that a priority and it is paying off. I can see a big difference. So can Andrew, so that is very encouraging. When I finished my workout today, he told me that he was very proud of me and very impressed with my exercise discipline. Although I am not doing it for accolades or recognition from someone else, it does feel good to know that my husband is noticing.

This time, I am doing this for me...because I deserve it. I deserve to feel good about myself and my accomplishments. I don't want anything to hold me back from the things I want to do in life. Although I didn't have tons of weight to lose, I was still over what I should be for my body type and my bone structure. I allowed that to hinder me from so many things. But mostly, I want to be in good physical shape so that as I get older, I can possibly avoid some of the illnesses that befall those who have extra weight on them. I also want to be physically able to run and be more active. I do have a four year old son that is very active. As the years go on, I want to be able to keep up. I have always wanted to run marathons. Losing the weight is getting me closer to that goal. Not to mention all the cute clothes I will be able to fit into! HA! HA!

Well, it is getting down to the end of the day, I am getting tired and plan on resting this evening. God forgive me for not going to church tonight. But I do plan to listen to a preaching CD and get my praise on here at home tonight.

Today, as I turned 43, I want to say how thankful I am for all of God's blessings...I am thankful for God living inside of me, guiding me daily, blessing me beyond measure. I am thankful for my family, our health, and all the things God has added unto us. There are so many blessings that I can't name them all. I am thankful...

Shout out for Curves!!

I am loving Curves! I joined Wednesday and I have been every day since, except today, because of course, today is Sunday and they aren't open. I am feeling a little burn in my muscles, but not to much that I can't continue to do the exercise. It is amazing how just a little effort makes so much difference. No there isn't a visible difference in my weight or my body, but there is a mental difference. I feel much better about things; about my weight and how I look. Just making the effort to start is the hardest part, but there is such a big payoff in just my attitude and the way I feel about so many things now.

I know that exercise is such a mood lifter. I can remember when I use to walk a lot. I would get so pumped up and feel so good after a long walk. Exercise is the best cure for mild depression there is. It just gets you feeling good and gives you an attitude adjustment!

So I highly recommend Curves if you are near one, and can join. It works great for me, because I am much more motivated to go up the street a couple of miles to exercise for thirty minutes, than I am to get outside and walk in the heat or go into the garage and get on my exercise equipment. Hopefully after going to Curves for a while, I will find the motivation to do those things too.

I finally did it!

Well after much debate and not being able to come up with a good excuse not to do it, I finally did it!

I joined Curves...

I have to lose some weight. I have to get into better physical shape. I have to start exercising again...

There is a Curves about 2.5 miles from my house. It isn't to expensive. It only takes about 30 minutes at a time...

So no more excuses. I am going to do this. I will lose weight and I will get into better physical shape. That is my goal and I will do it...

I go tomorrow for my first weigh in and workout. I plan to try to go at least three evenings a week to start. I am sick of feeling tired and draggy and I am tired of carrying this extra weight around. So this is my first step to change all of that.

Thoughts for the Day

There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self

~aldous huxley~

You are the change that you seek!

~unknown~

I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better

~Georg C. Lichtenberg~