Written on September 29, 2009
Ok… so I was a blogging fool for a few days, but then I seemingly quit here the last few days. But it’s not because I haven’t been on plan or been active… it’s because I’ve been TOO ACTIVE! Which is awesome.
Everyday for the past 2 weeks I’ve gotten up at about 5 to 5:30am and been at the gym for at least a half hour to an hour each day. I’m maintaining very well… and hopefully it will be well reflected on Thursday morning. I would love to say that I am half my size on my birthday.
The other thing that I’ve been busy with is preparing for the mission trip. I leave this Saturday for the Dominican Republic where our team will be building a duplex and working with people in Batey Fao (a community just northest of Santo Domingo). I really can’t begin to explain how excited I am to see how everything is going to go… and see how God works in my life.
Keep me and my team in your prayers!
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Written on September 25, 2009
A lot of people ask me what my “secret” is to losing weight… or “how did you lose all the weight?” My response is ALWAYS “I followed the Weight Watchers program & worked out a lot.”
You might wonder why I say both… actually someone did recently and I’ve wanted to blog about it ever since. She was wondering because Weight Watchers allows you to calculate points for your activity earned. This is true… but until this past summer, there was only a “focus” on activity about every 6-9 weeks at the meetings.
Because of all of the things they need to cover during the meetings, they just can’t focus how IMPORTANT the exercise portion is. I truly mean it… it is VITAL to losing weight and keeping it off. And that’s my secret…. well, one of them.
When I was near my heaviest, I walked… and walked… and walked. But I always challenged myself. I went a little faster, increased the incline or went a little longer. I am still doing that… now with running, elliptical, walking, kickboxing and strength training. For me the variety is a necessity because I found that if I do the same thing over and over, it just get’s old. (A good example is the fact that I don’t typically like walking outdoors by myself anymore… I try to find a walking buddy because it just makes the time go so much faster!)
I guess since I’m all about divulging my “secrets” (which really aren’t), I’ll let you know the other thing I did as well. I drank water. Lots of water. And now if I don’t have my 80-ish ounces of water (minimum) a day… I notice it on the scale because I gain weight. I don’t remember where I read this (yes, I researched it) but if you keep your muscles hydrated properly, they will not retain as much water because the fluids will continue to flow through your system. (Someday I will find where I read this and provide the link for everyone… but until then, it goes without credit.)
And with that… I am less than one week away from being 1/2 of who I was 7 years ago but twice the person as far as personality and living life to the fullest.
Written on September 24, 2009
I have a new favorite song. I don’t usually post these, but this one I just had to. The words strike me everytime I hear it…
The song is called “The Words I Would Say” by the Sidewalk Prophets. I heard it on the radio one night and immediately went home and bought it. There are only a handful of other songs that I have done that with. (Usually my music purchases involve me lamenting for at least 24 hours about the purchase… after all, it is a whole 99 cents I will not be able to recoup.)
Here are the words to the song…
Three in the morning,
and I’m still awake
So I picked up a pen and a page
And I started writing just what I’d say
If we were face to face
I’d tell you just what you mean to me
Tell you these simple truths
CHORUS
Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You’re gonna do great things
I already know
God’s got His hand on You
So don’t live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say
Last time we spoke you said you were hurting
And I felt your pain in my heart
I want to tell you that I keep on praying
That love will find you where you are
I know cause I’ve already been there
So please hear these simple truths
CHORUS
Say… from one simple life to another
I will say… come find peace in the Father
Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You’re gonna do great things
I already know
God’s got His hand on You
So don’t live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray
And thank God for each day
His love will find a way
These are the words I would say
And this link will take you to the story behind the song.
I hope you hear it sometime… I am apparently not tech-savvy enough today to find it so you can here it on the blog. Someday I will figure that out!
Written on September 23, 2009
I’ve had a number of neighbors while living here, most of which weren’t really much more of an annoyance…
~First there was the very nice couple, very friendly.
~Then was “nitwit” couple (not kidding, that’s what her license plate said)… who we think got kicked out – but that’s really neither here nor there. They were nice enough, she rarely talked to anyone though.
~After “nitwit” came another couple – and besides their constant smoking, I really didn’t have anything against them. That was annoying, but only because I wanted to be outside & not become victim to the second-hand smoke that wafted my way.
~Then there was the short lived stint of the college students. Let’s just say that I’m really glad they weren’t there long.
So there’s the history until now…
And about 5 months ago a girl moved in upstairs. I tried to be friendly with her, and she seems really nice… except that she talks REALLY loudly on her cell phone. So I hear a lot about her life. And I mean A LOT. It really has become my own personal soap opera.
I’m not going into a lot of detail here… but needless to say that tonight she was on the phone with someone close to her – and she was self-diagnosing herself with a very serious mental illness. Something that a person in her line of work should NOT have. It sounds to me like the people that she assists with may have this illness in some cases — and now I think she is becoming a hypochondriac of sorts, and “coming down with it” herself. And to top it off… telling the person on the phone with her that they have it too.
I think I am in shock for 2 reasons really. First, because someone who has had the training and education that she does should be able to recognize that she is not the same as others around her. That just because there are some “symptoms” that may be the same – WebMD is not always the best answer. Second because I still can’t believe that she hasn’t figured out yet how loudly she talks… and how much she doesn’t hold back on her language or descriptions of certain things, even though many times there are children within about 50 feet of the building – definitely within earshot.
I’m not sure if I should talk to her about this or not… Advice? Suggestions? Anything??
Disclaimer: I don’t think my neighbor reads my blog… but if you do, please know that when you sit on your deck smoking, you can be heard at least 2 condos away and through my CLOSED slider door. You may want to reconsider speaking so loudly when on your cell phone.
