As you may see to the left… I am inching closer to by “blogoversary”. It will be the blog’s 2nd birthday. I was thinking that as a gift to the blog, I would give it a new makover… but that’s been done enough for the year — and I’m really liking how that looks.

Instead, I decided to renovate my “about me” section. On that day, you are going to be able to get to know me probably more than you ever wanted to. I’ve temporarily taken down the “about me” link above in preparation for that. Sorry… you’ll have to live with what’s to the right. I think that’s a pretty good synopsis anyway.

Yesterday I participated in my first 5k! It was a fundraiser for the missions trips that will be taking place for my church (I’m expecting to go to the Dominican Republic this year on one of them!)

The weather was cool (and a touch damp) but it was great for running! I ran the 5k (3.1 miles) in 33:00 flat! Yay! And not only that, but I achieved both goals I set out for myself that day… to run the WHOLE thing (no walking allowed!) and to finish in less than 35 minutes. YAY!!!

The first picture is me running to the finish line (and had I seen the clock – I may have picked it up a little more than I did at the end!) The next is a few seconds after finishing trying to figure out where the water was at the end… and the only shot of me by the clock (in hindsight I wish I would have gone over there quicker!). The last one is to show that I wasn’t really dead after the race! In fact I think I could have run further!

The next race I’m going to do will likely be another 5k… or maybe a 10k!

So the March Madness season is upon us… I love college basketball and I am thrilled to be near the top of at least one of my brackets (as of this morning at least). It is one of my most favorite times of the year. And it is KILLING me that I gave TV up for Lent. All day today I have been trying to find things to do to distract myself from watching the games. I almost gave in too… I *REALLY* wanted to see Michigan playing Oklahoma.

Another madness in my life is me still not getting my shiznit together enough to stay on the Weight Watchers plan long enough to make it through a week. Ok… so I get my exercise in 4 times a week – sometimes 5 – great! But the pie-hole stuffage (thank you my fellow WW friends for the term there) has been just that – STUFFAGE. This week’s been better than the last few, but at this point, I am a bit away from my goal weight again. I need to be back there… SOON!

So here I am. I’m starting over in the morning. AGAIN. I’ve said it a thousand times, and I’ll probably do it a thousand more times. Starting over must be done. It is madness and it happens to all of us, whether we walk into the Weight Watchers center for the first time or are “re-starting/committing” to the plan for the two-hundreth time. We all need to make the decision to do it and take the best care of ourselves that we can.

Finally the last part of this “madness” post… I am a runner. Until about a year or so ago, I would have never believed it myself… but I AM a runner. Last week Tuesday, I ran for about 8 minutes straight. (I could have gone longer, but would have been even later to the Zumba class that I was going to.)

This past Friday night, I decided I wanted to see how long I could go while on the treadmill. So I started out with a walk of about 2 minutes and then started my run at about an 11 minute mile (really a comfortable pace for me). I ran for 23-24 minutes. What I figured was right around 2 miles straight. AMAZING. I was so proud of myself… and I called my mom to brag about it.

So tomorrow morning, I am going to be outside (hopefully in the sunshine) running around my “block” to log some minutes. I’m thinking that my first 5k I’ll be doing is the Tulip Time one on May 2… and then I’ll probably do another one for the Miles for Missions w/ Harderwyk on May 16 (since I’m planning on doing a mission trip through my church this year.)

Are you going through any “madness” struggles or achievements?

…by the way keep the questions coming, I am working on my answers for the 3 that have been asked – stay tuned on Monday!

So I’ve been thinking a lot over the past 24 hours about many things. Some of these “thinking items” include how much my life has changed in 2008 (and the years prior), how I can cross off more items from my life list, and what additional changes, blessings, challenges, and accomplishments that I may encounter. Yes, it’s been a thought filled day to say the least.

I think the “thoughts” started yesterday when my roommate (and very good friend) gave me the news that she will be moving in order to find employment. This came as quite a shock to me (and I’m not sure I have fully dealt with it all quite yet) and I really hope that she is able to find a new, great job that will last her for many years to come (or at least until the economy in Michigan turns around!) I will miss her very much. But anyway… that kind of threw me for a loop. But I digress.

My life in 2008 may not have “changed” so much… but more of how much my life has changed before this. How much more active and healthy I have become… and desire to remain that way. I love walking (which I knew before) – but especially training with my team and walking with them in the Susan G Komen 3-day (which I will be doing again in 2009!) On the “weight loss” front… I had a great year – losing almost 50 pounds – so I look different, and because of that have much more confidence in my everyday life.

I want 2009 to be a “banner” year for crossing items off the “Life List” I created this year. I am hoping to really take advantage of life and the things around me to do the following (and maybe more):
· Go to a Nickelback concert (February 28 in Detroit)
· Run a 5k+ (planning to do the 10k Riverbank Run on May 9)
· Ride a horse (should be able to do this at Cran-Hill Ranch sometime this summer)
· Be a tourist in my hometown (Tulip Time is a perfect opportunity for this!)
· Read the Bible in a year

As far as other things that I want to do in 2009…
~I want to get my finances in better shape. Don’t get me wrong, I am not having financial difficulties (I am blessed with a great job), but I really want to plan for future travel and to be ready for other “unexpected” things that life may throw at me.
~I also want to date more. Yes, I am actually putting that on the blog (and yes, I believe my parents read this also!) But it would be great to be able to meet more guys and learn about what is right and wrong for me in a relationship.
~While I would like to do a fair amount of travelling in 2009, I don’t know exactly where that will lead. I have lots of friends across the US (and the world). Really, I would love to visit more – or all – of them this year, but with the economy the way it has been in 2008, I’m not sure how much travelling that I will end up accomplishing (however, Lely… I am still trying to make the Dominican trip a go for either my birthday – or another cold weather/otherwise snowy month!)
~I would also like to sell my condo this year. It’s been on the market for just about 6 months now with little or no leads. It would be a blessing to be able to sell it and open up additional options for me as far as housing goes.
~For my weight loss, I would love to be able to maintain my weight for the entire year. That would be an awesome accomplishment… not only showing others, but also proving to myself, that you can lose LOTS of weight AND keep it off!!!

I really don’t know what else 2009 may or may not hold… but I do have to say that I am looking forward to the potential of the year and its possibilities.

Yes, I turned another year older today, and well… to be perfectly honest it has already hitting me hard – for a week now. There are a few reasons for this, but I don’t really understand them all. Why now? Why this birthday? You might think that turning 30 was difficult for me, nope… but 31, for some reason it hit me hard. Yes, I will be thirty-one. THIRTY-ONE!! How can this be? I just don’t know if I can handle having the extra “one” on my cake (not that I have eaten cake lately).

Really I shouldn’t have a problem with this. Over the past year, I have accomplished and did so many amazing things… I traveled to Las Vegas, South Florida, Houston, Chicago, Toledo (with a side trip to Monroe) & Mackinac Island. I reached and surpassed 100 pounds off (and am actually over 140 off now!), I walked 60 miles in 3-days (not to mention the almost 300 miles walked in training), and have made some of the best friends of my life – most of whom I expect will be there for me for many years to come. But there are little things that I wish were in my life… possibly a long term relationship or living in a different place. There are so many “what if’s” that go through my head that I really haven’t been able to keep up with them this week.

But starting now… well, probably more likely tomorrow morning (day 2 of my 31^st year)… I will look forward to what will happen over the next year for me. I know my travels will bring me to Houston/Austin at least once in the next 12 months, to New York City, and there are so many more possibilities of other places I can’t begin to write about. Other things that will be accomplished will be reaching my goal for weight watchers… and becoming a lifetime member. Come hell or high water, I will get there in 2008! I plan to do the Breast Cancer 3-day once again in Chicago – and am hoping to recruit more to join me!

I am sure that in this thirty-first year, I will do and accomplish so much – and that it will be as rewarding as ever… imagine the possibilities!

Over the past few days (well, really months) I have come to realize that in order for me to live the life that I want, I must make things happen (or “make my happy happen” per Jules). So I must live it to the fullest and act on everything around me, taking advantages of opportunities and even creating new realities for myself.

Last week during my well-deserved post 3-Day pedicure, I read an article in Glamour (August ’08) about a woman that made a list of things she wanted to do in life. There were 41 things on her list that she created during her senior year of college. During the following years she took advantage of many of the items, but at age 27 she was diagnosed with brain cancer. This made me really think… no one knows how much time they are going to have on this earth.

As I have been pondering this, I decided to come up with my “Life List”…a list of things to live life to the fullest. I think this list will show all of you who I am… and who I am becoming as a confident, strong, single woman who has the world at her disposal. I have accomplished so much already – losing over 150 pounds and walking 60 miles in 3-days, to name a couple – that I know there is nothing that I can’t do. I am going to continue to do as much as I can and take advantage of every opportunity given to me. I just have to be bold enough to act on it. I have to be the “me” that has always been here, but was too timid or shy to speak up, speak out, or just walk up to someone and say “hi”.

As a caveat within this list… there are a few things that I am getting very close to accomplishing that have always been a part of a “greater” life list of mine for years (achieving WW Lifetime status, wearing clothes in single digit sizes), however I am not including these things on this list because I believe they will be achieved by the end of the year. Also, while I may have done part of these things in the past (i.e. visiting some of the 50 states), from today – this list starts over fresh and new. I know that some of these items will be easy and quick to accomplish and some will take months, years, or maybe even decades to finish.

The list below contains 30 items… sort of in honor of the fact that I created it while I am still 30 (because my birthday is creeping up ever so quickly J). I am keeping the right to modify this list – and even add to it!

My life list:

Climb a mountain. Paint a picture. Sleep under the stars. Sail a boat. Build a campfire. Take a dance class. Become bilingual. Go to a U2 concert. Ask someone out. Buy a house in a warm climate (for winter). Create a coffee table book of my favorite photographs. Carve a wood sculpture. Visit all 50 states & see/do something meaningful or historic in each. Attend an Olympic Opening Ceremony. Ride a horse. See the Aurora Borealis. Run a 5k. Color in an entire coloring book. Buy a brand new car w/cash. Be a tourist in my hometown. Fall in love. Create a library of my favorite books. Experience Europe (be there at least a month). Get published (book or magazine). Meet a President of the USA (while in office). Build my dream home. Learn to cook. Fly in a hot air balloon. Travel to 6 of the 7 continents (all 7 if Antarctica becomes more available). Read the Bible in a year.

As I accomplish things on this list, I may update the blog to reflect on these items and whether they were a good idea for me to do… or if it was a life lesson learned. J In any case, I think these things will make me happy!

me.

Are you living life to the fullest? If not, what can you do? This is the question that has been filling my mind lately. I am in need of change in order to do this. But I don’t know all what type of change this would be. Or what form that this fills.

When my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, two things occurred to me… first was the realization that nothing in my life would be “sure” or “safe” forever. I know that this was an unrealistic thought, but really you don’t think about sickness, death or anything of the sort until you have heard that someone really close to you has CANCER. That brings a reality check like no other. The other thing that I realized was that I needed to begin to really live my life. Not just live to survive… but to live and enjoy the things around me. To know the world and to find out what I can do to make the most of it.

To do this, I needed to lose weight… which I have done a lot of, but am still working at being the best me I can be. The next part is the unknown for me… what can I do next to live and I guess I would say to live “without regrets”. I guess the last part involves the change that I desire right now.

Change is good. I guess I would also say that being challenged is also good. If we are not challenged, we do not grow, we do not learn, we are not challenged to become better people and better at what we do. Challenge, or change, can come in many forms. What’s funny is that I have learned this through a couple of my recent vacations.

Philadelphia – I learned that driving for many hours is boring, especially when it’s by yourself… but I still love a good road trip! There is so much to see, expected and unexpected. The twists and turns… and the fun of trying to take a picture while driving in a tunnel!

Las Vegas – I learned that I really am a “tourist” kind of girl that really doesn’t enjoy gambling… still not a good thing for my pocketbook – those shows can be really expensive! But I really didn’t mind walking from one end of the strip to the other… and I’d do it again! (But maybe not in the dark.)

Boca Raton –I learned so much about my family and about the area that they live. I have my eyes opened to what “progress” can do to the environment and how we need to protect it from development that on the surface may look good, but could be so costly to the animal and habitats.

If I had not done these trips, I would not be the person I am today. I am braver, more outgoing, less dependent on the things I know, and more inclined to venture to the unknown. I learned so much more than what I can type in this blog… because I am sure that you would get bored reading it.

Changing or being challenged to change is tough. It breaks a mold that you are used to, that brings comfort and safety. But if you don’t break the mold, what will your life bring to you except what you have surrounded yourself with.

Break the mold. Change. Challenge Yourself. That’s what I’ll be aiming for… and hopefully will achieve very, very soon.