On Track

So I'm still on track! I've lost 94 pounds now, and going strong. I've been really sick the last couple weeks so I haven't been able to work out but I'm hoping to change that today!

January Goal

So I have lost 7.4 pounds in January so far! My goal is 7 pounds every month in 2013, so I am definitely on track! And my grand total? 83.4 pounds gone! It's a new personal best!

I also worked out the last 4 days in a row! I'm giving myself today off to recover, and I also have school tonight.

So I'm definitely feeling good!!!

Making It Happen

5 pounds off since the first, for a total of 80.6! This is the most successful I've ever been, and I think it's going to stick! I'm making some permanent changes and I'm feeling so much happier!

School is off to a good start, and work is really good. I think things are finally falling into place!

Have a great Thursday!

Woo Hoo!

I'm officially down 1.8 pounds since January 1st!! Now we're getting the scale moving again!!

I've been diligent about always bringing my lunch to work and eating healthy dinners at home, and it's paying off!

Hopefully I'll have more good news when I weigh in next week!!!

Look out, gym...I'm coming tonight and I'm going to burn some calories!!!

85 in 2013

So that's my goal for this year.  85 pounds of in 2013.  That's 7 pounds each month.  Totally do-able!  It's been a good 2012, but I'm glad to move into 2013.  It has lots of promise for an amazing year!  (Including a study abroad to London in June!!!)

So while this post is short, it is the start of me planning to blog weekly about my progress and my own personal happiness project!

Happy 2013!

Checking in

Whew! It has been busy. I start my second semester of grad school, after a very good first semester. I have a few days to rest before it all starts again!

We bought a new car this weekend. We traded in David's Escape for a Honda CRV, and so far we love it! It's an SUV that feels like a luxury car. So enough big purchases for us right now. We're about to pay off some credit cards, and that will be a relief, too. Things feel like they're coming together! I start my new position on September 4th and I can hardly wait! I've been so unhappy in my current role, so the promotion is a welcome change!

Hope all my friends are well! Love to each of you!

Trying to Get Out of the Tornado

That's what it's like these days...a tornado.  I'm supposed to be writing a paper right now, but I can't seem to make it happen, so I am trying to get my writing juices flowing here first.  Finals are Tuesday and Wednesday this week...and I am so stressed!  I have almost made it through my first semester of grad school...and it's HARD!  But it's good.  I'm learning a lot.  And I have a lot to learn still.  But it's all good.  I do wish I had taken the summer off, but it is what it is at this point.  No rest for the weary!

Work is difficult right now.  I've been unhappy for quite some time, but I really need to power through.  I don't enjoy my job, and there is little that I leave feeling good about every day.  But I know I am working toward something much bigger than this...it is truly a means to an end.  I have interviewed for another position within the company, and I think a new set of challenges will be good for me.  I'm not sure when I will hear, but I know if it's meant to be it will work out.  My interview was really good, and I have a lot of people praying for me on this.  I'm just going to keep putting one step in front of the other and placing my trust in God on this one.

I am lucky to have a strong support system.  I know I have been moody and stressed with all the school and work stuff, but I'm trying to take a deep breath!  After this week I'll have 12 days until the fall semester begins.  I wish I had more time, but I will be making the most of those 12 days...relaxing and reading for pleasure!

In other news, I have kept my 80 pounds off, but I've been at a plateau since the beginning of the year.  I started a clean eating plan today, and I am looking forward to feeling more energetic.  I think it will help me combat stress better, too.  I bought an organizer, and I'm going to start scheduling my workouts to ensure that I make more time for me to do some healthy things.  Sometimes when I feel worn down I just adopt some slug-like behaviors...not what I need!  So I am going to do better at scheduling exercise as my Me-Time.  I think that will really help!

I hope you are all well!  I am really going to try and do better about blogging.  It's therapeutic for me, and hopefully relatively interesting for you!  Hugs!

So much has happened!

I can't believe time has flown! I have finally graduated with my bachelors degree in psychology and started my masters work on counseling! I turned 40 a few days ago, and was surrounded by my closest friends...it was really perfect! My BFF has moved back from Oklahoma, so we get to spend time together often, which makes me very happy! So I'd say overall, life is really great! I'm heading to Denver for a wedding as I write this, so I'll keep it brief and will post pictures soon.

Oh yeah, I'm down 80 pounds! How about that? :-)

Relief

So my BFF got a clean bill of health! No cancer...thank God! I drove up to spend time with her this past weekend and it was a wonderful 24 hours together. I'm going back later this month...I just miss her when we're not together!

Graduation is getting closer! May 12...I wish it was already here! Announcements and class ring have been ordered and I have my cap and gown. I just have to make it through another month of classes...I can do this!

Fear

Tonight I find myself afraid. I'm not really afraid of much. But my best friend, my sister in my heart...she finds out tomorrow if she has breast cancer. And I'm scared. I've played out all the scenarios in my head...the good, the bad, and the incredibly ugly. And I'm afraid.

Waiting is hard for me. What is it like for her? She has a husband and three very young children. And her mother is deceased so she can't run to her mother. (thank God my mother thinks of her as her other daughter!). But she must be a million times more afraid than I am.

But as scared as she and I are, we are strong. And brave. And headstrong. Neither of us takes no for an answer. I think this will work in her favor. Because even if it is the dreaded C word, we're fighting the hell out of this. And we'll win. And I will never miss an opportunity to do a Race for the Cure. Because I will run next to the bravest survivor I know.

And that's a fact.

Happy new year!

70 pounds down now! I'd say that's a good start! Still plugging away at school but I graduate in May and I'm really excited about that!

Job? It still sucks. But it's a means to an end. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter!!!

The End of 2011

It's been, well, not my favorite year. But I'm hopeful for 2012. I'm going to try and do better for 2012 with blogging. So check back over the next week for a summary of 2011 and my hopes for 2012.

Happy new year to you all!

December Already?

I've done a poor job of keeping up with the blog. It's been a really busy few months with school but I'm done with the semester now! Hopefully I can catch you up...weight loss, trip to Mexico...it's been good! So look for a more detailed update later this week!!!

So Much For Being On Top of Things!

Yeah, it's been crazy. And when I say crazy, I really mean it! School and work and my volunteer work is filling up my time. Couple that with David's insane schedule, and we are luck to get to see each other at all. It's tough, but I'm in the home stretch with school! I am slated to graduate on May 11, 2012! (Barring my Genetics class doesn't kill me!) But I'm so close. My application for Spring graduation has been submitted, I've applied to the psychology honor society (cross your fingers!), and I think we're almost there. It's been a tough semester, but I'm going to make it, I think!

I've lost 54 pounds and started training for the half-marathon next March. Because I need one more thing on my plate, right? Ha! I need it to help me stay focused on the weight loss, so there you go. And I need to complete it before I am 40. It's on my "Before Forty" list. And I don't have that much time left! LOL!

I actually do have a Before Forty list. It's not long, and it's not devastating if I don't get it all done...I'll just move it to the Before Fifty list. But I'm On track for some big stuff, and I'm proud!

So I think overall, life is good! Busy, but good! David and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary, and I was reminded again how much I love him and what a really wonderful person he is. He couldn't be here on our anniversary, but he sent some very thoughtful and special flowers. And Sunday we went to Taverna for dinner. It was truly a very romantic evening.

Even though we're living in a state of chaos, I wouldn't trade it for anything. My happiness level is through the roof!

I'm Still Here!

Jus tpopping in VERY briefly to say that I'm still here! I'll update soon, but hope all is well with you!

Catching Up

Catching up...it seems like I find myself trying to do a lot of that lately. The summer semester is almost finished! I am writing my research paper this week, and on Saturday morning David and I head to San Francisco for our annual trip to visit the cooler weather. (Much appreciated this year, too!)

Last week was hectic...lots of school work, Hospice stuff, SafeHaven stuff, and family stuff. We made a quick trip to Houston because an elderly cousin passed away. It was good to see family, but it's hard to make road trips like that.

I'm going to Puerta Vallarta in November, and I am really looking forward to that. I'll be meeting David's cousins down there for a week of relaxing. (David has to work, so that's the bummer part of the trip.) After that, the next trip will be December 2012 for our next Cruisemas! Yay!

Speaking of travel, 2013 will bring wonderful things! I will be doing a study abroad trip to London for a couple of weeks to work on some master's level coursework. David is going to fly over for part of it, and on a weekend we're going to venture over to the Isle of Man!! Now, to know me means you need to understand that I am a large percentage Manx. (That's what they call the people from the Isle of Man.) We have very strong family ties there, and I am going to fulfill a dream of seeing where I come from!!! (Thank you to my wonderful husband!) We can fly there from London in about an hour and spend the night. I want to visit Kirkmichael, which is the village my family lived in/lives in. Yes, I still have family there! (I don't know them, though...perhaps I should try and send a letter to introduce myself?) So while a trip to London all by itself is wonderful, getting to visit my roots is off the charts amazing! This is absolutely the trip of a lifetime for me. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have the opportunities that I have had, and will have in the future. Trust me, I don't take them for granted.

So I have so much to look forward to over the next couple of years! And to cap it off, I'll almost be halfway finished with grad school by the time I go!

So things are really going well for me, and life is good. Am I loving my job? Nope. But I am doing the best I can because it gives me the chance to get to do what I love. And that's worth something!

Happy July!

I'm always amazed at how fast the time goes. We're over halfway done with the year now! Lots has happened...it's been a busy year. School is still going well, and I am enjoying my Hospice work. David and I couldn't be happier in our home, and we're really enjoying the pool this summer. (I have a great tan!)

I've started my early morning workouts again this week, and so far, it's really going well. It helps me control my work stress, so that's a very good thing. However, I do feel sleepy. I need to get to bed earlier.

I'm looking forward to a week in California next month. We'll be spending time with David's cousins and Aunt out there, and I love visiting them. They are so much fun and it's such a nice change of pace for us. I have to come back a couple days before David because of school starting up, but that's ok. It gives me time to recoup. I usually need a day or two after a trip to readjust.

Not much else to tell right now. David travels often and I have lots going on with summer school and Hospice, so things are busy, but good. I had a lovely birthday and it was nice to be surrounded by friends to celebrate. :)

Hope all is well for you, too!

Welcome, Summer!

I may be one of the few people excited for triple digit temperatures, but it's only because we have a pool. And we are getting good use out of it! I have a tropical looking tan, and I'm totally loving that I can go float around my pool after work!

I'm looking forward to our first full summer of pool fun. I think I need some new floats to lay on, so I'll be hitting up Overstock.com! How are you keeping cool this summer?

I really have very little news. Summer school began this week, so I am excited about moving forward. May 11, 2012 is my graduation date, so every day gets me closer to my goal. Where do I go from there? Graduate school!! :)

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far! Have a good Thursday...and GO MAVS!!

Where Have I Been?

Wow, time flies!

The semester ended successfuly, and I am thankful! And after all my celebrating no summer schoo, I decided to take a social psych class anyhow. I graduate next May, and doing this will lighten my load in my graduating semester, so it just makes sense. I'll take a summer off after graduate school!

Things are okay...I really dislike my job, but it pays the bills so I'll hang in there until I graduate. But at least it's summertime and the pool is heating up and I can get in there and swim my stresses away!

I don't have a lot to report other than all that. I've just been so busy with work and school that I think that's all I do.

Hope everyone is well! I promise to blog again soon!

Focus

It's hard to concentrate...there is just so much on my plate right now, and I'm exhausted. School is closing in on a month left (yay!) but I have projects due. I am trying to do one of them now, but you can see that I'd rather blog than do it. I just feel tired. Work isn't my favorite...started my new position this past week, and as predicted, I don't love it. But I can suck it up and get myself done with school. Which actually brings a joy - Spring 2012 classes posted online and everything I need to graduate is there, so I am DEFINITELY graduating in May of 2012!! (And then right on to grad school!) My Christmas gift this year is going to be my college ring. And I am VERY excited about that. So good things are going on. I just feel so busy all the time! I did get to have dinner with Kim last night, and that was great! We ate and then went to the MAC store, so I got a couple new eye shadows and a lip gloss. Hey, a girl needs treats! I am restarting my workouts tomorrow. A week off after the relay is plenty. Time to get back to it. I went to the store this week and found myself buying up lots of vegetarian frozen meals for lunch. Not sure why I'm on a no-meat kick, but I'm just going to roll with it. I did pretty well this week, so I'm really trying to refocus. I've been having protein shakes for breakfast and they really are filling and seem to stick with me all morning, so I'll keep that up. It's all good! So I guess that's about it. I really need to get my economics project done. I just have to focus!!