Shuffle Time Shufflers!

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I have never been a runner in all my life. I couldn’t run a block if I tried, unless a dog was chasing after me. Even that would be a serious maybe. So when one of my co-workers asked me to sign up with her in this year’s Shamrock Shuffle, I was a bit hesitant. Then I realized I had nothing to lose except quitting in the middle of the race and calling it a day. I really wouldn’t have felt like a failure, in all honesty. I am not a competitive type- with others or with myself. The plus side to it was that it would enable me to actually start “training” myself for the day. I put training in quotes because I really had no intention of seriously training. I basically used it as a motivator to start going back to the gym.

Boy is that an understatement. Shortly after signing up, we joined the gym and started going 3 times a week. Dex walked/ran with me the first couple of times and then divorced me for basketball. I did nothing else at the gym than go on the track or treadmill trying to build up the miles I could tolerate. I was stuck at 1 mile for a very long time,  but the good news was that I built up to doing 1 mile in 15 minutes. I know that sounds funny, but for me that is a major accomplishment. The week of the race, I was able to do 3.5 miles in 45 minutes on the treadmill and that was about as much as I could do. The treadmill was just too boring. I kept looking at the numbers and couldn’t focus much more than that.

So I told the hubby on race day to have his phone handy so he can pick me up at whatever corner I would decide to quit the race. On race day, there were so many people and I didn’t know what to expect. I just did it and did it at my pace. I wasn’t trying to kill myself to beat any kind of time. I walked. I ran. I even had to go to the Port-A-Potty only to realize how disgusting those things were. Walked out drenched in antibacterial gel. Went into McDonald’s and went to the bathroom there instead. I put on my beloved gloss and went on my way. I didn’t see any mile markers along the way and I had one moment when I was going to just walk out and call it a day. Then I looked at the empty street with the cops and volunteers and thought it would be so embarrassing to walk that lonely line all by myself like a total loser. I decided to go ahead and get with the program and just do it. I did. I later found out that the official time to finish was 1:15:00. My time was 1:12:50! I barely made it to count as finished, but I did it and I’m happy I did. Here’s a picture of (some) of us before the race and then one with the proud hubby! My fellow co-workers finished under an hour or a little over the hour mark. Congratulations to everyone! It was a good time and I’ll definitely be back in it for next year!


Now I think I have to sign up for other runs just to keep me motivated to keep running and going to the gym. Trying to lose weight is just not motivation enough for me. If it were, I would have lost all this weight by now. I am 15 pounds away from my pre-baby days and I am trying to do all I can to lose it without sacrificing too much. I try to be normal and I DON’T talk about this weight loss stuff in front of my girls. That would be too unhealthy to set such a bad example of “be happy with what and who you are” kind of thing. That is why I am doing it in a positive way by going to the gym and still eating what I want and adding some “bad” stuff every now and then. By the end of the year, I hope that I can be where I project myself to be. I definitely had a good start to the year. I’m glad I wasn’t just a statistic of people who joined the gym after the new year.

The Last Song

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The last time I posted a music video on here, it was because I loved the song a lot. I kind of knew it was from a movie based on my You Tube search, but didn’t really think much of it. My sister-in-law actually texted and told me that she had just finished watching the movie and LOVED it. I was a bit surprised. She then told me that it was based on a book written by Nicolas Sparks- who happens to be one of my most favorite authors. I got all excited and got the book that week from the library. I love movies based on books, but I prefer to read the books first. There is just so much more detail in the book so when I watch the movie, I can already foresee more deeply into their characters. By the end of the book, I couldn’t put it down. I must have read ten chapters non-stop. It was so emotional and suspenseful at the same time. I cried harder than I have ever cried from a book. Actually- I don’t think I’ve ever cried from a book. So today, we went out and rented the movie. I can’t wait to see it. If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend it. It’s a very good read. Now if only the Superbowl could end so we can start the movie!

The Calm After the Storm…

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That up there is my picture of the day taken at 0430am this morning as we were “on our way to work” extra early. When we opened the garage, we saw how much snow there was. The husband actually believed that our truck was more powerful than what Mother Nature had poured down over us. We got stuck right away- as we were pulling out of the garage in what we later found to be more than knee-deep snow. After about 30 minutes of shoveling the truck out of this mess (going forward and reverse), we parked it back into the garage. I, of course, had the worst job of going forward and reverse. Dexter had the easier job of actually shoveling out there! *sigh* Dexter proceeded to shovel the snow in the driveway as we were determined to get to work, even if we were going to be late. It was still 0515am, so we could still make it in time. DUH! Look at the damn street that we had failed to even notice until we cleared the driveway. It hadn’t been plowed at all. After about an hour of contemplation, we had nothing else to do but call it a day. I called in to work late and told them I couldn’t make it. We really both did try to make it in, but it would have been impossible and dangerous. It was better to be stuck in our driveway than anywhere else. It’s been crazy. I don’t remember the last time the weather was this bad that we were literally “snowed-in” inside the house. Take care out there guys!

Am I Really This Old?

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Obviously, I am now a mother of two girls who are both below the age of 5. So I found it funny when Dex and I were at McDonald’s by the house last week while the girls were in preschool judging the new “in” crowd. The high school apparently has privileges to eat out for lunch and there were a bunch of kids hanging out at the McD’s, sort of like we used to do back in the day. It made me realize that it was over 15 years ago when I was a freshman in high school. Am I really this old? Yes!

Anyway, these boys had long hair combed almost like a comb over and skinny jeans with sneakers! YUCK! What the heck is going on in this world? Only girls should be wearing skinny jeans- so I thought! So this is when the subject of us talking about what I would say to my girls if they brought a guy home that looked like this. Of course, 10 years from now, who knows what the new fad will be? I’m almost hoping it would be the baggy jeans, spiky hair or even that famous under shave to remind me of Dexter back in high school. I now KNOW that I will be like what my parents used to be when they told me Dexter looked weird and he looked like a gang banger. To me it looked NORMAL back then. Now what’s normal to teenagers nowadays is so weird for me- like “what are you thinking” kind of weird. The times have definitely changed and I am on the other side of the street. It just seemed like yesterday, but it’s a nasty reminder of how long ago it actually has been. Lord please help me have an open mind and make this easy.

We’re parents now but it is still hard to believe sometimes. When Dex and I reminisce about the past, I feel like it was just yesterday. We just have to giggle and laugh about them because soon enough, it will be our turn on the plate. Like I said, I pray that it will be easy and fun! Dex is going to get payback for all the things he put all his girls’ parents into. I believe there were plenty in his time. *chuckles*


HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Hello world. I am a week late, but I am hoping each and everyone of you is having a great start to the new year. It was a pretty hectic
holidays for me. Yes! My Christmas trees and some of my other decor are still up and running at our house. Every time I try to take it
down, my oldest daughter gets sad. They truly are nowold enough to feel the Christmas/Holiday spirit. This year, there will be many things I am looking forward to. Just thinking of
it makes me want to cry because I realize the girls are getting
older by the day. I always told myself that things will get easier
and easier as they grow, but the more I myself grow, the more I
realize that it will only get harder and harder. The times are
definitely different and I need to learn how to adjust to the
changing times. Anyhow, whenever I think I will have a breather, it
never happens. There is always something that needs to get done.
Laying in bed and just looking at the ceiling doing nothing at all
is not at all possible anymore. We are always on the go and ready
for the next thing that is about to happen. I am so excited to go
on a two week vacation with the family coming in the coming month. There are some plans of doing this or going here, but nothing definite. I think I like it that way. Normally, I would have
already planned out what we would be doing or where we would be
going during our time off of work. Not this time. I think I am in
the mood to just chill and do nothing and enjoy every moment of it.

So far this year, I have done well with my Project 365. If you all haven’t heard of it, it’s a project in which the participant takes a picture every day for the whole year. So far so good for me. I plan on putting it together in an album throughout the year and put it in an album.

Next week, I gotta start working on the album already- a week at a time. I’m sure the end result will be lovely and memorable. I don’t quite know where I find the time to do these things, but I do. I surprise myself too. In the end, I know all these things I do for the sake of keeping the memories alive will be WORTH it.

 

One of my pics of the day of one of my most favorite items so far this year taken by my new toy camera that comfortably fits in my bag! Hooray!


It’s beginning to look a lot like…

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Today marks the beginning of the holiday season. It has always been a tough time for me to feel the spirit of the holidays. I always felt down and out when I heard holiday songs and I never quite understood it. I always knew I had some type of seasonal depression that was not diagnosed. Last year, a doctor suggested to me that I utilize tanning beds at least once a week and take vitamin D daily. I did just that and it worked wonders. I hung all the XMAS cards I received last year. I was in the mood to throw a holiday party at the house. I came up with party games. I decorated our house inside and out and even bought candy canes to line our yard. I wrapped all our gifts and decorated them and put them under the tree. It was great and something I needed to do , especially since I have two kids now. This year, that has been multiplied by 100. I finally came  out and talked to my kids about Santa. Jasmyne wrote him a letter and we put it in the mail. She’s getting a gift from “Santa” this year and she is so excited. Dex and I are also gonna start a new tradition. We bought a new 9ft Christmas Tree which we will traditionally decorate and light up on the day after Thanksgiving every year starting tomorrow. The kids and I are super excited. I’m almost more excited for this than going shopping on Black Friday. I’ve also picked out our gift wrap and ribbons and buying more decor in the morning. We’ll probably be outdoors more often to let the kids play with the snow and go sledding. They got their winter boots ready for the occasion. I’m so ready for this winter season thanks to tanning beds and Vitamin D. BRING IT ON!

Anyway, what a perfect start to the Holiday Season. Thanksgiving Day is a day to remember what we all should be thankful for on a daily basis. I’m just thankful to have woken up today- happy and healthy! I’m also thankful that my family is healthy as well. Like the saying goes: Health is Wealth. May you all have a Happy Thanksgiving celebrating with all that you love. May your tummies be filled and your hearts full of love.