Something new...

I have been wanting to try Zumba for a couple of years. This weekend I had the opportunity to take a class that a friend of mine was teaching. I was actually pretty excited! I had an image of me getting my groove on like I used to do "back in the day"...you know, back before kids, back in the single days when we would go to a club and dance all night long.

I think that I forgot that back in the day...I had a couple of drinks PRIOR to getting my "groove" on. So, although I THOUGHT that I could dance, the reality might have been something totally different. My Zumba experience was probably a little more like the picture below:

I often say that if people could be inside my head during a long run, they would wonder why I run. Those voices are fightin' each other! I feel a little "Sybil-ish" and it gets a little scary!

That being said, I thought that I would take you on the journey of the thoughts in my head during my Zumba experience.

"Ok, let's get this thing started"
"Wait, I just got the last steps, now we are moving on to something else?"
"Ok, I got this...oh no...I don't"
"What? You have got to be kidding? Normal people can't move their hips like that"
"Oh my! Really? I've only been doing this for 5 minutes"
"Was that left then right?"
"I really think that I need a shot of Tequila right now. I realize it's only 7:00 in the morning but..."
"Yes, little old lady beside me, I understand that I am supposed to move like THAT. Keep your hips to yourself!"
"Ok, warming up...maybe I don't look too bad"
"Yeah, not so Footloose over here"
"What's the likelihood that the water cooler is filled with Tequila?"
"Hmmmm, it's 7:28 so that means, I only have to do this for 32 more minutes. I can do this"
"I wonder if anyone would notice if I left. My purse is right over there. If I ran really fast, I could get out of the door without anyone noticing. I would be like Speedy Gonzalez"
"How much time could I kill if I took a bathroom break?"
"I remember that move from the days of Action Aerobics"
"Finally, getting this a bit...only missing about every 4th step"
"Only 18 more minutes...I can do this"
"I got this...I'm sexy and I know...I workout"
"NO, I definitely DO NOT have this. I want to go home!"
"Yeah, I don't know anything about a party with 5 kinds of nachos! I just want to be put out of my misery" (For those that didn't know, that's a song)
"Slowly....gettttinnng this."
"Only 11 more minutes...I can probably do this"
"S, I know that we are friends but how in the world can you be so peppy and move like that...I have decided that I hate you!"
"Ok, hate seems a little harsh..."
"Oop...there it is...figured out that little booty shake move there"
"Now, I only have 8 minutes left...I can do this"
"Yay! This is the last song!"

So, yeah, I tried it...marked it off my bucket list...

Will I try it again? Hmmm, maybe...but not in public.

Sidenote: I love my friend, S, who taught the class. She truly is a fantastic Zumba instructor. She can really move, gets everyone pepped up, and is so encouraging to us coordinately-challenged people.

Day 10 of 30: Running Friends

Today I am thankful for:

Running Friends

This is a picture from our Saturday morning run. It was cold...and slightly dark...and foggy. However, a few of my running friends met at the Greenway for a brisk morning run. Only those that are insane enough to pick up this sport can truly understand! As crazy as it sounds...it felt so refreshing!

Day 3 of 30- Adventurous Family

Today I am thankful for:

my adventurous family!

Whether it is ziplining through the jungle of Costa Rica...

...or running a 5K, they really are a lot of fun! I love them so much!

Thankful Thursday

Often I think about how much I have to be thankful for...it's hard to narrow it down to only a short list. Here are a few that are closest to my heart and mind today:
1) Cooler weather and sunshine!

2) A husband and friends that make me laugh and "get" me and my crazy sense of humor...in short, I am thankful for laughter!

3) Conviction...I love how God's gentle reminders help to keep me in line...and out of trouble!

4) Flowers...I am definitely not gardener but I planted these flowers last summer. I had no idea that they would come back up this spring...and then again at the end of summer! They're like the flowers that just keep on giving!!!

5) I just finished my last Half Marathon of the year! I love to run but I'm tired after 6 Half Marathons this year...

...even though I am already trying to figure out when and where the next one will be...I have my eye on a very special medal!

What are you thankful for today?

Why I Run...

I often get asked "Why do you run?". Good question...without one easy answer. So...I have decided to give 10 good reasons why I run...

#10- Because there ARE people chasing me...they are called the COMPETITION!

#9- Because I am (almost) 42 and I can!

#8- Because there are so many cute running outfits to buy!!!

#7- Because it doesn't matter whether I come in first, last, or in the middle...I HAVE CROSSED THE FINISH LINE!!!

#6- Because running makes me push myself farther than I thought that I could go!

#5- Because it gives me a reason to travel with my friends!

#4- Because it makes me a nicer person!

#3- Because I want to teach, by example, these 2 sweet girls that GIRLS CAN DO ANYTHING THEY WANT TO DO!

#2- Because I want to be around to celebrate many more wedding anniversaries with this guy!

#1- Because my Father has blessed me with the ability to run...I want to make Him proud!

Stupid dreadmill!!!

We had 4 miles on the training schedule today...and it snowed! So, I had a choice to make: skip today's training or take on my nemesis...the dreadmill!!!

All day long I had been dreading it, anticipating it, and avoiding it! My attitude was horrible ALL DAY LONG! I was grouchy and hateful...all because of a dreadmill! Then I remembered reading something about changing your mindset about things that you dislike, and you might just end up liking that thing.

So...I decided to try it. Each time that my mind started thinking about how much I hated being inside "running in place", I would change my thoughts. I would concentrate on my pace, think about my breathing, etc. I would also increase the speed and challenge myself to go longer at that pace than I thought that I could.

Truth is...the verdict is still out! I did it...I ran the 4 miles! That is much longer than I have been able to do before...so changing my mindset did help. I am not in love but I did like the feeling of accomplishment.

Now, if I can just change my mindset on vegetables...

Living in the moment...but looking at the future

I stated on my last post that I wanted to look back at my 2010 wishes to see how I did. So, here it goes:
1) Begin each day with prayer and meditation (not as consistently as I would like but definite improvement! My relationship with God is increasing daily and I LOVE it!)
2) Choose a volunteer program and start volunteering (Mostly accomplished this through my hubby's "Handyman Ministry"- would like to improve this next year)
3) Journal (Definitely improvement! Not perfect but definitely better)
4) Exercise at least 3 days a week (Yes! Woohoo!)
5) Finish a triathlon (YES!!! So proud!)
6) Stop smoking (YES!!! This is the one that I am most proud of!)
7) Pay off all debt except house, then start paying it down (YES! Working toward saving more and paying down the house)
8) Invest more for retirement (Hmmm...not so much!)
9) Take a family ski trip (Yup...and it was a blast! Thanks sis for the use of your cabin!)
10) Take a family trip to Costa Rica (We are leaving on December 29th until January 6th- SO EXCITED!)
11) Be kinder (I definitely believe that I have improved a lot here)
12) Think more positively (Most days!)
13) Take more weekends trips alone with my hubby (We took 4 weekend getaways alone! Yay, us!)
14) Stop procrastinating (Truthfully, not much improvement here...maybe next year)
15) Maintain balance in all aspects of my life (ABSOLUTELY!!! Now, I crave more family time)
16) Take a Zumba class (Not yet...but I still have 24 days left in the year
17) Sign up for Spanish lessons (Uhhhh...no beuno)
18) Declutter my life (Hmmm...somewhat...I'll add this to next year also)
19) Stay on a budget (Better, much better)
20) Perform one random act of kindness a day (I did really poorly on this one! Maybe next year?)

So there it is! I think that I will give myself an A- because the ones that I did accomplish are HUGE! I think 20 wishes are too many. I need to narrow it down for next year. In general,though, I am pretty darn proud of myself!

Now...looking at 2011...we have created a challenge for ourselves that I am so very excited about. We have named it the "Charity Challenge of 2011". Basically, we (hubby and I) are competing in one race event for each month of 2011 AND raising money for a charity throughout the year. I am so excited!!! We already have our preliminary schedules ready. We have been praying about the charity for a couple of weeks because we REALLY wanted God to guide us on this. We have considered numerous charities. Finally, we feel that God has lead us to FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). We asked God to send us signs for discernment. We got many signs leading us to this organization. We feel that it is a way to give back to our immediate community. Also, we are doing an athletic challenge so it seems to make sense that we would support a Christian athletic charity. It just "feels" right...and that feels like discernment to me! Please continue to pray that we are listening to God's guidance.

(I thought that I would attach a copy of my preliminary schedule.)

Through your eyes...

Well, I am finally trying to find my way back to the blog world. This "writer's block" shut me down. I would think about blogging but just couldn't follow through. So, here I am...hoping that I can do it again.

As I was looking over my 2010 Wishes, I realized that there were so many things that have changed in my life the past year. The fact that I FINALLY kicked the smoking habit is my most proud moment of the year!!! It hasn't been easy but I am amazed at how much my life has changed by making that ONE change! In my next post, I want to go over my wishes- which ones that I accomplished and which ones that I didn't. I also have a HUGE plan for 2011 that I want to share. In this post, there is something else that is heavy on my heart.

Recently, I was talking to a friend of mine. She was saying how she wasn't where she thought that she would be at this point in her life. She recently went through a divorce, is now a single mom, works part-time and is going to college to finish up her degree. She has many friends that are married and/or already in their careers. She made a statement about how she feels that I have it all together. She thinks that my house is so organized, that I have a successful business, a husband that loves me, good children, etc., etc. Wow!!! Is that how my life looks from the outside???

If so, then I want to be the person that she sees through her eyes!!!

Side note: I want to say that I am so proud of my sweet friend. She is not taking the easy way out! Her life is tough right now but she is not giving up! She is doing what she needs to do to make a better life for her boys and herself. She is sitting back and allowing God to make the changes in her that HE wants. All of this to say...I am so proud of her and cannot believe the changes that I can SEE every single day! Her transformation is amazing...but she is already a beautiful butterfly!

The point that I am wanting to make with all of this is the grass always seems greener! The truth of the matter is that we don't know what REALLY is going on INSIDE that person's life. Most of us present a pretty package to the outside world. Society teaches us to keep our "garbage" to ourselves because no one wants to see/hear it. For the most part, I agree. I mean, you don't want to walk around all gloom and doom or complaining about every part of your life that needs to be fixed. There is a fine line between being REAL and being socially acceptable.

I typically choose friend that allow me to be REAL. Between my husband, my kids, and my business, I don't have a lot of expendable time. With that time, I want to spend it with those who are willing to be REAL, not just present the "pretty package" to me. My FRIENDS know me...the REAL me...warts and all!!! What makes that even more special is that they still love me!

So, no...I don't have it all together! There are so many areas of my life that need to be decluttered and organized. (Please don't look in my closets or drawers if you come to visit!) Often times, I am a mental mess! I have a million and one thoughts going through my head at any given time...and many of these thoughts contradict one another. I don't think that anyone has it ALL together. I do think that some people have their life figured out more than others. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people. These last two years have been the toughest of my adult life. However, I am so thankful for the trials and tribulations that I have gone through. God has really broken me down...and continues to do so daily. I can feel him molding me and building me back up to be the person that HE wants me to be.

Hopefully, some day I can be the person that you see through your eyes, my sweet friend! Some day...

Hmm...so to be honest

Yesterday is the first day that I have blogged since May. I was looking back at some of the other blogs (which I only have 6 others) and realized that I am slacking on my wishes. I am very proud of some of the ones that I have completed or am working on daily. However, there are so many that I forgot about. I have been told that you need to post these in areas that you will see them daily. So, that's what I am going to do...tomorrow! Just kidding! hahaha! See...I am a procrastinator at heart!

My next confession is that I am a sugar addict! There...I've said it! Now that I am attempting to reconnect with my inner athlete, I have been taking a hard look at my diet. Sugar is my "go to" food. If I have had a bad day, sad day, happy day...well, you get the picture! So, I have made a decision to give up sugar for 30 days. I want to see if I feel better, lose weight, etc. Today is day 2 and I am struggling. I miss my Debbie Cakes, Reese's pieces, cookies...*heavy sigh*! I feel like I have lost a dear friend. What is wrong with me?

Here's the part that I have been putting off. Although I have been working out AT LEAST 3 times a week (unless my doctor has me on exercise restriction) AND improved my eating habits (except for the sugar habit thing) AND quit smoking, I have not lost ANY weight. I have actually gained a total of 5 pounds. So...I am going to start posting my weight!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!! I am joining Weight Watchers next week. Hopefully, I will be able to report LOSSES. Ok, I keep putting it off. My start weight is 170 lbs!!! That hurt just to type it. Why is it so hard for me to report my weight but not a problem to report my age???

WHERE AM I???

So, I know that I just posted my first blog (make sure you read it first)...but I had to create a base, right? It's April...2010 started in January!!! Guess that shows that the "stop procrastinating" wish isn't quite working out just yet! Remember, all of these wishes were created in January but I am JUST now getting around to my blog. So, let's recap:



1)Begin each day with prayer and meditation (Not doing too gr-8. Just doing this about 3 out of 7 days.)

2) Choose a volunteer program and start volunteering (hmmmm...forgot about this one)

3) Journal (That's what I am using this blog for...and I have been posting on Facebook! Does that count?)

4) Exercise at least 3 days a week (Yay, me! I am doing this! It was very slow starting and inconsistent at first, but I'm doing it now)

5) Finish a triathalon (Signing up tomorrow for one that will be on April 18, 2010! I am so excited and nervous all in one!)

6) Stop smoking (With the grace of God, I quit smoking on February 11, 2010)

7) Pay off all debt except house (Paid off both cars in February so we are now debtfree except for the house...What a feeling!)

8) Invest more for retirement (Working on it)

9) Take a family ski trip (We went to Beech Mountain, NC in February)

10) Take a family trip to Costa Rica (Originally, this was supposed to be in June, now we are thinking more like December. We paid the cars off so we have to start saving again)

11) Be kinder (My intent on this one was not to be such a B$#@%! Hmmm, how am I doing on this one? I guess my family would be the best ones to ask. Truly, it depends on the day, if I am having a good hair day, if I found an outfit that made me look skinny, etc. Guess I REALLY need to start working on this one!)

12) Think more positively (See above)

13) Take more weekend trips alone with my hubby (One down...time to plan another one)

14) Stop procrastinating (You be the judge...It's April and I JUST started my blog!)

15) Maintain balance in all aspects of my life (I would rate myself a B on this one. I am still taking Fridays and Sundays off. However, I do cheat on myself sometimes and plan an appt on Friday. But I always bust myself! Still working on it)

16) Take a Zumba class (Forgot about this one too! I am setting a goal to do this by the end of April...Is that blowing #14???)

17) Sign up for Spanish lessons (I found a place that does this once a week. I will investigate this next week)

18) Declutter my life (Now this one is gonna have to happen one drawer/closet at time. I am not a total pig or anything. It would just be nice to have "A place for everything and everything in its place)

19) Stay on a budget (Did really well in February...but March was OUT OF CONTROL. April's budget was ready last week and we ARE sticking to it!)

20) Perform one random act of kindness a day (Forgot about this one also. Hey, if I do this, can I mark off #11 with it??? Kill two birds with one stone???)

Well, taking an over-all look at my wishes, I am pretty proud of myself. Are there areas that need IMMEDIATE attention? Yup! Have I done exceptional well in others? Yup! At least by blogging about it, I am able to keep track of the areas that need attention, as well as getting a pat on the back for the ones that I am proud of. Gotta go declutter a drawer or something...wonder if I can just put that off until later? Kidding!

2010 HERE I AM!

I have decided that 2010 is going to be the "year for change"! Instead of doing the traditional resolutions, I am calling them wishes. Why wishes? Well, a wish is just that...a wish! If I don't complete it by the end of the year, I don't feel like I have failed. Plus, wish sounds happier. So, here are some of my wishes for 2010:

1) Begin each day with prayer and meditation
2) Choose a volunteer program and start volunteering
3) Journal
4) Exercise at least 3 days a week
5) Finish a triathalon
6) Stop smoking
7) Pay off all debt except house, then start paying it down
8) Invest more for retirement
9) Take a family ski trip
10) Take a family trip to Costa Rica
11) Be kinder
12) Think more positively
13) Take more weekends trips alone with my hubby
14) Stop procrastinating
15) Maintain balance in all aspects of my life
16) Take a Zumba class
17) Sign up for Spanish lessons
18) Declutter my life
19) Stay on a budget
20) Perform one random act of kindness a day

I am hoping that this blog keeps me motivated, on track, and accountable. Should be an interesting year!