Well That Was Stupid
It is amazing the things it takes for us to realize how stupid the small stuff really is. In the grand scheme of life, the minor annoyances/failures/road bumps don’t mean squat. And how quickly we forget about that. How quickly we are to immerse ourselves in the negative and what we don’t have instead of remembering and embracing the good. We are very lucky people – everyday we wake up to a brand new day full of life’s new excitements. Everyday we get the chance to start over and make ourselves better regardless of what happened in the past. There are people to wake up to, to laugh with, to grab you when you are falling.
I am guilty of that more than most. I woke up in a foul mood after a fight and it was going to ruin my entire day. But the morning had different plans for me. (Thanks to the millionth snow storm) I hit black ice, spun out of control and hit a ramp barrier. Thankfully, I was the only one involved and the only thing damaged was the car and my ego. For a second, I thought it was all over. That this very flash of my life and the anger I felt were the last things I would remember. I realized I was being a fool. Harboring on things that didn’t need to exist and failing to appreciate everything I had would have ruined what could have been my last moment. Is that really what you want to see when your life flashes before your eyes?
This may be minor to some, but it was a wake up call for me. Life is too short to be resentful about things no longer in my control. Life is too short to not appreciate every little thing about the people I care about – the good and the bad. Life is too short to make mountains out of molehills. Life is just too short.
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Tags: accident, car, realization
Week 5
Last week was hard. I fell into old habits, didn’t exercise, and gave myself more liberties than I should have. I am down .4 lbs. I’m not surprised. I had so much gusto at the beginning and it’s fading quickly. My cheat day turned into two semi-cheat days. Or it’s been a little give and take each day. I don’t feel good, I feel bloated and lethargic. I need to kick myself into gear again.
In other news, it snowed. AGAIN. While the snow day is nice, the snow part is becoming cumbersome. Let’s hope that is it for this winter and some warm weather may be headed our way.
The spray collar seems to be working. We have tested Riley a few times (sitting outside the door, knocking on the door) and she doesn’t bark. Or she will bark once and be done. I need to go back to the neighbors and see what they say, but fingers crossed this is the solution we were looking for.
Guinney forgets she’s a cat I think. She wants belly rubs all the time and wants nothing more than to be outside. She has darted out the front door a few times now and she is getting faster on her escape. Usually she will walk very slowly out the door, this morning she trotted right out like she was on a mission. We need to keep an eye out for her. J got her a laser pointer and she is obsessed. She senses whenever you are about to pick it up and comes out from where she was.
That’s all going on in our house, we are boring. Sometimes boring is good.
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Tags: pets, spray collar, weight loss, Weight Watchers
A call on 20-somethings.
Love this – inspiring and beautifully written
My words are not a parachute.
They won’t soften the landing when that moment buckles your knees and breaks you down to the floor. My words, they’re not no cold bucket of water. They won’t extinguish the doubt that blazes heavy, heavy, like a fire catching to all the pretty things you touch. Nothing I write can prepare you for that moment.. maybe you already know the one.
It’s going to hit you at some point. It might meet you randomly. 2am. 4am. When you’re standing in the middle of a crowded campus or alone in your cubicle beside a cactus you keep forgetting to water. No matter where you are, it’ll hit you. And you’ll look up suddenly. And you’ll look around. And you’ll let these words slip out from your lips, “Why am I here?”
Why am I here? And what am I doing? And this? Well, this…
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Week 4 – First Five
I like WW’s motivational tools. You get a star for every accomplishment you make – losing two weeks in a row, keeping up exercise and making your healthy checks, etc. This week I got my first five pounds star. I am down to 126.8, total loss of 5.2 lbs. I’m not gonna lie, the scale might be lying this week. I was really bad. It has been stressful and emotional and I reverted to some of my old habits – my weakness to snacking. I made it okay to have more than one cheat day and completely validated the use of my bonus points. But it has helped me realize that I cannot stick to the “super gungho healthy” all the time. Sometimes you just want a cracker, and that is completely okay. You just balance it with something better. The point system has showed me my skewed perception on what I was actually eating. I ate like a house. My tiny snacks added up. It’s been a reality check for sure. I get the urge to cheat a lot, but that only hurts myself. It was a really good feeling putting my jeans on this morning and not having to squeeze as much as I used to – can’t remember if I have worn them earlier and they have stretched a bit but we are going with it.
In other news, I went to the doctor for my physical today and everything is where it should be, minus my Vitamin D. I have to take a supplement and see if that helps. She also suggested I add yoga to my exercise routine and I might find a class to take. I have been really stressed out lately and it might help. And I need to work my core.
I need to make some lifestyle changes and focus on me for a bit. There are so many things swirling and I can’t keep getting caught up in all of it. It’s becoming unhealthy for me. I need to stop moving through the motions and make some direct changes to my inner self. Because something is not quite right and I am the only one who can fix it.
TGIF!
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Tags: healthy living, tracking, weight loss
Life, Love, and Loss
Yesterday was a hard day. We laid to rest a great man and an American hero. He was the boyfriend of a dear friend of mine and, though I did not know him personally, my heart is broken for the great spirit the world has lost. He was a decorated soldier who passed in a training accident; it was shocking and sudden. It is moments like this where you can’t help but ask WHY? Why do horrible things happen to good people? Why was a life taken so quickly and incredibly too soon? What sense does this make?
L is the most amazing woman I have had the pleasure of knowing and I do not know where she has found her strength, but I admire her. To have the love of your life ripped away from you… I cannot begin to imagine what she is going through.
It was a beautiful service at Arlington and a reminder that our freedom does not come free.
I don’t have any words for the sadness I feel for his family and friends. For the heartache I feel for L. For the anger I have of a life cut short…
Rest in Peace Major, you will always be in our hearts
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Tags: accident, death, funeral, loss, love
Week 3 – Plateau?
I’m a little frustrated this week. I am down .2 lbs, grand total of 3.6 lbs in 3 weeks. I think I was spoiled by the 3 lb weight lost the first week, the scale has been crawling ever since. I don’t understand why – I stay under or just at my point limit for the day, I have been eating so many fruits and vegetables and limiting the “not so good stuff” and I have one cheat day a week. I do need to do more exercise, I think I am averaging 2-3 times a week. The scale is moving down instead of up, so I guess that is a small victory. I just expected more progress at this point, is it possible to plateau 3 weeks in?! On to next week…
This weekend I am headed to NJ for bridesmaid dress shopping, it should be fun. I’m kind of stressing financially because the dresses are more than I anticipated, but hopefully we have more options when we go to the store and can just pull stuff. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen some of these girls so it’ll be a nice day.
Wedding season is in full swing. Please pray for me.
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Tags: check in, weight loss, Weight Watchers
Awkward Turtle
The most humbling feeling is when you realize other people may not be the problem, it’s you. That by pointing out everyone else’s faults, you miss the faults within yourself. That everything you saw “wrong” was actually just you and you made everything awkward. And most of the time you don’t even realize you are doing it.
Yeah… That’s me… What a big slap in the face.
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Tags: acceptance
Two Forks in the Road
I am struggling with a decision and I am not entirely sure which way to go. One seems absolutely impossible, the other I might end up regretting.
When you envision your life, it almost never happens the way you saw. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. And when you work for something for so long and you put all your effort into it, how do you know when it is no longer right for you. And how do you just choose another way and abandon everything you worked for.
At some point you hope it gets easier. You tell yourself it is going to get better. And everything is slow progress as you inch towards the finish line. Do you stick with it and see it through? The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t, right? Or do you throw caution to the wind even if you are not sure it is the right decision?
I don’t know what to do. I wish there was a sign or someone to tell me what I am supposed to do.
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Tags: decisions
Week 2
I didn’t do as well this week, I am down .4 lbs. I guess it is better than the scale going up, but I am a little disappointed in myself. I was eating different things this week, which may account for it. I did go a little crazy on Valentine’s Day, but I was really good the rest of the week. I don’t know, but I am going to be more diligent this week.
I’ve gotten in the habit of trying to save as many points as I can for dinner because it is usually my biggest meal of the day. But then I have so many left over that I don’t use them all. There has to be a balance, I just haven’t found it yet. I also find myself really scared to eat out because I don’t want to use any points. I have been mastering the art of eating things with 1-2 points.
Practically every recipe I have made has come from SkinnyTaste. Here’s what’s been cooking in my kitchen this week:
Pasta with Asparagus – I made this last night and added some grilled chicken to it. So delicious! It wasn’t super saucy, so I think I need to add more asparagus water next time. J loved it and he is the king of extra sauce on his pasta. So simple and quick. Also, don’t skimp on the salt and pepper.
Zoodles – I am really enjoying using vegetables as a pasta substitute. This was my first attempt at zucchini noodles. I loosely based it on this recipe for the zucchini, but used store-bought sauce and did grilled chicken. I used 2 zucchini and 1 squash and it wasn’t enough for the two of us. I think I may have overcooked them because it was a little soggy. Or I didn’t drain them long enough. Still delicious.
Chocolate Ricotta Mousse – I could not for the life of me beat this enough and it came out gritty. The flavor was there but I couldn’t get over the grit. Definitely worth another try though, maybe I’ll let J take a stab at it. He’s the kitchen master.
Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread – SO good! I added 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and we have been eating it all week.
My activity of choice this week has been Dance Central 3. My muscles are definitely tired after a session. I think I need to kick it up a notch though. A friend of mine just got Hip Hop Abs and I am dying to try it.
This weekend is all about catching up with friends. I am seeing my college roommates for lunch and then hanging out with my friends from high school. I think I will make this for Saturday night and use Picky Palate’s homemade dough instead. Going back to work this week was rough, I am not looking forward to a full week next week.
In the animal world, the girls are getting along so much better. They constantly chase each other around the house. Guinney plays fetch… Like a dog. It’s cute. Maybe Riley will learn a few tricks. Oh yeah, we have officially decided to keep the kitty and named her Lady Guinevere. Aka Guinney. Though I will probably always call her Kitty in some form or fashion.
Photo dump of the animals this week:
Fun in the snow
Hello there!
They sleep the exact same way
Just chilling
Filed under: Cats, Dogs, Healthy Living, Recipes | Leave a Comment
Tags: cats, dogs, healthy living, recipes, weight loss, Weight Watchers
According to B 