I've Been Tagged!

Okay, if you are just checking out my blog today, then scroll down to my first post for today, which is my weight loss post - then read this one, which is just for FUN! YAY!

I was tagged by my good friend, Michelle! Love you girl!

A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.

B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.

C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 Years Ago:I was...
22 years old, I was a newlywed! I had not even been married a month yet! My husband and I lived in Nashville. He worked as a produce manager at Albertson's, and I worked as a tour guide at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum. We went to Harpeth Heights Baptist Church and I sang in a group called "The Church Band" (creative, huh?). We lived in a one bedroom apartment, I drove a Saturn and my hubbby drove a Mustang. We lived one mile from the mall and shopped entirely too much. We didn't have any pets, as there were no pets allowed in the apartment, although there was a flock of ducks that lived there for everyone to feed!

Things on my to-do list today:
1. Church
2. Lunch
3. Clean house, organizing stuff and finishing cleaning the kitchen
4. Supper
5. Type reports for clinic

What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
I would buy a new building for my church and a new facility for the FreeWill Shelter- or quite possibly the entire city of Humboldt (HA!), buy a new house, buy my husband a Corvette, buy myself a new vehicle of some sort, a swimming pool with a big slide for the kids, along with the house would have a great big shop/garage for my husband, a huge lavish pen for our dog. I would publish my own book and make a CD. I would buy horses, my kids would each have one, and a donkey or two. I would pay off my stepdaughter's house and their cars, or get them new ones, and buy my stepson a house and car too. I would set up an account to completely pay for Jordan and Noelle's college, and also college for the grandson that is on his way in a few months! I would pay for the house my parents want to build on their farm and would buy them new cars too. I would buy a house on the beach in Corpus Christi for vacations.

Three of my bad habits:
1. biting my fingernails - my kids fuss at me for this...
2. not being organized in much of anything, but getting there slowly!
3. procrastinating :0(

Three places I have lived:
1. Springfield, MO
2. Milan, TN
3. Nashville, TN

Five jobs that I have had:
1. Waitress/hostess at Shoney's
2. Medical Transcriptionist
3. Tour Guide
4. Receptionist
5. Homeschool Mom (you're right Michelle, this is the best ever!)

Five Things people don't know about me:
1. I have no appendix.
2. I love mac and cheese and pork and beans....mixed together...
3. I can drive a stick shift
4. I have ridden an elephant
5. I used to sing during the tours I gave, at restaurants, at bars, and just really anywhere I could, in Nashville

I would like to tag:
Jeni-my dear friend since childhood
Tracey-my dear friend of 11 years
Tobey-my dear friend from church

This was SO FUN!

Wise Decisions...Day 42

Well, over a week of boot camp is done now and I think things are going really well! Yesterday I had planned on getting to spend a lot of time outside and going walking, etc., but instead I ended up doing lots of housework, organizing the kids school stuff, that sort of thing - I even got a nap in (nice!). But I still got some exercise and had a really good day. Here's how it went...

Day 42
Saturday, February 9, 2008

B - Scrambled eggs

Workout - yoga video

S - popcorn
L - Vegetable beef soup
S - this is a weird snack, but here it is - Hot and spicy tuna and whole wheat spaghetti/sc/chs.
S- Chicken and broccoli stir fry w/ brown rice.

I really, really recommend taking your measurements when you get started with a healthy lifestyle. Even if you aren't seeing a big difference in the pounds, you sometimes can see a significant change in your inches. I finally checked my measurements today and I have lost a total of .......

Eleven and a quarter inches!!!

That is total body inches lost - hips, bust, waist, upper arms, and thighs. YAY! That was very exciting!

Another thing that is really important, in everything we do, is to get up and commit your day to God. Ask Him for strength and wisdom to make good decisions in what you eat and all that you do. Commit to take care of what God has given you. Remember, we only get this one body, we need to take the best care possible of it!

Matthew 7:7-8 NIV

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

Just Do It!...Days 40 & 41

Yay! It's finally Friday!!! And God has truly blessed us for the past two weeks. There have been blessings here and there scattered throughout, some big, some small - all significant and meaningful, and we are ever so grateful. One of the really huge blessings is just being kept safe during the storms that passed through this week on Tuesday and Wednesday, and our family and friends were safe also. What a blessing! Many people lost their lives, lost loved ones, and lost everything they had in the world, so we have so very much to be thankful for in that the storms passed us by. Thank you Jesus!

I am also thankful because I am now down

27 pounds!!!

It has been really good to see this extra work paying off! I have really been craving some potato chips and french fries (carbs anyone?), but it is a much better trade-off when I step on the scale in the morning and see the number going down, down, down...

So, here is how the past two days went...

Day 41

Thursday, February 7

B - Scrambled eggs

S - Popcorn

L - Half sandwich on whole wheat and whole wheat spaghetti/sc/chs

S - Salad w/lobster delights, one fruit leather

S - Vegetable beef soup

Workout - Miracle Mile with Leslie Sansone

Day 42

Friday, February 8.

B - None (on the run!)

S - None (STARVING...)

L - Late lunch, but FINALLY SOME FOOD! Turkey sandwich on whole wheat, salad

S - popcorn

S - Tuna steak (sushi grade - YUM!) whole wheat spaghetti/sauce/chs

Workout - Miracle Mile with Leslie Sansone, extra workout time on my own - crunches, push-ups, stretches. I upped my Miracle Mile workout by using hand weights - NO PROBLEM! :-)

I am really pleased with the progress made during the "boot camp" so far and I am looking forward to seeing how it goes this week! Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be beautiful and I am looking forward to a walk with my kids tomorrow, maybe even moving up to some jogging. I was doing some jogging even at my highest weight, but once the weather got cold I just started staying in. It is hard enough to get my kids to hang in there with me, much less drag them around the track or the block freezing cold and bored to boot! Anyway, it'll be nice when spring arrives because I can get a little more variety in my workout and get some real quality time with my children! I can't wait!

I didn't do my workout until tonight after the kids went to bed, and to be honest I didn't really want to do it at all. So, I just want to say that it is worth it to take a little while to exercise. I wanted to go to bed and just rest, but instead I went ahead and did the work because I needed to, because I had committed to do it, because I am setting a good example for my family, and because it is GOOD FOR ME! After I was done, I felt energized, rejuvenated - it was definitely worth it.

When you least want to take the time to exercise don't give in, don't give up, don't make excuses and find reasons not to do the work. Taking the time to take care of your body instead of just neglecting what you need for your health is going to make you feel so much better than laying down and watching a movie and skipping the workout. Getting up 30 minutes earlier to work out can really help you get a good energy boost for your morning. Find time, take the time, make the time, JUST DO IT!!! You'll be so glad you did!

Catching up!...Days 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, & 40

Hi! I'm back! Sorry for the absence again! It is not because I have been eating badly, really!

Friday my husband was home from work sick. That was my first day of boot camp. I also had to work that day and we had praise and worship practice, and I had to go to do errands and go to the store. Sooooo, I did not get to work out, but I got a lot of walking in - very disappointing nonetheless for the first day of boot camp. I ate really well though anyway. Saturday my parents came to work on our house. My mom and I spent quite a bit of time at the store, and my husband, dad, and son worked outside on the back room of our house. However, I did get my workout in while my mom was here. She even did some of it with me! Sunday we were gone nearly ALL DAY at church. It was our first Sunday to have the early service, so my day started at 5:21 am! WOOO! My husband had McDonald's for breakfast and even tried really hard to get me to eat some, but I DIDN'T DO IT! Woo, talk about resisting temptation!

I put on my last post that I would be allowing myself to enjoy the Souper Bowl party, and I did. I got to have different types of soup - chili, vegetable beef, creamy chicken w/rice, tortilla soup - I did not eat the tortilla chips, but did have some crackers with other soup, and I had a dessert bar - chocolate chunk cookie bar - YUM! Monday mom was here, so I didn't get time to blog, but did have time to eat well and get my workout in. Tuesday and Wednesday I just didn't blog, no real reason, other than just knowing how much I had to catch up.

So anyway, here is the update...

I am now down

a total of

26 pounds!!!

Day 35
Friday, February 1

B - Honey Bunches of Oats cereal/skim milk
Can't remember lunch - think I skipped it...
S - Shrimp cocktail and green beans

No workout

Day 36
Saturday, February 2

B - Scrambled eggs
S - lemon meringue yogurt (yoplait)
L - Hot and Spicy tuna, whole wheat spaghetti/sauce/chs.
S - popcorn
S - imitation crab legs, green beans

workout - Miracle Mile with Leslie Sansone

Day 37
Sunday, February 3

B - Honey Bunches of Oats
S - None
L - salmon w/honey BBQ glaze, green beans
S - small bowl of veggie soup w/ crackers, popcorn
S - lots of soup (as listed in paragraph at top), dessert bar (cookie bar, not dessert buffet!)

No workout

Day 38
Monday, February 4

B - scrambled eggs
S- none
L - vegetable beef soup (this is made with lean roast meat, not ground)
S - popcorn
S - imitation crab legs, salad

workout - yoga video

Day 39
Tuesday, February 5

workout - Miracle Mile w/Leslie Sansone

B - popcorn
S - Yoplait blueberry yogurt
L - vegetable beef soup
S - slice of cheese, few peanuts
S - imitation lobster, salad

Day 40
Wednesday, February 6

workout - Miracle Mile w/Leslie Sansone

B - scrambled eggs
S - popcorn
L - vegetable soup
S - peanuts
S - half club sandwich on whole wheat. I could not decide what to have with this, so I just had a small bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats.

2nd workout - yoga video

Now, I do have to say this. I really like the yoga video, I have always liked yoga so much because it is so good for your body. I have noticed that my lower back has stopped hurting now, maybe because this helps me to get it stretched out better. I had gotten my monthly magazine in the mail from Joyce Meyer, and in the fitness section they had recommended yoga. They do not, however, recommend the religious part of yoga, nor do I. At the end of a yoga session, as you relax from your workout, usually a yogi will tell you all of these affirmations about yourself. It is not wrong to have some confidence, but I believe that our strength comes from Jesus. So, when I got to the end of the video and the instructor said "I acknowledge myself...", I just said "I acknowledge Jesus..." Then last night when I did the video I laid next to our little heater, which blows heat like a fan, and I couldn't even hear her say those things. One thing about yoga is I get a fantastic workout and actually stay cold through most of the workout rather than breaking a sweat. Then again, I'm not doing power yoga either, which is much faster paced and more strenuous. The point is that that the stretches and postures you have to hold while doing yoga is really great for your body, and really helps you to be sure that you are breathing right while you are exercising, but we should not be "meditating" on anything other than Jesus and His word.

So if you want to try yoga and are doing a video, turn the volume down at the end as you wind down, or just replace those thoughts of "me, me, me", and turn them to Jesus. Give him thanks for all of the blessings in your life, for a new day, for your family, and most of all - for His love.

Pressing on...Day 34

Here is how yesterday went...


Thursday, January 31


B - None
S - Boiled egg w/miracle whip, slice of ham (lunch meat), cheddar cheese, and one pickle
L - Chicken fritters, baked french fries, mac and chs.
S - peanuts
S - Spaghetti w/french bread, lemon cookies


So now my pre-boot camp day of food enjoyment is over...J/K! The food was really good, but I will actually have good food while in the "boot camp". I had white spaghetti, white bread, some cookies for dessert, I had mac & chs, you know the real comfort food kind of stuff. But I just have to say that at the end of each of those meals (lunch and supper) I felt totally and completely crappy! It was good at first, but it took about five minutes for me to start feeling yucky and sluggish, and I absolutely had to fight myself to not go purge! That is one thing I will not do, no matter what I have eaten. I will have to deal with the consequences of my meal choices each time and will not take the easy way out by "purging" myself. I wanted to enjoy some things before I started this today, but found that it just wasn't worth it. It was not worth the way I felt. I wish I had just stuck with the things I know work for me healthwise and keep me feeling energetic and healthy.



But I messed up two meals yesterday - yes, two meals. And do you know what that means?? All it means is that yesterday is over and it is a new day today. It DOES NOT MATTER what your food choices were yesterday because today is a brand new day that you make new choices in, and you can make good choices. Commit to make good choices today! Don't spend time beating yourself up over the past, whether it is food or anything else. I have done that for too long, and it is time to realize the past is the past, and get on with living your best TODAY, and then TOMORROW, etc. Don't get stuck in those past mistakes, they're just not worth it. God wants us to press on to be the best that we can be.