Milestones

Well this weekend was filled with milestones.  The biggest one of course was moving my little sister to Peoria, or technically speaking Morton, IL.  I feel like it was a milestone for me because for the first time, she's the one taking a big step and not me.  I've mentioned before that I'm usually the one moving away so it felt really weird to know that this time it was her.  I have to say that it's still a bit surreal to me because I'm used to driving 40 minutes to see her.  I didn't think it would hit me until I was ready to leave.  Of course, she got teary eyed which made me tear up as well.  I'm excited for her cause I know she and Lamar are about to start a great adventure but I also know the adjustment that comes with moving to a new home in a new town.  I know that both of them will dig in and feel comfortable there in no time.  I think the thing that broke my heart the most was as I was pulling out of the driveway, I looked up and Miss Lauren was standing in the big picture window with Rascal Spot Unicorn Clifford the Big Red Dog Pokey looking at me with her big blue eyes.  I will miss being able to pop in any time but I also know that I'm welcome in Morton any time as well.  Have I mentioned I have my own room?;)

The other big milestone for me was that for the first time in my life, I did a real push-up.  I just finished my 5th week of working out and tomorrow is crazy busy for me so I decided to do tomorrow's work out tonight.  It involves lots of push-ups so I decided to give it a shot.  I did it!  Granted it wasn't very deep but I don't care - I did an honest to goodness real push up.  That was a proud moment for me.  Of course, I couldn't do that for the entire workout but I'm still proud of myself.  And the other part of that is I was finally able to touch the floor with my hands with stretching.  There are days when I question whether anything is happening other than sore muscles but I have to believe that what I'm doing is making a difference.  My hope is to be wearing single digit pants by August!!!

Fair vs. Just

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted.  Not really sure what to say because there are so many things that are going on, it's hard to pick one.  Not to be a downer but there have been a lot of things that have been happening that make me say "that's not fair!"  A good friend of mine told me that life isn't fair but God is just!  Hmm what does that mean?  I'm not sure what it means yet but I know that I've been thinking about it all week.

So I guess my question is what does that statement mean to you?  Yes, you....all 12 of my followers!:)

I have several things rolling around in my head so I hope to have several new posts in the next few days!

Happiness

Today is a gorgeous day!  I LOVE this weather cause I just feel better.  It certainly helps when I can wear flip flops and drive around with my sunroof open!  I may even go for a walk when I get home!

And.....I have 11 people following my blog!  Yep, it's the little things in life!:)

Spring

I'm really excited because I'm a warm weather girl and it's supposed to be almost 60 in a few days which means spring might actually be here.  I've been thinking about that and realized one of the reasons I get so excited about spring is that everything is so new and clean.  The grass is green, the skies are bright, the sun is shining, the birds are singing.....ok maybe that's a bit much but it's like a time for new beginnings.  Hope is stirred up again and it feels like anything is possible.  I just get so excited when I think about the potential for all that can happen.  Like I said, my hope is renewed once again.

And the other thing that I LOVE about spring is the tulips!!  These are my favorite flowers.  When I was growing up, my grandma used to have an insane amount of tulips in every color imaginable.  We used to pick them all the time and they were all over the house.  I never realized how much I loved seeing those tulips every year until I moved to Denver and missed out on them!  I have fond memories of those and knew that summer was almost here when the tulips were blooming.  I've tried to grow some on my own but alas, I've not been successful.  Here's a little picture to get you in the mood for spring:

The pink ones are my favorite!

It Would Only Happen to Me

So MK asked me if I was going to blog about this and I told her I didn't know but since it's kind of out there on Facebook, I figured what the heck!  And just so you know, I'm giving you all permission to laugh now before you read this.

Yesterday morning (Friday) I was working out, doing legs and arms.  I've been working out for 3 weeks now and use resistance bands almost every day.  Well yesterday turned out way different than any other day.  I was barely into my workout and was getting ready to do a series of pull-ups.  I'd just started and the next thing I know, I was in excruciating pain!  Somehow the resistance band came loose and the hard plastic ball came back and hit me in the chin with a lot of force.  It hit me so hard me ears were ringing and the pain was bad.  I was so shocked I just stood there and didn't know what to do.  I just held my chin and then thought "wow, that must have left one hell of a mark!"  I turned around and my chin was covered in blood!  Great!  So I went to the bathroom and tried to clean it up but of course it just kept bleeding.  I thought I might have to get stitches at first but thankfully not very deep.

I took some ibuprofen and than put ice on it, all the while thinking I was going to be late for work and I needed to finish my work out.  I did finish it and went to work feeling incredibly self-conscious. I called Sheryl on my way to work and she said to ice it and alternate between ibuprofen and Tylenol, which I did!

After work, I went to meet a friend and she assured me it wasn't as bad as I thought.  We both work at Loft and went in to see about clothes for the event we had today (Saturday).  When we walked in, everyone wanted to know what happened and in the short time it took me to go from work to Loft, my chin turned dark purple, so I looked like I had a beard.  I was so embarrassed.  Christina and I went to Sephora to get some concealer and let me tell you , Kat Von D tattoo concealer is amazing.

When I woke up this morning, my jaw was very stiff and sore.  Brushing my teeth was difficult but I did it.  I worked out and then iced my face for a bit.  I did go to work today and let me just say, that I had a lot of makeup on but it covered up my bruise nicely.  My face is still really sore and I'm sure it's going to look a bit worse before it looks better.  I told Tanya yesterday that this was why I didn't work out! ha

So now you know the story and hopefully you were able to get through this post without laughing too hard.  I've even swallowed my pride and posted a picture so you can see what it looks like!  And last but not least...watch out for those resistance bands!

This was yesterday afternoon

And this was last night before I went to bed!  It's a little more purple today!

Workout Update

I'm almost at the end of week 3 and I have to say I'm feeling good.  I have a small bicep which I haven't had for ages so that's kind of exciting.  Still struggling with the ab portion but I'm getting there.  I've continued to follow through on getting up and working out every morning.  Except for today!  This morning when my alarm went off, I just knew I wasn't going to get up.  So I rolled over and re-set the alarm and went back to sleep.

My intention was to come home and work out tonight but I hadn't eaten and if I did the work out, I'd be eating really late so I opted out.  I have to confess that I feel incredibly guilty.  And I feel like I'm making excuses for not doing something I know I should do.

I'm beginning to see that this is a pattern in my life and the whole reason for me working out is not to lose weight.  Its about me building good habits and sticking with something to the end.  That is one area that I feel like I fail at miserably.  I always have good intentions to follow through but I don't.  I've really been thinking through that so I feel like I'm starting to develop a really good habit by doing what I've been doing.  And hey, we all need a break occasionally right?

Lent

Lent is almost upon us and most of the people in my circle are preparing to give up something.  Most are giving up things like chocolate, alcohol, sweets, caffeine, Facebook or other forms of media, and so on.  Last year at this time I was preparing to do a complete 40 day fast.  I have to be honest and say that I'm thankful I'm not about to embark on that journey again....although smaller pants was a nice side effect.  Oh, and I still can't stand the smell of chicken noodle soup or broth since that's what I basically lived on...its been a whole year but not sure I can ever go back!

Honestly, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be and God's grace was really there.  I didn't really struggle until the end and was eating pretty regularly within 3 days or so.  I did hate being cold though.  I don't think I'd ever been so cold in my life.  I really felt like God spoke to me during that time and while it certainly wasn't about what I was fasting for, it was still very valid and meaningful to where I was at that time.  I'm realizing that when I fast I always think its for one thing but God always speaks to me about something totally different.  I've come to expect that!

So I think I know what I'm going to be fasting this time around but am still waiting for a bit of clarification.  Its a personal issue that I've struggled with off and on over the years and I really think God wants to break through in this area of my life, so if you think of me say a prayer.  I'm also praying for some clarification on a word I got a few weeks back.  I'm curious what some of you are fasting.

And last but not least, I have a new follower so I'm up to 8 people now!  Woo hoo...it truly is the little things in life!

Random Bits

Disclaimer: This is the second time I've typed this post.  I accidentally closed the window on the first one!  I hope this one is as good.

This post isn't about one thing in particular but a whole bunch of random thoughts.

This morning I had to take a friend to the train station in Chicago so I opted to work out tonight instead.  I'm happy to say that not only did I follow through, but I kicked Ab Ripper X's butt!  Woo Hoo

On my drive home, it was such a nice day that I opened my sunroof!

I had dinner with a good friend tonight and it was nice to just share and catch up with one another.  I love those types of conversations.

I've been given 3 words over the past 3 weeks that kind of revolve around 1 issue that I've been dealing with.  Tonight my friend Jenna said the same thing to me almost verbatim...it was like she was in my head.  I guess God is trying to get my attention.

My sister got a really cool necklace that I can't wait to steal borrow.

I won a pair of pants at the Loft and I'm happy to report that they are a size I haven't been in since...well I don't remember when.

After such a rough start to this week, I feel like God is totally blessing me with the little things.

And last but not least...I found these shoes tonight and am in LOVE with them!!!  I must have them!! And yes they are orange wedges!!