But I Like Summer; Summer's my Favorite!

The summer bucketlist was a huge success and a ton of fun.  More was added to the list after posting here, both in things I wanted to accomplish and some "maybes," not all of which I was able to get to...but there's always next year!  Here's some of the fun...

cookouts and swimming

flying a kite

picnic

re-creating first date wtih hubby

5k runs

weekend trip

making cakes and celebrating

one of my 5k medals

Newburgh Riverwalk date night

sold the old house!

more cake and celebrating :)

Holiday Worlding

biking

hanging out with family

Training for a 1/2 Marathon

So now I have to come to terms with 2012 summer's end, and attempt to look forward to fall.  I'm working on a fall bucketlist to help with the transition...So far I've got:

• Complete the Half Marathon
• Hay Ride
• Weiner Roast
• Black Friday
• Hike
• Weekend Getaway
• Begin to celebrate Christmas starting entirely too early
• And last (for now), but not least...Host Brian and Angie's 2nd Annual Mooncake Party!!

Let me know if you are interested in attending!  Okay, fall...bring it.

Summer Bucketlist!

Things I want to do before summer kicks the bucket:

Swimming, multiple times
Floating on our lake with a friend
Hiking
Kyaking
Holiday World-ing
Drive-In-ing (multiple times--checked this one off for the first time last night with J!!)
Yard Sale-ing (check, again--thanks J!!)
Farmer's Marketing
Volunteering each month
Playing in a hose
Cookout-ing (a lot)
Picnicing
Going to a fair
Newburgh Riverwalking
Evansville Riverwalking
Flying a kite
Re-living first date with Bri
Washing my car at home...being sure to douse myself and all who are near in the process ;)

Also contenders...
White Water Rafting (Stealing from Lora now!!)
Camping
Real Mountain biking
Selling our old house!!
Road Triping (likely depends on selling our old house!)
Making ice cream
Horseback Riding
Going skating
Playing Tennis

-6 1/2 pounds!

I'm REALLY not good at keeping up with blogging.  But this time, I promise, I'm not avoiding because I'm not being good.  I've been sticking to Weight Watchers and seeing (slow) progress.  I'm exercising regularly and really enjoying it and feeling pretty good about my progress (-6 1/2 lbs and -a few inches here and there).  I've lost weight quickly before and gained it back quickly...maybe this is the way to go.  Some exercise opportunities I'm loving right now...

Walking Bella...she's a great walker...and loves making new friends

Beautiful scenery  for bike rides, walks, and runs

and friends who make it fun to exercise for hours at a time (and are goofy enough to pose for pictures like this when lost on bike rides!)

I'll keep you posted on progress!! 

Avoidance

I'm pretty sure I've been avoiding blogging as I had no weight loss progress to report...quite the opposite actually :(  However, three days ago I started Weight Watchers.  I've done it before--a long time ago and so far I really like the changes they've employed.  My Fitness Pal is great, but it seems I need a little something different for now.   So far, so good.  And, I've got these guys out again this week to see some sun:

It feels great!! Move over Jennifer Hudson!?  We'll see.  As for now, I'm feeling a lot less discouraged (again) and already a little healthier.  Hopefully I will now stop avoiding accountabiliy too!

Today's Top Three

Do you want to know one of the best things you can do for your mental health? Let's make it a multiple choice question...

Please pick the best answer (only one). The best and most practical activity to promote one's mental health is________________?
A: Years of Psychoanalysis
B: Completing a Rorschach Evaluation
C: Singing Loud for all to hear
D: Simply Being Thankful

I know you are probably pretty amazed with your intelligence right now, and in my great knowledge base from which this question was constructed. But just in case you are lost, here's your explanation of the answers.
A--Psychoanalysis is extremely expensive and your insurance won't cover it... I definitely recommend shorter term therapy instead
B-Inkblots are fun, but they can't tell you everything...and again, this will be pretty expensive too.
C-Apparently a good way to spread Christmas cheer, and could possibly help or hinder your mental health, depending on the situation I'm sure.
So, the answer is D; Congratulations and you are welcome.

I am hoping to get on here randomly and express some things I am thankful for. I like free therapy. So today I'm listing my top three (by "top"....I mean totally random and in no particular order--today or any other day...because that totally makes since to me)

Today's Three things I am Thankful for...


This Man

He's a wonderful husband. He's been working really hard lately trying to get the old house ready to sell and has been working crazy hours on stressful projects at work, and he continues to have a good attitude at home (mostly, anyway, lol!) He's handsome, Godly, hard working, loving, and pretty great at communicating when it's time to get serious about solving something. Yeah God, He's a good one...Thank You!


This Church

When I came from my tiny small town church in which I grew up, I wasn't sure how I would adjust to being part of a "mega church." But, it's been amazing. The teaching is great, the people are great, and we've found a small group that we meet with regularly that is awesome beyond words (but that is for another day's top three!) I never dreamed I would feel at home in in a church so large...but again, God knows just what he's doing; thanks, God!


And last...and well, least of these three is....

This tub

I must say, I'm writing this while my hair is still wet from this very bath. I love putting on music and relaxing in Bath and Body Works White Citrus bubbles. It's amazing. It's such a relaxing place to gather my thoughts, reflect on my day, and relax after work or exercise. It's a little thing, but I love it! Thanks, God!



So that's my top three for today. Don't forget to think about what you are thankful for, often! It's silly and just mean to not thank God for what he's done for you...big and little things :)

And the second day...

Day 2 = success!!  And what did I do instead of snacking tonight?  I may or may not have baked Funfetti cupcakes...

and THEN snacked on them :)  BUT: I made them with egg whites, I totally earned them by breaking my exercise up into small parts throughout today to earn extra calories (which led to me exercising more), and I ate healthy the rest of the day. The problem now is, there are now cupcakes in my house...plan is to take them with me to work tomorrow to share...so they don't linger in my house over the weekend.

This morning I got on the scale again...and I know it may be too early to get excited, but I was able to move two marbles for two lbs!  I figure I'll move them back and forth in the vases as needed...because whether or not it is true weight loss, it feels really good to see two marbles in the previously empty vase! YAY!

A NEW direction

It's time to get serious about getting healthy...I've been telling myself this for some time; but today I feel like I've started some new strategies and decided to get a little more strict with myself...as NOT being strict has not been working out so well for me.  Aparently, I'm one of those people that need structure in this area...and I CAN NOT be trusted around food alone with no plan!

I finally made myself get on the scale after ignoring it for quite some time and it confirmed what I had already suspected...up about 10 lbs from the last time I was weighing myself regularly. OUCH, January!  So now the plan is:

• Sticking very closely to the My Fitness Pal app and website  http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
• Charting Progress in my prayer journal AND with the fun Pinterest idea(Oy, that's a lot of beads to move)
• While it's cold--Jog in place in my house for little bits of time throughout the day or jog while cleaning...as well as increasing time doing other exercise
• Use replacement activities...such as exercising when I feel like snacking in the evenings, then see if I still want to snack when I'm done...if I do, then chances are I've earned the calories anyway
• Drink more water
• Blog about it!

And today...has been a good one so far...I've exercised and cut back on calories, and according to my fitness pal, I still have 617 calories I can enjoy later if needed...yum.

Operation VB-Day (Shhhhh!)

So I am going on vacation with my husband and...inlaws. This makes me crazy nervous, and a little just crazy. Cool thing is, during this vacation is my husband's Valentines' Birthday...so in order to help regain my sanity in anticipation of this trip and to focus on something less selfish, I'm planning his birthday with an idea I saw on Pinterest. Soo, every waking hour, he gets a gift...all leading up to his birthday time of 11:03 pm :) And, since we're vacationing near Orlando, I've planned a Disney Resort getaway for his birthday/Valentines Day. This part, he knows...the hourly presents all tailored to just the right time, he doesn't. This, makes me very excited! I'm giving myself points for distracting myself to a better attitude AND hopefully making hubby feel as special and important as he is to me!

B's gifts :)

Testing, check...1, 2...3, 4...check?

Blogging is new to me...but what the heck; looks like fun!  I'd like to use this spot as my own therapy...to reflect, vent, share, and brag on what He's done for me (I'm so blessed!)  Now to see how well I do keeping up with it?