What a day...

Wow, today is Thursday....well, it's almost over...and I couldn't be happier! What a DAY!!!

I had two houses to clean (not including my own...but that's a whole different story), lots of driving around...and a horrible, HORRIBLE accident. Let me explain:

My first house of the day is for my favorite elderly couple. They are in their mid 80's and are just darling. They have me come and clean for them once a month. My second house is a brand new client! YAY!!! I was just about finished with the house when I decided to clean the window behind the kitchen sink. I couldn't quite reach, so I hopped up on the counter to get a little closer. Well, imagine this: my "womanly" frame, "hopping" (pssha) up on to the counter...and then slipping! Do not ask me how I slipped...I have NO clue...but my hand came out from under me and down I went...right into the sink! Only to freakin' BREAK the freakin' faucet!!!! Yes, you read that right: I broke the kitchen faucet! Now, have you ever done this? If not, let me tell you what happens when someone breaks the faucet of a sink: WATER....SPRAYS........EVERYWHERE!!!!!! There was a straight up STREAM of water zooming it's way across the freshly cleaned house! "OMG!!! What I am going to do!!!???" Luckily, I still had the *Norwex Enviro cloth* I was using to clean the window with in my hand. I clamped that down over the open faucet and threw open the cabinet to get to the water line. Thank God I could reach it...just barely! "Righty-tighty, Lefty-loosey." was running through my head...why won't it turn off??? "Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey!" I was going the wrong way!!! After what felt like 20 minutes (which was probably more like 1 minute) the water was off. I was SOAKED, the kitchen was SOAKED...SHIT! This is my FIRST time cleaning this house!!! Are you FREAKING kidding me!?!? So, what do I do in situations like this? Yep, you guessed it...."Hey Dad, I have a TINY little problem!" (Hum the super-hero theme song of your choice here) Thank GOD for amazing Dad's who will STILL come to the rescue of their 30 year old, grown ass woman of a daughter! :-)

After realizing that, yes, the faucet really is broken and he can't fix it, Dad offers to go buy a new one and replace it. By this time, I've gotten ahold of the homeowner and told her what happened. Now let me just say this: once again, THANK GOD for kind and understanding people! Her first response was, "Are you hurt?" then she proceeded to tell me that it's really ok, they are going to replace it anyways. I was extremely embarrassed and it took all my strength to not cry. I am so thankful that there are people out there who are kind and understanding. She could have yelled, freaked out and Lord knows what else...yet her main concern was me. Was I ok? Yes, I am fine...besides the bruised ego. So here's my lesson for the day: think about it before freaking out over something. Is it REALLY worth it? Does that person already feel terrible enough as it is? Most likely, yes.

On to other news: jogging! My first 5k is coming up this Saturday (eeeekkkk!) and I'm really excited! A little nervous, but really excited! Tuesday, I jogged down to the bookstore to bake. Jogging downhill is TOUGH! Let along jogging on cement after previously jogging on a rubber track. HUGE difference! My body was pretty sore the next day. Tonight, after my stressful day and an EXTREMELY cranky, whiny, tired, grumpy, teething boy, I decided to "treat" myself to a jog. Oh yes! From my house to the corner of John's Prairie and Brockdale. Pretty good click if you ask me. :-)

Now, I must go to the store. Addy has decided that she wants ham and cheese for tomorrow's lunch...and we have no ham! :-)

Hoping you all have a fantastic Friday!!!!

The number of the day is....

2.5

2.5 you say? What is so great about 2.5? Well let me tell you! It's how many miles I jogged this morning!!!! Yes!!! I am so proud of myself! It only took me 39 minutes too. hahaha Yes, that may seem like a slow pace, but guess what, I'M JOGGING!!!!! 2.5 miles to be exact!!! I have a little over two weeks to build up to a 5k (3.1 miles) and I'm right on track. I can't wait!

I don't have much time this morning. Have lots of running around to do. House cleaning (for pay), grocery shopping, laundry (I despise laundry!), and house cleaning (for free)...kids are quietly eating their oatmeal (with frozen raspberries and cinnamon; it's REALLY quiet!). Time to get them movin' so I can take them to my sister. I just had to take a moment to update you all on my progress.

I hope everyone has a fantastic day!!!

More soon. 

Thoughts for today

Well, my baby girl started preschool today. Wow! I am amazed that the time is going so quickly. Before I know it, she'll be graduating from high school!

She was so excited to go and didn't even get the least bit upset when I told her I was leaving. She said, "Ok, bye!" and continued playing. No biggy! :-)

This morning was jog #3 for me and it just keeps getting better and better! The first time was 4 laps, second time 5 laps, this time, SIX LAPS!!! Without stopping! Me! I can totally see how people get addicted to running. I've always wanted to be a "runner." Yet, I've always HATED "running." But I'm thinking the reason I "hated" to run was because I never gave myself the chance to "learn" to love it. I would rush it and then get discouraged if I couldn't do it long enough or good enough....or my body would hurt. I've really been concentrating on jogging correctly and not over-doing it. I'm really afraid of hurting myself and quitting. But I want to push myself hard to get better...what a cycle! So far, so good though.

We went to a wedding this weekend for our nephew and our new niece (that's really strange to say as they're my age! haha). What a fun time! I even got to wear a new dress and felt wonderful wearing it!

The magic of getting dressed up and feeling good is this: SPANX! Spanx are my lifeline to feeling "good" wearing clothes. I really should buy stock in them. :-) If you've never worn Spanx and have some "jiggle," I HIGHLY recommend that you try them!!!! They'll change your life. :-)

So, I had an amazing phone conversation with a friend today. I'm not going to divulge what we spoke about, but I will say this: I love her and she totally made my day/week/month/year! I cannot WAIT for her name be recognized on a national level. She is amazing, strong, inspirational, loving, beautiful. I've mentioned her before and for those of you who haven't read her story, please go check it out. Do not let the title scare you off. If you like my sense of humor, you'll LOVE this gal! Someday, sooner rather than later, we'll all know her name and know her story. Amber's blog

On another note, I'm signing up for my first 5k!!!! Oysterfest is coming up quick and they do the Shuck 'n Run and I cannot wait to participate!!! My goal: to finish! haha I'm going to keep pushing away and just do it. Can't WAIT!!! I have a couple people I know who are doing the "race" and it'll be fun to see them all on the day. Then, we'll have to go to Oysterfest and refuel on seafood! mmmm

That's all for now. More soon! Love to you all...oh and hey, not to toot my own horn or anything...but my 30th birthday is on Sunday! Woohoooooo! :-)



Today...

5:15 am came way too early this morning! I was NOT wanting to get out of bed, but I did. I stumbled through the bedroom to get my workout clothes. Rubbed my eyes to awaken them. Got my water bottle filled. The only thing I wanted to do was to crawl back into bed. But, I had other plans that I couldn't break.

The track. To me, the track is a place of fear and disappointment. The track is not made for people "like me." It was still dark and a little chilly. I prayed, "God, please let me have the strength and desire to jog. Just one lap! Please give me the drive to finish." I started off, mind you, really slow. I wasn't exaggerating yesterday when I spoke of being a penguin. Half way through, my head tells me, "Yes, half way there. Almost through." My body feels good. Then, to my utter surprise, the "finish" line is right there! OMG! I just jogged the entire track!!! WHAT? I literally jumped for joy!!! Ok, I'm not done. I can keep going....and keep going I did. 4 laps total...then a couple minutes walking, then more jogging. Oh yes...32 minutes of mostly jogging around the track that has "defeated" me since 8th grade. No more! I am completely elated. My body is pretty sore. I definitely need new shoes. But the sore legs will only get stronger. Tomorrow will be a walk only day, but Friday, I'll be back (Schwarzenegger style).

I just have to say this and please don't read to much into it. If you get offended, that's not my problem. This jog today, yes, I did it! I did the actual work. I believe that God was my support through it. And last but definitely not least, my good friend Amber was the inspiration behind this. And for this, I will sign out by saying loud and proud:

I LOVE COCK! (Amber's Blog)

"Walk This Wayyy!"

I love that I can "usually" come up with a theme song for whatever it is I want to talk/rant/blab about. Usually, it's fitting, other times, it's just silly. But whatever. I love music! I may not know the title, the artist, the year it came out, or even the correct words. To me, music is powerful. My husband (he shall remain un-named) LOVES to listen to hard rock (Disturbed anyone?). He's so funny when he hears a crazy, scary song come on. His whole persona changes. He gets this crazy look in his eyes and he snarls his lip. He starts to rock his body and shake his head...and then he starts to "sing." The worst part about  "un-named" is when he hears that "music" he changes. He's normally happy-go-lucky but when that stuff comes on...he's angry. Not at anyone/anything in particular, just angry, snappy, short. Needless to say, we don't listen to THAT kind of music in the house. Once, while up in P.A. for a men's slow pitch tournament, we were at a bar, when "un-named" decided it was time to play some "Disturbed." It was amazing what happened next: the crowd started visually changing. I swear, you'd have thought all the "men" got hit up with a shot of testosterone and they all started snarling at each other and wanting to fight. I'm not joking. One minute, totally happy, clapping each other on the backs after a long, hard day of softball and the next, wanting to scrap like dogs. Like I said, music is powerful. Have you ever heard a song that sends chills up your spine? Or goosebumps down your arms? I love that!!!

Ok, I have NO clue where that all came from...but onto another topic: running.

Ok, running, to me, is hell. I've NEVER liked running, but have always wanted to LOVE it. I have huge boobs so running will probably never be "pleasant." My girlfriend Gretchen and I are going to sign up for a half marathon in May. My "niece" and her husband are doing it and told me about it and I thought, "hey, it scares the crap outta me, so let's do it!" So guess what? Gretchen and I are hopping in the car at 5:30am tomorrow morning and going to the track to start jogging. I was just reading something about people learning to jog/run. They called slow runners "penguins." hehe I find that endearing. I'd totally rather be a "penguin" than a "slogger." (slow jogger) LOL So, I'm sure I'll fill you all in tomorrow sometime on how our first day of being a penguin went. :-)

Just got home for a nice 3 mile walk with the family. What a beautiful evening we had to be outside. Perfect!

Shins...

My shins hurt! I need to learn out to walk correctly to keep this from happening. It's not so bad as to make me not want to walk...but they get pretty sore if I'm not up and moving. Oh well, it'll pass.

My girlfriend Gretchen came over at 5:30 am this morning for our hour long walk. It was fantastic! Still dark, foggy, cool...totally felt like fall! I can't believe it's almost that time of year again! Tomorrow is Saturday and we're going to walk again at 6 am. We both have really busy days and that's the best time for the both of us. Thank goodness for good friends!!!!

Went shopping today. Thank you Macy's for having GREAT sales on really cute clothes for us big girls! I got a REALLY cute outfit and I can't wait to wear it for tomorrow's bachellorette party in Sea-town! :-)

Had carne asada for dinner tonight...spicy but yummy!!!

I really don't have anything "interesting" to add right now. I'm really tired and kind of out of it. I'm sure I'll have some interesting stories from this coming weekend to share...so until then, adios!

PS: What will you do tomorrow to better you own life?

"Wake up in the morning feelin' like P. Diddy...."

This is my jam! (Make sure your volume is ON! and please have the music playing while reading :-)

Yes! Day one of "Operation: Get my A$$ movin'" has been a success. I woke up at 5:30am, got dressed, ate some cereal, did a little bit of work, then went for a walk with a girlfriend. 4 miles in one hour = not too shabby!

It's amazing how much a person can get accomplished in one day when you wake up and the first thing you do is go for a walk. Your exercise is done for the day. You can take a shower and be ready to go by 7:30am. Wonderful!

As I posted last night, I did go for a walk down to the bookstore. Wednesday nights are my cleaning night. I don't know exactly how far of a walk it is, but it's going down a rather long hill and coming back up that said hill on the way home. It's a fantastic walk. I just wish I had my dog with me. Not that I don't feel "safe"...I would just feel "safer" having Casey boy by my side.

He's such a good boy!

I am so thankful to all of my friends who took the time to read my blog and send me words of encouragement. They really all mean a lot to me!

Last night's post was really rather whiny and I'd like to clarify some things: I KNOW that I am not the only one who has these "issues." I know there are many people out there who feel the same as I do. I also know that a lot of people choose to whine about being "fat" (whether that be 5 lbs overweight or 300 lbs) and they will continue to whine and not do anything to better themselves. I will NEVER be a size 2 or 4 or 6 or whatever. The only thing I want for myself is to be healthy in this body that I have. Right now, I am not healthy. The extra weight I have on my body is hurting me. Physically and emotionally. I've always been a "strong" woman and am fairly confident in myself. But I've noticed over the past few years, I hide from the camera because I'm mortified of what I will see. When I look at myself in the mirror, I can think, "Ok, I look good today." but if I see a picture of myself right then and there, I'm humiliated. I really have some body dis-morphia. I see myself as being "thinner" than what I really am. I'm not asking for you to feel sorry for me. The only thing I'm asking you for is to support me and cheer me on. Also, what can YOU do today to make your life better? Walk up those stairs? Take a 10 minute walk? Park in the farthest stall at the grocery store and walk? There are so many "little" things that can add up to so much more.

That's enough for today...

As a side note: I need to finally breakdown and get an I-pod....I need the musical accompaniment for my walks. :-)