Good morning blogger friends!
I am so blessed to work in education and to receive almost 2 paid weeks off of work during the Christmas break. Not only is it a blessing in the fact that it is paid, but since the whole university is closed there isn't any work to pile up while I am gone!
The break was busy with the normal holiday stuff. Multiple "Christmases" due to meeting with different pieces of family. Shopping. Cooking and Baking. The Monday following Christmas the flooring people arrived to give us new flooring in our entire house with the exception of the bathroom. I new it would be chaotic, but it ended up being way more chaotic that I expected. We had to move literally EVERYTHING in our house from one room to another (some things went out side on the covered back porch and somethings went out front on the drive way) in as organized as a way as we could possibly handle but I am convinced no level of planning can prepare you for the realization of how much stuff you have that you seriously need to get rid of!
Normally on the break I have time to really contemplate the upcoming new year and to assess the soon to be past year...I didn't have a lot of time to do that. So, this post is my attempt to get the thinking I was able to recorded and to make some hard core commitments for the year. I have just made some fresh coffee so let me pour a cup and then I will get started. Go ahead, get you a cup of warmth too...I will wait....
As I write I am going to highlight my goals along with the action items that go with them. I will then write these goals down, by hand, and read them everyday this year. It is proven doing so will help one to be more successful. I will also make a checklist of sorts for each goal to check off through the year.
The first thing I committed to before the new year started and before we received our new flooring was to remove from our house a box a week of "stuff". I am not going to take the time to post it on an online garage sale and frustrate myself with setting up times to meet people and to maintain the posts. I am taking the boxes to a local good will and to another local place that helps those in need. Since good goals are trackable I am creating a page in my planner to keep track of the boxes each week. I will also track how many bags of trash I gather and toss as a result of cleaning out our stuff. I don't have a set goal on bags but I am curious to know plus I think it will encourage me to keep it up! Can you imagine....52 boxes of stuff gone? I am looking forward to it.
Another thing I committed to before the new year was to improve my health. Last year I really made great strides in my health and weight. This year I plan to continue and even kick it up a notch. I am already back on Whole30. My goal is to make Whole30 more of a lifestyle rather than 30, 45 or 60 days of something different. I will do this by tracking my food daily - does that sound overwhelming? Well how bad do I want the success that comes with it? Pretty bad. I must be willing to do something different to obtain something I don't currently have. So I will track daily and either give myself a star for a Whole30 day or not. I also committed to a number on the scale. I have gone back and forth on this one. Do I focus on a number on the scale or a range on the scale?? I have chosen a number...190 or less. This will require me to lose more weight than I did last year, but all in all losing it last year was fairly easy, with a little more effort and focus this should not be too hard. I will log my weight monthly. Work out a minimum of 3x a week - right now that is crossfit - I am allowing myself to change it up if I choose, like with Zumba or a Spinning Class. However, this goal does not include walking/wogging/jogging. That is a separate goal. A minimum of 5 miles a week walking/wogging/jogging. This year I plan to get to the 39 minute arena on my 5K times.
Create and put into work my new War Room - if you don't know what I am talking about here, I highly recommend that you see the movie. With the new flooring and older children moving out I now have a spare bedroom. We moved our youngest to the larger bedroom and made the smallest room our spare bedroom/office. After seeing the movie I decided it was no longer an office, but a War Room instead! Right now it is in a bit of a chaotic state but there is not reason I can't get started on some important things that need to take place. Most importantly I am going to spend designated focused time with God daily in this room! This is also where I will do my homework and take care of our household stuff. Since my desk has been a catchall in the past, that stops NOW. Instead of scattering the bills, important papers and such around the house - they will have a spot on my desk - a spot, not all over the desk. At a minimum, weekly I will tend to these. I will use this spot for menu making and grocery list making. This keeps everything central and clean. It minimizes losing things. I am looking forward to this room this year! Along these same lines I am going to use my planner/calendar better this year. In the past I was so much more organized using my paper planner but with the advances in technology I have tried to adapt with minimal success. Back to what works!
Finally, this one I just added today. There is a blog on blogger called Beaver Tales that is written by Cari Beaver. She recently put out a Less/More list. I have printed it and plan to read over it daily to keep these things in my frontal lobe. I encourage each of you to check it out. I strongly believe we can all benefit from this list.
Thank you for spending this time with me today! I hope it has been as helpful for you as it has been for me! Over the next few days or weeks I will expand on some of these things for my benefit and hopefully for yours too.
D. J.
Monday, January 4, 2016
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Randomness
I think sometimes I go to hard and worry too much and then I get "sick". Fortunately, I think I caught this one before it blew into a full blown, go to the doctor, kinda sick. I haven't felt great for the past couple of days, super tired and headaches. I considered it to be the withdrawals from carbs since starting Whole30 this time. But, when I did Whole30 before I sure didn't feel like this. This morning I could not deny I was not feeling good at all. I hate that I am not superwoman but I stayed home rather than toughing through it and risking getting sick. I slept a solid 8 hours last night. Woke up feeling like I could sleep a lot more. Got Brandy ready for school, met pops for breakfast, was back in my bed by 8:30 and I slept until 2:00. A phone call from my hubby checking on me woke me up. I still feel a bit odd - but I think maybe a bit better. It's 8:53 PM right now and I am ready to head back to bed.
My previous post stated that my husband was doing Whole30 this time with me. He lasted a day and two thirds...he was kinda making fun of Whole30 and I asked/told him that wasn't being very supportive of me to which he responded that he had a whole new respect for me being able to do Whole30...brownie points for him! I am sad he didn't make it though. I really would like him to feel the goodness after sticking to it for just a short amount of time.
I have stuck to Whole30 today - it wasn't that hard since I slept a better part of it ;-). So this is Day 5. I am still excited to be on this journey again. I do feel like this is forward progress. I feel more confident than ever that I am going to make it to a much healthier and lighter me. I am tired of this being one of my battles in life. I have other battles to tackle. So, my healthy lifestyle needs to become natural for me, without effort.
Days like today always make me ponder life a little bit. Today I realize I am way to stressed and worried. It takes a lot for me to actually recognize that in myself. I need to rethink how I am approaching life right now. With mom passing and dad become a bigger priority a lot of worry has settled in. I want to do what is right and best for him. That's a big burden. But the fact is, he is a grown man, totally able to make his own decision at this point in his life, and I may be taking on more than I should at this time. Like, thinking I need to do certain things before they actually need to be done. He is very capable of taking care of himself for the most part. I need to let go a little bit. I also just need to breathe and take everything in stride. I don't know. I just know I can't keep getting so worked up.
That's my random post for today.
Until my next post.
D. J.
My previous post stated that my husband was doing Whole30 this time with me. He lasted a day and two thirds...he was kinda making fun of Whole30 and I asked/told him that wasn't being very supportive of me to which he responded that he had a whole new respect for me being able to do Whole30...brownie points for him! I am sad he didn't make it though. I really would like him to feel the goodness after sticking to it for just a short amount of time.
I have stuck to Whole30 today - it wasn't that hard since I slept a better part of it ;-). So this is Day 5. I am still excited to be on this journey again. I do feel like this is forward progress. I feel more confident than ever that I am going to make it to a much healthier and lighter me. I am tired of this being one of my battles in life. I have other battles to tackle. So, my healthy lifestyle needs to become natural for me, without effort.
Days like today always make me ponder life a little bit. Today I realize I am way to stressed and worried. It takes a lot for me to actually recognize that in myself. I need to rethink how I am approaching life right now. With mom passing and dad become a bigger priority a lot of worry has settled in. I want to do what is right and best for him. That's a big burden. But the fact is, he is a grown man, totally able to make his own decision at this point in his life, and I may be taking on more than I should at this time. Like, thinking I need to do certain things before they actually need to be done. He is very capable of taking care of himself for the most part. I need to let go a little bit. I also just need to breathe and take everything in stride. I don't know. I just know I can't keep getting so worked up.
That's my random post for today.
Until my next post.
D. J.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Whole30 - couple style!
I am so excited to share that my husband is giving Whole30 a whirl! When he told me he wanted to do it, I thought, "yea, right"...but we have talked about it over the past week and by golly he is serious! Today he even fried his own egg for breakfast!! I can't express my level of excitement! I believe it will be harder for him than it was for me. A large part of his normal eating style includes breads/starches and sugar. I hope he has the resolve to make it through this first week. I know it's a huge change for him. I hope I don't inundate him with Whole30 info..I get so excited!! So, more later on Day 1 couple style Whole30.
Well it looks like we have made it through day 1 and hubs handled it like a champ!! I am very proud!
Breakfast was eggs for both of us. He fried his in oil. I had coconut oil in my coffee. Lunch we grilled steaks and had green beans and carrots with ghee...it was so good we had it for dinner too!! I am getting ready to pack our lunches for tomorrow and call it a day!
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Blogging Therapy
10/13/15 9:28
I need some blogging therapy today. I don't have the money to do retail therapy...well and I don't love to shop. I haven't made it back to the gym yet for that form of therapy. This post is mainly for me to work through and process a bit of life as it is right now in hopes of kinda getting back on some sort of track. But, at the same time, by sharing I hope this helps someone else in some way.
On the morning of September 26th my step mom of 30 years passed. Since I am being transparent here, let's get it all out. I am married to my step moms son. That's right, my dad married my husbands mom. So she is more than just a step mom. She is my mother in law. She is my dads wife. She is my children's grandmother. She took good care of my dad for the 30 years they were married. She showed great love to her grandkids and her kids. She came into my life when I was about 15 - so like all normal teenagers from broken homes, I didn't like her in the beginning. She also brought a pesky little 9 year old girl with her...my step sister/sister in law. I rather like this sister now. Through the years mom grew on me. Not because of "our" relationship, but because of the relationship she had with my dad and my husband. Like I said, she took good care of my dad...that meant a lot to me. Obviously, my husband came from a broken home. After his parents divorce he stayed with his dad. In his younger years he experienced a lot of rejection and lack of value (my words, not my husbands). When mom and dad moved here 3 years ago, she was able to begin to help heal his wounds of rejection and to turn around his "no value" thinking. Again, that meant a lot to me. I didn't always agree with her - she was of a different faith - which caused a bit of strain within the family (but what family doesn't have strain). But, we were family. We were a lot of pieces of broken family that all came together, rose above, and created "good" family.
Now, here we are, without mom. My dad is trying to exist without his soul mate. My husband without this woman who was helping to heal deep wounds that only she could heal. For my three girls, this is their first experience with death. My step sister - a daughter living without her mom. They are each facing their own struggles with this loss. My struggle has been different though. My struggle isn't with my personal loss of her. I know that sounds cold and that's part of why I am struggling. It's not me being cold. My arena of thinking isn't mainly on my personal loss. Its on the loss that my loved ones are experiencing. My personal loss in this is nothing compared to theirs. Which is another piece of my struggle...if I do allow myself to mourn personal loss, I catch myself thinking I don't have the right to do that because I am one with the least significant relationship with her. I also just don't really know how to help my loved ones through this. They all grieve in such different ways and I want to help them but without nagging them. Ultimately I don't want them to hurt. It's hard to accept that I can't take that away from them. It's hard to hold on to the fact that I know they will all be okay....because right now they are not.
I would have to assume death has the potential to cause everyone affected by the death to think about life and how we are living it. I have been doing that. I wonder about regrets. What will mine be? What can I do now to eliminate potential regrets? What do I need to change right now in regards to how I live my life?
All of this is further complicated by the fact that life does not stop, it doesn't even slow down, as we try to grasp all that death brings to us. Time to process...some of us are forced back into life. We have our jobs, our children, our obligations that need our attention. Time to process...some of us just want to jump back into life though we know not how to live without the one we lost. It's as if we jump and find ourselves landing in an unfamiliar area that is exactly where life used to be. Sidebar: If I were an employer I would implement a policy of paid time off of a minimum of 2 weeks with a maximum of 30 days for those losing a close family member...regardless of their work status, part time, full time, salary...as a society we need to take care of each other and allowing time to grieve is part of that.
Okay - life didn't stop. Life backed up and life changed. This is where I am at personally. I had to drop a class because there was little chance of getting caught up after missing over a week and this particular professor didn't show an ounce of concern. While that was/is frustrating, I am believing I will get a better teacher for this class next semester and my learning experience will be better quality. The other two classes that I still have, I have had to catch up and make up ground. This is difficult even with the kindness extended by each of these professors. Just this alone has made me rethink my goals for graduating at a certain time and even my major. I fell out of my 5am workout routine and have been so physically and emotionally tired that I have yet to get back into it for even a day. This is frustrating to me. I need to accept that I am going to have to do it and risk being tired!! My eating when totally off. Which may be contributing to my feeling so tired. Actually the off eating and no working out I am sure affect my whole "thinking/processing" ability. While mom was sick I was always concerned about my dad eating well and taking care of himself, but he did pretty good overall. Now though, I need to be a bit more attentive to him and this is a shift in my normal. Then my sweet loved ones, my hubby, my girls, my sister. I am trying to make sure I make contact and connection with them to see if I can help with their grieving. Bare minimum to love on them.
I am a lover of routine. I can't just get back into my routine now though...first of all, I am playing catch up and second of all my old routine doesn't exist anymore. I have to find/create the new routine which for me is hard. This is where I have to remind myself to take baby steps. Get a few things in place first, then add a couple and allow the new routine to develop rather than thinking you have it have it all figured out today and start it tomorrow. I can still plan each day, but the new daily routine will take a bit to develop. This is why I write...I haven't made it to that place in my thinking until just now. How do you eat an elephant? Along with the development of this new daily routine...things are going to change before I get to the final new routine. I wouldn't be able to plan an adequate one right now if I wanted to because I don't know what life will look like in even two weeks! Unfortunately, life will always be about finding a new routine. We don't know how long a routine will get to last. Life changes without asking our permission. I do believe we need things so incorporated into our daily living that when life does change these things are not shaken. I am not there yet.
I feel like I just need a day of reflection. I am not afforded that right now. So for now I will do my best to just make a little bit of a pocket of time to spend reflecting. That's what I have done while working on this post. I have been interrupted a few times but at the same time I have sat here and taken several deep cleansing breaths over the past hour and a half. Those deep breaths allow us to get a better grip on reality and on right perspective.
Funny but serious note. This weekend I dropped my phone in the toilet...go ahead...laugh...ha ha.....so I had to get a new one. Thank goodness for iCloud! I lost nothing! While looking to set up my new wallpaper on my phone I came across this that I had saved and I totally don't remember saving it, "Gods PLANS for your life far exceed the CIRCUMSTANCES of your day. I have MADE you and I will CARRY you; I will SUSTAIN you and I will RESCUE you. Isaiah 46:4. I encourage you to read it - this is really what it says!! It speaks to me today.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment.
D. J.
I need some blogging therapy today. I don't have the money to do retail therapy...well and I don't love to shop. I haven't made it back to the gym yet for that form of therapy. This post is mainly for me to work through and process a bit of life as it is right now in hopes of kinda getting back on some sort of track. But, at the same time, by sharing I hope this helps someone else in some way.
On the morning of September 26th my step mom of 30 years passed. Since I am being transparent here, let's get it all out. I am married to my step moms son. That's right, my dad married my husbands mom. So she is more than just a step mom. She is my mother in law. She is my dads wife. She is my children's grandmother. She took good care of my dad for the 30 years they were married. She showed great love to her grandkids and her kids. She came into my life when I was about 15 - so like all normal teenagers from broken homes, I didn't like her in the beginning. She also brought a pesky little 9 year old girl with her...my step sister/sister in law. I rather like this sister now. Through the years mom grew on me. Not because of "our" relationship, but because of the relationship she had with my dad and my husband. Like I said, she took good care of my dad...that meant a lot to me. Obviously, my husband came from a broken home. After his parents divorce he stayed with his dad. In his younger years he experienced a lot of rejection and lack of value (my words, not my husbands). When mom and dad moved here 3 years ago, she was able to begin to help heal his wounds of rejection and to turn around his "no value" thinking. Again, that meant a lot to me. I didn't always agree with her - she was of a different faith - which caused a bit of strain within the family (but what family doesn't have strain). But, we were family. We were a lot of pieces of broken family that all came together, rose above, and created "good" family.
Now, here we are, without mom. My dad is trying to exist without his soul mate. My husband without this woman who was helping to heal deep wounds that only she could heal. For my three girls, this is their first experience with death. My step sister - a daughter living without her mom. They are each facing their own struggles with this loss. My struggle has been different though. My struggle isn't with my personal loss of her. I know that sounds cold and that's part of why I am struggling. It's not me being cold. My arena of thinking isn't mainly on my personal loss. Its on the loss that my loved ones are experiencing. My personal loss in this is nothing compared to theirs. Which is another piece of my struggle...if I do allow myself to mourn personal loss, I catch myself thinking I don't have the right to do that because I am one with the least significant relationship with her. I also just don't really know how to help my loved ones through this. They all grieve in such different ways and I want to help them but without nagging them. Ultimately I don't want them to hurt. It's hard to accept that I can't take that away from them. It's hard to hold on to the fact that I know they will all be okay....because right now they are not.
I would have to assume death has the potential to cause everyone affected by the death to think about life and how we are living it. I have been doing that. I wonder about regrets. What will mine be? What can I do now to eliminate potential regrets? What do I need to change right now in regards to how I live my life?
All of this is further complicated by the fact that life does not stop, it doesn't even slow down, as we try to grasp all that death brings to us. Time to process...some of us are forced back into life. We have our jobs, our children, our obligations that need our attention. Time to process...some of us just want to jump back into life though we know not how to live without the one we lost. It's as if we jump and find ourselves landing in an unfamiliar area that is exactly where life used to be. Sidebar: If I were an employer I would implement a policy of paid time off of a minimum of 2 weeks with a maximum of 30 days for those losing a close family member...regardless of their work status, part time, full time, salary...as a society we need to take care of each other and allowing time to grieve is part of that.
Okay - life didn't stop. Life backed up and life changed. This is where I am at personally. I had to drop a class because there was little chance of getting caught up after missing over a week and this particular professor didn't show an ounce of concern. While that was/is frustrating, I am believing I will get a better teacher for this class next semester and my learning experience will be better quality. The other two classes that I still have, I have had to catch up and make up ground. This is difficult even with the kindness extended by each of these professors. Just this alone has made me rethink my goals for graduating at a certain time and even my major. I fell out of my 5am workout routine and have been so physically and emotionally tired that I have yet to get back into it for even a day. This is frustrating to me. I need to accept that I am going to have to do it and risk being tired!! My eating when totally off. Which may be contributing to my feeling so tired. Actually the off eating and no working out I am sure affect my whole "thinking/processing" ability. While mom was sick I was always concerned about my dad eating well and taking care of himself, but he did pretty good overall. Now though, I need to be a bit more attentive to him and this is a shift in my normal. Then my sweet loved ones, my hubby, my girls, my sister. I am trying to make sure I make contact and connection with them to see if I can help with their grieving. Bare minimum to love on them.
I am a lover of routine. I can't just get back into my routine now though...first of all, I am playing catch up and second of all my old routine doesn't exist anymore. I have to find/create the new routine which for me is hard. This is where I have to remind myself to take baby steps. Get a few things in place first, then add a couple and allow the new routine to develop rather than thinking you have it have it all figured out today and start it tomorrow. I can still plan each day, but the new daily routine will take a bit to develop. This is why I write...I haven't made it to that place in my thinking until just now. How do you eat an elephant? Along with the development of this new daily routine...things are going to change before I get to the final new routine. I wouldn't be able to plan an adequate one right now if I wanted to because I don't know what life will look like in even two weeks! Unfortunately, life will always be about finding a new routine. We don't know how long a routine will get to last. Life changes without asking our permission. I do believe we need things so incorporated into our daily living that when life does change these things are not shaken. I am not there yet.
I feel like I just need a day of reflection. I am not afforded that right now. So for now I will do my best to just make a little bit of a pocket of time to spend reflecting. That's what I have done while working on this post. I have been interrupted a few times but at the same time I have sat here and taken several deep cleansing breaths over the past hour and a half. Those deep breaths allow us to get a better grip on reality and on right perspective.
Funny but serious note. This weekend I dropped my phone in the toilet...go ahead...laugh...ha ha.....so I had to get a new one. Thank goodness for iCloud! I lost nothing! While looking to set up my new wallpaper on my phone I came across this that I had saved and I totally don't remember saving it, "Gods PLANS for your life far exceed the CIRCUMSTANCES of your day. I have MADE you and I will CARRY you; I will SUSTAIN you and I will RESCUE you. Isaiah 46:4. I encourage you to read it - this is really what it says!! It speaks to me today.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment.
D. J.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Whole30 R2 D3 Done - Prayer blog
07/30/15 12:56 AM
Day 3 is done. I am telling you, it is so stinking easy to stick with this. I love doing this with friends this time too. The past 3 days I have not battled any intense cravings, I haven't felt hungry, and I haven't had any significant side affects. I have been on vacation which may be helping as I have napped the past three days in the afternoon...ohhhhh that has been so nice. Even with the naps the first two nights I still went to bed rather early. I do think I was a bit lacking in the sleep department due to finals week. So, I may be catching up. However, when I did my first W30 I was very aware of my body needing sleep when I first started...perhaps this is just an area I need to work on. Tonight, I can't sleep. I am plenty tired but my mind is going 90 to nothing! I am yawning as I type this. I am hoping that taking time to do this will help. My 4:20 alarm to do 5:00 cross-fit is about to get turned off...that's the most frustrating thing to not being able to sleep tonight. Why can't I sleep? I had a good amount of energy today. I drank over 50 ounces of regular (caffeinated) tea after 7:00 tonight...did that do it? Or is it because I am thinking (worrying) about people I love? Or maybe a combination of both. I have decided to blog/pray to help. They writing/typing is therapeutic for me and well praying is good for everyone!
Father - first of all thank you for knowing ahead of time everything that is going to happen in our lives and thank you that you already have a plan to bring us through each trial. Thank you for your Word and your faithfulness. Thank you for all the experiences that I have had that have drawn me closer to you, that have made me more dependent upon you, that have grown my faith and trust. Thank you that I can now look at other peoples trials and know they are going to be okay because You are taking care of them.
I have young loved ones tonight who is getting hit really hard by attacks - financial, physical, mechanical, probably emotional as well. I pray your blessing over them. I pray unexpected abundance in any area You see fit for them. I pray peace over their minds. I pray their desire to reach out to you in prayer and in dedication to you is increased. I pray they are able to see you at work in the little and in the big things over the next few days. I pray Your big solutions over their situations while also blessing them with life/faith lessons along the way. I pray they become stronger as a result. I pray as You bring them through this season in their lives that the power satan tries to have over them is greatly weakened. As I have opportunity to talk to them that You would give me the words to speak to them.
Another loved one is growing in so many ways, beautiful ways. Sometimes growth is painful. I pray peace over this one as well. I pray heart wisdom for this one. I pray during this time they draw close to you and become forever closer to you. I pray joys through their day. I pray for unexpected joys! I also pray you blessing over them. Again, I would pray that you would give me words when I am in conversation with this one.
Another loved one is so rocked by situations around them that can't be controlled or necessarily fixed. They bask in the issues rather than seeking your solutions. They stress out so much. Lord I pray Your vision become so bold for daily life that the issues become irrelevant! I pray that seeing what Your plan is brings this person more into your playing field than that of the world around them. I pray blessing over this loved one too. I pray for Your words as I speak with them and for patience and encouragement.
I hate to see my loved ones in turmoil. I hate but love knowing they are going to be okay, be taken care of...I hate not being able to give them that piece of faith, I love knowing this is only temporary for them. I hate seeing them worry and hurt. I hate not being able to fix things for all of them.
I love having them in my life. I love being part of their lives. I pray that I am a valuable piece to their life - the value I desire to be is the value of someone who loves them, believes in them, and points them to You. I am thankful you have given me resources to help on a moments notice. I am thankful that you help us pull through when we don't have a lot of support around us.
I pray father that each person I have prayed over is resting soundly and peacefully. I pray you are refreshing their bodies, minds and spirits to the fullest tonight. I pray when they each wake up in the morning that they are full of hope, clarity of thought, and full of joy and love.
I pray over my day father - I pray I am able to sleep soon. I pray I am able to make good decisions all day long. I pray for a productive day in the ways that I need to be productive. I pray over this yard sale - I pray for support and help in it. I pray that since I have laid these concerns before you that I am able to leave them there..I know you are watching over them. I pray that I glorify you and point people to you.
In Jesus Name I pray - Amen.
Day 3 is done. I am telling you, it is so stinking easy to stick with this. I love doing this with friends this time too. The past 3 days I have not battled any intense cravings, I haven't felt hungry, and I haven't had any significant side affects. I have been on vacation which may be helping as I have napped the past three days in the afternoon...ohhhhh that has been so nice. Even with the naps the first two nights I still went to bed rather early. I do think I was a bit lacking in the sleep department due to finals week. So, I may be catching up. However, when I did my first W30 I was very aware of my body needing sleep when I first started...perhaps this is just an area I need to work on. Tonight, I can't sleep. I am plenty tired but my mind is going 90 to nothing! I am yawning as I type this. I am hoping that taking time to do this will help. My 4:20 alarm to do 5:00 cross-fit is about to get turned off...that's the most frustrating thing to not being able to sleep tonight. Why can't I sleep? I had a good amount of energy today. I drank over 50 ounces of regular (caffeinated) tea after 7:00 tonight...did that do it? Or is it because I am thinking (worrying) about people I love? Or maybe a combination of both. I have decided to blog/pray to help. They writing/typing is therapeutic for me and well praying is good for everyone!
Father - first of all thank you for knowing ahead of time everything that is going to happen in our lives and thank you that you already have a plan to bring us through each trial. Thank you for your Word and your faithfulness. Thank you for all the experiences that I have had that have drawn me closer to you, that have made me more dependent upon you, that have grown my faith and trust. Thank you that I can now look at other peoples trials and know they are going to be okay because You are taking care of them.
I have young loved ones tonight who is getting hit really hard by attacks - financial, physical, mechanical, probably emotional as well. I pray your blessing over them. I pray unexpected abundance in any area You see fit for them. I pray peace over their minds. I pray their desire to reach out to you in prayer and in dedication to you is increased. I pray they are able to see you at work in the little and in the big things over the next few days. I pray Your big solutions over their situations while also blessing them with life/faith lessons along the way. I pray they become stronger as a result. I pray as You bring them through this season in their lives that the power satan tries to have over them is greatly weakened. As I have opportunity to talk to them that You would give me the words to speak to them.
Another loved one is growing in so many ways, beautiful ways. Sometimes growth is painful. I pray peace over this one as well. I pray heart wisdom for this one. I pray during this time they draw close to you and become forever closer to you. I pray joys through their day. I pray for unexpected joys! I also pray you blessing over them. Again, I would pray that you would give me words when I am in conversation with this one.
Another loved one is so rocked by situations around them that can't be controlled or necessarily fixed. They bask in the issues rather than seeking your solutions. They stress out so much. Lord I pray Your vision become so bold for daily life that the issues become irrelevant! I pray that seeing what Your plan is brings this person more into your playing field than that of the world around them. I pray blessing over this loved one too. I pray for Your words as I speak with them and for patience and encouragement.
I hate to see my loved ones in turmoil. I hate but love knowing they are going to be okay, be taken care of...I hate not being able to give them that piece of faith, I love knowing this is only temporary for them. I hate seeing them worry and hurt. I hate not being able to fix things for all of them.
I love having them in my life. I love being part of their lives. I pray that I am a valuable piece to their life - the value I desire to be is the value of someone who loves them, believes in them, and points them to You. I am thankful you have given me resources to help on a moments notice. I am thankful that you help us pull through when we don't have a lot of support around us.
I pray father that each person I have prayed over is resting soundly and peacefully. I pray you are refreshing their bodies, minds and spirits to the fullest tonight. I pray when they each wake up in the morning that they are full of hope, clarity of thought, and full of joy and love.
I pray over my day father - I pray I am able to sleep soon. I pray I am able to make good decisions all day long. I pray for a productive day in the ways that I need to be productive. I pray over this yard sale - I pray for support and help in it. I pray that since I have laid these concerns before you that I am able to leave them there..I know you are watching over them. I pray that I glorify you and point people to you.
In Jesus Name I pray - Amen.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Official Whole 30 round 2 with friends!! Day 1
July 17,2015 10:12 PM
Today was day 1 of my 2nd round of Whole30. This time I am in it with 5 - 6 friends! I am pretty excited! We have all agreed to a check in daily through FB messenger. So far so good! I am also on vacation this week. I am trying to deep clean my house and declutter it as well. Planning on a yard sale this weekend. I am enjoying time with my very energetic 8 year old.
Tomorrow I will be doing my first crossfit something...I am meeting my daughter at 5 am! UGH! I am excited but super nervous. I know I will be the biggest woman there. I think it will be fun but I hate being the biggest.
My summer classes have ended. I ended up with a strong A and a barely B. I am so thankful.
Real quick - my meals for today:
Breakfast - Jimmy's egg with my dad. Veggie omelet with avocados (no cheese) and canteloupe and honey dew. Coffee
Lunch - turkey lunch meat and cabbage with a mayo/vinegar dressing.
Dinner - Pork Steak, cabbage, green onion, tomato and red bell pepper salad with mayo/vinegar dressing.
Went to the gym and just did a fat burn program on the treadmill for like 35 minutes.
Had a bit more pork with mayo when I got home because I thought I might be hungry. I was full/satisfied real quick.
It was an EASY day!
Lots of love!
D. J.
Today was day 1 of my 2nd round of Whole30. This time I am in it with 5 - 6 friends! I am pretty excited! We have all agreed to a check in daily through FB messenger. So far so good! I am also on vacation this week. I am trying to deep clean my house and declutter it as well. Planning on a yard sale this weekend. I am enjoying time with my very energetic 8 year old.
Tomorrow I will be doing my first crossfit something...I am meeting my daughter at 5 am! UGH! I am excited but super nervous. I know I will be the biggest woman there. I think it will be fun but I hate being the biggest.
My summer classes have ended. I ended up with a strong A and a barely B. I am so thankful.
Real quick - my meals for today:
Breakfast - Jimmy's egg with my dad. Veggie omelet with avocados (no cheese) and canteloupe and honey dew. Coffee
Lunch - turkey lunch meat and cabbage with a mayo/vinegar dressing.
Dinner - Pork Steak, cabbage, green onion, tomato and red bell pepper salad with mayo/vinegar dressing.
Went to the gym and just did a fat burn program on the treadmill for like 35 minutes.
Had a bit more pork with mayo when I got home because I thought I might be hungry. I was full/satisfied real quick.
It was an EASY day!
Lots of love!
D. J.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
How long will the quiet last...
July 19, 2015
It's 4:37 PM and my hubby and daughter are napping. I have some peace and quiet, the house to myself. I am tiptoeing around hoping to extend the length of this quiet time. The past few days have been FULL! Brandy's birthday was Friday and we literally celebrated the whole day! Shopping, water park, more shopping~this time to get ready for her party, then we had family and friends over for her party, she had a friend stay the night, family stayed and played games until almost midnight. My sister and one of my daughters stayed the night too. The next day Brandy and her little friend played and played and played! I cleaned up a bit from the day before. Then we went out to lunch and to drive around our town to show my sister new stuff she hasn't seen before. We had to run and get a gift for another one of Brandy's friends who was having a party that evening. We took her overnight friend home and came home for a quick nap. Off to the park for the birthday party, it started there, went to the splash pad and then a little ice cream place across the street from the splash pad. From there back to the park for MOVIES IN THE PARK! We got home just before 11:00. Everybody to bed, my sister stayed the night again. Then....I could not sleep. So I got up and worked on homework until after 2 AM. Up for church ~ there by 7:45. After church an errand and then out to lunch with my sister, and my oldest daughter and her family, and of course my husband and 8 year old. We all went back to our house afterwards. House was empty by 2:15 and it was nap time! We are all tired. I don't nap for hours like I used to. So now I get the benefit of enjoying a quiet house. However, the 8 year old is stirring.
I savor this time, it is so minimal. I know when they wake up we will be a full throttle again. We need to get the house caught up so we can start the week organized and I have homework. This week is finals week, prayers please, but also PRAISE THE LORD! I look forward to about 3 weeks of no homework.
A little over a week ago I heard or read about praying for unexpected abundance. To no pray for it in a specific area but rather to leave that up to God. Last week my sister and I started reading The Prayer of Jabez together and it discusses praying for Gods blessing - blessing being supernatural favor - again leaving the area or the specifics to God. Friday I noticed I had an expected deposit in my account. We would have been okay without it but it was going to be a tight next 7 days, especially with the money we budgeted for Brandy's birthday. That unexpected abundance took the pressure off. Thank You God!
Today, pastor preached a great sermon! I mean really great. One we all needed to hear but I know my sister needed to hear it especially. The blessing of teaching and understanding. God is Good.
It's 4:52 and I hear my stud (husband) getting up. Looks like my quiet time is over. I am sure happy I had a few minutes to blog!
Lots of love!
D. J.
It's 4:37 PM and my hubby and daughter are napping. I have some peace and quiet, the house to myself. I am tiptoeing around hoping to extend the length of this quiet time. The past few days have been FULL! Brandy's birthday was Friday and we literally celebrated the whole day! Shopping, water park, more shopping~this time to get ready for her party, then we had family and friends over for her party, she had a friend stay the night, family stayed and played games until almost midnight. My sister and one of my daughters stayed the night too. The next day Brandy and her little friend played and played and played! I cleaned up a bit from the day before. Then we went out to lunch and to drive around our town to show my sister new stuff she hasn't seen before. We had to run and get a gift for another one of Brandy's friends who was having a party that evening. We took her overnight friend home and came home for a quick nap. Off to the park for the birthday party, it started there, went to the splash pad and then a little ice cream place across the street from the splash pad. From there back to the park for MOVIES IN THE PARK! We got home just before 11:00. Everybody to bed, my sister stayed the night again. Then....I could not sleep. So I got up and worked on homework until after 2 AM. Up for church ~ there by 7:45. After church an errand and then out to lunch with my sister, and my oldest daughter and her family, and of course my husband and 8 year old. We all went back to our house afterwards. House was empty by 2:15 and it was nap time! We are all tired. I don't nap for hours like I used to. So now I get the benefit of enjoying a quiet house. However, the 8 year old is stirring.
I savor this time, it is so minimal. I know when they wake up we will be a full throttle again. We need to get the house caught up so we can start the week organized and I have homework. This week is finals week, prayers please, but also PRAISE THE LORD! I look forward to about 3 weeks of no homework.
A little over a week ago I heard or read about praying for unexpected abundance. To no pray for it in a specific area but rather to leave that up to God. Last week my sister and I started reading The Prayer of Jabez together and it discusses praying for Gods blessing - blessing being supernatural favor - again leaving the area or the specifics to God. Friday I noticed I had an expected deposit in my account. We would have been okay without it but it was going to be a tight next 7 days, especially with the money we budgeted for Brandy's birthday. That unexpected abundance took the pressure off. Thank You God!
Today, pastor preached a great sermon! I mean really great. One we all needed to hear but I know my sister needed to hear it especially. The blessing of teaching and understanding. God is Good.
It's 4:52 and I hear my stud (husband) getting up. Looks like my quiet time is over. I am sure happy I had a few minutes to blog!
Lots of love!
D. J.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Simplicity, Health, Happiness, Gratititude, Love
07/15/15
This has the potential to be a long post.
Before you read go fix yourself a cup of coffee or hot tea and take time
to just breathe, read, and relax!
No, really, go get a cup of coffee or tea
first.
Okay, let's do this! Yesterday I
mentioned the book Essentialism. I really can't quit thinking about it
and life. As I said yesterday I do love my life. I have way more
good in my life than I deserve! Thank you GOD for grace and mercy!
Taking time yesterday to post was a really good thing! It calmed me
and helped me to realistically refocus and remove my frustrations. Last
night I was able to get most of my list that I made done and most importantly
Brandy and I made homemade granola bars together.
This was important
to me for a couple of reasons. First of all, we know making them is a lot
more healthy than store bought. I want Brandy to know that making things
is really pretty easy and usually more tasty, not to mention again, more healthy.
Brandy has expressed an interest in helping in the kitchen - I need to
encourage that curiosity! Plus, we simply spent time together actually
doing something valuable. This was the highlight of my day.
Back to the book.
Deep down I desire a simpler living. A better quality of living.
I think I do a lot right and I think I have a lot of right motives but
there is also a lot of room for improvement. I have been thinking about things
that are most important to me. We read and hear a lot about developing a
type of personal mission statement and that anything outside of that mission
statement we should probably avoid or say "no" to. This has
been hard for me because I don't like to limit myself or say no. The
words listed in my title are the things I think I need to focus on, really
ponder and clarify what they mean to me. Today, I am going to do just
that in my blog post. You get to be part of my brain storming! Hope
you are excited!
The first word is Simplicity. I think this
could mean different things to people. For me it is the idea of
"less but better" to quote the Essentialism book. But it is
also being in a state of organization that allows life to flow smoothly.
That may mean doing less to enjoy what you will do even more. That
means planning one grocery trip per week and not going 3 or 4 times during the
week because you weren't organized enough to get it planned out. That
means having routines in place that keep my house clean. Within Simplicity I also think of needing to declutter.
I have a lot of stuff. You don't necessarily see it when you are in
my house because its in cabinets and closets! It's just stuff that has
accumulated over time. I either needed it at one point in time, but don't
now or somehow I acquired it and have never really needed it. Simplicity also means peace to me.
Health is the next word. I think I have a
ripple affect in what I choose to do. Be it bad or good. I want to
use this power for good. (That sentence made me giggle) I have made much
progress over the years in the area of health but I am no where near where I want to
be. I have been much bigger than I am now, but I am not at a healthy weight.
I have done things physically as a bigger girl that have encouraged other
bigger girls. I did at half marathon at 230 pounds! I didn't die!
It was awesome! We really don't realize how many people actually
watch us, no matter who we are. I want what they see in me to encourage
them to be better! My actions also directly impact those in direct
contact with me! I cook, they eat! Ha Ha! So what I cook literally
affects their health. In Brandy's case it will secure in her a healthier
set of eating habits ~ which is extremely important considering her disorder.
My husband tends to make better eating choices when our meals are
healthier too. He also sees what I am doing different and picks up on
things. I also feed my parents usually on Saturday and Sunday and
sometimes a night or two through the week. Truth be told, it is probably
their healthiest meals of the week. We also have our daughters and
sisters over too...my husband and I neither have any brothers...odd...okay, so,
I know my eating choices and food preparations are noticed. I want them
to see a healthy way of eating is doable and is yummy! I want to eat
healthy most of the time. I want to go several days in a row making solid
healthy eating decisions. To me there is not reason this is not
attainable. I also want to be active everyday. Ideally, I want to
run daily, get in some weight training 2 - 3 times a week and include some
stretching. I love to run, or in my case it is called wogging...a slow
jog you know. I love how I feel when I finish a walk or wog. It's
amazing. It's even better when it is a fast paced wog. Physically,
mentally and emotionally it's the bomb! I also want to be able to be very
active as an older person. What I do now affect that.
Let's skip
happiness for now and move on to gratitude.
The past couple of weeks the practice of gratitude has made it to my
radar. I have a friend whose husband has been diagnosed with cancer.
Her first husband passed from cancer, her young son beat cancer and now
this. Just a couple of days after getting the news she had a wonderful
post about gratitude! Another one followed. She was clear in the
fact that right now she has every right to be mad, to be grumpy and hateful,
but she was making a choice to be thankful. That hit me right between the
eyes. Monday my daughter, almost 8 year old Brandy, after a pretty
awesome day indicated that she wanted more. So I asked her to instead of
focusing on what else she wanted to tell me 5 things she was thankful for so
far today. Things that happened. She could name two. This is
a HUGE momma fail! I have not taught her how to truly the thankful.
We teach by example you know! As I read my book as well I became
more aware of the need to be able to express my gratitude. Ultimately
expressing to others and also journaling about gratitude. It would be
very easy to go off on a bunny trail here and tell you my plans for my
calendar/planner next year...that needs to be another post though...let me just
briefly say, I have plan to journal daily in my planner next year (because the
one I have this year STINKS but I hate to buy another since I spent money on
this one)...but I should not wait until next year to do this. So I am
trying to add this now without adding another notebook. Not there yet.
I know one thing I plan to do is to continue to have Brandy tell me
things she is grateful for. It may not be daily, but it will be often.
It will only take a matter of time until she uses this on me when I am
complaining about wanting something. Iron sharpens iron you know.
Proverbs 27:17. I can only imagine the change once gratitude becomes a
habit. If any of you actually already do this I would love to hear how it has
affected you.
Let's move on to LOVE now. I love passionately and
deeply. It can be dangerous at times if you challenge or hurt someone I
love. I also resist loving and showing love to those outside my circle of
love because, well, it's painful. But, I don't think God gave me this
much love to hold back. I know this is going to be a big thing over the
next year or so, I have a check in my spirit as my spiritual mom would say.
God is preparing me to step outside my comfort zone. Even in my
comfort zone I can hold back. Love is SO impactful. I have to be
able to share it better and more than I ever have. I know the power of a
hug. I was in foster care for a period of time and my foster mom hugged
me A LOT. It's hard for me to even type that without becoming emotional.
I didn't really want to be hugged. But she did it anyway. She
did it often and she hugged so good! Looking back now, I know she loved
me, I know she knew when they brought me into their home that she would most
likely fall in love with me and that one day I would go back to one of my
parents. She knew there would be pain. She did it anyway. It
changed me. As a result I hug and hugged my girls often...big like my foster
mom Sue did. As my big girls were growing up and they would have friends
over they got hugged, if I ran into those friends around town, they got hugged.
I can tell you today I have 24 year olds that come up to me for their
hug. I have an emotional attachment to these kids now. Sometimes I
have joy and sometimes I have sorrow over them. Who cares? They were
loved and that's all that matters. At church when I meet new people I
tend to not shake hands, but rather, I try to hug. It's not easy for me
at all in this arena. I don't tell you this to brag either...I tell you
this to challenge you. Are you being prompted by God to step out of a
comfort zone? Then hop to it! Anyway, a hug means acceptance in my
opinion. It means love. People in general have been hurt and
rejected. A hug goes a long way to ease the pain. I think sometimes
it is uncomfortable to hold love in when it is suppose to be poured out.
Even when the process is a bit uncomfortable, even awkward, then end
result is usually relief. Test me on this, I dare you!
Finally, happiness. Everything I
have already mention I want to do in order to honor and glorify God. I
believe these are desires He has given me. Looking at scripture will
simply reinforce this belief. In all of these things I will seek God.
In all of these things I will grow closer to God. I know God
intends happiness for each one of us. I did not
say God intended a perfect frustration free life for us. Hello people,
satan is still out there and his main goal is to steal our joy! You kid
yourself if you don't realize or believe satan is active and on the prowl to
keep you from becoming all that God would have you to be. I believe
through the things I have written about today we create happiness. I do
not believe others make us happy. I do not believe happiness is
necessarily "found" either. I believe we create it!
Daily! When I think of happiness it encumbers all the things I have
written about today.
Whew! You got a
lot of my heart today. It has done me good to type this out! Now, I
am being prompted to share on facebook...so I will!
Lots of love to each
of you today! Please comment, I really love to hear from you!
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Frustrations...
07/14/15
Oh goodness, how do I start this post. I have a million thoughts going through my head and no time to process a single one. I get very frustrated when this happens. Life is good, I love my life, but sometimes it really comes at me full force. Nothing bad, just a lot to do. When I have a lot to do I tend to feel like I am failing because I should not allow things to stack up like this. Yes, I have to remind myself often, I am not superwoman. It takes a while (like days) for that to sink in sometimes. This frustration is amplified when I have no quiet/down time. My lunch hour is usually that quiet/down time, or sometimes after everyone is in bed. This week, my little one is working with me. A camp she was enrolled in for this week has cancelled. She isn't hard to watch, however, she talks or snaps, or makes noises with her mouth, or has her kindle up just a little too loud. This is my week to work four 10 hour days. So for that time we are in my 10x10 office together.
I killer her hamster yesterday. That didn't help my failure thoughts at all! It was a little past time to clean his cage and I felt bad for him so before I left for work yesterday we put his cage on the back porch. I just knew he would love the breeze and the significant change of scenery. Apparently hamsters are rather sensitive to temperature...I do believe yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far.
As I type this I think of something I need to do and wander of to take care of it. Ha!
I have not been making healthy eating choices the past couple of days. In fact, I have let my frustrations get the best of me and I have emotionally eaten. I hate that! I should be so over emotional eating by now. Today I am doing well so far.
So seriously, this time I am taking to type this post is my time to breathe and refocus. To get a grasp on reality again instead of living and reacting to the lie that I have no control over my time right now. I just finished a book titled Essentialism by Greg McKeown. I think everybody should read this book. Here is a link to help convince you to buy the book and read it: http://gregmckeown.com/essentialism-the-disciplined-pursuit-of-less/ I had to read it for a summer class I am taking. I loved it and I can't wait to go through it at my own pace and apply apply and apply the recommendations. My heart aches for simplicity in all things, but I don't know how to get there from here, plus it seems so overwhelming. I also keep telling myself that once I get my degree I will be able to make many changes that are helpful and begin to do things that bring me peace and joy again. I use it as an excuse to not make permanent changes now. This book helped me to look a the big picture - life now and how much better it can be in two years when I get my degree if I start making small changes now rather than doing nothing now.
Fact - sometimes we lose our bearings in the craziness of our lives. Fact - it is still within our abilities to step back and say, "whoa?" I am saying, "Whoa" right now. I am taking a breath. I am reminding myself there is only so much I can get done in a day and sometimes those things have to get completed in a less than perfect environment. I may not be able to get 30 minutes or so for restorative time, but I can run out and take a 10 minute walk outside and experience relaxing benefits. I have made a quick list of things I would like to get done tonight with stars by the ones that must get done. Already, my life is a little more in order.
Okay - thanks for reading! You helped me get to a better place today!
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Withdrawals or a bug?
07/08/15 9:22 PM
I spent the day at home today. I woke up with a pretty good headache. Soon after my stomach was pretty upset. The stomach cleared up in about 3 hours. The headache remained all day, I still have it as I type this. It kinda felt like it might be sinus related. I ran my essential oils diffuser most of the day. I would get up and say, fold a load of laundry, and then have to sit back down because it wore me out. I just had minimal energy. I honestly don't know if it was a bug or withdrawals. This is day 4 I think of being back on Whole30. I certainly didn't do this when I did my original whole30. I did get rather sleepy/tired but that is all that I remember. My hubby didn't feel to swift yesterday or today so perhaps it was a but. Either way, I started thinking about withdrawals. I think its amazing how quickly our bodies become dependent upon things that aren't good for them. I think is amazing that they respond the way they do to eliminating the bad stuff. I don't think I want to go through this any more than necessary so I am encouraged to really really watch the amount of sugar and carbs that I allow myself in the future. It really needs to be minimal. The weeks that I was off the program I didn't really go crazy but I did allow myself to have breads and sweets. I would say I consumed less than the average person would. I am surprised, if this is withdrawals, at how intense it is.
At the same time I have felt this way today I know either way, its just temporary. Seriously in very few days I know I will be feeling pretty awesome. I look forward to it! It's enough to keep me staying the course.
I don't know if I mentioned this in an earlier post but if I did forgive me. I am astonished that my weight did not quickly jump back up on the scale. Eating off of Whole30 I went down a bit and then up a whopping 3 pounds. Basically, in a month I was up only 3 pounds. Folks, I am telling you, it's no big deal for me to gain 5 pounds in a week! So, only 3 pounds is phenomenal!
Today it rained all day! I do love a rainy day, so that was actually a perk of not feeling good. As I sat or laid in my chair I looked out our back doors and watched the rain. It didn't even make it to 80 degrees today. For July in Oklahoma - that is just not normal. This evening I went outside and noticed the tree frogs are pretty darn loud tonight. They make me smile. I saw a few lightning bugs too. Again, I smiled. I do wish we were a bit out of town so that we could hear and enjoy nature a little bit more. But, still, it's pretty cool. For a girl from Washington, I would say somehow I have ended up being a country girl. I love my hometown in Washington, it has a whole different set of loves. If I had the opportunity to choose between here or there now....man it would be hard.
In one of my classes I am having to read this book titled - Essentialism. WOW! I rented the book for class. I will be "returning" the book and then buying it back from them. There is no way someone could read this book and not make notes and highlights. I can't imagine anybody reading this book and not finding value in it, life application for improved quality of life! This is me telling you - go buy to book and read it!
That's all for today my friends! Sleep well!
D. J.
I spent the day at home today. I woke up with a pretty good headache. Soon after my stomach was pretty upset. The stomach cleared up in about 3 hours. The headache remained all day, I still have it as I type this. It kinda felt like it might be sinus related. I ran my essential oils diffuser most of the day. I would get up and say, fold a load of laundry, and then have to sit back down because it wore me out. I just had minimal energy. I honestly don't know if it was a bug or withdrawals. This is day 4 I think of being back on Whole30. I certainly didn't do this when I did my original whole30. I did get rather sleepy/tired but that is all that I remember. My hubby didn't feel to swift yesterday or today so perhaps it was a but. Either way, I started thinking about withdrawals. I think its amazing how quickly our bodies become dependent upon things that aren't good for them. I think is amazing that they respond the way they do to eliminating the bad stuff. I don't think I want to go through this any more than necessary so I am encouraged to really really watch the amount of sugar and carbs that I allow myself in the future. It really needs to be minimal. The weeks that I was off the program I didn't really go crazy but I did allow myself to have breads and sweets. I would say I consumed less than the average person would. I am surprised, if this is withdrawals, at how intense it is.
At the same time I have felt this way today I know either way, its just temporary. Seriously in very few days I know I will be feeling pretty awesome. I look forward to it! It's enough to keep me staying the course.
I don't know if I mentioned this in an earlier post but if I did forgive me. I am astonished that my weight did not quickly jump back up on the scale. Eating off of Whole30 I went down a bit and then up a whopping 3 pounds. Basically, in a month I was up only 3 pounds. Folks, I am telling you, it's no big deal for me to gain 5 pounds in a week! So, only 3 pounds is phenomenal!
Today it rained all day! I do love a rainy day, so that was actually a perk of not feeling good. As I sat or laid in my chair I looked out our back doors and watched the rain. It didn't even make it to 80 degrees today. For July in Oklahoma - that is just not normal. This evening I went outside and noticed the tree frogs are pretty darn loud tonight. They make me smile. I saw a few lightning bugs too. Again, I smiled. I do wish we were a bit out of town so that we could hear and enjoy nature a little bit more. But, still, it's pretty cool. For a girl from Washington, I would say somehow I have ended up being a country girl. I love my hometown in Washington, it has a whole different set of loves. If I had the opportunity to choose between here or there now....man it would be hard.
In one of my classes I am having to read this book titled - Essentialism. WOW! I rented the book for class. I will be "returning" the book and then buying it back from them. There is no way someone could read this book and not make notes and highlights. I can't imagine anybody reading this book and not finding value in it, life application for improved quality of life! This is me telling you - go buy to book and read it!
That's all for today my friends! Sleep well!
D. J.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Quick Post!
07/06/ 15 10:56 PM
Just real quick. I was Whole30 all the way today. Got my new Tomtom GPS watch today. Going to switch to mapmyfitness for a while instead of my fitbit and see how I like it. Way excited to use my Tomtom! I am trying it because I am tired of depending on my iphone GPS to work...it doesn't.
Spent a lot of time talking to God today. Seriously, throughout the day. I wish I had words here - I just love being in His presence. I love hearing from him. When I get all caught up with what is going on around me, even though it's good stuff, I lose my focus on God. I allow the busyness of life to distract me. Keeping God at the forefront in the midst of a busy life helps in so many ways. I need it and long for it.
That's all for today - told you it was going to be quick!
D. J.
Just real quick. I was Whole30 all the way today. Got my new Tomtom GPS watch today. Going to switch to mapmyfitness for a while instead of my fitbit and see how I like it. Way excited to use my Tomtom! I am trying it because I am tired of depending on my iphone GPS to work...it doesn't.
Spent a lot of time talking to God today. Seriously, throughout the day. I wish I had words here - I just love being in His presence. I love hearing from him. When I get all caught up with what is going on around me, even though it's good stuff, I lose my focus on God. I allow the busyness of life to distract me. Keeping God at the forefront in the midst of a busy life helps in so many ways. I need it and long for it.
That's all for today - told you it was going to be quick!
D. J.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
07/05/15 9:34 PM
Today has been a thought filled day. Notelling where this post may go and end up!
I am totally wishing for another day off work! Even though I had days off I still "worked"! Friday I worked on getting half of my house super cleaned. Yes, I am still without my little house keeper. Saturday I did big grocery shopping, kept trying to clean but didn't have much success, then of course we had the fourth of July celebration! Today I was up early to get to church (great service!!). We did proclaim today a nap day and oh my goodness it was nice! We had our old people over for dinner and it was super nice outside in our back porch. Then we picked up the half of the house I super cleaned back up...kinda...and I am tired. Like worn out!! So I am torn between wanting another day to just recoup and getting back to my routine of a work week.
I want life to slow down a bit. I want to be done with school. I want to be set in a routine that allows me to be healthy and physically active, laid back and simple. Tomorrow is work and homework. I am less than 2 years from graduating. Some days I am amazed at how far I have come and how close I am to the finish. Other days I am thinking I am never going to make It another 2 years.
I stayed on Whole30 today. :-) I am having trouble with hip/knee pain when I am sleeping. I did not have the pain when I was hard core on Whole30 - I need the pain to stop! I have also noticed my grumpiness has resurfaced. Something that disappeared when I was eating Whole30. I also didn't fret as much. I can't wait to get another 5-6 days under my belt again, I know I will see/feel the improvement!
God spoke to me in a pretty cool way today. I was in church listening to the sermon and had a very odd thought come into my head. I kinda asked myself "where did that come from?" God clearly said - your husband has been praying! My husband was ushering today and was taking care of the lobby. I sent him a text and asked if he had been praying about me or us...why I was waiting for his response I asked God what my husband was praying about and man did he start giving me a list. I started writing them down. Finally my husband responded and do you know what??? The list my hubby provided pretty much matched the list I had written. One item was odd..and it was on both lists. I felt so loved and so hopeful! My lord, my God loves me and so does my hubby...it was super evident today!
Ok - that's my post for today! I am going to bed!
Thanks for reading!! My mind is still going so be sure to check back tomorrow!
D. J.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Well, here we are again.
07/02/15 8:54 PM
First of all I want to say that I love Sleepy Time tea. I love celestial seasonings teas! I just made a cup. I just took in a deep breath of the wonderful aroma, ahhhhh, the first sip is just so good!
Okay, now for an update. Life not on Whole30 is rough. I am not as good as I would like to be at sticking to this healthier way of eating "most" of the time. I feel like I have given up my control over food. I haven't given in though. I am just having a rough go of it. Food beckons me again, and I find it hard to resist. So I think I really have to be all in for designated amounts of time. I also have to have and I have to be prepared. That's a big given! That is also something I haven't really done for a while.
I thought about another public announcement would be bit weird. I mean I just came off 60 days of Whole30 and now I am going to do it again..a bit psycho? With a little less boldness required I am gust going to announce it on my blog! Ha Ha! It does help when I journal my adventures so guess what my wonderful blog readers???You get to enjoy the day by day again! I promise to mix this up with other stuff so the blog isn't all about healthy eating.
Tomorrow, back on Whole30. I have also committed to 20 minutes of activity per day for July. Yesterday Brandy and I walked around our "block" for 20 minutes. Tonight was rainy and stormy so Allison and I went to the gym. I did a fat burn program on the treadmill, it wasn't hard, but my hiney and thighs are not happy now. I am, I love "feeling" the work out.
Okay - for fun - how about some random facts about me?
Married 25 years to the same man. We have had ups and downs to the extreme, we have had to work hard and it's been totally worth it. I think hard work always pays off. I love him more than I could ever begin to express.
My favorite color is pink. I love coffee - just black is best - every now and then I shake it up with a latte and very rarely with some sugar. I love my birthday. I love my family. I firmly believe in God and his Word, and that He gave his one and only son for me...You too, in case you didn't know.
I love to read. I am 44 years old and have been in college for about 7 years now. I plan on getting my accounting degree. It's never too late.
I struggle with confidence but like who I am...does that even make sense? I am continually trying to improve -to be the best me - I believe it is literally a life long process.
Is there anything you want to know? Ask away! No guarantees that I will answer, ,but I probably will.
Thanks for reading! I really do appreciate that you are curious enough to read.
D. J.
First of all I want to say that I love Sleepy Time tea. I love celestial seasonings teas! I just made a cup. I just took in a deep breath of the wonderful aroma, ahhhhh, the first sip is just so good!
Okay, now for an update. Life not on Whole30 is rough. I am not as good as I would like to be at sticking to this healthier way of eating "most" of the time. I feel like I have given up my control over food. I haven't given in though. I am just having a rough go of it. Food beckons me again, and I find it hard to resist. So I think I really have to be all in for designated amounts of time. I also have to have and I have to be prepared. That's a big given! That is also something I haven't really done for a while.
I thought about another public announcement would be bit weird. I mean I just came off 60 days of Whole30 and now I am going to do it again..a bit psycho? With a little less boldness required I am gust going to announce it on my blog! Ha Ha! It does help when I journal my adventures so guess what my wonderful blog readers???You get to enjoy the day by day again! I promise to mix this up with other stuff so the blog isn't all about healthy eating.
Tomorrow, back on Whole30. I have also committed to 20 minutes of activity per day for July. Yesterday Brandy and I walked around our "block" for 20 minutes. Tonight was rainy and stormy so Allison and I went to the gym. I did a fat burn program on the treadmill, it wasn't hard, but my hiney and thighs are not happy now. I am, I love "feeling" the work out.
Okay - for fun - how about some random facts about me?
Married 25 years to the same man. We have had ups and downs to the extreme, we have had to work hard and it's been totally worth it. I think hard work always pays off. I love him more than I could ever begin to express.
My favorite color is pink. I love coffee - just black is best - every now and then I shake it up with a latte and very rarely with some sugar. I love my birthday. I love my family. I firmly believe in God and his Word, and that He gave his one and only son for me...You too, in case you didn't know.
I love to read. I am 44 years old and have been in college for about 7 years now. I plan on getting my accounting degree. It's never too late.
I struggle with confidence but like who I am...does that even make sense? I am continually trying to improve -to be the best me - I believe it is literally a life long process.
Is there anything you want to know? Ask away! No guarantees that I will answer, ,but I probably will.
Thanks for reading! I really do appreciate that you are curious enough to read.
D. J.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
What a difference a day makes!
06/11/15 9:05 AM
Well, today, despite the fact that I have only had 5-6 hours of sleep per night for the past four nights, I am really feeling good! Yesterday I was back to eating compliant whole30 all day and Wow - what a difference a day makes. I feel lighter today, clearer, and tired but yet with energy. I am hopeful and motivated! Good stuff!
I have been missing my home made mayo. Last night I made a double batch! I am so excited! I had some with my pork this morning for breakfast.
Let me tell you about a little something I have been trying this week. Before I tell you I have to give you a little background story. I used to be a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant. I loved the training we received. It was so applicable to life. One of the things I love but could never really grasp was listing the 6 most important things to get done each day. I couldn't grasp it because I could not get past the thought of their only being 6. I have WAY more than 6 things to get done in a day. Last week I read an article about things you must do each day to be less stressed or more productive or something like that. Several of the items on the list I already do. However, one of them was to list 6 things you want to get done for the day. Hmmmm. I decided to give it a whirl. I have done it for 3 days this week - focusing on things I need to get done around the house. I have told myself I have to have the list done before I can sit down to do homework. I hate doing homework when I know there is house stuff that needs to be done - it's very distracting. By doing this little list I am not distracted when I sit down to do my homework. In 3 short days I can already see an improvement in the overall cleanliness of my house (remember - I am housekeeperless right now :-( ) I am pretty excited about the results. So I have no reason to not continue!
Share with me any strategies you have to have a more productive day!
D. J.
Well, today, despite the fact that I have only had 5-6 hours of sleep per night for the past four nights, I am really feeling good! Yesterday I was back to eating compliant whole30 all day and Wow - what a difference a day makes. I feel lighter today, clearer, and tired but yet with energy. I am hopeful and motivated! Good stuff!
I have been missing my home made mayo. Last night I made a double batch! I am so excited! I had some with my pork this morning for breakfast.
Let me tell you about a little something I have been trying this week. Before I tell you I have to give you a little background story. I used to be a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant. I loved the training we received. It was so applicable to life. One of the things I love but could never really grasp was listing the 6 most important things to get done each day. I couldn't grasp it because I could not get past the thought of their only being 6. I have WAY more than 6 things to get done in a day. Last week I read an article about things you must do each day to be less stressed or more productive or something like that. Several of the items on the list I already do. However, one of them was to list 6 things you want to get done for the day. Hmmmm. I decided to give it a whirl. I have done it for 3 days this week - focusing on things I need to get done around the house. I have told myself I have to have the list done before I can sit down to do homework. I hate doing homework when I know there is house stuff that needs to be done - it's very distracting. By doing this little list I am not distracted when I sit down to do my homework. In 3 short days I can already see an improvement in the overall cleanliness of my house (remember - I am housekeeperless right now :-( ) I am pretty excited about the results. So I have no reason to not continue!
Share with me any strategies you have to have a more productive day!
D. J.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Stumbling Through...
06/10/15 8:55 AM
Good Morning Friends. I have to admit over the past few days I have had moments of feeling lost. This part of the journey - "after Whole30" is about finding your own way with your new knowledge obtained over the past how many ever days you did your Whole30. I am stumbling through things to try and I have yet to find anything that I would add back in. I don't think this is a bad thing, but I certainly didn't expect it. I am thinking I found false enjoyment in food previous to this. I think I wanted the food to taste and be glorious, I believed it, and in the process I experienced things that were not real. For example: I love love love home made french fries...or at least I thought I did. We went to a restaurant last night that has these amazing home made fries. I ate one and even said - Wow, those are good! The taste was good. Better than I remember ever before. Like I actually tasted it. BUT it wasn't so awesome that I wanted another one. I also think I am in disbelief...can I really be satisfied with eating more wholesome long term? I already know I can, I have done it for 60 days and loved it....so why the disbelief?
I have also stumbled with being prepared and planned. I have literally slacked WAY off in this arena which I know is causing unnecessary frustration. Not preparing ahead of time and planning is just asking for stress. The perks to being planned and prepared are phenomenal and it's not as hard as one would think. You just have to live each day on purpose! Do what you need to do!
I miss logging my food each day. I think I am hard wired for list making and tracking. So, I may start doing that again in a more abbreviated way. Either on here on or my fitbit dashboard. Thoughts?
Even in my stumbling, I am focused on completing the changes and, as I mentioned yesterday, adding to these lifestyle improvements. I will move forward in achieving health. I have not intention of allowing satan to bind me back up to a food addiction and weight problem. I am an overcomer - that's what the bible says!
D. J.
Good Morning Friends. I have to admit over the past few days I have had moments of feeling lost. This part of the journey - "after Whole30" is about finding your own way with your new knowledge obtained over the past how many ever days you did your Whole30. I am stumbling through things to try and I have yet to find anything that I would add back in. I don't think this is a bad thing, but I certainly didn't expect it. I am thinking I found false enjoyment in food previous to this. I think I wanted the food to taste and be glorious, I believed it, and in the process I experienced things that were not real. For example: I love love love home made french fries...or at least I thought I did. We went to a restaurant last night that has these amazing home made fries. I ate one and even said - Wow, those are good! The taste was good. Better than I remember ever before. Like I actually tasted it. BUT it wasn't so awesome that I wanted another one. I also think I am in disbelief...can I really be satisfied with eating more wholesome long term? I already know I can, I have done it for 60 days and loved it....so why the disbelief?
I have also stumbled with being prepared and planned. I have literally slacked WAY off in this arena which I know is causing unnecessary frustration. Not preparing ahead of time and planning is just asking for stress. The perks to being planned and prepared are phenomenal and it's not as hard as one would think. You just have to live each day on purpose! Do what you need to do!
I miss logging my food each day. I think I am hard wired for list making and tracking. So, I may start doing that again in a more abbreviated way. Either on here on or my fitbit dashboard. Thoughts?
Even in my stumbling, I am focused on completing the changes and, as I mentioned yesterday, adding to these lifestyle improvements. I will move forward in achieving health. I have not intention of allowing satan to bind me back up to a food addiction and weight problem. I am an overcomer - that's what the bible says!
D. J.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
A new lifestyle it is!
06/09/15 8:16 AM
Today is the 5th day off of Whole30. Truth? I miss the discipline of it. I am not a fan of how the non Whole30 foods make my stomach feel and I have had headaches. A couple of times I have deviated quite a ways off the Whole30 track - like having pizza. Most of the time its just little stuff - like we smoked some meat that had a rub on it, the rub had sugar in it. I had store bought mayo last night - it so was not enjoyable. Here is my dilemma that I am about to just get over. I hate feeling like I am making it hard for others when we have family meals because my food is different or I have different needs/preferences. I simply need to learn to stick to my guns and eat the way that I choose to eat! I need to be prepared at every juncture. I could use this dilemma as an excuse to not continue this life style but I am here to tell you - you just don't feel as good! I like feeling good. I also like the weight coming off rather effortlessly. This is my new lifestyle. I will do my best to perfect it. To live it!
There are a few other things I need to focus on as I begin to live and expand this new lifestyle. Water intake, weight bearing exercise, I want to get back into jogging/running regularly, getting enough sleep, being prepared, planning ahead and just overall being organized about life. This seems like a lot, I know. But I have never been more ready and more confident that I will be able to implement all these changes over time and change my life even more for the positive. Inevitably these positive changes will affect my family and others! Come to think about it, the positive affect on my family should out weigh any negative affects....like feeling like I am inconveniencing them to make sure we have food that I will eat.
Going forward I want to continue to blog too. But I am not sure what I want to blog about. I was to continue to keep you involved in this lifestyle change. But that's not what I am all about. I think I need to share more. I had to create a webpage for myself for a class I am taking. I think I will try to incorporate the use of it too. I am thinking about sharing recipes. I will be in prayer over it - I really want God to use this as a way to glorify Him. He has blessed me abundantly. I haven't deserved it, but that's just how God is. Even better, He will do the same for any one of his children. Believe it! It's true!
That's all for today friends!
Love ya!
D. J.
Today is the 5th day off of Whole30. Truth? I miss the discipline of it. I am not a fan of how the non Whole30 foods make my stomach feel and I have had headaches. A couple of times I have deviated quite a ways off the Whole30 track - like having pizza. Most of the time its just little stuff - like we smoked some meat that had a rub on it, the rub had sugar in it. I had store bought mayo last night - it so was not enjoyable. Here is my dilemma that I am about to just get over. I hate feeling like I am making it hard for others when we have family meals because my food is different or I have different needs/preferences. I simply need to learn to stick to my guns and eat the way that I choose to eat! I need to be prepared at every juncture. I could use this dilemma as an excuse to not continue this life style but I am here to tell you - you just don't feel as good! I like feeling good. I also like the weight coming off rather effortlessly. This is my new lifestyle. I will do my best to perfect it. To live it!
There are a few other things I need to focus on as I begin to live and expand this new lifestyle. Water intake, weight bearing exercise, I want to get back into jogging/running regularly, getting enough sleep, being prepared, planning ahead and just overall being organized about life. This seems like a lot, I know. But I have never been more ready and more confident that I will be able to implement all these changes over time and change my life even more for the positive. Inevitably these positive changes will affect my family and others! Come to think about it, the positive affect on my family should out weigh any negative affects....like feeling like I am inconveniencing them to make sure we have food that I will eat.
Going forward I want to continue to blog too. But I am not sure what I want to blog about. I was to continue to keep you involved in this lifestyle change. But that's not what I am all about. I think I need to share more. I had to create a webpage for myself for a class I am taking. I think I will try to incorporate the use of it too. I am thinking about sharing recipes. I will be in prayer over it - I really want God to use this as a way to glorify Him. He has blessed me abundantly. I haven't deserved it, but that's just how God is. Even better, He will do the same for any one of his children. Believe it! It's true!
That's all for today friends!
Love ya!
D. J.
Friday, June 5, 2015
The Day After....
9:38 PM the day after....I ventured out, I tested, I nibbled...I now have a head ache and I don't think I have ever been so bloated in my life! I think Iay be sick , like vomit sick! Even worse than how I feel - none of my non compliant choices tasted even the least bit awesome! I can't wait to get back on the band wagon tomorrow! Ick! Ugh! Stupid stupid stupid!!
The upside - 24.4 pounds gone in 60 days. Another realization - I really appreciate the taste and satisfaction of good wholesome food! My final realization - reintroduction should really be more calculated and planned. I chose to not "deal" with it today as we had a large family yard sale, lots if chaos, meal time was ridiculous. Truth be told though - I would have felt so much better just sticking with it, both physically and emotionally.
The past 60 days have been an eye opening journey...today was a skillet being whapped up side of your head kinda day!
I am some what disappointed in myself yet proud because it is very evident to me what I need to do and I am willingly going to do so!
My blogs will not be daily going forward unless time allows. But don't you worry I will be checking in.
Thanks for taking my journey with me!
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Whole30 - DAY 60 DAY 60 DAY 60!!!!
8:10 AM Well, here I am...DAY 60!! I feel AMAZING. I feel in control! I feel hopeful about a healthy and active life! I am so proud of myself. My confidence and belief in myself is abundant! I have said it before but I will say it again! I AM FREE! Free of being controlled by food, by cravings for food, be emotions affected by food.
This is only the beginning! I will continue the Whole 30 course, a little less restrictive, but most days will be Whole30. I will be getting serious about some distance running again. I will be making progress on clutter and changes in my house. I will be making changes and improvements to how we take care of our finances. I am already changing how I focus on time with Brandy and my family. I am also changing how I approach and work through my college classes. Whole30 has opened my eyes to the possibility of change and fired up my desire to make changes to improve our quality of life.
Last night - due to my tempermental internet - I went to bed and was asleep shortly after 10:00. Aside from a dog barking part of the night, I got a very good nights sleep. This morning I rolled out of bed at 6:20...again...on the way out the door to work I had my handy dandy coconut oil coffee and a slice of turkey lunch meat.
Summer is our busiest time in our offices and it has certainly kicked in this week. I really do love my job even though summer is CRAZY! I appreciate our 4 - 10 hour days as I feel like I have calm before I get started and calm before I go home. It helps. Having Friday off certainly helps too! That being said - it's time for me to get to work.
Later....
This is only the beginning! I will continue the Whole 30 course, a little less restrictive, but most days will be Whole30. I will be getting serious about some distance running again. I will be making progress on clutter and changes in my house. I will be making changes and improvements to how we take care of our finances. I am already changing how I focus on time with Brandy and my family. I am also changing how I approach and work through my college classes. Whole30 has opened my eyes to the possibility of change and fired up my desire to make changes to improve our quality of life.
Last night - due to my tempermental internet - I went to bed and was asleep shortly after 10:00. Aside from a dog barking part of the night, I got a very good nights sleep. This morning I rolled out of bed at 6:20...again...on the way out the door to work I had my handy dandy coconut oil coffee and a slice of turkey lunch meat.
Summer is our busiest time in our offices and it has certainly kicked in this week. I really do love my job even though summer is CRAZY! I appreciate our 4 - 10 hour days as I feel like I have calm before I get started and calm before I go home. It helps. Having Friday off certainly helps too! That being said - it's time for me to get to work.
Later....
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Day 59 - Whole30 - almost there!
10:29 AM. Good morning folks! This morning I was out of bed by 6:20 and I was focused on not wasting any time...I didn't even make my bed (I just realized that as I was typing)! And still I was eating my turkey slices in the car at 7:30...That was my goal time to be at work. Taking time to fix your hair and do all your make up must be rather time consuming...but I think it is worth it. So I think it's time to really put effort into getting out of bed earlier again. I am thinking I need to skip the 5 minutes earlier goal and just jump to 6:00 - period end of story! Seriously work that for like 2 - 3 weeks and then shoot for 5:45. Ultimately I would like to be one of those people who is up around 5:00 or 5:30!
Okay - so I grabbed 2 turkey slices, and coffee with coconut oil and ran out the door. I ate about 1 and 1/3 of the 2 slices of turkey. Today I am trying to survive on only 2 cups of coffee. It's not hard, just weird.
It's already proving to be a busy fast paced day so I must get back to it! I will blog again, hopefully, before midnight!
Okay - so I grabbed 2 turkey slices, and coffee with coconut oil and ran out the door. I ate about 1 and 1/3 of the 2 slices of turkey. Today I am trying to survive on only 2 cups of coffee. It's not hard, just weird.
It's already proving to be a busy fast paced day so I must get back to it! I will blog again, hopefully, before midnight!
9:57PM really busy intense day! My internet is not working well so I can't do homework! I will not stress about it rather I am going to go to bed and get some sleep!
I can home for lunch and had leftover pork and a quickly made slaw. I didn't eat dinner until almost 9:00. I had leftover steak, hamburger mixed with pico. I also had a grapefruit and man was it good!
Hoping for a stronger morning tomorrow - my last day of this commited Whole30! I am excited about moving forward in this new lifestyle!! It has truly been a life changing journey! Praise The Lord!!
I hear my bed calling!!
Night night!
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Day 58 - Whole30 - this could be a long post!
9:31AM This is already an incredible day. I had less than 6 hours of sleep last night. I am a bit tired but I feel fantastic! I feel confident and hopeful. I feel strong. I wonder is this is the "Tigers Blood" the Whole30 books talk about. I wish I were better at expressing myself right now.
In my car this morning I was thinking about this little journey. I thought about how much I have prayed to be released from the bondage of weight...and now I realize from food as well. I consider this Whole30 a gift, an answer to prayer. I don't believe it has been given to me to use temporarily and then set it aside. It's not a quick fix even if the results have been amazing in just 60 days. I truly believe this was given to me to live as a lifestyle. I don't think we are given many blessings that are intended to be set aside after the initial wow factor of the blessing. I think by nature we don't realize the significance of the blessing and so we discard it. I will not do this. I thought about salvation. It's a gift freely given to us. Having this personal relationship with God has many many benefits while we exist on earth. But the best part of the gift we don't receive or even truly comprehend until we pass. Initially many people have that "Wow" factor of receiving salvation and then life becomes life again so the significance of the gift becomes a bit more common and we tend to back burner it. Some however understand from the get go, some who set it aside later are reminded of the significance but in a deeper way, and then they embrace the gift and live the gift! I plan to live this gift and this gift has given me greater insight to some other gifts I have set aside. This Whole30 is all about health, but it's so much more than just physical health.
Okay, that was my soap box for this morning. I reserve the right to get back on the soap box at any time today.
I was out of bed this morning by 6:15. That's better than yesterday and pretty darn good since I was in bed after midnight! I ate my breakfast of diced steak and pico in the car. I brought my coconut oil coffee with me. Here is a little TOOT of my own horn. I am successfully at 4 cups or less each day of coffee now. This is pretty huge. I am working on getting to 2, but I am working slowly. Also, I consistently have my coffee AFTER my breakfast. I am no longer drinking it first thing. Okay, done tooting my own horn. Anyway, hubby fixed Brandys breakfast, Brandy packed her own snack...these seem like little things but they are a HUGE help. Never take little HUGE helps for granted people. I also had time to fix my hair a bit more than normal and I put on ALL my make up, not just my normal powder, blush and mascara. So I look a little more put together today and that helps me feel better about myself. My goal was to be at work by 7:30. I was here by 7:35. I am good with this morning.
I did not bring my lunch today so I will be headed out to eat something. We shall see what that will be!
In my car this morning I was thinking about this little journey. I thought about how much I have prayed to be released from the bondage of weight...and now I realize from food as well. I consider this Whole30 a gift, an answer to prayer. I don't believe it has been given to me to use temporarily and then set it aside. It's not a quick fix even if the results have been amazing in just 60 days. I truly believe this was given to me to live as a lifestyle. I don't think we are given many blessings that are intended to be set aside after the initial wow factor of the blessing. I think by nature we don't realize the significance of the blessing and so we discard it. I will not do this. I thought about salvation. It's a gift freely given to us. Having this personal relationship with God has many many benefits while we exist on earth. But the best part of the gift we don't receive or even truly comprehend until we pass. Initially many people have that "Wow" factor of receiving salvation and then life becomes life again so the significance of the gift becomes a bit more common and we tend to back burner it. Some however understand from the get go, some who set it aside later are reminded of the significance but in a deeper way, and then they embrace the gift and live the gift! I plan to live this gift and this gift has given me greater insight to some other gifts I have set aside. This Whole30 is all about health, but it's so much more than just physical health.
Okay, that was my soap box for this morning. I reserve the right to get back on the soap box at any time today.
I was out of bed this morning by 6:15. That's better than yesterday and pretty darn good since I was in bed after midnight! I ate my breakfast of diced steak and pico in the car. I brought my coconut oil coffee with me. Here is a little TOOT of my own horn. I am successfully at 4 cups or less each day of coffee now. This is pretty huge. I am working on getting to 2, but I am working slowly. Also, I consistently have my coffee AFTER my breakfast. I am no longer drinking it first thing. Okay, done tooting my own horn. Anyway, hubby fixed Brandys breakfast, Brandy packed her own snack...these seem like little things but they are a HUGE help. Never take little HUGE helps for granted people. I also had time to fix my hair a bit more than normal and I put on ALL my make up, not just my normal powder, blush and mascara. So I look a little more put together today and that helps me feel better about myself. My goal was to be at work by 7:30. I was here by 7:35. I am good with this morning.
I did not bring my lunch today so I will be headed out to eat something. We shall see what that will be!
12:56AM quickly getting in my post before going to sleep. I aplogize for the lateness...homework is killer!
For lunch I came home and made tuna with my homemade memo, added pickles. Put it on tip of lettuce and onions. Dinner was grilled pork, 2 pieces because I was actually hungry, with smashed cauliflower and green beans. Ghee in the cauliflower.
So sleepy!!! Goodnight friends!
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