Wordless Wednesday…

 

Evan Walk….

2 years ago a kindergartener was killed by a bus. Can’t fix it, can’t change it but can help support a great cause. Today I did a 5k along with our bus drivers from Crosby and about 150-200 other participants. The 2nd running of the Evan Lindquist Memorial 5K and 2 mile was on the Paul Bunyan Trail beginning at the Information Center in Pine River.  Proceeds from this event are starting a scholarship fund in Evan’s name with the funds being held until 2022 with Evan’s classmates being the first recipients. So far they have raised $22,000.00. The parents said a few words and the heart break is just as fresh today as it was than. I can not imagine losing a child. It was raining and a very cool 50* but there was love and laugher and lots of prayers for the family.

Our bus drivers and family, C-I Transportation                      My time wasn’t the best. I have done better, I have done worse. But I walked with Amanda who doesn’t jog/run but didn’t want to go alone so she was my partner.  She made it 1/2 way before having to slow down and just walk slow so I took off and jogged the last half of the race. My time was 44:25:04. It’s okay I have another race June 8th, now I have a time to beat.

Mike came with today and was there for me and all of us. It was so awesome to see his smiling face at the end of the race. It’s so nice to have him home for the weekend.

So today was a great day. A blessing to little Evan that isn’t going to grow up but a name and little boy that no one will ever forget.

Life gets in the way …. and I let it, UGH!!!!

It’s hard. I know for everyone it’s hard but so many are able to do it while I seem to just flounder around. This is my third summer (which seems to have arrived now) to be working on losing my weight. It hasn’t gotten one little bit easier and in fact I think it’s harder now than before though I know how hard I worked to lost my first 40 lbs. Not a huge amount compared to so many others but a good chunk for me.

So I have decided that the first 40 don’t count anymore. Well they do but not from where I’m sitting today. I’m going to start all over. From the beginning. Now when I first did my weight loss there was Allan and Steve to help me get started. Now both of them are off doing what they must so this time it will be me, myself and I.

I am going to quit blogging about it, I’m going to go back to the basics and just relearn and redo and in another years time I will have lost another 40 (well I can really hope and try).

I am sorry to Nicole for dropping out of her challenge but I just don’t have it in me to try and keep up with my blogging, my family, my life and soon daycare and everything else. I am just going to put me first and learn to take care of me. Marc, you started this. Marc wrote a post this past week about taking care of yourself and it has been sitting in my heart and brain and just festering to beat the band. His comment to me was sweet and to the point and … well I think I’ve learned a bit.

Now I’m not going to quit blogging, I am not quitting on Deb and I (we are partners in this until we have gotten to where we want to be), I’m just not going to blog anymore about weight loss. You do get to hear about the 5k’s I’m planning, you do get to hear about what I’ve learned, I’m just not going to be posting weights, diet plans, ideas (unless they work).

I can’t keep up with the Jones, so I’m just going to keep up with me. I know very well I can do this. I did it for about 4 months without anyone and made a good start. Then came Steve and Allan who both helped me so much. Now it’s just time to put this knowledge to good use and learn more along the way.

I will be stopping by everyone that I always do, I will be following along, cheering you on, sharing my knowledge, learning from you but for now, I have nothing to teach, nothing to show and nothing to share about a lady who just can’t get herself together.

Me first, it has to be otherwise I’m not going to be good for anyone else and with my dad’s health declining day by day, my mama just hanging on, my sister who by the grace of God keeps living even when her body refuses so much. For my son that has grown up and has started the most awesome life, for my husband that sticks by me and has learned a bit about me and needing space. Well this year is for me.

So today is day 1.

Mike, family, crafts, kids, bussing, 5k’s, my miles and goals, recipes, and so much more to come…..just not diet. Sorry if I’ve offended, sent away, not helped, not inspired, not lived up to whomever expectations of me. It’s just time for me.

Take care my friends. I truly do hope you stick around and visit me.

Grad pic….and….

Had to share.

One more day home and off to his new job. A bit scary, and the anticipation, wow!

Hope your all having a most awesome weekend.

 

God really blessed me the day Mike came. Happy Mother’s day to anyone that is part of a child’s life. You don’t have to be Mother to understand and be loved like one.

 

P.S. Spring might be coming…..I found two of these this week….they are going to be Trilliums.

Just pictures of what’s happening…

So Mike had some friends over and they target practiced and blew up some stuff. Mike is selling his dirt bike so he can buy a smaller car with better gas mileage. Anyone interested? It’s a 1996 Honda CR80, with two tires (paddle tire and regular one) and it runs good.

 

Mike and Jim have been working together on many different projects. Mike had to work on his exhaust manifold and Jim was wiring my Envoy for a trailer plug.

Sunsets are my most favorite and this one, it’s awesome. I love the reflection on the lake. Jim and I are either going to build or buy a camper trailer we can haul with our smaller vehicles. We are just looking right now.

  

Mike and I went on a hike. A very long one and though Mike really hates walking he always goes because I ask him to take me. In the distant you can see a tower, we started there and went to the top of Cuyuna Lookout.

 

Here’s my boyfriend. He’s really my daddy goose but he “loves” me. HE is the most noisiest goose and follows me everywhere. When I’m outside he’ll come over from daddy’s house to see what I’m up too.

 

Lots of steps in each day except this past weekend when a migraine kept me close to the toilet and house. This past weekend one of our local green houses finally got to set up. We are so far behind this year in planting or getting ready too. I loved this.

 

I have Joss every Wednesday for library day and playtime and lunch to give her mama a break and this past week we celebrated May day with a craft and a May pole.

 

Mike got his new tool box. He’s working on filling it with the needed tools to start his new job. We took Terri to Olive Garden for her birthday this past Friday. Though it was the most awesome food I don’t think it’ll be someplace to go often. A bit expensive and not to good for the diet.

We had game night at grandma’s last week. Mike’s favorite food is spaghetti and malts so grandma spoiled him rotten and of course Mike’s dog scout is so happy to have him home. Another trailer we are looking at to maybe build into a camper trailer instead of buying a premade one.

My garden just this past weekend. The snow is just about gone and my rhubarb is coming up.

Today I set up my green house cuz my tomatoes really need to get out. They need sunlight, they are pretty darn wimpy. Hopefully now that our day time temps are in the 50-60’s just maybe things will thaw and we can have some spring.

So that’s what’s been happening between driving bus, working on a bit of this and that to keep a household running, and enjoying having Mike home.

I hope all is well with you all. I will be back next week once life is back to an empty nest. Blessings!!

So little time left….

I am sorry I haven’t been around to do any posting or visiting but I am spending all the time I can with Mike and family and friends before Mike heads off to his new job and new life a little ways from here. Life has been awesome, the diet not so much but Deb and I have been chatting and when Mike heads away I will be back to doing what I am suppose to be. It has been over a year that I have had anyone to cook for, eat with and enjoy meal time with and right now that is exactly what I’m doing. So that means the scale isn’t going to like me much though I am teaching Mike how to cook more healthy foods and portion control but I’m also fixing things he hasn’t had in a year and not all of it perfectly balanced to the healthy side. It is what it is and I am not regretting a single meal or time spent enjoy it with him. So a break I’m taking and after the 13th I’ll be back with a vengeance to deal with all that I need to.

Just wanted you to know what’s happening.

Take care and have a blessed week.

Week three and week seven….

And the only thing I’m going to say on this post is, it’s a good thing I can keep trying because even though I didn’t eat lots of junk, I did eat out twice. Even though I walked 10 miles while gone, it wasn’t enough to use up the calories I did eat. So with that said, my weight is back up to 198, that’s up 3 lbs but I also know a bit of it is my turn with aunt flow shortly but I’ve learned that just cuz I am up, I’m not going to stay there. I plan on working extra hard this week to get rid of those three pounds and be back into the 5’s and the following week start on the down hill side of the 190’s. Vacations happen, sitting and driving for 1100 miles isn’t good for the diet and no matter if I didn’t eat crap what I did eat fell back into my fat and plans on staying there for a few days but it won’t stay, I won’t let it.

While Mike is home we are going to do some hiking, biking and just being together. It has been awesome watching Jim and Mike interact again like father/son. Life is good, life is awesome!!!

Take care my friends. I will be stopping by to visit soon. Thank you Nicole for your challenge. Thank you Deb for being my partner in loss.

He did it….

 

                    

It was so awesome to watch Mike graduate. It was a very long year but oh so worth it all. He worked hard, graduated with a 3.5 grade point with perfect attendance 3/4 of the year. I got to meet some of his friends, have dinner with a special one and watch quite a few parents, friends and families meet and greet their new graduate.

While in Laramie we did some last site seeing and hiking. We had a blast and got to say good bye to a town Mike is in no hurry to go back too. This cool park has a track around it, in the middle all kinds of games and sports and a concert corner. Along the track are 15 exercise stations with directions to show you how to use the piece of equipment. Then we went up to Happy Jack rest area and hiked around. I saw this really cool church with the stain glass window. This church is shaped like the bow of a ship on the west side where the wind is strongest.

   

  

 

And on our trip home we saw these and went to Mount Rushmore and then it was to dark to see anything else so I drove from 4pm-11am to get Mike to RDO and his quest for the perfect apartment, which we found in a basement apartment with a very nice older couple that were so happy with Mike they asked him to stay.

 

So we are home now. Mike has gone through all his stuff and got it organized. We now need to find him a dresser, blender, microwave, glass dishes, and a vacuum cleaner. He has a chance to buy the kitchen table and couch that are already in the apartment which I think if reasonable he’ll get. Maybe a TV for his bedroom some day too.

So that was our trip, Mike’s graduation and one very proud mama. It really has been a year full of learning, adapting and moving forward.

So now it’s onward and upwards to a new career in a field that he chose and being low man on the totem pole and willing to learn and move up and someday ….. well who knows what someday will bring. Right now it’s one day at a time.

Thanks for all your well wishes, your support and help in learning to deal with a son growing up and becoming the man I had some help in him becoming.

Blessings my friends!!