Couple more participants I didn’t tell you about…

But just so you know, I did add your names to the drawing when Joss picked, I just didn’t finish the post like I should of. Forgive me because I truly enjoyed hearing from you all and for having you join me in getting off our butts and doing something healthy.

Ronalee joined me and did 3 5K’s for me. She walked two and ran one. Now that is awesome and wonderful and …. well I am impressed and so glad she joined me.

"S" joined me also. She did a TKD class that puts me to shame. She is amazing the work she does to get to be her healthiest. And after all of this she did a belly dancing class too.

There are others that said they were going to be there with me and I added their names too, just in the spirit and in case they did join me but didn’t get a chance to tell me.

Here are the names we drew from:

Shannon

Miss April

Kristy

Casey

Pam

Shawn

Kelly

Michele

Nanette

The Voices Within Unleashed

Blog Wobble  (my winner)

Deb

Betty

Holly

Maren

I want to tell you guys thank you again so much for making this day/week/year so much easier to welcome in. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!!

Take care my friends and blessings to you all!

Want to do what I did?

It took me 12 minutes to do this. It took me longer to just do it then doing it. So now tonight I am going to take a hike on Larson Trails.

You see number 20 there? That is about where our property meets theirs, or close too. Our land butts right up to it and though I’ve never cut from ours to theirs we have had some lost people follow the deer trails to our homemade trail to the yard lights to safety.

Joss and I went for a walk in the woods today. Got to share a few pictures with you.

It is so easy having just one little one during the day. Wish a person could just make a living babysitting her. Oh well, love the bus driving too so just have to do them both. Friday is no school here, teacher’s workshop, so I’ll have 4 for the day and hopefully it’s a nice day so we can spend it outside. Summer is just way to short not to get out and about as much as possible.

So take care my friends and have a blessed afternoon.

And the winner is….

Well cuz Joss is so cute here’s a few pictures and a video of the winner….

So my dear, guess you need to e-mail me (engine3 at gmail dot com) and give your information so this week I can send you a birthday gift from my birthday. I just wonder what it can be? You’ll be finding out soon.

Take care my friends. This will be a great week. It has to be, hate feeling like I am so enough is enough, hopefully!! Blessings!!

So how did you do? Did you join me?

So today was the last day to join me on getting off our butts and doing something healthy. I heard back from a few of you and WOW are you guys awesome. Deb did 12.2 miles in under 3 hours. Michele rode 50 hard core miles. Betty did a 5K in 40 minutes. I know there’s a few others that wanted to join me so I will wait until later to draw a name for my birthday present to be sent out to the winner. I did my 5k and tennis for 50 minutes and then today I went for another trot 5 miles, just to finish off my birthday week.

I’m still not feeling good or uppy or all together but I’m working on it. If you want to read a post that makes you think, helps you put things into perspective you’ve got to read this post from Pam. Work in progress, that’s me.

Anyways, if you joined me for my birthday move your butts please e-mail me at engine3 at gmail dot com and tell me and tomorrow I’ll have Joss pick a name from the pile and later in the week I’ll get my birthday present sent off to you.

Take care my friends and here’s to a new week full of goodness and blessings for you all!!

sick, sad, fat, not feeling right, fat, sad, sick….

That describes what I feel like and think and see. I am trying to adjust to the empty nest but it’s not easy, it’s hard. It’s quiet and not normal here. I’m not liking it at all yet, not even a tiny bit. I’m trying to eat right but either I’m not hungry and go without or eating just because it’s there. Exercise is something I did once this week but I don’t think because I was lazy I think because I’m sick and slightly lazy. I have a terrible cold that started in my head but now has landed in my chest. With it comes coughing so hard I pee, headaches that make my migraines easy, a fever off and on but I must work so 30 hours behind the bus wheels and 40 hours of daycare plus last night and tonight had daycare until 8:00. I want to sleep but have a girls day planned tomorrow and I sure am not going to cancel that so am hoping I can get a good night rest and wake up feeling tip top for our play date.

I have got to get back into the healthy lifestyle I do truly love but have let go. The scale is telling me I have been neglecting myself and letting things go but I can’t seem to focus or stay on plan. Heck right now what plan?

Tired of being sick, tired of crying, tired of being fat, tired of coughing, tired of so many things. But can’t seem to find the right place right now.

Need to regroup, rejuvenate, recharge. I’ll get it all back, hopefully soon.

Have a blessed weekend. I’m going to try.

So my 5k for 50 and more…

Brenda and I went and played tennis for 60 minutes but since we chatter lots I’m going to say we did 50 minutes and the we walked a 5K in 50 minutes (really it was 48 minutes but I’m going to round it up to say 50 for 50).

We are going to do this again on Friday. It is so much better doing this with a friend. The time goes by so much faster with a partner. I have really missed doing these things with her. We are both pretty independent and do fine alone but when we get together we push each other and laugh and just plain enjoy it.

I have heard back from Michele about her challenge for my birthday and she choose to ride 50 hardcore miles and I have got to share this pictures with you…Her stats for me:

Total miles biked: 50

Fastest: 20.62 MPH

Slowest: 10.60 MPH

Total time: 4.5 hours

Total calories burned (using Endomondo): 3, 259!!!!

Terrain: Hills, flats, country and city

Isn’t is wonderful to feel like this? I am so wanting that feeling again. I am very proud of you Michele. Want to meet Michele? Just click her name and be prepared to find a woman on a journey of a life time.

There are others who have joined me but nothing in my e-mail yet so I’ll post them as they come in. Remember my e-mail is in my profile or it’s engine3 at gmail dot com.

Yesterday Kim and her darling husband took me out for lunch at Famous Dave's. WOW, it was great and wonderful and tasted so good and the company was awesome. Thank you both again for such a great time. Kim and I also got to stop at two different thrift stores. Oh how I love thrift store shopping.

So today is a very busy day. Driving bus, day caring and then tonight am day caring for my bus garage boss and his grandbabies. They may be starting here when mom starts school but today is a test run. I was going to take the day off from driving bus but I figured they might as well see what my whole day is like and meet Brenda and tonight we’ll go see grandpa and visit great grandma and the baby baa’s.

An update on Mike….he is awesome, now. It was hard for him the first few days and it’s still hard in a room with 4 other guys but I know that they’ll figure out a routine that will work for them. Guys are so different then girls. We seem to jump in with both feet, make plans, lists and have everything organized within the first day or so, guys….well nothing like girls. His first day of school was great and here’s a picture of him in his diesel colors. He is just so handsome, if I do say so myself. :o)

 

Me, well I’m adjusting. Really I was doing pretty darn good until I saw this picture yesterday. This past weekend we got some wood to start redoing the ceiling in Mike’s room and I’ve picked my colors….want to see?

Well this isn’t the great picture of them, they are a bit brighter. One’s called Luscious Mango (that’s the lighter one) and Orange Marmalade is the other. I am loving them and realized as I was looking at them, so many other colors go with them.

Okay, lunch is done, it’s Barbie time. Take care my friends. Blessings to you all.

Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes. It was so awesome to get them and to still be getting them. Along the way this week we also snuck in our 32nd anniversary.. Pretty darn cool.

I am 50 today….(well in 2 hours, I’m posting a bit early)

Happy birthday to me. Well, we’ll see about the happy part. It has been a difficult weekend and my heart is still broken but I know we’ll survive. Mike made it to Laramie in 26 hours and he got a good night sleep in his car for 7 hours so he did excellent. He’s now in a motel for the next couple of nights and tomorrow will get to do some finding of businesses and what not. He has to go to the DMV and get a permit for his dirt bike. Both of us cry easily so been keeping the conversation light and happy. Trying….

I’m not sure if I’ll get my walk in tomorrow or on Tuesday but don’t forget to join me and then tell me how you did, what you did and if you’d like to share the time you can but you don’t have too. I have a birthday present for you so on Monday the 30th I’ll have Joss pick a name from a hat and announce the winner.

50 is nifty I’ve been told. Well I know that I’ll do my best to enjoy and move forward and get to know me as a person instead of just as a mom. I know that I have again gained some of my weight back and that is unacceptable so that means more work to be done. However I knew that I was going to be working on this and April 23rd is that day to start on it. I don’t have to start over since I’m not back to where I was but I am part ways there so just going to continue on this life style journey of getting to be the healthiest me I can be.

e-mail me at engine3 at gmail dot com when you are done joining me on my birthday run/walk/trot/swim/ski/move your butt week.

Okay my friends. I am off to bed. 4:30 will still come early and tomorrow will really be my first lonesome morning. No Mike to get up, no breakfast to make, no lunch to prepare, no phone calls telling me he’s leaving for work, no text telling me he’s there. It will be quiet and so different and still a bit sad but I will survive and learn but until then there’s a box of tissues in each room and I can cry my heart out in the shower and not bother Jim.

Take care and God Bless!!

And he’s off….

And I’m not liking it at all, at least not yet I’m not. It’s hard, HARD!!! There’s not enough tissues in the box, or the box in the garage or the bathroom. My head hurts, my eyes hurt and my heart hurts. Yep, I know we’ll be fine…..but that’s not what you tell a person though, not when their little world is unraveling a bit. I know that one day I’ll enjoy the quiet and doing things alone …. but for now NOPE!!!

Yesterday I took the day off after my am bus route and spent it with Mike. We went shopping for one last pair of jeans, shirt and sweatshirt. We went and got bought $170.00 in groceries so I know that he’ll have food until he gets his living expense check the 9th of May. And then we went for a hike. My favorite pass time with Mike.

 

                                    

Our walk started out with climbing this tailings pile. And yes it’s even steeper then it looks. I made it though and I could still breath.

Spring is starting. It’s beginning to green up. A new beginning in more ways then one.

 

I love following Mike where ever he leads me. This was a hard hike for me emotionally.

                                

My guy and his puppy. Oh boy are they going to miss each other too.

I don’t remember the name of this pit lake but it’s always awesome being out there. I am going to have to be brave and keep going even without Mike. I love the hiking and the dogs love the free run and playing.

Mike and his dad. Jim is always trying to be just that little bit taller then Mike. I know these next one is blurry but we were laughing.

 

Oh guys, this is hard. So very hard. My heart is broken. It will mend, it will grow and it will be okay, one day at a time. Mike just text me, he’s almost to Willmar. 170 miles into his 1000 mile trip.

I’ll keep you posted and tell you when he arrives and how life is being a kidless mom after 20 years of being a mama. I love being a mama and know that I will be forever but not having to hold and touch…that will take getting use too.

I hope you all have an amazing and relaxing and wonderful weekend. Blessings my friends!

Weather….

In the past 4 days we have gone from 65* to 15* and back to 50*. You know that that looks like? I’ll show you…

 

Friday started out with the sun coming up in the east and it raining in the west. We got about an 1” of rain.

Saturday was beautiful. We had sunshine, blue skies and a day of working with Mike.

Sunday it rained and rained and rained.

    

Monday I woke up to this. It was cold and snowed for a good part of the morning. When I parked the bus there were icicles hanging from it.

Today the sun is shining and it’s almost 50* again. The trees are starting to bud out and I can even see teeny tiny lilac buds on my bush. And Teddy, great grandma’s cat, was loving the sunshine.

That’s Minnesota for you. You can start the morning out in your winter gear and the heat on, by lunch time you are in shorts and thinking hard about the A/C, at 3:00 the A/C is on, by 5:00 you are thinking it’s time for pants and by bed time the A/C is back off and the heat is near clicking on. Repeat most of April and part of May. But you know I wouldn’t want to live anywhere's else (unless Jim said mountains then I’d move).

Hope you’re having a great week. Mine is full of emotional up and downs but we are slowly getting Mike packed and ready. 3.5 days left until he’s on his way to Wyoming. I’m telling you, Wyoming, you had better be good to my son OR ELSE!!!

Walking/jogging getting done. We are 1/3 the way through the year and I am a little over 1/3 my way to my goal for 2012. Not bad, not bad at all.

Take care my friends and have a blessed afternoon.

P.S. Gotta share this with you too…..

What happens when you leave a white bottomed kitty in the coal shed for the night? This!

Working with Mike….

 

While Mike started working on his leaf springs I changed the lower radiator hose for him. My dad and uncle came over to check on Mike and I and we took a full weekend job and did it in 9 hours on a Saturday. We worked pretty good together (minus a few arguments here and there).

It was a sunny beautiful day. It was great working with Mike. And now his suburban is ready to roll to school.

Tonight Mike had to write out an essay for a $5000.00 scholarship. I think it turned out very well and tomorrow he gets his recommendation from his boss so he can get that ready and sent off by Wednesday. Hey, if there’s any English majors or professionals that could read over his essay it would be cool if you’d like too and see if there’s anything that needs changing. Just a thought.

Tomorrow starts the new week, bus at 5am, daycare at 8, bus again at 2 and, well really I don’t know what the evening will bring but I’m sure something interesting and I’m going to try a stir frying for dinner tomorrow, never done it, time to try it

Take care my friends and have a blessed night sleep and an awesome Monday.

Don’t forget this…Mark your calendars!!

So 50 is only 8 days away. I am going to greet my new era, new age with as much gusto as I can possible muster up. The 23rd will be my first day back to work without Mike at home, it will be my first breakfast alone. It will be my first morning not to get Mike up and moving. But is will also be my first day at being 50 years old and since I can’t change any of it, the getting a bit older and Mike heading off I have got to deal with it and face it all head on and that is what I am going to do.

This 50 is going to be “the day” that my life begins. It’s my time to concentrate on me and getting me to the place in life I want to be. Life will be different and challenging and exciting and interesting and hard too but I can now take the time to make sure that I am here when Mike graduates, when Mike marries, when Mike has babies and maybe even when Mike’s babies have babies. I can be here to hold, learn to explore and relove my hubby, I can be here to just plain grow old in the healthiest body possible.

I have spent more time relosing some of the pounds I lost in the beginning but that is going to stop now. Well really I have some to still relose before I’m onto the virgin pounds that have been stuck here for way to many years but I know I did it once and I know that I can do it again. But it’ll happen.

So there, don’t forget to mark your calendars and if you’d like to join me starting April 23rd on the way to losing a few more pounds and ton up and look good then I’ll be there to cheer you on and when you have a moment or two in your lives you can stop by and tell me to more my butt and get those extra pounds off and tone up those lumps and bumps.

Take care my friends. Do have a blessed and awesome Sunday!