2015…….

And the best……….

Blessings my friends. Thank you for helping me through a difficult year and one also filled with blessings and love.

Wilbur….

Wilbur is our 10 year old Beagle. He’s getting up there in age and needs a bath once a week. Does Wilbur like these baths….?…… No way!So today I gave him and Scout and me a shower. Thinking if we are all together just maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Do you think it worked ….?… Nope, nada, still hates them. So after I got him and Scout washed and dried…sorta…it was time to go out and do the chores. It’s –15* today so a bit chilly but still managable. It’s just a quick trip this morning so let the dogs come with me and when I was done with the fire and chickens I met Wilbur at the door. I looked at him and he looked sad and full of stickers. I thought great, now with wet hair I have to figure out how to get the burrs out. Well as it turns out, they weren’t burrs….it was ice cold pea rock stuck to his fur, everywhere. Poor Wilbur. I went in and got the horse brush and brushed him off but you just have to see what he looked like before…..I couldn’t help but laugh.

He’s all better now except he’s still damp. It seems to take him a good two days to dry all the way to the skin. There are blankets on the furniture and doors closed. Nope, today was not Wilbur’s favorite day.

Now Scout, she didn’t care I was petting and talking and petting and ….. well she loves the attention and really didn’t care at all. Good puppy.

Still unhappy. But he loves me anyways.

Hope you’re having a great day. 6 more days till I go back to work. Well the full time work. This afternoon and evening I have George and on Friday I drive boys basketball to Wadena. But that still leaves me plenty of time to take care of home stuff, my parents and even work on my journey. How’s that going you wonder? Well I’m not perfect but have kept off 4 lbs for the holiday. So working on more. And there’s still no snow for skiing so walking and hiking is working except today, it’s just a bit to cold to enjoy a long hike. So just am moving my butt at home.

Take care and chat with you all in the new year. It’ll be a great and challenging and blessing new year. You’ll see, we’ll make it that way.

Even I know it’s water but ….

220.0 this morning. So a good start. With tomorrow I’m hoping to just maintain the loss and on Friday work hard to get it some more to move. Calories around 1000 or just a tad less and getting 2 serving's of fruit and veggies a day and protein. No heavy carbs and no sugar. I walked 5.9 miles yesterday according to my fitbit and worked until 11:00 last night with George. Really the last two hours he slept so I cleaned the house up a bit for him and his family.

Today is Christmas eve. Such an awesome day, a day we know that our Lord Jesus was born just for us. I am reading a book that Deb sent me and we are sharing together faithfully fit. It’s a devotional, weight loss book to end all diets. I am on day 4 and it’s about surrender. Did you know surrender is terrible hard? I’m working on it but have such a very long ways to go. Same as my pounds and miles to get done. However it’s possible and I’m learning.

Heading over to my parents shortly to get a few things done and than I am hoping that mama can open up her Christmas gifts from daddy and I. I have never gone shopping with daddy for gifts but he’s not able to do that any more but he sure was able to pick out what he wanted the love of his life to have. I can’t wait for her to see and enjoy and just maybe understand that even though daddy can’t always tell her anymore that he feels the love for her she can see it. IT WILL BE AWESOME!!!

So to finish up the laundry, vacuum, feed the birds and get going. Take care my friends and have a wonderful Christmas eve.

Blessings!!!

Day one….

So today was my beginning. How did I do? Not bad at all if I do say so myself. I kept my calories under 1000 (yes that’s low, no it’s not forever…it’s just to get me past the sugar and carb mess I’ve made) and I walked 60 minutes. Not fast walking, just walking up and down all around but for a steady 60 minutes. It’s a beginning. I have planned my meals for tomorrow because I am working away from home for 12 hours.

My beginning weight is 225. I didn’t get to the measuring part yet but will soon. I just can’t wait until my pants are loose and my blouses fit comfortable. Than of course the next step of things just not fitting but for now, one step at a time.

I hope you all had a great Monday and are getting more and more into the Christmas spirit. This time of year is so amazing and wonderful. So much to be thankful for and blessed with.

I won’t be able to tell you about day two but I’ll be back for day three.

Blessings my friends!

Monday is the day….

So my plan for getting into shape for my 2015 adventure in 50 mile hiking and just getting into a shape that isn’t quite so round and mushy.

First, I love me. I always have. There’s parts of me that need help and those are what I’m going to be working on but really they (whomever they is) say you have to love yourself to help yourself. I am a believer in the Lord helps them who helps themselves so I’ve always been self sufficient and always ready to take on whatever this is to do. I need people to help me too when I just can’t do things on my own and I do ask at times. And I ask the Lord almost daily to help me through whatever is in store for me for the day. My life has changed tremendously in the past 3 years but I really haven’t rolled well with it even with the loving me, doing what I know I need to do, asking for help when I need it. So I’m taking charge again and this time going to work hard at obtaining my goal.

My goal is also not just the hike. You know my title…healthy wealthy and wise… well I have to work on those parts too. I am going to save for my hiking adventure. For the state sticker, to the new backpack, to a few supplies and to at least 2 pairs of good hiking boots. And I am going to read anything and everything I can about other peoples hikes, experiences and tips. Plus how to’s. I’m not a beginner by any means, I’ve been to the BWCA many times, I’ve camped tons of times but hiking without anyone, hiking for a few days….that’s all new for me and I want to be prepared.

It’s winter time and I am mostly going to do the reading and preparing my body. The big thing is, there is no 911 right there on the trail so being healthy, being strong, being in the right mindset is very important.

So part one: Getting into shape. I have a shape but it’s just way to round and soft to rely on out on the trail. So I need to lose 40 lbs. I have never wanted to be a skinny minny, a chunky kind of person is just fine with me but one that is healthy and strong.

Step one: start getting the miles in again. But I’m going to start right away with a backpack. Just a normal one but fill it with a gallon of water. That’s 11 pounds right away. I am going to be skiing this coming month also. The water in the backpack serves as two things, a bit of weight and also some movements to work with.

Step two: cutting and counting calories. The first two weeks will be a kick start, 800-1000 calories a day. I know this is low and it’s only for a week or two to get over the sugar carvings, the carb carvings and to get my head on straight and relearn the right way of eating. I chose these two weeks because I’m not driving bus so can put up with the headache and the crabbies that come with not getting the goodies I want. I will have a few days that will be super hard but I don’t fix Christmas dinner, we go out and I can preplan the eats. I don’t have daycare but one day so will eat before the kids come and plan a nice meal that I can have a bit of too. I have my home healthy care gentleman but I fix meals for him, I can bring a salad. So for the next 14 days I will be doing this.

On Monday I will weigh myself, measure myself and take a fat picture of me. I will continue to love me even though parts of me are terrible and I will work on fixing them.

I want to hike, I want to plan hikes all over the state of Minnesota. And than just maybe someday can plan hikes all over the USA. Now that’s exciting.

My new motto:

Joy on the journey, enjoy getting there.

I have the willingness to change.

Take care my friends and have a blessed weekend. I’m going to eat a few things that I won’t be eating any more….like cold cereal, cinnamon toast and crackers. And starting Monday morning it begins.

See you Monday.

New beginning….

 

So to start a new beginning you have to have a start so since I will be off during Christmas vacation……remember I’m a bus driver.

I do have my personal care for George that is two days a week and I have one day of daycare but otherwise it’ll be time to start. I’m not going to wait until the new year to start.

My weight is 225 lbs (not my highest but pretty darn close). I am back into my 18’s and it’s a good thing they have a stretch waist at times. I am back into 2xl blouses. I can’t reach my toes, I can’t stretch to reach everything I’d like, I can’t squat without falling over.

I could have a fit that I wasted two years of my life getting to a wonderful size and weight where I was happy but it’s not worth the effort because I am now here and know that I did it once, I will do it again.

Day one will be December 22nd. More thoughts coming. Hopefully a plan of some kind too.

Not even going to try to catch you up….

 

It has been a very, very long time since I have posted anything. I have kept up with a lot of you and am very proud that you all are either improving, working on or continuing your journeys in health and life. I don’t always comment but do know that I have lurked and kept tabs.

There is no way I can catch you up to where I am in life but I can tell you that life hasn’t been easy though I know it’s not suppose to be. After losing Cindy becoming an only child has been a challenge but to make the challenge harder is watching my daddy leave us piece by piece and watching a once quiet mom become angry and frustrated and hard to console. Along with that Mike has lost 3 very awesome jobs but none due to anything he’s done, one because of no money, one because the company laid off everyone and one because the promised position never materialized. We have pulled together as a family to make sure he’s still able to stay in his own home and keep his car and he’s worked many temp jobs to help too. But it has made the money issues hard on top of the mental issues. However, there is a silver lining and Mike got a new full time 40 hours a week job that starts next week and once he’s trained in things will be much better for him and us.

Stress is not good for anyone and some handle it differently than others but for me I eat and sleep and struggle though each day. I work as many hours as I can and that means 2 part time jobs that add up to about 65 hours every couple of weeks plus home care for my parents that adds up to just about every other waking hour except after 7 at night I insist I am home for Jim and Mike (unless the phone rings and I’m needed). Yes, people say you have to take care of you to take care of others but that isn’t always possible no matter what others think or do. At least for me, it hasn’t worked. I have gained every single pound I lost back in 2012 and I’ve lost all tone. I am a big pile of fat.

However………….yep, it’s time to figure this out because there are some thing’s I can’t change but some thing's I have to.

I have set a goal for 2015. I am going to go hiking. I am going to take time each day to work towards a hiking trail I have already picked out. Heard of Tettegouche State Park? It’s north of Duluth. It has 23 miles of hiking trails, water falls and the Baptism River. I have been dreaming about the Baptism River for the past few weeks. When I was little my family and I use to camp, hike and fish there and I am being drawn there. So even though I am far from being in shape for this camping/hiking trip I am going to work for it. I will have to be able to hike for 3 days, carrying a 40lb backpack up and down very rough trails. Mike has said he’d join me as my partner as long as he’s able and even though I don’t think a person should hike alone, if he can’t join me I’m still planning on doing it.

I haven’t a plan yet on how to really prepare but I am an outdoor person, I have canoed hundreds of miles in the BWCA, walk/hike many miles and know quite a bit about outdoor life so am pretty sure this is something I can do and in the process find a place for me in this new life that has been bestowed on me. I can be an only child taking care of her parents and her grandma. I can be a wife that truly loves the man of her dreams and give him the love that he needs to know this. I can be a mom of an adult son that is really awesome and gives everything his all. I can be a friend to the most wonderful people in the world. Kim, Sally and Terri are my life line on days where I just can’t go on. They listen, care and love me no matter what.

So I am back, if you’ll have me that is. Healthy wealthy and wise …. still not but learning.