Happy 1st Birthday, Neve!!!

I’m passing up on Friday Confessions today, because I have to dedicate this post to a very special little monkey…

Today, I’m sending Happy 1st Birthday wishes to my beautiful niece, Neve!!!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year since Nevie came into our lives.  It’s been a wonderful year watching her grow & learn, and I have to say she’s one of the smartest little cookies I know!!

It was a bit of a surreal experience, watching my little brother become a dad.  Luke & Amanda have done an awesome job as first-time parents, and today we celebrate their happy, inquisitive, funny little girl who has developed SUCH a personality!!

Nevie, I love snuggling with you. I love your big smile, and the way wrap your left hand up in my hair while you suck your thumb.  I love your big blue eyes.  I love that you say “woof” and roar like a bear, and when someone asks you what Grandma says, you still roar like a bear!  I love watching you with your cousins and seeing how much they love to play with you and help to feed you. 

I think it’s safe to say… I love EVERYTHING about you!!

Tonight, we’ll gather to celebrate Neve’s first birthday, and I’m sure there will be lots of picture-taking, present-opening, and cake-eating… and lots of love and snuggles for our little moneky!

Happy Birthday, Nevie!  This proud auntie loves you so much! xoxo

Mah new kicks.

Last night, I went shopping with my ma.

There were many reasons for our shopping trip – birthday presents, shower gift, graduation gift – but one of the main things I planned to buy was a new pair of running shoes.

Dudes.   I hate shopping for new running shoes.  But, since I’m now sort of half-assed running on a regular basis, it had become something I needed to do.

The last time I bought a new pair of sneaks was over a year ago.  They were New Balance cross-trainers, which I ended up with because I wanted them for both walking and Zumba class.  That shoe shopping expedition wasn’t the best experience of my life.  I went to the sports store in the Plateau shopping area in Hull, dealt with a salesman who spoke very limited English, had zero personality, and when I left, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d ended up with the pair of shoes I really wanted.

Jump ahead over a year, and those shoes have been put to great use, even though I wasn’t madly in love with them.  They’ve seen me through many a Zumba class, as well as carried me through twenty weeks of TurboFire.  They became my “indoor shoes”, though, so when I went walking, and now in the early stages of my jogging, I’ve been using an old pair of Skechers that I bought in Midland three years ago.

THREE YEARS AGO.

I’ve been told time and time again that someone who uses their athletic shoes regularly should be buying new ones at least every six months (if not, more often than that) because they break down quickly.

Those Skechers, and then the New Balance cross-trainers?  They’ve been WELL used.  I may not have been as active in the past as I am now, but I’ve always been a walker, and I’ve taken Zumba for over two years now.  And then, with twenty weeks of pouncing around doing the TurboFire workouts…

Well.  Let’s just say it was definitely time for new sneaks.

I was dreading that part of our trip, though. 

I knew I wanted a pair of shoes meant specifically for running.  I knew they had to have some good heel support, as my heelspurs have been getting worse since I started running.  And I knew I wanted them to be a rad colour, because it seems that everyone has cool, wild coloured footwear these days.

I was going back to the same store that I purchased that last pair of shoes, and I was prepping myself all day.  I googled the word “heel” in French in case the salesperson only spoke limited English.  I made  a mental list of all the things I wanted in my pair of shoes, and tried to practice saying it all in French in case I needed to parler.

I have to say that this time, I really lucked out.  It was a completely different experience from the last one.  Moments after approaching the wall of shoes at the back of the store, a young guy came over and asked me in French what I was looking for.  When I replied in English, he instantly switched too, and had no trouble communicating.  I explained that I had just started running in the past month, but that I have sore heels and I was looking for something with good heel support.  He asked me how my feet land when I run, and when I said I seem to land rather flat-footed, he instantly scanned the wall, reached up and grabbed a super-cool hot pink Nike shoe that was on sale – regularly $129.99, marked down to $99.99.

 They kinda look like this, except maybe even a hotter pink

He snagged a pair of 8.5’s from the back, I tried them on, and they felt like I was walking on pillows.  I loved them.  I could instantly feel how much better they were for my heels. Even my mom, who was at first very skeptical of the loud colour, agreed that they were pretty awesome.

In and out in less than 10 minutes.  Done deal.

When the girl at the cash rang them up, though, she said, “That’s $145.something” and it crossed my mind that holy crap, taxes sure make a pair of $99 shoes expensive.  But I handed over my debit card, she handed me back my shoes and my receipt, I jammed the slip in my wallet without looking at it, and off we went to our next stop.

I didn’t think about it again until I got home, and went out for a walk to break in the new kicks.  As I walked, the price of the shoes floated back across my mind… $145?  Doesn’t make sense… 15% of $99 shouldn’t take it up to $145…

When I got back in, I rummaged through my wallet for the receipt, and sure enough, discovered that they had charged me the regular price of the shoes instead of the sale price.

Son of a bitch.

When I told my mom about it this morning, she insisted that I have to take them back.  But I really don’t want to.  Sure, I was jipped $30, but to drive all the way back to Hull just to tell them that and possibly have them say, “Sorry, too late.” ?  Doesn’t sound like fun to me.  Ugh.

I guess you win some, you lose some.  Maybe having a much friendlier, accommodating, intelligible salesman was worth the extra $30.

I’d just really like to go buy shoes some time and not have an issue.  Ya know?

But hey.  I have pretty shoes.  And I’m gonna go super-fast now because of them.

Of course I am. ;)

WWTKW: Thrill-seeker?

What a nice, sunny Wednesday it is out there!  Hope you’re all enjoying your day so far. :)

Taking a mid-morning time-out to join in the We Want to Know Wednesday fun, with Scriptor & Kenzie.

This week’s questions:

1. Are you an amusement/theme park kind of person? (Yes or no)
2. If yes, where have you gone? If no, what makes you dislike those kinds of places?
3. Do you like to go on roller coasters?
4. Does your answer to #3 directly correlate to how you are about life experiences?
5. What was the last scary and/or risky thing you did?

My answers:

1. Are you an amusement/theme park kind of person? (Yes or no)  I’m going to say YES – even though I haven’t been to one in a million years!

2. If yes, where have you gone? If no, what makes you dislike those kinds of places?  I profess to love amusement parks, but I can honestly say I’ve never been to one but smaller county fairs.  And at that, I haven’t been on the rides in the Midway since I was in high school.  I’d love to go to a big one – like Wonderland, and of course the dream is Disney someday.  My problem has always been finding someone to go on rides with me.  I love the rides, and the scarier the better – but it’s not always easy to find a partner in crime! LOL!

3. Do you like to go on roller coasters?  Again… I’ve only been on rinky-dink ones at small fairs.  FAR from scary.  The scariest one I’ve ever been on was the rusty ol’ rattle-trap that I cut my knee on at the now-defunct Quyon Fair when I was a kid.  I still have a scar from it.  It was super-safe, I’m sure…

But I’d love to go on one of the big loop-de-loop ones.  I’d probably crap my pants, but I think it’d be fun!

4. Does your answer to #3 directly correlate to how you are about life experiences?  Well… not really.  I’m generally more of a play-it-safe girl who likes routine, and hates change.  I’m happier without the big loop-de-loops life throws our way.  But we really have no choice, do we?  Life really is one big rollercoaster.  Enjoy the fun parts while you can, because the scary parts are bound to happen, and all you can do is roll with ‘em.

5. What was the last scary and/or risky thing you did?  Totally drawing a blank here, folks.  Does buying my new car count?  It was scary in that it was the first time I’d ever bought a new vehicle and I had no idea what I was doing – thank God I had my mother helping me – and I was super stressed out over it all.  Risky, in that I knew the car payments were going to make things tight for me financially for a while, but in the end, the benefits of having a new car that will hopefully be problem-free for a good long time (knock on wood) outweighed the risks.

How friggin’ lame.  No jumping out of planes or bungee jumping or tattoos or anything.  Son of a gun.

So… how about you guys?  Are you a thrill-seeker, or more of a play-it-safe kind of kid like me?

A weekend of celebrations :)

Oh my gosh, has it really been almost a week since I last wrote a blog post?!  What the heck is going on here?!?!  Days are just flying by it seems!

How about going a little random today?

• This past weekend was a great one!  It started on Friday when I got off work a little early, was able to get my grass cut.  Then  I headed to the Fun Fair at the local elementary school to pick up some supper at their fundraiser BBQ for Mom & I.  The cheese burgers were soooo gooood… I also split a little snack-sized bag of Ruffles All Dressed chips with Mom.  I don’t remember the last time I had Ruffles All Dressed chips.  They were heavenly.

• Don’t worry, folks.  Yes, I had a cheeseburger and chips for supper.  (And trust me, that wasn’t my only treat of the weekend.)  BUT.  I also got my arse out and continued my C25K training.  I ran Friday evening AND Saturday morning.  (At 7 AM.  Decreases the chances of anyone seeing me when I go that early.) Last night, I started Week 3 of the app.  I’ve graduated to the section of the program that has me alternating 90 seconds of running, 90 seconds of walking, 3 minutes of running, 3 minutes of walking.  It’s funny how each week, I think, “I don’t know if I can do this…”  The three minute stretches were especially daunting.  And then, it just happens.  I do it.  And it really isn’t as hard as I anticipate.  I love that feeling.
• On Saturday, I had eight billion things to do other than run.  Truthfully, I wasn’t sure I was going to get it all fit in.  And yet, somehow, I did.  I guess the fact that they were all wonderful celebrations helped!  It’s good to be busy when it’s all happy things, right? :)
• At noon on Saturday, we gathered at our neighbour’s to shower Steph with good wishes & gifts, as she and her hubby Troy are expecting their first baby in July.  Steph is my sister-in-law Amanda’s twin, and Troy grew up down the road from us, so we are all very excited for them!  I’m really rooting for Baby Cote to arrive on July 28th – I’m thinking that would be an awesome 30th Birthday present, don’t you?! ;)

Don’t have my pics from the shower uploaded yet… but I swiped this one from Facebook, here’s the momma-to-be at the Golf Tourney a few weeks ago! ;)

• After hanging out with the fam for the rest of the afternoon and squeezing in a little nap (getting up at 7 AM to run suddenly seemed like a bad idea!), I was off with my friend Kerry-Lynn to not one but TWO more celebrations.  First, we headed to Aylmer where my childhood friend Erin was having her wedding reception.  I was so happy to be there to see Erin on her big day – she looked GORGEOUS, and there was such an upbeat party atmosphere in that reception hall!  Congratulations to Erin & her new husband, Dan! :)

Photo credit to Lestanto Photography

• After visiting with friends and congratulating the newlyweds, Kerry & I were back on the road and headed in the opposite direction – up to Shawville for a Stag & Doe party in honour of Josh & Amanda.  I’ve known Amanda all my life, but I would say we got to know each other so much better last year when we were both bridesmaids in Lindsay’s wedding.  It was great to see so many people out to wish her & Josh well, as their wedding date is fast-approaching!  Again, Kerry & I visited with friends, congratulated the bride and groom to be, and I was even lucky enough to win a bottle of Long Island Iced Tea Mix!  Woo hoo!!

Amanda & Josh last May at Linds & Ryan’s wedding reception

• Sunday was Father’s Day, of course, and while it makes me sad to not have Dad with us here anymore, I didn’t feel the same ache that I did last year.  Instead of that heavy-hearted feeling, we shared funny stories – in particular, giggling over the year my mom served Angel food cake for dessert, and he was not a fan! haha!  He thought he needed a pair of scissors to cut it, and lamented over how much better good ol’ chocolate cake would’ve been. lol!  What a guy!
• Last year, I felt like a got a “sign” from him on Father’s Day, when I found a penny lying right before me on the picnic table at Mae’s when I went to pick up dinner for Mom & I.  This year, we went out for brunch after church and had dinner at my sister’s, and all day I wondered if I’d get another sign this year from Dad.  I had all but given up on it happening, until Mom and I were almost home.  We turned on to Stanton Road, and there, standing in one of her neighbour’s yards not far from the road, was a beautiful, statuesque doe.  It stood stalk-still and watched us slowly drive by, as we both marveled at it.  Not very often we see deer that up-close, and I smiled remembering how excited Dad would get on the rare occasion he spotted a deer in the neighbourhood.  I’m pretty sure that was my Father’s Day “sign” this year… :)

I hope you’re all having a wonderful Tuesday!

Linking up today with Impulsive Addict & Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday…

…as well as with Stacy Uncorked for Random Tuesday!

WWTKW: Dreamin’ of summertime…

The sun is shining, and we’re officially half-way through the week!  Woo hoo!

Taking a little break to answer this week’s We Want to Know Wednesday questions, courtesy of Scriptor & Kenzie.

1. Would you consider yourself a healthy eater?
2. What is your favorite 'summer' food?
3. Do you have any hidden talents?
4. What would be your dream job?
5. What is your favorite summer activity?

My answers:

1. Would you consider yourself a healthy eater?  Six months ago, that would’ve been a big HELL NO.  But today, I can honestly say yes!!!  I’m far from perfect, mind you.  I love my treats, and somedays the treats outnumber the health foods. But for the most part, I try to stick to fruits and veggies, lean proteins, low carbs, healthy fats.

2. What is your favorite 'summer' food?  Nothing says summer to me like a good ol’ toasted tomato sandwich with a little bit of mayo.  Or a barbequed hamburger.  Or a banana-flavoured popsicle!  Mmmm…yummy summer treats…

3. Do you have any hidden talents?  None that I can think of at the moment…

4. What would be your dream job?  Ah, the dream job.  Aside from being a stay-at-home mother, my dream is to have a big room in my house with wall-to-wall book shelves and a big desk where I can just sit and listen to music, and write all day long.   The dream job is to become an author.  One who is good enough that she doesn’t need a day-job.  But I don’t think that’ll ever happen…

Quite frankly, I think I have my dream job.  I work five minutes from home for wonderful people that I think of as friends more so than employers.  When I look out the windows, I’m surrounded by fields of green in the summer, and long stretches of fluffy white in the winter.  It can sometimes be stressful, and oftentimes I leave work hoping to never hear a phone ring again, but overall, I love where I work, I love my job, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!

5. What is your favorite summer activity?  That would be sitting outside in a lawn chair with a cold drink and a book.  I’m a sun-worshipper.  I also love evening walks when it’s cooled off a bit, hanging out at the ball field, and I’m a big fan of swimming!  I’m soooo ready for summer to get here!!

Chattin’ on Tuesday

A rainy, dreary Tuesday here in this neck of the woods.  Let’s grab a cup of tea and chat, shall we?

• First off, I have to say that Relay for Life 2013 was a wonderful experience!!  This was the second year I’ve taken part in our local Relay in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.  Last year, I was walking only a few short months after my dad lost his battle with cancer, and I found it to be a very emotional experience.  This year was emotion-filled again, yet I felt so much more up-beat.  I had my moments – the Survivor walk is always so moving; I kind of broke apart from my group when I heard one of the performers playing one of my dad’s favourite tunes, “The Green Green Grass of Home”, to walk in silence and just listen and think of him; of course, the lighting of the luminaries and hearing Phil Holmes sing “Amazing Grace” is one of the most poignant moments – but overall, it was a fun night spent with great friends, laughing and chatting as we walked or sat around our campfire.  I couldn’t have asked for a better team to walk with – I love my Slipper Sisters!!

• I’d also like to send out some big love to Dot’s Lot – this was the team that the Kennedy Family entered in the Relay this year (including my cousin Donna, her hubby Ellard, my friend Brenda & her family – Wayne, Brittany & Cowan, as well as her mom & dad).  They had a specific goal in mind when they started fundraising for Relay for Life.  Dorothy Kennedy passed away at the young age of 52, and so her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have been raising money for cancer research for years.  This year, they hoped to reach a grand total goal of $52,000 – a thousand dollars for every year of Dorothy’s life.  I hear they were successful in this endeavour, and took home top fundraising honours at this event specifically, raising over $15,000 for our local Relay for Life (the total amount raised by all teams was over $106,000).  Dot’s Lot, you are all amazing and a true inspiration!!  WAY TO GO!!!!

• One of my favourite Relay for Life memories (aside from all the laughs we shared at our campsite!) was actually jogging one lap around the track with my friend Sharon.  I honestly can’t even remember why we decided to do it – I think Sharon suggested it, and I was like, “No friggin way”, but then the seed had been planted, and the competitive side of me wanted to see if I could do it – but at the end of the day, I can only chalk it up to 3:30 AM insanity.  The soreness of walking for hours had set in big-time at that point, and our pace had slowed considerably as we nursed our aches & pains – so why in the world we thought jogging half a kilometer was a good idea, I’ll never know.  But we did it.  We seriously did it.  And I smile every time I think about it.  Me.  Jogging.  At 3:30 AM.  And it felt good.  Who woulda thunk it.
• Speaking of jogging… I completed Week 2, Day 1 of my Couch to 5 K app last night.  I was a little nervous going in.  Last week, I was alternating jogging 60 seconds with walking 90 seconds for 20 minutes (with five-minute warm-up and cool-down walks).  This week, it was reversed.  Jog 90 seconds, walk 60 seconds.  I wasn’t sure I was prepared to make that step, as last week I felt the 60-second spurts were about all I could handle.  I seriously contemplated repeating Week 1, and then thought, “You’ll never move on if you keep putting yourself back at square one.  Just do it.”  And I did.  Turns out, it wasn’t so tough after all.  Maybe I will get to that 5K someday…
• Anyone remember all the times I talked about my bad-ass gangsta fish, Marley?  The one who lived through muck and slime so thick you couldn’t see him?  The one who out-lived other, more lively fishies?  The one with the goiter?  Well… I have sad news, folks.  This morning when I came downstairs to make my coffee and get my lunch ready, I discovered poor ol’ Marley floatin’ in the tank.  (In a relatively clean tank, so it was a bit of a shock for me.)  I guess no fish is invincible after all.  I had him for almost three years.  Rest peacefully in fishy heaven, Marley.  You were one tough nut.

• So.  Um.  Who wants to come over and help me dispose of my dead fish?  The thoughts of scooping him out & flushing him give me the heebie-jeebies!
• Anyone else wondering when summer is ever going to appear?  It’s practically mid-June, and I feel like we’ve only had one little heat-wave, and it was weeks ago now.  I don’t mind a cool, rainy day like this one every now and then, but I’d be happy if I could bust out the summer clothes for a day or two anytime now…
• I need to go to the theatre.  Like, pronto.  It’s been so long since I’ve been to the movies.  I don’t even care what I see.  I just want to go to my happy place! (Although, I do have my eye on that new Superman movie coming out soon… Henry Cavill in tights?  Yes, please!!!)

• Oh my God, I almost forgot to tell you guys.  I’m finally finished The Stand.  FINALLY!!!!  I can barely remember a time when I wasn’t reading the Stephen King epic.  It took me FOUR MONTHS.  Wow.  In the end, I was glad I read it, because it really was quite a story.  I can see why King fans call it a must-read. But oh-so-long.  So very, very long.

• Since finishing The Stand on Sunday, I’ve moved on to local author Luke Murphy’s debut novel, Dead Man’s Hand.  I received the book as a gift at Christmas, and it so happens to be our next book club selection.  I’ve been excited to start it (and seriously wondered if I’d ever get there at times over the past few months!)  Can’t wait to get into it… I’m only a few chapters in at this point, and look forward to finding out what happens!

• Any fans of The Voice out there?  I’ve been watching with my mom for weeks now, and last night we came  to the conclusion that we really don’t know who we want to win!  As we all know, I’m a BIG Adam Levine fan, but I also really like Blake Shelton, and have LOVED the addition of Usher & Shakira as coaches this year.  They each have some pretty amazing talent left in the competition, and it’s hard to choose.  I think I’d be happy if Amber Carrington, Danielle Bradberry, or The Swon Brothers took home the top prize – but deep down, I still think I’m kind of rooting for Team Adam, and thus, Amber is my #1 hope!

Well, I think that’s all I’ve got for today, folks!  Happy Tuesday!

Linking up with Impulsive Addict and Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday…

…as well as with Stacy Uncorked for Random Tuesday!

A big weekend ahead… Relay for Life!

Good Friday morning, friends!

Here we are, Friday again…this week has just FLOWN by and I think it’s because I’m so pumped for a very big event this weekend!

But before we roll on to that very big weekend, it’s time first to confess…

Linking up with Aubrey @ High-Heeled Love!

I confess… that I’m so very much looking forward to walking with many wonderful people tomorrow night at our local Relay for Life in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.  Last year was my first experience, and at the time I had just recently lost my dad after he briefly battled colon cancer.  The pain was still raw & fresh.  It was an amazing, emotional experience, and I knew I would be back again for it this year.  I’m so excited to be there with my Slipper Sisters, and so many other friends and family who will be walking with their own respective teams.

I confess… that it’s a good thing I’ll be walking most of the night and burning calories.  You guys wouldn’t believe the amazing line-up of snacks my team is planning to bring to sustain us through the long night!  DROOL-WORTHY!!!

I confess… that I know that in the wee hours of the morning, in the cold and potential rain, it will be hard.   Really hard.  It was last year.  I know it will be again.  But I just keep reminding myself… there’s a reason why this isn’t a fun little walk in the park.

I confess… that the best part about doing a twelve-hour, all-night walk smack-dab in the middle of the weekend is that I have every reason to spend the rest of the weekend lying VERY low!  Tonight’s plans:  a workout and painting my nails and The Big Bang Theory.  Tomorrow’s plans:  sleep in, some yoga, food prep, and reading/watching movies/napping.  Sunday’s plans:  a hot bath and SLEEP.

I confess… that the only concern I have between my plans to “lay low”, tje rain, and Relay, is that I have no idea when the hell I’m going to get my grass cut.  It’s soooo freakin’ long.  *sigh*

I confess… that I’m excited to try out a recipe that I found on my blog pal Ricki-Jill’s page this week for BLT Guacamole!  I volunteered to make guac and chips for my Relay team, and I’m going to make my traditional recipe, as well as this one – it just sounds too good to NOT try it out!

I confess… that I’m really in need of a rain coat.  I’ve been so looking forward to my jog/walk tonight, but it’s supposed to be raining all day.  All of the coats I have with hoods are gigantor sized.  I’m definitely ready to invest in some rain-proof running gear!

I confess… that I’m really not sure I’m ready to be a hard-core runner, though.  Last night my friend Sara was telling me about people who bleed right through their shoes and lose their toenails?!?  EEEEK!!  I don’t think I’ll EVER push myself that far!!

I confess… that my heart has felt heavy this week, as once again our community has been rocked by tragedy.  Many people I know are mourning the loss of a friend, whose life was taken suddenly and in such a terrifying way on Monday night.   I didn’t know Barry personally, but I remember his big smile and friendly nature when he’d come into the office here every now and then.  Everyone was always so happy to see him.  I don’t know how his loved ones are supposed to wrap their heads around this one… But I’ve been thinking of them and his family, and hope that they all feel the prayers of peace so many are holding in their hearts.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and to those of you who will be walking in Shawville tomorrow night – I look forward to seeing you all there and hopefully we’ll get to walk a few laps together!

On 50, and the 5 K.

Well, folks.  Here I am.

20 weeks after I started TurboFire. 

50 pounds lighter than I was 20 weeks ago. 

Actually, 53 pounds lighter.

Believe it, baby.

It’s been quite a trip.  Almost all highs.  A few lows.  And originally, I thought I would address those “lows” in this post, but you know what?  To hell with it.  Why put the negative in the spotlight when, overall, I’m feeling absolutely fabulous?  Dwelling on the comments of a very few in the past week or so now seems silly in retrospect.  I don’t want to give them their due.

I want to focus on the positive.

And you know what, guys? 

I feel amazing.  Healthier.  Happier.  Shinier.  More confident.

I’ve had a few friends and family members even tell me I’m glowing, and honestly… I FEEL like I’m glowing!!

Here’s the really cool part:  Back when I started this gig, staring down the barrel of a 20-week intense cardio work-out schedule, at close to the heaviest weight I’ve ever been, I admit to feeling daunted and thinking, This is going to be really frigging hard.  Do you REALLY want to do this?  Are you SURE you aren’t just happy being fat?

And I’m here to tell you today that, while it’s been a lot of hard work, looking back now… you know, it really wasn’t that hard.

It takes a high level of commitment.  An unwavering mindset.  A dedication to doing whatever it takes to get there.

But looking back on it all, it actually doesn’t feel like it was all that difficult.  Dare I say…it almost feels like it was kind of easy? Once I got on the right track, everything became routine.  Sure, there were days when I dragged my ass through work-outs that seemed next-to-impossible. Days when I wondered, “Am I EVER going to be able to do those jumps and sumo burpees?”  Days when I felt like I would never see results.

Now, though, I can see the results, and this amazing feeling has made it all worthwhile.

The key pieces to the puzzle have been TurboFire, Shakeology, and support from my coach Jared, and my amazing family & friends.  I told you all about them (and a few of my other tips & tricks) back in my I LOST 30 LBS post.  I haven’t changed my strategy much since then, other than ramping up my intensity bit-by-bit.  I’ve continued to work out six days a week.  I have a Shake every day.  I still drink water like it’s my job.  I find myself staying accountable to my schedule, as well as my food and exercise diary.  I’ve steered clear of junk and booze as much as possible.  I still don’t eat after 7 PM. 

Why change what’s working, right?

To be honest, I thought the weight would be harder to lose after I hit that 30 lb. mark, but I’ve been shocked at how it’s continued to fall off – if anything, it seems to be dropping faster now.  Chalk that up to a high metabolism, I guess?  Whatever it is… I’ll take it!!

So, the 20-week TurboFire schedule has come to an end.  And now, what’s next?  After bragging (let’s face it, that’s what I’ve been doing. bragging.) last week about reaching my 50 lb. goal, that has been the most popular question from my friends. 

So?  What’s the next goal?  Where do you go from here?  Are you done now?

No, I’m definitely not “done” now.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned over almost 30 years of battling weight problems, it’s that this is something that is never “done”.  It’s always going to take work.  I can’t reach my goal and just quit, and go back to my old ways.  It just doesn’t work that way.

So what IS the next step?  The next goal?  I can tell you that it’s not so much centered on weight-loss specifically this time.  I mean, sure, I’d like to see if I could lose some more weight.  I’m still far from skinny.  Would another 20-25 lbs. be nice?  It would be a flippin’ dream.

But overall, I’m happy with my current weight and size.  And I’m okay with being here for a while.  I dropped fifty pounds fairly quickly, and I don’t think it will hurt to just stay here for a little while.  To just maintain this for a bit.

That being said, I know I’m more likely to succeed at maintaining if I have another goal in my cross-hairs.  So this time, rather than working towards a specific number on the scales, there are a few other things that I’m going for. 

I started this next phase by creating my own four-week schedule - still including TurboFire, but adding a few new elements - with several new goals in mind.  One being a flatter stomach.  Despite all the lost weight, I’m still carrying around quite a bit of flab in my mid-section.  I don’t remember when I last could’ve said I had a flat stomach.  Maybe Kindergarten?  Seriously.  I have ALWAYS had a muffin top of varying degrees.  So I have some big-time work to do on my abs.  I also want to work a little harder on building lean muscle and toning up.  I have wayyy too much  flappy skin  goin’ on here, folks.  I’m going to be spending more time with my resistance bands and weights.

But perhaps my biggest goal of all right now is training for a 5K.  I’m officially registered for the Army Run 5K on September 22nd (thanks to my friend Brenda for signing me up, even though I didn’t even realize it until  last night! haha!) – so now I kind of have to take this running thing seriously.

I started my Couch to 5K app last night.  And I survived.  In fact, it felt awesome.  I can’t describe the exhilaration I get from running.  Even just the 60-second spurts that Day 1 of the app had me doing last night were such a rush.  I was flying high when I finished last night.

Running a 5K was one of those “pie in the sky” long-term goals that I harboured in my heart when I first started this program 20 weeks ago.  I doubted I’d ever get there.  Now?  Now it feels entirely possible.

This place that I’m in right now?  It’s a wonderful place to be.  A place where I can actually consider running a 5K?  It’s a place that I have dreamed about.  A place that makes me feel so good inside.

I can’t wait to see where these next steps take me…

Thank you to everyone once again for your support – my blog friends, you have been awesome cheerleaders and I can’t tell you how much it means to me!  I love you all!!!

And now, because I’ve been asked for “Before & After Photos” – check these.  (And NO, Mom, don’t worry, they are not the underwear pictures!!!!)

Before

After 30 lbs.

After 50 lbs.

Alrighty, gang… Let’s hit the ground RUNNING!!! :)

One More Step…

Happy Monday, friends!

The 50 Post…it’s coming.  I swear.  Just not today.  There is no damn time today to write all the words that are burling around in my brain regarding my recent achievements, and my next goals.  Maybe tomorrow. *sigh*

I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to our MINISTER (no longer a student!!!)… the newly-minted Reverend Nancy Best!!! 

It was a great pleasure to travel with members of our congregation on Saturday to John Abbott College in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec (near Montreal).  It was there, at the Montreal-Ottawa Conference weekend, that Nancy became an officially ordained minister of the United Church of Canada.

Of course, to our little charge in rural Quebec, Nancy was already “our minister” – whether she was ordained or not!  She came to us five years ago, as we took on our very first experience as a “learning site” for a student minister.  And, as Nancy has said on many occasions, it seemed we were a match made in heaven!!

The past five years have been filled with so many ups & downs – both for Nancy and many of the members of our church, including my own family - but I believe our congregation has come to look to her for her calming presence, her gentle voice, her dear smile, and her reassuring words.  Nancy has served communion, baptized little ones, helped marry young couples, and grieved with families over lost loved ones.  She has grown and flourished, and we’ve had the distinct pleasure of watching her do so.  She has, for all intents and purposes, been our minister… and so it was a huge thrill to be there on Saturday evening for the joy- and emotion-filled service that saw her officially being ordained by the United Church of Canada.

Nancy, we are so blessed to have you in our little town, and in our lives!  I was so happy to be there to share in your celebration, to sing those “Hallelujuahs” in your honour, and to stand with a big grin on my face and sing “One More Step Along the World I Go”, while you absolutely beamed on stage.  It was an experience that I will treasure, and I know how much it meant to you to finally be there!!!

 

I said it on Saturday when I saw you,  but I’ll say it again here…

CONGRATULATIONS NANCY!!  We are all so proud of you :)

Photos stolen from Nancy’s Facebook page… mine aren’t uploaded yet…