Training Update

Since following the training progress of my friend J and S while they prepared for their marathon and half marathon I got the itch to go after it for myself. I knew I wanted to run a half, heck I even chose two to run this fall, but as I've said before, I let life get in the way. 

Following Mama Laughlin on Instagram and reading her training posts and then her full marathon recap in her blog got me to thinking. I CAN do this. All I have to do is try. Take one day at a time. Realize that it won't be perfect, but that I have nothing to lose.

So in my motivated state I signed up for two half marathons, talked with a friend about another and am tossing the idea around about running a full next November. 

I'm so excited!!! I have friends doing it with me and we're keeping each other accountable through our training runs. Never in my life did I think I would want to run, much less actually enjoy it. 

Thank you J and S for motivating me! You have no idea how much it means. 

Thank you L for committing to go the distance with me.

Mama L. Love you to pieces. Reading your story has changed my life. Thank you.

Run girls!!!

I'm out! 

Mrs. T

We're moved in!

In a past post I talked about how we had to move. Well, we did it!

Friday night my mom and my in-laws came to town to join in all the moving fun.  They arrived just in time for our first winter ice storm! If you've never moved in the sleet and snow, you are LUCKY! It's not very elegant or graceful slipping in the middle of the street while carrying an open box of your bras. I wish someone would have taken a picture of that! 

We're all moved in and on our way to visit family for Turkey Day! 

This year I'm most thankful for my beautiful family, our health, and our ability to spend time together in spite of the miles and junk that sometimes pulls us apart. 

I'm also thankful for our parents for helping is move and for hooking us up with a sweet new bedroom suite . 

What are you thankful for?

I'm out! 

Mrs. T

We're moving...again!

You read that right!  We're moving!  Our landlord called me on my birthday, October 26, to tell us that he'd sold our duplex and that we'd have to move...womp...womp.  Then he went on to say he had two places for us to look at, and that he wouldn't charge us rent for November AND December.  Score!  It makes the sting of moving seem a little less painful.

Yesterday Bill and I called all of the utility companies to have everything switched over for this weekend, the last weekend before we must be out.  For the most part each company was helpful and nice.  Some were just OK, and some wanted to charge us an arm and a leg to turn off service and then start new service.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!  I understand that's how most of these places make their money, but come on.  We aren't moving across the state, we aren't even moving across the city, we're moving across the street.  Yes, folks, across the street.  So, we get to pay an extra $100 for our TV service, and extra $60 for our internet, an extra $25 for our water and an extra $35 for our gas.  I guess the not having to pay rent thing is coming in handy!  We'll just give it all to the utility companies!

Sorry...end of rant...

So after work yesterday I set a movie and snack up for Billy while I walked over our most prized possessions.  You know, my living room and kitchen decorations and all of my wreaths that I've been obsessed with making lately.  When Bill got home he was pleased with the progress and even joked about how it looked awesome in the living room, "just like a bachelor pad" I think were his exact words.

Tonight we'll be walking over more of our goodies.  Hopefully we can knock it all out quickly so I can get in a run.  Today I have a 3 miler on the schedule! :)  Preparing for my half in March!

I'm out!
Mrs.T

Things I wish I knew 10 years ago

My life has changed so much since I was 19.  If I could go back and give myself a few pieces of much needed advice (that I'd actually listen to) I would say...

Pay attention to your credit score.  Just because you're young doesn't give you an excuse to open up credit card accounts that you have no idea how you'll make the payments.  Ugh...young and dumb.

For goodness sake take care of your skin! Stop going to bed with makeup on and stay away from that dang tanning bed.  You only have young skin once!

Seriously be frugal.  Start now and you'll thank yourself later.

These thoughts all stem from a bomb dropped on us this weekend...well a few bombs.

First bomb...we've been denied a home loan. Again.  I get that our credit isn't perfect, but my word.  I'm so upset because I don't know where to go from here.  Who do we talk to? How do we fix this?

After Billy was born we decided it would be smart to wait until we were together and had purchased a house before we had another baby.  I'm beginning to think that will never happen.

Second bomb...it's no secret that I have acne.  I've had it since I hit puberty.  At certain points of the year it's better than others, but I never feel like I have pretty skin.  There's always a blemish and tons of scars.  Yesterday my sweet son started to notice my "owies". I don't know why this affected me the way it did.  I felt embarrassed and self couscous. I have issues.

Yesterday the lesson in Sunday School was forgiveness.  Maybe I need to forgive myself for my past mistakes and start fresh?  What do you think?  Any thoughts?

There's no place like home.

Yesterday I spent most of the day at my parents house.  Billy and I took a nap together and I swear it was the best nap of my life.  There is something about being in the house you grew up in that brings comfort and peace.  I don't think I've had rest like that since before Billy was born.  It was soooo niiiice!

I was able to get together with my girls for a run.  I got there late...whoops...so they ran about 30 minutes longer than I did.  I'm not sure how far we went, but it was great to catch up and get some sweat time together.

Wayyyy back in the summer I decided to run a half.  After deciding, I told my husband and he wasn't feeling anywhere close to the excitement that I wanted him to feel for me.  I let school get in the way and stopped focusing on my training.  I kept up with weights, but the running got lost in the shuffle.

In October I signed up for a 5k with a friend and we ran it together.  It was just the boost I needed to get excited for my half.  The problem was I was only 5 weeks away from it.  As it got closer and I got my running back on track, we were notified that our duplex had been sold and we would have to move...in the next three weeks.  The biggest part of our move will be this Saturday, the same day as my half.  So I'm not running this time.  I feel really bad about it.  I hate saying I'm going to do something and then not following through with it.

I'm hopeful that this little hiccup won't keep me from going after this goal.

I signed up for the Dallas Rock and Roll half.  Nothing is getting in my way this time.

It's All About the Journey

Don't stop believing...right?

Since I finally made that switch in my brain and decided my health, my life, and my sanity needed to take a greater importance in my life, it has been fairly easy to be motivated about healthy food choices and exercise.  But dang it if school didn't start back and stress me smooth out.

When I'm stressed, or feel under pressure I eat.  When I'm sad or grumpy, I eat.  When I need to celebrate or relax, I eat.  WHAT THE HECK MAN!!!  Food issues much?

Well life happened, like it does, and since August my life has taken on more stress, and close to ten extra pounds.  I'm not happy about it, but I'm not beating myself up like I used to.  It's time to get things back in order and on the right track.

Because I love to eat and obviously I do so at any occasion, I've had to learn to balance.  I have my cake, and eat it, but not the whole thing.  I've learned how to have what I want, what I need, and to do it all in moderation.   

Once I started losing weight the choices were easier.  Now that I've hit a "comfy" place (not my goal) making healthy choices has somehow taken a back seat.  It's time to kick my rear in gear and get back on track before I zoom through the holidays and pick up ten more pounds.

I see so many people doing the advocare cleanse to get back on track.  Should I or shouldn't I?  I'm not sure.  I need to find easy, clean recipes for my family and start there I think.

What do you do to kick start yourself?  How do you get your eating back on track?

Oh, I haven't stopped working out.  I've been lifting more weights and running to train for my half marathon in the spring.  I even tossed around the idea of a full with my friend last night.  Crazy?  Nah.  If Mama Laughlin can do it, I can too.