September in Review

I cannot believe we are half way through September. It is amazing to me how time goes by so quickly now. So here is how the month has gone so far me.

September 2nd - I was supposed to get together with my brother, sister-in-law, and my sister-in-laws sister & husband for cake for my brother's birthday. However, my sister-in-laws sister's water broke early that morning. They had a beautiful baby girl!

Labor Day Weekend - I planned on ordering pizza on Friday night and watching a movie. I did order pizza, but my friend Phoebe came over. We indulged in pizza and enjoyed some great conversation. It was great to see her! When I woke up Saturday I still wanted to watch a movie so I watched three!!! It was a very lazy day, but so marvelous. The week before I had gone to see War Room with some friends from church so I watched some of the Kendrick brother's other movies. I ended up watching Fireproof, Heat, and Courageous. I also did some coloring, watched the last two episodes of Psych, and did a little bit of reading.

On Sunday I went to church and then ran some errands. My air conditioner is broke and it was hot and humid so I went shopping. I also stopped by Lowe's to price some things and get some paint samples. Later that evening my brother and sister-in-law stopped by for a quick visit after visiting their beautiful new niece. Labor Day I went to lunch with my Mom, did some grocery shopping, food prep, and some other things around the house. 

It is hard to tell with the bad lighting, but there are a lot of blues in there. My final decision may be made this week. We will see. I am so indecisive when it comes to this kind of stuff. 

Monday morning I also made my new favorite... Almond Butter Pancakes! I love these! I had some turkey sausage with them for a little added protein. I have made them in a skillet and the oven. Baking them in the oven is a lot quicker and easier! So delicious!!!

I started getting up at 5am the first week of September to do morning workouts! Just so you know... I am NOT a morning person. I generally get up between 9-10am on the weekends. This has been an adjustment for me. However, I really like getting my workout done first thing in the morning. It also means I am doing my workouts. The week of September 1st I worked out four times and this past week I worked out 6 times. Boom!

September 10th - We had a golf outing at work supporting a local charity. It was my first time really being on a golf course and seeing people golf. It was also my first time driving the golf cart. Look at all of the things I am learning/trying. 

September 12th - Saturday morning I stayed home and worked out. It was almost a 2 hour workout! My trainer dared my to do 100 burpees. She does this on purpose because she knows I will do it or do my best to do it. They weren't all at once, but I did 100 bosu burpees. I believe she does it so I remember how far I have come. 

source

Later Saturday afternoon my power went out. Apparently a squirrel wanted to play in the substation and killed the power for over four thousand of us. Bet he regrets it now! Either way I got ready for my friends surprise party in the dark and called a cab.  My garage doors are electric and there is no other way in the garage. I made it to the surprise party in plenty of time and loved seeing how surprised she was with her family and friends surrounding her. 

How has the first part of your September gone? Have you tried anything new?

September Goals & August Recap

Another month gone by wtihout a lot of progress. I keep going though. Every step is progress back in the right direction. There were a few life lessons learned this month, but I have a feeling it will be like that for a bit. I wouldn't mind if they were more of a tap on the shoulder lesson instead of a punch in the face lesson though. Just sayin'...

source

August Goals:

• Workout 4 times per week 
• No fast food
• Eat healthier & cook/prep food more
• Loose weight (I would like to get back into the 160's) 

So in all honesty I don't think I did any of these. I haven't looked at the times per week I have worked out, but I don't believe I did 4 times each week. I know I ate Burger King and McDonald's this month. :( I am not going to lie there was a night of drinking (one of my "punch in the face" lessons) and McDonald's was the next day. 

There was more food prep in August than there has been previously, but not as much as I wanted or intended. I also did not loose weight this month. Sigh... With that said it is still up and down for me emotionally. There were some heartbreaking things discovered, Brandon moved all of "his stuff" out, I was tired of thinking and drank one night, and more. 

source

Somedays it feels like every day I fall apart, but I know I will be okay. One day at a time; moment by moment. I will get through it. With that said... September goals!

September Goals:

• NO DRINKING!!! - (glass of wine at my Thirty One Party in late September)
• Get workouts in; Plan for 6-7 days a week 
• Plan & prep food for lunch and dinner
• Win bet with Mom! :) We have a bet to get to a certain weight by the end of the month. GULP! Basically I have ten pounds to loose by the end of the month. I gained weight after last weekend. It was 7 pounds. (head smack) BOO! 

Whoever wins the bet pays for a pedicure, movie, or dinner. :) Nothing huge, but a little competition never hurt anyone. 

What did you accomplish in August? What do you have planned for September?

August Favorites

I kind of liked doing July Favorites so it may be a monthly post for me. Let me know what you think. So here are some of the things I have been loving lately.


1. Veggie Chips/Veggie Straws - These may not be allowed in my house for a little while. I have been loving a sandwich with some veggie chips/straws. My problem is with chips, I just can't stop. Once I start I just keep eating them.

source

2. Optimum Nutrition - Essential Amino Energy - When Lyndsey mentioned this as a favorite of hers on Broccoli & Barbells I knew I had to try it. I have gone through 3 of the grape flavored. The other day I forgot mine and Lyndsey let me try her Blue Raspberry before she kicked my butt. I liked it and got the Blue Raspberry for a change.

I actually have a Blue Raspberry at home and a Grape right now. It is nice to prepare it before I leave work so by the time I get home and change my clothes I am ready to go!

source

3. Unity Christian Music Festival - This was amazing! I went Friday and Saturday this year and can't wait to go again next year. It was amazing to see Francesca Battistelli, Matthew West, and so many more. It was one of the best weekends and I am so glad my Mom and Aunt Mary urged me to tag along. 

4. Sweaty Bands - I love these. It is a little embarrassing to say how many I have and I want more. These are one of the only headbands that work for me. They actually work for me and I have thin, fine hair. Headbands have never worked for me. I was tired of hair in my face though and gave these a try. They work! LOVE!

5. Bosu - I love this! There are so many exercises you can do with it. I even prefer to do burpees with the bosu. After using it with my trainer I knew I wanted one.

source

What have you been loving this month? 

What's been going on?

I thought 2015 was going to be a phenomenal year for me. Every year I make a goal list and this was the year for me to accomplish all of them! My weight loss goal, my reading goal, and the dreams I had for my marriage. Unfortunately, this has been one of the most difficult years of my life. 

In the beginning of May my husband walked out on me. He told me Monday night he "was done" and while I was at work on Tuesday he packed his stuff and moved in with his parents. It is one of the most devastating things I have ever experienced. He would not talk to me and asked for time to think things through. I still don't understand a lot of what happened during that time. 

source

I have been devastated. I never thought he would do this or treat me this way. He was my best friend, my husband. We were together 13 years and would have been married 7 years in October. Brandon walked out and will hardly talk to me. He even filed for a divorce on my birthday. It has been hell to go through all of this these past few months and to be honest I didn't want to write about it because I didn't think he would go through with it. I hoped he wouldn't, but our divorce will be final soon. 

source

I am not going to lie... this has been awful. However, one night while sitting at my Mom's dining room table sobbing I told her one my blessings during all of this. "You did a really good job! People really like me!" I have the most amazing family and friends. They have all been here for me. I don't know what I would do without all of their love and support. 

I know I still have a long way to go. There will be times where I am doing okay, other times where I don't think I can do it anymore, and other times where I am doing great. As I have learned it is all part of the process. Everyday is a new day. And you know what? I am going to be okay. 

August Goals & July Recap

It is crazy to me that it is August already. Why does summer always go by so quickly? I hate to say it, but I think August is going to go by quickly too. It is going to be a rough month for me personally, but I will be okay. My main goal is to keep working to get back to where I was before everything happened at the beginning of this summer. I didn't do great at my goals in July, but I am doing better every day. 

source

July Goals:

• Workout 3-5 times per week 
• Eat healthier & cook/prep food more
• Blog 2 times a week
• Sign up for DietBet & try to hard to win

My workout and blogging goals did not go as I wanted. Although I did blog more than the past couple of months. It just wasn't as much as I had wanted. Workouts weren't great either. I was just trying to distract myself from dealing with life (Feeling Switch Blog Post). 

Cooking and prepping has gotten better this month. Definitely not where it had been, but better. This week I even made a couple new recipes. They were healthy, easy, and delicious. I will be putting both of them in my rotation. This past week I tried a new protein shake that I have been loving. I did a five day trial and will be ordering more soon so I will let you know more about that once I try it a little longer. 

August Goals:

• Workout 4 times per week 
• No fast food
• Eat healthier & cook/prep food more
• Loose weight (I would like to get back into the 160's) 

I have gained weight these past three months and am back in the 170's. It sucks, but I am not going to beat myself up. This year has been one of the most emotional and most difficult years of my life. So I will just be happy that through it all I haven't quit or given up. It make take longer to get to my goal than initially planned, but I will do it. 

source

What are you proud of that you did in July? What goals do you have for August?

July Favorites

I don't normally do these since I can never think of a list of things to post. This past month I have thought of a handful of things I am loving and thought you should know about!

1.  Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt - I love these! I have tried the Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate
     Fudge, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. They are 80 calories for one bar! Plus they are helping
     my ice cream cravings. Delicious!

source

2.  Minion Glass - Two of my favorite people, Addison & Nylah (Lyndsey's daughters) gave me a   

     minion glass for my birthday! LOVE IT! How can you not love minions? 

3.  PB&J - Yes. I am serious. For some reason I am back to my 1st grade years and I am eating 

     Peanut Butter (Creamy Jif & strawberry preserves). I felt like a giant kid on Sunday with my 

     PB&J and minion glass. It's easy and delicious. 

4.  Quest Bars - The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough one is my favorite, but I am loving them! When 

     I went through one of the most difficult weeks these were the only thing that I could eat. I like the 

     Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Brownie, S'mores, and more. I have a White Chocolate Raspberry to 

     try later this week and I would love to get my hands on a Strawberry Cheesecake. :)

source

5.  Rachel Platten - I love her "Fight Song." I can't stop listening to it. 

What are you loving? 

Feeling Switch

Happy Tuesday! I got a beautiful surprise at work today! My friend Angie sent me flowers! They were even my favorite flower... Roses! As you can see below I definitely stopped to smell the roses. She has been an amazing friend through this whole process. Don't know what I would do without her and my other family & friends!

This evening I came home and again I did NOT work out. Why? I didn't feel like it. Is that an excuse?  Absolutely not!! I came to realize something while sitting here watching TV and coloring though. I am avoiding trying to feel my emotions. I am so tired of dealing with all of these raw emotions that I have been distracting myself. I napped, read, watched TV, and colored most of last week and the entire weekend. I did have a cold so I didn't go out like I had initially planned to avoid getting others sick.

source

I am tired of feeling everything! I have asked multiple people if there was a way to just stop feeling, even for just a day. There isn't. So I have been distracting myself. Most of the time it has been TV and coloring. I am watching a TV show while focusing on coloring and the colors I am using. This is generally while also texting friends and family. So I shut my coloring book and turned the TV off tonight. I picked up some clutter that has accumulated and cried for a while. It sucked. I am not going to lie, but I did it.

source

It may be hard, but I am going to try and stop distracting myself right now. Allow myself to feel and try to be okay with how I am feeling. I don't know what this means for my workouts and eating. Working out always makes me feel better; however, I believe I have been avoiding it because of what I think about during that time. I need to get back on the wagon though. I just need to remind myself I am strong and I will get through it. I have a feeling it is going to be me picking myself up and falling for a few more months, but I will NOT QUIT!