Friday, January 21, 2011

New Year...New Beginnings

This post is long overdue seeing it's pert near the end of January.  I make no apologies though because you all have been warned of my procrastinating tendancies!

I love the magic of New Year's Eve.  The thing that at the stroke of midnight there is a New Year.  2011.  Can you believe it?  I distinctly remember 2000.  Y2K.  Whatever you want to call it.  Oh my word, we all thought the world was going to end.  My parents didn't stock up on food, emergency supplies etc, and I wasn't really big into computers yet.  But it was still that tiny little thought..."What is going to happen at midnight"?  But it came and went just like thousands before.  No great computer glitch, no lightning bolt, nothing.  Just a silent night broken by cheers and gunshots.  Maybe it was a little quieter than other years because everyone was on edge.  All I remember was that I was with my youth group and we were having a blast!

So fast forward 11 years.  New Years Eve.  I had to work Friday morning and then decided to work at the auction as well.  On holidays we have special antique auctions and I often don't work because they are usually on a day that I have to work at my other job.  Normally these auctions start at 8:00 a.m. and are usually over 3ish or 4.  Well, not this one.  It went till after 6.  After working all day I really didn't feel like dashing home, getting a finger food ready, getting myself ready and zipping out the door.  There were a few New Years parties we were invited to but we still hadn't really made up our mind which one we were going to go to.  So I called up my hubby and asked him if he would care if we just stayed home.  He was totally for it, and said he'll stop for Chinese and a movie.  Sounds good to me!

We feasted on Chinese and watched a movie.  Can't remember what it was though!   Around 10:00 I started to feel very, very old.  This just isn't right thought I.  No party New Years Eve?  So I came up with a plan.  My hubby went right along with it.  We got dressed in grungy, mismatched clothing and headed out.

The first house we came to was dark.  Not a party in sight.  After a call to my mom we found out the host of the party was very sick and the party was canceled.  So we headed to my sisters house.  YAY!  A party!  There were lots of my "old" friends there, although I don't think they knew what to think of us!  We stayed a little and headed on...

The next house (Brad's cousins) was full of men and children.  The ladies had excused themselves and headed out to do some mischief, but I didn't tell you that!

From there we went to Brad's aunts house.  We were hoping to be there by midnight.  Brad knew that there would be guns.  He likes guns.  Me...not so much!  We got there around 11:30, shot the New Year in and headed back home.  So that was the beginning of 2011.  We started off the New Year with funny memories and a not so old feeling!!!

  

I'm not much for New Years resolutions.  It's the kind of thing where you think of some things that would be great but after a while it wears off!  This year was no different.  Brad and I talked about the past year and what we thought would be different about the next.  2010 was rather uneventful for us.  Lots of things happened, but after the pregnancies and miscarriages in 2009, 2010 seemed uneventful.   The thought that this year, Lord willing, we will become parents (through foster care) is so SO exciting for us!  We have been praying even now about the children that God will place in our home.  Maybe they will be here for a day, week, month, year or forever but either way, we're open to whatever/whomever God sends our way.  Sure we still would love to have our own biological children someday but realize that this may be God's way of starting our family.

Another exciting thing is my health.  I debated and debated about writing about this on here but realize it's a way for me to be accountable.  For years I have been wanting to lose weight but always felt healthy so I never really stuck with anything.  This past year though, I have started to feel unhealthy.   I weigh more than I ever have.   I gained about 20-30 pounds after my 2nd miscarriage and didn't really care.   Sad, I know.  I finally sat my hubby down and got on the scale in front of him and begged for his help!  He loves me just as I am, but he also wants me to be healthy too.  He promised me that he would help me and encourage me in my journey.  After talking about stuff I decided to join a gym.  Planet Fitness was offering a great deal for January.  I thought I would probably be sick of it after a few days but it's kinda opposite for me!  It's getting addictive!  I stop on my way home from work.  Started out about 20 minutes on the elliptical and thought I was going to die!  Now I'm at 35 minutes on the treadmill.  Walking/running.  I've been going for over 2 weeks now and so far I love it.  Today I had to "force" myself to go, but after I was there and started, I kept going and going longer than I ever had.  Next week I want to push myself to 45 minutes and then an hour.  It took me a while to get over feeling self concious about sweating and puffing in a roomful of people, but Brad kept encouraging me and told me that people should be proud of me for getting moving!  Everyone's in their own little world anyway! 

The eating thing is a little bit of a challenge because I love to "snack".  But I've been getting healthy snacks.  Almonds, granola, yogurt etc.  Diets have never really worked for me because after they were over, I went right back to old habits.  This time, I want to make more of a lifestyle change.  Yes, still eat chocolate every now and then, but not like before.  If I deprive myself totally, I'll just want it more.  Wow....all of a sudden I'm starting to feel vulnerable!  Kinda laying it all out there.  One of my fears of writing about this is that the next time "you" see me,
"you" will say..."Oh my...how much did you lose" etc.....I don't want "you" to feel obligated to see changes in me.  Hopefully that will happen soon enough.  For the record, I lost 4 pounds.  YAY!  Was hoping to have lost more in 2 weeks, but I'll take it.  So the point is, "you" will not notice things change right away!  I will take any tips and pointers you may have about what has worked for you!

So here's to new beginnings and a healthier me!

3 comments:

  1. aw mimmy! I'm so excited for you to see results in your weight loss venture. I wanna be here for you in whatever way I can, as encouragment, or if you need someone to stay on your case, that too:-) This is something that is close to my heart, I love talking about it:-)
    It is SO possible, and I applaud you for just hanging in there. You WILL see a differance if you keep at it. I looove the Biggest Loser show, I learned alot from it and was what inspired me last year to loose my baby weight and then some. Trust me, i prly lost every lb. twice. For sure. But 30 min. a day, no questions asked, and real food, just less.
    Food journaling is a huge help for me, accountability too, altho I'm not doing so much of that right now. And all the Biggest Looser bob/jillian workout dvd's since it's hard for me to get to the gym.

    And in case I sound like I know it all, right at this moment, I am prly one of the most unmotivated individuals on this planet. Lately it has been really hard to stay at it, well ever since I had mono. But, I still get up every day and try a little:-)

    anyway, go yoU!

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  2. good job, friend! i'd love to give you my somersize book...i didn't evn know what simple & complex carbs were or that sugar is addictive! let me know if you're interested -*hugs!*

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  3. Yay, Mimmy! You definitely are making yourself vulnerable by putting it all "out there", but sometimes that's what helps to keep us motivated, right? I am currently trying to lose the "baby weight" which really shouldn't be blamed on a baby or pregnancy as much as simply eating too much and exercising too little~isn't that where all of our weight gain comes from for one reason or another??

    I'm not on a particular diet either . . . just watching the *quality* and quantity of what I eat, plus exercising 5 out of 7 days. For me, reading about health, nutrition, fitness, etc. continue to help me stay on track, as well as having someone to be accountable too. And by that I mean someone who REALLY is expecting me to meet my goals and do what I've committed to do. Sometimes that means someone other than my DH or mom 'cause they really do love me too much sometimes to be too hard on me in the weight-loss dept. :)

    I was *praying* for help to get motivated and stay motivated . . . and the Lord did bless me with someone totally unexpected who successfully lost 50 lbs last year . . . so she keeps me encouraged and motivated simply by sharing her story with me and checking in on me.

    I believe that our health and well-being is something the Lord cares about and so taking our needs [and cravings!] to Him is, I believe, a great place to start and continue to go in this journey as well. And like Thelma, I don't have it all together either, but these are defnitely some things that have helped me. Blessings to you!!

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