Word of the year and a plan!

I am seriously contemplating trying a nice little run tomorrow morning   My foot still has a few twinges here and there.....but I think 80% of that is just sore and tight muscles up my leg.  The ankle pain comes from twisting the ankle not from forward motion.   Well imagine that, I don't really twist my ankle when I run so I should be good!  My reasoning?  If I can go hiking and for long days of walking then there shouldn't be a problem with running a measly mile or two.  Right?????  It's time!  The sad part?   I just looked at the weather and it is supposed to be 15 degrees tomorrow morning......I may have to break down and do the time on the treadmill at the gym if the windchill is too much colder. Ok, maybe that is good thing....on a treadmill I can step off at anytime if my ankle bothers me. (oh who am I kidding....if I am out running and my foot is bothersome, I could call any number of people in my family and they would pick me up in a heartbeat!).   We shall see....tomorrow may be they glorious return!

I was reading through some of the blogs that I follow and I came across the concept of a "Word of the Year" on Kerstin's blog, Deardietmonster.

I liked the idea...but I wanted to read more about this word of the year concept.  Hey, that's how I roll.  I started researching on the internet and came across this website  and this blog post.  They pretty much just said that instead of focusing on finite goals (for example New Years Resolutions)  instead pick one word and focus on achieving that one word within your life.  Sounds pretty easy but immensely difficult all rolled into one.  But it makes total sense to me.  

Hmmmm.....immediately I started to think about what I would want my word to be.   Words flew at me so fast I was bobbing, weaving and ducking in order to not get hit by the flying words.  Thin......Svelte.....healthy....  Oh yeah, all of those worked just fine.  In fact better than fine.  They all totally encompassed what I would LOVE my year to be.  But they just didn't suffice.   Active????   Could that be my word of the year?   No, that didn't work either.  I want to have an active lifestyle but that is way to subjective on health, weather and moods.

I have written in this blog for years (10 years tomorrow.....and yes, I've been working on my 10 years in review post for tomorrow.) and I have long talked about how this journey is more than just watching what I eat.  I have long written about how emotions, the stresses of life and the different aspects of life play into our weight loss successes and failures.  Everything really is interconnected.  Thus I knew that my word for this year had to be big and cover all aspects of my life.

I had it.  HAPPY!   I just want to be happy.   That's a good word.  Totally awesome.  But no....how do you define happy.  And yes, we can chose to be happy; but sometimes life is just not a 'happy' place.   It didn't take me long to settle on the word that is for me this year.   I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this word is for me.  100% my word. 

CONTENT

Content.  Wow.....that is a powerful word for me.    Especially since I have NOT been content in a very long time.  Contentment has not been my friend.   I haven't liked what life has handed me.  I haven't been satisfied with my weight.....EVER.  I haven't been content with where I am in life.  This year is the year that I will focus on being content where I am at.  

****My weight.  I am overweight right now.  I know it.  I don't have to LIKE it.  But I need to be content with it.  I need to look at where I am and say "It's good"   When I lose a few pounds or gain a few pounds I need to be satisfied with my efforts and content with the results.  I haven't given up on trying to lose the weight....the Love Bites Challenge is still going strong in my mind.  I am planning on losing the weight.   But my focus will be content with where I am at each exact moment. 

***Active lifestyle.   Yes, I want to lead a more active physical life.   That has been my goal for quite a few months.    But sometimes life throws a curve ball, such as the sprained ankle that has kept me from running recently.  I can move toward an active lifestyle, but I need to not let it rule me.  I need to be content when life throws the messed up ankle curve ball.  I need to be content when it just doesn't happen for whatever reason.  

***Personal life.   It is no secret that my life was turned upside down and I haven't been utterly happy about some of the changes.  It's not secret that my job does not bring me satisfaction.  My fears and worries run rampant about so many thing. (The dating is a scary world!)  I need to learn to practice contentment instead of fear.  Well......this year even though I may not be able to change some of these things....I am going focus on being content with what I DO have.  

Contentment......being satisfied with what I have and what I am obtaining.   That is really where life is good.   I don't have to be happy with it.  I have to be content with where I am.  

Ups and downs.....10 year anniversary

10 years.  Wow. How has that happened?   Has it really been 10 years since I started this blog?????   10 years ago today I turned to the blogging world.  Just shy of 1800 blog posts later and I am still here!!!!   Wow,life has changed something fierce since I started this blog.

So here is a ten year in review and some lessons learned along the way blog.   I struggled with taking pictures of myself along the way.....a regret of mine.  (pictures are SO important on this journey)

I started this blog as a heavily overweight woman.  Here is a picture or two from that time....or rather, these pictures were taken December 2005....the closest pictures of myself I could find to the 10 year anniversary of this blog.   I was probably right around 260 pounds at this time....and had already lost roughly 50 pounds.

Not easy to see........

But I had a mission.  I was going to lose the weight.  I sadly, was losing the weight for the wrong reasons.....NEVER lose weight to try to make someone love you the way you want to be loved.  They need to love you for you and not the number on the scale or the size of your body.  It took me quite a few years to figure that lesson out. 

Right or wrong, I started working  diligently on this weight thing!!!! I walked.  I rode my bike. I became a collector of exercise videos and I actually used them....EVERY DAY!     I watched everything I ate.....and guess what?   It worked!   I can see my face had started thinning out in this picture.

By mid 2007 my weight was lower than ever and I was feeling fantastic!!!!  I wasn't done  I kept moving!  I kept working it!  And the weight just kept dropping!!!

By 2008 I had reached my goal weight (as prescribed by my doctor).   Oh my word.  I can't even describe how fabulous I felt.   I was on top of the world.  I had never felt that well physically as an adult.   My arthritis in my knees all but disappeared.  I felt confident.  I just can't describe how life was...I just felt GREAT! (Size 10 shorts in the picture below..my lowest size)

I even managed to make it to be a lifetime member at Weight watchers!!!!!!  GO me!!!!!!!

I still had some weight to lose.  I was still about 15 pounds over where the BMI charts told me that I needed to be in order to be healthy.  I pushed..and pushed.   Family and friends started to worry about me and told me that my face looked gaunt and started asking if I was sick.  I knew I wasn't.  I never saw myself as a thin person.  So I pushed forward.  But I can NOW see how my face was SOOOOO thin!  

It was shortly after this picture that I realized that losing the weight in an effort to make my husband love me the way I needed to be loved was NOT working.  My marriage was still on the rocks, and nothing I was doing was working  (I had tried everything...not just a massive weight loss!).  I stopped caring about my weight....after all the purpose for losing weight had crumbled and proved to be ineffective. Ok, I still wanted to be thin, but I didn't want to bother with watching everything.  I didn't want to worry about the work it would take to complete my mission.  I started to slip.  

In 2009 I had done something I said I would NEVER do.....allow my weight to creep back above 200 pounds.    

By the way...I don't like the weird mouth thing going on...but my hair was AWESOME in this picture!!!    In 2009 I met a blog buddy for the first  and we rode Girls with Gears!!! What a fabulous experience and what a fabulous friend!!  I was about 210 pounds.  

Donna and I had so much fun doing the Girls with Gears Bike ride that we decided to do Pedal to Preserve the same year.  You can see that I gained weight between these two rides...two short months.  My hair was still awesome though!!!

I vowed over and over to stop the weight gain.  But I'm ashamed to say that it kept creeping up and up.

I took steps to try to eliminate the weight.  I just struggled.  I rode in Pedal to Preserve the following year, 2010  (I have no pictures of me doing it)   I had gained even more.     

I never gained everything back as evidenced in this 2011 or 2012 picture. But I had done some serious weight gain!

My salvation during this time was that I never stopped exercising.  I still rode my bike.  I had started going to zumba religiously.  I was still moving  and being active.  I was just gaining.  Weight is lost in the kitchen....NOT the gym and I was/am living proof!

In 2013  I decided to start losing weight for ME.  I didn't care what anyone else thought.  This was a mission for ME.   My weight started to drop again.  I was well on my way.   Things were looking GRAND for me and my weight loss.  I was featured in a newspaper article talking about my weight loss.  I had this in the bag I was on my way back to my goal weight!!!!!

Yup.....a picture from the article.  Not the grandest picture...but it was out there for the world to see.

Remember when I said I 'had this'?   I thought I did.  But my already crumbling marriage took a blow that no marriage should EVER have to endure.....and I lost my focus again.

I'd like to say that I got that focus back.  But I didn't. Once again I kept moving.  I was running.  I was going to zumba.  I was riding my bikes.  I was walking.  But the weight was not coming off.

I ran in 5K's and even a few 10K's and the weight just wasn't dropping......

 In mid 2014 I started to lose weight again.......

Then my life changed drastically.  My marriage ended....and I finally admitted to the world what I had known for years!      Life was upside down and I still couldn't get a grip on it...but I kept moving!!!!  I kept pushing....but gained again.

2015 was rough for my weight.  I regained what I lost in 2014.....maybe I needed the year to come to terms with where I was in life.  My life had turned upside down in so many ways.  I had to come to terms with being single.  I had to come to an understanding with the dating world (wow.....just wow). I had to figure out where I stood in this world.  And my weight suffered.

It took quite a bit of time....but in October of 2015  it  clicked and I am back on track.

I've been on some vacations and done some day trips since I got back on track.  And I have still managed to lose weight!  I have walked a fair amount site seeing (my tracker showed me on a good many of my vacation days walking well over 5 miles each day...with some being as high as 10 miles) and have been doing some more walking and hiking with a friend outdoors.  (and some spraining of the ankle sorry "J".... I know that freaked you out!!!!!!!)

Sprained ankle.....crazy life changes....I'm not out for the count.  (Ankle bothered me last night so running still on hold!!). I'm working it and slowly losing again.  This is a lifelong journey....it's not an easy one.  It's not one with a definitive end...because when the weight is gone it shifts to maintaining the loss......for the rest of my life.

Honestly, this post was difficult to write.  Emotional.  It was awesome to see the confidence on my face as a thin woman.  It was torture to watch the weight creep back on and to relive that failure.  It was emotional to relieve the emotions of the last 10 years.  I wasn't happy for most of the 10 years....just masking the pain and sadness with a false smile.   But I can see when I was taking steps for ME that the smile actually radiated from my eyes and my soul.   Hmmm.....another lesson learned!!!!!!

All of these lessons over the last 10 years have shaped me into the woman I am today and have directed me to be the woman that I want to be.

It's time to look to the future.  The future is out there.....and I can write the book any way I want!

I want to write it as a thin woman.

I want to write it as a happy woman.

I want to write it as an ACTIVE woman.

I will write is as a content woman!!

This is MY story, I am in control!

Intuitive Eating

What to say today?   It's the new year and I am on track thus far.

A few weeks ago I wrote about how I view eating.  It started when I began to really notice that I was hanging out with a new friend and he was not ruled by food. That spurred me on to think more about how I eat.  How do I eat???   I eat simply because the clock strikes 6 which means it's dinnertime. The clock strikes and I start to salivate. This is not healthy at all

For years when I first started watching my weight, I didn't have a clue how to 'read the signs' of my body.  Intuitive eating was not a viable option.  I thought about food from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed.  (and probably dreamt of it too!)  When I started to eat, I just wanted to keep eating.  I ate myself into a food coma so many times.  I had to come up with a solution.  I did.  I became a regimented Nazi in regards to when and what I ate.   I lost the weight by regulating my meals. I had always been a person that breakfast.  I switched up and ate breakfast religiously.  I tracked it, but I ate every meal....I was totally regimented.  I ate like clockwork.  When the allotted calories for the meal was done I stopped eating until the next meal. It was as simple as that.

But you know what?   Lately I have realized that I'm not exactly always hungry when it's lunchtime.  I'm not always hungry at dinner time.  I've tried to start listening to those signs.  Am I eating intuitively?  I guess so.  Not hard core, just trying to listen to my body more.

On January 1 my friend "J" and I went to the Smithsonian Air and Space in Chantilly, VA and somehow lunch time came and went.  We weren't thinking about food, we were enjoying the museum and the companionship of each other.  Food was the last thing we thought about.  We did split a Kind Bar that was in my bag at one point and that was really all I needed or wanted.
Admittedly, when I got home......I was hungry.  But I didn't totally indulge and eat too much.  My calorie count on myfitnesspal was totally in line with where it needed to be and I went to bed happy with my day, happy with my eating and totally satisfied and NOT sick!

Whatever this is...I'm going to roll with it.  As much as possible, if I'm not hungry, I'm going to forego eating.  And if I'm not overly hungry but eating is kinda out of my control, then I will just eat small portions.  And yes....I will continue on the 'when the calories are gone, I stop eating....that rule is just golden!


I  snuck a peak at the scales yesterday and I am looking good for my official weigh in this week!  I just have to keep it up!  And if I can hold onto that weight....and maybe go lower it means that I am on track for my Valentines Day challenge weight!!!!!!!

It begins......

Happy New Year!   

I celebrated quietly, with the person that I've been hanging out a lot with.  We didn't do anything special, just watched some tv/movies, had a nice dinner (ok, we ordered delivery food....it was horrible...but the companionship while we picked at the lackluster meal was nice at least) and watched the ball drop.   I typically drop off to sleep about 10:30 and around 11:15or so I wasn't sure I wasn't going to make it to see the beginning of the New Year.....but I got my second wind and entered a deep and fun conversation with him....so deep  that out of the corner of my eye I saw the countdown on the TV......seven seconds and counting.  Yes, we almost missed the stroke of midnight.  Luck was with us though.  I think for maybe the first time ever I actually collected a kiss at the stroke of midnight on New Years.  (I worked New years Eve for quite a few years.....and well......new year...lets not talk about old hurts!)

The first day of the year we headed down to the Air and Space Museum in Chantilly.  I had been there once or twice before, but he had never been there....so off we went.  It was CROWDED (apparently the best way to watch the new Star Wars Movie is in their I-MAX theater....and apparently they have been sold out since it opened)    We had fun...just strolled and looked and talked.  A nice relaxing day (even in the midst of a butt-load of people)    Not exactly strenuous exercise, but I did get  10K steps in for the day! I'll take it!

My ankle still has some twinges if I twist....and I notice that after walking a lot, the muscles that go up my leg are really tight.  But it's definitely slowly getting better.....I just may be able to get some running done in the next week or two!!!!!!!

I have to get back to running (as soon as I am properly healed!)  I just wrote the check today for the hotel room for my stay in Charleston!  Two nights....Friday and Saturday night...with the 10K run on Saturday morning.  Still undecided if I am going to tack on more vacation before and/or after the weekend or just make it a three day weekend with a LOT of early  morning and late night driving.  :-)    I'm in no hurry to make a decision....Originally I was thinking about heading through a more north westerly route and hitting up The Biltmore Estate......that still may be an option....depends on a few variables.  We shall see.....I'm in no hurry to make a decision.

Not celebrating yet...but the scales looked 'friendly' this morning....got a few more days until my weekly Wednesday weigh in though!!!!!

Happy New Years

What a year 2015 has been.   What a ride!   It certainly wasn't the easiest year to navigate in terms of weight loss and health.  

I started out the year with one name and ended the year with a different name on my drivers license.   And yes, changing my name back to my maiden name was a HUGE deal!  I was soooo excited!  Ending my marriage was probably the most difficult decision that I have ever had to make.  My ex is not a bad guy, just a really bad husband...there is a difference.   That difference made it difficult to leave, but by the beginning of 2015 I was already separated.  I had moved in with my parents and was working trying to figure out a new single life and life at my parents.    My eating changed, as my parents eat VERY differently than I have for years.   (Full fat EVERYTHING....and my mother bakes a LOT for a city market....so there is ALWAYS cookies, cakes, pies and yummy goodness in the house.)    I tried to figure out how to mesh my eating with their habits......it was a struggle (and honestly it still is)!!!  That coupled with some friends that wanted to eat out almost every night (hey I was lonely, I said yes!) and I gained about 20 - 30  pounds.

I trained to run a 10K in Charleston, SC, the Cooper River Bridge Run.   I was ready and a week before the race, I kinda fell off the step in Step Zumba and hurt my ankle.   It was just a slight twinge....but it was enough to ultimately make me decide to walk the 10k and not add the extra impact of running.   It was the right decision but I vowed to come back and conquer this race as a RUN.

 I ran the Donut Alley Rally....with little or no training.  Oops.  I really need to focus on being properly trained and not injured for the future don't I?

I committed to running a half marathon.  I was training for it.  Really, I was.  I was up to about 8 miles in my training and doing GREAT!  I was doing great until I ended up being diagnosed with pneumonia.  Wow...that stuff knocks the stuffing out of a person.  A week or two after I was diagnosed, I tried to run a mile......and I nearly collapsed on my front porch upon my return. (My aunt/neighbor claims I DID collapse....I contend that I was just resting!)  Once again I had to make a decision.  This decision?  Was running a half marathon feasible?  I chose to pass on the half marathon. It just wasn't going to happen after missing so much time in my training plan.  

I purged some friends from my life during this past year.  People that were using me.  People that were negative.  People that were not healthy for me.   It left more holes in my life.  And I really do miss some of them because I did have fun.  However, I can see that the choices I made really were for the best as their actions as and after the purging took place only verified the  necessity of my actions.  The stress and sadness derailed me from my efforts to live a healthier life.....for a while.

I started dating.  Oh wow.....what can I say about that.  There are some CRAZY people out there in the dating world.  ABSOLUTELY CRAZY!!!!!   It was an interesting ride, and I could write post after post about some of the experiences......I mean when I have nicknamed these guys the descriptive names such as "Black Tooth", "Tiny Taco", "Fraidy Cat", "Master Eye Boogie" and many many more, you know that these dates must have been a real......hoot.  (yes, I have written down the experiences because I do not want to forget the humor!) 

Vacations......Starting in October I started vacationing.  It has been a whirlwind of trips.  So much fun.  Philadelpia, Perkasie and Lancaster; Williamsburg and all the surrounding areas; Baltimore; Harrisonburg Virginia and the Skyline Drive; Gettysburg;  Northern Virginia.  So many places to go and things to see.    What a blessing this has been.   I was petrified to vacation by myself, yet the big vacations were totally solo and I found out that I can have a LOT of fun by myself.   

   

I started to get serious about my weight in the last few months of the year.  I have managed to drop 20 pounds.  I am pretty darn happy with that as these pounds were lost in the midst of vacations.  Vacations in which I searched out and found some of the most delightful bakeries and cupcakeries!   (Tartes in Philadelphia is STILL my favorite followed by Smallcakes in Williamsburg!)  My salvation in indulging in these fabulous little sweet shops?  I walked upward to 10 miles each day of my vacations!   I actually maintained or actually lost on each of my vacations/get aways.....it was the time spent at home that caused my weight loss to stop!

I am ending the year with another sprained ankle...this one much more serious than the one in April.  It is taking longer to heal and hurts quit a bit more. I sustained this one while hiking (stupidly on an incline...in mud....without proper shoes).   That has held up the running and exercise, but I know it is only temporary. 

There were changes that were cloaked in heartbreak.  There were changes that were filled with hope.  There were changes that were hard to figure out (truth be told, I'm still trying to figure some things out).   It ends with a sincere hope for the future to be bright and healthy.  

So what does the year 2016 have in store for me in terms of what I have planned and goals I want to reach.

***I have already registered for the Cooper River Bridge Run and I will be recommencing training as soon as possible.  My previous best time for a 10K is One hour 19 minutes.  I want to smash that!

***I have decided to set small goals for myself in terms of weight loss and I will whittle away at this excess weight.   I will be setting challenges for myself....The Love Bites Challenge is currently in progress.....14 pounds by Valentines day (during a period of 7 weeks).    When that ends, I will evaluate where I am....find a new goal and move forward.  In this way, I SHOULD be at or close to my goal weight by the end of 2016

***Running.   I am going to be more committed to running.  I want to see my pace improve.

                   ~~~  I want to set a new PR in a 5K

                   ~~~  I want to push for a sub 30 5k ( 10 minute miles!)

***  LOSE this weight once and for all!

*** Be happy and DEFINITELY stop to smell the roses!!!! (Even if it IS in the middle of a run!)

Check up check in

The other week I went to the doctor.....nothing bad, just a normal check up.   While there, I asked for some extra tests.  No, nothing wrong that would necessitate the tests as medically necessary....but with my life changes of the past year or so, the doctor and I both agreed that while we felt at no risk of needing the tests but that they would be a wise thing to do in order for me to  'move on' with no question. Kinda close the chapter on everything from that 'era of my life'.   (Use your imagination if you are curious.  ha ha ha)   Anyway, why I am mentioning this is because since I was having blood work done, I asked for my cholesterol checked.  I specifically asked for that because I have had high cholesterol in the past and wanted a current number...the doctor decided to throw on blood sugar and thyroid and one or two others (I think).  It was so much that the lab receptionist and the phlebotomist all remarked on how many tests I was having.  ha ha ha.   The doctor called me today.   Everything came back healthy and clean...almost.   The only concern.  My cholesterol was borderline high!  I was ecstatic.  In the past my cholesterol has been high...no where near borderline.  ha ha ha   I'm tickled with that....and the doctor wasn't concerned...just said keep an eye on it.     

Total Cholesterol    203

HDL    55

LDL  130

So I am absolutely TICKLED with my blood work.....everything came back clean and everything came back with normal levels (we are going to call the cholesterol normal since anything below 200 is considered normal)

My weight was down this morning.  I hadn't weighed myself since last Wednesday, so I was extremely nervous.  But much to my shock I was down 1.5 pounds.  Woo hoo.  Hopefully I can maintain that for this Wednesdays official weight!  That would give me a FABULOUS start to the Love Bites Challenge of 14 pounds.    Oh yes, might I add that the loss was OVER Christmas?????  Ok, I won't gloat yet...not until the official Wednesday weigh in!  

I want this weight gone!   I am so totally determined.   Hiking will be easier.  Running will be easier.  Zumba will be easier.  EVERYTHING will be better without the excess weight.   AND, lets face it...clothes are cuter for thin people!

The ankle?   It has been slowly getting better.  However, I did some activities this weekend that kinda irritated it a bit.  Yeah yeah yeah I did a bit of hiking.  Got to go swimming also.  So it is really tender today.  Oh well...I had fun that that is all that matters.  :-)

And here are some of the only pictures I took this weekend.   Morven Park in leesburg, VA.   And a few geocaches!!

Merry Christmas

Saving Christmas turns to Love Bites

Saving Christmas was a little challenge that I set for myself 10 weeks ago.   What was the challenge?  I wanted to lose 25 pounds by Christmas.   Was it crazy?  Yes.  Was it impossible?  NO.   Did I try?  Yes....I did.  I also went to Philadelphia on a short vacation during that time.  And I went on a longer vacation to Williamsburg.   Ohhh, and I spent the weekend in Virginia.  I was on the go...and lets face it...we don't always eat healthy on vacations.   Honestly, it wasn't the vacations that killed me...it was getting back into the normal daily routine that did it for me!  So how did I do?    

Well, my goal was to be 225 by the Wednesday before Christmas.   I didn't make it.  I was 234.   Which means I lost 16 pounds.   That is still pretty nice for a 10 week period!   I'll take it!!!!!!!  Because, yes, I know that 25 pounds was big....but I am realistic enough to know that 16 pounds is AMAZING!

So the next challenge????  Love bites!   There are 7 weeks until Valentines day.   14 pounds.  That's just a bit over 2 pounds a week.  Who cares that there is Christmas in in there.    Love bites....15 pounds!   (and yes...I will be just as happy if by Valentines day I weigh only 7 pounds less......or the 10 pounds that I was originally going to set my goal at!)    220 pounds by Valentines day!  I've got this in the bag!!!  

Soooo, last weekend I ended up going to Gettysburg with a friend.   We had a lot of fun.   Yeah Yeah Yeah...another little mini vacation.  (and just so you know...I have a free night through hotels.com coming up...so expect something else coming up sometime, somethere!)      We toured the battlefield, we toured the Eisenhower farm and did the National Cemetery to see the festival of wreaths and see the Gettysburg Address Memorial and site and we did a little hiking.  We ate some good food at the GarryOwen Irish Pub and the top ranked pizza joint in Gettysburg.   We had fun.    Well...not all was fun.......

We were on the battlefield and saw a hiking trail sign so just naturally headed down the path. (Bet you can guess where this is going)  We BOTH had our hiking boots in the car.  Notice I said, in the car!   We headed down a hill...me in just casual shoes.   It was apparently a little muddy.  And of course I would be the one to find the mud....my foot slipped and I landed with my leg underneath me......I heard a pop and felt the searing pain.  My friend helped get me to a standing position....and I could NOT put any weight on my foot.   My first words to my friend were "Oh no...please tell me you can drive stick shift so you can drive my car home...because I was sure that I was down and out!"   I waited and tried to shake it off...and eventually I could put some weight on my foot and we carefully made our way back to the car.   I can safely say that the monuments on the battlefield DO work as a nice screen for changing your clothes.  (Yes, I was covered with mud!).   We got our boots out of the car...and put them on...I laced mine up as tight as I could for the compression.  And yeah, I headed back down the path to finish that darn pesky trail.  I wasn't going to let it beat me!   I also walked the Eisenhower farm after this little snafu.  (ok, let me be honest and admit that  I completed almost 10k steps after this happened).  My parents asked why I did the walking at the Eisenhower farm....well I had already purchased my ticket of course.  :-).    I figured out quickly that the foot was only an ache if I kept my foot straight forward, on a flat/even surface and if I didn't twist the ankle AT ALL.   So completely manageable!!!!  Right????

I drove home, arriving just a bit before my families Christmas shindig (my bro and family will be spending the holiday in a different state so we celebrated on Sunday).   I wisely decided to leave that nice, tightly laced hiking boot on my foot until I got home after the Christmas dealio at my bro's house!    Lots of good food eaten, lots of fun presents exchanged, and lots of love in the house with the family.  

I bit the bullet when I got home after the Christmas celebration.   Yup....taking the sock and shoe off was just as bad as I assumed it would be.  The swelling kicked in...and yeah....no running for me for who knows how long.  I have improved a bit each day.....I am taking it easy....keeping it as propped as I possibly can while at work.   Walking carefully....and just trying to ease it along.  (heck no....crutches are for sissies!)   I have a cankle on my right foot....no visible...the swelling encircles pretty much the whole ankle...not really on one side or the other.  But even that has diminished some in the last few days.      No worries....I'll be running again as soon as I feel well enough.  I will be taping my foot for extra support.  And no....I won't be running a second before the pain (ache) from just simple walking is gone in my foot.....not a second before I can turn and twist my ankle without searing pain (which the searing heat of pain is slowly getting a little bit less intense each day!)    So how fun for me?????   

Pictures from Gettysburg...nothing fancy...but it was my weekend.  :-)

Saving Christmas turns to Love Bites

Saving Christmas was a little challenge that I set for myself 10 weeks ago.   What was the challenge?  I wanted to lose 25 pounds by Christmas.   Was it crazy?  Yes.  Was it impossible?  NO.   Did I try?  Yes....I did.  I also went to Philadelphia on a short vacation during that time.  And I went on a longer vacation to Williamsburg.   Ohhh, and I spent the weekend in Virginia.  I was on the go...and lets face it...we don't always eat healthy on vacations.   Honestly, it wasn't the vacations that killed me...it was getting back into the normal daily routine that did it for me!  So how did I do?    

Well, my goal was to be 225 by the Wednesday before Christmas.   I didn't make it.  I was 234.   Which means I lost 16 pounds.   That is still pretty nice for a 10 week period!   I'll take it!!!!!!!  Because, yes, I know that 25 pounds was big....but I am realistic enough to know that 16 pounds is AMAZING!

So the next challenge????  Love bites!   There are 7 weeks until Valentines day.   14 pounds.  That's just a bit over 2 pounds a week.  Who cares that there is Christmas in in there.    Love bites....15 pounds!   (and yes...I will be just as happy if by Valentines day I weigh only 7 pounds less......or the 10 pounds that I was originally going to set my goal at!)    220 pounds by Valentines day!  I've got this in the bag!!!  

Soooo, last weekend I ended up going to Gettysburg with a friend.   We had a lot of fun.   Yeah Yeah Yeah...another little mini vacation.  (and just so you know...I have a free night through hotels.com coming up...so expect something else coming up sometime, somethere!)      We toured the battlefield, we toured the Eisenhower farm and did the National Cemetery to see the festival of wreaths and see the Gettysburg Address Memorial and site and we did a little hiking.  We ate some good food at the GarryOwen Irish Pub and the top ranked pizza joint in Gettysburg.   We had fun.    Well...not all was fun.......

We were on the battlefield and saw a hiking trail sign so just naturally headed down the path. (Bet you can guess where this is going)  We BOTH had our hiking boots in the car.  Notice I said, in the car!   We headed down a hill...me in just casual shoes.   It was apparently a little muddy.  And of course I would be the one to find the mud....my foot slipped and I landed with my leg underneath me......I heard a pop and felt the searing pain.  My friend helped get me to a standing position....and I could NOT put any weight on my foot.   My first words to my friend were "Oh no...please tell me you can drive stick shift so you can drive my car home...because I was sure that I was down and out!"   I waited and tried to shake it off...and eventually I could put some weight on my foot and we carefully made our way back to the car.   I can safely say that the monuments on the battlefield DO work as a nice screen for changing your clothes.  (Yes, I was covered with mud!).   We got our boots out of the car...and put them on...I laced mine up as tight as I could for the compression.  And yeah, I headed back down the path to finish that darn pesky trail.  I wasn't going to let it beat me!   I also walked the Eisenhower farm after this little snafu.  (ok, let me be honest and admit that  I completed almost 10k steps after this happened).  My parents asked why I did the walking at the Eisenhower farm....well I had already purchased my ticket of course.  :-).    I figured out quickly that the foot was only an ache if I kept my foot straight forward, on a flat/even surface and if I didn't twist the ankle AT ALL.   So completely manageable!!!!  Right????

I drove home, arriving just a bit before my families Christmas shindig (my bro and family will be spending the holiday in a different state so we celebrated on Sunday).   I wisely decided to leave that nice, tightly laced hiking boot on my foot until I got home after the Christmas dealio at my bro's house!    Lots of good food eaten, lots of fun presents exchanged, and lots of love in the house with the family.  

I bit the bullet when I got home after the Christmas celebration.   Yup....taking the sock and shoe off was just as bad as I assumed it would be.  The swelling kicked in...and yeah....no running for me for who knows how long.  I have improved a bit each day.....I am taking it easy....keeping it as propped as I possibly can while at work.   Walking carefully....and just trying to ease it along.  (heck no....crutches are for sissies!)   I have a cankle on my right foot....no visible...the swelling encircles pretty much the whole ankle...not really on one side or the other.  But even that has diminished some in the last few days.      No worries....I'll be running again as soon as I feel well enough.  I will be taping my foot for extra support.  And no....I won't be running a second before the pain (ache) from just simple walking is gone in my foot.....not a second before I can turn and twist my ankle without searing pain (which the searing heat of pain is slowly getting a little bit less intense each day!)    So how fun for me?????   

Pictures from Gettysburg...nothing fancy...but it was my weekend.  :-)

Lions, Tigers and Bears....ok, no lions and no tigers!!!!

The last mini vacation of the year has come and gone.  It was fun.  It was fast.  Now it's over.  BOOOOOO to that last part!

I don't know where my weight will be when it is over...but my eating was spot on calorie wise!!!!  We shall see!!!!  (I will peek tomorrow..but the official weigh in will be on Wednesday!)

So without much further ado........the last vacation of 2015 for good old MF.

Thursday was a low key day.  I actually turned 43 on Thursday.  I went to breakfast, hung out at home, went to dinner with my parents, did a bit of shopping and went out with the guy that I have been hanging out with.  Low key....fun....relaxing.  (And no pictures!). And I had NO birthday cake!!!  I turned it down when my mother asked what I wanted.   I turned it down at dinner!   I just didn't want it!!!

Friday the Away vacation started.   I was away from Friday morning until Sunday evening.

I decided to drive the Skyline Drive....through the Shenandoah National Park.  The overlook views are GORGEOUS!!!!

It is 105 miles in length....and the speed limit is 35 miles an hour....and if you stop to look at the breathtaking views....(70 plus overlooks)  it takes quite a bit of the day.

I hit up the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg VA.   It has been on my 'must do' list for quite some time.  Since I was so close, I also went to the Valley Turnpike Museum which was right down the road.  I also walked around downtown Harrisonburg for good measure.

I decided to hit up a Cavern since there are SOOOOO many in the area.  I have already done some of the caverns in the area and I didn't feel like doing a repeat....so I stayed away from them.   I ended up going to the Grand Caverns.  It was actually really close to my hotel (ok 20 minutes...but that was probably the closest one) and it was one of the best priced ones around.  The price had me a bit nervous....but this cavern lived up to the big name caverns in the area.....Honestly, I thought it was just as good as Luray, if not better.  They were very proud of the history and the social aspects of the cavern...and that was just a neat as seeing the different geological formations.

 Last but not least, I decided to do a bit of hiking off of the Skyline Drive.  (Read about the Skyline drive.....which is located in the Shenandoah National Park....it's really pretty...very neat....and well, just cool!)   They apparently have over 500 miles of hiking trails in the park.....and the Appalachian trail goes right smack dab across the park....so on trail hikes in the park it is common to cross over the APT.    Now I don't know about you...but when I read the trail guide book....it CLEARLY stated that this was a 2.6 ROUND TRIP hike.  However, my tracker showed me at closer to 5.5/6 miles when I was done.  Go figure!  The first half was EASY....DOWN.  Down to the top of the waterfall....then down another mile or so to the bottom of the waterfall.  The return trip.....well.....I was drenched in sweat this fine (70 degrees in Virginia...that is FINE!) December day.....so bad that my shirt was wringable!  Yup..the return was UPHILL!!!!

The hike I chose was at about mile 62 of the Skyline drive.  So when I was done, I hopped into my car and drove back toward home on that pretty road.  I came around a corner and saw a bunch of cars sitting on the side of the road with their hazzard lights on.  I thought it was an accident...UNTIL........  I got my wish!  And I didn't just get ONE....I saw three!   You see, I have always said it would be so neat to see a bear in nature...a wild bear...not a zoo bear!   Today was the day!  YAY....another thing off my bucket list!

Off to bed....I must dream about my vacations for next year!!!!!!