In which I Get Lucky.

I am not an active person, never have been. I hope to be someday and have taken a giant step in that direction this weekend. I participated in and finished my first 7K! Several weeks ago I decided to sign up for the St. Patrick's Day Get Lucky 7K that was being held in my area. This was something I was going to do to prove that I could start and finish something physical.
It turns out not only did I finish, but I also completely enjoyed challenging myself. This was something completely new to me. I had never chosen to challenge myself physically before!
While I am sore, and have been for the past couple days, I find myself with a new addiction that is actually good for me! Most of my...okay make that ALL of my past addictions have been food, movies, tv, or reading. I have never had such a great time engaging in an activity that is healthy for me!
I am now looking forward to doing several more 5Ks that are peppered throughout the rest of the year. The two I am seriously looking into at this point are the Women Rock, and the Monster Dash. I would also like to find one that benefits animals and get involved with that one.
My goal over the next few months is to up my 5K time so I can start to try to best myself! Woohoo!

Technical Errors

I logged back in yesterday to find that the two posts I had scheduled had not been published like they were supposed to! Oops! So you get two for today. Enjoy

Weight Loss Goals.

I work best when I am bribed to do things. So, like my BFF I am going to set up a set of rewards for the weight that I lose. When I first think of rewards I think of food, that is how I was raised. If you are happy you eat, sad? you eat, upset? you eat, mad? you eat. You get the idea. So, I have had to come up with a set of rewards that have nothing to do with food.
10lbs- Fitbit
20lbs- Pedicure
30lbs- Send Myself Fruit Bouquet
40lbs- New Underwear
50lbs- Contacts
60lbs-Massage
70lbs- Horse Ride
80lbs- Tattoo
90lbs-New Expensive Bag
100lbs-  New Laptop!!
110lbs- Spa Day
120lbs- New Clothes!
Some of the things on the list are things I want, some are things I will be doing for the first time, and others are things that I know I will want to work for.

Losing Myself

Another of my main goals for this year is to loose weight. Many people have this goal but I know that I need to loose the 100+ extra pounds that I am currently carrying. It has become an issue of not just my self esteem but also my health. I worry about getting diabetes, high cholesterol, more food allergies, the disease my father died from called CADASIL, and have developed sleep apnea (which can cause heart issues).
While I am at times literally scared for my health I cant seem to stop the bad habits that have gotten me to this point. I have even developed a few worse habits than I ever had before. I not only eat foods that are horrible for me but I also have started binge eating. I have never done this before, it is like I cannot stop my hands from pushing the food into my mouth one bite after the other!
My main goal for the rest of this year is to be 20-30 lbs lighter by the time Christmas comes back around. I have all the other tools at my disposal, I just need to gather my courage, and my will power. I have the time, a gym membership, knowledge, and need.
I need to find my courage as I have never been so scared to do anything in my life, but I know that it will be worth it. I have never been as heavy as I am right now, have never had to lose as much as I need to. I just have to make it past the first few pounds and I know my drive will kick in, it is just getting started for the first month.

My Goals For the Near Future.

I find myself at a strange place in life for a thirty-something year old woman. Many of the years that one usually spends in the frivolity of youth I spent caretaking for both of my ill parents. This has led to some issues for me now that I am out on my own.
I have always had poor impulse control, and when living with my parents as their caretaker I always had extra money to spend on needless wants and wishes. I never learned to control my money, create and follow a budget, and I never even owned a credit card before the age of 30.
The issue this creates is that now that I am out on my own I have no idea how to save or budget my money so I have enough to buy things such as toilet paper!
My life habits need a serious overhaul and for the first time in years I have the time to devote to making my life and myself over.
Step 1-Create a budget and learn to stick to it.
This is by far my biggest downfall. I HATE not being able to buy things that I want. Ever since I was a little girl my mom always told me that I needed to marry a rich man to afford my taste in things.
I have managed through the help of J, Mom, BFF and David Ramsey to create a budget. However, I have yet to stick with this budget for longer than two days. This is the month that I am going to take on my budget challenges and win. I am going to start by creating a menu of inexpensive food options that will get me through the next two weeks (a pay period) based on what I already have in the fridge, freezer, and cupboard.
I don't know about you but I find that when I go to the grocery store I always exit with about 3-7 items that were not on my list when I entered the store. This week I am going to investigate if getting my groceries delivered to my house will be ultimately cheaper than my grocery trips have been over the last few weeks.
I have also created a log of needs and wants that I will carry with me in my purse. When I think of something I think that I NEED or WANT or want TO need, I am going to write it in this log. If I can still find the money, motivation, and reason to buy this item after careful thought and consideration I will then allow myself the idea of purchasing it. This logging process is for items that come up in life that are not accounted for within my created budget. My slush money would be used for these items.
Learning to take care of oneself at the ripe old age of 32 has not been as easy as I would have thought. My budgeting issues is just one of the makeovers that is heading my way this year. Stay tuned to learn more.

Favorite Websites.

I am by no means a web aficionado. I don't spend a lot of time on the internet or on my computer. However, I do have some favorite websites that I will share with you...one at a time.
Today's favorite is a cooking website. I was raised on delicious home cooked comfort foods, and while this has contributed to my waistline it has also set the bar very high when it comes to finding recipes that are as awesome as the ones passed down from my Great Grandmother. This website meet and exceeds those standards.
The Pioneer Woman Cooks has loads of comfort food in the form of appetizers, dessert, drinks, salads, entrees and more. If you are looking for a great meal for a change of pace then I suggest you check out this website and try one of the many recipes that will catch your attention.
Some of my Favorite-
Beef Stew
Pot Roast
and
Shepard's Pie

Day of Pictures

BFF

 

BFF's Oldest- C.