Not so great start or middle.... but great ending!

Alrighty, so reality has set in. This is HARD. Changes are HARD. I didn't expect it to be easy, but darn that Christmas candy and those leftovers sitting around... then, on top of all that, my knees were hurting something fierce today. I almost wimped out and skipped the shred. But Brandie (thank God for motivating friends!!) encouraged me to do it anyway, and just modify so I'd be comfortable. So here I sit, having just finished the shred. My arms feel like jell-o, but I beat the obstacle. I said no to the excuses. I showed myself that I can do it! (oh yeah, day THREE of no soda!!!)
I guess that's my health update. On to my spiritual- I'm having a rough go. I'm not feeling connected. I know it's my fault... we've slacked on our church attendance the past few weeks. Small group is on hiatus... but it is up to me to keep my relationship with God going. I cannot depend on church or small group to do that for me. I did read chapter 2 of Romans last night. I tried to pray, but it wasn't working. I didn't feel like I was really talking to God. Nightly reading isn't going to work for me on the Bible front. Too much distraction. I will resume waking up earlier and reading before everyone wakes up.
Marriage update- this was day 2 of the Love Dare. My challenge was to do something special for him. I wanted to make a cake for him, but we were missing a few key ingredients, and I really didn't want to go to the grocery store with my ornery boys. So I settled for laying out his clothes and towel for him for his after work shower. I had dinner ready when he got home, and I took care of the kitchen. I didn't nag him once. Score! :)

Good things come in threes...

Alrighty, here I am on day 3~ two days longer than I thought I'd last! Today was awesome on several fronts. We had our house that we're renting inspected by the foundation company. We've been worried because there have been cracks in the walls, and we knew the house had prior foundation issues. Praise God- the inspector said the house is repairing itself and everything is just fine! We are also beginning the process of purchasing a home. So far, everything is going well with the lender we are working with. This has been weighing heavily on us to get back to having our own home, a place we can call "ours."
Goal 1- get healthy- Alright, so I'm on day 2 of Jillian's shred. I didn't get to do my workout this morning because of the inspector coming so early. I was really worried I'd talk myself out of it by the end of the day. I sucked it up and just finished- it was TOUGH, because I'm still sore from yesterday. However, I pressed on and made it through. This is day 2 of not drinking any soda. Those who know me know that I have a major soda addiction. I decided to follow my friend Brandie's advice and just drop soda cold turkey. I've been drinking coffee in the morning, and unsweet tea (with Equal) during meals. I'm doing water after workouts.
Goal 2- spiritual life- I'm on day 2, chapter 2 of reading Romans. I'm finding it a little difficult to go straight through a whole book of the Bible. I have to stop and think a bit every couple of verses. I have a study Bible, so it helps with interpretation. I'm enjoying the sense of completion, though, that I'm not just reading a little verse, but I'm getting the entire context of what's going on.
Goal 3- improve marriage- I finished day 1 of the Love Dare. I'm reading at night, then putting it into practice the next day. Day 1's challenge was to exhibit patience and not say anything negative to your spouse. It was HARD. I had to stop several times (okay, a lot of times) from nagging or snapping at him. However, taking that moment to reevaluate and calm myself made all the difference. I found that when I responded calmly, Homero calmed down, too. It has helped with communication so far (just this one day, but still!)
Onward and upward- day 4 is tomorrow! Can't wait to see what's in store!

The first day of the rest of my life

Optimism is a beautiful thing. I woke up today, just knowing life would be different. A new day, a new chance to make better choices. I want to give myself the best life I can. Some things in life are beyond my control... those things I just have to leave up to God. He will handle them according to His plan for me. The other things, well, it's high time I stop complaining and start improving them.

First goal- be healthier. I'm not going to call this a "diet" or a "weight loss" plan. I just want to be healthy. To feel good about myself, knowing I will live long enough to see grandchildren someday. My plan for this is to start slowly... not to jump right in, as I am so prone to do. I'm starting today with the Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred dvd. This is a 20 minute (totally doable) workout. I weighed in this morning (239.4 ack!!) and will not weigh again for 30 days. On the eating aspect, I am just going to do my best to make healthy choices. I went grocery shopping yesterday and bought oranges, apples, grapes, pineapple, string cheese, and pretzels to use as snacks. I did NOT bring home any soda. Yippee!! I cannot lie and say that I can do water... I just can't. So I plan to make unsweet tea and use Equal.

Second goal- improve my spiritual life. I have fallen by the wayside on this big time. I struggle when I don't have a plan for my Bible reading. So my friend Astreia suggested I start with the book of Romans. Read a little each day, write what comes to me. I think I can handle that. After my Bible reading, I will spend some time in prayer. Gotta quit saving prayer for when I need it... I need to remember that it's a relationship with God. I have to maintain the lines of communication all the time!

Third goal- improve my marriage. This one is pretty self explanatory. I am starting The Love Dare today. I tried it last summer, but only got to day 12 (it's a 40 day challenge). I can't wait to see what happens from this one!

So... there are my goals. Are they big? Yes. Are they realistic? Yes. I am feeling good about this new outlook on my life.

The first post

Here I am, yet again... another blog. I think this makes blog number 7 that I've started. I've had a hard time keeping up with blogging. This time, I am going to try and do better. What is this blog? Well, it will be a mishmash of things. Whatever I'd like to write, I'll write. If I feel like posting pictures, I will. I need a place to keep my thoughts organized. I used to journal a lot as a kid, and I've grown away from that. I hope that this will serve as a sort of journaling outlet for me.