The Road Less Traveled

The Road Not Taken

BY ROBERT FROST

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

I have always found this poem to be of great inspiration. Every now and again I can't help but go back and reread it and wonder have I taken that less traveled road? Or have I just followed in line with everyone else? I would like to think I'm not a conformist but I can't help but look back over the last ten years and wonder why did I make the choices I made. I can say that I've experienced a lot in my 30 years and while not every choice was the best one I have little regret. I would like to think that I've learned lessons and going forward I will continue to choose the path that's best suited for myself and my "boys" and not make decisions just because I feel the pressure to do what others do/feel/think/believe to be the best decision. I will choose my own path and take that less traveled road and become the person that I have always envisioned myself becoming. 

I started working out again as I said I would in my last post to get myself fit and healthy. My ab muscles will attest to my progress though the results aren't overwhelmingly evident, I discovered today that my need for instant gratification will have to be overridden by my desire to be healthy. <--- notice I say healthy instead of skinny :-) That's a word I truly detest for the stigma it carries along with it, and there is a massive difference in being thin/skinny and being healthy. Rant over. So while I'm a person who generally thrives off instant gratification I know that doesn't work with for this journey. So I'm changing my mindset and learning to read and respond to my bodies actual wants and needs. I'm finally doing what I need to to change my path and though I've strayed I am seeing the beginnings of a new path and one that I'm sure to travel down for a long time no matter what twists, turns and obstacles it has for me once I'm on it I know I'll be on my way taking the my own less traveled road. 

Cheers xoxo

Lofty Goals

After all this time of not posting I am making a personal vow to actually start doing this once a week if not more! (This is where my title comes into play). So with my birthday day fast approaching and the wedding now less than a year away, I've decided I'm going to play the part of a grown up for a while and set some goals for myself with the promise of actually accomplishing them. I've definitely done this before, I set goals for myself and then after about two weeks kind of fall off the wagon. I am also a notoriously stubborn person so I'm going to let that person come out to play and stick to my guns. Okay ready here are the goals I intend on accomplishing: 

     Lose at least 15 pounds (or more but starting small) by August. I think that is extremely reasonable to lose that over the course of 8 weeks. I am hoping that I will continue to lose if needed and tone up over the course of the remaining 9 months  until the wedding.

     Go back to school and finally decide what I want to be when I grow up! My heart lies with being a psychologist at the VA hospital for our returning vets. PTSD is such a huge and very silent and unspoken disease among those currently serving and veterans. It is something I feel exceptionally passionate about and really want to pursue that dream. I am going to over the course of the next month look into what I need to do to make this happen. 

     So right now those are my 3 lofty long term goals for myself. I really plan to stick to this for myself and I'm quite sure that I will be writing blogs bitching and complaining about the wedding, weight loss, and going back to school. In the end I know I will be happy and feel accomplished and be much more proud of myself then I do right now. 

Let's keep fingers crossed and prayers said that I can and will have the stubbornness to pull this off. Knowing I want to look amazing when I walk down the isle and that I want Jim to look at me and think I'm the most beautiful woman he's ever seen should help!! 

Cheers!!! xoxo

Welcomed Back with Bells, Wedding Bells . . .

So I know it's been almost two full months since my last blog and for those of you who read this I'm sorry. My life has been so chaotic and so very much has happened and while I should have been writing about it while it was happening it drained me emotionally and I didn't have the energy!! How ever today seems like a most appropriate day to do it. Today is the first day of summer, the last official day of school for my boys and also the summer solstice. Amid all of that today is exactly one year from my wedding date!!! This time next year I will be getting my dress on with the help of 6 of the most amazing wonderful best friends a girl could ask for! (Time for a tribute)

Shelby ~ you and I have been friends since before our memories could create themselves. You have always been a sister to me as well as a best friend. I admire you for your strength and courage and kind heart. We have more memories than we can handle from serious to silly. We now have the joy of passing that type of friendship on to our children who will know what it's like to have friends that are so close they are almost family. You have helped me be strong when I wasn't sure I could be and you helped me find patience when I swore I had none left. You have always been a wonderful support system for me and I know you will be in years to come. I am proud to have you stand next me as my Maid of Honor. <3 

Alie ~ we go back just as far courtesy of our dads 47 year friendship. You have always been my "little" sister and lord knows growing up I certainly treated you like one. The growing up we did together and the memories we share of countless hours swimming in Long Lake or your pool or New Years Eves with our parents make me proud to have you stand with me on my special day. 

Michelle ~ my bell :-) while I would never wish harm upon anyone I am happy that your mother had that minor accident and I'm also thankful that my dad was the officer to take the call. Though I'm sure we would have found our way to being friends that gentle nudge certainly helped it blossom much sooner. You and I through in and outs and ups and down are still the best of friends and there is something to be said for that. I am so glad to be sticking your butt in a dress and having you beside me! 

Chelsea ~ Friends since high school and though not the closest then, we made up for it after. You helped me through so many ups and downs over the past 8 years and I will always be indebted to you for all that you did for me. You and I have stories that only the walls of the B2 know and will always keep. Thank you for standing along side me to celebrate something so long awaited. 

Katie ~ Thank goodness our cousins married or I may not have had my life overrun by doll faces! You and I had one extremely memorable spring/summer full of laughs and giggles and wine and I'm forever thankful for you coming into my life and helping me to find the patience to be where I am right now. Thank you for standing beside me on my special day doll! Now go eat a whopper with cheese! 

Molly ~ my Boo, though you are far away you are with out a doubt one of the best friends I could have asked for in my life. It's strange how we came into one an other's lives but what's even more amazing is the strength of our friendship. You and I spent countless hours talking to one another through some very difficult times and I know that played a part in the strength of our friendship. Thank you for standing beside me and being a part of a day that means so much to me. 

That might be a tad longer than I was anticipating but I'm thankful for these women and they deserve to know and while those a certainly brief history's they will always know all of our memories in their hearts. 

Just a little over a month ago Jim asked me to go for a small hike back to my favorite falls. Saturday morning at 6 am both of us laying more awake than we wanted to be, decided an early morning hike was a great idea to beat out the black flies. So off we went to hike back to the falls. Jim is a quiet person more often then not and at 615 in the morning I'm not a sparkling ray of sunshine but he was beyond quiet, the kind of quiet that I noticed was odd even for him, luckily for him I hate chit chats that early and was in awe of the beautiful morning fog that was starting to lift with the rise of the sun. Off I went to take pictures of the beautiful landscape, still untouched by those who devalue it. Suddenly Jim says, "I need to ask you a question" with and uneasy tone behind him I'm now annoyed that he wants to interrupt my picture taking with talking and say "what?!"  

With no reply, I turn around and he's getting down on one and tearing up as he says "I wanted to ask you, if you would marry me?" 

As I'm sure you've figured out my answer was yes and we're on our way to planning our wedding on June 21, 2014. I have never been more certain or happy about anything in my life. For the first time in a long time I feel like I'm on the right path.  

It only took 30 years! ;-) 

Cheers xoxo

30 Day Challenge

This is terrible that the days keep slipping by me so much that I am not blogging nearly as often as I should. Shame on me! 

Three days ago I started a 30 day challenge. I gave up soda cold turkey, which for anyone who knows me knows how very difficult this is. I live on Pepsi max but the sodium and man made sugars that are in it are just not healthy. As a person trying to promote a healthy lifestyle to others, I felt like a hypocrite. So I'm actually on day 3 and a half of no soda, headaches from the lack of caffeine have finally subsided. It was like a drug addict going through withdrawals, I'm grateful I started this on a weekend or I'd have been miserable at work! 

I also incorporated a 30 day planking challenge and squat challenge into this, to accompany my swimming a minimum of 3 days a week. I found the 30 day squat challenge courtesy of Pinterest (I don't know how I ever lived without that site!) and I had talked to Michelle about the planking thing, as she and one of her co workers was doing it. I already was planking a couple of times a week for my back issues so why not do it every day to work my core even more, and hell why not add squats to it too! Hahaha I will say that my planks have improved a lot. Not that they were that difficult before but I am noticing that by doing it every day I'm that much more stable. As for squats, my knee hurts like hell but I'm bound and determined to build up the muscles around my knee if it kills me yet. 

I have done challenges before, for example my 21 day meditation challenge and I loved it and now I can't really go a day with out some form of meditation, even if it's just a few quiet minutes alone it helps me calm my mind and body. I heard that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, I find it ironic that the meditation challenge was 21 days and has now become an integral part of my life. 

I am really hoping that with the challenge of giving up soda and planking and squatting being 30 days that it should be difficult for me to make this all part of my daily routine. I have forced swimming to be a part of my routine and it's beginning to stick after three weeks.  So here's to hoping that it does only take 21 days to form a new habit and that my habits continue to be healthy and lead me down a bright path full of possibilities! 

Here is the spreadsheet that I'm using to track my plank / squat challenge: 

Feel Free to share this! It's a great solid challenge and I'm glad that I started it and can't wait to see where this path leads! 

Cheers! XOXO 

Inspired

Well I finally did it! I revamped my sun room into my own sitting room/office space and I'm really happy with it right now. It took about 3 configurations and I may try a couple more but at this moment I love the furniture that is occupying the space along with arrangement of said furniture. Now it's not that this space wasn't already a lounge and relax space but it also was housing a television and my boys air hockey table. Back in January I had redone our finished side of the basement, as a surprise for Jim, and turned it into his man cave.  So with the boys having that space I really wanted a space to call my own (besides the kitchen)!! I am still in need of a small bookcase for some of my books but the room really turned out quite cozy and amazing and I'm really quite thrilled that Jim was able to help maneuver furniture several time until we found a set up that works. 

I will be starting classes up again this fall and I am really looking forward to having this space and being able to use it and be comfortable it. I really hope that it also helps my succeed with my future endeavours as well. 

I have really begun to push myself to do well with my Independent Distributor path for Shaklee as I firmly believe that I am capable of doing this as long as I put in the work. 

Well enough blabber from me here are the before and after (3 different set ups for after) pictures:

this is kind of a little bit of all of the different corners and angles in the room before 

Have my new desk now just need to remove the couch  and figure out placement

Placement and configuration one

**Side note I just realized  I never took a picture of configuration two because I couldn't get it to work. I was trying to put the desk under the window to the left and the couch in front of the slider (which by the way we don't use as we have another one on the other side of the blue couch) the couch however did not fit in the elected space so I had to move everything back to the above pictured. Now on to configuration 3

this is the last and final configuration for the night at least  :-)  potentially longer as I'm currently sitting here and pretty happy with the way I'm sitting and the comfort of everything

So for tonight I'm content. I'm also excited about the fact I just was in my basement and discovered I have book shelve that matches my desk and Jim said as long as he can have half a shelf (as he has books on it) that I can use in this space. The room is really coming together and I am very pleased. This gives me continued motivation to continue on the path I'm on as new advantages continue to open up for me at each twist and turn! 

For now I say good night and I am quite sure that I'll have more pictures and updates. I'm feeling creative and inspired so one never knows what can happen!

Cheers! xoxo

Shaklee Independent Distributor

Shaklee Independent Distributor Here is my new site / part time job!! Really excited about this new path on the journey that I'm on! Please take a look and if you have any questions feel free to contact me!!! Thank you all again for all of your support! 

My New business card! 

Weigh in week

My weigh in did not go well this week, however I think I knew it was coming. I gained 1.2 pounds. I realized that my not going to the gym and not skiing and lack of pt visits while still being on the same eating regimen I had been on or if I want to stay on it as it wasn't horribly unhealthy, I really need to kick it up.  I swam today , probably the farthest I've swam in quite a while. I swam 1/4 mile and I'm hoping that I can continue to keep that up and possibly surpass and get myself back to a mile. Lesson learned. Today I swam hard and I'm going to shoot for some swim time tomorrow. Possibly Saturday as well

I have no excuses right now other than enjoying sleep and always wanting to be snuggled under a blanket. But like I said in my previous post I have no excuse. There are men and woman who serve our country and do way more than me on a daily basis so there are no excuses for me. I'm going to lose the weight I need to to feel better about me and be happy. So here I go . . .

Cheers! Xoxo