29-Day Giving Challenge

By giving,” Mbali told her, “you are focusing on what you have to offer others, inviting more abundance into your life.”--Cami Walker-29 Day Giving Challenge

I am always working on myself, but I enjoy helping others better their lives as well. Whether it be helping a friend with a resume, find someone an awesome new job, or helping someone feel better about themselves by suggesting a new look; these are the things that I enjoy immensely and want to do more of!

In the spirit of helping myself and helping others, I joined the 29 Gifts Movement.  Thanks to my friend  S's blog for introducing me to this site! It is as simple as lending a hand, donating a clothing, or even just smiling at someone.  


Today I made a promise to myself to do more every day! As I am working through my illness, I cannot forget those that depend on me and need me to be well.  I cooked my husband and myself a healthy, filling meal and spent some much needed quality time with him.  This is day one, we shall see what tomorrow brings!

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”

Kahlil Gibran

What Get's You Through A Bad Time is Not Necessarily A Good Thing!

Basically, I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels. -- Frank Sinatra

I have been learning a lot about myself lately and how I cope with my illness, stress, disappointment; or rather the lack thereof in my coping skills. The following vices that I have used in the past to get me through a hard time are not the answer to my problems:

• Compulsive Shopping/Spending- overspending at a sale, buying unnecessary items, having no where to put your stuff because your cabinets/drawers/closets are too full , having clothes in the closet with tags still on them that were never worn, too late to return.
• Binging on a good day or bad day is not the answer.  There are other less expensive ways to reward or console yourself on a bad day. There is no reason to have so many unworn clothes!  There is no reason to buy new clothes while I am losing weight because hopefully in a few months, they won't fit anyway. Buy ONLY WHAT IS NECESSARY!!!  Need to take care of the items that I have and get rid of unworn/unused items and focus on getting rid of and de-cluttering and not bring anything more into the house until it is absolutely necessary!
• Excessive Drinking-Enjoying a drink every once in a while with friends is not a bad thing, but it can get expensive, especially when I can't just have one martini, mojito, or glass of wine. A few drinks may make me feel better for the moment, but are expensive and not the cure for a bad day or the key to having a good time!
• Drinking is not necessary to have a good time! Often being sober is more entertaining because you can be the one to explain what people don't remember happening. I rarely drink any more, but I am reflecting on past behaviors. Once the house is in order, I hope to spend more time having friends to the house, using the alcohol we already have and saving money rather than costly nights out!
• Eating Poorly/Overeating-You need to eat to live, not live to eat! I enjoy eating out with friends and family but I know that my food choices are not always healthy. Eating the wrong foods only aggravate my stomach problems. Though it may tast good going down, often it leaves my body soon after and was not worth the money or the few minutes of pleasure!
• Stuffing my feelings with food is not an answer.  Rewarding yourself with food is not the answer.  Munching on junk all day is not the answer.  Food is needed to nourish your body, but chosing the right foods is necessary for weight loss.  This is the next thing that I am working on in my journey, eating better for weight loss and to feel better!!

So what are some activities that won't get me into trouble:

• Cleaning and getting rid of clutter
• Curling up with a good book 
• Cuddling with my husband
• Coffee and conversation with my girlfriends
• Swimming and Water Aerobics
• Walking
• Writing
• Volunteering 
• Relaxing
• Stretching

I am a work in progress. I am constantly evolving a person!  The first step is recognizing that there is a problem.  The next step is getting help and figuring out how to make things better! 

Hurts So Good!

Pain (any pain--emotional, physical, mental) has a message. The information it has about our life can be remarkably specific, but it usually falls into one of two categories: "We would be more alive if we did more of this," and, "Life would be more lovely if we did less of that." Once we get the pain's message, and follow its advice, the pain goes away.    --Peter McWilliams

I am determined to regain my strength and get back to my normal routine as soon as possible!  I am making some progress, if not just one step at a time.  I had a neurologist appointment today and thankfully there is nothing more serious wrong than mild neuropathy and the fibromyalgia that has plagued me for years.

After a medication reaction sent me that sent me into a month long downward spiral, I am slowly but surely regaining some of my energy.  I think that moving around and getting regular exercise has helped quite a bit, even if I am in pain afterwards.  I walked 17 city blocks today in some pain, and I am proud of myself! I also managed to complete the second class of Water Aerobics, also swimming a bit before and afterwards.

I know that exercising makes me feel good  and that no matter how much it hurts, is something I need to do every day, even just for a little bit!  Now, I have to get the eating in check. Because I have not been feeling well enough to do much of anything, we have been eating a lot of fast foods, which defeat the purpose of this journey.  This weekend I will attempt to make some healthy meals for next week.

I feel good about the progress that I am making so far and feel confident that with each day I will become stronger!  I still have a lot to work on, but my health is my main concern at this moment.  Once I have that in order, hopefully everything else will fall into place!

Working Through the Pain

"No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you absolutely, 

positively do have the power to change."

~Bill Phillips~

Last night was my first water aerobics class. I have been in so much pain lately that I have not been able to do much of anything, let alone exercise! But in an effort to get my strength back, to start moving again, and to help me feel better, I started water aerobics!

There were several flights of steps to get to the lockers and changing area, which aggravated my injured hip and knee, but I made it!  The class is from 5:45-6:30 T, TH.  Another woman and my self were probably the youngest in the class, early thirties, and the rest of the class was early 40's-70's.  If an older woman with a cane could keep up, so could I!

The class was enjoyable!! The instructor played hip hop music, which I like to work out to.  We did a lot of stretching, jogging, weights, etc.  I felt good while I was exercising.  But when I came home, that was another story!! I was so stiff and in so much pain, I was miserable!

No matter how much pain I am in, I have to keep moving!!  I am not going to give up! I am going back to WA tomorrow night, but I am going to go to class early to swim first and get my muscles and joints loosened up. I know that diet and exercise will help me relieve stress and cope with my illness!  This is for my health and I need to be able to walk and move around!  I know that I can do this!!!

I Won!!!

In my quest to live a happier, healthier life, I have been reading and blogging a lot lately.  One of the blogs I found was Quarter Life Finances, where the author is trying to avoid a quarter-life crisis by getting her finances and life in order.  To celebrate the 2 year anniversary of her blog, she was giving away a book called  SHOO, Jimmy Choo! and my comment won!


I am quite happy!! I do not usually win anything, so perhaps this is a sign of more positive things to come!  Thanks QL Girl!

Crunching Some Numbers

I re-joined Spark People today so that I would have a place to track my progress on my fitness and weight loss goals:

• Get to my ideal weight by 1/1/12
• I need to consume between 1650-2000 calories/day
• 186-325 grams of carbs/day
• 37-78 grams of fat/day
• 60-175 grams protein/day
• To lose one U.S. pound (.454 kg), you must burn 3,500 more calories than you take in as food
• I need to burn 1170 calories/week 
• Swimming/Water aerobics-1 hr burns 679.68 calories Calorie Calculator Calorie Count
• I plan on doing Water Aerobics twice weekly Tuesday and Thursday and possibly swimming on the weekends
• Walking -1hr at a 3.0 Mph, Level, Moderate Pace, Firm Surface burns 560 calories

That is the plan so far!   Water Aerobics on Tuesday!  Here is to the start of a brand new lease on life!!

Big Changes on the Horizon

I feel as though I am thinking more clearly than  I have in quite some time.  Having a chronic illness, like fibromyalgia, can be extremely debilitating, if you let it take over your life. I have chosen to take my life back from this uncomfortable illness!

Beginning Tuesday, I will be attending water aerobics twice a week.  I am also looking into gentle yoga classes.   I am tired of being sick and tired.  This is my year to change my life for the better!!!

Crazy Love, Crazy Life

Things I have learned so far in our six months of marriage:

• Communication is an essential part of any successful relationship.  
• Though we may communicate differently (i get worked up and he gets quiet) we know that the best way to deal with any situation is to talk about our feelings and work things out.
• Opposites do attract!
• Though our personalities and interests are very different, we respect those differences and learn from each other.We would be boring if we liked all of the same things!
• Living with a boy is hard work! Let me rephrase that, living with ANYONE is hard work!
• Neither of us are neat freaks,  our situation might have been easier moving into a new place together, instead of one I shared with my late sister. Hopefully once we de-clutter, things will be much better!
• Letting yourself love and be loved is the greatest feeling in the world! 
• It took me a long time to let this happen
• I love going to bed and waking up every morning with my best friend!
• Even though he snores and goes to bed later than I do, it is wonderful to be held and have someone to come home to! 

A marriage, like anything else, takes hard work, communication, patience and understanding. It is well worth waiting for! It is well worth fighting for!!

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person”

Another Year Older...

So I am 33 today on a beautiful St. Patrick's Day in Pittsburgh! Though I am not feeling up to celebrating today, I feel confident that I will be better soon!! Adjusting my attitude is just one of the steps I am taking to better my life this year!

I received some wonderful gifts from my husband and his family, a singing phone call from my dad, and an overwhelming amount of birthday love on my Facebook page , texts and emails. I am blessed to have such wonderful family and friends!

It is a great day to be alive, some are not so lucky to have this privilege. I am remembering my friend Jamie from high school who was murdered in S Korea 9 years today. You may be gone from our lives but in our hearts forever!

Drink responsibly today my friends, enjoy the sunshine and Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Under the Covers and Dreaming

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined". Henry David Thoreau

I have always had big ideas and dreams. But they have always been just that. I often lose my self in my thoughts about what could be and sometimes lose focus on what is. Sometimes I am afraid to take chances, I often make mistakes and am forever questioning my decisions. I find it so much easier to help others than to help myself. I am always trying to discover exactly who I am and what I want to be when I grow up!! I think we all feel this way at some point, but its time for a change!

Words that describe me:

• ambitious
• beautiful
• creative
• over-confident
• space cadet
• dreamer
• wife
• sister
• aunt
• friend
• lover
• messy
• outgoing
• unfocused
• vain
• loud

I love:

• my husband
• my family
• my friends

I enjoy:

• coffee and conversation
• good food
• good friends
• performing
• planning events
• public speaking
• reading
• training
• writing

I would love to be:

• an actress
• a published author
• a motivational speaker
• a personal and professional development consultant

I need to:

• lose weight
• get healthy
• exercise more
• stay focused
• gain stability
• realize my dreams
• think less and do more

As my 33rd birthday approaches tomorrow, I accept the challenge that a new year of life will bring! With my goals at my fingertips, I look positively to the future. Now is a good time as any to become the person that I aspire to be and help others with that mission as well!

Baby Steps

I have made a bit of progress on a few of my goals that I made in my first post:

• I lost 18 of the 100 pounds I want to lose, 82 more to go!
• I am working on ridding the house of clutter, one room at a time.

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

George Bernard Shaw