New week, new feelings

Holy moly, guys. I haven't blogged in 6 months. Why? Um....crazy busy schedules, 3 concerts in 2 days, 4 church services in 1 day, etc...and on top of all that, I couldn't get my blog to load...I couldn't get to the page I needed to post an actual blog! My computer just kept refreshing it quickly, but would never actually get the full page up so I could write a blog post. I don't know what's going on, but for some reason I was able to get around that and write this post. I'll keep trying to stop this problem.
It's a new week, and so much has happened in the past 6 months that I WANT to update you with everything right now here in this post, but there's just so much. So, I will say this: 

I did another musical! 

I am slowly getting back into subbing!

I celebrated Mom's first anniversary of her passing!

I made plans to see friends! (p.s.: see you in less than a week, friends!)

I had 3 concerts in 2 days, but for one concert, I got to sit back and enjoy

I got sick (that's now)

I had a big health scare and am still struggling big-time with it

I think that about sums it up...I will go into detail in more blogs.
So, new week, lots of new going-ons...lots of emotions on Mom's favorite holiday...LOTS OF STRESS...mostly unnecessary, some brought on by myself, most brought on by outside forces...

It's a new week, and I have a recurring goal that I've been working on for many, MANY years. This one is pretty old (and EXTREMELY repetitive), but since I haven’t truly accomplished it yet, I’m sticking with it until I do.

1 frozen coffee drink

I just can’t seem to shake these dang frozen coffee drinks (frozen mochas, frappucinos). They are so good, and I have treated them as a reward for so long (years) that going without them almost feels like I’m punishing myself. Some mental blocks I'm discovering I have:

—I can’t go to Panera without almost ALWAYS getting a frozen mocha.

—I’ve only gone to a Starbucks and gotten a hot chocolate (or other NON-frozen coffee drink) only ONCE in the past few years…every other time, it’s a frozen coffee drink.

—When I know I can’t have a frozen coffee drink, I force myself to not leave the house…physically. I just sit there in the morning, waiting until at least 11, when I can go get a pop…

…..so…..see the problem? I’m having a really tough time mentally and emotionally getting rid of these hankerings.

But, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, right?

I had mine yesterday, so my next one won't be until next Sunday (I start my weeks on Sundays, and get one on the way to church when I go early to practice).

Also, I like giving a music/motivation Monday update...just music I like listening to, and a motivational quote to get me through the week!

Music: Um, it's the day after Christmas, but I DON'T CARE. I LOVE CHRISTMAS SO MUCH I WANT IT EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR! AND....right on cue, a snow plow goes by. 

One of my favorite Christmas songs, for the music AND the lyrics: Stevie Wonder's "What Christmas Means to Me"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtgGBgpNcIo&list=PLymM46aOVb8UO94LdAux1fS-pOPRNJJyW

This one always gets me going and makes me feel so happy!

Motivational quote:

Know that you can start late, look different, be uncertain, and still succeed.

Have a great end of the year!

Motivation/Music Monday

On Mondays, I like to put up a motivating quote and music I like to listen to.

However, my music library, especially for my workout playlists, is super old, and I don't really listen to it anymore. My poor iPod sits in my desk drawer because I never listen to the music on it anymore!

Let's get to it.

Motivation:

~Today will never come again. Be a blessing. Be a friend. Encourage someone. Take time to care. Let your words heal, and not wound.~

Music:

.....um.....any suggestions? Preferably for workout playlists?

I also thought I would put a quote about grief here, as sometimes, it's hard for me to explain how I'm feeling about losing my mom...

~A part of me is gone forever. A part of you will live forever inside of me.~

Until next time.

Motivation Monday/ Planksgiving update

Happy Monday! I had the day off today, which was refreshing after an unusually busy weekend. Most of my day was spent cleaning (prep for Christmas!) and shopping. I got GREAT deals tonight, including a new set of sheets for my bed, a Madeleines pan (I just saw a chef use one to make Madeleines on Food Network, and I HAD to have one), a new EOS lip balm (I am addicted), new mascara, a new Food Network roaster for Mother for Thanksgiving, and Taylor Swift's new album (go ahead, judge). As I remarked to Mother, I haven't bought a new CD for myself in a long time, so it's nice to be able to listen to new music and not buy CDs track by track via iTunes.

I'll start with the Planksgiving update. If you haven't read in my previous blog post, I am doing an exercise challenge this month called "Planksgiving". Basically, I hold planks for a certain amount of time each day. It started at 30 secs on November 1, and by November 30, I will be up to 3 minutes. I just finished today's plank, which was actually yesterday's, since I had to play catch-up. Today was supposed to be a rest day, but oh well. I've gotten up to 50 seconds, and brutal merciful gracious it hurts. But don't worry...tomorrow I get to look forward to a 1-minute plank! *sarcasm*

Looking back at past blog posts, I see that I have not updated my weight in some time. There is a good reason for that. Planet Fitness does not believe in putting scales in their gym (their whole "no gym-timidation" thing), which I totally understand and appreciate, but it also makes it hard for people (like me) who rely on a weight check at least once a month. And of course, my scale at home only goes to 395 pounds. Instead, I will have to rely on measurements, and soon those will be on my blog.

Lastly, time for motivation:

~~Love your body and the weight will take care of itself~~

Have a great week.

Motivation Monday

Ugh. Mondays. 

I wanted to post this quickly before I got ready. It's Motivation Monday and here's my motivation for the week:

                   ~~~Small changes lead to big changes, and big changes lead to results~~~                        

Have a great week!

Motivation Monday

~Know your limitations, then defy them~

Arctic freeze, New Goal Sunday, and Motivation Monday

A three-topic title would suggest a long blog post, but it won't be too long.

There's not much to blog about at this moment in terms of weight loss...

My goal this week is to cut down from 3 fast-food meals and frozen mochas to 2 fast-food meals and frozen mochas, and so far, so good. Last night, the family went out to a local pizza restaurant. We were going to do delivery, but then you have to wait for it (hopefully on time with bad driving conditions), then clean up, etc...too long for us! So we went 5 minutes east(ish), but it ended up taking us nearly 20 minutes because of the awful road conditions. Other than that, I haven't had ANY mochas (a miracle!!).

In case you live under a rock or anywhere not in the path of this massive winter storm "Ion", this thing chugged its way across Ohio yesterday evening and last night/this morning. Last night, the family went to dinner around 6, and already the roads were slick. By the time we finished at 7, the ramp to go out the door down to the parking lot, albeit small, was so slippery that I just glided down it. We got home, and I haven't left this house since. I would've had work today, but school was cancelled. I could've gotten a call for tomorrow, but my school was the first to cancel for tomorrow! The wind chills have dropped from 0 at 6 a.m. to -35 currently, and the wind is blowing so hard our windows and doors shake! It is so bad that our county and all others around it have issued a "Level 3 road warning": only if it is an ABSOLUTE emergency or you have a GOOD REASON should you be out on the road. If drivers go out on the road for...well, not "good reasons", they have a chance to get arrested.
*Fight that craving for a frozen mocha, Morgan, you can't go out and get it anyways...*

Dad, of course, had work today; he said the roads are sheets of ice.

No gym for me today/tomorrow....I guess I have to get creative with what I've got...it's times like these that I wish my Dance Dance Revolution game pad hadn't broken.

Lastly, my motivational quote. It's a bit long, but a good one:

"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place."--Kurt Vonnegut

Have a good week, and if you are amidst winter storm "Ion", stay warm!

Motivation Monday

Happy Monday! 2 busy weeks ahead of me, but I will continue to blog as much as I can.

My motivational quote of the week is:

~Love yourself for who you are right now~

This couldn't be more true for what I'm going through now... I am a self-deprecating person with very low self-esteem. One important lesson I need to learn is that no matter my weight, my situation in life, or my personal struggles I go through, I need to start being nicer to myself. I'm tired of putting myself down, whether it be for laughs or just because I feel awful. I need to learn to love and respect myself for who I am. 

Have a good week!

Motivation Monday

I thought I would incorporate a little motivation into my blog. This is a new segment: Motivation Monday, where I post a quote I find inspirational in my life.

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.

-Calvin Coolidge

I had a good start to my day by NOT getting a frozen mocha (saving 570 cals, 94 g carbs, and 78 g sugar) and instead starting my day off with a silk vanilla almond milk (only 30 cals, 1 g carbs, and 0 g sugar). This is such a good alternative for me, not only because of the incredible contrast in nutrition information, but also because of my lactose issue.

When I was very little, I would often be sick (physically). My parents never knew the meaning of my illness until taking me to a doctor, where they found out I was lactose-intolerant. As the years pass, my lactose intolerance comes and goes. Every few years, it changes--some years, lactose-intolerant, others, not.

I could never truly verbalize HOW dairy products felt in my stomach or going down my throat because a) I was too young to understand, and b) I never thought about it before. Recently, I was talking with Mom about it and realized the problem:

When I drink milk, or eat ice cream, anything with dairy in it, (some) yogurts, etc...the dairy feels like it coats my throat...almost like my throat is swelling up. Swallowing becomes difficult. Mom was glad I was finally able to explain it. 

Ok, back to the almond milk story. I am a huge fan of trying new things, so I have decided to try new organic foods. I only try one every few months because of the cost. Last month, Silk almond milk was on sale for $1.00/carton. I bought one carton of dark chocolate milk. It was DELICIOUS!! So chocolate-y and yummy. But the best part of the milk was that it went very smoothly down my throat. It didn't coat it at all and I was able to drink the whole carton and still swallow. This was a great discovery! This month, I bought one dark chocolate almond milk and one vanilla. While the vanilla is not as good as the chocolate, I would still drink it over regular dairy any day.

Have a wonderful day!