Sporadically Sandra

See this lady?
This is one of the coolest ladies I know, otherwise known as my Grandmother.

She lives in this house


The same house she has lived in my entire life. The house is surrounded by trees with big fields behind it.




 
It was a great memorial weekend and I can only hope to go see her again soon.

Oh my morning's coming back
The whole world’s waking up
All the city buses swimming past
I’m happy just because
I found out I am really no one
(Lyric from At The Bottom of Everything by Bright Eyes)


Sometimes losing weight is really easy, but most of the time it is just plain hard. To constantly have to worry about what I eat, whether I can "treat" myself today, anxiety on whether I'm going to lose even though I've been perfect. It's like constant stress about something that I'm supposed to be able to control but if it were that easy, I would be thin.

These past few weeks have been Baaaaad. I've been a total Weight Watcher failure. I've lost my motiviation and my will power. It is so much easier to just say "Okay, sure I'll have that milkshake!" "Peanut Butter Cups are my best friend" "Fried food is okay if you eat it on lettuce, right?"

Additionally, exercise has flown out the window. I need to run again. I need to have a date with Georges St. Pierre again.

I know, I need to stop being ridiculous.
I just need to remember that I need to stop wasting my life being uncomfortable in my own skin. Because as much as that milkshake *may* taste better then skinny feels, nothing feels better then truly being happy with who I am. I need to get my head back in the game.

Hopefully confessing my super sucktasticness will help hold me accountable to eat healthier starting my next meal. Because I know that when I eat right, a couple of things go right:
1, I feel better
2. My skin looks better
3. I have more confidence
4. I have better energy
5. I'm all around happier

So, help hold me accountable. Just give me *the look* if you see me eating something crazy. Especially if it looks like something that could be on thisiswhyyourefat.com.

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.
When someone is in your life for a REASON. It is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are!
They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.
Then people come into your life for a SEASON. Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons: things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
(Not sure who wrote the above, but it is great regardless)

It can really hurt, when you think you have made a friend for a lifetime but instead it turns out they were only a reason or season friend. Other times it is a blessing in disguise that they serve a purpose in your life and you can move on. I find it is really impossible to try and figure out how long someone is going to be in my life. When I make a new friend, I don't consider what they are going to mean in my life and treat them as such. Instead, for my friends, my true blues, I'm there, I'm as there as I can be.

In the past few years, I know I've grown a lot into being a better friend. I can look back and see times where I was, inadvertently, a horrible friend. Whether it be because I was short sighted or because I simply didn't know any better, I can see where I've failed as a friend. Because of that, I made myself a reason or season friend, but I can also see which friends are still with me, perhaps for a lifetime.

I have this friend, currently, a truly amazing person. She has affected my life, more than she probably realizes in a manner of positive ways. She is beautiful inside and out and she has this open heart where she wants the best for those she loves. She has definently fulfilled a reason for being my friend. She has been around for numerous seasons and I hope that, no matter what may come, she will be a lifetime friend. Not only has my wardrobe profitted greatly by having her in my life, so have I in every way.

I don't know why I necessarily felt the need to write this. I know my friend has been super stressed out (happens when you have kids and work and try to have a life), but I just want my friend, all my friends really, to know that I care for them. Regardless of why they are in my life, I love my friends and I'm happy and beyond blessed for the people in my life I call "friend". I just hope that more reasons or seasons turn into lifetimers but, if not, that's okay as well.

Joseph and I have been without cable for about a month. We decided to get rid of it because we had slowly nickel and dimed our bill up to $150 for cable and internet. Even once we got rid of all the extras it was still a ridiculous amount when the majority of our time we only watched Netflix on demand.


Joseph, ever the sweet talker, called Comcast and had them just cut off the cable. Not only that, but he talked them down so that we no longer had to pay for a cable router and our internet is at a lower price.

Take note: If you are in a relationship with a natural flirt, let that person use that talent to lower the price on everything and anything possible. Joseph is allowed to flirt as much as he wants as long as it gets us something.

So, what are we doing in the mean time to follow our favorite shows and wind down at the end of the night? Well, like I already said, we watch a TON of Netflix on demand. I've rewatched a ton of my favorite shows and discovered some awesome shows I hadn't seen before.

Since the Playstation network came back up, we also signed up for Hulu +. Not only do they have past episodes of tv shows currently on air, they have past tv shows as well.



Between Netflix & Hulu +, I don't understand why *anyone* would pay for cable.

Hulu + is $8 a month and Netflix on demand is $9 (I think) plus our internet and we are saving close to $100 bucks a month. And I have to say, I am never unable to find something to watch like when we had cable. Additionally, I've been reading a lot more in my free time.

I would like to also point out that Hulu has Daria. How freaking awesome is that?

So, while I don't find anything wrong with people paying for cable, I mean, if I'm at your house and my favorite show happens to be on, I'll watch it. I will say that Joseph and I have found that our wallets have benefitted greatly from getting rid of cable and we have yet to really miss having it.
Although, I will say that it is a good thing that Football season is spent at Joseph's brother's house, otherwise I think he would revolt.

The sign says it all!

We just started, we look so clean and energetic!

Finisher Medals!!

I think these photos do a nice job of summing it up. Sadly I couldn't get all my pictures to upload correctly so I couldn't include the one of me and Jazzy OR my finishing picture when I have my medal but I am still covered in mud and muck. I will reiterate that this was such a fun and awesome day.

Wow where has the time gone? It has been almost two weeks since I last updated. I guess that goes to show how sometimes, life just gets hectic.

But, I'm back with a doozie of an entry. Today at 2:30 I participated in the Georgia Warrior Dash in Mountain City, Georgia. Oh man was it hard! Besides the fact that it was a 5K, which is really hard enough on it's own, it had obstacles.

It is weird that the obstacles I thought I would hate, I loved the most. Wading through water, climbing the cargo net and jumping over fire were so much fun. I really disliked walking all the hills, and the mud. I had one obstacle I couldn't do, but I did the rest so I'm still super proud.

It was a really fun time. I did the race with my husband Joseph, his some of his family (Stephen, Jasmine, Bobby and Michael) as well as another couple he knows that he coaches wrestling with.

The absolute best part might just have been the awesome water slide, where I went super fast. I have to say that as crazy as I was for doing it, I am super proud of myself as well as surprised by how much I was able to do. I only hope that next year it is easier for me because I will hopefully be in better shape.
So, now that I've completed a 5k, What now?

Well, I've realized that even if it is only for the t-shirt and finisher medal, I want to participate in more races. Ideally, I would like to get to the point where I can run a 5K, then maybe run a 10K, but I honestly, really enjoyed this race. I see many more in my futures

Pics to follow when I'm on a real computer.

So, I had my first evening weigh in. I know that many people tend to eat less or lighter so that they will weigh less, but, I figure I should just keep it constant and so I ate normally.

Between eating normally, wearing my (not so light) work clothes and changing both my weigh in time and date, I gained 3 pounds.

The horror! Gaining so much, right?

Sure, if you only want to look at the numbers, but let's look at something else:

My mind is in the right place. I have my menu plan, I've followed it and tracked it. I'm getting in all my fruits, vegetables, water, oils, vitamins and dairy in, along with some yummy lean protein.

I'm getting in exercise. Between walking/jogging, GSP Rush Fit, Zumba and Clogging, I am getting a variety of workouts in. For the most part, I'm actually enjoying most of them.

Regardless of what my weight is, I am slowly shrinking. Clothing is the clearest indicator that this is working. I've had to buy smaller clothes, securely moving down in sizes, which is AMAZING. I was given some cute clothes by a coworker and half of them fit and the other half are just a tiny bit away from fitting.

So, I gained three pounds (most of it from the food I ate today), but I've also gained some awesome peace of mind, love of exercise and part of a new wardrobe.

"Being happy doesn't always mean that everything is perfect. It means you've decided to look beyond the imperfections."

A person's day to day happiness is 100% something that can be controlled. I've met homeless people with an awesome outlook on life because they don't let their situation get them down. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I've seen someone that has it "all" but be so consumed by what makes them less then perfect that they get no enjoyment out of life.

Every day, when I roll out of bed, I have a decision to make "Is this going to be a great day?" And, 9 days out of 10, it is a great day because my perspective makes it that way. Instead of seeing everything negative in my life, I choose to see all the ways I've been blessed.

Perhaps the best thing that ever happened to me was being told "You're really negative" Because at first, it really annoyed me and then I realized that if I didn't want to be that negative person, only I could change it. Denying my negativity wouldn't change anything, only accepting it and wanting to be a more positive person would help me change.

My perspective today was that I was going to have a great and healthy date. I made myself look forward to my work out. I couldn't wait to enjoy my food. I had the report from hell to do, but hey it made my day fly by. Why get bogged down by the fact that the report was never ending? Why let the thought of posting 69 payments in less than an hour stress me out? Why get so bent out of shape out of things that don't matter in the long run?

And tomorrow... I cannot wait to get some sort of run in. This girl is super excited to get super sweaty and gross, enjoy a new breakfast and drink lots of water. I can't wait to update the most tedious spreadsheet because it means I have a job. I can't wait to get some sleep tonight and curl up in my bed, next to my husband and snuggle him.

None of these are big amazing things, but I can't wait to enjoy them. So, what in your life have you overlooked as amazing?

The past few weeks of eating have been nothing short of scandalous and atrocious. Although my weight has continued on a downward spiral, it has been more to do with activity then it does my food choices. Freaking Easter candy got to me. (But I have a plan for that, which will be enacted tomorrow)

But, today I told Joseph "I'm ready to get back to counting points." I think this happens to most people who do Weight Watchers. For a few weeks/months/whatever, you have total and complete focus and then for a week or two (sometimes months, but hopefully not!) you just need to stop caring. That has been me to a "T"

I've written out my menu plan, including snacks and have the corresponding grocery list to go with it. Additionally, I cleaned out my fridge tonight. I mean, this has been a chore I have been avoiding for weeks. You know how it is, it slowly starts geting worse and worse until you realize you have reached one of two poitns: 1. Clean it out or 2. Quickly open door, grab or put away what you need and close the door without actually looking in it.

So, tonight, everything came out of the fridge. A good deal of it was thrown away, expired or gone bad, the shelves were sprayed and wiped down and I refilled the fridge with what was left. It is sad how bare our fridge is, but at the same time, it is going to be really nice to fill it up with delicious and healthy food tomorrow after we go grocery shopping.

We threw out the old, to make way for the healthy. There is something therapuetic and nice about having a clean fridge full of foods that you *know* will make your body better. I'm also ridiculously excited about the meal plan. Mom and I invested in e-mealz (Jasmine, I'm sending you a sample menu plan and more info because I think you might be interested) and it really does lower my grocery bill and make it very easy to menu plan. Additionally, although I enjoy their Publix for 2 people and they don't necessarily make it low fat, they do include a fruit or vegetable (most of the time both) with each meal and it isn't too hard to make it a healthier meal.

This week we are enjoying:
Tacos with caramalized/fried bananas
Chicken Enchilada Casserole w/ a side salad
Mozzarella Stuffed Flank Steak w/ Mashed potatoes and a side salad
Loaded Baked Potatoes w/ Roasted Asparagus & salad
*Side notes: they did not list side salad for all their meals, but I changed it to something easier for us They also include another meal but we normally only need 4 meals during the week since we eat at my mom's once a week. Also this is the Publix for 2, but it actually makes 4 servings which means we have leftovers for lunch the next day*