Why does it seem?

The funny thing is that the older I get, the busier I feel. Lately, I have been swamped! One weekend we were in St. Louis, the next 2 weekends we were in Ann Arbor, MI at the University of Michigan (boo!), and then I had 2 weeks of training for work so I've had a whirlwind fall. Things are finally settling down for me which is good.

The house is looking terrific though. I got suckered into throwing a spa party last weekend and it was the final motivator to get things done and the place looks awesome. I love my house, I really do. The small little features that it has to offer is amazing. I'm glad we really held out until we did. So here's the recent slide show.

Work is going great and I was picked to learn a new therapy style from out west that they implement in Norway for positive parenting focusing on encouragement. It's absolutely terrific and I think it's going to work really well with people. So that's uber cool. There are only about 30 people in Michigan that are trained in this style so it's an awesome addition to add to my growing resume.

It's always good to stick to your...

Argh! I had one of those days/nights yesterday. I swear it was a full moon out. It all started yesterday morning. I was feeling tired because I didn't go to bed at a good time so I work up late.

Wow, I'm actually sticking to it!

Wow, it's been a few weeks and my changes keep coming! I got my hair cut last week and it looks terrific. I was joking with some co-workers that I haven't changed my hairstyle in 10 years and it was about time that I made some changes. Chris (my husband) joked that I looked like a 25 year old when he saw it. To make matters worse, I got carded last week when we went to a winery last week during our stay in Amana, Iowa. We went out there for Oktoberfest. I loved visiting Iowa. I swear they get a bad rap on their state. It was so beautiful and Iowa City rocks. They had this cool market name New Pioneer Foods, it was a food co-op. If my town had one like this, I wouldn't be begging for a Trader Joes. In Michigan, Trader Joes is only located on the east side of the state. Every time we go into Detroit or Chicago, we hit it. I love their food and the selections/price is terrific. This summer we were able to hit the farmers market to get fresh veggies and fruits from the farmers. We are so fortunate to have this option. It's really saved on the food. Oh, I went off on a tangent there didn't I?

When I returned to WW I weighed 189 so I'm back down to 184.6. My local WW was bought out by Weight Watchers International so I went with the monthly pass with E-tools. I love E-tools. It so easy and it keeps my accountable and I can log it when I'm near a computer. I found 2 great leaders at two different locations so I can hit a meeting without having any excuses of not going. My former excuse was that the Saturday leader at my old place was a flake...really she was. I had no motivation at the meeting. The two new leaders are terrific and extremely informative and I'm feeling at home with the people. It seemingly is a very supportive environment. Plus, I want to be there now.

Working out is going good. I stopped carpooling so that I could swim in the mornings. I wake up at 5:40 am to do this, now that is devotion! I swim 4-5 a week. I swim continuously for 15 minutes, take a 1 minute break, then I am back to swimming another 15 minutes. 3 times a week I'm at CURVES and then occasionally I'll go back to the gym to play racquetball with Chris. It's a good balance. I've missed swimming so it feels terrific to be back in the pool. When my weekends get calm in November, I will be attending Yoga on Saturdays. October is swamped for me. I'm out for training for a whole week and then for 2 weekends I'm at the University of Michigan for training so I won't have a weekend free for a while.

Overall, I'm happy with the changes I have been making. I'm trying more things and I'm finally getting the balance that I have been longing for. My motivation is high and life is good. I can't think of anything else that I need to focus on but I'm open to change at this time.

As for the house, the house is finally settling down and it's looking terrific too. I added some old pictures for your viewing pleasure but it's still a work in progress. Check out the link below. It feels good to have a home though and I'm happy that we bought it. I haven't been disappointed about it yet. Well, I got to get up early, take care all-Kellie

How many times have I restarted?!?!?

I can't even tell you how many times that I have started over with attempting to create change in my life. I've been wanting to change lately but I got stuck in this rut. It feels like I've been in this rut now for a few years now just laying dormant. Until this week. I don't know if you could call it a mid-life crisis (or turning 32) but I've done so many things to challenge myself this week, it's amazing. Really, it is truly amazing because I absolutely hate change. I will pout, become uncomfortable, quiet, etc. but not this time. I'm changing...

In one week, I've:
Been to a beginners yoga class
Started swimming again
Went back to CURVES
Went to a Girls Night Out where I knew no one
Ended a unhealthy friendship
Started a new direction
Not judged myself for trying something new
Track all my points for WW
Went back to WW for the 10th time
Been mindful of my goals in life

Now that is a week. I've not been liking how things were going. I got LAZY....VERY LAZY...which made me depressed...which made me judge myself which caused me not to change...which made matters worse.

So I started to think this week. In a year, where do I want to be? I want to be strong both mentally, physically, and health wise. What have I been putting off or been scared to do? Lots of things. I think one of the running themes lately for myself is that I've been so resistant to change, my eyes have been closed to life in some manner. I've been missing out. Maybe I needed to be like this for the last while in order to create some change but I'm ready for changes. I want to change.

So these are my wants for the next year:
-I want to be comfortable about becoming a mom being emotionally ready to have a baby
-I want more friends. I've basically shut myself off to friends in high school/college
-I want to be mindful of what I put in my body
-I want to be physically healthy and strong
-I want to stop judging myself and being mindful when it does happen
-I want to be a better person

Part of this change is the new page. The old page isn't me anymore. It shows a transform of who I used to be at one point but I'm not that person anymore. I've grown some since then and I've regressed some too. It's a wonderful account of my 20s but I'm different now and have better places to go. So I hope you will be with me during this time because I'm ready for some change.