Last December, I embarked on a journey with a lovely lady, who has since become one of my closest friends. This journey was to live healthy. Amanda LaMothe enlisted the help of her friends & family in her quest of living a healthier & more fit life. I was inspired by her & decided to follow suit. We began a 6 week challenge together, in which we started eating healthier & exercising more. It was a very amazing experience from beginning to end. To experience such an outpouring of support from your friends & family is truly something I believe everyone should experience for themselves. In a nutshell, I reached out to all of my friends & family on Facebook. I explained that I was on a mission to live a healthier, more active lifestyle. The amount of friends & family who stepped up to motivate, support, join, & encourage both myself & Amanda was incredible. & to think that when I initially posted, it was mainly to make myself accountable. I figured if I put it out there in cyberspace & made it public, that I would have to be responsible to everyone who wanted to be there. Little did I know how tremendous the response was going to be. It was so great that Amanda & I set up a group site on Facebook, 60 Days or Bust: A place where anyone who is attempting to make lifestyle changes can go to get support, advice, motivation, a challenge or two, or anything else they can think of. In this 6 week period, the main goal was to get closer to a healthier weight & set new, healthy habits for life. In this 6 weeks time, I lost 20 pounds & went down a size & a half in my pants.
After starting off so great, a hitch was bound to happen. After that 20 pounds & all the varied workouts, I hit a hurdle that I just couldn't climb over, no matter what I tried. I was referred to a Naturopathic Doctor. After hearing about my family history, my own personal medical history, & a blood test, it was determined that I am pre- Diabetic. In the Doc's opinion, my gall bladder problems indicate an underlying issue where my metabolism is not functioning as well as it should. Basically, how he explained it to me is that I am working out twice as hard for half the effect. This news changed the game for me dramatically. I am way too young to be faced with such health issues. I am now more determined than ever to continue on this journey to get myself to the healthiest, fittest, best version of me possible. I am getting there & that is whole new topic I may get into later.
As I have said previously, this has been a year! So many deaths, pregnancies, births, old & new friendships & connections. Life continues to go on, whether we are ready or not. & in this busy life & fashion, I have connected with some incredible family & friends. Some of them I've known for as long as I can remember, however, others I have never met. It is so exciting getting to know family you've never met before... the possibilities are endless when you're learning new things about each other. Discovering how much you have in common makes it all the more fun. The family & friends you are reconnecting with are also just as exciting when you realize how much has changed & how much has stayed the same. Learning how uber talented a friend is... poet/ artist extroadinaire... Cassie LaMothe is incredible! ;) The anticipation about my bookshelf is killing me!
In the midst of all these life episodes, the monotonous part of the day still goes on. Not to say that I don't enjoy my job... I have been blessed beyond belief in regards to my job. I have the most unbelievable bosses who are so incredibly accepting of me & all of my opinions.... & believe me, I have tons & tons! I know that I am appreciated by my bosses & that makes all the difference in the world.
God has blessed me in so many ways, but what most bewilders me is how many truly amazing, caring, wonderful people I have been graced with in my life. Thank you will never be enough when it comes to expressing the gratitude I have for everything & everyone in my life. God is so incredible! Again, I stray off topic.
So, back to winding down. With Summer coming to a close, I am going to be getting back to some of the things that seem to go by the wayside as soon as the sun comes out. I just feel that I need to take advantage of every moment the beautiful sun is out. Hikes, good books, Wine, Cheese, & Crackers @ the beach, etc... etc... You know what i mean?
I've recently started pulling out old projects: the Trinity Stitch Blanket (courtesy of Cheri's Knits) I began over a year ago, maybe / hats & scarves galore/ painted pottery/ even some old sewing projects in the works/ plenty of books on my to read list/ & this list goes on & on. I will attempt to upload pics of some of my completed items. Most of the completed pieces are from patterns, however, there are a few that I made up. Currently, I am really interested in knitting washcloths/ dishcloths. They are manageable items with quick results. Also, I think they would make some pretty amazing & personal gifts! Kris Knits has a pretty great & fun selection of patterns that i am looking forward to working on.
