I did it!  I did it!  Not only did I run the 5k, I ran the entire 5k!!  WOOOHOOO!!!  Yaaaay me!!!! 

…and now I am ready to crash!!!  Here are some pics from the race!!  I will write more soon about how it went and let you all know my impressions.  I learned a lot from this first race and I can’t wait to share it with you all!!

Okay and one more thing.  In the picture of me running and looking at the camera, I look like a total freak!  I had been looking for Hubby and it was that exact moment that I found him, and the dawn of recognition was entering my face.  So please pardon the goofy look on my face! 

Oh oh oh and we have some video too!  I will post that soon.  The video is funny because it was taken right after I was done and I was ready to pass out from the heat so I was somewhat delirious.
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

So last night Hubby, Aly, and myself went out to the mall where they were having packet/t-shirt pick-ups for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  Wow, did I feel cool walking into the mall for that reason!  I was so excited to get my shirt and my cool number to pin on my shirt while I run!  I get to wear a number!!!  I will really look like a runner now!  (Okay so they give them to walkers to but hey, don’t burst my bubble!) 

The race I am in, the Open Recreational 5k, is set to start tomorrow morning at 9:00am.  Apparently there is supposed to be 30,000 people there in the morning and we will all be taking shuttles from the RBC Center over to Meredith College, where the festivities are.  That will be interesting!

I am drinking plenty of water today to prepare for running in the heat.  Earlier this week I was able to run the complete 5k on my treadmill without any problems.  It felt great!  So my goal for tomorrow is to run the whole thing.  I am not so much concerned with the time at this point as I am with just running the whole distance. 

I will make sure to post pictures tomorrow after we get back!  I’ve asked Hubby to make sure he gets some shots of me actually crossing the finish line. 

I can’t believe it’s finally here!

The wonderful ladies over at 5 Minutes for Mom have added my blog to their Health listing, along with an interview of Yours Truly!  What an honor to be on such a cool website that is dedicated to doing so much to help mom bloggers out there.  I really enjoy their Tackle it Tuesdays and Wordless Wednesdays.  I hope you take a minute to check them out and also check out some of the other blogs they have listed! 

Sometimes things are just good and they don’t need analyzing, explaining, deep-exploration, or extra thought.  Sometimes, life just is.  And I am enjoying that! 

I think I am at a place in my life now where I am actually just happy (gasp!).  No, everything is not perfect.  (But we all know what I discovered about being “perfect”.)  And yes, life is still life.  Laundry still needs to be done.  Dishes still waiting to be washed.  Food journal just waiting to be logged.  And To Do List is still as long as ever.  But…

I’m happy. I’m content. Life is just good.

I’d really love to bottle up this feeling and store it in my pantry for when I eventually feel differently.  But rather than do that (as if it were possible, duh) I am just going to enjoy it and be grateful. 

Grateful that I’ve been feeling this way a lot lately. 

Grateful that I am finally getting to share in my weight loss journey with my hubby now.

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So Week 1 of Domestic Weight Wars (that’s what I’m calling the battle of the bulge between me and my hubby now) is officially over!  After a week of hard work, exercise, and sweating our brains out in our North Carolina heatwave… this week’s Biggest Loser is…

ME!  YAAAAY!!!!  GO MEEEE!!!! 
(I hope hubby doesn’t tune in and see how badly I am gloating in this post.. or maybe I DO!!!)

So the official numbers are as follows:  Hubby lost a total of 2.8 pounds for the week and I lost a whopping 3.6 pounds!!!

I’m thinking my super massive huge 3.6 pounds is partly from the fact that I didn’t eat so well the two days prior to the challenge starting so some of that is probably fake weight.  But NOT ALL OF IT BABY!!!!

Yeah, I’m stoked to see that my weight losing abilities are back and that I am finally making progress again!!  My first 5k is coming up this Saturday so I am looking forward to another nice, healthy week of running and healthy eating.

Thanks for all the support!  You guys have been awesome in helping me stay motivated and focused! 

TJ’s post the other day and this article from Gail Blanke, the awesome Life Coach from Real Simple Magazine, really got me thinking about listening and how important it is for us and those around us.  This is a skill that I was born with and growing up I was always good at.  And just to clarify, I am not talking about the kind of listening where your mom says “go clean your room” and you “listen” to her and go do it.  Nope, I was never good at that kind listening.  :) 

I’m talking about the kind of listening that helps develop friendships, deepen relationships, and build trust.  The kind of listening that we do when we are genuinely concerned or care about what someone is saying. 

Growing up I always made friends with the outgoing types, because I was not.  As you probably know, outgoing types like to talk!  And what better friend for them than someone who likes to listen?!  But somewhere along the way, my listening skills literally diminished.  Let’s just say that the older I get, the more my attention span has grown shorter right along with my patience.  I swear I thought it was supposed to happen in the opposite way!  That being said, I would like to improve my listening skills.

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Wow, have I found one heck of a contest!  I just happened to stumble upon this contest from The Secret is in the Sauce… through the Eightcrazy Designs website.  So check it out, ladies from The Secret is in the Sauce are giving away A Blogger’s Survival Kit.  And oh-my-goodness, this kit includes some awesome stuff! 

Some items included in the kit are: A blog makeover by Eightcrazy Designs ($90 value), a Fuji Fine Picks Digital Camera ($150 value), Sony Digital Voice Recorder ($45 value), $15 gift card to itunes, a t-shirt from The Secret is in the Sauce, Gel Mouse Pad with Wrist Support, and to top it all off, chocolate from Trader Joe’s!! 

Go here to see the official post with all the rules for the contest and pictures of items from the kit.  The deadline to enter the contest is today so get moving people!  This contest is too awesome to pass up!

Quite honestly, our Useful Website of the Week this week is one of the most comprehensive, user-friendly, and fun weight loss websites I have found.  SparkPeople.com is the name, my friends, and if losing weight/living a healthy lifestyle is your game, then this is a must-see website.  As with many subscription based websites, you have to register (of course) to gain full access to what SparkPeople has to offer.  But if you don’t want to register, I’ll try to break it down for you as best as I can here.  Let me just say that from the moment I set my eyes on SparkPeople, I’ve been back everyday since.

Basically, SparkPeople is another weight loss website that offers all the same stuff that almost all of them do.  That would be food journaling/tracking, exercise tracking, recipes, message boards, advice, etc.  There are several things that set them apart from the pack though.  First of all, the website is visually pleasing with it’s soothing yet vibrant colors, easy navigation, and wonderful start page that packs all your necessary info into one place.  But that’s not all.  Below are several other items that I have found to be particularly cool, different, and exciting in my use of SparkPeople:

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This is my first meme tag!  Jojo tagged me last week.  I’m not sure what meme actually means so maybe someone could enlighten me?  Anyhoo, here are my answers!   

Four jobs I’ve had:
1. Manager at Dairy Queen (accounts for at least 10% of the weight I need to lose!)
2. Camp Counselor
3. IT Assistant for a Law Firm in CA
4. Order Processor for a Photography Studio

What are four ways you know you are living your life’s purpose?
1. One of my life’s purposes is to be an awesome wife and mom and to strive to build a strong family.
2. To continually work on strengthening my relationship with God.  That’s where all my guidance and direction comes from.
3. To learn how to live a healthy life (mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional) and to give my daughter every opportunity to live a healthy lifestyle herself.
4. Learning how to just be.

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Hubby and I are both very competitive people.  We love to challenge each other and we are both so stubborn!  So it’s only fitting that today while waiting in line for gas (for cheap gas!) we came up with a challenge for each other. 

You see, hubby has been riding the fence for awhile now about losing weight.  I think he feels like there is never a right time to start and it’s very hard for him to fit exercise into his schedule with work and family time.  I understand but I would much rather him cut out a little family time or leisure time to get healthy… it’s worth it in the long run, right?

So, I’ve been hoping that my efforts might eventually rub off on him and perhaps motivate him to make a change.  Well, it’s not so much my efforts that have gotten him going as it is the idea of a competition with a reward!  

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