Well, I have been surprised with a blog award this week.
A beautiful soul named Staci, has decided to award me the Butterfly Award. I am very honored and quite surprised and am excited to be able to pass this on to others that I believe deserved to be honored also. Thank you Staci.
Here are the rules:
This is a 'meme' award, so it gets passed on. The rules for passing it on are:
Put the logo on your blog.
Add a link to the person who awarded the blog to you.
Award up to ten other blogs.
Add links to the blogs you award onto your blog.
Leave a message for your awardees on their blogs.
I am honored to be able to pass this on to the following kewl bloggers:
A day late with this one, but I did not want to miss it this week.
Last week was just great. I am so grateful to be here and have choices. So, last week I made the choice to get back on the band wagon and get rid of this weight. I made some pretty smart choices food wise and I exercised a total of 235 minutes, which I believe is a record for one week of exercise for me. It has made me feel so good and to keep doing it. And I saw results...I went from 333.4 to 325.6 lbs last week. I am grateful for a husband that is willing to change his lifestyle and eat the way I need to eat in order to be healthier.
Other than missing family I feel that my life was in no way lacking in the past week. I have decided not to look at the negatives as they are only a negative if I allow them to be so.
1. What is the bravest thing that you feel you've ever done physically?
Wow, I have been thinking about this for the past 30 minutes or so and cannot think of anything. Pretty darn sad. I used to climb trees and climb very high as a young girl and that could be considered brave, or just naive. Ah, I remember now...was typing my answer to question number two and remembered. I would have to say the bravest thing I ever did was standing up to my father when he had gone off his rocker and had a rifle in his hands and was blocking my husband and I from leaving his property after an altercation and argument inside the house.
2. What is the bravest thing that you feel you've ever done emotionally?
Oh, this is a loaded question. I can think of a couple of things. I guess the one that I mention in number 1, standing up to my father when he had a rifle in his hand. It to me was both a physical and emotional bravery. My father had flipped, it was really an unbelievable scene. And it was all over my mom having had my uncle frost her hair, my father making nasty remarks about how it looked. I said something to the fact that to leave her alone, that it was her hair, he told me not to talk to him like that in his house. So, I told my husband we were leaving. Things escalated from there, my mom ending up going to the bathroom, crying and in the end chopped all of her hair off, it was horrific. I was hollering through the door that he was not worth it, that really set him off. And well, my husband got punched defending me and my dad would not let us leave. I don't know how we finally left that night. I do remember it was the night before Easter and some how we found a wig place open the next day on Easter and bought my mom a wig. We never talk about it now of course, but every once in awhile, often times on Easter I think of it.
3. What one talent do you wish you had that you don't?
I wish I were more witty. I love those people that can think of a comeback in seconds. I am so slow at this. I will think of something the next day.
4. If you had that talent what would you be doing with it?
I believe my conversations would just be so much more enjoyable if I was better able to respond to others and have the wittiness to make those conversations more colorful.
5. We all have our reasons for blogging but what would be your ultimate goal for your blog or as a blogger?
Blogging has allowed me to reach deep inside and get the real me to come out. The memes that I answer cause me to delve deep inside and think of things and put them into perspective, to learn who I really am and who I want to be.
6. What advice would you give a new blogger?
I would tell a new blogger to be real and to let what is real to flow out of them as they type. Not to use the blog as something to hide behind, it is a place they can be real.
7. Who are you three favorite blogs to visit (Yes, you can have ties and name more than three.)
Well, my bffl...I have seen her grow into a very independent woman through her blogs and it is awesome to see her writing talent also there.
I ran across Mel's blog because we both do Sleeping with Bread and I felt we had so much in common I kept reading. She is a funny lady with a lot going on in her life, she stays strong through it all.
Third would be Barb's blog. She and I share similar spiritual beliefs which drew me to continue to read her blog. She is an interesting person and I always look forward to what she posts next.
8. You can trade lives with any one person for a month. Who would it be and why?
I would not trade lives with anyone. My life is not perfect, but I do not believe that anyone's life is perfect. It would not be worth it to trade lives with someone else and have to deal with their unfamliar problems.
9. There's a fire and your family is safe but you have the chance to save any one item from your house. What would it be and why?
I would grab my laptop as it is full of pictures I have taken for the past 10 years. Anything else can be replaced, but those pictures help with memories, memories that I never want to forget.
10. You have the chance to go back in time and warn yourself before making a bad choice. What choice would it be and what would you tell yourself?
I would go back to January 1998 the night before I left for a return trip to Cleveland, OH. I fell asleep that night while driving and could have killed my husband. I woke up to a semi climbing over the front end of my car. I tried driving a bit after that, but I eventually stopped and have not driven since. I am going to change that this year. I will get my license back and drive again. I miss my freedom to be able to go as I please. It was a stupid thing and we never travel now without being well rested.
I feel like an elephant is sitting right between my eyes right now so I am not sure how much I will be able to recall from this week.
My asthma really gave me fits this week. Mostly my fault because I ran out of Advair before refiling, but then from there the pharmacy can take blame as they were not prepared to fill it based on changes Caremark/CVS has made with my insurance company. I do have my medicine now and I am on the mends, but can tell I am not 100% yet. And of course when you can't breathe...well, that just effects your whole life.
So, Monday I stayed home, though I spent two hours at the pharmacy to walk away without my Advair. Hubby made dinner that night. It was so, so good. He has that Cooking Trainer for DS Lite which he used to make something called Bang Bang Chicken, a Chinese dish, and a Bean Sprout dish that is a Korean dish. They were both delicious. We spent the rest of the day watching Charmed. He got me season 1 and 2 for Christmas.
I went to work on Tuesday after going to an appointment with my hubby. He made dinner again and it was again, delicious. He made pizza dough from that cooking program. And we put ricotta, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, onions, ham, mushrooms, spinach, basil, garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. It was so, so good...LOL Wondering how I am ever going to lose this weight?? LOL Well, it was within my calorie range and with all the fresh ingredients and the healthier flours it was good for me also.
Work was okay this week. The gentleman I hired to fill the payroll supervisor spot in Dallas December 2007 is leaving, which is a good thing. He really has hurt that office more than he has helped, but since I left my position in Texas I have not had authority to do anything about it. So, Dallas has asked my bosses to let me come help out and get the place back to where it should be while they work on hiring someone else. I am kinda looking forward to it. I don't care to fly or be away from hubby, but other than that it will give me an opportunity to get my hands into the dirt, which I love. I live and breathe payroll. I sometimes miss being down in the trenches. This office was in horrible shape when I took over in 2005 and from what I hear they are almost in the same position again. When I left no one took over in a leadership role and they knew the man I hired needed to be taught how to be a supervisor as he had never been in that role before. I hired him for knowledge, or so I thought. I learned over this past year that he did not know as much as he claimed. Oh, well, we'll see where we go from here, but it does look like I will be going to Dallas a bit in February and maybe in two weeks.
I did get my Advair last night...feeling much better...and we finished season 2 of Charmed which has got me itching to go get season 3. Not sure what we will do today...I believe I am going to make some French Onion soup and hubby is going to make some sort of healthy oriental dumplings from that program. They must be Korean. They have kimchi in them.
Oh, and I mailed my application to Atlanta on Monday!!!
Oh, I did not get to the Y to sign up yet, but I have been exercising at home...even with the breathing problems. I feel real good about things this week. I am using sparkpeople.com to track what I eat and my activity and up to yesterday I have 215 minutes of exercise this week, which for me is great. I hope to get in 30 mins of cardio today and need to do two exercise videos from the New YOU Bootcamp on Sparkpeople that I am doing this month.
So, that wraps up my week. Not a whole lot exciting, but that is my life. It is not the fairy tale we dream of as children, but it is a good life I can't complain much about.
Now, for your viewing pleasure are some scenes from my favorite movie...Ever After
1. Would you rather be stranded on an island alone or with someone you dislike/don't get along with?
I think I would rather be with someone I don't like. I just could not stand being alone that whole time. And I believe I would be safer with someone else there, or at least feel safer.
2. Would you rather accidentally walk in on your parents having sex or have them walk in on you?
OMG, neither...LOL I think I would rather be walked in on...I just don't want the picture of my parents like that in my head.
3. Would you rather be snapped by paparazzi during a nipple slip or while exiting a car with out any underwear?
A nipple slip....I don't even like when a gyn has to go down there...that is just to private to me.
4. Would you rather not have sex for two years or not be able to use the Internet for two years?
I should let my BFFL answer this for me...I am sure she would answer it right on the head where I am concerned....PLEASE DO NOT TAKE AWAY MY INTERNET...LOL
5. Would you rather find true love or 1 million dollars?
True love....the money would be worthless without it. Who would I have to enjoy it with?
Bonus (as in optional): If you had to choose *one* sexual position for the rest of your life, what would it be? Why?
I have no freaking clue....I am going to have to skip this one...
All in all last week was a good week. I have enjoyed blogging more than I realized I would. The people I have come in contact with have helped me continue growing in knowledge and spirit. This internet is just an amazing thing, how it has brought us all together from all over the world.
I am quite grateful for all of my new relationships and always excited to see what new thing I will learn each day from the people I have come in contact with on-line.
For some reason I did not blog last Monday and not sure why. I don't like to miss my Sleeping with Bread blog so I will work harder to make sure I get that done each week.
New Years Eve was uneventful for us. Probably one the first time in 18 years that we have known each other that we went to bed before midnight on a New Years Eve. We had both gotten up early and worked that day and were pretty darn tired. Next year we'll have to do something special. I prefer a nice dinner somewhere special that has a whole evening planned for the celebration.
I hope your new year is starting out well. So, what does the Sleeping with Bread examen mean for you? I look forward to reading your blogs to learn.
Well, I went to the meme for this and the blog is no longer up, but I like it so I will still post my Sunday Sunrise Sunset when I have ones to post.
On December 23rd my hubby and I started out at about 6am to go from Mississippi to Georgia to spend Christmas with family. That morning we witnessed a very pretty sunrise. Being in a vehicle I had trouble catching the image. Below are some of the shots I was able to get.
These nine questions for today are just what I needed. I am drawing to a close on the book I am reading,Jesus for the Non-Religious, by John Shelby Spong and was having a desire to block out religion so this worked out nicely.
1. What do you believe happens when we die?
I believe that when we die our souls rejoin with the greater spirit we call God and all of the other souls of the universe.
2. Do you consider yourself religious?
No, I consider myself spiritual. I believe there is a distinct difference. I don't follow any set theology, which I believe religious people do. Rather I try to be more in touch with my spiritual side and how things make me feel and hence what I believe.
3. Do you believe in ghosts?
Yes, I believe souls that have left their earthly body come visit us from time to time before they take on a new earthly body, if they plan to take on a new earthly body.
4. Do you believe that people live on other planets?
Well, there is no proof yet, but I guess it is always possible that there is a galaxy that we have not discovered that other beings inhabit.
5. Have you ever seen something abnormal?
I am not sure what is meant by abnormal here. I mean, isn't it all relative?
6. Do you believe in reincarnation?
Yes, I believe our souls come back to earth in a new form to experience something different each time we are here. I believe souls who were together in one life in one way or another, whether just friends, lovers, family, or acquaintances all come together in some way again in another lifetime. I know people in my life today that I feel I must have been close with in another lifetime.
7. Have you ever witnessed a miracle?
My husband putting up with me everyday is a miracle.
8. Is there a person living or dead that influences your philosophies?
Neale Donald Walsch wrote some books that helped me to begin my faith/spiritual journey so he had a lot to do with influencing my desire to learn and not just settle with what had always been taught to me.
9. Is there a work of fiction that closely matches your spiritual beliefs?
Oh, yes, What Dreams May Come, by Richard Matheson. And I have to tell you the book is so much better than the movie. Don't think you know it just from watching the movie. The book detailed so much of how I believe our souls join with the others, accept for us souls that were troubled in someway on Earth. It is a great book.
First I would like to wish you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. I hope all of your dreams and wishes come true.
I started SparkPeople.com in September with so much energy and a vigor to finally lose this weight that threatens me. Then in October I started not having energy so I stopped exercising, I thought it must be my period coming on and figured I would pick it right back up, but here I am three months later and I have not.
So, on Friday we will go join the YMCA. They have a "Water Walk" every morning that I want to go do and my hubby will work out on the machines. In the evenings I will come home and do exercises at home three nights a week.
We are making a plan to eat healthy and I am going to do a lot of menu planning today. I need to do something that will work for both of us and keep us on track.
I will be 40 in 260 days in which I would like to lose 130 lbs. For someone at my weight I think that is a doable goal in 8.5 months. I won't be at my target weight, but well on my way.
So, this week we are to name at least one thing I am looking forward to reading this year. Well, I can't name just one.
I am always looking forward to reading the new Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb books that come out every year and I am behind on J.D. Robb for 2008, so I look forward to catching up there and reading the Key Series by Nora Roberts that I still have not gotten to in the past few years.
I am really looking forward to reading Brisingr by Christopher Paolini. This young man started writing this series when he was just 15. It is an amazing series and I look forward to finishing it up. I just wish they could have done better with the movie.
I plan to read the series Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. This is a fantasy series that is right up my alley. Percy Jackson is a 12 year old and an illegitimate child of a god. Proves to be an interesting series.
I have like 58 books on my to read list right now so I'll just list one more series I plan to read.
The Austin Family Chronicles by Madeliene L'Engle also looks to be an interesting series. I love books about real life and people. These look to be heartwarming stories that we all should read once in awhile.
