A few photos...

Been kind of heavy on the serious posts so now here is a lighter post. Here is what we are up to these days...




Dinner with highschool friends

 


Honor Roll Breakfast-What I learned this trimester...how many pictures claymation takes.





A Quest for Limited Edition Glass Balls on Camano Island

 


A friend's gymnastics meet



Gymnast Friend



All-State Junior Band with Mr. G





Enjoying listening to the other groups at All-State



Only the Beginning...

Yes, I am still talking about Beginnings...An update about that first "Beginning". I really got into the whole "Move" thing for about 23 days...then I got discouraged. I was moving every day and eating healthy so I thought, but the scale wasn't moving. I wasn't expecting great things to happen, but at least to see a little nudge to the lighter side, but no dice. I was actually going up on the scale and had noticed that it was starting to be a trend. So I stopped "moving". I decided to go to my doctor to see why I was gaining weight and felt as puffy as a puffer fish.

That was the beginning of a bunch of tests and follow up doctors appointments. First it was a blood test. Then a spirometer test. Then another blood test. Then it was time for answers (or no answers).  Cholesterols good, blood pressure good, oh...blood glucose looks a little high, lets test again but this time, lets test your A1C.

That was the beginning...the beginning of 2 new medical diagnoses for me and a new way of life. I have been diagnosed with Diabetes Type II and with Asthma.

So, I have begun to test my blood sugars, count carbs, and go to Weight Watchers. I am learning a lot. I am learning that I really like my carbs. I am learning that eating the right way needs to be a balance. I am learning that it hurts to prick my finger. I am also learning that my blood levels are all over the place. It is only the beginning.....

It's Just the Beginning

Okay, if you are seeing this post you are either family, a very close friend, or someone who follows my blog because I am not going to "advertise" this post.

So here goes...I am overweight. My medical records read "obese". I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea. Heart disease, stroke, and diabetes run in my family. The high blood pressure can lead to kidney failure, stroke and heart failure. I have been this way since Peggy was born. I have had some success of weight loss a few years back but he has come back.

I haven't tried really hard to do anything about it. I admit, I sit on my butt watching Biggest Loser while eating a bowl of ice cream-not just one scoop, but a bowl of ice cream. I can devour a row of Oreo's in one sitting (or standing at the counter for that matter). I LOVE baked goods and have a really hard time leaving them alone. Quite often I will go on a candy binge...Brach's "Autumn Mix", Candy Corn, Indian Corn, "Cupid Mix" (those mellow creme things), Chicks and Rabbits, Circus Peanuts, and oh yeah chocolate. I'm a sucker for the Hershey's Eggs too. However, I can also stay away from candies and sweets. We still have Easter Candy and Halloween Candy left over from last year in the cupboard in the "candy bucket"...I can leave that stuff alone. But when I get on one of those binges, nothing is stopping me. I can eat potato chips and onion dip till I puff up from too much salt. Veggies are rather nonexistent in my diet. Yeah, I will eat lettuce and tomatoes either as a salad or on a burger. A handful of raw carrots (with ranch dip of course) will sometimes end up on my plate if I'm at a party. Corn and potatoes are staples in our meals. I don't fix veggies very often because I don't "like" them. If I serve green beans, they are Linda's canned beans cooked with bacon and onions, and I will force myself to a "No Thank You" helping. My eating habits have a lot to be desired.

I finally have decided that I AM going to do something about my weight this year!

I follow a couple of blogs of ladies that I have been "introduced to" in the scrapbooking cyberland (and at conventions). I have taken classes from these wonderful ladies at Big Picture Classes (and at conventions)where I interacted with them on almost a daily basis for weeks on forums, web chats, or video messages.

One of these ladies is Cathy Zielske. She is the one that has really given me the inspiration to do something about my weight. Maybe it is because she is from my hometown, a couple of years younger than me, went to my rival high school, or just plain motivational. She has taken on a journey that started out as a weight loss journey but turned out to be a journey of athleticism and better health through "Moving More and Eating Less". She has lost about 30 lbs but is one fit, healthy woman in her mid 40's. She still struggles but is in a much happier place. I want to be like her...a little less hefty, fit, and happy. I am taking her challenge of Moving More and Eating Less.

So in comes the second scrapbooking lady, Ali Edwards. She has a project called "One Little Word" (among others I have mentioned on my blog). I played along in 2009 choosing "Organize" as my One Little Word and in 2010 with "Revitalize". I don't believe I ever shared them opening here on my blog or told anyone else about them except on Ali's blog. I was pretty good in the beginning of the year keeping focus on my word, but as the year went on, they tended to be put on the back burner.

I have chosen "MOVE" as my One Little Word for 2011. This year I am going to keep focus on my One Little Word. It isn't a "deep" philosophical word but more of an "action" word. I am committing myself to MOVE as in exercise, take the stairs, park farther away from entrances, and spend less time on my butt! I have committed myself to a minimum of 30 minutes of moving a day.

I am going to MOVE to a healthier BMI. I am going to MOVE to a healthier way of eating. I am going to MOVE to a better me.

If you have stayed with this for this long...Thanks for reading my story. And thank you CZ and AE...you both have had an influence on both my scrapbooking and my life.

I leave you with a visual of my "Beginning"

(I'm not totally thrilled with how I completed this page so I will be making some minor changes to what I did but this is the "Beginning".) Thank you to CZ and DesignerDigitals.com for the template.