thoughts

So I realize that it has been a REALLY long time since I've last posted on the blog.  There have been a lot of life changes that have happened in the last 6 months.  I believe on my last post I was discussing training for the half marathon with the Local Joe program.  Well....about that....I ended moving to Lincoln, Nebraska at the beginning of August and therefore didn't end up running the half marathon due to a DECLINE/HALT in my training.  Also, because I have promised to be completely honest on this blog, 2014 came and went and all of my goals that I had for 2014 were not met.  Though a lot did happen in 2014, I didn't get financially fit, spiritually fit, or physically fit last year.  Therefore, my 2014 goals have officially carried over into 2015.  The only thing is, I have decided to have a Happy and Healthier 2015.  Because the tail end of last year was ROUGH!  Anyway....that is a story for another time.  I really just wanted to get on here because last night I had a lot of things on my mind.  I have a friend that I really care about and really worry about and yet I think I want better for this friend than they want for themselves.  Sometimes I can have a lot of thoughts roll around in my head and as much as I want to share them, its not always things that need to be said.  My best friend told me recently that I am one of the most emotional people she has ever met.  Not in the "I cry about everything" sense, but in the sense that I have a lot of feelings about things.  I feel things deeply and I have no problem discussing how I feel about something.  However, I was reminded that I don't always need to share those feelings because not everyone can handle those feelings...hahahah.  I get that.  I mean....I can be a hot mess sometimes...not going to lie.  So I was discussing this with another friend of mine and she suggested that I start writing poetry or music.  I have written poems in the past about things but I always feel kinda ridiculous because I have this tendency to want to rhyme everything.  Well, last night I was frustrated and disappointed and worried about things which is just not ok.  So I decided to write down exactly what I wish I could say to this friend.  Maybe someday I will.  So...like it or hate it, here is a poem I wrote for a friend.

when you look in the mirror what do you see

a scared little boy or the man you could be

the boy has been hurt, taken advantage of and used

i get that he's scared that his heart has been bruised

the boy wants to run, wants to hide from that pain

but he'll soon learn down that path there's no gain

no gain whatsoever, no happiness, no joy

all that will be left is an even sadder little boy

so don't be that boy who searches for joy all around

be the man who finds peace in the only place it can be found

in the One who gives peace, joy, happiness, and love

The Creator, Sustainer, and Savior from above

He is the One who takes away all the pain

He bore the wrath of God for you, He is the Lamb that was slain

slain for you and me that we may have eternal life

that truth is so deep, it cuts like a knife

so be the man who sees and knows Him, who loves Him to his core

because that gives a peace that you have never known before

I want you to see, I pray you will know

I hope that your love for Him will continually grow

be the man I see you could be when I look in your eyes

not that scared little boy who puts on a disguise

so when you look in the mirror who will it be

the scared little boy or the man that I see

Catch Up Time

Why hello there!  I know I know....it's been awhile since my last post.  It has been so crazy busy lately that I haven't had a chance to get back here.  There is a TON to catch up on so let me get started! 

First....running!  Remember when I first started this blog and told you my New Year's resolutions?  Remember when I said I wanted to run the River Run 10k without stopping or walking?  Well guess what?!  I DID IT!!!!  I could barely believe it myself!  I will have to say that I think getting selected as a Local Joe really gave me that extra motivation to keep pushing through it.  Let me give you a little insight on how I felt during the run. 
    Mile 1- It was ok...I bought a Garmin running watch so that I could keep track of my pace, distance, and heart rate while I was running.  The first mile was under 12 minutes!  However...it didn't stay there for too long.  This is also the mile that my body decided that it needed to go to the bathroom!  DUMB!  But I couldn't stop so.....I just held it.
    Mile 2- At this point I was starting to get REALLY thirsty.  And that's when I saw the Culligan Water stand!  Perfect!  I gladly took that small cup of water and kept on running. 
    Mile 3- I started getting a little warm but that is when I turned the corner and there was shade to run in and a slight...very comfortable breeze.  I thought...half way done....I can run another 3 miles!
    Mile 4- This is when I started getting REALLY discouraged. (I know....complete 180 from mile 3)  I was tired and thirsty and....I still had to go to the bathroom.  This is also the time that I started seeing everyone in front of me start walking or stopping.  Let me tell you......I had complete mixed feelings about this.  On one hand I thought....this is cool...I can keep running longer than these other people that are walking right now!  But on the other hand I thought....dang it would be REALLY nice to walk.  But I kept going.  This was also the mile where I had a nice heart to heart with Jesus.  All I knew was that if I was going to keep doing this it wouldn't be MY strength getting me through.  I also prayed that when I completed this run I would remember that it wasn't MY strength that I completed it with, but it was the Lord's.  That's really my prayer for the whole Local Joe training and the half marathon.  I don't want to get caught up in what I'm accomplishing but rather remember that it is only through the strength that the Lord gives me that I am able to accomplish anything!  
     Mile 5-  It was here that I was just on auto-pilot.  I was also in countdown mode.  I thought to myself....welp...I've already done 5 miles I can't quit now!  Plus there is the encouragement that there was only 1 mile left!!  
   Mile 6-  At mile 6 I was ecstatic! I had just ran 6 miles!!!!  Longer than I had ever ran!  Longer than I had ever expected to run!   However....there was a bit of discouragement because I realized that I wasn't finished yet.  I still had 0.2 miles to go....and that was the LONGEST 0.2 miles of my life!!!!  
    The Finish Line-  Here is when adrenaline kicked in!  I have absolutely no idea where it came from because I was exhausted!!  And....I still had to go to the bathroom!  Yet....I was able to kick it up a bit and run that last 0.05 miles at a little faster pace than planned.  At the beginning of the race I told anyone that asked, that my goal was just to finish and that I didn't have a goal time....however...I really wanted to finish it in under an hour and a half.  And guess what?!  I DID IT!!  My official time was 1 hour 28 minutes and 47 seconds!  So I made both goals!  It felt soooo good to run across that finish line knowing that I did what I set my mind to!  However, it was shortly after I ran across that line that I realized.....I have 6.9 more miles to run in October!!!  I also realized that it was a VERY VERY bad idea to not go to the bathroom before the race. And I will leave that at that. 

Speaking of October....I have officially started my training for the Prairie Fire Half Marathon!  I went to Nashville for CMA Fest last week (this event will have to be its own blog post) and this Monday was not only my last day in Nashville, but it was also the first day of Start 2 Finish training!  I checked my training schedule and saw that I was supposed to run 2 miles.  So that morning my friend Monica that came on the trip with with me, and I got up early put on our running shoes and took off in downtown Nashville!  It was so fun to be able to start the first day of this journey in one of the cities that I LOVE!  We ran downtown and then across the pedestrian bridge that crosses the river and takes you to LP Field where the Tennessee Titans play.  That bridge was NOT fun to run up.  However, looking back on it, I realize that that bridge is totally a metaphor for how this journey of training for the half marathon is going to be.  There are going to be tough climbs that are going to make me want to stop and possibly turn back.  There are also going to be times when I am at the top and feeling pretty good.  The place where I can get into a rhythm and be consistent.  And there there are going to be the times where I'm going downhill and things start getting easier because the training that I am doing is paying off.  FYI....I am definitely looking forward to those times and not so much the uphill climbs.  But I know that each and every one of those spots on that bridge are what will bring me to the destination that I am trying to get to....the finish line of the Prairie Fire Half Marathon.  

After some delays and cancellations at the airport for our flight home, and a LONG night DRIVE back from Nashville Monday, I was exhausted.  I went to check my training schedule thinking that Tuesday was my rest day, I wanted to see what I had ahead of me this week.  I knew it was going to be REALLY tough to get my runs in because my schedule consisted of Vacation Bible School at the church from 7:45am-11:30am and then work from 1:45pm-10:45pm everyday for the rest of this week.  Well, when I went to look at the plan I realized that I started the wrong schedule!  I started the novice plan instead of the beginner plan!  And let me just tell you....the novice plan was MUCH MUCH nicer than the beginner plan.  After much....much....much....contemplation on which plan I was actually going to do...I reminded myself that the only way to get better was to push myself.  So I knew I had to do the beginner plan that consisted of 6 days/week workouts.  Instead of the 4 days/week workouts on the novice plan.  This was going to be difficult.  As I was coming to grips with this, my best friend sends me a text...."What are you doing this evening? You want to go for a run?"  This why she is my spiritual soul mate.  Because when I am ready to just not do the run....she sends me a text like this.  Funny thing is....she had no idea all of this was going on inside my head!  So....we went and ran.  And that run was one of the most miserable runs of my life!  Our goal was 3 miles (it was what I was supposed to run Monday instead of the 2 that I actually ran) but after 1 I realized 2 was all that was going to happen.  I was dehydrated, exhausted from a lack of sleep, and was ready to throw up!  But hey....we ran! 

I told ya'll I was going to be completely honest on here with you so here is my honesty.  I have not ran since Tuesday.  Between VBS in the mornings and work in the afternoon/evenings, and working a double shift....my training has not been good this week!  However, I am completely serious when I say....this WILL NOT be something that happens again!  I know that it is going to take lots of training and hard work to run that half marathon.  And I know that the people at Go Run that designed the Start 2 Finish program have put together a plan that WILL work if done correctly!  So starting tomorrow with the long group run of 4 miles, I will be back on track!  And I will definitely keep you posted!  Have a great night!

5 miles

Hello all!  So last week I made the official announcement about becoming a "Local Joe."  I feel like since then I have just gotten this extra burst of energy to keep pushing myself with.  I honestly feel like its probably all in my head but hey...I'll take what I can get....mind over matter right?  Well this last week I did something that I never thought that I would be able to do in my life....I ran 5 miles!  WHAT?!  LONGEST DISTANCE EVER!!!.....for me.  :)  I know all you "runners" out there are laughing a little bit at me because you are thinking to yourself "pshh....that's just my warm up," but I am totally ok with that.  I love when you accomplish something that you never imagined being able to accomplish.  I am starting to officially get excited about how far I'm going to be able to push myself with the Start2Finish program.  It has hit me that I got picked as a Local Joe, it has hit me that I will be training for a half marathon, but it has NOT hit me yet that I will actually be running 13.1 miles!!!!  But it will happen!  For now, one day at a time.

Now for the exciting news!!!  I leave for Nashville in 2 WEEKS!!!  I can't believe it's been a year since I got the tickets to the CMA Music Festival!  But that year has come and gone and in two weeks I will be on a plane to start my vacation!  And boy am I ready!  If I can get through these next two weeks with no tears it will be a win!  Life has been so busy and I'm ready for it to calm down.  However, I feel like every time I say that, it just gets busier.  But hey....it's good for me right?  I hope? ...... 

This Friday I get to go back home to my parents' and celebrate my Dad's retirement.  As it gets closer and closer I realize how big of a deal this is!  My dad is not even 60 yet and is retired!  He spent 38 years with the same company.   Though the names of that company may have changed, my dad remained. He had less jobs in his entire life than I had when I was 21. And let me tell you, he set an incredible example for my brother and I.  My dad has taught me soooo much in so many areas, but especially in work ethic.  I really don't remember my dad calling in sick very much to work when I was a kid.  He went to work and he worked hard.  He didn't come home and complain about work.  He did his job and he did it well.  So I am very proud of him to be able to retire at the age he did.  But is he done working?  Nope....he is continuing to work and provide for not only his family, but for various other families that he and my mom love and care about.  I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for the father that I have and the example that he has been to me.  I hope that if I get married, my husband will have the qualities that my dad has.  

Anyways....time to get off.  I hope you all have a great rest of the week!  Follow the hashtags at the bottom on twitter, facebook, and instagram to meet some of the other Local Joes.

#PFM14
#PFMJoes

Ps....don't worry, I will be posting weight and inch progress in the very near future!

BREAKING NEWS

Why hello there!  I realize that it has been a really long time....ummmm....a month...since I've last posted on here and I apologize for that.  To be honest....I was kinda avoiding it.  I have been doing good on working out, ok on eating good, but not so great on the weight loss.  I've lost here and there but it has been fluctuating a lot!!  I didn't even step on the scale for 2 weeks because I was getting discouraged.  I recently got a Planet Fitness membership so I can get up EARLY with my friend and do some weight workouts.  That has been so great!  This week hasn't been so good because both of us have "phoned it in" a day but tomorrow we will be back at it!  I have seen a lot of improvements physically which is super encouraging but....I have not seen improvements on the scale and little in the inch department....sad day!  I am seeing tricep muscles for the first time in forever!!! And....I ran 4 miles without stopping for the first time in my life last week!  I'm really encouraged by those things but I keep getting caught up by the lack of movement on the scale.  I know a lot of people will say that you shouldn't pay attention to the scale, that you should pay attention to the positives and how you feel.  And I do feel better, I will say that.  But....let's be honest...I have the weight to lose.  

I think what is really bothering me is how carrying all this weight now is going to hurt me in the future.  Now...before anyone gets upset about thinking too far ahead....hear me out.  I think it is perfectly ok...if not wise....to think about how the choices you are making today affect your future.  I realize that I am not in control of my future, the Lord has that taken care of, but I am still called to be a good steward of my resources.  And not taking care of my body now is not being a good steward.  It can't be good on my heart muscle to be carrying around all these pounds.  So that is why I have been trying to increase my running, my cardio, and my weights.  I think the key to all of this is going to be following a more consistent plan.  That's where I fail....in consistency.  However....there is a solution to that dilemma. (here is where my BREAKING NEWS comes in) 

About a month or so ago, my coworker convinced me to apply for this thing called the "Local Joe."  For those of you who have never heard of this....let me explain it a bit.  In Wichita, there is Spring and Fall marathon and half marathon called the Prairie Fire Marathon.  For the fall race they have this thing called the Local Joe.  They choose a certain number of "average" people in Wichita and work with them and give them the tools necessary to complete either the half marathon or the full marathon.  By "average" I mean people that either don't run at all or those that do run but aren't necessarily Boston Marathon runners.  This year they decided to take applicants.  Due to some HEAVY encouragement from two of my coworkers....SARAH & ANJI.....I decided to apply.  A month had gone by and I didn't hear anything about it.  Then...about 2 weeks ago I received a call from the sports commissioner here in Wichita saying that I had been selected as a finalist for the Local Joe.   I was to attend a meeting....which "just so happened" to be on my day off....to find out if I was chosen.   Long story short....I was.  So now I am one of the "average" Wichitans chosen to complete the Prairie Fire half marathon on October 12th, 2014.  Now....I am going to be completely honest here....when I got that phone call....excitement was not what I was feeling.  Terror and dread would be more fitting of a term.  HAHAHAHA...my coworkers and friends however made up for it with their excitement.   All I could think was that I was going to HAVE to run 13.1 miles!!!!!!!!!!  Am I crazy?!  Yes.....the answer is yes.  Dumb peer pressure!  I will say though that as a few days have gone by, and the official announcement has been made, and I have gotten so much encouragement from friends and family, it has gotten me pretty excited!  So let me give you some of the details.

Prairie Fire has teamed up with Go Run here in Wichita and will supply us with not only a new pair of running shoes, shirts, and registration for the half marathon, they are also giving us the training we need.  They will be using the Start2Finish program that Go Run uses to train ANYONE for whatever race they are wishing to accomplish.  They will design the proper program for us to accomplish our goals, whether it be to just finish a distance, or to get faster and improve our time.  The program I will be using will be an 18 week program!!!  However, they are really smart and are only going to give us the first 9 weeks so we don't get discouraged looking at week 14 or 15.  Genius!  Because I would be one of those that would look ahead like that and wanna cry.  HAHAHAHA!  

You might be asking "why do you keep saying us?"  That is because there are 9 of us Local Joes this year.  Some are like me and are running a half marathon for the first time, others are trying to improve their times, and some are running the full marathon for the first time. I am excited to see the progress all of us will make and I am really glad to have fellow Joes to get encouragement from when I'm ready to give up!  I will post some links at the bottom of this post to give you a little more information on all of it.  

Becoming a Local Joe is something that I feel like is going to change my life.  I know that sounds a little dramatic but I'm serious.  I think the Lord is going to use this to show me a lot and grow me in ways I would never expect.  Completing this program is going to show me that I am able to accomplish things I never thought possible!  And it is also going to help me to get in shape.  I am 100% honest when I say that I am going to be in better shape in my mid twenties....yes that hurt to just say mid instead of early....than I was in highschool.  I am super excited to get this thing started!  I will definitely not be taking a hiatus from blogging for a month anymore because I know I am going to have a range of things to talk about and I am also excited to share with you my progress!  If you want you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Runkeeper.  I will post my handles below.  Also, if you go to the Prairie Fire website that I will be posting below, you can find out who my fellow Joes are!  I will also post a link to the Start2Finish program if you are interested in more information on that!   I hope you will follow me and be as excited to see the progress of this journey I am about to embark on as I am!  Have a great day!!!  (FYI....if you follow me on any of these sites you will probably see lots of pictures of my dog Riggins.  I am a proud mama when it comes to him.)  


Prairie Fire Site:  http://www.prairiefiremarathon.com/

Start2Finish: http://gorunwichita.com/start2finish-2/

Twitter: @bethany535

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbuczinski

Instagram:  @bethb06 

Runkeeper: Bethany Buczinski

Preparation is Key

A week from today is Easter Sunday.  When I think about Easter from when I was a child, I remember Easter egg hunts, candy, money, and family.  I remember once when we went out to Grandma and Grandpa's and they hid, not your traditional Easter eggs, but plastic eggs filled with candy and coins.  And then if you were really good at spotting them, you might find a Reese's egg that had cash strapped to the back of it!  The reason this sticks out so much to me is because it was one of the first and only times I ever beat my brother.  HAHAHAHAHA!  I know he wasn't letting me when either because he was legitimately upset when I found anything else.  Oh brother sister rivalry!  However, as I have gotten older (yes I realize that I sound super old when I say that), I have come to realize the greater meaning behind this holiday.  I was preparing my lesson for Sunday School and was reminded of the greatness of the sacrifice that was made, the weight of the debt that was paid, and the spectacular events that occurred.  If it is unclear what I am writing about, then let me clear it up a bit.  I am talking about the death of Jesus Christ, God in the form of a Man.  The fact that He lived a perfect, sinless, Holy life and yet died a brutal, painful, humiliating death that He did not deserve.  And, He did it willingly to accomplish the will of God, to be the perfect, sinless sacrifice for sinners.  I remember when I first came to the realization of this magnificent truth.  I was lying in bed and looking at who I was.  The person that I was.  How ridiculous I could be (and still can be).  The anger I had towards others, the sinful person that I was.  And then I remembered what the Bible said Christ's life was.  How not one evil thought crossed His mind.  How he never responded in anger.  How even when people were beating Him, spitting on Him, mocking Him, and torturing Him, He did not sin once.  And that is when I realized my debt.  The debt of sin. Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  How that sin has to be paid for. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  And the weight that that carries!!!  But that is when my eyes were opened to the truth written in that same Bible. Romans 10:9-10 "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in Salvation."  It was that night that the Lord opened my eyes to see my sinfulness, but He also opened my eyes to see the magnificent Savior that paid my penalty of sin so that I may have eternal life.  

As I mentioned earlier, Easter as a child meant egg hunts, candy, and family.  What it also meant was we would be going to church.  Not because we wanted to, but because it is "what you do on Easter Sunday."  It was one of those "church holidays."  But now it is entirely different! I now understand what this holiday really means.  I understand that we are celebrating Christ. We are celebrating the AMAZING work that He accomplished on the cross, in His death, and in His resurrection.  So as Easter Sunday approaches I want to take this week to prepare my heart and my mind for next Sunday when I get to gather with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and celebrate Christ.  I hope that if you understand what this holiday means, you will join your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and celebrate as well.  If you don't understand the "big deal" with Easter, please feel free to message me and we can talk further.  Have a great week!

PS- I have included my weekly weight/inch results at the bottom.

	Initial Weight	Bust (inches)	Waist (inches)	Hips (inches)	Right Thigh (inches)	Right Arm (inches)
Starting	244	45	40	51	32	15
Week 1	243.8	45	38.5	50	31	14.5
Week 2	243.3	44	38	50	31	14.5
Week 3	245.1	44	38	50	30.5	15
Week 8	246.2	44.5	39	51	30.5	16
Week 9	247.2	45.0	38.5	50.5	30.5	15
Difference from Starting	+3.2	0	-1.5	-0.5	-1.5	0

 

Back on the bandwagon

Well hello there!  So the last time I was on here I was explaining how I was getting back on the bandwagon with eating right, exercising, and cleaning my house.  Well....it is going good so far!  I had a minor set back last week when I wasn't feeling so great but I am back at it!  I will document my weight and measurements at the end of this post.

This weekend I ran in the Diva Dask 5K!  I was stoked to do this again because last year I was so close to running the whole thing without stopping but walked about .10 miles of it.  :( Sad day!  But...this time I had the knowledge that I can run a full 5K without stopping so I thought yes!  I have this one down for sure....not the case.  I don't know what it is about Diva Dash that I can't finish the thing without walking.  I know part of it was due to me not feeling very well this week and not being able to get my runs in but...dang!  I was really hoping to run the whole thing without walking any of it.  My best friend Jaci ran it (and walked it) with me.  She was such a trooper.  This was her first 5K and she stayed with me the whole time rather than running the whole thing and running it at her pace.  That is my friend y'all.  We are the only ones that would claim each other but we don't know what we'd do without each other either!  I love her to death!

I have also decided to try this push up challenge I found on Pinterest.  At the end you are supposed to be able to do 40 push ups.  Now...this isn't the barely bent arm push ups...these are the full on, lay a meter stick across your shoulders, push ups.  So....we will just have to see about this!

On another note, I was able to cook again this last week!  I got to make a new recipe!  It was a Pioneer Woman's recipe.  Now let me just tell you....I LOVE THE PIONEER WOMAN!  I kinda want her life!  Hahahaha! Married to a handsome cattle rancher, living on a ranch, and getting paid to cook!  What's up?!  Here is a picture of the dish that I made.  I substituted chicken for ham.  And here is the link to that recipe as well: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/03/tortellini-primavera/   Now let me just say....I was definitely NOT able to eat very much of this because it is NOT Weigh Watchers approved.....BUT I was able to share with my coworker and roommates!

I was also able to make this Skinny Cake Batter Ice Cream that the lovely lady from church, that I have talked about before, gave me all the ingredients for.  It was soooo good!  And all you use is half of a diet soda cake (box of confetti cake mix mixed with 12 oz of diet sprite or 7 up and baked to box directions), 1 small tub of cool whip free, and a can of fat free sweetened condensed milk.  Mix together and freeze, and it actually tastes like cake batter ice cream!

Speaking of sweet ladies at church....I just want to publicly say how thankful I am for my church and church family.  We have recently had some tough events occur at church and yet everyone has responded so Biblically!  It is incredibly encouraging and wonderful to know that you are in a Bible believing and Bible teaching church.  And a church that responds to things Biblically!  I am very thankful that the Lord brought me to my church!

Well I better close for now so here is my weight loss and inch loss chart....not great this time but gotta keep pushing!

	Initial Weight	Bust (inches)	Waist (inches)	Hips (inches)	Right Thigh (inches)	Right Arm (inches)
Starting	244	45	40	51	32	15
Week 1	243.8	45	38.5	50	31	14.5
Week 2	243.3	44	38	50	31	14.5
Week 3	245.1	44	38	50	30.5	15
Week 8	246.2	44.5	39	51	30.5	16
Difference from Starting	+2.2	-0.5	-1.0	0	-1.5	+1.0

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.....or not

Hello!  Let me start by apologizing for hiding out for the past month or so.  In all honesty it was my failed attempt to hide my lack of faithfulness to my working out and eating right.  Some people say that absence makes the heart grow fonder but in this case it made me just want to keep hiding out.  The last time I posted on here I was explaining how stressed out I was about working two jobs and trying to get my exercise in and eat right and whine whine whine whine whine.  Well, since then I have quit my second job and have gone back to working just one.  And it is GREAT!!!!  I feel like I have so much more time....because....I DO!  After I put in my two weeks notice I mapped out a plan to start working out more and train for my 10K coming up at the end of May.  There are 10 weeks...well 9 now...till the River Run.  Funny because there are also 10 weeks in the T25 program....and also....10 weeks until my vacation to NASHVILLE!  Coincidence?  I think not!  So...I bought a $1 calendar and started mapping out a training program for the end of March through the end of April!  I have my 5 days a week of T25, running, and biking all included in that.  And thankfully I have some great friends and roommates who are asking me how its coming along each day....I need people to keep me in check or I go off the grid like I did before.  I am not aiming for any set weight loss or inch loss at all, but rather I am aiming to get in shape for this 10K.  Last week I completed week 1 of my training.  I didn't get everything done on every single day but I did get all of my runs in, and all 5 days of T25...I consider that a success!  However, my failure would be in really focusing on my eating last week.  That was not so great!  So I have made it a priority this week to get back with tracking weight watchers again.  I have been so bad about that!  So....today was a new day and so far I have tracked everything I have eaten.  I am getting back on track with this!  I haven't tracked weight in a few weeks, nor have I tracked inches, but this Thursday is going to be track day so...check back later for those stats.  

On another note, I came home sometime a couple weeks ago and thought to myself, "I am so glad I am not married, my husband would be so grossed out by the way my house is right now."  For those of you who know me, you know that I have a strong desire to be a stay at home wife and mom some day.  Now....that may not be what the Lord has planned for me but, I do have that desire.  So I consider keeping my house clean and orderly something that I should be working now in my singleness if I want to be able to do that later on in life for my husband.  Some of you may think that I am stuck in the 1950's mindset but you know what?  That's ok.  I totally want to be the wife that has dinner waiting for her husband when he comes home, and the house kept up so that we can open our home up to guests at a moments notice.  That's just how I am.  So with that being said, along with buying a $1 calendar for my workout schedule....I bought a $1 calendar for my cleaning schedule as well.  After talking with some friends on their schedules and looking at some schedules on pinterest, I have formed a plan of tackling a room each day.  I may not deep clean that room each week but at least I will be keeping it up.  It also keeps me from becoming overwhelmed with cleaning when I know we are going to have company over.  I only schedule one week at a time so that way I can plan out my days and rooms according to what my work schedule is like.  If I am going to have a long day I can't have a room with a lot of things that have to be done.  This is the first week that I have started this so I will definitely keep you all informed on the progress of this.  

Well, I better close for now but I will definitely be back here soon!  Have a great night!