Jan 22 - Salad

I really cannot stand honey oak stained wood, so I apologize for the background of the pic. But I really loved my awesome salad tonight! So much so, that I felt it was blogworthy.

Greek Salad topped with chicken… Mmmm. Emma made a yummy salad dressing from scratch the other day, and I have been craving it ever since. 

 This salad was huge, and I was stuffed. I posted a photo of my food, which I never do, because there is quite a little victory in this. 

Today I had a great photo session with Carter, and we jumped in and out of the car all over downtown Springfield! As always, my reward for the drive home, is to swing through Ocean Zen and get sushi!! Don't judge. 

But not tonight. It's this consistency thing. I needed to just drive on home, where I have a wonderful fridge full of good stuff to make for myself. I am so blessed to even be able to say that!

So, tonight, I am thankful for this salad, for saying No to sushi, and fir awesome photo sessions. 

And YES, I have kept up my ONE MILE A DAY, usually doing at least that mile and/or a class! Feeling strong!

Jan 26 - REST

I simply cannot believe it. On Saturday - I TOTALLY FORGOT. That one mile simply slipped my mind!  I have made all this effort to get outside or hit the treadmill, I've walked in the freezing, cold rain, wind, after busy busy days, only to let it slip my mind?

 I feel like a failure.

I can explain… It was Saturday, we slept in, I studied my Bible, I made breakfast, I painted our bathroom ceiling all day, I ran to the grocery store, I made dinner, I had friends over… and then the day was over. Over, without that mile.

 OH WELL.  Life goes on, and we just pick it up again, right?

And you know what? I really, really needed that day to recover. I had hit the pavement hard all week, trying to build up my stamina, and my chins were killing me! Bootcamp also had made every muscle in my upper body scream all morning, so maybe I did just need the rest. I feel great now, and will probably be even better for it.

Lesson learned? There is a God watching over me, and protecting me, and He knows when I've had too much. My day was filled with productivity, and blessing, and I am completely grateful for that! NOT a failure. Absolutely NOT.


And just for your viewing pleasure, I thought I'd include a shot from our recent trip to Charleston, SC over Christmas - this is Middleton Place. Must. Go. Back. Soon!

Jan 17 - Good

Well, it seems as though I'm better at keeping my walking going every day, than I am at blogging every day. Yesterday was boot camp +1 mile on the track. Today is 1 mile outside… And I just don't have time for more today! 

But "here's the deal," (Greg-Ism) ... All it takes, is just a little at a time. JUST 1 MILE A DAY. 

I can't tell you how much better I feel already, and we are only 18 days into this year!

Today was so good... 1 mile walk in 40 degrees! Coffee with a dear friend! Booking a new Bride! Dessert making! And pulling off a great surprise party for Nathan's 18th birthday! 

And now it's time to post this so I can go to bed! Wouldn't you be tired, too? 

Jan 15 - Faithful

Just one mile a day? Done. I did 2 miles, actually. Oh and yesterday? Done. 

So, this verse was on my mind tonight, shared with me by a sweet friend:

 

Eph 3:20

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in th church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end."

I always have lots of plans in my head. But the truth is, God has ideas and dreams that are far bigger & better than what I can even imagine. I am doing this little One Mile a Day challenge to gain consistency in my life. Faithfulness. But while my task is small, God is preparing me for more. I can't wait to be faithful again tomorrow! 

Jan 13 - Serious

I missed blogging yesterday! But I did NOT miss my mile! As a matter of fact, I'm sore as heck from boot camp yesterday, as well as strength training today! 

I love knowing I'm committed to this. I'm so sure I'm all in, that I bought new workout clothes. Yep, it's getting serious.

Tomorrow I'll give more insight to the Clean Eating and how that's going, too. 

Now, for some rest! 

 

Jan 11 - Expo

I know you're all out there just waiting to find out if I did it. Well I'm pretty sure I walked about 5 miles today, but I just don't have a pedometer/UpBand/FitBit to prove it. I'm still slightly disappointed, though. I wanted to gear up and do that mile in the freezing drizzle, & it would've made such a great blog post. :)

So I have to remember, that it's about progress, not perfection. 

Today was an incredible day! I got to meet 100's of brides, future brides, bridesmaids, mommas, (and even a groom or two) at the Metropolitan Bridal Show here in Springfield, MO. I truly had a blast, and in spite of the nasty weather, I think it was very well attended and super fun. Set up and tear down went smoothly, but it's exhausting work. A huge hug and thank you go to Nathan, Lauren, Emma, Stephen, Trevin, and of course, my sweet husband. I seriously could not have done it without you! 

Jan 10 ~ Plan

Another mile down.
This time I was able to bundle up and run it with my oldest girl by my side. And it was too cold to just walk it, we had to run! I have the gear all figured out now, so I'm ready for tomorrow.

Ah. tomorrow…
I have no idea how to fit even a one mile run in tomorrow. You see, I have a Wedding Photography display booth at the Metropolitan Bride Show in Springfield from 11-4, then we break it all down, load it on the trailer, drive it home, and unload it all into the barn. By "it," I mean the massive display I had built for me last summer. It consists of 3 large wall panels, 587,732,000 trim pieces, furniture, large wall size photos, a computer, and all the little stuff. I have to be there by 10:30 all set and ready to go. Fortunately, I think I'm ready except for bringing the computer.

So yeah, about that run. If I can make it happen, it will be early. And January in the Ozarks…

Early = COLD.

I am making my plan for the day. A day which starts 22 minutes from now. And I can't wait to see what my tomorrow will hold!

Jan 9 - Wind

The hardest part about this One Mile a Day thingy, is that sometimes I seriously don't have time! Today I got lucky though, & I happened to wear the right clothes into town- so when I had an unexpected free 20 minutes- out the door I flew! And this time, I ran most of my mile because it was so gosh darn freezing out there (22 degrees w lots of WIND!)... 

So, that's one more day of completion. 

One more day towards my goal. 

I'm setting up my booth for the MetBride Show on Sunday (come see me 11-4!!) so I may not have much time for this mile over the next 2 days. But this is about consistency and hitting my goal. I will have to figure it out. 

I'll keep ya posted! 

Jan 8 - Done

I don't have a whole lot to share tonight, except that I did it. I did my mile, as well as a strength training class. So without a whole lot of pontification or inspiring words, I'm done for today. Good thing since it's 11:59 pm :)

Jan 7 ~ Progress

I completely forgot to say hello to the blogger world yesterday! But whats important, did I do my mile!?? YES! And then some….

I love my Bootcamp class at the Dan Kinney Center. On Wednesdays, the trainer, Tiana (I love her!),  sets up 4-5 stations and we get in abs, strength, cardio, plyo… I was a little sore from Tuesday strength training, so I set no records. Truth is, I have never been able to do all the reps and all the sets that the trainer does! If she says do 25 star jumps, I do maybe 12. And that's if I feel strong that day! But earlier I mentioned my favorite quote there, "Strive for PROGRESS, not perfection." So, I am there, aiming for the best I can do. 

Oh, and that mile? Yes, I did it separately on the treadmill. Just ONE mile. :)

Jan 6 - Consistency

I'm posting late, but I'm getting this in! Yes, I did my mile today, plus a "muscle fusion" work out class. 

My biggest accomplishment, though, was that I drove right past McDonalds around lunchtime, and didn't stop. I know, right? Jim Gaffagan would hate on me for being so much better than him. 

Seriously, I was starving after all that exercise, so I drove straight to Mama Jeans, bought a sample of my favorite shake mix and some vanilla almond milk. Bam! 

I'm here to see this through, friend. Just one mile day... 

Consistency. 

Jan 5 ~ Forgive

If you have been one of those "Unbroken" moviegoers, and haven't read the book, then I encourage you to go get a copy - or borrow one -  and read the last three chapters. Louis Zamperini was an Olympic athlete, a bombardier in the US Air Force during World War II, he was lost at sea for 47 days, he became a POW in Japanese prison camps under horrible conditions, somehow survived, only to return home to severe PTSD and alcoholism. However, the most amazing part of his life to me, is the fact that he offers absolute forgiveness and love to those who persecuted him. How did he do this? It is because of God's absolute Grace in his life. Unbroken may be the title of the book about his life, and subsequent movie, but I believe the real story is the forgiveness that characterized his life from after the war on the day he turned to Christ in 1949, until the day he died just this very year.

Forgiveness. That is huge. I have to ask myself what can I learn from reading this book cover to cover and watching the movie? Since we are all in that mood of introspection, I have to ask myself, am I bitter towards anyone? Do I need to forgive anyone? And then even bigger question, personally, for me. Do I need to forgive myself?

Ohhh, that's where it hits home for me. I am so hard on myself. Countless promises and many commitments over and over again, goals set but not realized… Yes I do need to forgive even myself. I love the quote that my fitness instructor posted online today, "Strive for progress, not perfection." (Thanks Tiana!)

So as I go to that class to walk my mile, and work out, and eat healthy today, I will remember that this is not about becoming perfect… I will leave that perfecting work up to God himself. It's time to forgive yourself for past mistakes and move forward. This is a great time to start fresh. Join me? Drop the guilt of what is behind you, state your goal and let's do what it takes to get there.

I ran my mile (walked, but mostly jogged) at the gym, and ate mostly CLEAN. I am learning!
Bkfst: RAW Meal shake - vanilla
Lunch: Salad greens with grilled chicken veggies, and raspberry vinaigrette (probs not CLEAN)
Snack: Corn Tortilla chips and hummus
Dinner:  Chicken tortilla soup - homemade! Very good on this freezing cold evening. 

Jan 4 ~ Cold

I have long johns on under my long johns. Feels like 2 degrees out there. But I can do just ONE MILE, right???

I think I'll spare you the pic of my bundledupness. I don't match at all. Northface would not approve. 

I have lots of deep thoughts running around in my head today. What do you expect? It's the first week of the year and we are all redefining, repurposing, recommitting, and all that. 

But just in case you really are here, I'll make it worth your click. 

This life I live is really built on a deep Faith. You don't have to dig through past blog entries too far to find references to God woven all throughout. As I think through my personal goals for this new year, my walk with Christ is really front and center. 

I'm afraid to be truthful here, but I promised I'd be honest. I would love to commit to a Read Through The ENTIRE BIBLE in ONE YEAR plan, but I've done that so many times and failed miserably. So, I will start with just one book (kinda like the 'just one mile' thing…) I can read just one book of the Bible by the end of the month, so I will do that. The book of Acts. Why that book? Why not Genesis or Matthew? Because I want to read about the early Christian church and how they prayed and relied on the Holy Spirit to bring blessing. Yeah, us baptists don't talk about the Holy Spirit near enough. Well, I'm in. I wanna know more and experience more of Him in my daily life. And I want to abide there… 

Since you are here and you are actually reading this, what is your goal? Do you want to know more about this God I talk about? How are you going to get more of Him in your life? Feel free to comment below, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

So it's now the very end of my day and time to close this laptop. By the way, we did do that mile, and in fact we did TWO. Yes, it was cold. And tomorrow may be colder. If I have to keep piling on the layers, I may need to order me some Northface! (yessss!)

Jan 3 ~ Queasy

So, we've almost completed our second full day of the liquid only diet, and I'd say it's been just fine... until now. Queasy. I'm gonna eat a banana! (Gasp!)

Greg & I actually walked almost 2 miles today in a 40 degree drizzle. And that wasn't bad at all! 

This is likely THE most boring post ever, but I'll say it again, it's about consistency! 

Maybe I should add a picture of a cute puppy just to keep things interesting. 

Jan 2 ~ Journal

Those darn commitments. I said I would walk a minimum of ONE mile every day, and by golly, today I walked that ONE mile. 36 degrees and a cold drizzly rain. My pink and black polka dotted umbrella was a nice touch.

Also, today Greg and I started a 3 day liquid diet. Yeah, think what you want to, but we gotta do something that seems drastic to cut out the junk. So this morning, we started off right with a Vita Mix Cookbook recipe that wasn't too bad at all! (kale, broccoli, carrot, apple, water, ice, and stevia)

So, regardless if anyone out there is stumbling on this little corner of the intrawebs, I will be here, posting away, being transparent and honest. This whole blogging thing for me is about consistency, accountability, and peace. Peace, knowing that I am really doing something good for myself, and not fighting that all too present battle of guilt and justifying why I don't get anything done. I need to be held accountable to something, to someone. Friends are great for this, but sometimes they are just too nice. They won't have the heart to tell me to get my act together, my priorities in line, and start checking off that TO DO list. My husband would also be a great option for an accountability partner, but if you are married, then you know how that goes…

So that is why I am blogging again. And for the record, I hate the word "blog." As a lifelong journaling kinda girl who really prefers pen and paper and a notebook stuffed under the bed, I will consider this my new journal for 2015.

Jan 1, 2015 ~ BEGIN

It's January 1st and I promised myself I would just …

begin.

It may take a few entries to nail it all down here, but it's time to set some goals, make some changes, and get started. Yes, just like 87.765 % of the rest of the world.

So 2 good and very simple little things happened today, this first day of 2015. I walked a mile. I've done this countless times, but this is the first day of consistency. Just do a mile EVERY day this year.

The other thing is this - and it's monumental. I threw a perfectly good pan of gooey almondy flavored cinnamon rolls in the TRASH. Ouch. I took one bite, and threw the rest away! This leads me to my other big goal for this year:

EAT CLEAN.

Oh, I know how to "eat clean," but again, it's all about consistency for me. So, in the spirt of the that movie, "Julie & Julia," I am going to cook through the Eat Clean Cookbook. I doubt it will be movie-worthy, but I will make the attempt at all those good recipes and hopefully change how this family eats.

And finally, I will be here, letting you know how it's going, or not going. Even if it's just a 5 minute post from my crippled little phone, I will post daily. So check in tomorrow, and I'll let you know how mile number 2 went!