Living My Healthiest Life - Day 2

This was my dinner last night.  I loaded up on veggies as I love them so much. Today makes the 7th day that I've been eating healthy, so technically it's day 7 instead of day 2.  I've noticed I'm breathing better and for me that is a big push to keep going.  A pair of pants that I love, but were uncomfortably tight are now fitting comfortably and me likey! (=

This is not losing weight to look good, because well let's just be honest.  I already look good. LOL
I am doing this to feel good.  I'm doing this so my princess will have her mom for years to come.  I'm doing this, because I would be SO angry with myself if I left this earth too soon.  I love running our mission and if I'm gone that will end and I can not have that.

Today I am grateful for: God's never-ending love, each and every one of you, the finances to buy yummy fruits and veggies, water, healthy recipe sites, Princess Charlie, strength to work out and my scarred lung =)

Today's menu:

Breakfast: 1 pancake w/strawberry jam
Snack: 1 Chocolate rice cake and 1 orange
Lunch: 1 Chicken sandwich and jello cup
Snack: fruit salad
Dinner: Baked chicken w/mixed veggies and baked sweet potato

Exercise: I am exercising for twenty minutes 5 days a week

Living My Healthiest Life - Day 1

For the past three years I have been back and forth with my weight.  My main hurdles has always been exercise and sodas.  I kicked the soda habit months ago and thanks to an awesome cousin I now have a game plan for safe exercising for someone with disabilities.  Last week after getting the awesome news from my pulmonologist something in my brain clicked.  I must do whatever I can to help my lungs remain healthy.  Last Monday I started by shopping for tons of fruit, veggies, egg-whites, yogurt and whole wheat tortillas.

I'm SO determined to lose 50 pounds, but I know the success rate is greater when you have a support team.  My hubby is very supportive, but doctors have urged him to lose 100lbs and he believes his way is best. NOT!  So, I'm turning to you (my blog buddies).  Will you be my support team?  Starting today I am on a mission to living my healthiest life and I need your support!  I will be blogging about my journey and I encourage you to share your thoughts of encouragement, meal ideas and any suggestions you may have to help me succeed in this journey.  This is it guys!  With God's guidance and your love I can do this!  Are you with me?

Today's Menu:
Breakfast - scrambled egg whites on ww tortilla, 4 orange wedges and 2 glasses of water
Snack - 1/2 orange
Lunch - 1 chicken wrap on ww tortilla w/tomato slices, 16 grape and 2 glasses of water
Snack - 1 chocolate flavored rice cake
Dinner - Baked Angus beef patty, brown rice w/mixed veggies and 2 glasses of water

5 Years Ago (Hurricane Katrina)

5 years ago my family's lives changed dramatically.  For millions Hurricane Katrina was a curse.  For me that was true the first three days after she hit.  Once we crossed that Louisiana/Texas line Katrina for me became a blessing.  We were housed with a loving family.  After three weeks hubby was offered a great job, which he's still blessed to have.  We were placed in our lovely apartment and our new lives began.  For the first year I suffered from severe anxiety attacks and my daughter would fall out crying if anyone joked about us moving back to New Orleans.

Today although I deeply loathe the government official who failed my state I am deeply content.  I no longer have a horror story when I talk about Katrina (as pertaining to me). Many died, many lost their homes, many lost their will, many lost their minds.  I lost my desire to live in the only hometown I've ever known.  I love visiting New Orleans!  Fantastic food, character, history, culture and my family reside there and I will forever be apart of it.  But, I will be apart of it from afar.

My Katrina story?  I survived and I'm FOREVER grateful.

God is SO Amazing!

I want to start this off by thanking the lovely beings who read my previous post and left words of encouragement for me.  Your words mean the world to me!  I saw the pulmonologist yesterday and he confirmed that the two spots on my lung are only scar tissue.  I was SO relieved!  I'm truly grateful for this diagnosis.

Today I Am: Grateful, Joyful, Excited, Content and LOVED.

I've Been Keeping A Secret

I've been thinking of my grandma a lot lately.  On September 1st it will be her birthday and I'm truly missing her.  But, as I'm missing her I am also forever grateful for the events that transpired following her death.  It was as if she knew I was in the dark and needed a hand.  My life has changed dramatically in these past two years of her being gone.  God stepped in and renewed my very being. 

Many dramatic and often times traumatic events have taken place in my world since 2005 starting with Hurricane Katrina.  Tomorrow I go to see a pulmonologist to get his opinion of the two spots on my right lung.  My doctor strongly believes it is just scar tissue due to my chronic bronchitis.  The pulmonologist will more than likely agree.  I believe in God and trust in him implicitly.  But, I believe there is great strength in prayer and I am asking you all to please keep me in yours throughout the day and tomorrow.  I honestly believe this is just scar tissue as well, but with the sudden and unexpected deaths in my family these past two years a twinge of worry creeps in from time to time.

I've been keeping this off the blog, because I didn't want to bring anyone down in any way.  I know that may be thought of as crazy, but it's how I am.  I love to uplift people not depress them.  So, that is why I have truly been away and have been investing more time to living beyond the internet.  I will let you all know how the appointment on tomorrow goes.  Until then I thank you all for your prayers.

Extraordinary Love

Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.
--Mother Teresa

 

 

Hello (=

Blessings To You All,

My days have been filled with goody bags and getting Princess Charlie ready for her return to school.  I don't really have any profound words to offer.  I am truly happy in my life and am loving the new me.  I am also loving the new beings God has placed in my path.  I truly miss you all and will visit each of you soon.  Please embrace each day like tomorrow will not come.  Our lives are gifts and we should treat it as such.

Love Grows

Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep. The only way to retain love is to give it away.
-- Elbert Hubbard

I haven't been very wordy lately, so I thought I'd share my days via photos. (=

Things of Importance

"The only thing of importance, when we depart, will be the traces of love we have left behind." 

~Albert Schweitzer

I'm Still Here!

Hi Everyone!

I have not fallen off the earth.  We have been so very busy with our family mission.  I love doing what we do, but we've been receiving requests from so many people in need of an uplift and it breaks my heart to know there are so many hurting beings in this world.  On the other hand it truly makes me smile when we hear from a recipient of our mail and they tell us how it made their day.  They feel loved by our kindness and that makes me feel SO joyful.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!  We had a bunch of cleaning and mail to get out, but we enjoyed every minute of it.  Okay, maybe we didn't enjoy the cleaning so much. LOL
I am still seeing God do great things in my life and I must admit I am in total awe of his love for His children.  I'm also noticing changes within a few beings in my life and I'm so happy for them, because God is stepping in and is now guiding them.  A beautiful sight to see!

Grinning From The Inside

“Joy is the feeling of grinning inside.”

 Melba Colgrove

Some Of My Favorite Things

*Love
*Life
*Unexpected gifts via mail
*Hugs and Kisses
*Soul stirring music
*Sweet Smiles
*Klondike Bars
*Beautiful Daisies
*Talking to my baby sister
*The sweet voices of my two baby nieces and my great nephew
*Sending encouraging cards to perfect strangers
*Being generous
*Being the recipient of someone's generosity
*Letting hubby be right instead of me (a new one for me)
*Sharing pizza rolls and root beer with Princess Charlie
*Reading The Bible
*Sniffing PC's hair (it always smells yummy!)
*Writing gratitude lists in my journal

Sitting On Cloud 9

Hello Beautiful Beings (:

I don't even know where to start.  I had a fabulous birthday weekend and I'm so very grateful.  There were so many fabulous moments.  God has been giving me insight like I have never known.  Have you ever felt so grateful and joyful that it scared you?  Yep, that happened to me.  It's amazing how when you are in a funk you have tunnel vision, but once that veil is lifted you see things in High Definition.  That is what my view of myself and my life is like these days.  Through others God answers my questions.  Through the Bible he comforts and re-assures me daily.  At one point I wasn't sure if I fully trusted him, but I now know that without a doubt I do.  I trust him with my heart, mind, body and soul.  I trust Him with my life!  After all His son died for me to have this life.   Yeah, sitting on cloud 9 is the bees knees my friends!

Birthday Highlights:

1. Woke up after dreaming of my grandma visiting me just to wish me a happy birthday (=
2. Hubby sang happy birthday and served me my favorite breakfast (waffles w/PB&J)
3. Getting birthday kisses from Princess Charlie
4. Getting birthday kisses from my puppy son Jasper
5. Reading many birthday wishes from family & friends on Face Book and Twitter
6. Dinner at Chilli's (Yummy)
7.  A mini shopping spree at Wal-Mart