YMCA Indoor Triathlon

Saturday, I became 22.  Number 22 that is as I competed in my first triathlon.  Thankfully it was only an indoor one.  I am using it as a stepping stone in my training for the outdoor one I will be a part of in April.  It was so much fun in a painful sort of way! 
It was really neat to go through all the nerves and frustrations of not performing at certain things as well as I knew I could.  The nice thing about a triathlon is that if you tank in one area, you can make it up in another area.  As I was halfway through the biking part, Sarah decided to come stand in front of my bike and cheer me on.  She was so cute as she told me I was yucky cause I was so sweaty.  Then she was thankful that I was not as sweaty as the man beside me.  The lady in charge of keeping the time kept saying, “Tell Momma to keep it up!”  I thought that I must be tanking the bike part too! I asked Dan if I looked slow when I was done.  The run part was great too.  Sarah gave me a high five every pass, and she gave several others high fives too.  She asked me after it was over if it was ok that she encouraged others!!! I love her spunk.
I was anxious to get my results.  I knew that I didn’t do so well on my swim, but I really wanted to see how I compared to being half way through my training.  I was so pleased to find out  I was right on track!  I am looking forward to doing this tri again in March.  I hope to totally crush my results at the next one!

My Journey: Part 5 It is time to party!

While I am rapidly approaching the big 40 in life, this is not about age! I have been on this incredible journey since June.  It all began with a little motivation from my friend, Renee.  She had begun her own journey, and she told us all about Lose it.  I began using it, and I also began using our local gym. It has been an amazing journey.  I have pushed myself farther then I ever thought possible.  The rewards have been so amazing.  Today, I am so excited to say that I HAVE LOST 40 POUNDS!!!!!  It is such a huge hurdle. I still have plenty of time left on my journey, but it feels oh so good that I just had to share.

Weight loss has this whole gloom and doom idea.  It is something I have struggled with for so long.  It truly is a reprogramming.  I was so tired of who I was, and who I had become because of that weight.  Today,  we watched a film at our local library, and it felt so good to have my little girls crawl up into my lap, and she fit in a way she never has!  I cherished that moment.  It didn’t feel uncomfortable due to all those unneeded layers of flab.  I can’t wait to see where I am in June as I look back over the year. 

I say all that to say…It is possible, and it is possible to do without buying into all the gimmicks, medicines, special diets, etc.  I eat what my family eats.  I put a little more thought into how much I eat and what options I am feeding my family, and you know what?  It has made us all better!  I get asked all the time what are you doing to lose this weight? what did you HAVE to give up?  I love saying I gave up nothing, and I simply learned moderation!  So if you are struggling, you can do it.  Little by little, and in six months you can look back and say … WOW!

My Journey: Part 4

This is most definitely how I used to feel.  It is amazing to me at this point in my weight loss process how grossly depressing this was.  Everything that was a process of getting ready was a constant reminder that I needed to lose weight, but I always had an excuse. Many of those were legitimate  reasons.  It was definitely a hard pattern to begin, and there were many bumps along the way, but the journey has been worth it.

I decided that it was not just about weight loss but total fitness.  I knew that I had carried so much extra weight for years that I wanted to make my heart healthy too.  As of June, I have tweaked my schedule and done all I could to squeeze in vigorous exercise five days a week.  As of January I had lost just over 30 pounds.  For me, it was so much more then 30 pounds.  It was wearing clothes I hadn’t put on in years.  I am still amazed that while my weight is more then it was eight years ago I am wearing clothes better then I did then.

In January, I ventured out yet again and began training for a triathlon.  Wow! It has been some hard work, but it has been so nice to have the fitness level to not only endure but progress.  I will have my first real benchmark for my progress at an indoor tri nearby next week.  I am anxiously eager to see how I do.  In training for my tri, it brought on the dreaded the realization of the tri suits/swimsuits with all those people.  I hate the whole swimsuit fat feeling.  I have this great flab reducing suit with its own matching shorts.  I am swimming laps three times a week to get ready for the tri.  A couple of weeks ago, I had to shed the shorts.  It wasn’t because I was overly proud of my figure or lost any sense of modesty, but truly, my shorts kept coming OFF!  Talk about creating drag.. LOL.  Every lap, as I pushed off from the wall, they just kept sliding.  My kids thought it was great.  I remember their realization when I got out of the pool.  “Mom, you took off your shorts?”  The next realization made me smile… “Ah, Mom, you might want to get a smaller swim suit too.  This one is starting to sag!”  Success is simply putting one foot in front of the other continuously, and it so encouraging to begin to not just see success  but to feel successful too!

Today, I had my annual doctor’s visit.  I was so amazed to see that I have lost in seven months 37 pounds!!!!!  He was proud, and I was proud!  The thing that I enjoy most is that it isn’t that I JUST lost 37 pounds, but that my body is so much fitter in that process.  I had this gross fear of just hanging, flabby skin everywhere, and thank goodness it was simply a fear!

Valentine’s Blessings

Valentine’s Day was a little differently planned for us this year.  Dan came home from his training last Monday to say his training trip to Atlanta would be scheduled for early this week.  I said, “Great! That means it will be on Valentine’s Day!” He looked at me almost confused and said, “That isn’t tomorrow!”  Ha ha! He was relieved because he thought the day had sneaked up on him.  This training has been brutal so he was just a little overly tired too.

Sure enough! He came home with his schedule with a 2:00 am departure time on Valentine’s Day morning.  The return time was after 8:00 pm.  UGH!  This meant he would be gone from 12:30 am until 10:00 pm.  Even worse, he would be awake for over 22 hours! 

We made the most of it.  To help the trainees prepare with rest, he was home early afternoon on Monday. We enjoyed some time together, and around eight, he tried to sleep while the rest of the house tried to be quiet! At midnight, he surprised me with some roses he had picked up, and he gave each of our girls their own chocolate heart boxes and a silk rose for them to wake up too.  Off he went to work.  It was quite sad.

So on Valentine’s Day, I get this picture.  To get a better understanding, let me just say that Bass Pro is our number one date place to go.  We love it, and we could spend hours only in the fishing selections.  It is always a place that we go to TOGETHER!  In the last two weeks, Dan has visited three Bass Pro’s.  Now, he didn’t know they were going to be regular stops for the tour coaches to drop off and pick up (so he says).  On his training trip to Charlotte, we actually joked about wishing it was so he could get some needed stuff, and then he called to tell me he was there and buying what we needed.  Then on Friday, he visited an awesome one on in Sevierville, TN.  Yesterday, he sends this picture.  The caption read, “#3, but not going in.”  Yeah, right!  They went in!  Lol! 

Needless to say I was just a tad bummed.  My hubby had to be gone, and he got to visit our fave store!  Then, he sent me a text at 4ish to say they were an hour from Asheville.  Then, he called me to let know that he was on his way home!  Such relief and joy!  He was coming home.  While I thought Valentine’s Day was going to be a very long day, it was so nice to have a family dinner with daddy and a nice unexpected evening together!  Our kids even managed to disappear upstairs with the DVD player to watch a movie.  I think the words Sarah used were, “You need to just have some time together since we ate dinner together; can we please watch a movie upstairs?!” lol… I think she heard Abby talking about how said it was that Dan and I weren’t having a date last night.  Abby even offered to buy us dinner out one night coming up, but she didn’t want to go with us!  I love my kids!

I am thankful for the little unexpected blessing that God gives us along the way!

Not one of those….

My three darlings absolutely love homeschool activities.  By far our favorite monthly activity is the homeschool skating.  They just love to roller skate!  It is great to see them out there with their friends.  I won’t mention how many times that they lap me in the course of the event, but I am improving each time.

The attendance to each of these events varies.  This past week our event was huge.  It was a bigger group then normal.  I must preface this with the fact that I understand not everyone on the floor knows how to skate thus the random person who cannot help but to be in your way.  I am not referring to those.

Our event began with they yummy food provided.  My older two went to meet up with a friend and get their skates.  Sarah wanted to eat with Mommy.  I relish those moments when she feels I am Queen in her life.  As we headed to get her skates, twice I had to grab her as an older teen ran her over.  I mean literally made contact with her.  My problem was this kid knew how to skate.  He was racing a friend on the carpet, and not once but twice did he almost knock my kid over.  My problem was that he didn’t even care!  He didn’t apologize or anything.  The first time, I truly did let it go.  I gave the old, “We really have to watch around us since there are lots of people today” speech.  The second time, when I did say, “Hey, buddy, you ran into my kid!  Be careful!” and there was no remorse or care…I got a little ill.

As we hit the floor to do some skating, I avidly keep track of where dearies are.  I was amazed at the number of kids that bumped into, crashed, or almost crashed less advanced people without a care in the world.  There was one little boy in particular that seemed to do it on purpose.  When my adult friend almost went tumbling and yelled out to this kid to be careful, he literally looked back and grinned!!!!

WHAT!!!!! Really!!! Where are the parents we asked each other?  Even when my friend and I weren’t skating, we were watching our kids skate.  I am quick to illustrate to my kids that they are not an island to themselves while skating.  I love their caution.  I love watching them stop to help a kid up they don’t know.  I love hearing them say excuse me, please, thank you, etc.  Are they always innocent?  NO WAY! But I loved their reactions when a mom and her three kids cut in front of my two older ones in line.  The nice lady at the service counter wasn’t going to let it happen, but my dearies spoke up and told her to go ahead and let her go.  WOW! 

I understand why when I say I homeschool some people give me that look like your kid is no doomed to ultimate social failure and to live in a totally backwards society.  Let me also say, spend a little time with them, and they will definitely prove you wrong.

While we teach at home, let us not forget to teach manners and respect for others as we go throughout the day.

Saddle Sore

As a kid, I had a ton of different bikes.  My brothers and I were so tough on them.  I have so many wonderful stories of making ramps, jumps, crashes, and so much more.  On one particular crash, I had to walk home with my bike because I had literally bent the handle bars into a non-maneuverable position.  Craziness.  It is amazing how I no longer remember the pain from the numerous accidents.

My bike riding of prior to my tri training was a lazy ride here and there with the kids.  It wasn’t always an easy ride to keep up with them, and many times was more of a workout then I expected.

Well, my tri training has brought bike riding to a new level.  My bike has this wonderful granny seat with these wonderful gel cushions.  One big problem, my bike is really heavy.  I quickly learned what a road bike was, and amazingly, I was able to buy a really nice one super cheap from a family who is fully of cyclist and triathletes.  It doesn’t come with a granny seat and gel cushions.  It isn’t called a seat.  It is called a saddle.  After my first 45 minute ride on it, I quickly realized why it was called so.  It, the saddle, alters the way one will sit, stand, and walk for numerous days. No fears, many cyclist I know have been so kind to inform me that it will take about a year for me to not remember the saddle.  OH YAY!

My new motto continues: Pain is weakness leaving the body.  I have lots of weakness!

Lessons from Ignorance

My daughter and I were recently labeled.  The labeling was done in a joking fashion.  The problem was that the person had waxed so eloquently and vehemently on those that this label included that the joke was really on them.  It really made me think about me.  My hubby is so great at being objective.  He is much slower then I am to throw all my chips into one way of thinking.  I am trying to learn from this gift. 

How many times have I generalized comments and waxed eloquently on my opinion as a group as a whole?  Wow, it is quite humbling.  For the past year, I have really prayerfully sought to be a meeker person.  I find that there is so much harshness in Christianity.  I am Baptist in denomination, and I know the reputation for beating up your own.  Before I would ever call myself a Baptist, I would claim to be a Biblicist.  YES, THERE IS A VERY BIG DIFFERENCE.  We tend to lump people into groups and then rank them accordingly.  It is extremely unBiblical.  This practice isn’t just limited to Baptist. I know people who won’t talk to me anymore because they saw me wear an outfit they didn’t approve of or read a facebook status that mentioned some taboo.  I do not want to be one of those people.  I don’t care what music you listen to, if you wear pants, whether you swim in a public pool (that would be mixed bathing), or much more, but what I do care about is that you know my Jesus, and if you do, that you are constantly growing in Him.

I say all that because it seems that my recent labeling by my “Christian” friends comes from my conservative views.  Seriously!!!  I mean really, you are going to harshly condemn me for the music I listen to when it is only Christian, but you listen to whatever you want.  I am some how the stumbling block.  I never criticized, never hinted for change, but somehow I am an offence?!  This is just one random example.  We are all different.  I am finding that if  I am different in a more conservative way it is less accepted then if it was in a looser way.  I don’t understand it.  I have been labeled a traditionalist.  You know, I am just blindly following what they did years ago.   Really? You know that how?  Oh…that’s right, it was just assumed.  I have been called ignorant because I believe that every area of my life ought to be rooted and grounded in the Word of God.  Is a claim to take the Word of God more lightly in life something to really be proud of?  Wow! It is in those moments I am learning to guard my response.  I get the, “Well, we would have invited you but you would have probably been offended!” comments.  How big and mature is that statement.  Might I add, it is so totally the opposite of how Christ expects us to act.

So, yesterday when my twelve year old daughter asked me why we had been called such a label.  My explanation came from Acts.  In Chapters 13 and 14, Paul and Baranabas were teaching in the synagogues, and they were having amazing results.  People were searching the Scriptures and coming to a saving knowledge of Christ.  The unbelieving Jews stirred up the emotions of the Gentiles against them over and over.  The unbelieving Jews acted in ignorance.   Paul and Barnabas had to escape for their lives. Unfortunately people who decide to be ignorant about belief and why someone might believe that way, only spread more ignorance.  It was great lesson to share with my daughter on why we accept people for who they are and to remember that it is God’s job to change each of our hearts and lives on an individual basis and relationship with Him.

Think before you speak.  The person who is standing before you might have a reason or a thought you haven’t had.  It might change your perspective on a few things.