One Down...Many to Go

One complete year of blogging!!

I don't even know where to start this post. So let's just start with something I know we all love...cake!! Every birthday needs a cake and I think I found one we can all enjoy guilt-free :)  A couple of years ago was looking for something to make for my sister's birthday. She was trying to eat healthy. How can you be supportive and still make someone a birthday cake? Well, you hop on Pinterest....enter "watermelon birthday cake"...and let the fun begin.  (Her cake ended up being a version of the one with the rind - right middle picture.)

Just a quick word about Pinterest - love it!  However, I do have mixed feelings about using pictures I find because it is often difficult to properly credit individuals for their creativity. The following are the sources to the best of my sleuthing. One cake in particular, I couldn't find the original. It is clear from the pin the blogger didn't make the cake and didn't credit the person who did, therefore I will not be listing their blog as a source. (www.watermelon.org;www.apronstringsblog.com; www.digicrumbs.com;www.mommymoment.ca; www.thrivenutritionandwellness.wordpress.com)

Hopping off soapbox...Obviously, my blog needed a birthday cake to celebrate its 1st birthday. Using the above pictures as inspiration, this is what I came up with...

First I "peeled" the watermelon.

My plan was to make an elegant "cake" like the ones on my inspiration board. I started by making a couple of the spikes of fruit. I planned to make a lovely scalloped edge at the bottom using the orange slice halves. I planned to put a row of kiwis around the center of the watermelon base. Then I thought a blueberry in the center of the kiwi would be pretty. I attached the first kiwi with blueberry to the watermelon and instantly the cake was "looking" at me. One thing led to another and my cake went from elegant to ridiculous and I love it :)

Let me just say this. I will be seriously disappointed if at least one of you doesn't make a watermelon cake for some event this summer!

When I started this blog one year ago, I don't think I ever really considered that I would be celebrating this milestone. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I wanted something to help hold me accountable on my latest fitness/weight loss attempt. I wasn't sure how open I would be and if anyone would read it.  Turns out a year later I have pretty much put it all out there and people are reading...crazy!

If you have been reading along with my journey (SPOILER ALERT) you know I have not "lost my puppy" yet.  The bottom line is that I had lost about 34 pounds (almost 1/2 my puppy) and then the bottom fell out. A couple of weeks ago Katie with Runs for Cookies posted about how the weight creeps back. I know I heard this exact conversation in my head.  As a result, according to the scale this morning, I have "lost" 6 pounds in the past year. UGH! To say I am disappointed is a massive understatement.  I would love to say "hey, I went through a terrible thing and here is how I continued to take care of myself." It isn't even that I am mad for not continuing to lose, but to have gained back "lost" weight is frustrating. It is difficult to admit that I still can't seem to string together enough "healthy" days to turn this journey around. And yet, I continue to try. I have NOT given up.

It is nearly impossible to give up when I have so many people in my corner. I had no idea what it would mean to have people take the time to read and comment about my journey. I had hoped my blog would someday have readers and even hoped that I might make a small difference to those readers. Little did I know it was the "readers" that would make a HUGE difference to me.  Truth is, I am still fighting because of the encouragement of readers...readers who I now count as friends.

Shortly after I started writing this blog, I found another blog that was actually started on the very same day - May 12, 2014.. It was also a weight loss blog written by a woman of similar age and weight. We kept in touch for awhile through blog comments and eventually she stopped blogging. I think of her often and wonder how she is doing. Just because she is not blogging doesn't mean she has fallen off. Blogging takes a huge time commitment and not everyone can afford that time. Even if she has fallen off I would want her to know that you can jump right back on anytime. Nancy, if you happen by this post. I just want to say thank you for all support. When I started, I wasn't sure if anyone would ever read my blog. It was quite thrilling to find that someone was reading and that someone was so kind and encouraging. I hope all is well in your world.

So what is the plan going forward? I will keep fighting to find my weight loss mojo! I will continue to share this adventure with anyone who would like to follow along. Maybe I can recycle some of my posts from last summer - who doesn't love summer reruns :)  One of my favorite posts was when I lost 25 pounds. I haven't done a race since last November. As much as I have enjoyed cheering on others and taking pictures of their races, I want to get off the sideline and back into racing.

Finally, since every birthday needs presents...I am offering two small giveaways.  Just leave a comment on this post and I will enter you into a drawing for one of the following prizes. I am doing two separate drawings. Please indicate in your comment if you would like to enter for prize 1 or 2 (or both).

1) $15 Subway gift card and 2 Fitbit wristbands.

Disclaimer: My husband bought the extra wristbands for me when he bought me a Fitbit Flex for Christmas (pictured above). Unfortunately, my wrists are not as dainty as he imagined and they are too small.  The picture shows three, but there are only two because I broke the black one trying to make it fit :(

2) Frisbee golf disc set. (This prize will be shipped directly from Amazon).  My husband and I have enjoyed some very amateur frisbee golf adventures. See us in action here and here.

I will announce the winner tomorrow evening and make arrangements to get the prize to you.  Good luck!

**********

My husband just drew the names....

Congratulations to the Winners!

Prize # 1 - One Crazy Penguin

Prize #2 - Desiree - Finding the Skinny Geek Within

We will be in touch about getting your prizes to you :) 

Thank you everyone for all your support and encouragement!. Your comments over the past year have made all the difference in me continuing to work toward my goal. 

**********

Millie on her 1st birthday.

Happy Birthday, Losing My Puppy!!! 

Linking to Weigh-In Wednesday. I feel like I am starting over and have just set a new starting weight on Monday. I was down almost a pound this morning. I am drinking a TON of water.  Hopefully, this will be the restart I really need :)   Don't forget to leave a comment indicating which prize you would like to enter to win - you can say both! 

5 (Smiles) on Friday

Since I suspended by 30 Day Ironman challenge I have been working on pulling myself together emotionally with a variety of activities. Today I am sharing some of the things that have made me smile in the last week or so.

1. Breakfast picnic in the park with my husband and our pups.

We planned to go out to breakfast at a restaurant. At the last minute, I suggested just picking something up and taking it to the park with the dogs. It was early and we had the park all to ourselves. It turned out to be such a memorable morning. Despite how this picture looks my husband is NOT beating Millie. She is obsessed with sticks and loves to chase them. When she gets tired she flops down and attempts to eat them.

My favorite memory of the morning has to be watching these two play on the merry go round.

2. Playing in the garden. 

Gardening is a ton of work, but every year I can't wait to get started.  The closest bed is now being harvested - lettuce, spinach and radishes. I have started a second planting to prolong the season. To the right in the straw you can see the potatoes. I randomly planted three varieties. New potatoes are delicious with fresh peas and dill - hopefully they will all be ready at the same time.

This bed is known as the "pico de gallo bed" - jalapenos, cilantro and onions. We will make tons of pico  when the tomatoes are ready.

At this rate, it might be a wait on the tomatoes. These are some of the poor little seedlings I grew in the house. I keep trying. but I am terrible at growing from seed. The tomatoes always get to this size and quit growing. Last year I got a few of them to grow enough to have some decent tomatoes - hoping these guys take hold. If you have good eyes, you should be able to spot four plants :)

3. A relaxing visit to my inlaws farm.

It is beautiful no matter what time of year, but spring...

Not much is more relaxing then listening to the creek run over the rocks.

4. Playing with my nieces kittens

The kittens are about 6 weeks old now and are such playful little things. Little Louie (gray/white) wanted my niece to pick him up and he finally took matters into his own paws and climbed up her leg.

5. Puppy love

These two can wear you out with their playing and bickering, but moments like this will always make me smile. I know why they say "let sleeping dogs lie" :)

I hope my 5 Smiles for Friday made you smile a little too.

For those who requested the answers to the Star Wars trivia  - hope you enjoyed it :)

Fact or Science Fiction - My husband made statements and we voted fact or science fiction.

George Lucas was so sure the film would flop that instead of attending the premiere, he went on holiday to Hawaii with his good friend Steven Spielberg, where they came up with the idea of Goonies. (all true except they came up with the idea for Indiana Jones)

Fewer than 40 theaters agreed to show the film initially. (Fact) 

The original name of the main character was Luke Starkiller. (Fact)

Jedi, Droid or Scoundrel - My husband gave movie quotes and we had to stand by the sign for the character we thought said it. I think that game was my favorite.

Will someone get this walking carpet out of my way?! (Princess Leia - about Chewie)

No, I don't think he likes you at all.  No, I don't like you either. (C3PO to R2D2 - additional factoid my husband's car's name is R2D2 - my niece came up with it from the license plate) 

The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force. (Darth Vader) 

Rebel or Empire - Again, my husband gave quotes and we voted if the speaker was associated with the Rebels or the Empire.

I sense something. A presence I haven't felt since... (Darth Vader) 

Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a move civilized age. (Obi-Wan Kenobi describing the lightsaber) 

Well if there is a bright center of the universe, you're on the planet that its farthest from. (Luke Skywalker) 

Spring Beauty

When you need a place to get away there is no better place than my inlaws' farm.  This is more or less a Wordless Wednesday post - meaning a whole bunch of pictures. I hope you enjoy :) 

I hope I don't lose my short (but long) pup.

They always manage to find funky old deer bones. 

Nature's perfect ombre.

Duke watching the dogs playing in the creek - keeping a safe distance.

Nothing better than chasing sticks into the creek.

Unless it is chasing each other.

Pretty girl...

Not so pretty...

The creek has changed quite a bit with this year's rains. There are several deep spots, which caught Millie by surprise.

Jack in the Pulpit

Red Trillium

Bleeding Hearts

We are walking up the path and Millie ran ahead to the "treehouse" (a deck built in the timber overlooking the valley).

A little snack in the treehouse. Poor hungry hounds.

Happy Wednesday!!

May the 4th - Star Wars Fun

A few weeks ago, my husband decided that this is the year he wanted to have a May the 4th Be With You Party. As you can see from our "command center" he is a bit of a Star Wars nerd.  I was in charge of food and he was in charge of games. Although, both he and my niece helped make the food and I helped with props for the games. It was a family effort :)

My husband came up with three games and had me make these voting cards and character signs.  Feel free to join in the fun with these sample questions below.

Fact or Science Fiction - My husband made statements and we voted fact or science fiction.

George Lucas was so sure the film would flop that instead of attending the premiere, he went on holiday to Hawaii with his good friend Steven Spielberg, where they came up with the idea of Goonies. 

Fewer than 40 theaters agreed to show the film initially. 

The original name of the main character was Luke Starkiller. 

Jedi, Droid or Scoundrel - My husband gave movie quotes and we had to stand by the sign for the character we thought said it. I think that game was my favorite.

Will someone get this walking carpet out of my way?!

No, I don't think he likes you at all.  No, I don't like you either. 

The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force. 

Rebel or Empire - Again, my husband gave quotes and we voted if the speaker was associated with the Rebels or the Empire.

I sense something. A presence I haven't felt since...

Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a move civilized age. 

Well if there is a bright center of the universe, you're on the planet that its farthest from.

For each game players were awarded a token for each correct answer. Then the person with the most tokens at the end of the game was the winner. Game winners could choose either a box of Starburst or a box of Nerds.

For some reason people brought my husband presents. My sister gave him a stuffed Chewie toy that even makes Chewie noises. He took it on his bus today and the elementary kids loved it. My niece gave him a toy for Millie - a stuffed bone that says "come to the bark side."  I gave him this Boba Fett "doll". I think he might be a little spoiled.

After the games we had an Episode IV viewing.  All of the movie quotes for the games were from Episode IV so it was fun to hear them throughout the movie. My husband may or may not have watched the whole movie earlier in the day to gather all the quotes. A man has to do his research :) Vader and the Stormtrooper are on loan from the Command Center for the evening.

Sunday afternoon my husband, niece and I gathered around the table to make some themed goodies.

Lightsabers - pretzel rods dipped in white chocolate and covered with colored sugar.

Tie Fighters -  100 calorie pack Oreos with mini marshmallows.  Parenthetically, 100 calories pack Oreos are good...but calling them Oreos is a bit of a stretch :) 

A big bowl of "Space Junk."  I just threw a bunch of dry snacks (sweet and salty) together. I don't think my husband was on board with the mini lightsabers being called space junk. Oh well, one man's junk is another man's treasure. 

One of my favorite moments was when my niece arrived as her version of Darth Vader. That girl will do anything to get a laugh from her uncle.

We even had a bowling alley set up in the hallway.  Please excuse the red baseboards...they are going away soon :)  

 My nephew watching the movie and our hounds watching his snack...they are not very subtle!

It turned out to be a fun evening. I wish more people had been able to make it, but I know it is hard to have get togethers on work/school nights. We got way too much pizza. I ended up packing the leftovers in freezer bags - 2 slices per bag. It will make good lunches for us in the next couple weeks.
We both agreed it was a special evening.  We hope the kids will look back on our silly adventures as fondly as we know we will. And we are already planning next year :)

Here's the Thing...

I never noticed I said this until a good friend pointed it out. I have a tendency to start an explanation (especially an uncomfortable one) by saying "Here's the thing."  So, here's the thing...  The last few days have been extremely difficult for me physically and emotionally. I believe it to be a flare up of my MS.  For the second time in the last month, I have had an unsettling episode. This week being more severe. I know of no other way to explain it other than I feel like a curtain comes down around me. It is often referred to as "cog fog" and 60% of MS patients experience it. I can't think straight or concentrate, finish coherent sentences and I am super fatigued. I have only worked half days so far this week.

Since this is a newer symptom for me, it may mean that my MS has progressed. I am quite concerned (read - terrified) that the break from my MS medication may have repercussions. Unfortunately, there is no definitive way to know if the disease has progressed without an MRI. I imagine we will be scheduling one before long. I am restarting my medication tomorrow. I am hoping it will be a decent transition, but I can expect flu like symptoms. I have taken the next couple of days off work, so I don't have to make last minute work decisions based on how I am feeling. As the medication ramps up, the symptoms may vary in intensity so I will just have to see how it goes. On top of that, I am NOT at all thrilled by resuming self-injections. I confess I have a bit of a bad attitude about it especially now that there are oral medications available. The one my doctor would like to put me on has to wait there is no chance of getting pregnant (so, until after menopause or either my husband or I am are sterilized.) A tiny slap in the face considering recent events :(

One of the leading contributors to my MS symptoms are season changes (like spring) and stress. There has been plenty of stress in the past few months. And considering how I have been feeling the past few days, I know I have to make some adjustments.

I thought my 30 Day Ironman challenge would help me focus on something else and help me get through the disappointment of losing the baby and not getting pregnant again. And for a couple of weeks it did just that. However, I need to find another way to deal with my grief.  As Mother's Day and my former due date approach, I am trying to be brave, but inside I am inconsolable. It is not a good place to be.

As I have mentioned, the challenge has been on several levels - physically, mentally, time management, etc. I think ultimately it has become too much for me to do at this time. I can't take on that kind of stress and not be concerned for my long term health. 

I ran through various scenarios of how I could make my 30 Day Ironman work. The very last thing I want to do is quit. In light of my current circumstances, I have worked out this "solution." I am taking a recess. I will keep the record of my first two weeks worth of workouts and when the time comes to finish it I will pick up where I left off and finish the challenge in the remaining days. I will give my body a chance to recuperate and readjust to the medication.  

In the meantime, I plan to take walks and maybe work on my swimming technique without the pressure of pre-determined distances, schedules and timed goals. Hopefully, my body will allow that :) I confess I am a little mad about my recess. I can't tell you how much personal satisfaction I was getting out of doing this challenge. I wonder if you hear the foot stamping while you read this post.

The other big decision I have made is to get my mouth stapled shut!  Obviously, I am not going to do that, but seriously I have to find a way to bring my eating under control. I know what I am supposed to do...I simply don't do it. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt the eating side makes the biggest difference in my weight loss.

Again, I can't thank you enough for all of your support and encouragement. One day, I hope to reward us all with some serious weight loss. Speaking of which, I am only up .2 this week. I will take it.

Me Day and Challenge Update

Work has been crazy the last couple of months. With everything going on personally I have been desperate to have a little break from the pressures work. Finally, Friday I was able to take a day off...a "me day."

At the top of my list was a 30 Day Ironman "catch up." I decided I would do something from each of the three disciplines - swim, bike and walk.

5:21 a.m.  - 2.66 mile walk (47:37)  I met my niece about a 3/4 of a mile in and then walked a little over a mile with her. Spending time with her always makes me glad I hauled myself out of bed before the crack of dawn. Yep, even on a day off :)

7:49 a.m. - 1/2 mile swim (44:30) I went into this swim not knowing how far I was going to make it. I was going for more than a 1/4 mile. In the back of my mind I was dreaming of a 1/2 mile (20 laps!) I knew there were water exercise classes in the pool on weekday mornings. I wanted to be sure to be in and out before the classes. Turns out there were quite a few other people with the same plan. Two lap lanes were set up and both were occupied. So I got started on the outside of the lap lanes. I took a peek at my Garmin at 1/4 mile and it was 21:30 - even faster than my last swim. That gave me a little extra incentive to keep chugging along. Though it was a challenge I made it 20 laps. I was so proud of myself.

I found this sign a little amusing. Why have a lap lane if everyone has to stay out? I assuming they mean unless you are swimming laps. Therefore, it doesn't apply to me because I am a lap swimmer :)

 Flamingo Towel #3

11:20 a.m.- 10.1 mile bike ride (1:04:36) I started this ride with the goal of making it to 10 miles. As you know by now, I have been struggling with the bike. My goal was to get a good chunk knocked out no matter what it took.  Apparently it took a quite a bit - here I am at the end.

Who would have thought a "me day" would include over 2 1/2 hours of exercise??? After the bike ride I met my husband for lunch. I might have used up a few too many of the calories I burned with some cheese fries :(

After lunch, I decided to go to the nursery and get a few more of the plants I need for my garden. I like this particular nursery because it sells all kinds of tomato varieties. The best part is that they sell them in 2 packs for 84 cents. I can get several varieties for a very reasonable price.

This year I bought 4 of the Sun Gold tomato plants - we love this sweet little cherry tomato. They are definitely the "candy of the garden." They are fantastic in our homemade pico de gallo! I also bought a couple tomatillo plants. Although I am planting cilantro and dill from seed I bought a couple of plants to give us some immediate gratification. I always get a few marigolds to plant with the tomatoes to keep away aphids.

Other than marigolds, I don't usually buy annual flowers. However, Mary at Runs to Get Waisted reminded me recently how adorable Snapdragons are, so I picked up a couple for fun.

I am hoping to get the rest of my garden planted this week. We have had a couple of surprisingly cold nights. Not enough to frost what I have already planted, but the cold has kept them from really growing much.

"Me Day" ended with a night of Junior High theater. My niece was in a school production of Shrek the Musical. It was a cute show and the cast did a great job!

By the end of the day I was completely exhausted, but proud of myself. Such a good feeling :)

30 Day Ironman Challenge Update

After my "catch up" day I am feeling pretty good about my progress.

Swim - 1 mile (42 % complete) - Now that I know I can swim a 1/2 mile in one session, I only have to swim three more times in the next two weeks. I might break it down into four sessions because I am actually enjoying the swimming.

Bike - 38.3 miles (34% complete) - Here is the greatest challenge. This week I am going to do my best to get in 6-8 mile bike rides after work.

Walk - 13.49 miles (51% complete) - This won't take much to finish. I have a race scheduled for May 9 and I am planning to save my last 3 miles for that race. I thought that would make it a little more exciting of an ending :)

I have two weeks left to finish. Although I am going to have to keep my nose to the grindstone, I am feeling confident that I can do it.

What is on your workout agenda this week?