Diane~~

I want to send lots of prayers and tons of love and light out to one of the most special people in my life. My sister in law Diane is one of the strongest women I know and she is going through some life changes that are going to challenge her and are forcing her to pull all of the strength she can muster to get her through. She has a pretty good support system in place but she doesn't always feel she can ask all of us that love her and want to help make this transition a bit easier on her.

If you have a moment please say a little prayer for her, her hubby and those 3 beautiful grandkids she is caring for.

Diane I know when you have time you read my blog. I want you to know that I think you are incredibly amazing!! Seeing the pain in your eyes yesterday broke my heart. I wish I could make everything better for you. I know you are doubting yourself and your decision to take all this on but I know how determined you can be. I'm sure those moments of weakness will continue for awhile, but I hope that's when you remember, we are all here to help in any way we can, please remember that and pick up the phone even if it's just to vent for a minute.

I found this and thought of you

Believe In Yourself

There may be days when you get up in the morning and things aren't the way you had hoped they would be....that's when you have to tell yourself that things will get better.

There are times when people disappoint you and let you down, but those are the times when you must remind yourself to trust your own judgments and opinions, to keep your life focused on believing in yourself and all that you are capable of.

There will be challenges to face and changes to make in your life, and it is up to you to accept them.

Constantly keep yourself headed in the right direction for you. It may not be easy at times, but in those times of struggle you will find a stronger sense of who you are, So when the days come that are filled with frustration and unexpected responsibilities, remember to believe in yourself and all you want your life to be, because the challenges and changes will only help you to find the goals that you know are meant to come true for you.

Keep believing in yourself.

Author Unknown

I love yer guts!

YOU'VE GOT THIS! 

My Sister

This week is a tough week. My oldest sister Jeanette would have been 56 years old Monday March 26th and on Saturday March 31st it will be 18 years since she passed. I have so many memories of her and I sure do miss her. She had 10 incredible children that have grown into amazing adults. Today I would like to celebrate her short life with a couple of my memories.

 She was 9 years older than me and she got married young so I only have a few scattered memories as children. I remember dreading it when she was left in charge because she would become the drill Sargent. She would line us all up and give us our orders (chores)

Jeff was truly the love of her life. She loved him with all of her heart.  You could always see it in her eyes when she looked at him. I remember being that little girl and having a HUGE crush on him.

I can remember babysitting for her and Jeff when they went to see "The Exorcist" when they came home, they sat me down and told me the whole story line of the movie. I was soooo scared!! The walk home which was only 2 houses and across the street, was to far...Jeff had to walk me and of course he did his best to scare the hell out of me. I had nightmares for days after that and to this day can't watch movies that are anything like that. I hated when they moved away. I always loved going over to their house and just hanging out.

One of the last memories is after she got sick and we had a family party at Mitch's skating rink. We all had so much fun. I miss seeing my nieces and nephews at the family functions. I would love to see them more and get to really know them now. Face book has been a wonderful thing for me. Getting to read a little of this and a little of that from their posts has made me feel so much closer to them. If I have one regret since we lost Jeanette it is that I wasn't the aunt that I know I should have been to her children. I wasn't there for them when they needed to be surrounded with all the love available. I am so sorry for that. I hope that they can forgive me and know just how much I love them. When I look at their pictures and the pictures of their kids I can see my beautiful sister. She would be so proud of the men and women you have all become. You were her world!

This entire week I celebrate my sister

Sending love to you Jeanette on the wings of the angels!

Baby Steps

I feel I have taken a few steps down the path to getting healthy. This is going to be a great journey!!

I just couldn't give up my coffee completely so I cut WAY back but, did have 1 cup each day. I think I still had good results. After my second cleanse day, I lost 5 pounds and 18.5 inches. I am looking forward to my shake this morning. 

The cleanse days weren't horrible but I did feel tired and had a very upset stomach. No hunger though which is amazing to me. 

I will post the final results of this 9 day cleanse Monday!! 

Have a fantastic day!!

Here it is...UGH!!

I know that I said I would be posting this info for the world to see on Saturday but, it's hard to do. Today is my fourth day of this journey so I guess I better get it done!

I will be weighing and measuring in the morning after my first 2 day cleanse and then I will do it again after my 9 day cleanse is complete. 

Wish me luck!!

Hoping for good results!!

First 

my weight

243.4 pounds....UGHH!!

Second

my measurements

neck - 16.75

L. upper arm - 18.5

R. upper arm - 18.5

chest - 45

diaphragm - 44

waist - 49.5

abdomen - 54.5 

butt - 49.75

L. upper thigh - 29

R. upper thigh - 29.75

L. calf - 16.75

R. calf - 17

L. upper knee - 19

R.upper knee - 19

Last but not least my before picture

I am so FREAKIN' ready to get rid of the flab and get healthy....Stay tuned for the new hot gramma to emerge!!

God bless 

If not now.....WHEN?

People who know me, know I can talk the talk when it come to losing weight, getting healthy and getting my life back but, I seem to fail miserably when it comes to walking the walk.

I hope and pray it will be a different story this time. I have tried so many freakin' diets in my adult life that you'd think I could write a book. Each time I have started with a good deal of ambition and the absolute best intentions. I usually do pretty good for a week or two but as time marches on it becomes more and more difficult for me to stick to it. If I'm being honest, I think I have accepted the fact that that thin person inside of me is gone forever. I would like to see her emerge more than anything.  I have over 100 pounds to lose and that number is VERY overwhelming for me. My long term goal is to achieve that in one year. I know I need to set small goals that I can reach quickly or I will give up once again. I plan to set down and seriously set my first (small) goal before I start this new program Saturday. Now, at 47 years old, I am bigger than I have EVER been in my entire life. It's affecting my health and I just have no choice but to struggle through and SUCCEED!!

I'm trying something new this time. I've watched as my sister has melted away for the past year. I wasn't sure if what she was doing would work for me. She has lost A LOT over the year and it hasn't been very difficult for her. She's still on her journey but she looks and feels fabulous!!

I will be starting this weekend. I sooooo need this so I am getting pretty excited about it!

GOOOOOOO ME!!!

I have also decided that in order to hold myself accountable I will be posting a before picture here Saturday morning and with measurements and weight. It will be embarrassing I know but I think I need to put it out there ...for me! I had started a separate blog to track my journey but I changed my mind. I need to push myself and posting my progress here will work better for me ...I think.

Have a wonderful day!!

What does family mean to you?

This is a question I have found myself pondering lately. Family is truly EVERYTHING to me. Coming from a very large family has given me the opportunity to embrace many different beliefs and lifestyles.  I have an incredibly diverse family full of wonderful quirks and personalities. I wouldn't trade any of them for all the riches in the world!

That being said, there has also been arguments, falling outs, illness and heart wrenching sadness. Sometimes when you're in the midst of times like these it's hard to recall all the beautiful moments of the past and remember that there will be more beautiful memories in the future.

When you have a large family you will find that there is usually a combination of "The Good; The Bad; and The Ugly" going on around you all at once. I really believe that is Gods way of helping us cope with the bad times, after all, if there is something good happening along with the bad and ugly,  it helps keep you from sinking to far into the black hole of sadness and despair.

Lean on your family during the dark days and celebrate with them in the good times.

 This is what family means to me!

I want my family to know that I love you all more than you could ever possibly know. I would do anything in my power for any one of you at any time.

To those that need a shoulder...I offer you mine

To those that need a helping hand...Take mine

To those that want to celebrate...I will celebrate with you

To those that need a warm embrace...My arms are open

To those who need a listening ear...I have two

Sending Love and light to my incredible family!!

Have a beautiful day!!!

Heart Strings

A few posts back I was talking about the types of blogs that I have been drawn to lately. I found it strange that I was feeling such a strong need to read blogs that focused on the struggles and trials that others are facing. The main topic of these blogs have been on cancer and the the journey for both the caregiver and the patient. I had such a strong feeling that there was something I needed to learn from these blogs that would be helpful for me somewhere or sometime in the future.

Now the odd part of this story, is after reading these blogs for about a month, I got a phone call the other day telling me that someone I love may have breast cancer. She has to go in for a biopsy to confirm it. This really pulls on the heartstrings when you hear something like this.
It brings back the memories of watching my brother going through leukemia ending with a stem cell transplant and the long road to recovery....my sister who has battled leukemia and gone into remission twice .... a sister who I miss terribly having lost her to this horrific disease...My father in law who sadly lost his fight with pancreatic cancer.

 Please say a little prayer for her and send positive thoughts and love while you're at it.

Love and Light to all  

OH MY!!!

I got up early and got my sweet hubby off to work. When I walked him out there was no snow. I thought I would play around on the computer for a little while. I just went to get another cup of YUMMY coffee and looked out the window............OH MY GOSH!! snowing ....A LOT!!

I am so glad I don't have to go to work today. I just wish I didn't have to go out at all. I am a VERY big procrastinator and forgot to go register my car. It's the 1st and my tags are expired now....UGGGHH I have to go take care of that little issue.

Have a beautiful SNOWY day!!