Go. Be. Do.

The South. It is a world all its own. The tea is crazy sweet, cows sell chicken, and "bless your heart" is not necessarily something you want said to you. I, like many others, am a transplant to this world.  My dialect and word pool is a confused mix of Midwestern, Northern, and Southern.  I say one thing and instantly I get asked by those who don't know me, "So, where are you originally from?"  I still struggle to understand "Southernese".  I often am asking people to repeat themselves for one reason or another when they have a deep southern accent. However, after 14 years, it's home. I even have a T-shirt to prove it. Toward the end of my birthday season, a gift from nature springs forth here in the South... the magnolia trees bloom .  Nothing says "Welcome to the South" quite like sturdy, yet beautiful magnolia trees full of blossoming flowers.  And this year, our magnolia did something wonderfully sweet...it bloomed a c...

We had a busy, but quiet, day at the house today. Rare event when we are all at home all day together. A gift. In between projects and rain showers, there was plenty of time to fish, swim, and play Phase 10 together. And, there's always time to smell the roses.

Sunday, May 24th There are those moments when something reminds you of someone and all you really want to do is be back with them again. I had a few moments like this recently. Okay, recently...meaning today. Take, for instance, this morning. I wanted to do something new for rest day, so I pulled up Beachbody on Demand.  As soon as I saw Shaun T's picture, I instantly thought of a friend of mine who is doing one of his programs, whom I haven't seen in what seems like ages, and immediately wished we could be in the same place for a few minutes again just to catch up. I ended up choosing "Recovery" from Insanity for my workout.  If that is recovery...Insanity is an appropriate name for the program.  That was crazy. Totally awesome, but absolutely crazy. Funny thing, though...I'm finding myself slightly less intimidated by ST's workouts. I have survived two individual workouts now... this is something, right? Go ahead and laugh.  I am. Trust me.  I hav...

Saturday, May 23rd This birthday season just keeps becoming more and more my favorite!!! Today's gifts include: Relaxing by the pool in the warm sunshine... Enjoying some fishing with the family at the cabin... Eating a snack...

Friday, May 22rd Today I am grateful for the choice I made to act last year. To try something unlike anything I had ever done before in my life was a major step in the right direction for a healthier, happier me. That choice has led to many other choices as I learn more about this new lifestyle of nutrition and exercise.  Little things add up to make a big difference. I know all the excuses.  I used them all for years. It came down to the fact that I could stay the same or I could change. Both are equally difficult.  Both require energy.  Both can be painful. Only one shows strength.  Only one demonstrates courage.  Only one exhibits hope. It's an individual choice to begin.  However, along the way, a support system begins to grow and one day you see that you are no longer doing this on your own.  The encouragement, the motivation you need shows up in many ways, from many sources that you never saw coming.  And, it's awesome.  Re...

“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.” ― Anne Lamott Thursday, May 21st To some, it's Thursday.  To me, it's "Yogaday".  So thankful for the gift of learning to love this day for what it is and not fear it because of what some make it out to be.  I did Isometrix and X3 Yoga for my workout today.  I am amazed at the progress I have made.  A year ago, I thought yoga would be the unconquerable hurdle on my fitness journey.   As my coach reminded me this week, I have to trust the process.   Each week, as Yogaday arrives, I have a choice to make.  Sometimes, I just show up.  Others, I knoick it out of the park.  Still others, I do what's before me, pushing myself to do a little better than the previous time. The process will only take me as far as I trust it to take me. So far, so good. #progre...

Wednesday, May 20th This year's Birthday Season has been filled with numerous baseball games. Tonight was the final game of the season. I had responsibilities at church, so I arrived a little late to the game. We were ahead when I arrived. Then the opposing team tied up the game. Our at bat brought a run across the plate.  It was an exciting game to watch. Top of the final inning found the opposing team with the bases loaded and nobody out. We changed pitchers. He came in and struck out the first batter he faced. On a passed ball, the player on third base tried to make it home, but our catcher tagged him out in a close play at the plate. Two outs...no runs scored. Our pitcher's next throw was a strike. On the second pitch, the batter swung and missed. The third pitch...swing and a miss! Three outs...no runs scored...The Reds end their season with a WIN! What a game!!! Alex was walked and made it around the bases to score a run with his first at bat.  He struck ...

There are no strangers here,  Only friends we have not met.  ~Author Unknown~ Tuesday, May 19th Today, I celebrate all the strangers that took the time to get to know me and opened up to me so I could get to know them, so we could become friends. I am blessed beyond measure with the best of the best friends in the world. Those whom I have known for years and those whom I have just met...you all have a special place in my heart and in my life.

“I must break the routines and become a person who becomes productive every Monday. I must break the mindset of unhappiness and turn myself into a happy magnet for Mondays.”  ~Leggy Saul Monday, May 18th Monday morning.  Not just any Monday morning, though.  This Monday morning was the first Monday of our summer vacation.  I did not want to get out of bed at my normal time...which is early enough to get in my workout before having to get out the door.   But, I did. Why?  Why did I get up and moving at my normal time on the first day of summer break? Because I needed to.  For myself.  For others. Because a friend of mine checked in with me and held me accountable to taking care of myself. Because rule #1 is that we never miss a Monday workout. Today's gift for which I am grateful...my fit fam, friends both near and far, who offer inspiration and motivation to me every single day.   So, to you who inspire me and motivate ...

Sunday, May 17th Northside Baptist Church's 2nd annual cake auction fundraiser to help send kids to camp was held tonight.  It was another fun night of bidding and buying.  The cakes that our church members can bake are some of the best.  There was a theme if you wanted to enter the contest for best decorated "Family Game Night" cake. There were over 30 cakes donated for the auction. I made a strawberry cheesecake cake and a Twinkie Cake for the auction. Today's gift was being a part of something so wonderful and fun, made possible by the generosity of the best church family around.  

Saturday morning began early, but intentionally. Knocked out the Warrior minutes after my feet hit the floor.  Did not have an hour to devote to Kenpo X, so I did my Saturday workout from P90X3.  The Warrior is an awesome 30 minutes of sweat inducing, core strengthening, moves. Had a couple of errands to run before heading to Atlanta to the luncheon provided by Piedmont Hospital for their Cancer Survivors' day.  They provided free parking, lunch, and a ticket into the aquarium for me and a guest.  Scott graciously agreed to go with me. {smile} There is this dolphin show, Dolphins Tales, available for your enjoyment at the aquarium now.  They warned us that we "might" get wet if sitting in the first 10 rows, the "splash zone".  A little bit of splash...what could it hurt, right?  However, what they omitted from their spiel was that they have trained the dolphins to intentionally spray the audience with their tails as they circle in front of the crowd...

Friday's Birthday Season's gifts included a favorite of ours...Final Day of School!!!! We celebrated lunch out at a local pizza place and then ran a few errands.  The boys had been given some gift certificates for finishing their books in Awana, so we went to 5 Below and found some treasures.  I found a $5 t-shirt that I love...it's in a pic below.  After shopping, the boys needed haircuts.  It just so happens that the boys' favorite place for haircuts is right next door to The Mix, a local froyo place.  Yes, we celebrated again...well, I stopped at Dunkin and bought myself a coconut decaf, the boys had froyo. After arriving home, it was time to get in my workout for the day.  Friday is leg day in P90X.  I love leg day.  It is actually Legs & Back and Ab Ripper X day.  It works up a great sweat and is a whole lot more fun than cardio. {smile} Before long, it was time to take off for Alex's baseball game.  He was the clean up batt...

Today's gift...courage. To forgive. To try again. To hold on when letting go seems easier. To choose love. To keep crawling even after falling down. To get back up one. more. time.

Wednesday, May 13th And, I was doing pretty well, too, with keeping up with daily posts most days...until this week. Today's gift... a second chance (or third or fourth, as it goes). We all need them. I do not think I really appreciated them until March 12, 2014. Well, my first second chance at living life to the fullest came the day I was saved by Jesus Christ.  He is the reason I have life at all and the reason for the hope I have for eternal life in heaven. The second, second chance was the first day after my radiation therapy treatments ended on that date in March.  My first day of freedom from a title I did not want to carry any longer...cancer patient.  My first day of being a survivor.  Funny thing, though...I felt a bit lost.  Six weeks had taken their toll on me...as did Icemaggedon and  Snowpocalypse . Our lives are filled with second chance moments, though.  Little ones, big ones...all just wating to be siezed. From the mundane rout...

Some days have so many things to be grateful for, it is hard to begin.  Today is one of them. Mainly, the little thing today that meant the most was seeing my boys outside mowing the grass, taking ownership of some responsibility.  They are growing up so quickly.  As I was in the kitchen doing the dinner dishes, watching the activity outside the windows was a joy for this mama's heart.

Yesterday came and went quickly. Squeezed so much into the day. Began the day with a Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X workout from P90X.  Day 1 of block 3...the end is approaching. We are working our way down to our final day of school by finishing off one subject a day this week, so that the boys aren't taking all of their final tests on the same day.  Monday was language.  The boys were more than eager to get that subject out of the way.  They do well in language, but they are both bored with the monotony of diagramming sentences and part of speech.  They are forgiven for being bored with my favorite subject. ♥ Helped out in the office for a little while and also had a wonderful conversation with my coach and friend about coaching stuff...and life. Once we got home, the boys and I actually sat down and watched some TV together.  We don't do this very often in the afternoons.  But, today, we watched some classics...Emergency and a little bit of C...

"A conversation is so much more than words: a conversation is eyes, smiles, the silences between the words." ~Annika Thor Today was a beautiful Saturday. Awoke [without an alarm] around 7:15 and got in my workout...from P90X3 that is available to me through Beachbody on Demand...Complex Upper and X3 Ab Ripper. That was 45 minutes of crazy awesomeness! Made my drinks of choice to rehydrate, recharge, and refuel after that workout...water, coffee, and Shakeology. The struggle is real, as a friend so eloquently put it, to get out the door with so many cups.  All necessary and essential, I might add. {smile} Watched Alex's baseball team play some magnificent ball.  Alex went 2 for 2...RBI single (reached 2nd on an error and an RBI stand up triple!!!  Oh, my goodness, this mama's heart can not be any more full than to see A gain confidence with each swing of the bat. While the coach treated the team to ice cream at DQ, I ran into Walmart (gasp!) and got what wa...

Upward Flag Football season has come to an end with tonight's closing program. Rainouts, close losses and big ones, too, and great wins that were followed up by plans for pool parties at the Coach's house (ours) all made for a great season. Tonight we heard from a former NFL player, Chris Hanson. Today's gift...being a football mom. 

May days are often spent at a ballfield watching Alex's games. "Baseball Mom" is no easy title to hold, but one I love, nonetheless. The gift of this day (May 7th) was watching #15 go 2 for 3, having been moved to batting second, and ending up crossing the plate to score two runs for his team.

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings."   ~William Arthur Ward There are times when you just have to stop and do something that you enjoy because you can...because you want to. This is what this morning was all about for me.  I took a few extra minutes this morning and made my boys homemade waffles for breakfast.  Normally, waffles are reserved for our "breakfast for dinner" meal.  Not today.  Much to my boys' delight, I might add.  After the waffles, I made one of Scott's favorites...strawberry pie.  Much to Scott's delight, I might also add.  From what I hear, it is pretty tasty.  One of today's gifts was being able to stop looking at my to do list and simply doing something for others because I wanted to do it.  Another gift was feeling energy again.  I have been off these past several days.  Not feeling it , so to speak...

There is nothing quite like receiving a package in the mail...except receiving two packages in the mail. {smile} While I get excited over cards and letters awaiting me in the mailbox, to have two packages on my doorstep when I arrive home just makes me giddy. Needless to say today's gifts were those packages.  Even knowing what the boxes contained did not lessen the excitement of opening them.  It will never get old, receiving snail mail. One package being my hard earned P90X3 [FREE] T-shirt just for posting my before and after pics and results on beachbody.com.  I say "just for posting"...there's that AND the 90 days of pushing play to workout with Tony Horton for 30 minutes.  That's 2700 minutes of blood pumping, sweat dripping, and muscle building good times.  Yes, I earned that T-shirt. The other package was my Coach Welcome Book.  I guess it's officially official now. I am a Beachbody coach.  It's going to be a ride to remember.  If any ...

Today's gifts... An out of the blue phone call this morning from a dear friend who gets me and my kind of crazy...just to check in on how I am doing. ♥♥♥ The wonderful scent of honeysuckle outside as the wind blows. Reminds me of Indiana for some reason...and my childhood...warm fuzzy kind of feeling.  So, tell me, is honeysuckle a weed or a plant?  I'm kind of at a crossroads on what to believe... Beachbody On Demand. It was the first day of P90X block 2's transition week.  I was supposed to be doing Yoga X.  There are times when the schedule and I do not agree on what is best for me.  I was just about to do CVX and X3 Yoga when I remembered that I now have access to BOD and all kinds of programs that I have never had an opportunity to try. So.....I did my first ever Shaun T workout.  Workout of choice was Sweat Intervals from Insanity Max.  Wow.  Very appropriately named.  I maxed out at 30:00...had to modify a couple of moves becau...

"Anyone can plant. The planting is the easy part. The hard part is giving it the love and attention that it will need to grow and thrive after the roots have taken hold. Don't just leave it and hope it will find what it needs on its own."  ~Fawn Arrington Two weeks ago, I dug up two rose bushes who have struggled to survive in their location. Between drowning from excess rain and deer munching on them like they are appetizers, there was hardly anything remaining to transplant. Tonight, upon coming home, I went over to check on how they were doing. Both plants had new growth and tiny buds forming. Today's gift on day three of my birthday season was that one of the transplanted rosebushes had already pushed a bloom. There are times when we, too, must be forced from our current location and placed in a new territory in order to do more than exist. We need a new start. A new place to grow. A ground into which we can sink our roots and find our footing. It is a secon...

"I think it's important to find the little things in everyday life that make you happy." ~Paula Cole The second day of my birthday season began with an early and quick trip into town, followed by a workout I did not feel like doing (but did anyway), and a great football game. After the boys win was in the books, we headed to Talladega Superspeedway for a weekend of racing.

Yes, my friends, it is that time of the year again...Birthday Season! The month long celebration of the little things in life that make every day a reason to celebrate. Today, after we finished school, the boys and I had some fun running errands, working out together, and washing dishes. Why, yes, I did say washing dishes...we knocked out putting the clean dishes away, reloading the dishwasher, and hand-washing those which needed it in no time flat. I so enjoy time with my boys. Some big news was announced today, as well...I became a Beachbody coach!  I am excited to see where this new adventure leads.  Aside from a few "cosmetic" changes to some social media sites, I am still the same me being me with a new intentional purpose: Sharing my story to encourage others to begin rewriting theirs. It all begins with a choice to embrace change. 30 more days to celebrate my birthday...cannot wait to see what the days bring!