Stuck

This week has been similar to last week - feeling a bit stuck. However, there's been a bit of forward movement. My apartment looks a bit less cluttered and I got rid of a lot of stuff.

But as I get on the scale each morning, I'm noticing a trend - I'm hovering around 170, +/-1. Huh, that seems like it could be a political poll result. The interesting thing about this revelation is that so far, I'm ok with it. I know I need to get back to riding my bike and going to yoga, but other than that, I'm not freaking out that I'm not losing anything (I think I'm a bit happy I'm not gaining anything!).

So - the question I've been trying to answer is how to get motivated. I don't have the freaking out motivation to lose weight (by getting on the bike, etc.), but I want to start being active again...so says my brain.

I also need motivation to clean my apartment more (finally started again this week), submit even more job applications (I feel like it's never enough, especially lately) and I need to start being more productive with my time (instead of wasting away online doing NOTHING).

As I'm on my search for motivation - where do you find yours?

Things I've learned while unemployed...

It's funny - I thought about writing this blog post earlier today, but time didn't allow me too. Though, it seems quite appropriate to write after today's events.

Without further ado - things I've learned while unemployed:

- The mounds of stuff in my apartment doesn't decrease, no matter how much stuff I throw out!

- Somehow, no matter what, parents are always there for you.

- Sometimes, crappy stuff happens, but it could have been worse.

- It's not easy to be without your car.

- I need a routine!

- You have to trust the right thing is happening, regardless of how horrible it feels.

- Sometimes, the people you think will be there won't; sometimes help comes from unexpected places.

- I love my dog more than she can comprehend. She's a good listener.

- It's still my duty to help my community no matter what is going on with me.

It all may not be much, but it's something. There's a lot of things to learn from experiences in life, and I'm at least trying to make lemonade out of lemons.

Pet Photos with the Easter Bunny - Lansing Jaycees

Today brought me to a new project in my home chapter, the Lansing Jaycees. For a few years, the idea has been kicked around that since the chapter owns a bunny costume, why not use it to do photos? And since we have lots of animal lovers in our chapter, why not pet photos?

This year was the year we finally pulled the trigger. With the help of the Animal Placement Bureau, we were able to host an event today and the chapter raised over $500 to donate to Animal Placement Bureau and the Spay/Neuter Clinic at the Capital Area Humane Society.

We had three different members pose as the Easter Bunny throughout the day, and lots of members and community members bring their pets. There were mostly dogs, some cats and even a hamster!

It was great to see so many people bring their pets in and the variety of pets! Great job on a fun new event!

Special Olympics - Grand Rapids Jaycees

I had the privilege to visit the Grand Rapids Jaycees this past Friday, as they began the weekend hosting the 2011 State Basketball Finals for Special Olympics.

I have to be honest - I have never volunteered with Special Olympics before. I'm fairly new to learning about the organization and their mission.

While I was at Rockford High School for the tournament, I had the opportunity to watch a couple of games before the opening ceremonies. These guys were good! But what impressed me most was the way the members of each team worked together and were so encouraging. I could hear members of each team on the court and on the bench giving each other tips and encouragement. I could see the pride each and every one of the players had for their team and their play.

And then - opening ceremonies. There is nothing like watching over 900 athletes pour into a gymnasium to Olympic music and cheering loudly. I also learned during the opening ceremonies that this is the 30th year the Grand Rapids Jaycees have hosted the State Basketball Tournament for Special Olympics. It was amazing to see so many of the past chairs of this project in attendance at the event.

If you have never had the opportunity to go to this event, please try to go or volunteer next year. You can also get involved on the local level by going to the Special Olympics Michigan website at www.somi.org

Thank you to the Grand Rapids Jaycees for allowing me to come out and visit this event. It was a great experience and has inspired me to learn more about Special Olympics!

Time

I admit it. I'm guilty of making the comments "I wish I had more time" or "I don't have time for that." Come on - you know you have too.

But a comment I saw the other night pushed me over the edge (I might have been having a stressful day - LOL). I happened to be working on something online and had one of the basketball games on in the background on my TV. Of course, it was one of those games that broke my bracket, which honestly could have been any game in the last few days!

Someone posted (paraphrasing this) that in another life maybe they'd have time to do something trivial like brackets. Now - I am not a basketball fan that watches games throughout the entire season. Though I find it fun to do a bracket and see how good my guesses are. It takes me about 10 minutes to actually put the bracket together.

This comment started to make me wonder "well, how much time do you spend on Facebook? Procrastinating? Doing whatever you do?" And it made me remember what time management is really all about - PRIORITIES.

People tell me that I'm busy all the time. And it's true. However, my schedule has been altered a bit since the beginning of the year - I'm not spending 8 hours a day (or more) at work at the moment. Things have been a bit easier to juggle, and it's been a bit easier to fit in some of the things I like to do but don't always put as a priority, like reading.

My position on the Michigan Jaycees state board of directors takes me all over the state. I'm in the car a lot. I've traveled over 2,000 miles just going to chapters across the state (that's not even counting all that I do with my home chapter). But, it's about putting a priority on things. I keep track of my deadlines and if I slack off, I know I have to bust my butt to get it done.

We all commit to something - whether it's our family, friends or extracurricular activities. We have time - we all have 168 hours in a week. But we have to choose how to use them, and balance our lives so we get the most out of them.

I'm actually looking forward to reading a book called "168 Hours: You Have More Time than You Think" by Laura Vanderkam. I still need help sometimes in prioritizing and using my time in the best way possible.

I know when I am back to work, I will have to reorganize my schedule and reorganize my priorities (goodbye reading, ). I am hoping this book helps along with knowing what I want to do with my time.

This is me - take it or leave it

This is me. Today, my friend Lauren took some photos of me at the Capitol, because I need a high quality headshot.

Today, I'm 5'6" and 170 lbs. Yup, I just divulged that information. Oh no!

I was inspired this week by a few amazing women who have decided to change their lives, give out some information and be comfortable with themselves.

In the past 6 months, I've been on a journey and I have no idea where it's taking me at this point. I'm honestly just along for the ride and dealing with things as they come. I started out this year after battling pneumonia in November and December. I was really good and ate well, exercised regularly. Since the beginning of March, I've slacked off just a bit and I've decided I need to get back to the plan I set in motion for 2011.

I've learned recently that I need to take more time for myself and I'm learning to balance things in my life much better. I'm looking forward to embracing who I am and enjoying life.

Yes, I'm new to some things. Yes, I will typically tell you what I'm thinking. Yes, I'm learning. That's who I am. This photo is who I am.

It's almost April...

I came to the realization today that it's almost April. Wow. Where has the year gone?

It happened that I got a phone call today for an appointment for April 5th. Wow, that seems really far away! Nope - less than 2 weeks. I hate when things catch me off guard!

And that brings me to today. I'm still on the hunt for a job. I've had some promising leads. I definitely want something to happen, but trying not to be impatient. Luckily, my parents are able to help me out a bit while I go through this rough patch. However, I think things will be better in the long run if I'm just not so impatient.

I'm still undertaking this purging project in my apartment. It's gonna be a loooong project. I can't believe how much STUFF I've accumulated in the last 10 years. And for as much stuff as I've already donated (8 boxes of clothes and a box of shoes), I still have a ton more to go through, shred papers and set aside stuff for a yard sale. It may take awhile, but I know I'll be better off for it to just get rid of things I don't need anymore. And my place might be somewhat presentable!

And to realize it's almost April, I then came to the realization that I haven't worked out since March 4th. Yup, that's a good 18 days. No more! I cleaned off the clotheshorse (er, exercise bike) today. However, I'll be using it tomorrow and going to yoga tonight. It's been far too easy for me to just not do anything or stay home. I have no excuse for not working out. I have time. I have an exercise bike. No money required. So, the excuses and procrastination stop today.

Here we go...

Ups and Downs

This year has been going fairly well, all things considered. Though, a couple of weeks ago, I came to a bit of a stand still with working out I've worked out twice in the last two weeks. It's almost like I hit a wall - and I just haven't been able to get around it yet.

I've felt busy, but just in the last week or so, I've had a hard time focusing on the things I need to get done (like still clean my apartment!). It's been difficult - I don't have anywhere I need to be most days, so my sleep schedule has gotten all weird. I think I'm naturally a night owl.

Today, I was home all day, and decided to start my Etsy page again - you'll see it on the side of my blog page, and I've also started cleaning off my craft table (trust me, there was NO space on it...). This is good - once it's cleaned off, I can start making some new items! I have lots of beading supplies, and now have some time to use them!

I also am going to go back to yoga tomorrow - I haven't been in a few weeks, and while I know I probably won't make it through an entire class at this point, I need to at least go back.

So, here's to getting past obstacles and moving forward! No more stalling!

Why am I doing this?

I started reading Jackie Warner's "This is Why You're Fat (and How to Get Thin Forver)" tonight.

I didn't even make it past the first 3 pages because it got me starting to think about why I'm on a weight loss journey. 2010 brought a couple things that got me thinking.

#1 - my mom had a heart attack in May. She had to have a stent put in. She's doing very well now, but it was a wake up call, in addition to a diagnosis of high blood pressure (which she's had for a long time) and diabetes (which was a new thing).

#2 - I started going to a new doctor and had a blood test done. My cholesterol was 239 - borderline high, but closer to too high. This was in September - and I started working out and trying to be healthy, until I came down with pneumonia, which delayed things for a couple months while I tried to get back to normal.

So, when I had the opportunity to start over in 2011, I actually started looking at what I was eating (a lot of fast food in the car; lots of eating out). When I got the results of that blood test, I asked for 6 months to get my cholesterol down by myself. I knew I could do this if I made it a priority.

So, here I am on this journey - so far, so good. I've been watching what I take in for food by keeping a food journal - not so much to be a calorie counter, but to see what types of foods I'm eating. What can I eat in the car instead of fast food? I've been taking granola bars and snack mixes with nuts, fruit and dark chocolate (yum). I've switched out potato chips and dips for chips and salsa. Whole grains are now in almost everything I've purchased. Ice cream has been replaced with yogurt...etc.

I don't have to work out 7 days a week. I take a break when I want one, but realize if i haven't worked out the day before, I have to the next day. Now I'm trying to find new things to do to add to yoga and the exercise bike.

I feel much better, and I'm looking forward to the results of all of this. I feel like 2011 is off to such a great start!

Not a bad start

I weighed in for the end of week 4 on Saturday. Since January 1st, I've lost 2 pounds. Not a huge amount, but it's something. I've been working on switching things out in my cabinets - ice cream for yogurt, lower calories foods, more fresh foods...and I haven't been eating out nearly as much. I've also been working out regularly, only missing some days during the month (but not a majority!), so that's been going well.

I'm trying to figure out how to take this to the next level. But, I also am content with where I'm at and where I'm trying to go at this point. Slow and steady wins the race. My first small goal is to lose 10 pounds, and I'm 20% there already.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this takes me!

23 stories?!

I made quite the decision today. I decided to attempt to raise $500 in order to rappel down the Boji Tower - which is 23 stories!

Money raised goes to the Team Lansing Foundation. I've really taken a liking to Lansing in the 5+ years I've lived here, and I wanted to push myself to do something I wouldn't normally do - climb down a 23 story building!

Please consider donating ANY amount of money at my webpage, www.teamlansing.dojiggy.com/aclock - I will NOT be able to make the rappel unless I raise the $500 minimum donation. I must raise this amount by March 30th to make the rappel. This is your chance to help me to do something crazy!

Good Night, and Good Luck

In the week following Keith Olbermann's departure from MSNBC, I find myself doing a bit of soul searching. The big issue of the moment is that I'm contemplating how people work together. How new people work with more seasoned people; how those that don't agree on certain points overcome those hurdles; what happens when people take things personally that really only have to do with policies or requirements?

It's an interesting process. I consider these things as I begin to watch the State of the Union address - a speech that will be given in a different Washington, D.C. One that I hope will bring people together, not tear them apart.

I feel honored to have worked in the Michigan Legislature for 5 years - the opportunity to see the times when people refused to work together; the times when people came together to get something accomplished; the times when the minorities on other side were shut out because they didn't have the same opinion as the majority.

I want to offer a reminder to everyone - no one is going to agree with everything someone else says. You don't have to. What we need to remember is that we NEED to keep things civil. We cannot accomplish anything worthwhile while tearing others down. I believe that we are capable of disagreeing without making personal attacks. I've seen all too often when people resort to personal attacks on good people.

After President Obama's speech last week, Senator John McCain wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post.

Below is what really hit me -

"Our political discourse should be more civil than it currently is, and we all, myself included, bear some responsibility for it not being so. It probably asks too much of human nature to expect any of us to be restrained at all times by persistent modesty and empathy from committing rhetorical excesses that exaggerate our differences and ignore our similarities. But I do not think it is beyond our ability and virtue to refrain from substituting character assassination for spirited and respectful debate."

I ask everyone, no matter what we are debating, to make it civil.

And frustration sets in...

I'm irritated today. There are lots of little reasons - some perceived by me, some from other people and a general annoyance with everything.

So, I resort to my blog. #1 - because it gets stuff out of my brain and I can hope to stop letting it fester. #2 - because it doesn't really seem like anyone I know has been reading my blog lately. #3 - because over the last few days, I feel like I've jacked up stuff with the people I would normally talk to and vent frustrations.

There's always that one person that I would normally head to and vent, but lately it seems like there's too much going on for them to be there for me.

Oh well, c'est la vie. It's just you and me, blog...oh, and the dog. LOL.

Baby pachyderms!

Yeah, I really couldn't think of another title for this blog other than a reference from the movie "The Love Guru". This isn't the first time I've used a refereance from a movie - and I think most of the hits my blog gets are from my post called "You're like a miniature Buddha covered in hair."

At this point, I've sent out 11 thank you/encouragement notes, and I have a few more to do. I'm even going to have to buy more stamps soon - and more cards!!!

But that brings me to something that happened today. I got a message that a comment was made to another person about how I've matured over the last few years. Most people would probably be flattered by this - I know I have and I've learned a lot along the way. But of course, my first thought was "are you trying to say that I was immature and didn't know anything a few years ago?" And while I'm working on changing my thought processes, and many of them have been better recently, I still had that nagging in the back of my mind. I know that I don't take criticism or compliments in the best way. Sometimes, I just don't know what to say or how to take it. I've always read into things. Trying to break that habit is NOT easy.

I guess in someways, I don't know why it made me emotional, but I'm trying to take it at face value and not read into it...easier said than done...lol.

I actually have been feeling like I'm in a good place right now. It's definitely not where I want to end up in life overall (yes, I would like a job, please), but I feel like I'm making some sort of progress. I don't know where I'll end up, but I'm not particularly concerned with that right now, as long as I'm happy with what I'm doing.

Week 2...

Today was the 2nd check in of the year. As of today, I have lost a total of 1.8lbs and this past week was 1lb. I'm looking to 10lbs. as a first small goal.

I've been having some pain this week in my back and abdoment, so that slowed me down a bit with working out, but I'm thinking I'll be heading to the doctor next week to see what might be up - speculation thinks it might be kidney stones. But, we'll see.

There have been a couple of days where I feel like I've just been eating so much - but still keeping track of what I'm eating. I have been trying to change WHAT I'm eating - if I'm going to eat the calories, I want to eat whole grains and more things that are good for me.

I also started writing thank you/encouragement notes this week. I'm up to 7 at this point - this was started by reading a book called "365 Thank Yous" by John Kralik. I started writing notes last year - mostly because I think it shows that you spent time thinking about something or that the person you're sending it to is important. I hope that by taking the time to send notes, others will do the same.

2011 is a year of reinvention for me. I know there's nothing I can't do (even when at times I want to give up).

Continuing into 2011...

It's 1-11-11. All in all, this year has been fairly good, considering I am still looking for a job.

I've been making changes in my diet that I hope are positive. Late last year, I found out my cholesterol level was at 239. I have good cholesterol, but my bad isn't great either. As I began to change things and work out a bit, I ended up with pneumonia. That put me out of commission for about a month and a half while I took antibiotics to get rid of it. Which ended up being 2 rounds worth. And then it took awhile to work back up to where I was.

So now, I have been regularly working out since December 31, and have also been changing my eating habits. I have started eating less, more often. During week one, I lost .8 lbs. Not quite the 1 lb. I was hoping for, but still progress!

I'm also taking the time I need for me. I'm finally not feeling as scattered as I had been. Having some time off has been some good for my emotional and physical self.

I'm really excited to see what 2011 has to offer!!

One year later

While I was getting ready for the Lansing Jaycees banquet last night, I started thinking about how different things are for me than they were one year ago.

One year ago, I was finishing my term as the 81st President of the Lansing Jaycees. I was starting my first year on the Michigan Jaycees Board of Directors. I had a full time job. I was in a long term relationship. If I go back 2 years ago, I lost a good friend to a snowmobiling accident the day after I was sworn in as 81st President of the Lansing Jaycees.

This weekend, I was beginning my first term as a Vice President for the Michigan Jaycees. I did my first training at LOTS. I'm single. And I'm looking for a job after one week of not having one. I still think that someone is watching over the world and ready to kick my butt when I start to get emotional. LOL.

It was a whirlwind and crazy 2010. I won't lie - it mostly wasn't a happy one. There were highlights: New Orleans, Haunted House, my Region D family. But much, especially the end part of the year, was a real blow to me. 2011 is going to be a year of rebuilding things, and a lot of change. I've had ups and downs and times when I'm just trying to stay afloat.

I am looking forward to 2011 and everything that will come with it. I'm looking forward to traveling around the state and seeing new things.