Category Archives: Goals

Moving at the Speed of Light!

IMG_2468Good evening, my lovely chickadees! 🙂

Life seems to be moving at the speed of light!! SERIOUSLY!!!

This year has been a year of doing numerous self experiments! How can I make a better life for my husband and myself? How can I live a more authentic life? How can I move into he life that we are constantly dreaming about? How can I be as fit, healthy, and happy as much as possible?

Some of the experiments that have resulted in some micro changes in my life have been:

  1. Morning Pages: Waking early every morning to write morning pages a la Julie Cameron, The Artist Way author’s recommended practice (one of them)! – this has been helping me deal with some out of control anxiety and feelings of overwhelm that I have been struggling with. This practice basically dumps all of my ever-running thoughts out of my brain every morning, essentially giving me a reboot every morning!
  2. Meditation: 15 minutes meditation most mornings of the week. I have been doing this after my morning pages, and because my brain is wiped clean after my morning pages, meditation gives me the conscious opportunity to fill my brain with the thoughts that I want to carry around, I mean on purpose! I focus on thoughts of thankfulness to my creator for all of the blessings that have come my way, and the ones that are on their way to me!
  3. Personal Altar: For my meditation time, I have created a small altar in my home. More specifically there is a small, comfortable cushion on the floor of my walk-in closet, and a small white shelf that I have cleared off (it is one of my shoe shelves), that I have placed various items that have special meaning for me. These are all things that I want to remind myself to think about while meditating. Some of the things are a glass heart to remind me that I am loved, a bracelet to remind me that I can be brave and do brave things, a candle to call my truth teller to my meditation space, and a small yellow toy farm truck to remind me of my future dream life! I have a bunch of other things too, something to remind me of my sisters, something to remind me to have fun, something to remind me of my amazing marriage, etc. etc. etc. This has become a sacred place in my life.
  4. Exercise: My sweetie and I have signed up for a fun 5k that happens October 1st of this year, so we have started a Couch to 5k training program! It has been hard work not only the exercise itself, but also not giving up!! Right now, we only walk/jog about 3 days a week, but starting this week, I want us to go for a least a strong walk every morning, so that the non walk/jog mornings, we are getting out and spending quality time getting fit together!
  5. Uncluttering: There has been a major uncluttering project that is currently happening in my house! Things are leaving though the front door at a whirlwind pace!! I realized that if I wanted the life that I have envisioned in my head to come true, then I would have to make room for it – both literally and figuratively! God bless my husband, he has been the epitome of patience, and support!
  6. Gathering a Team: I have learned, this year, that you don’t have to do everything on my own. So I am actively seeking a team of awesome people, who know more than I do, to help me in various areas of my life. Mental health, physical health, general life goals, etc. I have found a life coach, and have also been seeking out quality time with friends and family, and going out of my way to nurture those relationships. I can achieve every single thing that my heart desires, but if I do not have friends and family to share that with, then I think my joy will be lessened, and that is not ok with me. Joy that is shared is always multiplied for both the share-er and the share-ee. How is that for good grammar??? 🙂

Now with all of this said, and all of this done, and still going on, I am by no means perfect at these things. I still have to say “oops, my bad” and try it again tomorrow, but I feel like my life is heading in the right direction, or at least the humungous ship, that is my life, is starting to pivot in the right direction!! and that is such a very exciting prospect that it makes me think that my future is so bright that I have to wear shades!! I can’t wait to see what comes next, but baby, I think I will be ready!!

Here is to living a BEAUTIFUL CREATIVE life! 🙂

1 - Signature

If you want to have a different life you have to live differently!!

 

Goodbye to 38 by 38 Hello to 39 by 39!

CrownGood afternoon!

Yep! You have heard correctly, yesterday was my birthday so I am officially 38!! WHOO! HOO!! 😉

As some of you may already know, I every year I put together a X by X list. A # of objects by number of years I will have been alive by the time I finish this goal list! Two years ago was my 37 by 37 list, this past year was my 38 by 38 list, and starting today, I will be actively working on my 39 by 39 list. This is the list where I take 39 things from my master Life List and schedule the 39 things that I want to do before my birthday this next year!

Before I show you my 39 by 39 list, I thought I would start out by showing you how my 38 by 38 turned out!! 🙂

Here is my 38 by 38 list:

  1. Put $1,000 into a mini emergency fund – DONE!
  2. Pay off all of my non-mortgage debt – Almost there, almost about $4000 to go!! WHEW!!!
  3. Regularly tithe 10% of our household income – I did better on this one that I expected, but I wasn’t as consistent as I wanted to be.
  4. Downsize our belongings so that everything we own fit into our 2-bedroom, 1 car garage condo – DONE!
  5. Jog a mile – DONE!
  6. Take the train
  7. Go camping – DONE!
  8. Blow bubbles out of the car window while on a road trip – DONE!
  9. Clean out the garage – DONE!
  10. Hike the longest trail at Silver Creek Falls – DONE!
  11. Go on a walking tour of downtown Salem – I get a great deal on this from Groupon! I just have to schedule this before it expires and it will be done!!
  12. Take a cooking class
  13. Host a slumber party – DONE!
  14. Create a new line of inspiring art pieces of at least 12 designs
  15. Start my own company – DONE!
  16. Redesign my blog to make it a reflection of my personal style – DONE!
  17. Invest in blog/career business cards – DONE!
  18. Launch an interview series on my blog
  19. Send fifty handwritten handwritten notes (1 of 50)
  20. Lose an accumulative 100 pounds (105 of 100) – DONE!
  21. Volunteer in a cause that is near and dear to my heart
  22. Ride my bike for an hour straight
  23. Have a weekend vacation at the coast – DONE!
  24. Sell my entire collection of Pink Paisley Boutique jewelry (LET IT GO!)
  25. Host a movie-themed party
  26. Inspire someone to write a list of their own – DONE!
  27. Be featured in a creative publication
  28. Try at least 12 new recipes (12 of 12) – DONE!
  29. Prepare a meal using fresh ingredients from the Farmer’s Market
  30. Use re-usable shopping bags for all grocery shopping for an entire month
  31. Read every Jane Austen novel (1 of 5) – I read Pride and Prejudice
  32. Get a facial
  33. Revitalize 5 old pieces of furniture
  34. Teach an online class
  35. Read my Flying Lessons class book
  36. Wear bright red lipstick out in public for a day – DONE!
  37. Have at least 48 artist dates (35 of 48) – I did WAAAAAY better on this than I thought I would! So, I am going to consider this a win!!! 😉
  38. Have fresh flowers in the house every week for at least 10 weeks (6 of 10) – This was harder and more expensive than I thought, but I may try this one again!! 😉

As usual, I got a lot more accomplished than I thought I was going to, but there were actually a few things I was able to mark off of my master Life List that I wasn’t planning on. Here are those things:

  1. Fly first class – I did this on the spur of the moment on my last business trip!! First class was soooo worth the extra moola spent!!! 😉
  2. Learn to hula hoop – My friend, Jamie, inspired me to give this a try. I went out and bought a hula hoop, much to the chagrin of my sweetie, and I did, right there in my living room – almost breaking a lamp, but having a BLAST just the same!!! 😉
  3. Run a mile – I thought I would NEVER be able to do this!!
  4. Run a 5k – I thought either I was going to die doing this, or I was going to kill my sweetie for making me! But, in the end I was soooo happy I did this!!!
  5. Cross my legs – Who knew???? One day, I looked down, and realized, ‘Hey! I’m crossing my legs!!!’ It might as well have been free tickets to Paris! Yes, I was truly THAT excited!!! 😉
  6. Touch my toes with knees unbent – this was another one that I thought I would never be able to, but my sweetie insisted that I tried it. When I realized I could actually touch my toes, I wanted to sit in that position FOREVER!!
  7. Be able to do a complete Sun Salutation – Another shocker!! I am sure I don’t do it as gracefully as the ladies online do, but who cares???? I CAN DO THIS!!! Good morning, Sun!!! 😉
  8. Buy Jason a truck – Yep! I was VERY happy to be able to do this for my sweetie!!
  9. Create & post a video on YouTube – I am not sure why I thought this was such a scary thing!?? Easy peasy!!
  10. Do an entire cross stitch pattern – Another easy peasy goal!!
  11. Draw a piece of art that I am happy with – After I finished this particular piece I was surprised that it actually came out of me!!
  12. Go to a counselor – this was a requirement of the bariatric surgery, but it was still on my list so I am counting it!!
  13. Hire a nutritionist – same as 12!
  14. Hike the longest trail at Silver Creek Falls (10.4 miles) – This might have been the hardest 4 hours of my life!! UGH!!!
  15. Learn how to manage money – Thank you, Mr. Dave Ramsey!!!
  16. Learn how to purl – I did this, hated it, crossed it off of my list anyways!!
  17. Learn how to walk in heels – YEAH!! I’m a girl! I’m a girl!!
  18. Live without eating out for one month – bariatric surgery made this one easy!
  19. Live without junk food for one week – Same for this one!!
  20. Love my entire wardrobe – This is easy to do when you are down to two pairs of pants, a blazer, denim jacket, 3 dresses, and a few miscellaneous tops!
  21. Weigh less than 300 pounds – I will NEVER GO BACK!!
  22. Weigh less than 275 pounds – This was a little less than what I weighed when my mom died!
  23. Weigh less than 250 pounds – My goal is getting so close, I can almost feel it!!
  24. Weigh less than 225 pounds – This is so much harder than I expected!!! Keep going!!! 😉
  25. Eat at doughnut at Voodoo Donuts in Portland, OR – Such a LOOOOONG wait in a LOOOOOOON line, for an ok donut, but so much fun spending some silly time with my sweetie!!

WHEW!! I have been busy!! 😉

NOW, what do I want to see on my 39 by 39 list????

  1. Go to Brave Girls’ Camp
  2. Weigh less than 220 pounds
  3. Weigh less than 215 pounds
  4. Weigh less than 210 pounds
  5. Weigh less than 205 pounds
  6. Weigh less than 200 pounds
  7. Publish my own e-book
  8. Start my creative business’ website
  9. Start my creative business’ blog
  10. Watch a baby being born (my nephew – Liam)
  11. Become a life coach
  12. Be a mentor to someone else
  13. Be a spokesperson for something positive
  14. Beat Jason at a game of chess
  15. Read all of Jane Austen’s novels (1 of 5)
  16. Become a motivational speaker
  17. Become a plus-sized model for a day
  18. Build a loom
  19. Learn how to use a loom
  20. Grow a vegetable garden
  21. Carve a piece of art
  22. Build a piñata from scratch
  23. Climb a rock wall
  24. Cook an entire meal for Jason’s family
  25. Contact a distant family member & start communicating
  26. Share my art-making-process via a YouTube channel
  27. Purchase a professional camera
  28. Learn how to use it
  29. Create a time capsule
  30. Take a road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway
  31. Do a backbend
  32. Do a cartwheel
  33. Do a flip off a diving board
  34. Do a handstand
  35. Gather a group of people to blow bubbles in a public space
  36. Get a life coach
  37. Get a passport
  38. Get a pen-pal from a different country
  39. Get paid to do what you love
  40. Go kayaking
  41. Grocery shop using only reusable bags for an entire month
  42. Hang laundry in the sun to dry
  43. Pay off all non-mortgage debt
  44. Have 3 – 6 months expenses in an emergency savings account
  45. Have a prayer alter in my home with stair-stepped candles
  46. Knit a scarf
  47. Learn French
  48. Learn HTML
  49. Learn the basic ballet steps
  50. Learn the proper way to open a coconut
  51. Learn to can food
  52. Learn to create a frame to stretch canvas over
  53. Learn to make a book from scratch
  54. Learn to make ambrosia
  55. Learn to make doughnuts
  56. Leave $100 for a haggard waitress
  57. Make & send my own Christmas cards
  58. Make a loan to an entrepreneur in a developing country through http://www.kiva.com
  59. Milk a cow
  60. Organize a large family picture
  61. Own a pair of fabulous fitting walking knee-high boots
  62. Own an income producing blog
  63. Perform 100 sit-ups in one sitting
  64. Sell all of my jewelry from my old jewelry business
  65. Start a book club
  66. Take a cooking class
  67. Take a nature walk & press the wild flowers you collect
  68. Take a painting class
  69. Take a photography class
  70. Take a weekend vacation by myself
  71. Teach an online art class
  72. Type up great-great grandma’s recipe book for the family
  73. Volunteer in a homeless shelter
  74. Wear a size 14 pant

 

Ok, so I can TOTALLY see that there are WAAAAAAY more than 39 things on this list!! I think, at least for right this moment, I am going to keep the list extra long like this, and shoot to complete at least 39 items off of this list!! It is my perogative to change my mind at any moment in time to completely rehash this list or to completely start it over. As it stands right now, this list really makes me happy, and the idea of removing anything from it, honestly, really makes me sad! SO, to heck with it!! THIS WILL BE MY NEW 39 by 39 List!!

Here is to a FABULOUSLY productive, artsy, and memorable year!!! 😉

Signature Line

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

1-Year Post Bariatric Surgery Update!

This is me as a happy girl today!! ;-)

This is me as a happy girl today!! 😉

Good evening!

Yep! That’s right! As of today, it has been exactly one year since I had my gastric bypass surgery, and I thought it might be the perfect time to give you my weight loss update!

As of today, I have officially lost 99 point something pounds since April 2012, and 59 of those pounds have been since my gastric bypass surgery on September 4th, 2012. I say 99 point something, because I actually can’t remember the exact number that my surgeon said! All I remember hearing was 99 pounds. YEAH! ME!!! 😉

I have been reminded by my nutritionist that I am still eating waaaaay to many carbs, and I am almost 40 grams of protein short every day. OUCH!!

I also know that getting in 64 ounces of liquid a day has been the bane of my existence, and I am not sure I have EVER been able to get that much water in since my surgery. When your stomach is the size of 2 or 3 ounces, and you can’t drink within 30 minutes of eating, it really limits how effectively you can get your fluids in!

I also really need to step up my exercise routine!! I just need to push myself harder, and spend less time sitting on my keister!! 😉

SOOOOOO…

long story short, I have got A LOT of room for improvement!!

They also showed me a chart that proves that I am losing on the slooooooow track. and for some reason my physician thinks I am having a love affair with pizza – I really am not, but the last two times I had seen her, I had just happened to have pizza the previous evenings!! Which just also happens to be the only two times I have had pizza in the past three months! Sheesh!!

To say I left my appointment today feeling a bit defeated is an understatement, but I was reminded by my girl friends, and my sweetie that I have still come a LOOOOOONG way baby!! and I know it is true, but to put it out to the universe in writing, I decided to share a list that I had created months before surgery.

This is a list of all of the physical goals I had written to myself in May of 2012. Basically, this is the if-I-could-do-anything-after-weight-loss-surgery-this-would-be-my-dream-list:

  1. Jog a mile non-stop – DONE!
  2. Cross my legs – DONE!
  3. Touch my toes with knees unbent – DONE!
  4. Ride my bike for a half an hour straight
  5. Run up two flights of stairs without getting winded – DONE!
  6. Wear high heels without pain – DONE!
  7. Run a 5k – DONE!
  8. Fit into a bathtub – DONE!
  9. Sit Indian-style in a movie theatre seat – DONE!
  10. Be able to sit with my knees up against my chest – DONE!
  11. Be able to use the chair-tables in the auditorium – DONE!
  12. Be able to fit into a restaurant booth – DONE!
  13. Hike the longest trail at Silver Creek Falls – DONE!
  14. Weigh less than when I first met Jason, when I was 18 – DONE!
  15. Slip into a size-14 again – DONE!
  16. Not be the first one tired on an all-day shopping excursion – DONE!
  17. Get rid of the dreaded C-pap machine – DONE!
  18. Be able to ride cowgirl-style in my favorite evening activity! 😉 – DONE!

 

I actually hadn’t remember that I had written that list, but I have to tell you once I found it and realized that I have done EVERY SINGLE thing on this list except one (only because I haven’t tried it yet), and that was #4 Ride my bike for a half an hour straight, and I am sure at this point, I could TOTALLY do it!! 🙂

So, I am going to consider this a success thus far!!

Starting tomorrow, I am back on the straight and narrow, and my goal is to lose 30 more pounds within the next 6 months! WOULDN’T THAT BE AWESOME???? But the reality is, that if I never lost another single ounce from today, my life and my future is ALREADY better than it would have been 100 pounds ago!!! 😉 I have to keep in mind how good life is right this minute!! 😉

Here is to a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

Signature Line

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Our First Official 5K!

Good evening!

I would normally wait until tomorrow to post this since it is already so late this evening, but I am just too excited to wait to share our fun news!

Tonight my sweetie and I ran the Willamette Valley Road Runners Salem Summer Solstice 5K at Minto Brown Park here in Salem! 🙂

Instead of sharing all of the juicy details in just words, I thought I would share the pics that my sweetie and I accumulated this evening! 🙂

5k 1This is my sweetie, who was soooooo excited to get to complete his first official 5K that it was hard to get him to not speed the whole way to the park!! I was impressed that I got him to hold still for this picture – he was practically jumping out of his skin with excitement!! 🙂

5k 2I would like to tell you that I was as excited as Jason, but in all honesty, I was here under protest! I was tired, I had already done almost three miles this morning, and it was less than an hour a way from my normal bedtime – not to mention, I was worried that I would either not be able to completed the course, or I would fall and make a complete fool of myself!! But, not to be left in Jason’s dust, I was determined to run the 5K too! 🙂

5k 3THIS is what he came for!! He wanted a NUMBER SOOOOOO BADLY!!! Can you see on his face how happy he is??? It is good to see him this happy!! 😉

5k 4Yep! I got one too!! 😉

5k 5I was more excited about the electronic tracking devices that they gave us to wear on our shoes! They measure your times as you cross the start and finishing lines! They were pretty nifty!! 😉

5k 6There were sooooo many people! That fact just jazzed Jason more, and made me more terrified, but I was excited to see if I could spot some new peeps in this crowd!! 🙂

5k 7They had all of the participants broken out into two crowds. The first was the 10K runners (next year, love, we will definitely be in that group!!), and here you can see those guys just taking off!!! Us 5K-ers took off about 5 minutes later!! 🙂

5k 8Jason caught me coming across the finishing line!! I was so tired. There were times that I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to push through, but there were little kids passing me up, and I knew I just had to keep going!!! I was excited, however, because I had ran my fasted mile this evening, and that was a 10 minute mile – I couldn’t even do that when I was in high school, and my fastest in the last couple of months was a 13 minute mile!! I am calling that PROGRESS BABY!!!  😉

???????????????????????????????I practically collapsed into Jason’s sweaty arms as soon as I spotted him!! I have never been so happy to see him again!! 😉

5k 10Jason is such a stud!!! He beat my time by about 10 minute – HE RAN THE WHOLE THING!!! I am just sooooo proud of him!! He TRULY is my HERO!!! 😉

5k 11After the run, the organizer had a ice cream sundae bar for all of the participants, and although I couldn’t eat very much, Jason was very VERY happy to enjoy almost his whole sundae!!! He knew he had earned EVERY SINGLE SPRINKLE!!! 😉

5k 12Tonight was such an AMAZING night!! One that I am sure neither one of us are sure to forget!! I really am proud of us!! I can’t wait to see what hurdle we tackle next!! 😉

Here is to a VERY FABULOUS EVENING!! 😉

Signature Line

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

 

A Weight Loss Progress Update!

???????????????????????????????Good evening!

I thought I would just stop rather quickly this evening and give you all an update on how my weight loss progress has been going!! Since April of 2012, I have lost a total of 105 pounds. For the past couple of months I have been fluctuating between a loss of 102 pounds and 106 pounds lost in total!! So….with that in mind, I take body measurements every week. I measure my neck, underbust, waist, hips, right thigh, right calf, right bicep, and right forearm, and so far I have lost 50 inches in total! To me, that is more astounding that the 105 pound loss, in all honesty!! 🙂

My actual pounds lost is still going really slowly, but, and this a BIG BUT, my sweetie and I have started running most every morning!! We run a couple of loops in our neighborhood, one is very hilly and extremely difficult, and the other is hilly but a little more rolling hill in nature, AKA easier!! This has been really exciting to me, because what started out taking me 40 minutes to complete, now takes me about 32 minutes to complete. I can feel myself getting stronger and my recovery time is much faster than it has ever been. I am starting to get a taste of what being fit actually feels like – and let me tell you…all of the hard work is sooooo worth it!! 😉

???????????????????????????????

Not only have we been running, but this past weekend my sweetie, and one of our nieces and nephews went on a 10 mile hike out at Silver Creek Falls, and let me tell you, that was NO SMALL FEAT!!! In all honesty, I was so surprised that I was able to do it that I almost cried when we got back to the car!! Who knew how much life I was actually missing being 330 pounds??? All I can keep saying is that life is so good. LIFE IS SOOOOO VERY VERY GOOD!!! 😉

My sweetie was so inspired by our hike that even thought we were dog tired by the time we got home, my sweetie started looking for a 5k to get us signed up for, that very evening!! So, without my knowledge or consent, he has us signed up for a 5K run tomorrow evening!! LOL!! I say that jokingly because on one hand I was like, “hey, you wanna make sure I’m game before you go throwing my name in the ring???” but then again, I am pretty excited about running a 5K with him. I have run an unofficial 5K already, but I am going to do it again, because my sweetie doesn’t feel like he can cross this off of his life list until he has an official number from his run (you know the kind of number that you wear when in a race??) Well, that is what he wants, and so here we are!!

Life is good!! I know we are both feeling better than we have at any time in either our twenties or thirties (up to now), and I just couldn’t imagine ever going back to where we started from!!!

By the way, these pictures that I have posted this evening are just two of a plethora of pics I took while out on our hike! I will have a BUNCH more pictures from our hike posted hopefully in the next day or so! So stay tuned!! 🙂

With that, here’s to a VERY FABULOUS evening!! 😉

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Time for a Change!

CrownGood morning!

I am not sure if you have noticed, maybe you have, but I really haven’t been blogging here as much as I used to.

I started ChristinaVille on April 4th, 2010, can you believe it has really been that long? My intention for starting ChristinaVille was to have an outlet to share my day-to-day ramblings with whomever would listen. I didn’t really have any other goal outside of my own personal wishes, and in the last few months, I have been really convicted that I need to be blogging, not just for myself, but for others. I am a firm believer that we are here to learn from each others experiences. I have been having a hard time with the fact that my blog name is ChristinaVille. I know, silly right? but hear me out – ChristinaVille is a monicker my family gave to me a long time ago because I always want things done my way; I guess it is the plight of being born the oldest to 5 girls. Evens though I still struggle with wanting things done my way a lot of the time, I want my message to encompass more than me.

More than anything I want to help women realize that their wildest dreams can come true, and they can truly have the life that they desire. To help make that happen, I have decided that I will no longer be updating ChristinaVille, and have started a new blog called This Artsy Life. I will however, keep ChristinaVille up on the internet so all of the many hundreds of posts that I have written thus far will continue to be available to anyone interested in reading them.

My goal at This Artsy Life is to create a space where women can find resources, and encouragement to go after their dreams, while living a creative, art-filled life. It will be an evolving process, and even as I speak about it now, I am not sure how I will make it happen, but I know in my soul that this is the next step in my evolution. It is my job to be brave and take it.

Starting over is scary, but I think that having a clean slate is going to be exactly what I need to get from where I am to where I want to be.

I would be so honored if you would join me there, and subscribe to This Artsy Life. I know that I still have a lot more to share in my life, and I would LOVE for you to be a part of my journey!

Thank you so much for so many FABULOUS days! Here is to many, many more!! 😉

Signature Line

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

The Big Gala!

Good evening!

This is going to be a short post this evening! I have a to-do list that seems to be a mile long, but I promised my sister, Alexa, that I would share some pictures as soon as I was able to locate them. Well, I found them!! GO ME!!! 😉

My sweetie and I

My sweetie and I

I should probably tell you what these pictures are from. For those of you who may not already know, my sweetie and I had gastric bypass surgery this past year. My sweetie has lost 150+ pounds, and I am floating around a 95 pound loss. Anyway, every year the center where our FABULOUS team of doctors, nurses, nutritionists, physical therapists, psychologists, and counselors all do their day to day magic, host a big gala for all of their patients who have had the surgery.

My sweetie looking dapper in his tie! ;-)

My sweetie looking dapper in his tie! 😉

Needless to say, this was our first year going, and I have to tell you I was really nervous because I had no idea what to expect! Everyone gets all dressed up, and goes to the convention center here in town for a formal sit-down dinner. There is a professional photographer there and you basically get to share your stories with others, see you how your friends are doing, and pretty much just show off the newer slimmer, trimmer you!! It was like prom night for formerly obese people – ok, so that may not sound so glamorous, but trust me IT WAS!!!

Myself & BobbieJo! One of my FAVORITE peeps!!

Myself & BobbieJo! One of my FAVORITE peeps!!

We really did have an amazing time!! I look forward to going again next year, after I have been out of surgery for over a year! I can’t wait to see what I look like then!!

Anyway, we have not gotten our professional pictures yet, but I will be very happy to share those with you when I get my hands on them!!

Here is to a FABULOUS night! 🙂

Signature Line

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Doing New Things!

JoggingGood evening!

I am having such a freaking good day, that I could not help but get excited and tell you all about it!!! 🙂

First of all, after over a year on hiatus, I have started writing my morning pages again! For those of you that may not know, morning pages are a tool that Julia Cameron developed, who by the way is the author of The Artist’s Way, a fabulous book that I highly recommend for anyone wanting to tap into their authentic inner self!! Anyway, back to morning pages, it is basically writing, free-hand your randomly flowing thoughts for 3 pages first thing every morning. It is a great way to tap into your inner self, and to really listen to what God is trying to tell you and what your soul is longing for or feeling. When I first started doing morning pages, it was about the beginning of 2011, and at the time, I swore I would never stop doing them because they just have therapeutic way of helping you clear your head and see the world from a clear vantage point! Well, long story short, life happens and I stopped doing writing in my mornings, among other things.

You may have also noticed that I have not been blogging very much lately. Well, I have a confession. Not only have I not been connecting with myself by writing my morning pages, I stopped doing my artist dates, my belly dancing class, all forms of exercising, and blogging! Blogging, and all of these other things are so intimate and personal, and I really was sick of spending time with myself. I have realized that I have really been suffering from not wanting to spend any quality time with myself, so I have been doing everything and anything to keep the external chatter so loud that I have not been able to hear myself think. Literally. and I have to tell you, when I realized that this is what I had been doing, I was not only surprised, but realized I needed to turn off all of the external stimuli and get in touch with me again!!! My inner child was definitely starting to throw a hissy fit wanting to just have some pj time at home, with no obligations or commitments. So…. after a weekend of sitting around in my pajamas all weekend, doing almost nothing except reading, spending quality time with my sweetie, watching movies, and crocheting like a fiend, I decided it was time to make time for me, and put my internal dialogue back into the forefront of my life again.

Jogging 2

I am recommitting to my morning pages!

I am recommitting to blogging!

I am recommitting to taking long walks to absolutely nowhere!

I am recommitting to dancing like a crazy person for no other reason that it is just absolutely fun!!

I am recommitting to singing at the top of my lungs! My neighbors deserve to have a good laugh every once in a while too!!!

and I am recommitting to listen to myself. To my inner Chrissie, and whatever it is that she needs to have heard.

I am here.

I can be quiet.

I am listening.

Jogging 3I know my inner me has something that she is just struggling to get out into the universe, and I have decided it is time to start making the actions that will help her, instead of hold her back!! So, this morning, I woke up extra early! Walked my half-asleep self into my freezing cold art studio, and wrote, wrote, wrote!!! When I was done, I hadn’t felt so free in a really, REALLY long time!! Like I had lifted the weight of the world off of my shoulders.

Jogging 4

This simple act of spending time with myself writing emboldened me to do more with my day, so I decided that as soon as I got off from work this afternoon, that I would head over to the local high school track and I would walk, walk, walk, but first I would jog a quarter of a mile. Ok, I realize that may not sound like a lot to some of you, but I am a 37 year old, former 330 pound woman, who hasn’t had serious exercise in about 6 months, this was a pretty good freaking start!!! One of my goals this year is to run a mile, and then a 5k, and eventually a 10k, but let’s not get ahead of myself!!! 😉

Jogging 5

Finally, when we did get home, I have a mountain of about 500 books that I am working on selling online, but in all honesty I had COMPLETELY overwhelmed myself with the daunting thought of

“WHERE IN THE HECK DO I EVEN BEGIN TO TACKLE THIS ONE???”

Well, I realized that if I can jog a quarter of a mile, on a whim, I certainly could post a few books online to sell, just to get the ball rolling. Well, I committed to posting 5 books, and ended up posting 12 – that really does take a lot more time than one might think that would take!!

Happy, Happy Girl!!! ;-)

Happy, Happy Girl!!! 😉

Anyway, I feel so at ease, like there is hope for tonight, hope for tomorrow. I really can do what I put my mind to if I am willing to step up to the mirror and just face it.

No more hiding.

No more wishing someone else would make it all happen for me.

Today is the day.

Now is the time.

and that realization is energizing!!!

Here is to a FABULOUS evening, not being afraid to get quiet and listen!! 😉

Signature Line

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

WOW! How Time Flies!

Good evening!

I realized it has been a while since I have posted, and I wanted to make a point to get on this evening and give some quick updates on how everything is going.

Long story short…

Life is good!!

Physically:

As far as my weight loss goes, things have been going rather well. So far I am down about 75 pounds, but am plateuaing at the moment, which is frustrating, but very normal, so I am not too worried!! Now that the weather has gotten really cold and rainy, it has been a bit more difficult to get out and get moving, so I am going to have to get creative! Maybe some workout videos, or mall walking, or something like that! 🙂

I have to tell you, I am so proud of my sweetie! As you may remember, he had bariatric surgery 6 weeks before I had, and as of this morning he has lost 139 pounds so far, bring his total weight to under 300 pounds! Isn’t that AMAZING?? I am really just so proud of him!!! Keep up the good work, love!!! 🙂

Financially:

Jason and I are still going through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, and we are making leaps and bounds kind of progress – at least to us!! You may know that there are 7 steps to Dave’s plan, and Jason and I have completed step 1, Put $1,000 away for a mini emergency fund. We are currenlty working on step 2, and that is to pay off all of your non-mortgage debt. This step is going to take us at least a year to complete.

We have been busily selling items from our home to try and help pay this debt off. I have sold most of my clothes on E-Bay, and Jason has sold a hide-a-bed-loveseat, and our old laptop! This has been great, because not only can we use the extra room in our tiny place, it has felt really good to get debt paid off. So far we have paid off 3 of our 6 credit cards, and 3 of our medical bills!! That is such a GREAT feeling! At this point, we are thinking this step will be finished in August 2013. YEAH!!!

Home:

Besides getting some items out of the house sold, Jason and I have been actively downsizing, purging unneeded belongings. Our goal is to have everything we own fit into our two bed, one car garage condo. It is just too insane to have so much STUFF when you think that only 2 people live here!! I know that we have been married 17 years, so we have had quite some time to accumulate all of this stuff. So, we have a lot of work to do to accomplish this goal, but I know in the past month or so, we have made a lot of progress!!

Work:

Work is good and work is not so good! It is good, because I am on a FABULOUS team, with supportive management. It is not so good because we have so much work to do and there are only 3 of us to get all of that work done. How we are going to manage without some serious stress (or some serious drinking (just kidding)) I have no idea!!! It doesn’t look like things are going to let up until about May or June of next year!! I guess we are just going to have to hunker down and do the best we can with what we’ve got!! GO TEAM!!! 😉

Sweetie:

Last but not least! Life really has been so good! Jason and I are doing great, our relationship is stronger than ever. It still awes me that even after 17 years of marriage you can actctually be in love with your spouse! Not only that, but passion doesn’t have to die – with some devoted time and attention, you really can keep the flame burning!! I think that it has been helpful that we are in better shape than when we were first married! Our energy levels are through the roof!!

I have said it before, and I have a feeling I will keep saying it again!!

LIFE IS GOOD!!

Ok, so I am done gushing and rambling about my life is going!!

I am off to spend a nice, quiet evening with my sweetie!!

Here is to a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

 If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!

38 by 38

These are the thirty-eight goals I want to accomplish before I turn thirty-eight. October 10th, 2013, to be exact.

My 38 things!!

  1. Put $1,000 into a mini emergency fund
  2. Pay off all of my non-mortgage debt
  3. Regularly tithe 10% of our household income
  4. Downsize our belongings so that everything we own fit into our 2-bedroom, 1 car garage condo
  5. Jog a mile
  6. Take the train
  7. Go camping
  8. Blow bubbles out of the car window while on a road trip
  9. Clean out the garage
  10. Hike the longest trail at Silver Creek Falls
  11. Go on a walking tour of downtown Salem
  12. Take a cooking class
  13. Host a slumber party
  14. Create a new line of inspiring art pieces of at least 12 designs
  15. Start my own company
  16. Redesign my blog to make it a reflection of my personal style
  17. Invest in blog/career business cards
  18. Launch an interview series on my blog
  19. Send fifty handwritten handwritten notes
  20. Lose an accumulative 100 pounds
  21. Volunteer in a cause that is near and dear to my heart
  22. Ride my bike for an hour straight
  23. Have a weekend vacation at the coast
  24. Sell my entire collection of Pink Paisley Boutique jewelry (LET IT GO!)
  25. Host a movie-themed party
  26. Inspire someone to write a list of their own
  27. Be featured in a creative publication
  28. Try at least 12 new recipes
  29. Prepare a meal using fresh ingredients from the Farmer’s Market
  30. Use re-usable shopping bags for all grocery shopping for an entire month
  31. Read every Jane Austen novel
  32. Get a facial
  33. Revitalize 5 old pieces of furniture
  34. Teach an online class
  35. Read my Flying Lessons class book
  36. Wear bright red lipstick out in public for a day
  37. Have at least 48 artist dates
  38. Have fresh flowers in the house every week for at least 10 weeks

Here is to a FABULOUS 37th year of LIVING the GOOD LIFE!!! ;-)

 If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!