Making things happen

I am going to be upfront with you during this post... I am so proud of me. There, I said it. That must have sounded horrible to you, but I can't tell you the last time I said I was going to lose weight and finally have done it. I have lost 15 pounds since December!!! Take a look at the before...

(Those colors washed me out too) but the after is sooo much better...

It's not terribly drastic, but I feel good in my clothes again. I am not sure if that makes sense, but when you put on some weight and you don't feel good in your clothes it really can start taking a hit on your self-esteem. I finally made a concious decision that I wanted to feel good again. I am not talking about super-skinny workout fanatic, but to have a better quality of life and truly consider what I was sticking in my mouth. Note to self, just because it tastes good doesn't mean it's good for you. (Trying saying that to me when I was sampling everything I made during the holidays!)

 During this "back to healthy" time I was still training for my half marathon which I ran in Nashville, TN. I am pleased to say I have completed my sixth one and loved every minute of it. The hubs did not train, but was there to carry all of our stuff. He was an excellent cheerleader too. When asked if he would run with me next time his exact words were, "I don't run unless someone is chasing me."

We had a great time in Nashville when I finished my race. More importantly it meant I was finally back to being healthy and accomplishing something again. It was not easy to do, but now that I am here I don't want to go back to where I was... just feeling low. Funny how all that can come from a few extra pounds... it totally went to my head!

I'm in Shock

I want to start this post by letting you know I am okay and my family is safe. It will probably be no surprise to you when I say I am in shock over the tornadoes that struck the Southeast. I live in central Alabama and Wednesday morning I woke at 5:30 with the wind beating against the windows and lightening/thunder popping off every few seconds. Jonathan was already at the gym playing basketball and I had no idea a wave of tornadoes were moving through the state.

I ran into our sunroom, got the dog, and let him hop in the bed with me. The power was out and I didn't hear any sirens going off. After listening to it for 30 minutes and the weather seemd to have passed. I started getting ready for work and Jonathan returned home shortly after. Not having power I couldn't check the news and figured it was a bad thunderstorm. I left for work early and there were trees blocking the roads, debris scattered about, but other than that no houses seemed to have damage. It wasn't until I got to work and started hearing stories that I realized there was much more taking place. They told us to go home early and prepare for the storm that was coming through that evening. Our power came back on, so we watched the news and learned the other storm would reach us around dinner time.

We went to the basement, watched, and waited for the storm to pass. We talked to our families the entire time and it seemed our area was in the clear. It was after the storm that I learned it was much worse. No one could get through the phones to check on us, I couldn't call out, and then the damage reports started coming in on the news. Late that night we finally spoke with friends and other family members to let them know we were safe. It seemed other parts of the nation knew what was happening before we did, because there was no power and no way to find out unless you had a radio.

I was able to get to work the next morning. People were missing family members, friends, and neighbors. Everyone seemed so numb, it's like, they were at work because they didn't know what else to do. One of my coworkers went outside and his entire neighborhood was gone except his home and one other neighbor. I guess shock makes people do crazy things because I couldn't believe he was at work. This is just one story the other stories are so tragic I can even type them out. My parents are in North Alabama and are still without power. It almost seems the least of their concerns when entire cities have been wiped out.



Please pray for the people in this area. We are strong and I know we will overcome this disaster, but I feel so horrible for those who are suffering and have nothing left. I can't imagine losing loved ones like this...