October 30th will be exactly 2 years since I moved to Tuscaloosa and bought my house. It has been an amazing two years and I have so much to be thankful for! I have made new friends, had some wonderful experiences, and before 2 years ago I think the total amount of time I had hung out with Amy was about 2 days over the total of our lives!
I really wanted to share one recent story.
Sunday Michael, Amy and I went to the movies to see Paranormal Activity 3. Bless Michael, he had to sit between Amy and me-she had one arm and I had the other. He is so sweet to put up with us...and obviously he is ok with it because we have planned to watch scary movies on Friday night! So...Last night I was going to the grocery story really quickly to return some movies-when I opened my garage door it BROKE. I am working so hard on a promotion at work and things at home seem to have gone a little crazy. So I freaked and locked my house since I couldn't let the door down. I called Michael, Amy's fiance on the way to the grocery store. They hopped in the car and came over. In the last 2 years we have gotten to be wonderful friends! Amy is my "cousin by marriage"....that is the easiest way to explain it. My Mom's brother, John, is married to Amy's Mom's sister, Jenny! Haha Amy graced me with the honor of asking me to be her Maid of Honor for her wedding! I tell her that I am the Old Maid of Honor since I am 8 years older than her!!!
Basically it has been amazing to have Amy in my life and Michael is an added bonus! We made sure he knew early on that we were a package deal and that our family is included in the package! It has just been great getting to know "this side" of the family and I am really very thankful.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Halloween?!?!
I hope your Monday is almost over too!!!
Friday, October 21, 2011
THINK PINK!!!
Ok...don't hate me because I am typing in PINK!
This afternoon after rushing through lunch I stood outside tie dying t-shirts for our Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk on the 29th! We have all shades of pink. I just wanted to share how wonderful and giving everyone has been.
We started with a goal of $1000 and quickly passed it. I bumped it up to $2000-right now we are $99 away from that goal. And I know for a fact that there are 3 BIG donations that are on their way or haven't been uploaded yet!
This afternoon after rushing through lunch I stood outside tie dying t-shirts for our Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk on the 29th! We have all shades of pink. I just wanted to share how wonderful and giving everyone has been.
 |
| Look at the colors! |
We started with a goal of $1000 and quickly passed it. I bumped it up to $2000-right now we are $99 away from that goal. And I know for a fact that there are 3 BIG donations that are on their way or haven't been uploaded yet!
This is just so wonderful that everyone is so eager to participate and support our survivors here in the Tuscaloosa VR office.
Thank you to EVERYONE who has donated and anyone who still wants to donate it's not too late!!!
THINK PINK and ROLLLL TIDE!!!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
WHOW!
Time flies when you are BUSY AT WORK! I have officially taken over a new caseload at work that coincided with the end of our fiscal year. I feel like I have been in a haze until today...it's like coming up for air.
So here I am-Realizing it's almost the middle of October and wondering what I might NOT get done on my list:
1. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
2. OAR Concert
3. Jason & Beach
4. Loose 50 lbs
5. Whitewater Rafting
6. Pat Conroy
7. Food Fight
8. Dega
I have tentatively scheduled a trip to see Jason, but who knows if it will work. OAR, well I was sick with Staph/MRSA for the concert in B'ham and I don't think anyone can go with me to the one next weekend, 50 pounds is taking longer to loose than I hoped. The thing I keep reminding myself is it took longer than a year to put it on-so of course it will take longer for it to come off! Whitewater-the summer just got away from me to plan this, it just may have to roll over into 31! Dega, well everyone has just spent so much money that I think we all overlooked Dega. Dad and Neil just got back from a huge trip to Key West and we leave this Thursday to go to Tunica, Memphis and Oxford, so this just didn't happen. There is an outside chance, but the numbers are stacked against us! I have e-mailed Pat Conroy's wife to see if there is a time that I can meet them...this is DEF something I will not give up on. Meeting him would be like meeting a celebrity for me!!!
I'm by NO means giving up....just being a little realistic. This year has flown by and honestly without completing my list I have already accomplished what I wanted. To push myself and start my 30's off with a bang rather than feel miserable about them! The rest of this will just be icing on the cake!!! Have a great week!!!
So here I am-Realizing it's almost the middle of October and wondering what I might NOT get done on my list:
1. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
2. OAR Concert
3. Jason & Beach
4. Loose 50 lbs
5. Whitewater Rafting
6. Pat Conroy
7. Food Fight
8. Dega
I have tentatively scheduled a trip to see Jason, but who knows if it will work. OAR, well I was sick with Staph/MRSA for the concert in B'ham and I don't think anyone can go with me to the one next weekend, 50 pounds is taking longer to loose than I hoped. The thing I keep reminding myself is it took longer than a year to put it on-so of course it will take longer for it to come off! Whitewater-the summer just got away from me to plan this, it just may have to roll over into 31! Dega, well everyone has just spent so much money that I think we all overlooked Dega. Dad and Neil just got back from a huge trip to Key West and we leave this Thursday to go to Tunica, Memphis and Oxford, so this just didn't happen. There is an outside chance, but the numbers are stacked against us! I have e-mailed Pat Conroy's wife to see if there is a time that I can meet them...this is DEF something I will not give up on. Meeting him would be like meeting a celebrity for me!!!
I'm by NO means giving up....just being a little realistic. This year has flown by and honestly without completing my list I have already accomplished what I wanted. To push myself and start my 30's off with a bang rather than feel miserable about them! The rest of this will just be icing on the cake!!! Have a great week!!!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tuesday's...
I have not been posting on Tuesdays...I have been so busy with work that my postings have been hit and miss. I am up today and I am waiting until I am BACK DOWN to where I was previously before moving that scale again.
However over the past few weeks weight has been on my mind. Just the in's and outs, ups and downs and the struggles. With 1 out of 3 adults in America falling into the range of "Obese" it's a scary world when it comes to weight. Especially when you put the judgements and criticisms on top of that.
Sometimes I feel that people think that I am lazy and that is why I am the size I am. Before I had my lapband surgery my doctor told me that I am the "Most FIT FAT person" she had ever met. I know that struggle with weight runs in my family, although you would never know that if you met my mother. But over the last few years I have come to realize that between genetics, metabolism and lifestyle it's like the odds are stacked against me.
Only one of those do I have complete control over to change--and that is lifestyle. Now it's hard to admit, but this can be scary to change. I vividly remember the first time I drove up to a gym at my highest weight. I cried in the car not wanting to go in because I knew nothing about a gym. I had been a band geek in high school-I didn't know how to use any of the equipment and the 5 seconds of instruction the gentleman at the gym gave me was NO help at all. It was just way too overwhelming. I called two people who told me to suck it up and go inside. The thing is....the longer I sat in the car the worse it got. I learned that day that although I get uncomfortable I just have to make myself do things.
Much of this is the reason my 30 in 30 list was created. I honestly have let my weight hold me back in life. I haven't done things I have wanted to do and I think in many ways-that has kept me from being or becoming the person I want to be. I want to be outdoors, adventurous, and sspontaneous!
I recently read an article that talked about weight and how many people with weight issues also have emotional issues. Here is an excerpt:
“If I lose weight, how will people know how that I am in pain?” So lamented a patient to Deannie Jennings, director of the clinical programs at my weight clinic. Deannie repeats the lament often, because it seems to express a message often sent by what she calls the “language of obesity.” Inside the fat, someone is probably in pain, and in a morbidly obese person, the pain may be close to intolerable. So, the next time you see an obese person, try offering compassion. Who knew? We fat people have feelings, too.
http://fitbie.msn.com/2011/09/26/do-americans-hate-fat-people-fight-prejudice-against-overweight?gt1=50002
I think that much of this is true-however I can say that as I have changed that even though I might be better emotionally it doesn't mean that the weight is just dropping off. Which in turn does affect me emotionally-"cyclical" is the hardest part of breaking weight issues. It's like you have to wake up daily and make a commitment that no matter what the scale says or how tight your pants may be-that you are going to love yourself enough to not fall into that cycle.
I encourage everyone to work daily on breaking the cycle. And if you aren't able to today, don't beat yourself up over it. We are human, will make mistakes or miss the mark, just wake up tomorrow and try again!
Have a great day! And don't forget to laugh! Laughter makes life better!
However over the past few weeks weight has been on my mind. Just the in's and outs, ups and downs and the struggles. With 1 out of 3 adults in America falling into the range of "Obese" it's a scary world when it comes to weight. Especially when you put the judgements and criticisms on top of that.
Sometimes I feel that people think that I am lazy and that is why I am the size I am. Before I had my lapband surgery my doctor told me that I am the "Most FIT FAT person" she had ever met. I know that struggle with weight runs in my family, although you would never know that if you met my mother. But over the last few years I have come to realize that between genetics, metabolism and lifestyle it's like the odds are stacked against me.
Only one of those do I have complete control over to change--and that is lifestyle. Now it's hard to admit, but this can be scary to change. I vividly remember the first time I drove up to a gym at my highest weight. I cried in the car not wanting to go in because I knew nothing about a gym. I had been a band geek in high school-I didn't know how to use any of the equipment and the 5 seconds of instruction the gentleman at the gym gave me was NO help at all. It was just way too overwhelming. I called two people who told me to suck it up and go inside. The thing is....the longer I sat in the car the worse it got. I learned that day that although I get uncomfortable I just have to make myself do things.
Much of this is the reason my 30 in 30 list was created. I honestly have let my weight hold me back in life. I haven't done things I have wanted to do and I think in many ways-that has kept me from being or becoming the person I want to be. I want to be outdoors, adventurous, and sspontaneous!
I recently read an article that talked about weight and how many people with weight issues also have emotional issues. Here is an excerpt:
“If I lose weight, how will people know how that I am in pain?” So lamented a patient to Deannie Jennings, director of the clinical programs at my weight clinic. Deannie repeats the lament often, because it seems to express a message often sent by what she calls the “language of obesity.” Inside the fat, someone is probably in pain, and in a morbidly obese person, the pain may be close to intolerable. So, the next time you see an obese person, try offering compassion. Who knew? We fat people have feelings, too.
http://fitbie.msn.com/2011/09/26/do-americans-hate-fat-people-fight-prejudice-against-overweight?gt1=50002
I think that much of this is true-however I can say that as I have changed that even though I might be better emotionally it doesn't mean that the weight is just dropping off. Which in turn does affect me emotionally-"cyclical" is the hardest part of breaking weight issues. It's like you have to wake up daily and make a commitment that no matter what the scale says or how tight your pants may be-that you are going to love yourself enough to not fall into that cycle.
I encourage everyone to work daily on breaking the cycle. And if you aren't able to today, don't beat yourself up over it. We are human, will make mistakes or miss the mark, just wake up tomorrow and try again!
Have a great day! And don't forget to laugh! Laughter makes life better!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Cha-Cha-Cha-CHANGES!
So I needed to make room on the blog for another goal/cause that is very important to me. So #10 the 1/2 Marathon is going to be changed...
In the last year- 4of the women that I work with have been diagnosed with breast cancer. This has given all of us at work a scare about the "Big C" and that is why Deborah planked Connie's desk a while back!
On October 29th Tuscaloosa will be having a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and many people from our office will be participating! I have put together a team for the Tuscaloosa Vocational Rehabilitation Office-with our agency we are categorized with numbers and our unit number is 3/2. So our team name is 3/2 The Unit.
I would appreciate anyone who is able to give helping us with this. You can read about Deborah on the like provided with "Planked" and there are other blog posts that she shows up in...I have found a home in Tuscaloosa and need to support the people who have helped me make that home! Anything you can give will be appreciated! You can GIVE HERE ....who will be the FIRST?!?!?!
Thanks so much and have a WONDEFULLY PINK DAY!!!
In the last year- 4of the women that I work with have been diagnosed with breast cancer. This has given all of us at work a scare about the "Big C" and that is why Deborah planked Connie's desk a while back!
On October 29th Tuscaloosa will be having a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and many people from our office will be participating! I have put together a team for the Tuscaloosa Vocational Rehabilitation Office-with our agency we are categorized with numbers and our unit number is 3/2. So our team name is 3/2 The Unit.
I would appreciate anyone who is able to give helping us with this. You can read about Deborah on the like provided with "Planked" and there are other blog posts that she shows up in...I have found a home in Tuscaloosa and need to support the people who have helped me make that home! Anything you can give will be appreciated! You can GIVE HERE ....who will be the FIRST?!?!?!
Thanks so much and have a WONDEFULLY PINK DAY!!!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Renewal...Changes...Transformation...Revolution...
Yesterday was the 10th Anniversary of Sept 11. I know anyone who has a TV knows that. I must admit that with everything that has been going on up here in the last 6 months (tornadoes) that seeing the footage of Sept 11th was tough. I think it would have been rough no matter what-but it just feels like there has been a lot of tough stuff lately. I think that Sept 11th for my generation will be the same as JFK being shot for my parents generation. I know that most of us remember where we were when we heard and saw the towers being hit and falling. I know we were all glued to the television that day and huddled with the people we care most about.
I have begun to think of Sept 11th as a time of Renewal (thus the title of this post). I urge everyone to take the purpose of this blog to heart. We should all work to become the people we want to be. We all should be a little nicer to our neighbors, smile at strangers, learn to laugh at yourself, and try everyday to something good for someone else. That is my challenge to the world. Starting today be a better version of yourself-I will be Reese2.0!
Working in a field that is about "helping" sometimes I miss the mark when I am not at work. Tonight I joined a gym (mine was blown away in the tornado) and it has some wonderful classes. I went to the BodyPump class and I can barely walk, but while I was there I just talked to everyone about being sore tomorrow, that I had just joined the gym, that I hadn't done BodyPump in years. There was an older lady there who was a little nervous and I continued to turn around, smile and talk about how sore my legs were she opened up. After the class she told me she had just joined the gym again after being gone for a while and she was nervous. She thanked me for being so open about being nervous and just being honest. That is what being here is about-supporting each other and making it a little easier to make it through this life!
I hope you all have a wonderful week and I promise to be better at posting. I have a lot of things left to check off so I am about to head into the final push!
I have begun to think of Sept 11th as a time of Renewal (thus the title of this post). I urge everyone to take the purpose of this blog to heart. We should all work to become the people we want to be. We all should be a little nicer to our neighbors, smile at strangers, learn to laugh at yourself, and try everyday to something good for someone else. That is my challenge to the world. Starting today be a better version of yourself-I will be Reese2.0!
Working in a field that is about "helping" sometimes I miss the mark when I am not at work. Tonight I joined a gym (mine was blown away in the tornado) and it has some wonderful classes. I went to the BodyPump class and I can barely walk, but while I was there I just talked to everyone about being sore tomorrow, that I had just joined the gym, that I hadn't done BodyPump in years. There was an older lady there who was a little nervous and I continued to turn around, smile and talk about how sore my legs were she opened up. After the class she told me she had just joined the gym again after being gone for a while and she was nervous. She thanked me for being so open about being nervous and just being honest. That is what being here is about-supporting each other and making it a little easier to make it through this life!
I hope you all have a wonderful week and I promise to be better at posting. I have a lot of things left to check off so I am about to head into the final push!
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