Well oh my, once again it’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog! Gah.
We’ve seriously had a lot going on! I spent most of the day today at the Orthopedic hospital as Kevin had surgery on his neck. They removed a degenerative disc and fused two vertebrae together. Thankfully, the surgery went very well and I’m so grateful it’s over with!
I snapped this pic earlier today as I was waiting in Kev’s room for him to be done with surgery and for them to wheel him in!
I don’t think I’ve ever been in an empty hospital room without a bed in it! I waited there for about an hour and it was nice and strangely peaceful.
The view was beautiful from his room…
The kids and I went to visit Kev tonight and I’m happy to say that he looks pretty darn good. I’ll be glad when he gets to come home tomorrow!
Ya know, I really don’t love the hospital environment, and heaven knows we’ve had a lot of it over the years, but somehow the hospital environment really grounds me and helps me to be grateful for all of the things we’re not going through.
I told Kev how grateful I was that this surgery was somewhat elective and not the super scary variety.
It was almost exactly three years ago when Kev was hospitalized for a severe Chron’s/Colitis flare and then later found he had some pulmonary embolisms as well. Yes, that was scary and I’m sure glad we’re not there now.
It’s interesting how life experiences beat you up, but also make you so much stronger! In some ways I feel like I’ve gained more anxiety and PTSD along the way (ha ha!), but I’ve also developed a much greater perspective. I appreciate things more, love harder and live life fuller! I’d also like to think that I handle stress and hard times a little bit better because I’ve gone through so many hard times…..and have survived!
Anyway, Kev’s surgery this time wasn’t super stressful, but it does just make me think and feel grateful.
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We also had another heavy life event happen recently. Just over two weeks ago Kev’s dad passed away from a heart attack. Even though he was 86 years old and has gone through a few health scares in the past, I somehow just thought he’d always be here. It’s been so hard to lose him and I’m not sure if my brain has really fully accepted it yet.
I took this picture with Kev’s parents almost 24 years ago. It was the first time I’d met them.
Aaaaaad, I took this picture in July.
It was the last time I saw Kev’s dad and I’m sure glad I got a picture with them. I love them both so much!
I gotta say that Kev’s dad is one of the hardest workers I know! He was so funny and witty and always telling the best “dad jokes.” He was full of love and faith. He always stood up for what he believed in and was a tremendous leader and example.
Kev’s parents prayed together every night and they told us many times that they were praying for us. That always brought me so much strength and peace. They are some of the most faithful and humble people I know and I have always felt so comforted by them.
We traveled up to Oregon for his funeral last week and it was beautiful.
Kev is the youngest of eight kids, so his family is huge! AND, I love every last one of them with all of my heart.
I feel so grateful to be a part of such a great family with so many incredible people! It was fun to see some of our nieces and nephews that we hadn’t seen in a long time.
Again, it’s interesting how life experiences can be so hard and painful, but can also give you a greater understanding and allow you to experience more joy. I really do think the hard times I’ve been through have allowed me to love and appreciate life and people so much more. There is SO MUCH to be grateful for!
And although I will miss Kev’s dad dearly, I will always remember him in my heart. I know that sounds cliche, but it is so true! His love and example have touched my heart so deeply and have changed my life.
In fact, I lost my sweet daddy about 2 1/2 years ago and I gotta say that I’ve definitely felt his presence in my life since then so many times. I’ve had many sacred experiences that have strengthened me and encouraged me and I know without a doubt that he is definitely still very much alive and is aware of me.
Again, I’m just so grateful for all the wonderful people in my life and I feel so blessed to have had such a good father and wonderful father-in-law.
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Well, this post is full of so many random things since it’s been so long since I’ve blogged! We had a fun Halloween. Halloween is such a weird, but fun holiday!
My kids absolutely love Halloween and I love experiencing it with them! I feel like I get to be a kid again as I experience it through their eyes.
My boys wore their costumes to school for a costume parade on Halloween.
My 11 year old decided to wear the same costume as last year (an inflatable poop emoji, ha ha!) He actually chose a black full-body bodysuit for his costume this year, but since they don’t allow masks at school, he opted for his ol’ reliable poop costume for school.
My sweet, darling, innocent 9 year old wanted to be a scary Grim Reaper for Halloween. Folks, this boy is just as sweet as they come! It was strange to turn him into such a scary guy. He wanted me to paint his face for school since he couldn’t wear his mask too.
Later on, I helped with both of my boys’ class parties. In fact, I also volunteered my daughter to help with my 9 year old’s party too! She did a great job and I loved having her there with me.
It doesn’t seem like too long ago when I was helping with her Elementary School class parties. Sniff, sniff. 🙁
Oh, and speaking of my daughter, she did the coolest makeup for Halloween!
She is so talented and I love what she did! I tell her often how lucky she is to have had YouTube and Pinterest to help her learn all “the stuff!” When I was a teenager, I just had to figure things out on my own, learn from my friends or pick up what I could from Seventeen or YM magazines! Ha ha!
My daughter also tells me all the time that she wants to do my makeup. I think I should let her. I enjoy doing makeup, but I really only want to spend 5 minutes of less! I could probably learn a thing or two from her.
On Halloween night we took our three little boys + one friend out Trick-or-Treating. It was a cold night, but we had fun!
Check out this little sweetie pie’s face mask! Ha ha.
He was actually Iron Man for Halloween, but since it was so cold, we threw this random Batman ski mask on him!
After we were done Trick-or-Treating, the kids sorted their candy out and shared the things they didn’t like with Kev and I! They gave Kev all of their Snickers and Almond Joys and they gave me all of their Peanut M&Ms. Yay!
It was a fun Halloween!
We also had Fall Break a couple of weeks ago. On the first day of Fall Break, we met Kev for lunch and went to The Spaghetti Factory.
I also took some of the kids to Hee Haw Farms one night. It was such a cute farm!
We went on a wagon ride….
And the kids had fun going down the slides and playing in the corn box.
We also enjoyed the zip line, petting zoo, feeding the goats, picking out pumpkins and just enjoying the “fall spirit.”
We also went to Nickel Mania one day and had a great time.
It was a nice Fall Break.
We’ve had a lot of fun, but life has also been a little heavy the past few weeks.
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I also gotta talk a bit about health and fitness since this is a health and fitness-ish blog! I do have some deep thoughts to share!
The past few months have been interesting in regards to health and fitness for me! In June and July I was in a really good spot. I was doing the Oxygen Magazine Challenge, I was eating pretty well, exercising consistently and I just felt good.
I’d lost a few pounds, my appetite and cravings were down and my body was responding well. Whenever I recognize that my body is in a good spot (hormones and body functions just working well!), I try to remind myself to STAY THERE as long as I can!
But, such is life, my August got a little crazy. My little sis was in town for almost three weeks and we partied it up! We ate lots of good food, I skipped some workouts and sure enough, pretty soon I wasn’t feeling too good, I gained a few pounds and my cravings and appetite went back up again!
So, come September, I organized a healthy challenge with some of my friends in my neighborhood. It was fun and just the thing I needed. I wasn’t perfect at it, but I cleaned up my diet, kicked my exercise up a notch and my body started responding well again!
Aaaaaand then, the past few weeks I’ve been spiraling downward again. With Halloween, Fall Break and the stress going on in our lives….I’ve been eating a little more crap and missin’ some workouts.
Soooooo, my message today is that life is crazy! It’s not realistic (unless you’re super human) to expect yourself to live a perfectly healthy lifestyle all the time! That is life and it’s okay!
However, on the flip-side, if you train yourself to give in or slack on your goals every time life gets crazy or every time there’s a holiday, special event, birthday, family gathering, etc….you will get absolutely nowhere!
It’s important to find that balance between cuttin’ yourself some slack and allowing yourself to be human AND stickin’ to your guns and reaching your goals! You are the only one who can determine what that balance is and what works for you!
I’ve learned that two HUGE keys for me are:
- Remaining mindful and accountable.
- Being aware of the effect my choices have on me and my life.
I don’t need or want to be obsessive and revolve my life around healthy living, but I do just try to be aware of the choices I’m making each day and I try to make those choices deliberately.
When I can stay mindful and committed, I always thrive! I’m more aware of what I’m putting in my mouth and I tend to stick to all of my healthy goals more.
I’m also well aware that as I remain mindful and accountable, I make better choices in all aspects of my life! Those choices then tend to feed off each other and make healthy living much easier!
For example, when I’m “on” and striving to be mindful, here are some of the choices I try to make and the positive effect they have on my life:
- I make my sleep a priority! This allows me to have more energy and a more positive, “can-do” attitude! My workouts are also more effective and it makes eating better easier.
- Intermittent Fasting! This is something I’ve talked about a lot on this blog, so I won’t go on and on. I love Intermittent Fasting so much and when I commit to it and choose to do it, healthy living becomes so much easier! I have more energy, I eat less, my body functions well, and my appetite and cravings stabilize.
- Start my day off with warm lemon water. This may not make a huge impact on overall health, but I’ve heard it does have some health benefits! It definitely helps me to stay more committed and focused on my goals and is a great way to start the day off!
- Taking my vitamins regularly. Again, this is something that’s hard to tell if it’s actually working. I’ve always been a busy body and I’ve felt like I have a cruddy immune system. Years ago I started taking vitamins more regularly (usually just Vit C, Vit D, Fish Oil and Magnesium) and it’s definitely felt like it’s helped! I don’t get sick as often and I just feel better. Also, when I remember to take my vitamins, it reminds me to stick to my other goals as well.
- I’m aware of the the foods I’m putting in my body. I don’t obsess, but I just try to be more aware of my cravings and appetite. I ask myself if I’m really hungry or if I’m just tired, stressed, bored, etc. Also, when I’m tempted to eat junk food, I remind myself to eat something healthy first and then see if I’m still “needing” that junk food. After I eat something healthy, I usually realize that I really don’t want or “need” that junk food after all!
These are just a few examples, but I’ve definitely noticed the positive effect these choices have on my life and how they create a positive momentum!
Those positive choices feed off of each other and help to keep me motivated and successful with my goals! It makes healthy living fun and so rewarding!
I’ve also noticed the effect that negative choices have on my life. If I start slackin’ on my choices, it’s only a matter of time before my whole healthy living mojo is in the toilet!
When I start making not-so-good choices, I seem to spiral downward. I start to become more reactive instead of proactive in my life!
- When I slack on my sleep, I don’t feel as motivated to eat well or exercise.
- When I start eating junk, particularly sugar, my body starts to crave more! My appetite goes up and it makes it SO MUCH harder to want to eat well. It makes healthy eating seem so daunting!
- When I eat crappy, I sleep crappy. Simple as that. Diet has a direct effect on our quality of sleep. I’ve witnessed this again and again!
- When I start to skip workouts, I start to justify skimping on my other goals. I don’t eat as well, I don’t drink my water, I just don’t care as much about my goals!
You catch my drift.
Soooo, really the KEY for me to thrive with healthy living is to be accountable and mindful and very aware of the choices I’m making!
With that being said, I’ve definitely been a bit up and down the past few months. I’ve been well aware of when I’m doing well and why I am!
I’ve also noticed when I start to slack, how that makes me feel and WHY I got into that downward spiral in the first place.
So, I just want to remind you guys that those choices do matter and they add up! Start each day off with a positive attitude and recommit to healthy living every day. Pay attention to your body, mind and mood and see what you discover.
Welp, that’s all I’m going to say tonight! Let’s sure hope that our lives can start to calm down a bit, eh? I hope you all have a fantastic evening! xoxo
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