Thankful Thursday

Thanks for the kind comments and words of encouragement. Being a blogger is being part of a great community. 

Am I repeating kitty photos? Sorry (not really. They're cute.) I have lots to be thankful for and I know it. 

It's easy to focus on the wrong things and lose sight of what's important. We may not have wealth but we have our health. Even Kirby is back to normal. 

My struggles are not the end of the world. I do wonder if I make the right decision. I usually assume that I do except for one decision. The student loans. I regret that today, yesterday and I'll continue to regret that the at least 17 more years. I want to be a mover and shaker but I can't because of the ginormous mountain of student loans. 

My current goal is to pay off all the student loans. But I haven't won the peer all yet. 

Thankful Thursday

There's a lot of things to be thankful for. My health, my family's health, my job and my kitties. I think it's important to reflect on positive things. I had the interview today and I'll find out about the job later. I'm very nervous to find out whether I got it or not. Either way, I still have a good job. 

Marvelous Monday

Dear friends,

I am writing today about my weight. A long time ago, I was seriously overweight. I lost over twenty pounds. Over the years, I would lose my focus and gain some weight back. This has meant that I've lost the same ten pounds three separate times. I am not a nutritionist but an enthusiast for good health, which means I plan to share my knowledge with you. 

Are you overweight but don't know where to start? I'll help you. Comment or send me an email. My first tip will be up on the blog tomorrow. 

Thankful Thursday - Blog Hop Edition

 Dear Friends, As we know, tragedy can be heart breaking. These are the times I turn to being thankful. Reminders of the good things I have, turn my mind away from the negative things we are surrounded by. Please join me. 1000 Things I'm Thankful for 21- Health 22 - Safety 23 - Family and Friends who texted me on Monday 24 - Friends to pray, cry, and console with 25 - Opportunities to give back 26 - TV to inform and help me stay weather aware 27 - Coffee and tea to energize 28 - A car with no hail damage 29 - Churches providing assistance 30 - Friends who stayed safe from the storms.   Clearly, being thankful can bring out my selfish nature and its nothing to be ashamed of. Link up your thankful thursday posts below and grab my little button. Click around and I'm sure you'll be inspired. I am looking for co-hosts, guest posts, and blog swap opportunities. Let me know if you are interested. <center> <a href="http://www.esthernorinedesigns.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/p633/esthernorine/Snapbucket/064B5285_zpsa92b64ee.jpg" height="250"width="300"/></a></center> <p> a</P>

 

Weight Loss Wednesday

Welcome to Weight Loss Wednesday! This post is dedicated to my progress, tips, tricks, and all things health/fitness. Recently, I weighed in for the first time in 2 weeks and I was floored by the scale. I am still not sure if it is correct or not. The scale said I had lost 5 pounds. That would be 2.5 pounds every week. My best week was a two pounder week, and that is why I am skeptical of this weigh in. Next weigh in will be in another two weeks. To all my bloggy friends and readers: I am encouraged when you comment on this post about your progress and I love to comment on your blogs as well. Let's link up! Please leave me a comment today and we will link up next week. Please stay tuned for Thankful Thursday: Cookie Edition. I am linking up with my personal favorite:    

Thankful Thursday

Welcome to Thankful Thursday, a mental exercise in good health. There are many things to be thankful for but at times life and stress become overwhelming. These are the moments when being thankful is critical. Today, I am thankful for nature. The peacefulness, the calmness, the greenery are all perfect to me. I don't get to enjoy nature enough. While I am in a state that doesn't boast many natural beauties, there are still opportunities to enjoy God's bounty. Let's all stop and smell the roses. (If anyone wants to buy me roses, especially my hubby, that is A-Ok by me.) Please stay tuned for High Five For Friday.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Welcome to Weight Loss Wednesday where I share my journey towards good health. I wanted to share my newest favorite food: the sweet potatoe.I recently discovered (this past weekend) how easy it is to cut the sweet potatoe into bite sized pieces and roast it to perfection in about an hour. Initially, I ate three bites and saved the rest. Then I ate 12 bites and finally I had to finish it off yesterday.  So good and easy. I am not really a cook but somehow I need to feed myself nutritious foods. Finding easy recipes is my key to good nutrition. I squirted pam all over the potatoe bites before beginning the roasting process and it was roasted at 400 degrees.  Please remember to friend me on My Fitness Pal so we can encourage each other towards good health.Stay tuned for Thankful Thursday.

Thankful Thursday

Welcome to Thankful Thursday. This has been an important activity to help me stay positive. Life can be way too stressful and its easy to forget the good things. This week, I am thankful for good health. I pray everyday for myself and my husband to have good health. I also pray for the kitties to have good health. This may sound silly to some people but to me it is important. Please share what you are thankful for. I love swapping stories with my bloggy friends.

Roof or party deck?

There's live music, energetic conversation, sunny skies. It's a good night to be out at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

Yesterday, I listed my top 5 and it was a fun exercise in focusing on the positives of a day. I would like to continue that to today and encourage you to do the same. Staying positive is not easy but it's good for your health.
My top 5 for Thursday:
1: I had a Lara bar for snack, yummy!
2: I shared tips with my coworkers to help with sales.
3: It rained today, so refreshing!
4: I came up with a new career plan.
5: I came to the museum to have a good time.

Feel free to share your top 5 with me or at least write it down. It is a valuable activity.

Top ten things I'm thankful for

My top ten things I'm thankful for.

10: Technology - Moving to a new state is a big challenge but learning about my new home was a bigger feat without the internet.

9: Books - I love to learn new things about myself and the world around me.

8: Music - Calming, relaxing, refreshing are all words I would use to describe music.

7: Nature - All of my senses are alive when I am outside. I hear the wind in the trees. I smell the fresh air. I feel the nippy breeze. I enjoy viewing the beauty.

6: Experiences - I have been through many experiences. Exciting experiences on vacation and difficult times when I had to rely on God. I wouldn't change a thing.

5: Health - I am so thankful for my health and my family's health. I pray we stay healthy.

4: Pets - As much as the cats annoy me, I love them and they love me back too.

3: Friends - The family that God gives me is my friends and I am so thankful for them.

2: Family - Most of my family is far away but in my heart they are very close.

1: God - All thanksgiving goes to God, Who has blessed me profoundly.

Contentment

I am content with what I have. My needs are met. I intend to enjoy what the good spoils in my life.

I've decided to no longer dwell on the past. I used to do that and it was not good for my health.

Accepting what we have with joy is the best attitude. This can reduce stress and increase happiness.

Its not easy but nothing in life ever is. It is worth it because life is too short to dwell on painful events or actions.

Dear Lord, Thank You for Your wisdom and patience. I am learning every day to be pleased with what I have because it all came from You as a gift. Amen.

No Reason

I haven’t blogged much lately and I miss it. I really wanted to blog about important topics around health, life, and wellness. I thought about blogging about food, even though I am a complete failure in the kitchen. I considered blogging about business and finance since I work in the industry. Reality has hit and I haven’t written much at all.

I enjoy writing and plan to continue but I definitely need to find a new focus. With that new focus, I will have plenty of content to post on the blog. Thanks for your patience as I work this out. If you have suggestions, I am always open to feedback.

Staying connected

Today’s rating is Positive.

I realized that I haven’t reached out to any of my friends or family most of the week. It’s important to stay in touch with people especially when going through a tough time. I’ll send a text to one friend, call a family member, and post a message on someone’s wall on Facebook.

Living in isolation is bad for your health. If you feel lonely, call somebody. I promise you will feel a lot better. In my opinion, we all need each other. God created us to be social creatures not hermits.

Saturday Joys

Today’s rating is positive.

Saturday joys usually entail errands, tasks, and activities that I didn’t complete during the week. This is an effort to reduce stress and feel better about myself. Its an effective tool that you are welcome to use when you are under mountains of stress as well.

Stress can destroy your physical and mental health and I have been there before. Fall 2008 was a difficult time for me at work. The stock market was crashing every day and I was talking to people about their accounts. There was a lot of yelling and crying. Eventually it got to be too much for me but with God’s help I managed through. From that experience, I have learned that stress needs to be managed otherwise it will overtake you into depression.

Dear Lord, Thank You for taking care of me in some of the darkest times!

Tough day: could be an understatement

Today’s rating is Negative.

Work was hazardous to my health today. One issue had me so stressed that I couldn’t breathe properly. It took a lengthy amount of time to relax and breathe again. Afterwards, I went to the gym to try and cheer up with positive endorphins. I had my first workout with a personal trainer and I felt like a failure. I am a weakling when it comes to throwing balls and doing the plank.

How I overcame these challenges:

I prayed to God and that helped a little. I asked for positive feedback and I got some encouragement from my mom. I also accomplished a task that I don’t like but needs to be done, I vacuumed the floor. I have to remember that tomorrow is a new day. I can leave the issues, struggles, and poor thinking behind me. Thank you Lord for helping find the strength! Thank you friends for your encouragement too!