Wow. I messed up on my Resolutions. ALREADY!

It is the last day of January.  I made some resolutions, of course, like most everyone does to begin a new year.  Guess what?  I failed.  I failed miserably at ALL. BUT. ONE.  How could I let this happen?  In a month where I was certain no excuse was good enough? How? I don't know.  I say that A LOT.

I DO KNOW.  I was not committed.  I wasn't ready to get rid of some old habits.

Here is the one I succeeded at.  Working overtime.  WHY did I succeed at this one?  TWO REASONS.  I needed money, and I needed it quickly.  So much easier to run into work, make time and a half. SO MUCH EASIER to do that than to work on my home business.  The other reason is simple.  I HAVE TO.  I have to work extra hours to bring myself back to full-time status.   I HAVE TO.  THERE IS THE ISSUE.  I don't HAVE TO do the others, I NEED TO, but I don't HAVE to.

Here are a few small triumphs ~ I had a goal of helping 5 NEW people get healthy.  I made it to 3.
Swimming ~ I did swim every single week but one.  Not too bad.
Weight ~ 12 pounds gone, not 15.  Again, not too bad.

Now for the not so good.

Cycling ~ TOTAL FAIL.  I rode about 2 miles, not anything even remotely close to my plan. No spin classes, no trainer {until last Sunday}.  FAIL.
Walking/hiking ~ 1/2 of the miles I promised myself & my dog.  LAME.
Scripture reading ~ oh, about 1/3 of the time I read my scriptures.  OH GREAT.
Books ~ I did complete two books ~ but they were AUDIO books.  THAT COUNTS?  Why is there a question mark?  I have NO CLUE.

Argh.  Look at what I just did.  I made myself feel like a failure.  INSTEAD, I should celebrate the good.  WHY DO I ALWAYS look at where I messed up? 

Now, the old me would be bashing myself.  The NEW me?  Well, I give myself permission to mess up now and then.  I am NOT PERFECT.  So, for February, I will have some goals in mind, and some I'll probably do okay with.  Some, I hope, perfect at.  Others, well, knowing how I am & how I roll, I'll probably mess up.  It's OKAY. 

That's how I look on my bike :)

I am not perfect, nor do I pretend that I am.

This year, 2014, I promise to TRY, FAIL, SUCCEED, and be happy with it.

I'm BAAAAACK!!

I have been gone for quite a long time.  Life really happened to me the fast few months.  So many changes felt like they threw me a curve ball that I couldn't overcome.  That is not true, as I know that Heavenly Father only gives us challenges and ways to grow.
  My mom was put into hospice care at home this Autumn.  Sobering thoughts, and sadness crept over me.  I started over-eating to compensate for my sadness.  This has happened before.  I KNOW what it does to my body now, and for a few months I just didn't care.  As the scales creeped upward, I saw the inevitable start to happen, once more.  My knees hurt, my feet hurt. I felt winded on a short walk.  OH BOY.  Another wake-up call.  I know what it feels like to be HEALTHY, not SKINNY.  I wished for that to come back.  This has gone on for long enough.  I am BACK to my beloved nutrition the way it is SUPPOSED to be, not eating bags of licorice, diet cokes with coconut syrup and lime {dirty diet cokes as they're called in Utah} ~ for good reason, I might add.  Dirty little secret of sucking you in as you suck on your straw. 
So here it is, 2014.  I have made resolutions with short term goals ~ 30 days, if you will.  Today is day #2 of my first 30 days. I am doing great ~ and I'm ready to face the world head-on, HEALTHY, THINNER, and MOST of ALL, with LOVE and GRACE and DIGNITY.  I will be sharing with you about my mom from time to time.  I will be sharing the good days, the bad days, and the triumphs.  Not every day is a good day.  I think we all have a day where we are bummed, sad, tired or grumpy.  With that said, let's get on with the picture journal of days 1 & 2...

 Mom and Dad's first meal brought in by Meals on Wheels.  My siblings and I have been trying so hard to provide meals for them, but we feel like a daily warm meal would be so helpful.  I am truly grateful this program still exists.  It was warm, sweet and sour meatballs, a full meal of complimentary items, and delivered with a smile and a hug. 

 I have been working on giving up eating out's awfulness for new healthy options AGAIN.  Spinach, pear, gorgonzola, turkey bacon {just a little} made up this salad from Blue Lemon at City Creek.

 One of my resolutions for January is to spend time on foot ~ 10 miles worth.  I have a round ligament injury, BUT Shadow & I walked a mile today out to the Morgan County airport.  26 degrees, and we both enjoyed the walk.

 The Wasatch Back ~ or the back side of the Wasatch mountains near my home.  Cloudy today, and there were a few snowflakes falling on our walk.

 The size of my hips absolutely HAD to have been magnified by the water, right? It felt so good to get into the pool, and my daughter Heather was my swim buddy, and we swam an HOUR!  So PROUD.

 Bountiful Rec Center pool ~ beautiful.  Steam room afterwards makes me think a cleanse day spent here would be absolutely PERFECT.

 Day #1 healthy lunch ~ an Asian salad from Paradise Bakery. I skipped the edamame {I'm avoiding soy where I can}, and I skipped the noodles.  YUM!

Back to drinking purified water.  I filled up my water bottles from the church well in Centerville.  It's FREE, and there's no chlorine or flouride added. 

Gratitude Walk On Conference Sunday

Today was general conference for the LDS church.  Between the sessions I drove up to the road to Monte Cristo.  I found a closed campground & pulled in.  I just wanted a quiet walk by the river.  Mission accomplished. Dirt roads are so much less painful on my knees for some reason ~ asphalt hurts more.  Dirt it is!

Just a dirt road.  I don't like walking on asphalt much.  It hurts my knees less to walk on dirt.

The Ogden river in very early spring.  Dark clouds dotted the sky, rain had just finished.

Winter's Grove Nature Trail

I had just grabbed some fish & chips at Dylan's in Ogden, and a hotdog for my dog, Shadow.  I decided it would be fun to run up Ogden canyon to find a place to sit down & eat them outside, even though it was sprinkling rain & cool.  I remember camping at Jefferson Hunt as a teenager with my family when we were waterskiing at Pineview reservoir, so I pulled down into the turnoff.  The gates were locked, BUT I found a nature trail totally by accident!  It runs alongside the Ogden river, and the information at the beginning of the trail talks about it being a nesting ground for raptors and other birds there near the river and lake.  Walking along without my eyeglasses, I saw two large animals moving along the trail.  I thought they were deer!  I then heard their call, and I know that sound!  Sandhill cranes, brown bodies, with a little splash of red near the throat.  Shadow was startled, too, but she didn't chase them.  They were not happy to see us, so we walked by quite quietly and quickly.  The trail is just a flat loop that totals about 1 mile, benches are scattered about, and it was a pleasant place to eat our lunch.  I will count it as mileage for the year, though, and I think we may go back a time or two.  I remember the mosquitos being awful at Jefferson Hunt in the summer, so for now, we'll stick with the seasons before or after summer.  What a pleasant surprise!

Little foot trail, flat, easy and birds chirping made for a very pleasant walk.

Excited to find somewhere new to hang out!

The trail goes alongside the Ogden River.  This is the view looking Northwest towards Eden, Utah.

Willows alongside the trail

The Sandhill cranes.  They look to come up about to my hip.  Noisy, fun to see up close.

Thinking Spot on the Art Nord Trail

Needed to get quiet today & meditate on ideas for the upcoming WIN segments I will soon be video-recording.  I took Shadow & we went up to Art Nord trail to breathe the fresh air, listen to the birds and running water.  Success!  Ideas have come, now just to get them in writing & in a format that I can talk about.  Beautiful day, and Shadow just sat by my side when I sat down to think & dream. This is the Art Nord Trail, on the very North side of Snowbasin, accessed only by Old Snowbasin Road, via Huntsville.  

Doggie drinks!

My thinking spot today.  I swear I sat here for 30 minutes with the ultimate gratitude for the life I've been given.

Alone with my thoughts & my dog. 

She just sat down & stayed with me while I prayed & dreamed.

Doesn't get much better than this!

View from the Old Snowbasin Road on the way to the trailhead.  Pineview Reservoir in the background.  I have dreams of living on this hillside.

Very FRESH moose tracks!!  Where did he go?  We didn't get to see him.

First time on Legacy Trail!

Today was my very first time riding on Legacy Trail in Davis County, Utah.  We started out in North Salt Lake, and ended in Centerville.  It is quite a lovely trail, lots of families out today, young and old enjoying the weather and fresh air.  The trail is relatively flat, lots of places to rest, honey buckets for your pottying needs, and well maintained.  It is scenic in lots of areas.  I could hear frogs in the wetlands, saw some creatures scurrying about, and the BEST part is safe from traffic.  No worries about getting hit by a car!  My friend Robyn came with me, and I loved having someone to go with.  Sometimes being alone isn't the best way to train, right?  I will definitely come here often!

Me. I love my bike.  Not so fond of my hips, but they will shrink as I work hard this spring!

One of the "get ons".  There are TONS of places to get on the trail ~ easy access with parking, maps, and places to rest.  LOVE how this trail was set up.

View looking North to Farmington and Centerville.  I grew up here!

Tunnel!!  They made this trail just perfect for anyone!

Robyn Dallin, my motivation!  We were nurses together YEARS ago {1989} on West 6 at LDS hospital.  LOVE her, and so happy she took me today. 

My first jersey.  It has a little shrug with long sleeves for chilly rides.  Fond memories with this one.

Biking Miles ~ Welcome Spring!

Miles on foot have improved a little bit!  The snow is off our streets, and here's a glimpse of my new route from home.  Not quite as awesome as Wilkinson Reservoir, but it is still close-by, and I plan on going there a lot.  Along this route are the Browning Firearms offices, the Morgan County airport, and a virtually traffic free route to walk and bike.  Today I biked about 5 miles ~ my first real ride of the season.  Not very far, but a 580 foot rise in elevation, so my legs and lungs were burning as I fight off a little respiratory bug that isn't going to take me down!  Bike miles to date ~ 20.  480 miles to go for 2013. Shadow isn't able to go very fast, and neither am I just yet, so she came along for a little bit.

The Browning firearms offices ~ I'd like to run on in and grab a gift certificate for a .22 rifle!

Neither one of us likes asphalt.  She is a good sport to come along a bike ride. 

Lonely road next to the runway.  Lonely is good.  Very good.