TGIF!

Hello all! Happy Friday! It's been one heck of a week around these parts!

Last Thursday I was rear-ended coming home from a veternarian's appointment with my Lizzie.

She's having teeth issues and had a follow up. We're fighting not having her teeth removed, so far the meds are working. Anyway... I was rear-ended by a van and have been dealing with the insurance company {who honestly have been exceedingly easy and kind to work with - yes, I know. Good insurance people do exist}. While Thursday night I didn't think the car was totaled, Monday came and with it the news from the service people that it indeed was.

The extent of my injuries were a couple bruises. Lizzie was completely fine. Thank heavens!

So, this week has been working with the insurance company on compensation and finding a new car. Still waiting to hear back from our loan people about the pay-off on the car, but once that happens, off I go to pick up a new one. As quickly as possible. This sharing a car is rough!

Tuesday, I was selected in the Broad Street Run 10 miler lottery. Surprised the living daylights out of me, but there it is. I entered because it's the perfect accountability for The Wild Half Half Marathon I'm running two weeks later. I'm looking forward to it. Hubby ran it in 2010 and I think it's a great race...especially now that there are medals. ;-)

Lent began on Wednesday and I decided on my Lenten sacrifices:

1. No sweets - cookies, cakes, pies, brownies, frozen yogurt {allergic to ice cream}, creme brule, etc.
2. No soda
3. I re-joined WW in the hopes that by sticking with it I will have good habits in place by Easter.
4. Daily devotional. I'm not great at remembering, but I do catch up on each day's even if it's not read that day.

There you have it. My week in a nutshell. It's been crazy and I'll be honest, not one {referring to the car accident} I would like to do anytime soon! The positive is, I'm fine, Lizzie's fine, and this should be behind us come next week. When I pick out and purchase my next car, I'll let you know!

Have a great Friday and weekend friends! Make it count!

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Lent

How was everyone's Fat Tuesday? Did you get your pancakes in? I did! Hubby and I ate at Perkins last night and fought the Buttermilk 5 {the Buttermilk 5 couldn't care less about this competition. It's all in our heads.}. Sadly, I lost to the Buttermilk 5. I ate 4.5 pancakes. Sad...

So today is now Ash Wednesday. In the Catholic faith the first day of 40 for reflection, abstinence, and remembrance. I'm not going to pretend to be a consistent Catholic. I attended Catholic school for 12 years and married in the Catholic church. Do I go to mass weekly? No. I'm the important holidays type of Catholic. Yea...

But for some reason I strongly adhere to making Lenten resolutions and keeping them. I don't know why, but I do. I have made up my mind for what I'm doing for Lent and thought I would share it with you:

1. Giving up sweets. No candy, cakes, cookies, pie, donuts, brownies, etc. {not sure what's left honestly...}. I've done this before. I know I can do it. I just know I've been out of control and need to be accountable.
2. Giving up soda. I had stopped drinking it except maybe once every couple of weeks. Somehow it has wiggled its way back into my diet. 
3. I re-joined Weight Watchers to focus on eating better. I have just gone nuts with my eating and I need help. My decision is to follow the WW plan as closely as I can each day. Follow the points and track. I won't be perfect, but if I focus on this I can do it. 
4. I would like to add something religious into my resolutions, but I haven't figured that out. I'll update if I do. Thinking of a devotional on the Kindle.

Are you honoring Lent this year? Are you giving something up? Are you adding something to your life? 
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Lent begins

Today is Ash Wednesday in the Christian faith. I'm a Catholic, or at least I was raised haphazardly that way and when it comes to major holidays I generally follow along. For some reason, I follow Lent. You may ask, what is Lent? According to CatholicCulture.org...

Lent is the penitential season of approximately 40 days set aside by the Church in order for the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. During this holy season, inextricably connected to the Paschal Mystery, the Catechumens prepare for Christian initiation, and current Church members prepare for Easter by a recalling of Baptism and by works of penance, that is, prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

For me, one of the biggest things of Lent is what am I going to sacrifice? I remember this as a child going to Catholic school, what would we give up? Obviously, we all said we would give up school or homework. LOL! That never really went over well...

So what will I do this year? The first thing I decided was to give up meat (except fish). I've done this in the past and know I can do it. I don't necessarily have a problem eating meat, what I have a problem with is getting in vegetables and protein. How does this go with sacrifice? In one sense it doesn't, since meat isn't that big a deal to me, but it does make me think more about being a better steward of my body. I only get one and while God may think it's perfect I know I am not holding up my end of the bargain. I want to take the next 40 days to concentrate on eating healthier.

This brings me to my second resolution. I am going to drastically reduce my sweet intake. I'll admit, this goes along with the above, I've been too crazy on the sweets and it needs to end. They are not good for me and if I want to truly live the best life I can while I can, I need to get a hold of this addiction (yes, addiction) and take control of my life. I say drastically reduce for three reasons:

1. Every Sat. I go to Dunkin Donuts with hubby for 1 doughnut after my run. I should give this up, but it makes my life so much happier.
2. I have a half marathon coming up on 3/30 and my preferred method of energy during my runs/race are Sports Beans (jelly beans). It's too late in my training to try something new. These I am allowing.
3. With above half marathon, on race day I may allow myself a treat afterwards. I may not, but I want the option. Though it is a Sunday and since Sunday's in Lent don't count...

I also want to add in something religious to my Lent this year. I downloaded the One Tree Bible Study app to my Kindle and will go through it each day. Hopefully! I'm awful at remembering these things. LOL! But, the idea is to add something of the Bible and God to Lent this year. I'm not all that religious, but I believe if I am going to follow Lent, then I should do something that reflects the reason for Lent.

I may not be perfect, but I am going to consciously make an effort to focus on these three things to better myself. Will you give something up for Lent? Do you believe in giving something up for Lent?


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Ash Wednesday

If you are a Christian, today is Ash Wednesday. Well, even if you aren't a Christian today is Ash Wednesday. It is the beginning of Lent and according to Catholic Online "it is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption."

I'm not going to go all preachy on you or anything. I'm not a big fan of people who constantly push their religion on others. I am not that great a Catholic honestly. I spent 12 years in Catholic school, but my family never really went to church except for major holidays (Christmas/Easter). But, for some reason Lent always stuck with me and I follow through on the giving something up for Lent each year. In the past I have given up meat, sweets, and soda. The sweets were the hardest.

This year, I decided to do something different. I believe I will reduce my sweets intake, but I want to do something more than that. I want to do something positive this year. So, instead of finding things to give up, I'm going to pray the rosary each day and I am going to pray for someone each day of Lent. I want to do something for others, not just myself. I'm hoping my small efforts can make a difference for those that I love.

Do you give something up or try to do something positive for Lent? Have you made your Lenten Resolution yet?

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Fat Tuesday

Today is Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras or any number of names you want to call it. Basically, it's the last day before Lent starts and if you're in NOLA there is one last parade down Bourbon Street. It's a day of excess to make up for the next 40 days of restriction for Lent.

I'm debating whether to have a donut or something today. I am going to a spin class tonight and I want to get a 30 minute run (on the treadmill) in afterwards. I wouldn't feel bad at all grabbing that last donut before Lent. Tomorrow I'll share what I'm doing for Lent, but I can say one of my goals is to cut back on sweets. I've given up sweets in the past, so this year I want to do something different. So, I'm not doing the sweet thing. This year I want to do something positive rather than something negative.

What about you? Will you be having that last hurrah before Lent today? 


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Lent

Well, today is Good Friday in the Christian faith, basically the saddest and holiest day of the entire religious year.  Today is the day, according to scripture, that Jesus Christ was crucified on a hill and died for our sins.  As a (very badly practicing) Catholic, it is the home stretch for Lent, with Easter Sunday just two sleeps away.  As a kid, it was on for Easter candy. 

As an adult, I look forward to my Lenten resolutions finishing up.  Because this year, I haven't done so great at them.  To review:

1. No meat (except fish)
2. No commercial sweets
3. 30 minutes of exercise a day
4. Reduce intake of french fries

I have done very good on two of the four.  Maybe I picked too many resolutions this year, spreading my will power thin you may say.  I haven't had a bit of meat since Ash Wednesday.  I've even eaten at McDonald's and chose the Filet O'Fish (which I had never had before actually).  For some reason, it's not been that hard to give up meat.  No burgers, no turkey, no bacon.  I think the fish had something to do with it.

Commercial sweets has been an unmitigated disaster honestly.  I just haven't been able to stick to it.  The first couple of weeks were great.  No sweets.  Did well.  And when we made our own cookies one week, I was fine, but the last couple of weeks?  Ugh.  Not so much.  It's just not been going well.  I've given up sweets in previous years and been fine.  I have NO idea why this year has been so hard.  I will say, I have reduced the amount of sweets, but I didn't eliminate them altogether.  :-(

And that 30 minutes of exercise a day?  Pshaw!  That went even worse than the commercial sweets.  Maybe I should have aimed for fewer days per week for longer because I have done that.  With the bike training for the duathlon, I've done a better job of getting out there several days a week to ride the bike and the time has increased each time as my mileage has increased.  Overall, I might have been ok overall on the time of exercise, just not doing it every day.  But, I will be honest, exercise has always been my downfall.  I'm just not one who revels in getting out there and sweating.  It's something I need to work on.

And the fries.  This was an eh resolution.  It wasn't a full-on resolution, it was just a "try to cut back" resolution and honestly, I think it went really well.  This year's Lenten french fry consumption is drastically down in comparison to my average fry consumption.  I believe it may have been once a week or once every other week.  That's amazing when looking at my average fry intake.  I am pretty proud of this one because fries are one of my biggest weaknesses.  But, without completely eliminating it from my diet, but by just trying to reduce the amount I consume, I did a great job of actually following through.  It made me realize that not every meal out needs to include fries.  There are other (tasty) options out there.  And hopefully I can ride this past Lent and into my every day life from here on out.

So, I suppose if I were grading my Lent, I would give myself a C.  I did well on two of my resolutions, but two I just did awful.  Maybe a good try for sweets and exercise, but that's about the best I can say.  It's something to learn from and to realize they are areas I need to concentrate on, not just during Lent, but beyond. 

Lenten Resolutions

I will admit, I'm not the best Catholic in the world.  I am Catholic.  Attended Catholic grammar and high school.  I have had all the sacraments and was married in a Catholic church (the same church I grew up in).  But, I have never been a go to church on Sunday person.  I go in spurts, but never stick with it.  I do go to church at Christmas (usually Christmas Eve), Ash Wednesday, and Easter. 

As today is Ash Wednesday, I'll be going to church this evening for ashes.  It's also the beginning of Lent and the time of year where Catholics give up something or vow to improve something.  It's similar to New Year's Resolutions, but with an end date.  What's great about Lent is that it is 40 days, which is long enough to form a habit.  So, every year, I make my resolutions and hope for the best.  This year I'm sharing with you what my Lenten Resolutions are.

1. No meat. I will go with being a pescetarian for 40 days.  This means no meat except for fish.  I've done this before and I believe this is a good one for me.

2. No commercial sweets/desserts.  For the past several years, hubby and I have given up sweets altogether.  Then, at the end of Lent, we go back to eating sweets/desserts like nothing happened.  This resolution is to get us to concentrate on making a change on how we view sweets/desserts.  Rather than buying donuts/cake/cookies/ice cream, we will make healthier options, whether it's a healthy recipe or a recipe where we switch in healthier ingredients for not so healthy ones.  I want to get us off our dependence on commercial desserts and start making our own, healthier ones.  Hoping that the 40 days sets this as a habit for when Lent ends, so we continue doing this rather than always counting on the grocery store.

3. 30 minutes of exercise daily.  I've had such a hard time with this the last several months that I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to focus on moving.  I have so many options that it's really stupid that I don't do something everyday, so Lent will make me push myself to get in 30 minutes of moving a day.  I'm hoping it will do what Resolution #2 does for me, gets me in the habit of exercising and make it like second nature after Easter. 

4. This resolution is one I'm having difficulty with (hence why I should probably make it!).  I eat way too many French Fries.  They are one of my favorite foods.  It's right up there with pizza.  I chose meals when we go out on whether they come with fries or not.  So, I'm keep thinking I should give them up for Lent.  So, while I'm not sure if I can do it, I think I am going to try.  There are lots of options to eat that are healthier that I should be focusing on and yet French Fries always call to me.  My thought was no french fries, but sweet potato fries would be ok.  I say this because there are only like two places locally that make them, whereas everyone makes french fries.  We shall see how this goes.  This may be more of an awareness resolution than a hard and fast resolution.  See how it goes.  I think it will make me think twice about what I order when we go out and try to come out with other side dish ideas when I make dinner as we do make frozen fries at times with dinner.

So, those are my resolutions.  Are you making any resolutions?  What are they?

First Day of Lent and Other Goodies

First day of Lent, which implies first day of Lenten resolutions.  Did you make any?  You all know what I vowed to do.  So far not too bad.  I am kinda on the hungry side right now, but I had a light lunch, which should account for that.  I heated up soup with some crackers and dried cherries.  Will need to make larger meals if I'm not going to snack between meals.  Dinner is going to be stir-fry veggies and tuna over brown rice, a favorite of ours.

Professionally, things are going well too...as well as they can be I suppose.  Yesterday, I got a call for an interview.  I applied last month for a temporary part-time fundraising position and I received a call to come in for an interview.  I go in tomorrow to the staffing company to interview, fill out some forms, and take some assessment tests.  We shall see.

In addition to that, I sent an email to the Garden State Legacy on-line magazine editor regarding writing for the magazine.  I suggested an article on baseball in NJ.  This morning I received a confirmation from them that they would like to publish the article!!  Soo excited!  And it pays.  Not much, but I'll be a published author come June.  :-)

Things on the photography front are moving along as well.  I finally made a decision on which logo I wanted to go with, now I'm working on tweaking it.  Have to make a decision on a few details, but I can see having my logo finalized within the next day or so.  Phew! 

And, another article is up on examiner.com.  Today's topic revolves around The Hershey Story in Hershey, PA.  Check it out!

Things are moving along around here.  Hoping to have more good news in the coming weeks.  :-)

Ash Wednesday

Ah, it is the begining of Lent again. The time for Lenten resolutions that I am so more apt to follow than New Year's resolutions. Maybe it's the whole going to hell if you break them. LOL! You'd think I was a good practicing Catholic from that comment, wouldn't you? ;-)

So, for the second year in a row, I am fasting. It was HARD last year. Really, really hard. I had never done it before and decided to try something new. Get out of my comfort zone. So, since I did it last year, I basically felt like I couldn't take a step BACK, you know? So, this year I fasted and got hubby to as well. heehee. It's been a rough day, as I am very hungry at the moment. I am waiting on a cup of chai tea with milk right now. It's thicker than regular tea and warm. Ahhhh, warmth.

So, other Lenten resolutions:

1. No meat. I am a pescetarian for Lent (meaning, no meat except fish).
2. No sweets. No cookies, cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, pudding, jello, etc. This does not include fruit or my sweet 'n low for my coffee/tea.
3. I will follow up WW plan to the letter. Exact number of points Sunday through Friday, with a splurge day on Saturday (which I still cannot have meat or sweets).

I had thought about doing other resolutions as well, but I couldn't decide on any. So, tomorow starts day 1 of Lenten promises. Wish me luck!