Bettered my time for walking a mile

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

On Monday my time for walking a mile was 28 min 47 sec.
Today I walked a mile in 26 min 12 sec.
I shaved off a total of 2 min 35 sec.

It may not seem like a lot but for this 56 year old body that has been out of shape for some time, and that has replace knees, It is a great victory.



Watching the movie "Chariots of Fire" about Eric Lidell who was a runner in the 1920's from Scotland. I ordered this movie off of Amazon for some motivation in my journey. Awesome.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MOTIVATED@LAST 12/1/2011 5:26AM

Well done on improving your time. Chariots of Fire is such a great movie!! Awesome soundtrack! Report Inappropriate Comment

MOMMA_BEAR_69 12/1/2011 4:26AM

You are doing a super job!!! Keep it up. Report Inappropriate Comment

FAITH2BWELL 12/1/2011 12:16AM

If only I can get started. Keep up the good work. Report Inappropriate Comment

RGEETING 11/30/2011 11:51PM

Happy WITH you about your shorter mile time!!!! Are you familiar with Eric Lidell's complete life's story? You can read a synopsis of it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_L iddell His parents were missionaries. After the Olympics, he became a missionary to China and had a family. Things got dangerous there, and he sent his wife and children to safety and stayed behind where he served in an internment camp until his death. I remembered being amazed at the rest of his life, having only heard about the "Chariots of Fire" version - His sacrificial and dedicated life for god was so much more than that! Enjoy, my friend! Report Inappropriate Comment

NOTSPEEDY 11/30/2011 11:32PM

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Goals for 2012

Monday, November 28, 2011

One of my goals is to finish organizing the upstairs of our house, and get it the way that I want it to be.
Before I do that I need to do another vision collage, and make some plans of how I am going to do this.
Deal with my bipolar/depression as it comes, and find ways to continue working on my goals despite of it.
Make a tee-shirt quilt for my youngest son.
Make a tee-shirt quilt for my husbands nieces.
Start planning for doing some scrap booking.
Get active at my gym, so that I am not wasting the cost of my gym membership.
Work on healthy menus that I can use for planning my healthy meals.
Journal. Learn to, because I find this difficult.
Work up to walking a 5K. And do it for charitiy. (Currently I have been able to walk a mile,)
Read through the Bible throughout the entire year.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

INNERATHLETE111 11/29/2011 3:14PM

I love your 2012 goals. You have covered many aspects of your life. I have found journaling hard to but it is so helpful when I do it! God bless you and you with your goals. Now, you have me thinking about my 2012 goals!! Report Inappropriate Comment

MOMMA_BEAR_69 11/29/2011 12:15PM

Goals!! Report Inappropriate Comment

CAMELA_55 11/29/2011 8:40AM

Great goals! I finally read the entire Bible in one year in 2009 after starting it multiple times Report Inappropriate Comment

RGEETING 11/28/2011 11:44PM

Wow! Great goals! You're doing great!!!!! Comment edited on: 11/28/2011 11:45:07 PM Report Inappropriate Comment

CRYSTLE4HIMTX10 11/28/2011 10:45PM

Great goals. Report Inappropriate Comment

quiet day, pumpkin bread with my son

Friday, November 25, 2011

We are celebrating Thanksgiving day on Saturday with our kids.
However, my daughter called when she was on her way driving to her husbands brothers house for their Thanksgiving meal. And she came by later on her way home. He stayed there to go out shopping early int he morning with his brother.
My youngest son loves anything pumpkin. He came by this evening to bake pumpkin bread with me, which we have done for many years together in the winter time. He really likes to cook with me. And I loaded up the recipe into the recipe nutrition tracker and was able to fit a piece into my food for the day. So that was nice. I guess, it would give me another serving of vegetable.
Happy Thanksgiving all.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CRYSTLE4HIMTX10 11/25/2011 11:01PM

Yum Report Inappropriate Comment

SPARKYCARLEY 11/25/2011 8:35PM

The SP recipe calculator... awesome tool! God is good. I've punched in a few of my recipes that have been traditions in my family for a long time. I came to realize that if I keep making these things with the recipe I use, I'm going to kill my family! LOL Wow... the calorie count and fat content in some of my Christmas faves is scary. But it's tradition. It doesn't really feel like a legal Christmas without them. It's a good thing Christmas is only once per year. Report Inappropriate Comment

MOMMA_BEAR_69 11/25/2011 10:30AM

What a great Thanksgiving!! And you get to celebrate again with the kids on the weekend. AWESOME and ENJOY!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

TURTLERASKIN 11/25/2011 9:58AM

I love pumpkin bread, too! Glad you had a good day with the kids! Report Inappropriate Comment

MARKSTIPANOVSKY 11/25/2011 4:20AM

Have a lovely weekend and good luck with staying focused... Report Inappropriate Comment

KASEYCOFF 11/25/2011 4:02AM

I love quickbreads, any kind - rather have them than 'real' cake! So nice that your son joins you in the kitchen, too... Report Inappropriate Comment

Wedding Anniversary and Frog Tradition

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Today is my husband Paul and my 31st wedding anniversary. Thirty-one years ago today we were married in the chapel at MIT in Cambridge, MA. It was a nice day, but each year this day gets better. Marriage is not about the wedding, but about the years we spend together. We have had some years that were not as easy going as others. Around 10 to 12 years it was kind of rough. I was not doing well, and blamed everything wrong on my husband. We had three young children at the time and I found it difficult to care for them all while my husband went off to work. But the kids have grown up, moved out, and are on their own. Two have started their own families, and the youngest remains single, but has a good handle on his life.

Frogs. The year we were married my husband got his PhD in Physics from MIT. His younger sister was in 5th or 6th grade and had to write a book. She wrote it about her brother, who went from frog to prince. It is a really cute book that she gave to him after he got his degree. In it she describes all of the wacky science experiments that are famous in his family from when he was a kid. Then she writes about him going off to MIT, and wanting to become a prince. In the book she has him as a frog, and then he meets me, and when he kisses me, he turns from this frog to a prince.

So through out our marriage he has had a tradition of giving me many, many frogs throughout the years. I have gotten stuffed animals, flowers in a vase shaped like a frog, small jewelry boxes with frogs on top, even one from France. I have gotten him frogs in return, an outside frog for the garden, a bank that is bright green that I am putting quarters into. Tonight he blessed me with a really cute frog hand puppet. It is really, really cute. Maybe tomorrow night I will be able to take some pictures of the frogs and display them in my blog.

But tonight I want to tell you about our night out, and share how I really blew my diet budget.
We went to a really expensive restaurant in our home town. Got all dressed up - I went and had my hair styled, and even put on makeup, and I never do that. We took pictures, before and after. I had two dresses that I wanted to wear, and the first it was too cold out to wear:



Okay, so this is what I ordered: I was adventurous and had escargot Cacheral, which had snails, mushrooms, red grapes and a cream sauce. My entree was large sea scallops (3) with julienne vegetables (carrots, onion, zucchini, summer squash). And for dessert I had a awesome pumpkin souffle. With real whipped cream on top. Oh and I also had a glass of white wine. And about 3 or f4 glasses of water in between. The waiters constantly came over to the table and filled my water glass. It was very nice, and well worth the fact that I went over my calories and fat content for the day. Only for special occasions.
My husband had cream of asparagus soup, duck with a apple side dish, and pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.

So this is the other picture we took with the dress I did wear, and after we got home:



I think I have an awesome husband!!!!! God has truly blessed me.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

SILVERBIRCH65 11/28/2011 1:14PM

Dear Ravyna-- Just back from visiting relatives over the holidays--loved reading your post. Felt very close to home for me, as a Cambridge, MA., native, with many connections to the city and to MIT. Belatedly--Happy Anniversary to you & yours! In a 13 year old marriage, going through the stress years--how lovely and reassuring to read a story like yours! --Katya Report Inappropriate Comment

RGEETING 11/28/2011 2:31AM

I'm trying to figure out why I'm not subscribed to you blog anymore... well - I've just subscribed again! So glad you had a wonderful anniversary! We are blessed, are we not, with godly husbands! My daughter really appreciated the help her brother gave her in preparing her apartment for my birthday party. As she was telling me about it, she stated, I need to find a husband who's like my dad and brother! I told her that she'll probably not find a man like them online... Also - what a great looking couple you are! Thanks for sharing! Comment edited on: 11/28/2011 2:32:19 AM Report Inappropriate Comment

DEQUINTA 11/27/2011 12:58AM

loved your blog!what a sweet story! you and your husbunmd are truly blessed in your marriage! Report Inappropriate Comment

SPARKYCARLEY 11/23/2011 5:09PM

What an awesome blog. Thanks for sharing your celebration with us. Happy Anniversary. HUGS. Report Inappropriate Comment

TURTLERASKIN 11/23/2011 12:32PM

Happy anniversary! How cute you look, and what a great-looking couple! Report Inappropriate Comment

CAZANN2 11/23/2011 9:09AM

Happy Anniversary ! You make a lovely couple and you look very happy.I loved the story of the frogs :)) Report Inappropriate Comment

VIBRANTVAL 11/23/2011 7:53AM

AWWWW! Happy Anniversary (late)! Love your story! And the frog story! And, frogs in general! Report Inappropriate Comment

4THEJOURNEY 11/23/2011 12:05AM

I love love love the story of the frogs and how that came to be your anniversary tradition. Your hubby's little sister sounded like she was a sweetheart of a child, so supportive of her big brother getting married and working towards his degree at MIT. I'm so happy you enjoyed your evening out. I'm not sure if I could be brave enough to try escargot, but who knows! Maybe one day I'll give it a shot. :) Happy Happy Anniversary!! :) Report Inappropriate Comment

Day 10, 11, 12, 13 Challenge - attitude is good, but action is not

Saturday, November 19, 2011

I have not done very well eating wise. Have had a number of meals eaten out, and it is always hard for me to track those, and to chose foods that are healthy. I have had beef several times, this morning I took out 3 young girls for breakfast whose mother babysat my kids when they were younger than they are. They live in Ukraine and are home in the USA only until the Monday after Thanksgiving.
I am still waiting to hear about my new insoles for my feet, and I can not wait to get them, because my current feet hurt, and make my knees hurt.

Today, I have walked, or taken over 8000 steps from walking from one room to another in moving craft items, and books to the new room that my husband & I have been working on. I am about to go do some more, and try to get a bit more finished, but this is going to take some time.

A quote that I have been aware of this week goes something like this "Any thing that is worth doing is going to take time" That goes from changing a life style to healthy living, to reorganizing your home. Working on both. Happy to be doing both.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

SILVERBIRCH65 11/21/2011 12:06PM

Now, of course I have to be excited by the tangential Ukrainian moment....*g* So what's the timeline for the insoles? Are they coming, but just coming slow? I have trouble with the eating out thing too. And with portion-size in general. It's my (Americanized) Central European upbringing. I don't actually want to escape it--but I *should* find a different way to express the "large portion size = appreciation of the cook/provider" thing. Good work, despite your foot issues, getting the steps in. Report Inappropriate Comment