September

September is my favorite month of the year.  Apples.  Cool nights.  Crisp morning air.  Warm afternoons.  Fall has a distinct smell that just makes me happy.  In Massachusetts, it means the Big E, which is a giant fair with all kinds of goodies from all over New England and the entire Northeast, to be honest.  Now September means the Ride to Remember for me.  Not to mention, my birthday and my husband’s birthday.  I love September.

We went to Worcester to see Mitch for my birthday.  The girls at work bought me lunch and got me Extra gum.  Erica got me this awesome bracelet because she's my person!

 I had a super busy summer.  I can’t believe it’s come and gone so quickly.  I work in the summer to make extra money to help with the boys’ college tuition.  It’s much lower key, but it’s not like being off for the summer. 

Went apple picking yesterday with my best friend Stacy and godson Sam.  Love them apples!

My first time EVER putting my hand to canning.  My friend Liydia told me she canned some tomatoes a couple weeks ago, so I gave that a whirl this week.  What a ton of work!!!  I  made apple butter with the apples I picked yesterday.  Came out beautifully!!!  Yummy!!!  I absolutely LOVE anything apple spice or pumpkin spice.  I'm crazy about it!

School started two weeks ago and I can finally get back into a rhythm. 

Before school started, the counselors work soooo hard to make sure everything goes smoothly.  We go through every student's academic records, make sure they are in the right classes and that there are no holes in their schedule.  We also enroll dozens of new students who transfer to our school.  It is an incredibly busy (and stressful) time of year for us.

Last past weekend I took a little trip to Florida to visit my family there.  My Aunt Kelly and I are close in age and I love her like a best friend.  She gets me.  I swear.  I wish we were closer so we could see each other more often.  It is hard being on opposite sides of the country. 

My Aunt Kelly and I

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

It was soooo nice to get away.  I don’t really like to do all the touristy things when I visit.  I really just want to hang out by the pool, go to the beach and see my grandmother while I am there.  When I visit, I want to spend time with Kelly, catch up on the past year or so and reconnect.  That’s exactly what we did.

I’ve been feeling lost lately.  Heart broken.  I confided in Kelly what's been going on and she got it.  She did.  She shared with me her own experience she went through this past year.  I was amazed at how parallel the circumstances were.  While I felt sorry that she went through that, there was something about it that comforted me, because someone understood what I’ve been going through.  Finally.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but god is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalms 73:26

Hurricane Hermine really stirred up the Gulf of Mexico, so when we went to the beach on Saturday, the waves were huge.  By Monday, the water was all stirred up and not the normal aqua blue that it is. 

Normally the water is so blue, but it was cloudy murky after the hurricane.

 Being away from both the gym and my bike, I had to make do with what I had, so I put on my sneakers and went for a couple two-mile runs.  I’m not supposed to run, but I’ve been doing it anyway lately.  It takes me about 20 minutes and I get a good burn.  I have to stop once in a while to catch my breath because I feel like my lungs are going to implode and my heart is going to burst out of my chest.  If you’re from the North East, you know the roads are curvy and often hilly and the houses and vegetation provide visible landmarks so you don’t get lost.  Well, in Florida, the roads are pretty much straight for miles, the vegetation and landscape are all the same.  This meant I had to be careful not to get lost.  I did okay, check out my map:

A quick 20 minute run and I sweat like crazy!

I’ve made a decision and I’m kind of happy, albeit nervous to tell you.  It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while.  Once the finances are set, I’m going to get my credentials to become a personal trainer.  My focus will be on nutrition.  I’m not looking to do it full time.  I love my job too much for that.  But I think this would be a good opportunity to spread my wings and earn some extra income on the side. 

So, check this out!!!  I hurt my shoulder last spring and was in agony for several weeks.  I haven't been able to do push-ups since, but I've been working to improve my strength and am up to 15 pushups in one set.  Three weeks ago I could only do six push-ups, so this is a huge improvement and I love the measurable outcomes.

Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.  I Timothy 4:8

I have learned so much over the past two ½+ years, that it’s time to share that with others.  Working with Mike and Dmitriy really inspired me to change my life for the better and that difference has been all the difference for me.  It’s my turn to do the same…or at least see if I can.

The same day, I did deadlifts at 135 pounds.  That was super exciting for me!  Four months ago I maxed out at 215#. which was a personal record.  However. with the shoulder pain, I couldn't deadlift at all because the weight was too much strain on the shoulder.  I won't be able to do 200# again for a while, but I can gradually increase my weight and enjoy the satisfaction of seeingI' real gains every week. 

 I will be writing some more here these next few weeks.  I don't want to keep on being an absentee blogger.  Stay tuned.  Future topics include:

Keeping up with "The Grind"

"Body Beautiful"

"Gym Fashion" and more...

Questionsfor you...Answer in the comment section below.

How was "Back to School" for you and your family?
Are you as crazy about apples and pumpkin spice as I am?

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