In the North East there are two school breaks before Summer Vacation. One in February and another in the spring, usually in April. The February break coincides with President's Day and depending on where you live, the spring break coincides with either Easter or Patriots' Day. Patriots' Day commemorates the start of the Revolutionary War and is an official holiday in several states in the USA. I need both breaks.
The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Exodus 33:14
My week off has been largely focused on the puppy, Princess Leia. I knew it would be a lot of work and tiring, but I forgot how draining it is to get up every night at 3 a.m. because she has to go out. Wednesday night she didn't wake me up and had an accident in her crate.
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| She can go up the stairs, but needs help going down. |
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| Koby is getting used to her. Look how tiny she is compared to him. |
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| She is so adventurous and curious. When I was vacuuming the other day, she followed me up the stairs and got stuck about half way up. |
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| She is absolutely adorable, especially when she's sleeping. I am spoiling her rotten. It's cute now when she's tiny and I let her sleep on me, but when she's 70 lbs. and expects to do the same thing, it won't be cute! It's hard to resist her though. |
I have been spending time with my friend and classmate, Cindy. We both have to finish our field experience and do our portfolio in school administration so we can graduate in May. We are in the same shoes, dragging our heels about doing the journal. I really abhor writing about what I do every day and how it relates to the standards of a school administrator. If it weren't for Cindy, I don't think I'd do it at all. I hate it that much.
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| Cindy loves the puppy. She doesn't mind coming over to work together so she can get some puppy love. |
I started reading this book:
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| Stronger Than You Think: Becoming Whole Without Having to Be Perfect by Kim Gaines Eckhert |
I was hooked right away. In looking back at my life long struggle with weight, I can see how instead of taking care of myself, I used other things to try to be the perfect mother, perfect wife, perfect counselor and perfect Christian. This resulted in high levels of anxiety and depression which I dealt with by doing even more things to keep me busy. Now that I've taken time off from everything to focus on a new career pathway and to seek a healthier lifestyle, I am more acutely aware of how my "busyness" interfered with my wellness. As time allows (with the new puppy), I think I will really enjoy this read. This paragraph describes most of my adult life:
Lillian, in her longing for wholeness was trying to make herself complete through a flurry of activities that were leaving her exhausted. Jesus gently calls Lillian and us to be joined to him, and to let go of our futile attempts to make ourselves whole. Instead, we can rest in the work he has already completed in us. "Come to me, all you who are wearing and burdened, and I will give you rest," Jesus invites us. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29)*
I met some classmates for breakfast the other day.
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| I am trying to learn how to eat like a normal person again. I did skip the potatoes, but the French Toast and eggs were phenomenal. Bringing balance back to my life is a slow process. If my lifestyle has truly changed, I need to be able to eat "normal foods" once in a while. As long as I keep track of what I am eating and stick to my calories, it's okay to eat food like this on occasion. |
My mother's birthday is February 22, so I typically take her shopping and out for lunch during winter break.
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| We went to the mall and had a lot of fun! I picked up a bunch of things at the Christmas Tree Shops, got these leggings at New York & Company. The "gray" ones are actually green. I don't have anything to wear with them yet, but it will be fun to find something. |
I also got fitted for a new bra at Victoria's Secret. Remember, I was complaining about the floating boobs. Well, now my bra really fits. AND I was surprised that I was right about my 34B's. I thought I was smaller than that, but it's probably just the style bra I've been wearing. As expensive as Victoria's Secret is, it's worth the investment.
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| I hate that my bras are bigger than my breasts. Now I think my new bra will solve that problem. |
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| New leggings with my new bra. No more floating boobs. |
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my blog. Tracey's Getting Fit started February 18, 2015.
My very first post was entitled, "It's About More Than Just Weight Loss" and that holds true today. My journey towards fitness has become a journey to health and wellness. Now I seek to give back, to inspire others.
Anxiety in a man's heart weights him down, but a good word makes him glad.
Proverbs 12:25
With that said, I am at a point now in my education where I have to buckle down and complete my degree. I need to use the same discipline it took to lose the weight and to train for the Ride to Remember and channel that into my studies. Instead of writing a blog entry every time I get inspired about something, I am going to take my inspiration towards journaling about my Field Experience and compiling everything I need for my portfolio. Writing my blog makes me happy, so I've decided that new entries to Tracey's Getting Fit will be a reward for completing a benchmark. I expect to complete approximately one entry per week, I appreciate your support and encouragement.
So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.
2 Corinthians 8:11 ESV
Stay tuned. Check back weekly for a new post. And be sure to catch up with some of my older posts as well.
Here are a couple of my favorites from the past year:
- Exactly one year ago on 2/21: Three Steps to Weight Loss
- Mike Made Me Do It
- Dmitriy Made It Happen
- Fixating on the Numbers: Nine Strategies for Weight Loss
- The Girl Picked Last
How do you stop procrastinating?
Now: Subscribe to new posts! When a new post is added, you will receive an email notice so you can check it out. I promise: no SPAM and I won't share your email address with anyone. Look at the top right side of the page to subscribe.
*Gaines Eckhert, K. (2007). Stronger than you think: Becoming whole without having to be perfect. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
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