Healthy Hobbies!

Ever since we moved into our home October 31st 2008, I have dreamed of having my own garden! I love the thought of having fresh veggies, herbs, and flowers growing at home. I have been working on becoming better and better at having lush plants in the Arizona desert. I am getting very close at accomplishing that goal. I found out that the key is water. Go figure! A drip system saved my sanity and my husband's faith in my gardening "skills." So, last year was really the kick off. Around Christmas time we had a tomato plant that took over and produced amazing tomatoes.

My aunt Kristi is holding her first successful pepper and if you look at the plant you will see all of the green tomatoes. Here is what they looked like when I picked them. (A lot were frost bitten. These are the survivors.)

This year I have yellow onions and various peppers growing.

 Strawberries and, of course, more tomatoes.

I can't take all the credit. I do have some "helpers" who keep me on my toes.

Talon, Mouse, Stitch, and Sienna definitely bring life to a still garden. :)

Gardening is just another form of art, to me. It is only natural for me to incorporate art into the garden. Taking photographs of it is another guilty pleasure of mine. I find it very hard to leave the house now. I can spend hours outside watching the birds and just taking it all in.

I have playing with the idea of  gardening from the window. In each room of my house I want to look out the window and see living art. I want to see a beautiful scene that will change with the seasons. This is my first go at it. My husband, Stephen, sits and works in our front room most of the day. I realized that all he saw was a cinder block wall out the window all day every day. Kristi said that we could invite birds, hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and geckos with a handful of elements. Right now it is in it's baby stage, but when it is full grown it will be a sight to see. The Arabian Jasmin will be as tall as the door and sprinkled with fragrant whit flowers next to the deep red poinsettia that I have had since last Christmas. Already he finds himself watching the birds playing in the water and throwing seeds everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if sunflowers started growing from that.

This is my work station.

I saw this idea in a magazine recently. I love succulants and this was such an easy, fun, and beautiful garden art piece to make.

 

My brother, Tyler, is my partner in crime. We have put this backyard heaven together together. :) He built this amazing window table for me and helped me put the flower bed together. More pics will come of the paver slab he layed and pond he's constructing. He has been a huge part of creating all of this.

The centerpiece is my reminder of Washington state and my sister, Danielle, and her family. :)

This is the only wind chime Stephen likes. It doesn't make that much noise and it's stunning to look at.

Finally, this plant is called Firestick. It is so cool. When the temperature gets cooler it starts to turn orange and even to red. When it's hot outside it is green. Crazy, right? It also has very dangerous sap, so I have to be careful when I cut it back. Don't get in your eyes or it will blind you. Yikes! I am thankful that my animals have not tried to eat it. They know very few commands, but they know "Leave it!" And they do.  So, that's it for now. I have burned thousands of calories putting this yard together. Maintaing it is calming and very good for me. Stephen enjoys it almost as much as I do. I think he is just happy that I am happy. :) More to come! This was only one side of the yard!



Pilates!

Holy Moly! Pilates is no joke. I used muscles that I didn't even know I had. I am sure I will feel it tomorrow, but I felt a lot already. I feel like my insides were rung out! Seriously, without being gross, I feel lighter already. If you have any intestine problems, I bet Pilates will fix it in an hour. Hahaha! Other than that, I think I am going to enjoy this new plan. I will let you know how spin goes tomorrow.

Starting all over!

Well, I have officially stopped working out over at LA Fitness. I am now moving to the beat of my own drum. I admit that it has been lonely and difficult being self motivated. I am not a quitter or a wimp. I am resourceful and a problem solver, so I am applying a new schedule. Here it is:

MONDAY: 10 am YOGA
TUESDAY: 10am PILATES and 1pm AQUA THERAPY with Stephen
WEDNESDAY: 11am SPIN CYCLE
THURSDAY: 11am KICKBOXING and 1pm SWIM with Stephen
FRIDAY: 10am ZUMBA
SATURDAY: 10am STEP & SCULPT

I am very excited about this plan because I have everything I want out of it. The times are perfect, it is an appointment, so I will make sure I am on time, it's on base and free, and I will get to meet lots of new people. All while I will be getting in shape and having fun. I am even scheduling quality time with Stephen.


He just got his results back from Inherent Health! We are so excited to get serious together about getting healthy. His percentages are similar to mine, so it will be easy to make meals for us and not have to worry about 2 different diets. Also, I am excited that we will be able to spread out the meat we buy throughout the month since we both need more carbs than protein. I don't know about you, but it makes me happy to have a stocked fridge, freezer, and pantry at all times. When you go through it quickly, like we have been, it makes me sad to see it bare. Haha. We are planning our meals for the week and planning ahead for our calories. We want to do what it takes to look our best and feel our best!

I am sad to say that I haven't lost anymore weight, due to my lack of discipline. I am happy to say, however, that I have not gained any! Yay me? :/ lol.

I'm still here.

It has been a while since I posted last, I know. I'm sorry. I feel like I need something amazing and new to say each time, but an update is an update. So, since my last entry I have continued to work out with the Fab 4 out in Laveen at LA Fitness. Chelle and Dani have amped it up a bit, so the routine has become more intense and more interesting. I haven't lost anymore weight as of yet due to the wonderful inconvenient holidays and recent travelling we've done. When I am home and on an even keel I do really well with my eating, calorie counting, and calorie burning. When I have any "special" reason to eat whatever I want, I go WAY overboard. Today we just got back from Lake Havasu City and I couldn't wait to get back on track with things at home. I can't wait to go to the gym in the morning!
Sad thing is that my last day with the Fab 4 is June 10th. Remember the original plan? I was only supposed to work out over there to get training. I feel as though I am ready to do this on my own, especially by then, but I am sad to not have my girls with me. :(
To make it less sad, Stephen and I have been working out together on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the lap pool. I only go to Laveen 3 days a week now, so I am transitioning.
Stephen is Superman! A couple weeks ago Stephen began his SCUBA certification. The news was there and everything! I went with him and started the process as well. We both enjoyed it, so we decided that was our new thing. We have been going to the pool and working on stamina and he swam 500 meters last time. That's right...500! I will post pics when we get them from the instructor. Now we just have a couple more sessions to do and then we will be official SCUBA Divers. I am a little nervous though. We haven't gone out into the ocean yet. I am so afraid of the ocean. BLAH! It'll be like therapy, right?
Our plan now is to dive at ALL of the premo diving spots all over the world before we die.
My focus now, is to really get disciplined with my eating. I allow myself too much wiggle room with special occasions. When I work out I burn plenty of calories to eat a good amount for that day. If I miss, I freak out about 1035 calories. I think I will die or something and mess up my meals with snacking. Before I know it, I have consumed all 1000 before 4pm. NOT GOOD. I figure I have screwed up already, might as well go all out. I need to change my thinking, or make a point to burn at least 600 calories a day, every day. I also feel that after June 10th, it will be easier for me because I will be fitting it in to our schedule. I am a guest in Chelle's schedule and appreciate it immensely, but it is not my ideal time frame to workout. I need prayer and someone to smack my hand throughout the day. Stephen is good at that, but sometimes I don't want that coming from my husband. I need to do it myself, so to speak, the smacking I mean. I will take all the prayer in the world! :) Well, that's it really. Soon I will be posting about my garden. I am fascinated with growing my own food, but I am still learning. I also want to post about some research that I have done about food allergies. I would love as many comments about these topics as possible and questions, too. We can all learn together!

Our Bodies are God's Temple. Let's get in shape!

Thank you everyone who donated to Sergey's Fund Raiser. It was an absolute act of God! They were able to raise over $17,000.00 in that short amount of time. Praise God! Thank you for being willing to be used for God's will. They are still almost $10,000.00 short, but we have faith that it will be a piece of cake for God to make this happen in His perfect timing. You can still donate if you didn't get a chance to at Danielle's blog http://www.farleykids.blogspot.com/ . You just won't be entered into the raffle since the winners were announced yesterday. Again THANK YOU to all of you who gave when it might not be an abundant financial time in your life. Trust me when I say that God will bless you for your selflessness and your faithfulness. God is sooooo good!

On a health note, since this blog is about my health, spiritual health is just as, if not MORE, important than your physical health. There are things that are beneficial for my spiritual health that I need to do daily just like a work out. I will be honest and confess that I am not as disciplined in that area either as I would like to be. I try to read my daily devotional book by Joyce Meyers every morning along with my Bible. I need to make more of an effort to make time for that since I make time for other things like working out, my business, school, house work, and rest. I also take time every day to read 15 minutes, at least, of a book that focuses on my personal growth. Right now I am reading The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie O'Martian. I can't explain the results that I have noticed from it, but I can say that I have noticed them! It is so amazing! Stephen and I have a pretty good relationship, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't prepare ourselves or prevent problems from arising in the future. I credit a lot of our communication skills to these amazing books: The Bible, The 5 Love Languages, Power of a Praying Wife, How to Win Friends and Influence People, As a Man Thinketh, and Everyone Communicates, Few Connect. I recommend EVERYONE to get these books and read them asap. They help in so many areas of life, especially your closest relationships.
So, my plan is to group my Biblical reading with my personal growth reading and make it a 30 minute window instead of (2)15 minute windows. Before bed seems to be the best time. Also, prayer is the most powerful thing we can do for our spiritual health. It's like water to the body. Without water our bodies will perish. Praying is the social network to God, you should update your status frequently! Reading is like vitamins and supplements. What we put into our minds and our hearts eventually comes out of our mouths. It is true that what a person thinks, so is he. Let's put good stuff in, so good stuff goes out. Church is your scale. This is where we can evaluate where we are in our spiritual health and what we need to do to improve.  Finally the world is your gym. As a Christian I believe that I am constantly exercising what it is I believe. I need to be an example of what a Christian is supposed to be; loving, forgiving, positive, encouraging, gracious, helpful, honest, etc. Basically, Christ-like. That's the ultimate goal, isn't it? There are a lot of times I fail, but I need to keep looking up and seeking God's help to help me back up and keep moving. It's kind of funny to think of this in this way, but if you want to lose all the weight you are carrying around in sin, guilt, fear, hate, loneliness, regret, depression, etc, you can in an instant just by asking. Ask God to remove it from your heart and soul and trust in Him to do just that, then He will. If you didn't know already, but that is what Easter was all about. We can have spiritual liposuction the second we ask for it with no payment plan. Jesus already paid it in advance, an early Christmas present, if you will. If you want to talk more about this one on one I am more than able to do that. I know I spoke of this very serious matter in a light hearted way, but sometimes making it fun and simple can make it stick better. Love You!

Yoga!

So, recently, on Wednesday mornings, us girls (the Fab Four, as I like to call us) have taken on YOGA. I have always wanted to be a Yogi. I love everything about it, except the process it takes to become one. I am talking about how awkward I feel transitioning into the positions, how I feel verses how I look in the mirror, how loud I breathe, and how not streamlined my body is at the moment. I will get there, but right now it's not pretty. I enjoy the end of the sessions when you get to lay down and rest. I just think about that as my reward for the physical and emotional pain I go through as I stretch, contort, and breathe. :) I have realized, just from this last session, that I need to do cardio BEFORE Yoga because I just feel like taking a nap afterwards. Plus, I don't burn as many calories as I like by just doing Yoga. So, to make myself even more pumped I am purchasing a new Yoga mat and carrier as a Birthday present to myself! I will post a picture when I get it. I am turning 29 tomorrow. I really need to think about what I want to accomplish in the next 365 days, before I am 30!

Still plugging along

Well, I am still in the game. It was hard this last week to keep up with a routine. My husband, brother, and I went to Vegas for business and pleasure for 5 days. I got cardio in the first night: I pushed Stephen in his chair up and down the strip for 5 HOURS!!! Yuck. It was freezing, windy, and he couldn't push that well in it, so I had to assist. It became a long night, but fun. My legs hurt so bad when I woke up the next morning. Then the only thing I managed to get in was a 30 minute swim on Friday. I started out good, but then came the food. I was aweful. When I fall off the wagon, I fall hard. So, today was the first day back in the gym. I burned 720 calories! Woowoo! Gotta make up for Vegas. I just realized that I have less than a month to drop 2 dress sizes. I might have to readjust my goals. I have already knocked my calorie consumption to 1065 in order to lose 2 pounds a week. I add back whatever calories I burn for that day, though. I checked to make sure that was what I was supposed to do and it is. I work out to eat, it seems. Haha.

On a different note, I wanted to talk to you about Sergey, my soon to be nephew. He is an orphan from a different country and has Down Syndrome. My sister, Danielle and her family, are working towards adopting him. They are allowing people to donate money or an item to their fund raiser. Please check out the information on the bottom left of this blog to learn more about her family, their heart, and Sergey. We can't wait to bring him home, so please help if you can. Thank you!



 Meet Sergey

Meet his parents

His Big Brother

and his 5 Sisters