Where had the time gone?! It has been ages since I last blogged. What have I’ve been up to? Well, my adventures have brought me down to Oldsmar, FL. It has been quite a ride since my last post – job hunts, long drives, illnesses, sadness, and the beach. Quite an up and down ride since my move down here in May!
I quickly found a outside sales job that I just as quickly found was not the fit for me. After a scary few weeks of unemployment I did find a great job teaching at Gymboree Play and Music. Yes, my childlike personality (fine, immaturity) makes me a fun fit with 3 year olds! It is a great job where I get to help children and their parents learn developmental skills all through play and music. The downside of the job, unfortunately, it that little kids are kind of germy… Cute, funny, little, carrier monkeys. Since my start in August, I am working on my second chest cold. Because of the amount of meds I’m already on, I have been trying to beat this cold holistically, but finally had to give in to Big Pharma and bring out the big guns. With my MS impaired immune system, I need to stay ahead of these colds to avoid triggering relapses, so Airborne, hand sanitizer and Zinc are my friends.
Speaking of friends, I’ve also started up the Pinellas County Bully Breed Walks to meet folks who are Pit Bull advocates, and to give Sally and Abby a chance to socialize (Ford is a grumpus who we have to keep with just his pack). These walks were inspired by Stubby’s Heroes’ First Atlanta Bully Breed March in October of 2012. This group is made up of bully breed caretakers such as pet owners, foster parents and advocates, that want to get exercise, socialize their dogs, and build up the care taker community. It is a fun, great way to meet new folks and get familiar with the area. Since August we have had walks in Largo, Dunedin and Clearwater Beach. November’s walk will be in beautiful downtown St. Petersburg.
I’m looking forward to a visit to Atlanta in a couple of weeks to reunite with family and the Usual Suspects. We are having a memorial for my mother on the year of her passing. This has been a difficult year of losing loved ones – first her last November, and then my dear friend David passing last August. It has been an emotional roller coaster and David and Sonny have been my closest friends down here in Florida – and they are 2 hours away! I am hoping that through work and the Bully Walks, Matt and I will make some new friends – its just sometimes we don’t like new people! I guess that’s why we love each other!!
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to devote too much time to my Big Adventure List. Since I was out of work for so long, I’m having to stretch my non-existent budget to do things that are cheap and/or free. So, lots of beach time! Matt and I have also become active with bicycling the Pinellas Trail, kayaking in Safety Harbor, and taking the Furkids for walks. You would think that with all this activity I’m getting in tip top shape. Sadly, no. Stress, not so good eating and steroids have my weight creeping up and up, much to my dismay. So, working with my doctor, I’m changing up some meds, and starting on a diet and daily exercise regime to get me down to 135 lbs by my 40th birthday. A few posts back, you will probably recall me making this statement. As usual, life got in the way, and I got off track. To recap what my thoughts were back in January…
But it isn’t just about looking good. It is more about taking control of my health. I want to eat cleaner. I want to get out and enjoy nature more without being winded. I want my joints to feel better. And yes, I want to look good.
So, my short term goals for this long term challenge are:
- Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day
- Bring homemade meals for lunches – No more BajaFresh,
- Workout 3-4 times a week (Cardio and strength – Planet Fitness Membership already done!)
- Morning yoga / stretching
- Multivitamin every morning
- Cut back on alcohol consumption
- Smaller portions at dinner time and no food after 7:00 pm
- Go to sleep by 10:00 pm and get 8 hours of sleep
I really need to buckle down over the next 6 months. I am giving Matt permission to make comments such as, “Are you sure you need that piece of bread” without me decking him or crying. I need this to work so I can move into the second half of my life healthier and happier.
And I am also making a pledge to myself to get back to blogging. I feared that my day to day life was a little too boring for frequent posts (I mean, do you really care what happened on my DVR’d Dance Moms?) So, it is upon me to find more things worthy of blogging and getting back on track with my adventures!
I promise to work hard!!
Kristie's Big Adventure! 