where have I been???

Sorry for being missing in action. It's all for good reasons, though!!
I have been working on a happier, healthier me.

This is my new home away from home (besides the school where I teach)...

and this is where I spend my MWF mornings.

I have made a commitment to myself to get healthy, which has involved many things...more than just exercising, but that is certainly a big one. Since November I have faithfully gone to the gym 3-5 days a week. Water aerobics is my favorite class, though. The nice thing about this class is that it's a full body workout & it can be as intense as you want it to be by simply adding more resistence and pushing yourself a little harder. So far, I have lost 13 pounds and I am feeling AMAZING! I haven't regularly exercised in over 5 years, and I really haven't taken care of myself at all. With my dad's unexpected death this past August, my health (both my physical and emotional) has been on my mind. I knew that it was time for me to work on ME instead of everything else around me.

Sooo... I decided to sign up for the Gold's Gym 12 Week Challenge past weekend!!

The scariest part of it was getting your before photo taken...luckily I had a personal trainer that I know take my photo, but it was still terrifying. I stripped down to my sports bra and spandex shorts and just let it ALL hang out!! LOL...really. That's how I felt! I wanted to look my worst so that when it comes time to do the after photo, you will really be able to see a difference. The majority of the judging is based on the before and after, so I pushed my gut out, brought my chin down to accentuate my double chin and slumped so that I looked AWEFUL!! LOL! I will be really anxious to see the results of the hard work in the weeks to come.

SO far, I have been going strong....spending hours at the gym everyday. I do about an hour in morning and then another hour to hour and a half in the evenings, getting both cardio and strength training in. I also focus every day on some sort of core activity (the abs area). When I get home, I work on cooking healthy meals (instead of the processed or fast food crap we have been eating) and then I spend time logging my food at Livestrong to keep my fat, protein and carbs in check. You would not believe how much time it takes to do all of this....but it's WORTH it. I feel amazing but I really am tired by the end of the day...it's as if I am starting from scratch again. When I started working out in November, I was really tired, as my body was adjusting to exercising again, so now that I have upped me time and efforts, I am starting over again. SO I will be keeping you all up to date on that, in case you are interested.

I am also participating in a 6 week e-course that focuses on my emotional health. Brave Girls Club is doing a Soul Restoration course...a course that focuses on bringing back the authentic you that is still inside, but that may just be lost or in need of repair.

The unique part of this course is that we get to use art and journaling to heal and mend our broken souls. I get to spend this weekend on the first lesson and I am soo excited.

SO there you have it...not much going on in the way of designing...I had to put that on the back burner...at least for a little while....just until I can get myself adjusted. NO worries, though. I do have some kits in the works and some blog posts planned that I think you will really enjoy, so stay tuned!!
Leora