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Posts Tagged ‘happiness’

A few weeks ago, I received an unexpected gift in the mail. It was a postcard from a local health club offering two free memberships for one month. The offer seemed too good to be true. Curiously, I called the health club to see just what the “catch” was for this unbelievable offer. Surprisingly, there were NO strings attached, NO credit card numbers given, and NO contracts signed. My hubby, Andrew, and I were all given a one month pass for full access to the club. And, they included a pass for Barry, Jr. since he would be home on leave. What an awesome gift! We had been interested in joining this club ever since it opened a few years ago, so this was the perfect way to try it out.

Shortly after we received our passes, we received another unexpected gift in the mail from the health club. This time we received a credit card waiving the enrollment fee, as well as giving us the entire month of January free if we decided we would like to become full-time members of their club. Unlike our first gift, this one had strings attached; however, they weren’t unreasonable. We just had to decide if we wanted to become full-time members by the end of the year. Thankfully, we had a couple of weeks to make that decision.

Since then, Andrew and I have been using the free membership with much enthusiasm. He has been taking a Kid Fit class which is offered four days a week. He absolutely loves the class activities, as well as going to Kid’s Club afterwards. He is making new friends and getting fit at the same time. And, he has even had the opportunity to swim in the heated pool. I have taken a couple of Body Pump classes, run on the treadmill several times (either raining or too cold to run outside), and met with a personal trainer to talk about my fitness goals, learn some core exercises, and learn how to use some of the cardio machines besides the treadmill. I get two more sessions to learn about the weight machines and reevaluate my progress after six weeks. Andrew and I love it! So, we signed up on Sunday to become members for one year. Unfortunately, my hubby did not sign up with us. He hasn’t used his free pass since he received it. He tells me he will attempt to visit the club before his pass expires. The good news is he can join if he decides he loves it as much as Andrew and I do.

What a wonderful way for my family and I to end 2012 and begin the new year! And, what a terrific way for me to continue improving the health and fitness area of my life. However, I must confess I’ve allowed myself to be overly indulgent this Christmas season, somewhat lax on my exercise schedule, and have eaten more sugar than veggies lately. I’m WEAK when it comes to all the goodies you receive during the Christmas holidays! The silver lining….all the bad stuff will be out of my house and out of the church office by the end of this week. The dust will settle, rather the needle on the scale will swivel uncontrollably for a moment adjusting to my slight weight gain, and I WILL vow to redeem myself and get back on track. However, for the time being I cannot and will not get on that damn scale.

This has been a terrific year for me and my family. My hubby and I both got new jobs, we are all in good health, and we receive so much love and joy from our family and friends. We have been blessed in many, many ways. And while we did have to say good-bye to Ming, we are grateful and celebrate the nineteen years she was a part of our family. We continue to cherish those who are so special to us and look forward to a new year of possibilities. And, let me not forget my dear readers. YOU ARE AWESOME! Thank you for your support and encouragement. Wishing you much love, joy, and happiness! ~ Kat

“And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke

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I had a busy weekend despite the rain. Barry and I attended a wedding Saturday night in Mandeville. My hubby is friends with the groom. I should have taken a picture of myself. I wore a dress and heels. It is rare for me to wear a dress. I don’t even own the dress I wore. Thank goodness my BFF from the 3rd grade has a well-stocked wardrobe. And, since I have lost weight, I can actually fit in more of her clothes. Hee Hee! As for the heels, they actually do belong to me. I bought them for a scene I did for a showcase for one of my acting classes. I managed to not break an ankle. Anyway, we had a terrific time socializing. The bride was gorgeous, the music was rockin’, and the food was yummy. I did eat a little something healthy before the wedding, so I would not be tempted to overeat. It also allowed me to eat the delicious wedding cake cupcake. The bride and groom did not have a traditional wedding cake with multiple tiers. They had one standard size cake at the top followed by four to five steps lined with giant cupcakes to make it look like a huge wedding cake.  They were so big, Barry and I had to split one. YUM!

On Sunday, I spent the day with my parents. We went to the movies to see End of Watch. It’s a movie about two young cops whose lives are changed after making a bust involving money and guns belonging to a notorious cartel. The three of us enjoyed it. Afterwards, we had lunch at Applebee’s. Before leaving my house that morning, I made a list of acceptable dishes I could eat to stay on the right course. I ordered the Weight Watchers Cabernet Mushroom Sirloin. It included steamed broccoli and new potatoes (15g fat/460 calories).  If I wasn’t so disciplined and could afford to SUPER splurge, I would have ordered the Oriental Chicken Salad. Ready for this…the regular (crispy chicken) with salad dressing is 98g fat and 1,390 calories. OOOF! Now, you can order a half-size, which would bring it down to 49g fat and 690 calories. Unfortunately, that is still too much, especially for a salad.

I have completed my 11th week of eating clean and exercising on a regular basis. Due to eating salty fried appetizers and a bowl of gumbo at the wedding, as well as nature NOT calling before my weekly weigh-in, I am back to 136 pounds. I know it is just a pound, and I know it isn’t a fat pound; however, I dislike not seeing a loss. It’s expectation. I’ve only had one other time on my weight loss journey where I gained, and again it was water weight. Never fear, I’m already over it. It’s a new week with lots of potential. My run/walk schedule for this week: Walk 10 minutes, run 9 minutes. Walk 1 minute, run 9 minutes (repeat twice). I’m so close to running a full 30 minutes.

Hope you have many wonderful blessings this week. Try to be as PRESENT as possible. It helps to keep stress away, and allows more room for happiness. Currently, I’m reading Gretchen Rubin’s new book called Happier at Home. Rubin decided to dedicate a year to another happiness project, but this time focused on her home. I have a feeling my happiness project will be resurfacing after reading this book. Happiness!

“The ship of my life may or may not be sailing on calm and amiable seas. The challenging days of my existence may or may not be bright and promising. Stormy or sunny days, glorious or lonely nights, I maintain an attitude of gratitude. If I insist on being pessimistic, there is always tomorrow. Today I am blessed.”            ~ Maya Angelou

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I consider myself a person with a gratitude attitude. Most evenings before going to bed, I write at least five things I am grateful for in my life. I have a dear friend who hires me twice a year (or more if work is available) for freelance work. I make a point of taking her to lunch once or twice during the year to express my gratitude. I’m pretty good at writing thank you notes for gifts I receive from family, friends, and students. And, if my family and I receive excellent service at a restaurant, we make a point to show our gratitude with a great tip and a compliment to the manager about the service. I believe these actions can make an impact…maybe small, maybe big.

Recently, while waiting for my car to be fixed, I thought about extending my gratitude to people who help me in other capacities. Our society tends to focus on complaining more than complimenting. When I taught 2nd grade, I use to tell my students to try to receive compliments rather than complaints. Every time my students received a compliment from me or from another adult, I would write a letter on the board until it spelled out COMPLIMENT. Once the word was complete, my students voted on their reward. It could be an extra 15-minute recess or switching places with another student to sit by a friend for the day.  Even as a teacher, I received more complaints than compliments. The compliments I did receive whether in person or in writing, I cherished because they were rare. In fact, I use to keep happy notes from parents or administration in my desk, so on bad days when things were not going well, I would stop and reread those notes. They provided comfort. I try to write happy notes to my son’s teachers to pay it forward for the ones I received over the years.

Granted, people are paid to provide a service or do a job; however, people like to be acknowledged when they do something well or go above and beyond their normal duties. So, I have decided to express my gratitude to those people who sincerely make an effort to make my life more enjoyable and more manageable.

First, I have to thank YOU, my reader. Thanks for subscribing to my blog. I appreciate you allowing me to enter your inbox periodically to share whatever I have to say about my life. You are NOT taken for granted. I consider you a member of my tribe, and I am grateful to you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read what I have written. One day, I will figure out another way to express the gratitude I feel towards YOU, my reader. For NOW…Thank You

Next, I will mail out three thank you cards tomorrow morning. One will go to Rae, the service advisor at Toyota. One will go to James, the service tech at Toyota. Both of these gentlemen helped get my car back on the road. I love my little car. It is important to me, as well as my family. It is necessary for me to have it running properly. The last card will go to the owners of an athletic shoe store where I buy running shoes. I have been a customer since I was in high school. The store is about an hour away from where I live, but well worth the drive. The last time I went to the store, they did not have the shoes I needed in my size. First time this ever happened. Henry agreed to order the shoes and mail them to me at no charge. Happiness! 

So, the next time someone does something to make your life a little easier or even a little happier, demonstrate a gratitude attitude. I bet it will bring some positive energy into your life.

“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.” ~ Randy Pausch

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Aaaah…. another successful Auction at WYES-TV in NOLA. I spent the last two weekends working as a director on the Art Auction. Happiness! WYES-TV is one of my favorite places to work. My connection with the public television station developed in 1991. I took a class at the University of New Orleans called UNO Video. Through this class, I did volunteer work at the station to gain valuable television experience. I started out as a floor director for Membership Drives and the two annual Auctions (Showboat & Art). Later, I learned floor producing, and directing. Eventually, I became a staff member (Associate Producer). Out of all the jobs I have worked, it is the job I like the most. Not just for the work, but also for the people. You know who you are….M & M! WYES is like a second family. And, I’m fortunate to be able to freelance there twice a year, and sometimes more if the work is available. I’m already looking forward to my next project.

Happiness is doing work you love with people who make you smile. ~ Kat (my first quote)

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Happiness is receiving a gift card to one of my favorite places to shop. I received my “happy” on Friday from the 2nd grade class I am teaching at HGS. My wonderful students gave me a $40.00 gift card to Books-A-Million for Teacher’s Appreciation Week. I decided to maximize my book bucks by shopping on-line where the prices are cheaper and shipping is free.  I also had a $10.00 on-line coupon. Woo-Hoo! This bookaholic ended up ordering three new hardcover books and one paperback for $8.59. What a deal!

My purchase includes:  The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg, The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg (14 authors constribute their stories),  Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larrson.

Oh, Happy Day!

“Books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent. What I wonder is why everybody doesn’t carry a book around for those inevitable dead spots in life.” ~ Stephen King

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While looking around Pinterest this morning, I discovered a virtual bookshelf on a teacher’s blog called Shelfari. Immediately, I wanted one for my blog.  Unfortunately, after creating my Shelfari account, I realized I had no way of displaying it on MY blog. I could not figure out which widget would display it, or if I even have a widget with that capability. It was driving me crazy that I could not figure out how to add this to my blog. I WANTED a virtual bookshelf. I continued searching through my different widget options, and  finally discovered a similar widget called Goodreads.

Goodreads is an on-line site for readers. It shows what you are currently reading, what you have read, book recommendations, and so much more. I have installed the Goodreads widget to my blog. It is currently displaying the books I have read since starting my Reading Challenge. Check it out!

I love making new discoveries because they really make me happy.

 
A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind.
~ Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

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I have spent the last few hours creating my virtual bulletin boards on Pinterest. It is so FUN, and it’s making me totally HAPPY. This way of archiving my favorite things seems to speak to the INPUT theme of myself. Many thanks to my friend DD for taking the time to sit with me and explain how to use this website.

Check me out on Pinterest to see what’s up with The Kat.

For those of you following my Reading Challenge, I am currently reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King and We Are Their Heaven by Allison DuBois. My little Jedi and I are reading Floors by Patrick Carman.

“If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much room.” ~ John Mangus

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A huge serving of Middendorf’s fried thin catfish, a dollop of creamy coleslaw, a sore left hip flexor, and a tremendous sense of accomplishment were my rewards for running the Middendorf’s Manchac Run on October 15th. I had been training since August 1st to become a 30 minute runner. Becoming a 30 minute runner meant running 3 miles,which meant I could run a 5K.  And, I did it…in 32:49. My happiness bucket had definitely been filled to the brim.

Honestly, at first I was a little bummed with my time because I really wanted to finish in 30 minutes. However, the race included something I did not prepare for during my training…a bridge.    

Moments before the race started, I saw my ex-step instructor and stopped to chat. During out conversation, I asked her about the race course. Imagine my surprise (my face resembled Janet Leigh as she was about to be stabbed in Psycho) when I learned the course involved crossing the old Manchac bridge, not once, but twice. For a split second, I thought about running back to my car. All my training up to this point had been done in my subdivision on flat ground.

The race director called all runners and walkers to the starting line.  The more I looked at bridge, the more it looked like a mountain. The national anthem played. I gave my hubby and my doggie, Comet, a quick good-bye kiss, and I was off.

Of course, the bridge was at the very beginning of the race. Going over it at the beginning was not too bad. I was slow. Once I got over the bridge and reached flat ground, I got my groove on and found my pace. At 1.5 miles, runners had to turn back around and run for the finish. There was a drink station at the turning point. I grabbed a cup of grape Powerade from a cheerful volunteer, took a swig, swished, and spit. The remainder went into the garbage can. I made the turn, feeling the runner’s high. Life was GREAT! I was on the other side of the road observing everyone on the side before the 1.5 mile split. EGO reared its ugly head…for a moment, for up ahead was the bridge, and this time it was not so easy to go over. Ahead of me was Frank, a 76 year old man I had met at NOTC’s Sneaker Speaker Series a couple of years ago. He was my motivation. I focused on him instead of the bridge. Literally, I felt like I was running in slow motion. I refused to walk even though I probably could have walked faster. Finally, I made it to the top of the bridge. Frank had finished descending and was not too far from the finish line. I started my descent, careful not to go too fast or get too sloppy. My left hip flexor started to feel tender. Once on flat ground again, I sprinted for the finish. My smile was wide, really wide. I FINISHED. So, even though I did not finish in 30 minutes, my time was not really too bad considering I had to run over a bridge, not once, but twice. I felt like a winner.  

“Life begets life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.”   ~ Sarah Bernhardt

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I have completed the first week of my happiness project. Honestly, I feel I did pretty well. Even though I still have not created my official resolutions chart, I tallied up my accomplishments.  My trend these past few years has been to allow stressful situations or my busy lifestyle to influence my health and fitness decisions.  I realized as I was making my resolutions that my life is always going to be busy, and that stressful situations arise; however, those two factors are not a free pass for me to not take care of myself the majority of the time. It really boils down to choices.

My week started off really great. My little guy’s birthday was Monday. To celebrate, my husband and I took him to Chili’s for dinner. Since we had planned this ahead of time, I planned my meals throughout the day to bank some extra calories for a restaurant meal and a couple of bites of dessert. Earlier that morning, I did a 20 minute cardio interval DVD and my run/walk interval training. Tuesday and Wednesday I continued eating well and exercising. Thursday I hit a bump or a few bumps throughout the day. And, amazingly that day snowballed and led to a stressful event. Of course, I blamed it on the fact that I did not get out of bed earlier, as I had done successfully the previous three days.

Thursday was my little guy’s Supplies and Hi’s Day at school. He would have the opportunity to meet his teachers and drop off his school supplies. I’m convinced NOW that I must have a “sabatoging demon” that resides in my body. Of all the days to lollygag in bed, I choose the busiest day of my week to do it. Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed. I was cranky because I did not get up earlier. I still managed to do my strength training. However, I had to wash my hair, so I got even crankier for not getting up earlier. Even though I dislike getting up early, I am MUCH happier when I do because it allows me the time to do the things I need to do to keep me healthy. The day proceeded with other activities, and I was irritable and antsy all day. Everything managed to aggravate me. Even going to Books-a-Million didn’t even help. I skipped an opportunity to get a mocha latte. Why? It is August, and they still had the July newspaper with all the book reviews. I already read July. I wanted August! I had a mental temper tantrum. I couldn’t wait to get home. Once home, I made a cup of coffee and ate about 15 M & M’s. Then at 6pm, all hell broke loose.

My husband always goes out in the backyard when he gets home to spend time with the dogs. My little dog, Comet, spends the majority of the day inside. However, when my husband gets home, Comet wants to be out there with the big dogs, too. Apparently, in the short time he was out there, he ate something poisonous. When Comet came inside, he started vomiting and collapsed. He went into a trance-like state and wasn’t breathing very well. After calling the vet, we quickly left home headed for an emergency vet hospital in Mandeville, which is about 30-40 minutes away. It was an extremely stressful drive. There were lots of tears, lots of fear, and lots of prayers. Thankfully, we made it to the hospital in time.  Comet stayed overnight, as well a Friday night. We took him home on Saturday afternoon. He is doing well considering his liver was assaulted, his blood wasn’t clotting, and he almost died.  

Now, I could have used that stressful event to make the choice to eat poorly and not exercise. However, I chose to keep my resolutions. I also decided not to get irritated with myself if I didn’t honor one of my resolutions. Soooo, I didn’t get up earlier; however, I still exercised, ate well (minus the M & M’s), and drank enough water. I would do better tomorrow. And, I did do better. In fact, I even lost a pound this week, which puts me at 142.5 pounds. Remember, I’m working on getting to 135 pounds by August 29th.

Okay, share time. I tried a new recipe on Sunday. The recipe is “Bacon Cheeseburgers to Die For.” I wouldn’t really go that far, but they were good. Even my little guy liked the burger. He can be picky. I’ve attached the link: http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/cookin4me/bacon-cheeseburgers-to-die-for-better-than-gourmet/beef?k=bacon+cheeseburgers+to+die+for&p=1&o=r.  I opted to use water instead of beef broth. I may try the beef broth the next time, as well as making my bacon bits a little bigger.

Something that I discovered that makes me happy: Double Chocolate Biscotti. Not terribly high in fat/calories. I enjoy one when I’ve had a good day (eating/exercise) and want something sweet without the guilt. Keep in mind: having one of these treats everyday lessens the happiness quota.   

Also, I want to share how I’m becoming a 30 minute runner using a run/walk interval program. The program is outlined in the book Running and Walking for Women Over 40 by Kathrine Switzer. The running schedule can be used by both men and women. It is designed to help you become a 30 minute runner in ten weeks. I started Week 4 (walk 6 minutes/run 4 minutes, repeat 3X) today. If I continue successfully, I see a road race on the horizon.

“Life is the sum of all your choices.”  ~Albert Camus

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     I’m sitting here having a déjà vu moment, except I’m eating grapes (planned snack…explain later). I’m at the start of a new school year without a job. Sound familiar. Yes, last school year I decided to leave the teaching profession with my family’s blessing to pursue other things. And, I did. I was suppose to blog about my year. And, I didn’t. I was kind of busy going in a few different directions trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grow up.  However, there is a slightly different plan for this year. I will not be returning to the teaching profession as a full-time teacher; however, I am planning to return to the teaching profession as a substitute teacher. My thinking…it will provide me with a much needed paycheck, while giving me much needed flexibility to continue to pursue other things. One year was not quite enough. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. This year I will blog more about my year. This year I will arm myself with monthly resolutions in the name of “happiness.” Hopefully, with a more planned approach, I will not flounder as much as I did last year. I have no regrets concerning how I spent my time last year. It gave me a much needed mental break, and I was able to explore different avenues of interest, while being more active in the role of mother. I know what I don’t want for my life, so this year I must find out what I do want for my life. I do want to be happier, and for me I must dust off all the areas of my life and make some much needed improvements.

     Last month I read the book The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, and I am obsessed with doing my very own happiness project. It really is kind of insane considering school is about to start, as well as scouts and working full-time. My resolutions are designed to gain back more control over my life, and provide me happiness at the same time. I also will set some goals throughout the year as I work on these resolutions. Making this public gives me some added motivation to work harder. I need to be held accountable in order to succeed.

     Yesterday, I started my own happiness project. I do not have my chart created, yet…plan to do it today. One of these months, I have to tackle TIME MANAGEMENT. Below are my resolutions for August. Now, some resolutions I can do everyday, others are throughout the month. I basically get a gold star for each resolution I keep during the month. Then next month, I have new resolutions PLUS the previous ones. We’ll see how well I do all year. If I can gain some more control over my life, it will ultimately make me happy. These reolutions are all about gaining control and making my life happier in the process. Gretchen Rubin started off her happiness project with Vitality (boost energy) for her first month, so I thought I would do something similiar. It makes sense. The more energy you have, the happier you are and the better equipped you are to tackle other areas of your life that need improvement. I decided to concentrate on health and fitness.
 
So here goes:

August: Health and Fitness
 
• Eat Better: In order to do this I have four resolutions.
 
1) stop mindless snacking throughout the day (if I do have a designated snack, they need to be healthy-fruit/veggies/yogurt, etc. (no M & M’s). Hence, the grapes I was eating earlier during my déjà vu moment.
2) keep a food journal
3) eat more fruits and veggies (fruit is not hard for me, veggies much harder)
4) plan my meals ahead of time
 
• Exercise: I have three resolutions under this category.
 
1) Move everyday.
2) Run at least three days per week.
3) Strength Train at least two days per week.

• Drink more water (at least 6 glasses). 
 
• Get up Earlier (no hanging out in the bed unless I’m sick).
 
• Go to bed ON TIME (no staying up late to read).
 
Then I have some activities each month to challenge myself (learn something new).
 
1) Make one NEW recipe per month.
2) Take an Improv class (acting) – two classes in August (last two classes in September).
3) Take a Scene Study class (acting) – three classes in August (16 hours of instruction).

August Goal: Weigh in at 135 on 8/29.
 
Anyway, as you can see…NO MORE EXCUSES. Pardon me now as I go strength train.

 

“To excuse by definition means “to regard with indulgence; to view leniently or to overlook; to pardon.” So I ask you, what would happen if you couldn’t use even one excuse this year?” ~ Debbie Ford

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