PinkNinja

1. I didn't do a Darebee workout. For the same reason I didn't finish my walk. \/ \/ 2. Turtle and I only walked half a mile today. .I started walking and since I live in the park, I was walking through the campground. I overheard a couple arguing and stressing. I couldn't keep walking knowing they were having issues and that it was probably our fault. I won't make it a drawn-out story, but basically, I wound up hauling several bundles of firewood around to different campsites because some people wanted to stay in 121 but the clerk booked them and had their firewood delivered to 21. I didn't know their firewood was at 21, so I went to the woodshed to get it. Then I found out what happened and I had to go get the wood from 21 and put it up. I guess I didn't have to, but if someone used it, our resale inventory could get messed up. So instead of my Darebee workout, I had a short walking warm-up followed by lots of Farmer's walks. 3. I'm okay as far as soda goes. I didn't buy a soda yesterday, even though I got a headache. I actually still have it. Maybe it's my eyes because my sinuses feel okay and I wasn't tired. I need to work on that. This morning was great. I woke up with no snooze. I did my whole morning routine and had time left over. I even made oatmeal for breakfast (ok, it was instant, but still) and started dijon pork chops & green beans in the crockpot for dinner. I did all that AND made it to work before 8 a.m. Ok, it was 7:58, but I live there. It's not like I have to worry about traffic. I'm happy with it because I've never completed my morning routine without being rushed or late. The last 3 days have been different. When I wake up, I'm actually awake. I don't feel cruddy or groggy. It's way easier to not go back to bed.

I'm enjoying it. I think some of my friends/family are getting tired of receiving pictures of mason jars and texts like "Look! My cauliflower is so gassy!! :D" I put off trying it for a while because of equipment, but I found these "Pickle Pipes." They're $25ish for 4 and you can use mason jars, and they vent themselves, so I don't have to worry about coming home to a krauty kitchen explosion.

Man, I always feel crunched for time and like I don't have any energy to get stuff done. Reading your routines and stuff, I can't imagine trying to do it and balance a family. Other than my dog, I only have a plant to keep alive (&and it's a resurrection plant, so, it doesn't really die..), and I've not been walking even once daily. I struggle with that aspect of social media too. I like keeping up with my friends on there, but wow it gets crazy. And I've learned more about people than I wanted to know. I hope you can figure out a balance. And then you should tell us how to do it.

So, you get primal when you're alone? I do that, too! I need to get back to any of my language lessons. I got rid of my premium account to save $$ but then I got internet at home, so I can do it at home again. I should do Japanese because competing with ya'll was fun. BUT you still are awesome and surely if your boss comes back and says "can't" it might be possible to approach the competition? See earlier gif.

I haven't seen such a detailed use of the stats in a while. That's cool. It sounds like a, well, challenging challenge. Congrats on the meditation streak! That's pretty impressive.

Any of you guys use Plan To Eat? I have been finding it very useful but would hate to be missing out on sharing recipes with one of you.

My guy and the kiddo were here this weekend. It was wonderful. We played Magic, made gummy penguins, and watched movies. 1. After they left today, I did day 10 on the Darebee program. I'm 1/3 of the way through. Yay! When I did the workout, I substituted front snap kicks down my hall for the "step back+step ups". Tomorrow is "fast pace cardio" but it's all different kinds of jumping jacks. If it's not raining, I may substitute something cardio I like more, either a bike ride or attempt at zombies run. 2. I didn't walk today. It was raining. I'd have been fine, but honestly, I didn't want to deal with wet dog and I felt bad going without him because he had to share me this weekend for the first time. He obviously did not like that. 3. I'm okay as far as soda goes. Tomorrow is my first day back at work. I am armed with Zyrtec and peppermint tea. I will not buy a soda. I also did an unofficial weigh-in for DietBet and I'm about 27% of the way towards my goal on it. It ends Nov. 10th, so I have a little more than 3 weeks left, which puts me right on track for it. I made a dent in the pile on the coffee table. I also updated the first part of my grab & go binder for where I live now. Emergency contact info does no good if it's for a county that's 4 hours away! I also remembered I took some of the more important documents out to leave in one location instead of dragging them around Arkansas with me. I need to get them and put them back. I don't know if it's the new meds or not, but I've had a much easier time waking up in the morning for the last two days. I was looking over the next couple of weeks, and I was like "Man, this is a tough month to pick to try to respawn" Then I kind of realized all of my months are like this. I work til Wednesday. Then I'll go to Jonesboro for a FEMA class. I'm already in Jonesboro, so I'm going to stay a couple days to visit a close friend. The day after I get back from that, I leave to stay the night and teach CPR the next day another park. I get back from that and two days later, I'm out again. BUT! I can walk anywhere and the Darebee workout do not require any equipment. I need to make sure I eat decently and that I make time to work out. Oh, and I have fermented carrots! Kishi got me interested in benefits of fermented foods. Then I got curious about different kinds. And now I have a shelf in my cabinet where I have cauliflower, carrots, and sauerkraut happily bubbling away. The carrots are delicious.

I talked to a couple of health professionals, and we decided I needed to be treated for depression. I also got a steroid pack because my tailbone has been hurting some again. We're hoping that taking the steroids much earlier will help more than last time when I didn't take them until it hurt badly. And I got some allergy medicine. I was really worried about talking about depression but now I almost feel relieved. My pcp says it sounds like I've had troubles with it for a while but it recently got worse. He seems to think if we find a medication that suits me, I'll feel better than I have in a long time. I've only taken it for two days now but I feel renewed and like this could be a really good move for me. Though that could be the steroid pack talking. I signed up for another DietBet. It runs Oct. 14 - Nov. 10. I have to lose 9.5 lbs so my challenge is to support that goal. 1. Darebee Foundation Workouts I really like the Darebee Foundation workout program. It's fast, it's daily, and it incorporates kicks, punches, and other fun moves. I get bored during the NF Academy workouts, but the combat moves really help break that. I checked out some of their other beginner workout programs. I really like the Athena's Playbook one. But I've got to get through the 30 days of Foundation first. I'm doing Day 8 tomorrow. So my goal is to finish before the end of this challenge. 2. Keep on the Path to Mordor I've been walking more, mostly because of Turtle. We've not walked over a mile at a time, but we've done it more days than we haven't. I'm not going to put many constraints on it. I just need to walk more days than I don't. 3. Soda no more than once a week. I've gotten bad about drinking soda at work and out to eat, more than at home. Out to eat is just me making excuses. I should drink water. I don't like the water in most places. Water tastes funny with <insert junk food I shouldn't be eating anyway>. The tea is too sweet. But I should drink water. At work, I get tired, run down, and usually have a headache. The canned drinks are only 85 cents, and I feel a little better about halfway through the can. It's not every day, but it's 2-3 times a week. So I need to get a handle on that. I'm hoping the allergy medicine and the Wellbutrin will help with the slump and headache. My to do list sounds like a lot, but several things are going to take stages, so I plan on carrying some of these through and just having made progress on them. They are all things I'd like to have done before the new year starts. To Do List Grab & Go Binder Update & Organize (Started 25% done) Consolidate Go bags I have more than one. That's dumb. I had a bag I keep in my car with extra clothes, sleeping bag, & stuff for in case I stay decide to stay somewhere and I have a slightly more traditional emergency evacuation bag. I need to just squish them together. I can keep the change of clothes on top of the other stuff or put it in a smaller bag snapped to it. (Started, but had to unpack it to wash it bc Turtle had an accident on it..) Clean off my coffee table That sounds silly but it's become a big pile. Turtle can't reach it so I've just started using it for a quick fix to put things he shouldn't be gnawing on) (Everything is off it, but not dealt with 20%)(done now!) Clean up my extra room. It'd be a great workout space and office space if I'd get it reorganized. Finish cleaning up the porch maintenance tore a closet out of my house and my porch is covered in dry wall dust now (I did quite a bit of work on the porch before I left for training 50%) Kayak Twice Just reminding myself to do something fun List bed, cds, & stuff I plan to sell instead of procrastinating Clean out T-shirt drawer It's gotten a little crowded in the shirt world. It's like they multiply. I haven't even bought a shirt in months! Consolidate First Aid Kits Seriously? How many does a girl need? I have a hiking one, a daily one, a work Responder bag, a personal responder bag, a house kit, and a water sports kit. Not Necessary. Oh! And there's a first aid kit in both the go bags. I keep them all updated and just listing those, man, how much time I'll save if I squish them down. There's no reason my paddling one can't be the same as my hiking one. Anyway. sorry. tmi (Started by rounding up all of them 10%)

The only thing I was really successful at was working on side hustle type stuff more frequently. I made lots of soap, planned some weaving projects, and am teaching one person to weave, one to sew, and one to make cheese. None of these are making money, but they are helping practice and determine if I should offer these as paid classes. I'm also going to weave a couple of baskets to take to the art center in town and see if they're interested in hosting a basket weaving class. They have pottery classes so it's not completely out of possibility. I did okay with going to bed early except for nights that I read too much. But I still did horribly at waking up early, so I did horribly at going walking in the mornings. I did well on walking in the afternoons though. Turtle and I made it a few miles past Tookland. I'm not going to be so late on the next challenge. I've been thinking about it a lot already.

I love that gif. Thank you. Yeah, I'm trying to balance my desire to get out of debt with my desire to not work myself to death. But I also feel like I'm being lazy. I'm keeping in mind that whether I PRN or not, I'll enjoy the Wilderness class. It's basically a 9 day vacation that also fulfills my CEU requirements for my EMT license. And I don't have to take off work for it or drive my own vehicle. Which is good because my work truck has 4 wheel drive and looking at where I'm going, I'm may need it.

I'm trying the "Fake it til you make it" thing with autumn weather. It's 93 degrees outside right now. My heart says Halloween!! The weather says:

I've walked most days. I started the Darebee Foundation 30 day program. I went kayaking. I've not been sleeping well and have been super tired. Turtle has doubled in size. I'm so very glad tomorrow is my Friday. I've been making soap. I made footballs, jack-o-lanterns, and purple and white paw prints. I talked to a lady that owns a shop in my hometown and she's interested in selling it. Their high school team is the lions and their colors are purple and white. Hence, the pawprints. I'd say that's decent progress on sidejobs. I also signed up for the Wilderness EMT upgrade. I decided that if nothing else, it'll be a good refresher. Then I can decide if I want to do PRN EMT work at the local ambulance station. They've told me they'd like the help. It'd be decent extra money and a good way to get involved with the community. I haven't done it because I'm afraid I've forgotten enough to not be useful. Plus, I'm not sure if 12 hour shifts on my days off is something I want to commit too. But I've decided that it might be, especially if I could get my debt paid off faster. I've been down lately. I appreciate you guys. *hugs*

Before I left for kayak training, my reward for making my bed finally came in. I put it on there yesterday. And of course, this morning, I didn't make my bed. I got a call from a guest saying the cabin next to them was on fire, so I bolted. (it wasn't.) But I made it at lunch. Isn't it pretty? I have one more pillow coming. It has constellations on it. But all of this is from wish, so who knows when it'll get here? There is a "Paint Party" type business down here, in Monroe, LA, that does a version of the starry night but over a swamp as a two canvas painting. I want that for over my bed. I haven't been able to convince anyone to go with me. I may settle for the regular starry night and order the 3 piece canvas off Wish and frame it myself. Though I saw a wall hanging type thing that was the Earthrise. I may do that, then it'd double as a throw if I change my mind and it'd be easier to pack & transport when I leave. I went to bed and put up the kindle at a good time last night. I spent my time before bed productively, cleaning house and I unmolded some soap. When my anise oil and black mica come in, I'll have everything ready to finish some Halloween soap.

Turtle and I have walked a mile a day for 4 days. I've been getting in bed on time but reading too late. May need to swap back to short stories. Turtle is pretty adamant that his bedtime is around 10, and since he can't get in the bed by himself, he's been better than an alarm at getting me to bed. I just need to put the Kindle down. I'm going to go to the Wilderness EMT class. I've requested to go on work time with a work vehicle. I'm paying the lodging & food, which is about $500. I'm still on the fence about it. I feel like this may be a dumb thing for me to spend $500 on. I'll have to think more. I didn't go to the strength & conditioning class Thursday because my grandpa came home Wednesday from the heart hospital then he went back to the hospital Thursday, but it was not his heart. I spent Thursday afternoon there. I plan to go next week. My sister and I are spending next Wednesday together. We're going kayaking then doing some freezer cooking. We are probably going to make a bunch of meatloaf, definitely some lasagna roll-ups, and maybe something else. I'm going to stop Rising Heroes for a while. I think I need to focus on MY goals. I've benefited from it but I think I'm letting it take away more effort and time than it's giving benefit right now.

I did not leave work at 5 but I wasn't REALLY working. Today was my boss's last day before his surgery, so we talked a while, some about his surgery and some about work, some about my grandpa. He also signed my training request for a wilderness EMT course and we talked about what the next few months will be like. Turtle and I went for a nice one mile walk. It was our longest one yet. I think it wore him out. I've decided to use the walk to Mordor app. I think it'll be fun motivation for a while. So far I've stuck to my plan for the evening, and I'm on track for a 10 pm bedtime.

No. He is, basically, continuously having small heart attacks. Clots were visibly forming while they tried to open clogged arteries. They had to remove his old stint because it was clogged. The Doctor said this morning to not count on going home in the next few days. When I talked to mom on the phone, Papaw was arguing with the nurse's aid about the fact that if it was made of turkey it could not be bacon, that he did not care what it was shaped like or what the package said, bacon is made out of pig, end of story. He'd eat it, but it was NOT bacon. So, he's feeling a little better, I guess. He likes to mess with people. I'm having their direct supervisor handle it. And I have other things I have to address with him. Nothing seems to be going well today. But I've decided to actively be positive and make it a better day. I got my puppy back, I'm leaving work at 5, and we're going for a walk. My grandpa is in a hospital ranked in the top 5% in the nation for cardiac care and coronary intervention. I'm on lunch and I'm going to make a plan for this evening when I get off.

I'm officially an ACA certified kayak instructor. I spent most of my week at training. The park we were in had worse cell service than mine. I had a great time and was really given a big self esteem boost. The lead instructor was not with our department, and I'd never met him before. He said lots of really nice things about me. The instructor from our department also told said some nice things, he said I was an excellent instructor and he always tries to go to my first aid classes because I "bring a quality to the class that is sorely lacking otherwise" and run a much more efficient ship than other instructors. Plus, the class was just fun. We pretty much played on the water for most of the time. And got paid for it. I needed a reminder that my job was cool. Mostly my Etsy store. I have tons of raw materials, mostly from the classes I was supposed to teach that were cancelled without notice. I need to at least try to get something from them. Soap, basket reed, and yarn. I'm also going to look into leading trips. Not in the near future, but I have had this fantasy for a long time, and it's probably mostly stupid, but a small part of it could be doable. I want to take small groups on backpacking, paddling, camping type trips. There's a lot of research I need to do. I've got a lot of training that would beneficial, and I just got invited to attend a wilderness EMT class with a reduced fee (they're usually in the thousands range and this is less than $500). I could just start with paddling classes and slowly build up. But I'm not sure. I'm going to research and plan, but mostly stick to Etsy, and try to use any profit from it to get out of debt first. My grandpa had a heart attack last night and is in the heart hospital. When I left this evening, he was still having intermittent chest pain. I'm worried about him this time. Then I came home from a week away, ending with visiting him in the hospital to find that maintenance had left my house a mess, had been teasing my lizard, and violated my privacy. There's drywall mud everywhere, and it's smeared all over her tank. There were white footprints in two of my dining chairs, drywall mud on my couch, my coffee table, my remote, and my digital picture frame. All of the bathroom cabinets were open, personal items I did NOT leave out had drywall mud fingerprints on them. They were supposed to be repairing a wall in my kitchen not going through my things. For the record, the wall is not repaired. And knowing who it was makes it worse, I think. Especially since they work for me. My boss's last day is tomorrow. He's going to the heart hospital for surgery Tuesday. I jokingly told papaw they could share a room and get a discount. Lol I'm kind of just drained. Looking forward to getting Turtle back tomorrow and trying to get into a routine again. Oh and my space comforter reward for making my bed came in. I'm gonna make my bed pretty this week. There will be pictures.

. Meet Turtle, Son of Boudreaux, Destroyer of String, and Supreme Snuggler

1. Part of my morning routine has slipped. I'm still making my bed though. Even today when I woke up in a barracks style dorm and only had a blanket. I did it without even thinking. I need to change it a little, too. I got a puppy. He's adorable, and his name is Turtle. So we're going to start going for walks in the morning. This also means I need to work on going to bed earlier. 2. I need to go to the free gym's strength and conditioning class. I keep putting that off. It's on Thursdays, my usual day off. 3. Work on my side hustle/specialization 4 times a week.

Me too!

I have the internet at my house now. As of about 4 minutes ago. I had to come tell you guys. I'M SO EXCITED!!

I suck at going to bed early and I suck at getting up early. I've even been backsliding on my morning routine. Still making my bed though. That's become a habit at least. I've accomplished a bit on my adult list. *edit* realized I'm in a bad mood and need to get out of it. I made my goal for my Dietbet, which means I lost 4% of my bodyweight in August. I also started some serious decluttering in my kitchen last night. I do need to improve, but I'm accomplishing more than I'm giving myself credit for atm.

Well, halfway through the challenge and I finally got it typed up here. I also have 2 new columns in my Planner Pad planner that NOT work. I added a personal column, long overdue, and a column for craft stuffs. I wrote all my adult list down in my personal column. I've been working on life/work balance. This week was not the best for it, but I am proud of some things I did. I was supposed to work half a day Wednesday and half a day Tuesday because I'm normally off Wednesday but my boss wanted me at a staff meeting and that was the best day he felt. Well I wound up being stuck at work all day Tuesday because my boss disappeared. Wednesday, after the staff meeting that last THREE HOURS. o_o We went to go pick up my work truck. We wound up wasting the entire rest of the day because they kept saying they were "almost done." I got home at 5:39. I had all-day Thursday off. Then, even with my boss sort of gone Friday, i just called and told them I wasn't coming in until after lunch. I realized I deserve my time just as much as they do. My niece is coming tonight. Her school superintendent went bonkers and the kids aren't being allowed to watch the eclipse. She's kind of different for a little 4 year old, gets what's going on, and has been excited about it for weeks. She has her special eclipse book and eclipse glasses. We watched the Perseids last week. So this week, she's going to spend the night with me and then sort of go to work with me. I'd take leave but there's some craziness going on and we're not allowed to take leave right now. So she's going to go with me to help pick out and buy flowers to spruce up the park before our inspection Wednesday when we're not eclipse watching. I'm sure she'll help me put the flowers out as well. I'll come back and put in some hours without her after my mom gets off the bus and can keep her. My boss knows all of this is happening. He thinks this whole "leave suspended" thing is crazy, so he doesn't care. She has requested McDonald's tonight. So I have planned all my calories around that and know exactly what to order to stick to my goal. She'll also probably help me clean and organize some. She likes to throw things away. I've been practicing my No Buying. I have a really cool idea for a bar of soap but it requires two new column molds. I have plenty of stuff to make plenty of other soap. So I wrote down the idea and moved on. This is actually working out pretty well because it's like the fact that I can't buy any molds is getting me to come up with all kinds of cool soap that I'd need new molds for, so I have a growing list of ideas. But I'm not going to buy any molds unless I sell some soap made with what I currently have. Then I can use that money to get more. Besides, I came up with a few good ideas for what I have, I just need to do them. I'm on track to win my dietbet. I'm super excited. Being so close (73%!!) and still having 12 days left is keeping me motivated. If it weren't for that, I might not have beenso meticulous with my "splurge" meal tonight. I NEED to go check out that free gym in town. It would be the best place to start back running or at least getting cardio in. Maybe I should change my goal for this challenge to just getting in 2 hours of activity a week. It's what my doctor told me to do..

I'm gonna update my challenge soon. Just really busy at work and not been able to get downtime. I have done pretty well at waking up though not entirely by choice. I'm doing fair on going to bed. I'm only four days away from a full 30 days on my morning routine. Can't wait to make up my bed with a galactic bedspread. I also have been dedicating more time to yoga in the mornings. It feels great.

My morning routine has been working out well. I need to move towards allotting more time towards it. As of today, I've completed it 20 days in a row. But some of those days, I was late for work or did it hurriedly. The main focus for this challenge is going to be time. So here goes my first attempt at a themed challenge... Except I'm not the Doctor. I don't have a Tardis, and I can't do anything Timey Wimey or wibbly wobbly. (Ok.. maybe wobbly.. but no wibbly!) I have to eat, I have to sleep, I have to work, and thank god, I only have one heart. I think the biggest thing I need to work on is going to bed at a decent time. If I go to bed well, I can get up better. I have worked on this in past challenges, with some success. Lately, I've been slipping for various reasons, mostly work related (but that's for later). I need to make sure I get sleep. 1. Be in bed by 10. This also means I have to be proactive about calling my guy, even if we can't actually talk, it'll get him to call me. Then I can sleep. But don't sleep too much. 2. But don't sleep too much! Wake up incrementally 7 minutes earlier each week of the challenge. We're going to pretend I get up by 7:30 currently. (hahahahahaha...) So, first week, 7:23 Now for something I"ve been putting off for basically 3 years, and viewers at home are probably shaking their head at the idea of me including it in yet another challenge, but 3. Get to running. Start off with walking for 30 minutes, 3x. Then start on a 5k training plan, whether it's the zombies on or the typed one on my fridge. Today's the 20th, so by end of the challenge, I want to have AT LEAST passed Week 2, Run 2. I've already walked twice. Other than running, I need to sort out my evening time better. I know what works for me, I just have to get back on track. If I work my time right, I can be responsible, be crafty, and be adventurious. 4. Work on my specialization for 20 minutes, clean for 20 minutes, and declutter for 20 minutes each night. I need to make space in my kitchen. It's driving me nuts, I hate cooking at home (I love cooking..what?!), and I have identified things that can go and make room for getting it better organized. I also need to send out a couple of give back boxes. I necer narrowed down my specialization for Rising Heroes, but I have the options of working on etsy stuff, blog stuff, Japanese(though I doubt I ever place 1st in our club again, I'm just going to aim to beat either @Kishi or @RisenPhoenix) or German, or archery. Or more than one, since that's totally doable on days I don't run. I've got a few things that need taken care of, and they pretty much just mean I have to do adult stuff. My Adult List: Finish my TR1 so I can sort out my credit card bill Sort out Dentist bill bc I don't owe them as much money as they think I do Sort out Drew Memorial bill because I have no idea why they think I owe them money Redo my debt planner & YNAB categories <<I've paid down and consolidated my debt and making satisfactory progress but I could do better. I got lax on my spending during vacation and haven't reigned it back in. Plus, who I owe what and when shifted around a lot and I need to get that organized again No Buy November Challenge. The only things I will buy for the rest of this challenge are 1. Gasoline 2. Food 3. A cheap toolbox and a cheap lock for my niece to have her own storage space at my house. It doesn't really have to be big or secure, it's a symbol thing, and then I'll definitely have won my place as her favorite aunt at least until she's a teenager. (I'm her only one..) No other purchases of stuff. No e-books. I need to even work on not buying food because I have plenty I need to use up, freezer stuff, packaged sauces, spices, etc. Clean my car out Detail my car (these are harder than they sound just cause it's hot ya'll) Redo death book & will Finish password log home edition Finish password log work edition Check on my FSA balance & get my FSA paperwork in order Hang my hose holder above the faucet (seriously.. all I need is a wood screw, why's it still on my dining table!?!) And I'm just gonna end with one of my favorite moments