Siofra

Eventually I will get through this gigantic quest I have in front of me.... This past spring, I was all set to lose myself in exercise after I had a whole bunch of crap thrown on me. A year or so before that, I was all set because I didn't have kids for the summer, and I didn't have any excuses. Needless to say, I'm still in the same position, regardless of what situation I was in! So, now to make it happen. For reals. I have no idea how much I have to lose. The batteries in my scale died. That's both a blessing and a curse. But I know it's a lot. I also have more motivation now, as I've taken the steps to join The Dark Empire, a Star Wars costuming group. I want to make a custom Sith cosplay, and damn if I don't want to look good in it! I'm going to start taking some leatherworking classes (my kids and husband asked which profession I was dropping to take that up ), and I need to actually get to the gym again. I need to get running again. I missed out on doing races at Disneyland, since they've canceled them all for the foreseeable future. I really wanted to do the Tink 1/2, and the Star Wars 1/2. My husband has said that, if I could get myself ready, we'd see about trying to get to Florida for the Star Wars Dark Side 1/2 there at some point. My stretch goal is to run the Loch Ness Marathon in 2020, the year I turn 40. The dance style I have a burning passion for is having their yearly conference next January about an hour away from where I live. If I want to participate (which I so, so do), I need to get back to dancing. So, goals! I have them. I just need to stick with it. That is what I seem to lack. So this is me, respawning again. I still don't know what chronic illness I'm fighting. Is it RA? Is it Lyme? Is it something completely different? We don't know! I'm a "mystery". The one time in my life I want to be boring and routine. But regardless, I need to find my fitness again. To quote the overused and annoying cliche: I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'm ready to be agile and strong again.

Okay, so, I'm working on my son's high school graduation announcements. He's a huge RPG fan, so I'm trying to come up with some amusing stats to go along with his graduation. However, I'm kinda drawing a blank, which is terrible. So far I have: LEVEL UP! +1 INT +5 Game Time I need to work procrastination in there. He procrastinates procrastination. Would that be a + stat or a - stat, though?

So, a year ago, I was all motivated and raring to go. And then... Honestly, I don't even know what happened, but I apparently phased out of motivation existence. But now I'm back! At least, I'm trying to be. Last week, we lost my 86 year old grandmother. She was ready, she talked with my grandfather (who passed away a few years back), her mother, and was at peace. She passed away a day before her and my grandfather's anniversary. Overall, I'm pretty okay, but I can see some ways that I'm mourning and grieving that don't include crying, and those include actually WANTING to do something to keep me going. I also have a son graduating from high school in 2 weeks. Yikes. I'm totally not ready for this. So much going on. So what better thing to do than add something else and recommit myself to health?! Honestly, I think I'm looking for some way to stay sane, lol! So, I'm trying to remember what I loved doing, and what I didn't. I'm starting really easy, even if that means taking 10 minutes every day to walk around the block. Gotta start somewhere, right?

Another hour down, and I'm feeling awesome! I had intended to go to the gym today, however, it is hot and I figured I'd be nice and let my hubby take my car to work since the AC actually works well in that one. So I danced instead. He's off tomorrow, so we're going to hit the gym around lunchtime! I adore it. I found it when I came out of a bad relationship and had lost who I was. I haven't been able to be very consistent at it in the past few years because RA kinda took me out of commission for awhile, but I'm trying to maneuver things in a way that I can get back to it!

Nice to meet you, Cousin! I was doing some stuff, and if the information that I found is to be believed, the Viking portion was pretty impressive as well. When you're playing on Ancestry.com and suddenly it says you're descended from Odin.. I mean, what do you do there? Do you claim it and have a chuckle? Because that's totally what I did, not gonna lie. My husband is all concerned now because I'm apparently descended from Viking demigods and Picts. He said that he really doesn't want to see what happens when I'm really upset, lol! So, how do I join the Rangers? Do I just say, "Hey, I'm a Ranger now!" and it's a thing?

Thanks! Are you a Grant as well?? My direct ancestor that first came to America was captured after the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 and shipped off as an indentured servant. We're still in the process of tracing things, since records from so far back aren't exactly the most accurate sometimes, but it seems to be showing signs of Pictish and Viking connections. I am a history buff, so I love trying to find out all I can and hope to follow the Pictish Trail and go see some of the ancient sites when I make it over there!

Thank you! Yes, "do all the things" fits me to a T, lol! I'm definitely feeling I fit in best with the Rangers due to this! Haha, no worries on derailment! My ancestors on my father's side cane from the Inverness area. My maiden name is Grant. On my mother's side, it was in the Morvern area. They were MacDougall's. I'm in the long process of trying to figure out all the places I need to and want to hit when we visit. At least I have 4 years to figure it all out, lol!

It's been an absolutely crazy week! My lunch date and my info session went great! I've done the application and the online orientation steps for the volunteer opportunity at the children's hospital, and now I'm waiting to see if they'll call me for an interview! My oldest son applied to Northern Arizona University last weekend and found out on Monday that he's been accepted! He hasn't even started his senior year yet! I also found out that one of my favorite belly dance troupes has a new instructional DVD coming out soon, so I pulled out my 25 yard skirt and did a whole lot of spinning and twirling last night and this morning! It felt good to get back to that which has had such a positive impact in my life!

Up early again this morning. Morning 4! Taking a sort of rest day today, however. I have a busy day ahead of me, and I need to reserve my energy. So much of this day could mean everything about my future in drastically different ways. I'm having lunch with an old friend. She used to be the owner of the studio where I began belly dance five years ago. She closed the studio, but has been working with small businesses since, and we're going to talk about my creative ideas over food. Then, this evening, I'm going to Phoenix Children's Hospital for a volunteer information meeting. If I want to go back to school for physical therapy assisting, I need to have at least 40 hours of volunteer time in before I can even apply for the program. Since I want to specialize in pediatrics, my fingers are crossed that I can help in their physical therapy/rehabilitation department. It's going to be a very long day. But hopefully one that will have positive impact on the rest of my life in one way or another.. or in both ways!! Thank you! I'm quite partial to it. I thought about going to a chain that's known for having inexpensive memberships, but it just wouldn't be the same!

I really do like my gym a lot. They truly want to see people succeed. They're not just in it for the money like a lot of chains are. This is a little locally owned place. I'm getting into the habit of waking up early every day. That way, regardless of whether I'm going to the gym or out to work on my running, I'm doing it before the heat kicks in. 3 days of up at 4:30 and doing what I'm doing by 5-5:15 down. What is it... 28 days to make a habit? Up, to the gym and back all before 6am today! I'm not sure what's happened to me, but I think I've got my fire back! It was a good workout. Squats (assisted by a ball right now because my hip flexors seem to be working overtime at the moment and keep pulling me forward, which my trainer says is normal when someone hasn't been at it for a little while), lat pulldowns, press ups, and deadlifts. Warm up and cooldown on the treadmill. Gonna be another hot one today. Glad I got my "out of the house" stuff done early! Gonna enjoy the wonderful invention that is air conditioning and stay indoors while it's 117 out there!

Well, the forecast is now down to 118 tomorrow. So we figure anywhere around 120. Yeah... it's brutal. I live in central Arizona, right smack in between Phoenix and Tucson. So, I've been kinda crappy at this whole keeping up with things lately. So I pulled my shit together and went to the gym yesterday. The owner was there, and he's been trying to get me to meet with a trainer again for a reprogram. I hadn't met with one since January, and I'm able to once every month. I had kept pushing it off, but yesterday I'd just had enough with my lack of progress... well, lack of anything. I figured I'd have to make an appointment and then meet with someone next week... Imagine my surprise when he went and grabbed a trainer he'd been wanting me to work with, who then asked me if I had time for him today. I told him that I did, since I have no responsibilities to speak of since my kids are gone for the next month. It was a long session, and Darrel was amazing. He sat me down and talked to me, asked me what my obstacles were with RA, and what's been keeping me from being consistent. He really made an effort to get to know me and my goals (as vague as some of them are... we're working on that), which is something no one except the owner has done to that extent. Not gonna lie, I ended up breaking down for a bit because I want nothing more than to be a good role model for my kids and inspire them to become more active (aside from active in the gaming community, lol). It was cathartic. He set me up with a new workout plan that's challenging but not too challenging. Now to keep with it. As an aside, after all of the squats and deadlifts he had me doing yesterday, I cringe every time I have to use the bathroom. Who's brilliant idea was it to make the toilet seat so damn low?!

I did a thing this morning! I've been dealing with shin splints terribly lately, but I dug out a pair of shoes that I was fitted in a couple years ago and then never wore much because RA hit me like a freight train. They seemed to help immensely! So I think I can get back to running, perhaps! This makes me so happy. This morning, I had a memory on Facebook that 4 years ago I signed up for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon with 6 months to train for it. It should have been plenty of time, but I didn't make it. I ended up losing out on the money I paid, thanks to unforeseen circumstances. I was so discouraged, so I decided to really try and get back to it. One of my huge goals is to run the Loch Ness Marathon in Scotland in 4 years. Hubby and I were already planning on going in 4 years, and then I found out that I could run a marathon while there and that has given me something to strive for. I'm really hoping to be able to get into them and enjoy wearing them soon. They're predicting 122 degrees this Sunday. Now, I obviously won't be in them THAT quickly, but maybe before we have another one of these stupid heat waves, I will be sporting some Alice in Wonderland threads! And I'll definitely post a link. Working on getting a few things uploaded at the moment! It's a slow and somewhat tedious process, lol!

So, yesterday was my birthday, and the official start of this challenge. Birthday was good, start of the challenge wasn't in some aspects. However, I was really rather expecting that. While I do try to eat well, I also will not deprive myself of deliciousness that was made for me. I did, however, get items that will serve as inspiration for my fitness goals. Shorts. This may seem rather odd, but in the past probably 16 years, I have owned exactly one pair of shorts. I live in Arizona (where it's supposed to be around 120 degrees this coming weekend...not thrilled), so I suffer perhaps needlessly in the summer because I am so unhappy with my legs. But I am determined to change that. I have that one pair that fits me now. These ones that my husband gave me for my birthday are a bit too small, but because they're so damn adorable (pictures of which are attached), I will get into them. My greatest battle today, I fear, will be against fatigue. Our dogs are not taking the absence of the boys any better than I am internally, but their displeasure is manifesting in rather...sleep-depriving ways. The chihuahua mix is fiercely dependent upon my oldest son, and has now decided he much attach himself to me. Our much larger rescue (not sure on his breed) whines and lays himself against me, so I'm essentially wearing dogs most of the time that I am home. Including when trying to sleep. In the past several days, I have not slept for more than 2 hours at a time. I have to move often when I sleep because my joints will gel and ache if I don't. Hard to do when mutts have you pinned between/underneath them. It is now 7:23am and I have been up for 6 hours already. I am determined, despite this setback, that I will get some sort of activity in today. It may be as little as walking around the block, but I want to wear my shorts! I did spend part of my nocturnal sentence trying to figure out the best way to approach branding/brand identity for my shop, as well as playing around in Photoshop a bit. Hopefully I can do more productive work on that throughout the day today. I have goals. They may seem meager to some, but they are mountainous to me.

Being sick sucks! I totally understand that. But hey, you've got a lot of great going for you! Pole dancing sounds fun! I do fusion belly dance and it's such a blast!

Not my birthday yet, so you're not late! It's on the 12th, the first official day of the challenge! Regardless, thank you very much! I'm really excited and hopeful about making positive changes in my life! Thank you! It's not really functional at the moment, sadly. It's an Etsy shop with nothing in it and no real banner/branding yet. That's the goal for this weekend. But as soon as I have it up and running, I'll share it! Thanks! And that's too funny on the name! It's a name that came about with a character I've been developing, and the term Changeling has so many great meanings as a result!