stage 4

Stage 4, they say. What does that even mean? I mean, yes, it has medical meaning, but to a family, what does that really mean? No hope? 6 months? A year?

This is the news the doctor gave my grandpa and our family earlier this week.

My grandpa is a quiet man, tall, thin, and dark complected. He mumbles when he talks. He likes to hunt. He's still madly in love with my grandma -- still pinching her rear in the kitchen. He's a family man and hard working. He loves reminiscing about the time I stayed with him and my grandma up north and helped him rake the leaves (their yard is HUGE). I was 6 years old, I think. He loves that story.

He is humble, kind, and a dedicated father, husband, grandpa, brother, son, cousin, and friend. He would help anyone in need. When I was in college, I probably called him at least half a dozen times with car troubles. He can fix anything. He always came to the rescue. I was a toddler, when he drove me to the hospital after a brick fell on my toe. In grade school, he picked me up and rushed me inside when I fell (going up the cement stairs on their front porch), wiped away my tears and made me laugh, as grandma bandaged me up . He has always had a way of calming me down. His love and compassion is quiet, like him.

He drove 45 minutes to an hour (one way) each day to work just to provide for his family. They live in Michigan. Through ice, snow and rain, he drove his little pick-up truck back and forth. He plowed gardens and shoveled horse manure as side jobs to earn extra money.

He told me that before he proposed to my grandma, he told her father "I will make sure she never has to work. I will take care of her and provide for her." My grandma used to pack his lunches and had dinner on the table for him when he got home every day. I have always admired them and aspired to find a man like my grandpa. He doesn't boast. His pride is silent. I've never heard him yell or seen him shed a tear. He is strong, confident, and good.

The doctor "gives" him a year. It isn't long, but I am going to make the most of the time God has given us with my grandpa. I am going to try my hardest to be strong for him. Chemo and radiation are his plans to fight. He's not one to simply throw in the towel when the going gets tough. He's my hero.

Fried chicken, homemade noodles, mashed potatoes and gravy. This is what my grandpa has requested for our family Christmas eve dinner this year. It was his family's tradition growing up.

It's the little things we are all learning to look forward to and enjoy, because of stage 4.

10 Health & Fitness New Year's Resolutions/Goals

My top 10 health & fitness new year's resolutions/goals:

1) stick with the booty call challenge
2) add to my at-home "gym" (equipment)
3) eat healthier & drink more water
4) try new recipes/foods
5) eat fewer sweets
6) don't eat past 8:00pm
7) get back to five small meals/day
8) create my health & fitness vision board
9) run on a regular basis again (3x/week)
10) run Chicago's Perfect 10K at Navy Pier this fall

What are YOUR health & fitness NY resolutions/goals?

Get it girl!

OH MY WORD! My body hurts. I have been working out for the last couple weeks and my body is certainly feeling it. I am still sticking with my booty call challenge. Are you? It's just waking up 30 minutes earlier each day to do some form of exercise -- walking your dog, yoga, an exercise video, a run, strength training, etc.

Here's a glimpse of my own little at-home gym/workout area................

I also have a balance disc and an ab ball (not pictured), which I LOVE.

I reserve Sunday as my rest day. With Christmas coming up, I don't plan to workout Christmas eve or Christmas day, so I am giving myself 2 rest days. :)

I tried to sleep in this morning, but I felt guilty (especially because I know my sis-in-law gets up at 4:30am for her booty call challenge every day). SO......I dragged my rear out of bed, got myself together and cranked up my "gym mix" music. It helps get me moving. Today's workout: Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred + an extra 15 minutes to do some concentrated strength training. My favorite areas to focus on are glutes, core, and legs. I get bored easily, so while I love Jillian, I add my own exercises in there too.

Here are a few of my favorite workout tunes......................


(I do a nice little ab routine with this one)




(I have an AWESOME glute workout for this song)


I LOVE Beyonce!



(LEGS! Ohhhh quads, inner thighs and rear!)


And for my warm-up to get me geared up for a good workout............


Hope y'all have a great day! Get on that booty call challenge! I promise you'll feel amazing each day (the longer you do it) with more energy and a better mood.

A birth story

Seriously, when I read Raven, from "A Momma's Desires and Pacifiers" story, I was falling off my chair at my desk. She is hilarious and always keeps it real. She's a great writer and blogger.

She wrote a guest post another blogger's blog about her first birth story. Reading Raven's story reminded me of Jenny McCarthy. She writes a lot like her. FUNNY lady.

Here's where you can find her story: living4london.blogspot.com

Here's Raven's personal blog. I encourage you to check her out, she will make you laugh out loud. 
a mommas desires and pacifiers

How bad do you want it?

My friend, Jake, shared this video on his Facebook. I watched it and fell in love. Such great motivation to succeed in life, to work hard and never give up. This is my new I-need-to-get-motivated video to watch on days when I don't want to get out of bed to do my a.m. workout, or when I don't feel like reading one more page for grad school or when I'm having an awful day at work. Hope y'all like it and find some inspiration from it.


How Bad Do You Want It from Greyskale Multimedia LLC on Vimeo.

3 weeks off!

I am so happy to have 3 glorious weeks off from grad classes. Woo hoo! Only 4 months left until graduation (May 20). Did I mention that I ended this fall semester with a 4.0 GPA.........while working full time? Yes. :)

I was never a "bragger" about my grades before grad school. I was always an average student growing up, even in college. I feel that since starting grad school and with my career in higher ed, I have a new found motivation to earn A's. I have never worked so hard in school before until now. I am very proud of my accomplishments and don't really care that I like to show off my 4.0. Let's be honest, before grad school, I had only earned a 4.0 in a semester twice in undergrad and it was during our spring terms = 1 credit, 4-week courses. Creative Writing one spring term and Economics another spring term.

Growing up, my mom didn't really push me to get a 4.0 GPA. She was a single mom working 2 jobs (at times) to put a roof over our heads and food on the table. She had her hands full. She was happy I wasn't getting into trouble or failing in school. I work hard now, to make my mom proud, to be a positive role model for my nieces and nephews, and lead by example for my students.

It's interesting how my life has changed over the years, especially working in higher education. I now help and encourage students to pursue a college education and teach them the advantages of why it's important. I also teach college freshmen how to be academically successful in college. Wow! I tell them the first day of class that my goal for them is to earn an A in my class. This helps to create an environment of success and achievement for my students and they know I've set the bar high for them. Failure is not an option.

I've learned that an average student can be successful in life and I am living proof of that.

My 4.0 has earned me a 3-week break. Woo hoo!

life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful

This is a good reminder to myself. I am constantly thinking about the future and the "what ifs" in life. I'm trying to be patient. I feel like I write that, oh um, about every other post on here. Y'all are probably tired of me saying that. 

It's hard when you work on a college campus and you watch your students graduate and go off to explore the world outside of this small town in Indiana. They are chasing their dreams, diving right in, totally jumping and growing their wings on their way down, having complete faith in God. 

I am constantly in awe of their passion for life and always think to myself, "gosh, I wish I was that brave to move across the world or experience another state."  

I don't want to look back on my life and have regrets.....wondering "what if?"

The one thing I have learned is that life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful. Life doesn't have to be planned out, day by day, week by week, month by month..........life is meant to be lived and enjoyed. My life has been "planned out" for the last year and a half with grad school. I am ready for the next adventure. I am ready to experience something new........to experience the world.

"Booty Call" Challenge

I knew the title would catch your attention! Read on to see what it really means........

OK ladies..........the new year is right around the corner. With the new year comes new year's resolutions and usually exercise/diets.

I found a great website (through Pinterest!) called Tone It Up. I LOVE IT and check it daily. It was created by two female personal trainers and it has everything from diet and exercise tips, recipes, workouts, and an online community.

They have this thing called the "Booty Call" challenge. Ha ha! This is NOT what you think. It's an online community where friends and other people can help each other stay motivated, meet for workouts, hold each other accountable (and ourselves) about our personal fitness. Are you up for the challenge?

I've joined the online community (totally free) and I have been able to keep a workout journal - logging my hours and exercises daily. There are also groups you can join within the community such as the career woman, music for workouts, moms, runners, etc.

Check out the website and see what you think. This is where you can sign up to join the online community: www.toneitup.com/community. Send me an email if you decide to join the community, so we can link up and help keep each other motivated. My email link is along the right side of my blog.

Exercising puts me in such a better mood - I'm a much happier person. I also eat better. I know I need all the motivation I can get, especially during the winter, and friends are great motivators.

55 ways to take care of yourself

We are all a little busy and stressed these days. Here's a great blogger's post about 55 gentle ways to take care of yourself when you're busy busy busy......

Source: thefreedomexperiment.com via Nikki on Pinterest

my plan after grad school.......

I have figured out what my plan is after I graduate from graduate school.......I am going to work on my bucket list. I have accomplished several things from my list over the last year, I want to keep going. I'm not sure what will be first. Anyone own a motorcycle and want to take me for a ride? Plans for NYE 2012 yet.....NYC anyone? Who wants to teach me how to speak Spanish? Move to the South? Those are just a few things on my list. I will continue to add things throughout the year to keep me on my toes. My bucket list is linked to the right side of my blog, so you can track my progress. This will be such a huge accomplishment to show my children some day and to encourage them to create their own bucket lists. Life is too short to just go through the motions of the everyday.

My Bucket List

All I Want For Christmas.....

I am so excited for brother's destination wedding in Jamaica. Matt and I agreed that this trip is our Christmas gift to each other this year. Even though we aren't going until March, it is certainly a fabulous Christmas gift worth waiting for. :)

Just see what happens.....

"Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens" - SATC

I love Sex & the City. I love the TV show and the movie (the first one - the second was blah). I love that watching just one episode or reading a quote from the show or movie, can brighten my mood.  The quote above certainly calmed the anxiety I've been feeling regarding grad school and work. With the stress of finals and unsure of what my plans are after graduation, my head has been spinning. 

So, I've decided to follow what the SATC quote states.....just see what happens.....simply take each day as it comes and enjoy it. 

Vision Boards

I've heard about vision boards before, but have never actually created one. My friend, Carrie, recently suggested that I create one for my life. Vision boards are said to help visually see your hopes, dreams, and goals as daily reminders to help make them happen. 

I think this is why Pinterest is such a big hit. People wonder why others love this site - it allows us to create online vision boards of our hopes and dreams. I love when people will say or re-pin something about how they hope their real wedding is as great as their "Pinterest wedding". It CAN be. There's nothing wrong with dreaming big. In my sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma, our motto is "Aim high" and that's what I try to do every day.

I discovered one of my new favorite websites: www.toneitup.com. These two female personal trainers are amazing. I love their emails and workout videos. Their blog is awesome too! If you're looking for workout tips, healthy lifestyle tips, diet tips, etc., you should check them out. Below is their post about vision boards geared toward fitness (see the link below the picture). 

Once I create my vision board, I will be sure to post it. Stay tuned.......

http://toneitup.com/blog.php?Your-Vision-Boards-5098

Good girl

Source: cmae-adayinthelife.blogspot.com via Jenni on Pinterest

“Girls, I know it’s cool to be bad, but it’s also possible to make it in Hollywood without a reality show. When I came up in this business, if you made a sex tape, you were embarrassed and hid it under your bed. And if you took naked pictures of yourself on your cell phone, you would hide your face. For all the girls out there, it’s possible to be a good girl. I’m going to try to make it cool.” —Reese Witherspoon

Hello organization!

 I saw this on Stephanie's blog: love life and babies. She shared her beauty organization secret of the train. I totally want this! Not that I wear a lot of make-up or have that much, I LOVE organization. I will add this to my wish list. :) She is also a fantastic blogger! Check her out.

faith found again

I found the cross pendant my mom gave me when I was 8 years old this morning. It has appeared and disappeared between moves throughout my life and every time I find it again, it's when I need it the most. 

My mom didn't know it, but she is the one who introduced me to Jesus. I didn't know who He was when I was 8 years old, but I knew that a cross necklace was important, so I cherished it like it was gold. My mom didn't raise me in the church or to say my prayers before bed, but she pointed me in the direction of God, indirectly (if that makes sense). When I was 9 years old, she gave me a wooden plaque to hang in my room (we hung it on the wall above my bed). It was the Lord's prayer. Again, I didn't know what it meant, but I said that prayer every night before I went to bed (like I had seen in the movies).

This cross (the blue one) means more than anything to me - it's my most valuable piece of jewelry (and probably the least expensive). She bought it a yard sale. I don't know why she chose to buy me cross, but she did and it has changed my life. It's over 20 years old. It's now cracked and faded, but I still love it. Parents, remember this...it's the little things your children will hold onto and cherish most. Thanks, mama.

 

family

An amazing young man reminds us all what family and marriage are really about.....

For a bad day....

I got this idea from my Pastor. He shared that he has an email folder titled "for a bad day" full of emails from friends, family and strangers. These are positive and kind messages he has received over the years that he saves for when he has a "bad day". I have done the same thing in both my work and personal emails. What a great idea! It's amazing how a few words of kindness can turn someone's day around and bring a smile to their face. I encourage everyone to do this.