No one sees her at all

So, for every self righteous blog update about my awesomeness, there comes a corresponding crash.

Yesterday was five mile Monday.

Today has been "sleep through my personal training appointment, eat eggs and toast and pretzels for breakfast, almost arrive late to work" Tuesday.

My room is a mess. I haven't gotten anything on my to do list done yet.

Oh man.

I need to get back in gear.

The only silver lining to this disastrous morning is that I have felt so off kilter.

Slumped down on the couch, watching the news, eating eggs and toast, I felt awful.

And that is what my mornings used to be EVERY DAY.

Eating crap for breakfast, lolly gagging around until I had to run out the door.

My old routine is no longer comfortable to me.

I didn't enjoy it. I don't miss it.

I missed walking today.

I even missed my evil trainer.

So...

Who's up for working out tonight?

Lori Ann

Back on the street

Substitute "walking" for running- apparently there aren't any inspirational walking quotes out there :)


I walked 5 miles this morning.

From 6:33 am to 8:14 am.

My legs now feel like lead and my skin (4 hours later) still has a slight chill to it.

Not to say that I have it all figured out- which I completely do not- but this morning was hard and tiring and made me feel like I could do anything in the world.

I used to wonder how people lost weight and got in shape.

 I pictured montages of them, at the gym, running up museum steps, drinking raw eggs...ummm, that's actually the plot from Rocky.

Never mind.

But you get the idea.

 People just got swept away and suddenly it was easy and awesome to be healthy.

I would start trying to do it. 

But the lack of immediate results and lack of "eye of the tiger" playing in the background always stopped me.

 Usually after a few days at most.

But a walk like today made me feel like I can do it. 

Getting healthy is not a 2 minute movie montage but a long series of days where you leave your comfortable, warm house and go out and do something hard.

 And tiring.

 And repetitive.

 And tedious.

As I walked 8 laps around the track today, I had moments of feeling inspired- mainly when my Christina Aquilera man hating music came on- but most of the laps consisted of me, silently pushing myself "one more step, one more step, one more step".

I wanted to quit after 2 laps.

 Then after 4.

 Then after 5 when my ipod said it's battery was getting low.

 Then after 6 when my back really hurt. 

Then after 7 when I thought "Oh my gosh, this is far enough, isn't it?"

Only the thought of walking in the door and yelling "Five mile Monday!" to my cat kept me going.

And I made it.

Happy Five Mile Monday to you all!!

Lori Ann

Standing there by a broken tree

Another Random Picture Post

My hair is officially brown/black.

 Now I need to start doing something with it. 

This is the sweetest, strangest cat known to man

. He is hanging out in my room frequently. 

Katy and James, super supportive of Elly during her soccer game.

 Here they are pretending to be cats.

T and D. They're like gangsters, they cover all the angles so no one can sneak up on them:) 

Elly scored a goal! Danielle was lifting her up into the air in triumph! Go, Elly, go!

I am obsessed with my new pumpkin sweater. Obsessed. 

I spent most of the weekend baking.

 It was fall and festive and it made me so happy. 

Making apple cider for the lazy!

 Step 1- Get some apples, yo.

Step 2: Core them with something awesome like this.

 Try it out on things that aren't apples.

 Live to regret it. 

Step 3: Add this step just because a bowl of sliced apples looks nice and domestic-y

Step 4: Blend all the apple slices.

 Sacrifice a rubber spatula to the process of shoving the apples down into the blender.

Step 5: Behold the pureed apples- then strain with a cheesecloth or really fine strainer 

Step 6: Make about 12 ounces of cider from about 12 apples.

 Ask your dad to try it out.

 Tell him he has failed you as a parent when he says,

 "It's a little thick, you should really try a blend of different apples". 

Me and the Sugar shaker.

  I like this picture because I look vaguely menacing.  

The fall festival dinner table! 

The kids fall festival table!!

It has been a crazy weekend.

 I have gotten every single thing done on my to do list. 

Which happens NEVER.

Also, I have lost about 10 lbs in the last two weeks.

YES!

I am not that far from being thin enough to go sky diving!!

Happy first official day of fall and may you have the best autumn ever!!

Lori Ann

Everything on her list

I can't stop listening to this for some reason.

Maybe because I am in a slight manic phase right now.

 Or more likely because it's fall.

And I feel so energized in the fall.

I've walked every single day this week.

Most mornings at 6:30 am.

 I've met with my trainer twice.

 For two torturous sessions where he literally laughs when I almost start crying.

 I got 30 discharges done at work yesterday.

I feel like I can get anything done that I want to.

 And this weekend I am going to make my own apple cider and bake something and go to the movies and sit on the porch under the stars and finish reading Moby Dick for the love of all that is holy.

 I just feel really happy to be alive right now.

Happy and excited for the next few months of chilly weather and holiday traditions and (hopefully) getting into better shape.

 I'm at a total of 136 lbs lost.

 When I get to 200 total I am having the biggest party ever and then going sky diving:)

 Lori Ann

Has taken it's toll on me

Ok, so I made the mistake of going on Goodreads to find a new book to read.

You know how they do those lists?

Like "spy novels with a villain who is female" and " Classics with a twist" or whatever.

I made the mistake of looking under "Novels about forbidden love".

Which is why I am crying in my office right now.

All of my faithful readers (hey Eri and Danielle!) know that I have kind of a thing for forbidden love stories.

 I thinks it's because I have the emotional maturity of a 14 year old.

This interest in forbidden love stories has led me down some strange paths.

 Diana Palmer novels.

 Amish novels.

 Gay romance novels.

 Gay Amish romance novels.

Basically any combination of two people who society says shouldn't be together- I've read a romance novel about them.

But Forbidden took it to a whole other level.

I downloaded it out of a kind of fascinated horror.

Lochie and Maya are...siblings.

 And while I did not approve of their relationship, that didn't stop me from being utterly traumatized by this book. 

So, in conclusion, I'm not trying to start a dialogue on this blog about incest or whatever.

 I literally keep mumbling, "gross, gross, gross" under my breath...which I should probably stop doing before my next client.

I don't think anyone wants a therapist who keeps muttering 'gross' to everything they say

Anyway...

I'm just saying..

beware the Goodreads Forbidden Love list.

Be. Ware.

Lori Ann

And fall in love with strangers

You guys, it's only 3 days away from OFFICIAL fall!!!!
 (the equinox, yo) 

Where we will once again attempt to make an egg stand on end, but that's not important now.

What is important is... 

FALL GOALS 2013!!

(everything I want to do before Thanksgiving Day)

1. Get fall in PA pictures of my sister's kids

2. Get a bike and ride it to and from church until it gets too cold

3. Make low fat soup in a pumpkin

4. Watch Disney's Halloween treat while drinking apple cider

5. Make my own apple cider

6. Dress up for Halloween

7. Run a 5k (already signed up for Oct. 5th!!)

8. Sleep under the stars on Halloween night

(I've had this on my bucket list for years!)

9. Learn to make at least 2 new fall themed crafts

10. Find and explore a place in PA that I've never been

(preferably an Amish place!)

Ok, people. Let the fall magic begin!!

Lori Ann

I feel so far from where I've been

Today was one of those days where fate conspired against me. 

I set my alarm for 6 am so I could get up, go walking, and go buy healthy snacks  for the week.

So, of course it was raining (like cold, depressing rain) when I walked out the door.

And my bedroom smells like applepumpkin (that's an actual scent) candles and Sugar was sleeping on my bed and it looked so warm and comfortable.

So, guess who wore their dad's ugly yellow rain coat and walked three miles in the rain?

That would be me.

Also, my grand total of weight loss is now 133 lbs.

For me, being healthy is about making choices every single day.

 And not letting the fact that it's Monday, or it's raining, or your bed has never looked so comfortable stand in your way.

Lori Ann