Peas are blooming and growing

Looked out the window yesterday and WOW!! My peas have taken off. Lots and lots of blooms and I better plan on harvesting some of them soon. When they took off, they took off!

Weight loss goal

So Yeah to me! I am now down to 296.2 pounds. I am so excited about this. I just pray for strength to stay on this path and to choose the healthier life style. It is hard but Oh so worth it. I already have found so much extra vim and viger.

Caught up AGAIN!!!!

This year I had already gotten behind on my Sunday School and Relief Society lesson studies.

So I made a concerted effort to take that under control in FEBRUARY. So today I can finally say that I am 100% caught up with my studies.

Here is to HOPING I can keep it up!

I still have 1 1/2 months to catch up on from last year!

Wonderful Weekend/Sweetheart Saturday

Yesterday was a great Sweetheart Saturday. We woke up listening to the rain falling. It was a whole day of rain and thunder and rain, rain, rain. Did I mention it RAINED!!! It was awesome. So the two of us decided to clean out the cupboards in the kitchen. Let's just say there is a lot of stuff for the next RS grab table. We threw out loads of stuff. There is plenty of room now for me to stock up on baking supplies. We can see where everything is and there is space for all of the baking and cookies pots, pans, bowls, etc. It felt very accomplished at the end.

The rest of the day was devoted to laundry and relaxation. I even had the opportunity to crochet a bit.

What a great day!!!

Mini Moo Lost

I came upstairs last night and started calling for Mini Moo. I heard mew, mew, mew. I could not figure out where it was coming from. YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE WHERE I FOUND HER!!!!!!! She had opened the top drawer of my craft table and I guess her weight caused some momentum to close the drawer on her. I guess I will have to put the fronts back on the drawers. We were trying something new on my craft table. Silly Mini Moo!! She makes us laugh :-)

Would have missed it

Today, I did not feel like walking at lunch. I was trying to come up with any excuse. It is overcast. I am tired. It is Friday. Blah Blah Blah. Then I told myself that I just needed to get out the front door. That is usually the hardest part. So out the front door I went and Wow! I am so glad I went for my walk. If I had not gone out here is what I would have missed:

Running into another person that walks at lunch and has lost a lot of weight. ( I don't even know her name. She works in another building around here. But she inspires me!)
A blue jay
A Frog croaking (I love to hear frogs croaking)
The smell of fresh mown grass
The sense of accomplishment
The coolness of the day on my cheeks
The sounds of birds chirping
Being outside for 1/2 hour out of my day

So here is to doing the right thing and being blessed!

Newsletter item for March 2010

MARCH 2010
Vista 5th Ward Relief Society Newsletter

The Relief Society celebrates its 166th birthday this month. As we contemplate the lives of those sisters from long ago. What do we have in common with them? What are some of the differences now versus the times in which they lived? Our motto remains the same “Charity Never Faileth”. Those words need to be put in practice today as much as in days past. The words of Lucy Mack Smith still ring true “ This institution is a good one. We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another, and gain instruction…..” I have seen the sisters in the Vista 5th ward carry on this legacy through quiet acts of love and service. Helping each other to bear burdens and remembering that all of us have “hidden sorrow that the eye can’t see”. Let us always look for ways to serve and love one another. The world needs us to be strong and righteous women of faith. Mosiah 5:15 “Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his…” We need to be women of faith, virtue, and charity. Someday we will meet with those sisters from long ago and realize we have more in common and really not so many differences after all. I love you all
Renee Stuckrad
1st Counselor

Coyote Spotted, Watch out Roadrunner

On the way home from BookClub the other evening, I dropped off a dear friend that lives literally in the boonies! As I left her home headed to my own, I was talking with another friend in the car and then out of the blue in front of us was a COYOTE!! It was so BEAUTIFUL!! They sort of take my breath away when I see them.

Saving worms and rolly polly bugs

A couple of weeks ago, it rained like crazy. That always brings out the WORMS. I love rescuing worms and putting them back in the grass. I just love WORMS. They are fun to watch and play with. I love how they pretend to be dead when you touch them and then after a while start crawling again. They are ADORABLE!!!

I also found a rolly polly on its back on one of my walks. So I turned him right side up. He could probably have done that on his own. But then I would not have been able to play with him!

Peekaboo with a lizard

On my walk today I stopped at the end of the sidewalk like always to catch my breath and drink some water. I looked up at a tree and I thought, is that a leaf or a blemish on the tree? It was a lizard. As soon as he saw me, he ducked down behind a branch. Then he leaned back up to see if I was still looking. So then he ran down the tree into the foliage. It was so cute and so much FUN!

February Book Club

Last year we read a book called

The Zookeepers Wife

It was a true story during WWII about some zookeepers that used their home as a refuge for Jews. One of those refugees was Irena Sendler (sp?) She SAVED 2500 children and infants and kept their names and the name she aquired for them and the family she gave them to in JARS. She did this so she could reunite the families after the war if the parents were still alive and if they were not alive at least the children would know their heritage. She was caught and tortured and helped to escape. She died at the age of 98 years old in 2004?. What an amazing woman.

YEAH ME!!! DO A HAPPY DANCE!!!!

It is official! I AM NOW UNDER 300 LBS. 299.4 but do you see a 3 at the beginning? No you do not. Do the happy dance! You know you want to.

Playing in the yarden

This last Saturday, my sweetheart and I had a wonderful day!!!! We have made Saturday our day. I love it! We went shopping and when we got home we went outside and played in the yarden. We love the yarden. We dug and watered. We put dirt in the hillside and planted some wild flower seeds. I played with earth worms. Love those little critters. There were some baby ones. They are just too adorable.

Love playing in the dirt and it is just so gratifying to see the things growing. My peas are FINALLY blooming.

January Weight Goal Results

I can honestly say that I am VERY PROUD OF ME!!! I started 2010 at 313 lbs. End of January 302.5 lbs. Wow!!! I have been working very hard. It is the old formula and I know it is the only one that really works. Eat less, Move more! It really is that simple and it really is that hard!!!

So I have been eating a lot better and a lot less. My moving more has been increasing weekly. I already feel a surge of energy and it is very nice. I don't feel sluggish anymore. I know the walking and doing my "pee" walk up and down the stairs is working.

"Pee walk" Definition: After going pee, walk across the building, down the stairs, across the building and up the stairs and back to work in the office.

Added benefit is that I can feel my brain power increasing as well. I am also sleeping better at night (when my sciatic nerve isn't acting up. Still working on that one)

So my first goal is just around the corner. To be less than 300 lbs. I weighed today and if all goes well I have already lost 1.5 pounds. I know I can do this. What will it feel like to be less than 300? Don't know, haven't been there in about 15 or so years!!! I will let you know when I get there. The journey is just begun..........

Year End Over

December through January are always difficult months for me at work. It is just an extremely busy time. Accounting. Month ends, year ends, and all of the other stuff that goes with it. I am in accounting. It is my calling as far as career goes. I love working with the debits and credits and the puzzles that come my way. Year end is just extreme accounting. Much like the term used with extreme sports. It is just a non stop extreme of deadlines and much to do, much to do. I am thankful for this job and especially the company I work for. I have been here over 15 years now. I have a great mentor/boss. I learn new things every day and right now I am learning how to deal better with stress and people that do the unexpected or don't listen the first time. I just need to learn how to deal with it better. I am thankful for those that are patient with me as I learn and grow and I need to better extend that grace to those I come in contact with every day. So thank you to all who put up with me during the craziness I call Year End.