Success this week! I was down 2 lbs Wednesday for a total of 11 lbs lost so far! Talk about relieved when I got on the scales this weigh in. I finally was able to move over my marbles. I'm losing my marbles!
I picked up this idea a while back and have found it very encouraging. Having a visual around has proven to be a wonderful motivator for me. For every 10th pound I lose, I use a seashell rather than a marble because every 10 pounds is a huge deal right?!
In other news, the weather this weekend couldn't have been more perfect. I took advantage of the beautiful weather and convinced the hubs and Gracie to go hiking with me at our local Crowders Mountain. It was also Gracie's first hiking trip. (Sidenote: She was actually much farther away from the ledge than it appears but I still started wishing that we had geared her up from head to toe in a helmet and armor gear like what Glen wore in last week's episode of Walking Dead. We may or may not be a little too overprotective. Poor child.)
Getting out in nature was so wonderful. It felt so nice for our little family to get out and enjoy the day together, leaving all our cares behind.
I am obsessed with traveling. If I'm not planning a trip, I'm dreaming of planning a trip. There's so much beauty in this world that I hope to see over the years. But getting out this weekend, I realized that we have such beauty in our own "backyard." I've started a list of hiking spots I hope to visit this year, not only in preparation for hiking Kilimanjaro, but also to get out and enjoy God's beauty as much as possible. Hopefully each hike will come a little easier because Lord knows the huffing and puffing I was doing Saturday. Of the 2 paths we had to choose from, Gracie wanted to take the steeper hike. While I commended her for the challenge, I was thinking to myself I said I wanted to go hiking, not climbing. But of course, I pushed myself and while Gary and Gracie both didn't even break a sweat, I could barely form a sentence long before we ever hit the 300+ steps we had to climb.
Let me tell a quick story about the above 2 pictures. About 9 years ago in my healthier days, I took a rock climbing class and climbed this particular rock. It was an amazing and exhilarating experience, one I hope to take again in the next several years. As we were coming back down the mountain and passing by the rock, I told Gracie of my rock climbing adventures, which immediately led to this. It looks like I've got a mini adrenaline junkie on my hands.
Now for the part I'm dreading. Yesterday, a good friend of mine who also happens to be an amazing photographer (and who has been my biggest encouragement and supporter in getting me motivated to begin this blog and journey) snapped some shots of me. I had just finished a grueling workout so forgive the horrible appearance. These pics represent the beginning phase of my journey. Let me just put it out there that anyone who shares their weight loss journey in a blog and posts their before pics of them in sports bra and very revealing workout clothing has much more guts than me. I'm having a hard enough time posting these for the world to see but I want to include you as much as possible and what better way than to do so through pictures to document my success along the way. (I seriously do cringe at the sight I have allowed myself to become so have mercy on me!) If you happen to follow me on Facebook and saw last week's Throwback Thursday pic, you would completely understand my hesitation in posting any pictures of myself in my current state!
Before I end this post, you see the link over to the top right called "Losing it to Kilimanjaro"? You can go there for a little more information on my aspiring trekking expedition to Africa. Trust me, it's alright if you don't visit the page but I thought I would share should it interest you. I will be sharing more about my trip once I get to my halfway point in my weight loss. It is then that I aim to begin serious preparations and start booking reservations.
I hope you tune in next week. I've joined a gym and look forward to what the week will bring. I'll also be sharing with you the potential mess I may have gotten myself into that involves fire, mud and a whole lot of ice water!
