I Love this man.

Today, Leif and I have been married for 8 years. I can say with certainty that 11 years ago I knew I was going to marry this man and be with him for the rest of our lives.  I love him so much I can't even put it into words. I can not wait to see what our future holds for our family!

I Love You Leif. 

Here's to the next 8 years! 

Health and Fitness Friday (Saturday, kinda Sunday...) LOL

Yes, I realize that it is technically Sunday now...I started writing this blog post on Saturday (yes....I know that's still not Friday...) but I had to stop and am just now getting back to it!

I hit a couple milestones this week. I had a not-so good week the week before last so I was yo-yo'ing back and forth but I FINALLY lost that last pound I needed to hit -40 lbs!!

I am getting so close to my first "big" goal of 50 lbs lost that it is honestly bugging me! I just want to get my butt in gear and kick it up notch and get those 10 lbs off already!! :-)

One sad part (as if there can be a sad part about losing weight) is that MyFitnessPal finally prompted me to update my goals since I haven't updated them since I started....so of course, I lost some calories, which I need to get used to, but it really only calculates to 1 less snack during the day so I think I can handle that!

Another milestone I hit was riding my bike while pulling both of my children behind me (aprox. 75 lbs combined with the cart) for 2 miles and not getting tired!  I remember when I first bought my bike around 4 years ago and I couldn't even ride a block without feeling like I was going to die and stopping to take a break!  I have actually been considering using my bike more often for in town errands that I need to do during the day.

Speaking of doing work outs during the day I finally got myself a FitBit!

I have been debating between the FitBit and a heart rate monitor and finally decided that this would fit my needs right now.  I have only had it for a half day so I haven't gotten a full read yet but I think it is going to be very helpful and motivating to keep myself moving throughout the day!

One last thing I wanted to add is that I can finally say that I am kind of excited to go bathing suit shopping this year!  I have some bathing suit related material planned for next week's post let's just hope that I can actually remember to post it on FRIDAY! :-) 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday! 

Until Next Time....  

Ps: Thank You for giving me a shout out Jen even though I was a slacker this week and late with my post!  I love you girl!

Health and Fitness Friday: Shut up or Give up!

Today's Friday and I finally remembered before Saturday to join my girl 
Jen at A Daily Dose of Davis for: 

Today I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of annoyed.  

I'm annoyed at all of the excuses I keep seeing or hearing.  

Makes me want to say, Shut up or Give up!! 

Yes, I had excuses, probably 15 years of excuses but I am living proof that today is the day to give them up!  Today is the day throw out "I'm too big to workout!" and say "I'm WORTH it!".  

No longer am I going to ignore these: 

1. I don’t have time.  MAKE TIME!!  If you have to workout at midnight, you workout at midnight! 
2. I can’t afford to eat healthy or go to the gym.  I cant afford a gym membership either, but I can afford to walk outside or OnDemand workouts for free or a $9.99 workout video! As far as food goes, you gotta do what you gotta do. If you have to give up your monthly Vera Bradley bag to get healthy then you need to do. 3. It is too hard.  Life is hard!  School is hard, work is hard, marriage is hard, going to the grocery store with kids is hard.....I can go on...4. It is uncomfortable.  Can you honestly say being overweight is comfortable? 5. I love to eat.  So do I. But you can make healthier choices and still love to eat. 6. I don’t know what to do or where to start.  Start by getting off the couch, simple as that!7. I don’t have the willpower.  Read this: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/weight-loss-does-willpower-matter  Just do it. 8. I don’t have support from friends or family.   Get over it and make a lifestyle change for yourself, not the people around you.  9. I have a medical condition (thyroid, disabled, food intolerance, and many more). Many health conditions can disappear once you lose weight. Why wouldn't you want to get yourself healthy?

10. I have an injury to my (select all that apply) neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, back, hips, knee, ankle, and/or baby toe.  There are plenty of workouts that you can do where you don't have to use the injured limb.  

I guess the reason why I am so annoyed is because I know it can be done!  I know if I can give up my excuses and lose 39lbs so far then anyone can do it!  I know that it is hard, the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but it is worth it!  The end results are there, the excuses are just clouding your vision to see the finish line. 

All that being said, I finally took a recent progress picture. 

There I am: 282 lbs with every excuse in the book who looked at this picture and said, "I need to get off the couch".  I need to change this. As simple as walking 20 minutes a day jump started my love for running and working out.  I know you can find 20 minutes, hell, if you can only find 10 minutes DO IT!  I guarantee you will start to feel better and that 10 will turn to 20 to 30 to 60. Trust me, I know it can happen.  As long as those excuses stay in the trash. 

Until Next Time.....

Ultimate Blog Party 2013 - Who is Steph from As Told By Steph?

I'm excited to link up this year!  I honestly can't remember if I missed last year or not!  That's how crazy life is! 

Sit down and relax.  I'm Steph. :-) Wife to Leif, Stay at Home Mom to Cadence and Nathan, Crafting business owner and certified procrastinator! I married my best friend 8 years ago, Cady is 5 going on 15 and Nathan is 2. I blog mostly about parenthood, marriage, my strange addition to gnomes and owls, my weight loss journey and just life in general. 

I take on way more than I can handle, I procrastinate like the best of them, I tell myself that I work better under pressure and I stress out about the little things.  To say that I LOVE my life would be an understatement!  My kids and my husband are my reason for living. 

I'm on a journey to a healthier me.  I am currently taking my life back and have lost 39 lbs since August.  I have recently discovered that I am a runner. 

I watch way too much TV and surf way too much net at night after everyone has gone to bed, I love God and am currently dealing with the Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder diagnosis of our son and all that comes with the life changing events that will be hitting our family sooner rather than later.  

My husband is my best friend.  He has stuck with me through BiPolar disorder, depression and crazy wife moments.  He is one of the hardest working guys I have ever met. (of course besides my daddy! :-)  He does what he can to support his family so that I can stay home with out children.  He is a video game lover, book lover, Netflix lover, movie lover.  We have been together for 11 years and married for 8, he is defiantly the other half of me. 

Cadence and Nathan are quite opposite of each other.  

Cady is all things girl.  She loves barbies, music and dancing.  She fully believes that she will be a star one day, she is sweet and loving and we are so much a like that we often butt heads! Cady has taught me to stop and hear the words of a song and dance around if I feel like it because life is too short to care what others think.  

Nathan is all things boy. He love Thomas the Train, anything with wheels, jumping and running, playing outside and his sister.  He is Autistic and has Sensory Processing Disorder.  He is the easiest and hardest child I have ever encountered.  He is very shy and quiet most of the time.  Nathan has taught me that everyone is different and their own person and that isn't a bad thing.  He has taught me that the little things in life are what really matter.  Because he is delayed in areas I feel like I get so much more joy from seeing him hit a milestone because I know how hard he has worked to get as far as he is right now.  Because he doesn't speak much I find myself tearing up every time I hear him say "Mommy".

There aren't enough hours in a day for all of the things I commit myself to and I all of the things I love.  

I could keep going but I know there is so much more I could tell you that you would be reading all day! 

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope to see you soon!

http://www.5minutesformom.com/75741/ultimate-blog-party-2013/

Until Next Time....