Here's where I am at today...

It's taken me a few (Ok, more than a few) months  to get back on here. I haven't been sure what to write or which direction I wanted to go with this blog. I originally wanted  this to be a place that I could document my weight loss journey but since my last post I realize that I want it to be more. I want it to be a journal of sorts for my life. My main focus right now is weight loss but I have been working on so much more than that. About a month and a half ago I started a free 30 day goal setting challenge with my sister. To say this had a huge impact on my life would be an understatement. It allowed me to dream again and set goals for myself that I had long buried deep inside me. It has made me excited again and given me things to look forward to. Here, my friends, is my list -

Well hello there!

I'm not quite sure why I decided to get back on my blog. It has been years since I have even thought about it and as you can see it is sadly out of date. So much in my life has changed since my last post so very long ago.

During the beginning of 2013 I lost 40 lbs and felt absolutely fabulous and happy with my body and where I was headed. I was confident and loved working out and eating fresh healthy stuff. In May 2013 I met a wonderful man and fell madly in love. What I found out about love is that it breeds comfort and with that I gained all 40 lbs back and then for good measure I added another 15-20 lbs on top of that.

Its been a week and a half since I started my training sessions with Ben. He works out of town for many days straight so right now I am working on my own doing the cardio workouts twice a week. I can not begin to explain how great I am feeling! After the first week I was down another 4.4lb!! This makes my total loss 25 lbs! I am so excited about that. I am about to hit a gigantic milestone. The most weight I have ever lost at one time is 30 lbs. I felt great, stopped what I was doing to lose and gained it all back plus some. I can not wait to reach that 31 lb lost mark. It will be a huge moment for me. This time losing weight is becoming a lifestyle. I am eating better and exercising and I am loving how I feel on a daily basis. There is always something new that I notice. Something smaller on my body, the way my clothes fit or how much easier it is to do things. Yesterday I tried on some pants, one of them being my goal pants, and they fit! They are 3 sizes smaller than the pants I was wearing on January 1st! Instead of having 2 pairs of pants that I rotate through, I now have 7 or 8 pair that fit. I can not wait to go clothes shopping! I used to dread shopping so much because I couldn't find stuff to fit but not I will be able to walk into a store and not have to go to a specialty size section. I am so excited for the future and what it holds for me. My weight has held me back for so long and I am ready to release it and get on with what I really want!

Yesterday after my friend and I met to plan out my cardio workouts he invited me to go on a hike with him and his girlfriend (who is also my neighbor). The trail head is at the north end of Vallecito Lake. They both told me it was a good workout and a difficult hike but I was not prepared for how difficult it actually was. It was 2 miles of uphill zig zag hiking. There were a couple times that I wanted to give up but I knew I couldn't do that. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I also thought I might faint a couple times. It took about an hour and a half to get to the top but I made it. Let me tell you that the whole difficult hike was worth it. At the top there is a small lake that is just beautiful. Here are a few pics of the place.

Ashley, Ben and I at the finish!

can you see the lake under those lily pads?

half the lake was covered in lily pads with these really pretty yellow flowers. 

I made it!!!