Resolution Round Up

It has been 3 months since I hopped back on the healthy wagon after my holiday hiatus. So, it is time for my Resolution Round Up. This is late (it was due on March 26), so my apologies for my tardiness.

1. Get down to goal weight of 127 pounds. Starting weight: 149.5, so -22.5 pounds. About ½ pound per week.
My weight on Friday yesterday was 142. If you look back at my last resolution round up, you will see that this means I have gained two pounds. Not exactly what I am going for here. You may think that this is a result of going on vacation and eating things like this from Betty's Country Store... (those are on a dinner plate, btw)

Or drinking things like this hot chocolate (from a bakery I will not name, since their amazing food was offset by poor service).

But, alas, the truth is that I had gained three pounds before even going on vacation. I have Hashimoto's disease, and it was not under control. At the end of last month I began having increased symptoms - two of which are constant, ravenous hunger and weight gain without another cause. Blood tests and a trip to the doctor confirmed that I needed a higher med dose. I am starting to improve and have lost one of the pounds I gained. I should lose the rest of it as my metabolism restabilizes. Alas, I am still sad to report a gain.

2.      Log 130 workout hours (the equivalent of 30 minutes, 5 times per week). I chose total hours instead of times per week because I will inevitably be sick for at least a week and then feel like a failure for not exercising.

This month I logged 19 hours before injuring my back, which gives me a total of 49.2 hours for the year – still ahead of my goal. After gaining an inch of muscle on each thigh last month, I tried to balance my cardio with plenty of yoga and pilates to lengthen those muscles out. It was a bit of a relief, to be honest, because I absolutely love yoga and have missed it while concentrating so heavily on burning fat.

I also got some creative exercise on vacation, hiking through the Blue Ridge Mountains with my nephew on my back.

We found some great views, like Ana Ruby Falls.

I haven't done anything other than gentle walking since throwing my back out Monday, but I am looking forward to being more active when I am fully recovered.


3. Make plans to do something special with my best friend once a month. We talked about it; I will plan one month, he will plan the next.

Stone and I did run out on the family to enjoy a night in Helen. We had so much fun at our favorite Helen eatery, the Hofbrauhaus. I am super picky about schnitzel, and theirs was the best in Helen (this is half of the order- wow!).

We enjoyed a walk around the town and bought some sweets for the family from Hansel and Gretel's Candy Kitchen.

 Chocolate covered graham cracker for Simon

Chocolate dipped caramel apple for us.

Taffy for the other grown ups.

4.      Take my nephew out to do something special at least once per month.

We had a lot of fun this month. We went on our date to the Thai Bangkok. We also had a great deal of fun together on the family vacation.

Here we are shopping at Jolly's Toys, where - of course - I bought him a new car.

 And here is a picture of a family outing to Charlemagne's Kingdom, where we all enjoyed the model train version of Germany.

5. Go on two vacations. (I really want three, but two seems more achievable).

We had a very lovely time in Helen, Georgia - so, check off one vacation. We now have two more trips lined up. One is a visit with my parents in the Ozarks of Missouri toward the beginning of the summer. The other is a trip to visit one of my oldest friends and his family in south Indiana. We are looking forward to both. Just because I am having such fun showing you vacation pics, here was a sign we couldn't resist snapping.

6.Update blogs for a total of 5 updates per week.

I have fallen behind since the crashing of the desktop computer. It is being worked on and will hopefully be working again by the end of next week. I am having some definite blog withdrawal.

7. Finish editing the book of short stories I wrote last year. Contact at least one agent.

I am almost finished editing and giving thought to whether I want to do another major overhaul of the whole thing before moving on.

I enjoyed reading the writing of others this month.

8.      Pay off the remaining loan on my car.2,792.61 which I owe to a relative who does not ask me to make regular payments.

This month, that just didn't happen. With vacation and a root canal, we actually went over our budget this month. We did make some changes that we hope will improve our finances. Although we miss her, our dog went back to her original owner this month. We were caring for her while her owner was getting back on her feet after a job loss two years ago. She was a rather expensive dog, as vet bills go. Also, we replaced Stone's giant, gas guzzling truck with a fuel efficient car. We had to trade the truck in, use our tax return, and still take out a small loan. However, we are hoping that the difference between 16 miles to the gallon and 32 miles to the gallon will pay off in the long run (for the earth as well as our pocket books).
9. Say no more often.

I am replacing this one because I have decided that it is to abstract. Therefore, number 10 is now Participate in a 5K. Fab friend Lisa says she will participate with me.
10. Make time to do things that make me happy.

This one always requires effort on my part. I continue to feel selfish taking time for myself, but I also see the rewards of being fulfilled. One thing that made me happy this month was trying something new - I had prime rib for the first time and loved it.

11. Make an effort to be a better person.

This one also is too abstract. I have not yet decided what will replace it.

I had a lovely list of shout outs for the month, but of course it was lost with the crashing of the computer. I remember some, but I am afraid that I might leave someone out and hurt his/her feelings. Therefore, I am going to forgo that section for this month and hope to have no more technical difficulties in April.