My 28th birthday is in 15 days, which gives me the perfect excuse to put together a small list of things I’m lusting after! A giant box arrived at our house yesterday, which Justin has made very clear I am not allowed to open. I’d pee my pants if it contained either of the following :)

Silhouette Cameo Electronic Cutting Tool - I want this so bad. I can’t even explain it.

iMac - I could do so many things with one of these :)

 Since those are pretty unrealistic, though, I’d also be pretty excited about this:

Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection – I have copies of most of the movies, but I want the full set!

 If you could receive anything for your birthday, what would it be?

*pin of the week*

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There was so much awesome on the Internet this week!

Ez was inspired by Jess and created a movement, which I also joined in on!

My IRL friend Tracy hit a huge milestone on her weightloss journey, and I’m so proud of her!

Michelle posted a recipe for Strawberry Short(cup)Cakes that I’m dying to try!

Jennie made a list of things she’ll never be! I think I’ll create my own next week.

Kira guest-posted for Isa about finding your blogging voice. I’m still working on that myself, and found it very interesting!

Kira also wrote some good ideas for getting over blogger’s block!

Amy wrote an awesome post on how to support a friend who’s losing weight!

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Any fun plans for the weekend? I’ll be putting together wedding invites (yes, I’m about a month behind on this) and spending time with my mom for Mother’s Day!

There is a movement happening in the blogosphere right now. It started when Jess posted a list of things she was afraid to share, and then Ez put out a call to action! Now a whole bunch of people are spilling their hearts, and I’m joining right in!

Here are just a few of things I’ve been afraid to tell you:

• I’m extremely self-conscious of my body, and I hate the way people react when they hear that I’m working out and watching what I eat. Just because I’m smaller than the average person, doesn’t mean I couldn’t stand to lose a few pounds, and be in way better shape.
• Sometimes I have zero patience with my 3-year-old niece, and it makes me think I’m not cut out to be a mom. I hope people are right when they say “it’s different when they’re your own kids”.
• I wish Justin and I had chosen to elope. I feel guilty for having to keep convincing myself that this day is going to be worth all the stress leading up to it.
• I’m jealous of Justin’s friendships with the guys he grew up with. I have exactly one friend from childhood through highschool, my maid of honor, and there are too many others whom I’ve allowed myself to lose touch with.
• Along those same lines, I have an incredibly hard time making new friends. I’ve lived in Pittsburgh for almost five years now, and I’ve only made three friends who I feel like I could call to hang out. I watch all the girls at work interacting around me, and always feel left out.

It really does feel liberating to share that with all of you! This is some serious stuff for me, and it’s difficult to admit. I’m definitely glad I decided to join in on this, and I’m already thinking I’ll do it again in the future!

Is there anything you’re afraid to tell blogland? I promise it feels good to get it out!

Welcome to another installment of Doniree’s 52 Weeks of Blogging Prompts, Tips, and Resources*. Each Wednesday will showcase my responses! If you’d like to join me, and get full access to the prompts, along with the helpful tips and resources that are included, click over to sign up!

Week 5 {Personality}

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I’ve never taken any of the personality tests available online, so when Doni suggested that we try it, I was excited to see the outcome. The basic background is this:

You could be:

I/E – introvert vs. extrovert.
N/S – intuitive vs. sensing
T/F – thinking (analytical) vs. feeling (emotional)
P/J – perceptive vs. judging

Prior to taking the test, I had an idea of where I would fall, and was anxious to see if I was right! After taking the test, I scored ESFJ, which was pretty close to my initial guess.

I knew without a doubt that I would be an E. I can be loud, I like to be surrounded by people, and it is extremely rare for me to stand off to the side at any function. I do have my moments of wanting to be alone with my thoughts, but more often than not I would choose dinner with friends over an evening in with a book.

I also knew I would get an F, rather than a T. I’m definitely emotional, and I know that I pull my emotions into every situation. I think with my heart, not with my head, and though sometimes it gets me in trouble, it’s who I am, and I accept it.

As for the S and J, these were also my assumptions, though I wasn’t as sure on them. By knowing that I’m a sensor and judger, I know that I need to really experience a situation before I can formulate an opinion on it. I know I need to do things for myself before I’ll fully understand them. This is important to remember when I’m trying to make decisions and trying new things.

Even though I know this test doesn’t reflect 100% on my life, it is interesting information. It’s fun to see how my answers to a list of questions produces a relatively accurate representation of my personality. I’m sure there are times in every person’s life when they  could fall into any of the categories, but I think knowing where you normally are can be useful in certain circumstances. I’m excited to see how I am able to use this knowledge for future blog posts, as well as out in the world.

Have you ever taken a personality test? Did you agree with the results?

*I am an affiliate of Doniree’s Writing Prompts. I bought these prompts for myself, and because I truly believe in what she is doing, I became an affiliate. They are seriously awesome, and I’m excited to share them with you! 

Scratch another one off the life list, we did it! Justin and I ran and finished the Pittsburgh Half-Marathon!

(This is why Jut’s family calls me a ”smidget”)

In the days leading up to the race, I started to get really nervous and anxty about it. I even got teary-eyed in the parking garage before the race, because I’m an emotional wrecking ball and that’s what I do. Once I calmed myself down, and remembered that I had been training for seven months for this, I was ready to rock it.

We didn’t cross the starting line until about 10 minutes after the gun went off, because there were 27,000 runners! immediately, we both took off up the side, to get around all the walkers, and I was finally able to spot the 2:15 pacer. My theory was that if I could keep up with that her, and even if I feel behind her, I could attempt to finish in around two and a half hours. That was my plan, but of course, plans change.

At the 5th mile or so, I had to pee so bad I couldn’t take it, so I shuffled off to the nearest set of port-o-potties and stood in line for what seemed like forever. This crushed my time and I was so mad that I didn’t go just one more time before we started. This also made me completely lose my momentum, which I knew would happen as soon as I let myself stop running.

Surprisingly, I beat my goal of finishing in under three hours, with an official chip time of 2:48:57. I would have loved to be closer to 2:30, but now I have something to aim for next year. And yes, I have already agreed to run it again! Now that I have a personal record, I want to beat it! Justin did really well too, with a chip time of 2:10:20. He was really hoping to break two hours, but considering he injured his calf on our last training run, and had been struggling with it all week, I think he did amazing!

Overall, I felt insanely unprepared for this run, even after all my training. After my bathroom break, I went back and forth between running and walking. I did my best to keep up a good speed, but it was scorching hot, with very few shaded areas, which is NOT the conditions we trained in. We also didn’t practice on many hills, so I was getting killed by the inclines that came with each of the five bridges we crossed. In the next year of training, I’ll definitely be running more hills, running in the heat, and running longer distances. Jut and I both agreed that we would like to do a few 15 mile runs, so when it’s time to do 13.1, we know we’ve done more. This year, his longest run was 11 miles, and mine was 10, so once we passed those points, we really had to push hard through the last few.

I’m so incredibly proud of both myself and Justin for setting our minds to this, and accomplishing it! As it says in my About page, I’m really good at starting things, but horrible at following through. There were so many times over the last few months that I wanted to quit. I was struggling through runs that should have been getting easier, and I was not enjoying myself at all. I was so ready to declare myself a non-runner, and just give up. But Justin, along with many twitter friends, kept me motivated to stick with it, and I’m so glad I did! The sensation I felt when crossing that finish line was indescribable! It hard to believe I even did it, aside from the fact that my legs are killing me today :)

In seven months I went from being unable to run one mile, to finishing a half-marathon. I can’t think of any better way to show people that you really can do anything you set your mind to. Not a single second of it was easy, but it was so, so worth it.

What big goals are you working toward right now? Any other trying-to-be runners out there? I’d love to help keep you motivated!

Some of you may know the background on this, but many of you don’t, so I’m going to start at the beginning.

In November 2007, I went to the dentist, and the hygenist asked me if I had diabetes, or if I had ever been tested for it. Um what? No? Why would a dentist be asking me that? She told me that sometimes they can tell from the color of your gums, and after revealing that it does exist in my family history, she explained that it was super important that I go get tested.

I didn’t get the test or results until February, but thankfully, they returned negative. Then the doctor told me that while my tests showed no diabetes, they did show extremely high cholesterol. After explaining what everything meant, I found out my total number was 234. (You should aim to keep it under 200.) She told me to take the next six months to change my diet and exercise, and then have another test done. I ate McDonalds a little less, but otherwise, didn’t really change much. I wasn’t really concerned. I’m not overweight, I’m what most people consider healthy, and I was only 25, how could I possibly have this issue?

In September, I had the test done again. This time, when the doctor called, she sounded more serious. In the last 6 months of me “changing my habits”, my cholesterol went up to 238. Not a huge jump, but not down, like we were hoping. She told me they were going to put me on medication, and didn’t say much more than that.

When I got home from work that afternoon, I decided to google the prescription she had written for me, just to see what exactly I was going to be putting into my body. Immediately I saw something that set off an alarm: “May cause infertility”.

I was 25 years old. There was no way in hell I was taking anything that might mess with my baby-making abilities! Apparently it’s the statant that does it, and all cholesterol meds have statants in them, even the natural ones. I called the doctor’s office back and told them I would not be taking that scrip. I told them I would do everything I could to control it on my own, but that I would not take medicine until I’m done having children.

I had it checked again in April of 2010, and it had gone up yet again to 243.

It wasn’t until I moved back to Pittsburgh in February 2011, that I started getting serious. Justin helped me completely revamp my eating habits. He started packing me healthy lunches for work, and we stopped having any junk food in the house. In September we started training for the marathon, and lifting a few nights a week at the gym. From June to December, I lost ten pounds, and for the first time in years, I feel physically awesome.

Last week I went to have my cholesterol checked again, and I was super anxious for the results. They didn’t tell me they’d be doing the test that day, and every other time, I’d had to fast for 24 hours prior. I was nervous that my Panera Bread lunch would cause faulty results, so I was expecting at least the same number, if not higher.

A few days later I got my results. My total was down to 203! I literally jumped up and down like a kid on Christmas.

From everything I’ve read, very few people ever have these kind of results without medication, especially when genetics are involved. The doctor says he sees no reason for me to even consider medication at this point, and that as long as I keep up with it, that won’t change! This is definitely the single most difficult, but important thing I’ve ever done, and I cannot explain how proud I am of myself for accomplishing this not-at-all easy task!

And just for the record, I would never have been able to do it without Justin, and this is just one more thing to add to the list of why he’s such an amazing part of my life. /shmoop

Have you overcome any major speedbumps in your health? Anyone else out there battling high cholesterol?

*pin of the week*

Happy Friday Everyone! Is it just me, or did this week fly by?

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Now onto my favorite posts from the week:

Doni and Ashley are offering an awesome promotion for bloggers! If you’re looking for something new, check them out!

Stratejoy is starting a book club! I’m hoping I can find the time to finish both this and the #twookclub book before the end of May!

Amy wrote some advice to herself, and I’m inspired to do the same, so look for that next week!

Sherry wrote about how they’re living the simple life, and using natural products. It makes me want to change some things up at our house!

Katie revealed her new office, and OMG I want it!

April is telling your inner critic to just Shut Up already!

I wish I loved running like Ashley does. Right now I kind of like it. Sometimes I absolutely hate it.

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What are you doing this weekend? We’re running the Pittsburgh Half-Marathon on Sunday!! Have a wonderful weekend :)

I usually like to do two Happiness Project posts each month, one introducing my goals, and one recapping them. Since the last day of April fell on a Wednesday though, and I do my 52 Weeks posts that day, I’m combining my HP stuff today.

April – Gratitude

For the month of April, my goal was to better show gratitude and start living with intention. I signed up for Doniree’s Please & Thank You Weekly Writing Prompts* and started journaling. I didn’t stick with it every single week, but I definitely want to catch up and stay caught up through the rest of the year. Each week contains a gratitude prompt and an intention prompt, and I’m really happy with what I’ve learned about myself so far. Doni makes me think. She throws ideas around that I wouldn’t normally consider, asks me questions I wouldn’t normally answer, and encourages me make things better for the future. I’ve never really been a journaler and this has rekindled my love for putting a pen to paper. I usually thrive on sharing my thoughts and feelings with the world, but it’s been nice keeping things to myself for a change.

May – Pay Attention

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This month my big resolution is to pay attention! When I say that, I mean to myself, to my mind, and also to what’s going on around me at this very moment. I’m very good at constantly looking into the future and thinking about how “this will be better when that happens”, and I tend to miss what’s happening right now. It’s time to stop ignoring the present.

Goals:

• Meditation - I bought a meditation CD months ago, and haven’t even opened it. This month I hope to take a few moments to myself each day, to relax, reflect, and refocus my thoughts
• Be in the now – I want to take time to pause and take everything in during each of my experiences, while they’re actually happening, rather than focusing on the future and letting today pass me by
• Stimulate the mind in new ways – I’m going to try a new yoga studio, but I’m also looking for a few other new-to-me activities that will keep me focused and attentive. Any suggestions?

I hope this month will help me remember how awesome my life is right now, so I stop hoping it will be awesome later. I’m getting married next month, and I want to make sure I’m taking in every second leading up to that moment, and not just focusing on June 30th.

What are you working on this month? What helps you stay in the moment and pay attention?

Welcome to another installment of Doniree’s 52 Weeks of Blogging Prompts, Tips, and Resources*. Each Wednesday will showcase my responses! If you’d like to join me, and get full access to the prompts, along with the helpful tips and resources that are included, click over to sign up!

Week 4 {Goals}

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This week Doni asked us about our current goals. She asked whether or not we’ve posted about them, and if we think that letting the world know, changes anything. I love blogging about my goals, and absolutely believe that it has a major effect on my accomplishments.

Most of you have probably noticed my Life List. Obviously that’s my big list of goals I’d love to accomplish over the long-term. Also, if you’ve been a reader for any amount of time, you know that I’m currently doing my version of Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project, and that I blog each month, showing my plan, and then recap what I’ve actually accomplished.

I do think that putting my goals out there to the world helps me achieve them. I’m a girl who makes a million to-do lists, but rarely ever scratches anything off, and no one sees them, so it doesn’t matter. With my HP goals, you all know what I’m working on, and since I know I’ll be recapping, I feel really lame if I come back to say I didn’t do anything I wanted to that month. I also think it helps to have some cheerleaders in the comments, letting me know that I CAN do what I’m planning, and that they’re excited to see how it goes. That definitely helps motivate me along the way.

Though I love sharing my goals, obviously there are some that I keep to myself, for various reasons. Sometimes my goals are pretty small, and they just don’t seem significant enough to tell you about. Sometimes I aspire to do something that most people have already accomplished, and I feel like it’s no big deal anymore. Other times there are goals I’m not ready to share just yet, but will eventually tell you about, after I’ve checked it off.

So now that I’ve told you why I do blog about my goals, and how I feel it helps me accomplish them, let me throw a short list at you! These are the goals outside of my Happiness Project, that I’ve been working toward most recently.

1. Run a Half-Marathon – I’m completing this on Sunday, and I can’t wait to share how it goes!
2. Do yoga 2-3 times per week. As soon as we finish our run training, I’ll be back in the studio, and I’m so excited!
3. Turn a thrifted desk into a buffet/wine rack. I bought the desk for $10, now I just need to get to work!
4. Build websites for both of my brother’s bands. I’ve decided to make Scarlet Ledbetter and the Small Town Rollers the guinea pigs for my hopefully/someday freelance web design career.

Do you have any current goals? Do you think putting them out to the world effects whether or not you achieve them?

*I am an affiliate of Doniree’s Writing Prompts. I bought these prompts for myself, and because I truly believe in what she is doing, I became an affiliate. They are seriously awesome, and I’m excited to share them with you! 

The weekend before last, we went on a little camping trip with Justin’s siblings and families. We headed up to Cook’s Forest from Friday to Sunday, and had such a good time away!

I will preface this with the fact that I grew up camping every single weekend. With my parents, you slept on the ground in a tent, and if you couldn’t cook it on the fire, you didn’t eat it! It was a much different experience for me, being in a cabin with plumbing and electric! I was super skeptical, but ended up loving it! Now it’s my turn to make Justin do it my way, though :)

When we arrived Friday evening, there was already a fire brewing and the weather was gorgeous. It was the perfect night to just relax and hang out. We cooked some hotdogs, roasted marshmallows, and spent some time catching up with our family. It was awesome!

Jut and I stayed in the cutest little cabin, and I wish I had taken some pictures to show you! I was definitely horrible with my camera all weekend and am kicking myself for it. It was one room plus a bathroom, with a small kitchen area. We did have a TV, but I refused to turn it on, and a gas fire place for heat, which I was hoping we wouldn’t have to use, but of course was happy to have when the temperature plummeted on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, we awoke to the sound of our nieces banging on our door to let us know breakfast was ready! As soon as we stepped out our door we realized the weather had changed, and we wouldn’t be spending our day hiking and being outdoors like we had planned. It was drizzly, freezing, and dreary most of the day, but we made the best of it. We saw a chainsaw artist festival, walked through an animal park that had way more exotic animals than we had expected, and fed the fish at the hatchery. Again, I should have been better with my camera, because almost every animal in the park had a baby, and it was adorable!

Sunday it was still cold and dreary, but at least nice enough to take a little hike. Bailey was happy to join us, and the girls had a lot of fun, even if we did have to wear four layers of clothes! We had planned to stop at a few flea markets we had passed on the way up, but I must have fallen asleep at the wrong time on the way home, because I missed them all!

It ended up being such a nice weekend, and we can’t wait to go back this fall when the weather is nicer. I love every second we spend with Justin’s family, and this trip was no different. Our nieces crack us up with everything that comes out of their mouths, and my soon-to-be siblings-in-law have made it clear that I’m truly a part of their clan now :)

Do you enjoy camping? If so, cabin or tents? Anyone with in-laws that have welcomed you with open arms?