2011 April | Orange Dragonfly Blog

Apr 27, 2011 Posted

Weigh-in Wednesday: I’m Doing It Again

4/27/2011

Did you notice that I took last week off? I tried to sit down and write and I was in the midst of one of the craziest weeks I had experienced in a long time. I hope you will forgive me. Then my dad asked me to spend time with my family and take a day off to venture down to Rocky Point to our beach house. And yes, I did say ‘YES’ because typically, I would have said no, but since I am trying to be more open, I gave into the invitation. A couple days on the beach with a Pacifico in one hand and a book in the other was just what the doctor ordered. Took one of my oldest and dearest friends Phil with me and we reminisced over all that the last 20 years has brought us. I was also very happy to get to know my niece Rhiana better and impart a little aunt wisdom to her. I guess we also pinky swore that I would take her out for her 21st birthday and properly introduce her to tequila… thankfully I have 13 years to plan that little outing.

View of our balcony – and yes- you can rent the house!

One thing I realized was how much I had missed being down in Mexico and part of the culture. I have been going down there since I was 6 and my great grandparents were from Mexico. I loved seeing how the parents bathed their children with affection, that young women knew they were beautiful and didn’t try to be a size 2, and that chivalry is not dead among Latino men. I sat back and watched the Mexican nationals (there were actually TONS on vacation there) laugh with one another, enjoy some phenomenally great tacos from Combo Tacos, and live in the moment. My favorite was when they talked to me in Spanish, and I would *try* to answer back in my absolutely horrific Spanglish. It was quite comical, but they appreciated that I was trying. All in all, it was a great trip.

Yes, I’m doing it again – I signed up for the 2011 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure! I walked in 2008 & 2009 in support of my Aunt Debbie who battled breast cancer. She had a double mastectomy and is currently cancer free! I raised $14k during those 2 years!!! This year I walk in honor of my Aunt Areta who has Stage 3 Breast Cancer and just went through a mastectomy as well. I want to raise $6,500 to help fight this cancer that has deeply affected the women in my life. I can be honest – I am scared of the day of finding a lump in my own breast. Through your donation & support, there will be new medications and treatments to help eradicate this horrible disease. This event isn’t easy, but I promise you, I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t believe 100% that it was worth every muscle ache, weary night, and training walk! I’m going to walk 60 miles over 3 days – what are you going to do?

I have to raise $2300 to walk. But you know me, I never do things at a minimum effort level and want to surpass that!! My personal goal this year is $6500. I need your help to do it. My friends and family gave so generously last time around to help end breast cancer, and I hope you won’t let me down this year. If you would like to donate to my 3-Day Walk, don’t let me stop you! Donate here. If you want to walk with – sign up already! I will be training to walk these 60 miles AND to run in a couple 5Ks this year – join me if you dare

At the finish line with Team Thrivr – what an awesome day and an awesome team!

Weight Loss:

Lost 0 pounds

What I Did Right This Week:

Drank Kombucha daily!
Ate very healthy – even in Mexico. Woot Woot!
Took apple cider vinegar capsules daily
Worked out 4x – you read that right.
Walked on the beach a lot. Seriously, my legs are so sore.
Made green protein shake 1x
Meditated most mornings

What I Did Wrong This Week:

Drank enough beer that my blood is requesting more limes to go with the Pacifico
Drank Pepsi 3x
Been addicted to chips lately. Sigh.

Goals For This Week:

Cook at home 3x and make healthy lunches daily
Make my protein shake 3x
Workout 5x and do home yoga 3x
Drink more water
Meditate every morning

Do you ever feel that some days that you just can’t focus? I have days when I am on fire and can conquer the world and then there are other days where I am spinning my wheels and can’t seem to focus on anything. One good thing that my mini-vacation allowed me to do was to turn my brain off for a few days. I slept. I mean I slept a lot. I actually fell asleep by 8pm on 2 nights for a solid 10 hours and then took naps during the day. I know I have to sleep a solid 8 hours a night or I am Grumpy with a capital G. I have started meditating every morning and every night to help keep me focused on my goals for the day. Keeping focused is sometimes a huge challenge because of all the directions I am pulled in on a daily basis. How do you deal with staying focused? I really need some tips on this one.

My intention for last week was To Say Yes. I said yes to new experiences, new ideas, new projects, and said yes to myself. I actually did. I didn’t turn anything or anyone down and was amazed by how liberating a three-letter word could be. I said yes to old friends, new dates, and yes to letting go. You should try it!

My intention for this week is Focus. I know I have done this one before, but I seriously need to learn how to stay focused. I have so many balls in the air that if I turn my head slightly, they will all come crashing down. That is a lot of pressure and a lot of stress. A update a spreadsheet daily thanks to my business mentor that helps me stay on track, but sometimes I need more help. Being a creative spirit, my mind likes to wander and start new projects before old ones are completed. I HAVE to manage that or things tumble out of control at an alarmingly rate and I completely lose my way. So for this week, help me stay focused!

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Apr 13, 2011 Posted

Weigh-in Wednesday: Just Say YES

4/13/2011

Have you ever just said “yes” instead of automatically saying “no”? This last week I really stepped out of my comfort zone a few times. First off, I went dancing. Yes you read that right. Usually I am too self-conscious to get out there and shake my groove thang. Well when my girl Jackie starts to dance, (she is an awesome dance choreographer btw) someone has to go out on that dance floor and push all the boys off of her! Here I am at a Scottsdale dance club, not caring at all about what I look like and having the time of my life. I had SO much fun! Can’t wait to do that again. Jackie reminded me that I also let my hair down at the Oscar Party we went to and danced so much that I injured the nerve in my foot that took weeks to heal. I forgot how liberating it can be to just relax and enjoy the moment without worrying about other people’s perceptions of you. Lesson learned!

The next night, @justchrisbyrd and @aclevergirl threw the infamous #dbsparty where you had to dress up. Honestly, I am not the Dress-Up-Kind-Of-Girl, but I did. I actually even won a medal for my costume! Sorry, no pictures were allowed to be taken Let’s just say – can’t wait until the next one! I have also been saying yes to guys who ask me out. Now my date on Monday was for the record books on what a guy should NOT do or say on a date, but man did it give me fodder for Twitter for the day. It was THAT bad. I also finally said yes when a friend, who has supported me through some tough times, asked me out on a date . We shall see on this one, curious as to the outcome for sure. I’m actually allowing myself to be optimistic without prejudgment. Ok – there is a tad of prejudgment, but I’m working on it!

Why don’t you try it this week – just say YES. Say yes to that new project, say yes when your partner wants to try something new, say yes to that internal voice that wants you to get out and live. Just say yes.

I had quite a few people who wanted me to finish my 37 While 37 list – so here goes. This will e the complete list. Seriously – which one are you going to do with me?

Lose 30 pounds this year – hey, it’s what Weigh-In Wednesday is all about!
Honor my friendships and be the great friend and confidant that also brings out my amazing nurturing side.
Be more communicative with my family and work on those relationships that are sometimes the hardest to understand. This would bring be great peace.
Go skydiving!
Ireland. Enough said. Cliffs of Moher are calling and so are my ancestors to have a pint of Guinness.
New York – I must meet you this year. I’ve heard good things about you. Plus, I have lots of great friends there that need some big hugs from me.
Figure out how to put bait on my own fishing pole and catch me some Bass. Or Walleye. Just not catfish
Declutter my house and declutter my life. This would be a huge accomplishment for me.
Learn to not care what others think about me and value my opinion of me above all others.
Create a money budget and get back on the savings track. Don’t let finances run my life.
Increase my business by 20% and to let go of the fear of great success.
Finally finish writing one of the 3 books I have started! What an accomplishment that would be.
To fall in love with a man who is emotionally available, kind-hearted, funny as all get out, intelligent, and who treats me with the upmost respect, kindness, and shows his love unabashedly.
Go out to nature once a week whether just to the park, the lake, or take a day trip to see one of the amazing National parks we have – thanks to my brother for the National Parks Passport.
My most important goal is to allow each person, situation, heartache, feeling of doubt or fear to teach me the lesson I am supposed to learn and embrace that lesson and actually learn from it!
Say YES to something I normally would say NO to once a week.
Allow my heart to love and let go of its fear of abandonment.
Go back to Colorado and take a picture surrounded by my favorite flower – Rocky Mountain Columbines.
Swim with sea turtles.
Give in instead of always having to be right. When this happens, go ahead and call Oprah. (BTW, would love to see her show before she goes off air!)
Reconnect with someone I had a falling out with and rekindle our friendship.
Learn how to canoe.
Hike the Grand Canyon.
Go camping, preferably at Yellowstone. Stay up all night telling ghost stories, roasting marshmallows, and trying to name all the constellations (with the help of Google Sky of course)
Hire a personal and business assistant. I so miss having an assistant!
Donate more of my time and passion to charities that echo through my soul.
Help a new businesswoman find her dream without asking for anything in return.
Tell each member of my family what they mean to me.
Create a garden haven on my balcony and grow my own herbs and vegetables again. Sustainability baby!
Rescue a pooch.
Always speak my truth and be true to myself.
Love more.
Make yoga a part of my everyday life.
Look into my options of being a parent.
Allow him to love me.
Create a cookbook of mine and my family’s recipes.
Make a difference in someone’s life.

Columbines

Rocky Mountain Columbines – So Beautiful!