moving forward

Celebrating acts of kindness

Movin' it with Michelle

I haven’t been writing much this year. You know, the whole Covid-19 thing, and the incessant spew of all things hate has really started to affect my mental health. I haven’t had much to say…so I’ve decided to start celebrating every act of kindness that I notice. Here is my first one, written last night and posted on my Facebook page.

Good evening, everyone! Anyone else feel like social media is filled with hate and anger? Anyone else tired of focusing on all things negative???

Meeeee too….

So tonight I share this real life adventure, if you will. Today we spent a few lovely hours at the beach and decided to grab an early dinner when we got rained out. We had a lovely meal, and headed out to my Jeep to head home.

We saw an elderly lady struggling with her walker and navigating holding her umbrella. My husband kindly said, “I should go help her!” He got out of the Jeep and walked over to her to offer a hand. She graciously accepted his help and they had a lovely conversation as he walked her into the restaurant. He didn’t rush her, and he took the time to listen to her stories. My heart was exploding and I am so happy I captured this photo.

Kindness is all around us. We need to focus on all these little moments because they truly matter the most.

Be well my friends. Life is a gift. Let’s celebrate it each and every day. 🙏🏻❤️

Cheers!

Michelle

Recipes

Chicken chili

Movin' it with Michelle

Chicken chili
One package of chicken thighs cut into cubes
1 packet low sodium taco seasoning
Cumin, red pepper flakes, dried cilantro & oregano
1 can diced tomatoes
2 can of beans-lightly rinsed
2 green onions, thinly sliced (for garnish)
1 red pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 box of low sodium chicken stock

Season chicken with the taco season packet and set aside. Sauté the veggies in a stock/soup pot until soft, adding the cumin, dried spices and salt and pepper to taste. Add in the chicken, beans, and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil for about 10-15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and let simmer for another 15 minutes. Garnish with green onions, and enjoy!

Yum!

Cheers! Enjoy!!!

moving forward, real life adventures

Who knew what little I really need…

Movin' it with Michelle

What little I truly NEED to get by…the last 10 weeks or so have been hard, but they’ve also given me a new sense of appreciation for my life. During the first 8 weeks, we truly played by the rules. No friends. No going out. No driveway “social distance” parties. Nada. We stayed home. My husband was the only one to go to the store, and other than us both having to go in to work a few times (we’re both teleworking now), home was where we stayed put.

Obviously we had to get creative with how we’d attack the upcoming weeks of “just us.”

We bought an above ground pool and spent the weekends in the sun.

We did several puzzles, despite my husband’s lack of excitement.

We played games, Monopoly being a favorite of ours.

We re-did our budget and have been dutifully paying off debt. The interest rate grace period was such a blessing for my student loans, which should be DONE in just a month or two.

We started walking after work almost daily, as its just too hot to run.

We binge watched several shows on Netflix, my favorite being “Schitt’s Creek.”

Sure, vacations were canceled, trips postponed, missed out on graduations (my Niece graduated COLLEGE!! So proud), my daughter’s 8th grade trips/ceremony were canceled, and have I mentioned my hair and nails look HORRIBLE…but that’s ok…LOL

I truly feel we are closer as a family. Bless my 13 year old for taking all of this like a champ. It’s been extremely hard for her not to see her friends and miss out on so much.

They’ve lifted stay at home orders here in Florida a couple of weeks ago. We did go to our local beach a couple of times (not touristy spots, very spread out and monitored by the Sherriff’s office), and we brought our large canopy tent and stayed far enough away from everyone. I will admit, leaving my neighborhood for the first time in WEEKS felt awesome. The beach is something I NEED. It truly takes away all of my stress and makes my soul happy.

Moving forward, we plan to continue social distancing but we’ll slowly entertain the idea of hanging out with friends.

So these are my take away thoughts from the last couple of months. How are you handling this “new normal” as they say? Anyone else really HATE wearing masks out in public? I know I sure miss seeing people smile. 😦

Cheers,

Michell

 

 

moving forward

One year.

Movin' it with Michelle

I’ve been through some very difficult times in my 47 years. But this day, one year ago today, will forever be one of the worst days of my life. May my sweet Sammy be resting in peace. Life is short my friends. Don’t waste a second. Tell those that you love-exactly how you feel. You never know when it will be too late. 💔🐾

moving forward

Time to take care of me

Movin' it with Michelle

Ooof…this getting in shape while battling menopause is no joke. With the help of my hubby, we’ve added weights to my workouts with a goal of 3x per week. 3 sets each (various weights from 10-40 lbs) of Shoulder press, lat raises, tricep pull downs, and weighted rows. Add in my 3.5 mile run and a short plank, and this girl is pooped. No one said this was going to be easy!! Who’s with me???

Cheers!

Michelle

moving forward

Monday Motivation

Movin' it with Michelle

Thanks for all of the encouragement, y’all!! I felt so good in the beginning of this run that I got a little over zealous. Thankfully my husband slowed down to run with me, so between that-and all of YOUR awesome support, I finished this 5k feeling great!! Figured a five minute plank would pair perfectly. How was your day?

Cheers!

Michelle

moving forward

Just some fun…

Movin' it with Michelle

So our power went out today. Smallish storm knocked out a transformer. Thankfully I got my run in, and I planked by candlelight. Gotta make the best of it, right?

How do you make lemonade out of lemons? Ever have to break up your runs?

Cheers!

Michelle