moving forward, real life adventures, Thankful

Battling mid-life

Movin' it with Michelle

I am battling with being 46 years old, sort of…I am caught between looking back on my past, and looking towards the future. I’ve read so many articles where women boast that the 40’s are an amazing decade to celebrate because by then you’ve “got it all figured out.”

But I don’t. While I am getting there, I still know I am not where I want to be in life. I still have unwanted debt, student loans hanging over my head, and am in a career I didn’t choose for myself. Thankfully my husband I sat down and redid our budget and with some major fun cuts we should be able to have a handle on our debt within six months minus my student loans. Who’d think a 46 year old would still have student loans?

Do I regret going back to school at a later age to obtain my MBA? Sometimes, yes. It hasn’t helped me progress in my career, hasn’t launched me into a new career, and heck at my age it’s a little late to make a career change in all honesty. But am I proud of those three little letters in my signature block? You’re darn right I am.

Looking back, though, I can honestly say despite many challenges I sure did live my best life in my younger years. I lived it up with friends, I embraced my Air Force career, and I sacrificed a lot for my kids which is something I’d never change. This says a lot, because I used to look back and regret so many things, yet now I can celebrate all I overcame, and all I endured. It has made me who I am today.

My goals moving forward are to give all I can to my kids so that they don’t have to struggle like I did as a young adult. To keep dreaming big, all while keeping it real. My Mom recently asked me, “If you could make a career change, what would you do?” I struggled with an answer, but after much thought I can say this…I’d have my own restaurant, write a book or two or three, be a health/wellness coach, and most importantly do something where I could use my experiences to help others. Yup…that’s what I would do.

Life_quotes_to_live_by-3

Today I am thankful for:

  1. My past, for it made me who I am.
  2. Morning snuggles with my husband, for this simple act makes my day so much better.
  3. My daughters. They are amazing young ladies.
  4. My life. For it is short, and sweet, and I do my best to embrace each day.
  5. Sunshine. It truly soothes my soul.

What are you thankful for today? Do you have any regrets? If you could have one career in life, what would it be?

Cheers,

Michelle

moving forward

Weekend wrap

Movin' it with Michelle

I had a great post written in my head, but my laptop won’t connect to the internet and my husband is too busy watching the game to help me. So here’s the short and sweet of the week/weekend.

My youngest tried out for the school play and got a part!!! She’s so excited. We celebrated with seafood at Pinchers since we get a military discount there!

My hubby also got a small promotion at work. He took a pay cut coming down here to Florida so he’s back to where he was in Chicago. Yay! So one last dinner out before we lock down on our budget. My dear friend Kandace helped us celebrate.

Today I ran my 9 mile long run. It started out quite humid but it was cloudy so that helped. My husband was constantly running in front of me and I couldn’t keep up and was getting frustrated so I sent him off to finish on his own at around half way point. I continued to struggle but I at least could settle down and just run my own pace. The sun came out at around mile 7 and I officially boarded the struggle bus. I finished 9 miles at an 11:40 pace and can honestly say that I didn’t have a single “easy” mile.

Since it’s Super bowl Sunday we got a bunch of quick and yummy snacks. Onion dip, spinach dip, meats, cheeses and shrimp with cocktail sauce.

I created a yummy taco dip as well. Brown a lb of hamburger meat, add garlic and low sodium taco seasoning. Add one large jar of Queso cheese and 2 chopped green onions. Yum!!

How was your weekend? Are you watching the Super bowl? What’s your favorite game day food?

Cheers!

Michelle

moving forward

New Month! Welcoming February

Movin' it with Michelle

My year hasn’t started out the greatest. I’ll be honest. Between the bronchitis, work, and lack of running due to said bronchitis I am just plain tired.

When I get tired and/or stressed, I sleep walk. Yup…I’ve been known to wake up in random places of the house and just this past week I woke up twice at 5 am on the couch with no recollection of how I got there. Really?!? Yup…

I blame the lack of running to be honest. While I’ve managed a few runs despite being sick for so long, the whopping 20 miles I logged in for January just don’t cut it. My knee really hasn’t been happy so I’ve been walking vs. running (which I don’t log as miles) so I am praying my half marathon goes ok on the 24th.

I also have been too tired to write the last few days, so wanted to start February out with a short one at least. SO here’s to February, a new month and new opportunities!!!

tired

So today I am thankful for one major thing…IT IS FRIDAY AND I CAN SLEEP IN TOMORROW!!!

What are you thankful for? Have you ever been known to sleepwalk? What is your go-to stress reliever?

Cheers,

Michelle

Thankful

Frozen tundra

Movin' it with Michelle

Gosh, I can’t believe the weather across the Midwest (well, I CAN, I’ve lived in it for years having grown up in Minnesota, and having had been stationed in Alaska for three years, and lived outside of Chicago for almost 7 years, but STILL).

I had started to complain about our chilly temps until I saw the forecast up north. I’ll take mid 40’s of a low, and highs of 60’s this week. Heck, I ran in a tank top last night. While I do miss living up north for many reasons, I DON’T miss that winter weather at all. Check this out, so sad, stay warm my northern friends!!

1.29.19florida

Today’s Thankful five:

  1. The longer days. During the winter it’s dark driving in to work, and getting dark on my way home. More day light means I can get more running done in the evenings. Score!
  2. Long showers. You know, the kind where you blast your favorite music, take your time, and even shave your legs!
  3. My husband. I know, I’ve listed him before. But he does all he can to get home from work in time to take our daughter to her Tues/Thurs jujitsu lesson so I can have an hour and a half to myself. Between deployments and work trips he’s gone a lot, so it means a lot that he always steps up to help when he’s here.
  4. Florida. My body couldn’t handle another winter, so I am so glad we live here where the coldest temps I’ll have to deal with is mid to high 30’s.
  5. My blog! 🙂 It feels good to be writing again, even if most of my posts are short and sweet.

How’s the weather where you live? What are you thankful for? THANK YOU all for reading and following along.

Cheers,

Michelle

half marathon training, Keto adventures, moving forward, running, Thankful

Half marathon training, week 9 long run

Movin' it with Michelle

Despite not sleeping well last night, I knew I needed to get my long run done for the 9th week of training as I didn’t get it done over the weekend due to being stuck inside on a very rainy Sunday.

Once I got home from work I immediately changed clothes and headed out for my neighborhood loop/running trails. My plan called for a 10k race pace but I had planned to go a little farther to make up the 3 weeks of training I missed due to bronchitis. (That nasty cough is still lingering but getting a little better every day). The first mile felt surprisingly well, and I couldn’t believe I actually had a 10 mm in the mix, as well as I kept under an 11 mm pace for the entire 6.5 miles. Over all I was thrilled with this run.

Not to shabby for this rusty runner

Splits! Check out that 10 mm!

My cheerleader!

Today’s thankful 5:

  1. Easy commutes. Today’s commute both to and from work were surprisingly quick with no traffic, accidents, or crazy people that haven’t had enough coffee yet.
  2. Smooth days at work. Today was one of the first “good” work days I’ve had this year, and man did I need it.
  3. Left overs. I baked a big batch of chicken thighs yesterday, so all I had to do for dinner was heat them up along with a bag of steamed cauliflower rice.
  4. My daughter being so excited about trying out for her school’s play. We reciting her audition lines about two dozen times tonight, and I pray she gets the part.
  5. Good runs. Man did I ever need tonight’s run. My right knee has always been my bad knee, ever since I popped it back in high school track. And it sure hasn’t been happy with me this month. I just ordered some new knee braces off Amazon.
This brace got me through 3 full marathons! Got two, one for each knee!

How is your commute to work? What’s your favorite thing to have for leftovers? Get any mileage in today?

Cheers!

Michelle

food, Keto adventures, Recipes, Sunday Supper, Thankful

Rainy days

Movin' it with Michelle

Today we had 100% chance of rain, and not just for an hour or two like normal Florida storms, no, it was going to rain from 4 am until who knows when. In fact, I think it is still raining as we speak. So both plans to go to Disney and my long run have been postponed. I will run my scheduled 6.2 miles after work tomorrow, and we can go to Disney another day.

Since it was raining, we figured it would be the perfect day to watch movies and relax. We ended up watching “Christopher Robin,” and we all enjoyed it a lot. It was light hearted but emotional all at the same time. Afterwards, we played the Disney version of Monopoly and I am proud to say after a several hour long game, I won!

 

Hubby and youngest daughter
I won!

Lastly, we cooked a simple Sunday supper. Pork loin that was cooked low and slow in the sous vide, and a broccoli mash (see recipe for my cauliflower mash but use a head of steamed broccoli instead and parmesan cheese vs. Italian cheese), and my daughter made us arugula salad with radish and mushrooms.

 

Sous vide (cooking in a water bath at a controlled temperature)
Hubby took my picture while I was making the mash
My daugher helping out!
Final dish, minus the salad

Which brings me to my thankful part of this post:

  1. Dinner with my family. As busy as our lives get we almost always try to have dinner together, especially on Sundays.
  2. Rainy days that force you to stay in, and having quality time while doing so. So often we get caught up with our faces stuck in our phones. This weekend has been nice and I’ve been mindful of not being on my phone so much.
  3. The fact that my husband has gotten on board with healthier eating. He was cleaning out his closet tonight and found his “fat jeans” (not that he was ever fat) and I am so proud of how he’s embraced eating healthier and exercising more.
  4. Sleeping in on the weekends. I don’t sleep very well, I never have, so I love that I have the weekends (especially when we’ve got no plans) so catch up on the little bit of sleep I get during the week.
  5. Wine on Sunday evenings to calm me down for Monday morning. LOL. I just had to add that in!!

Have you watched any good movies lately? What’s your favorite board game? Does your family eat together in the evenings when possible?

 

Cheers!

Michelle

 

 

 

moving forward, Thankful

Saturday unexpected fun and Thankful #9

Movin' it with Michelle

We had no plans this weekend which is sometimes fun. I have been battling bronchitis and now allergies for nearly a month and rest was something I welcomed. I woke up this morning with a cold pill hangover but was told my daughter had made plans to go to the mall with her friend. My husband told me they weren’t leaving for an hour so I quickly made some tea, showered and got ready. I wasn’t going to miss out on some fun. We picked up her friend, and headed to the mall. Once the kids went on their way, we grabbed some lunch and did a little shopping. What a fun day! We also had plans for my friend Kandice that I was stationed with back in Texas to come over for dinner, so we stopped by the store on the way home for some last minute dinner items.

Today I am thankful for:

  1. The fact my daughter is finally making friends here. Middle school age is hard.
  2. Last minute date lunches with my hubby. We don’t get much time just for us, so today was nice.
  3. 65% sales at Dillards. I got two super cute Free People dresses for 65% off. Winning.
  4. Dinner with friends. For the first time since we’ve moved here, we had a friend over for dinner. Steaks, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, bacon wrapped  asparagus and my cauliflower mash were a big hit.
  5. Positive outlooks. While this year may have started out rough, I am hopeful for better days.

Do you make time for date time for your significant other? What’s your favorite dish to cook for others? Are you an “on sale” shopper?

Cheers!

Thankful

TGIF; Thankful #8

Movin' it with Michelle

Happy Friday, y’all!!!!!

I hope you all had a great week. Mine started out rough, but thankfully ended on a pretty good note. My recliner and I have a hot date tonight, so I’ll keep this post short.

Today I am thankful for:

  1. Operational Laboratory instruments. BOTH our broken down instruments were repaired today and up and running!  After several long weeks of manual procedures vs. automated, this girl is a happy camper.
  2. Weekends with no plans. While typically I love being busy doing fun things on the weekends, this weekend we are just winging it and may just chill at home.
  3. Kind people. Part of my job as a supervisor is to do daily rounding of each section to make sure the work is getting done and everyone and everything is running smoothly. I check on people, they don’t check on me (which is totally fine), but today I had someone come over and check on me as I was coverslipping slides (which I have been doing nearly 8 hours a day, every day, for the last 3 weeks). “Michelle, you doing ok? Hanging in there? It’s almost Friday!” she exclaimed. And my heart warmed. It’s nice to be cared about, too.
  4. Fridays. Simply said.
  5. Farmers Markets. I love getting fresh produce and products from local companies. Our hospital hosts one every other Friday and I love supporting our local farmers and getting healthy produce for my family.

1.25.19tgif

Do you have plans this weekend? Does your community have farmers markets? What are you thankful for today?

Cheers,

Michelle

moving forward, Thankful, Thursday

Is it Friday yet…and TF#7

Movin' it with Michelle

 

Anyone else feel like 2019 has been off to a rough start? Between 3 weeks of Bronchitis, getting slammed with a 500/month house payment increase  this year as a result of a mistake in our escrow last year (WTH?), and the never ending debt we have incurred due to moving to Florida (we didn’t get any relocation assistance and moving across country is crazy expensive), and ongoing vet bills for my Sammy (he had two bouts of cancer last year and I just found a couple possible more bumps), we just can’t seem to catch a break. I had hoped at my age I’d finally start to feel “comfortable” but nope…ah such is life. It’ll happen eventually, right?

1.24.19meme

Which is a perfect Segway in to my thankful post…because I do always TRY to look on the bright side. So here goes…

  1. Bacon Cheeseburgers. Yup, this girl that eats healthy 90% of the time has a secret weakness for bacon cheeseburgers. It is my favorite comfort food paired with crispy French fries and after the week I’ve been having, I treated myself to this amazing indulgence today at lunch and had no regrets. Ok, I regretted it a little after I started to fall in to a carb coma an hour after eating it, but hey…it was worth it.
  2. Hot showers/running water. After a long day at work I love to take a hot shower and destress. Sometimes I cry, sometimes I sing, and sometimes I just shut my mind off.
  3. Rest days. My legs aren’t quite as sore today, but that good ole right knee that gives me constant issues still isn’t happy with me.
  4. Friends that check on you when you are quiet. These friends are the best, because they can hear you even when you aren’t talking. They just know.
  5. Rain. We had quite the storm roll in at around 3 am this morning and while I am not thankful for the early morning wake up call, our grass looks greener already.

How has your year started out? What is your greatest weakness in regards to food? Thanks for all of your likes, comments and shares. I love this amazing community!

Cheers,

Michelle

half marathon training, Thankful

Wednesday’s Thankful #6

Movin' it with Michelle

Ok guys, I am not going to lie. I am going to have to dig deep to not be a little repetitive in my thankful post today, because I am having a bit of a struggle compiling my list. Sunshine and my dog are a given. Today was a rough day at work, and I’ll simple put between instrumentation and staffing issues this year, I snapped. I snapped at doctors, snapped at coworkers, hell I even snapped at myself for snapping and quickly apologized to the victims of my snaps, LOL.

snappedmeme

My thankful post for today:

  1. My ability to still run off the stress of a bad day even when my legs feel heavier than the sandbags I filled for Hurricane Irma (click link to check out my first month of adventures in FL) back in 2017!!!! I’m in week 9 (having missed 3 weeks due to bronchitis) of training so I can’t quit now!
  2. My husband, who on days like today is extra sweet, extra supportive, and even had dinner ready when I got home from my run.
  3. The fact that my daughters come to me with their problems. The fact they feel I am a “safe zone” shows me I’ve at least done something right despite the struggle of the preteen/teen years.
  4. The roof over my head, and food on the table. I often find myself for wanting more, when really I have all that I need.
  5. HUMP DAY! We’re almost to Friday, y’all!!!

1.23.19run.jpg

What are you thankful for today? Do you have a favorite day of the week?

Cheers!

Michelle