A BIG OLE RANT on some irritating issues.

CAUTION: DO NOT READ if you LOVE your Unhealthy Lifestyle and don't care to hear my (a health professional's and former individual who LOVED their Unhealthy Lifestyle) 2 cents. There is my fair warning :)

Okay so day to day I see and hear things that make me sick to my stomach. Just the way we as a population live our life is kind of sad. We think it is okay to be a little "chubby" when medically speaking the majority of people that consider their self chubby or a tad over weight are actually obese! No one likes to hear that or be labeled as such but ... its the TRUTH. And it is your right to do and act as you please I am not in the least bit trying to criticize people for that but what bothers me is watching people cram disgusting amounts of awful food down their throat, drink their selves into a coma, and smoke countless packs and packs of  cigarettes and then act honest to God surprised when they are told that they have cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, COPD, the list goes on and on.

So addiction. That is one word that is used a lot. People are addicted to food, cigarettes, alcohol and anything else that you can think of. Fine. Addiction is very real and I am not undermining that but I just don't get peoples mine set and reasoning. Why doesn't the fact that these poor choices are basically inviting a whole slue of nasty diseases and health problems to ravish their bodies have a big enough impact to turn your life around? And my ultimate BIGGEST pet peeve... "Exercise and Eating Healthy just doesn't work for me". Really? That is interesting. I am the last person to believe that bull. I exercised and eat healthy and guess what... some how lost close to 40 lbs. Either you aren't really putting the effort in that you are convincing yourself that you are or those two things with the result of my weight loss was just a really weird coincidence.

Throwing that amount of weight I loss out there is embarrassing for me.. not going to lie about that. I never viewed myself as being that unhealthy that by changing my lifestyle would have dropped that much weight. It was a STRUGGLE. Those first probably 2 months I was not a nice person to be around, I loathed going to the gym and used almost every excuse imaginable not to go, and had cravings for the old junk I indulged in all the time. Without Brandon I have no doubt that I wouldn't have made it to where I am now. He was patient but firm with me and was there to ALWAYS remind me that this is what I wanted for my life and not to give in because at the end of the day I would feel awful about giving up. Here are a few things that helped me.

1. Have a support system. Let those around you know that you are trying to improve your lifestyle and make healthier choices that way they won't throw the temptation out there and will be in the loop about why you are cranky :)

2. Be completely honest with yourself and look at yourself for who you are! Its okay to admit that you are not 100% happy with who you are because those reasons will help you to work hard to become who you WANT TO BE!

3. Take one day at a time. Don't worry if you are going to eat healthy next week. The answer is yes. You make that decision everyday and before you know it.. its not really a struggle to make the "right" decision .. its more like an automatic action.

4. Take lots of pictures. You can keep them personal and to yourself but by documenting your changes from week to week or month to month it will really boost your morale and keep you motivated!

5. Be ready to make the change... ready to give it 100%! Changing to healthier was so far one of the hardest things to do (in the beginning). If you are not ready to give it your all your chances of failing could be higher. But failing is OKAY! Try try try again!

6. One thing that is important to state is by saying you are changing your lifestyle you are not vowing nor do you have to feel like you are saying you are going to NEVER eat fast food again, or candy, pizza, donuts, etc. What you ARE saying IS it is okay to have something like that EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. But practicing moderation and not completely binging on these things.

Like I said before this was a rant about my personal opinions. If I ticked you off, well, there is probably a reason it hit ya in a soft spot and I will leave it at that. I am not criticizing anyone. And I am most certainly not telling you that if you don't eat healthy and exercise that you are WRONG. That is NOT what I am about. If you are happy with yourself than so be it, I wish you the best. This journey (which is still on going) was never centered around looks, being "skinny", or a certain clothing size. It was about HEALTH! I have seen countless patients who were in the bad shape they were in due to their unhealthy behavior and IT SCARED ME, scared me into wanting better for myself. I will end this blog with a very embarrassing "before" picture and a less embarrassing "after". Enjoy!

Before. :(

Neglect: The state or fact of being uncared for

So I have done just that... NEGLECTED my blog! It helped me get through the awful and ugly referred to as Boot Camp and then I moved on and kinda forgot about it haha!! BUT, I seen it today the bookmark saved on the top of my FireFox webpage and had an ah hah moment! I originally started this blog with the intentions of being able to update friends and family without having to remember and repeat the same stories of day to day life living in the far away land referred to as Charleston, South Carolina :) So here it is:

UPDATE: We have been living in our humble abode now since June 17, 2011.. exactly 2 months today! So far I love it here, the weather is great the area is beautiful and full of so much history! Dudley seems to enjoy the outside too! We never have a dull moment and there are plenty of things to do and see. We have had 2 sets of visitors thus far (The Yates'- Kathy & Butch and Grandma Sally) and (My Best Friend- Amanda Mahoney) and are looking forward to even more visitors! We have some very special guest getting in this Sunday and staying until the next Sunday and then September 3 our very dear friends The Singer's will be here! So much to look forward to! 

JOB UPDATE: I Have not found a RN position yet. Well, I did but after looking at the schedule that was prepared for me I decided I would look else where versus having a drive of 2 hours to the clinic and then a long 2 hours home from the clinic. I have sent in my application to be an Officially Licensed Registered Nurse in the state of South Carolina so I just won't be in Ohio. What is interesting is South Carolina is apart of the Nurse License Compact (NLC) along with 23 other states so if we happen to get stationed in Virgina it won't be such a hassle to obtain a Virgina license. The bad news is the possible other future duty stations ie. California or Washington are not under the NLC. I have started this past week to really find a RN position and am getting frustrated that I haven't found one yet but I keep trying to remind myself that God is just waiting to bring me to the one he wants me to have. I have stated many times that I NEVER had the desire to be a RN and never even considered it until I gave my life to the Lord and felt as though it was HIS WILL for me to be a Nurse. So as I sit here as a very bored house wife with a very clean house I at least have that comfort hahah!

BRANDON UPDATE: Brandon is excelling in his classes here at the Navy Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC) and his GPA is an A! I am so proud! He works very long hours and is sometimes gone from 5 am - 9 pm. But he is very humble about the situation, this is something WE chose as a married couple and even when times get stressful for him and we go days without spending time with one another he can rest assure that I am in this with him, he wasn't the only one who signed up for this I am right on board too! He is currently in what they call 'A School' then after his A School graduation he will advance to Power School and then Prototype! It is a long 2 year process but I feel like this is where we are meant to be and life is good!

As you can imagine we miss and love our families and friends back home so much! We think about you and pray for you everyday and cannot wait until we come home to visit! Which ideally should be in December around Christmas. After being here in this heat for 6 months we are gonna be freezing in Ohio in December.. brrrr!!!

TOMORRRRROW

Tomorrow around 7 I will be setting at the airport waiting for MY SAILOR!! He gets to come home and take leave for a few days & then this time when he leaves he will be taking me and Dudley doo (our baby dog) with him to our new home & life in South Carolina! So exciting and sad. On a very happy note... I PASSED BOARDS I am OFFICIALLY a RN. PHEW!! That cuts my stress factor down about 35% hahah! Now I am concentrating on a getting a job :) 

If any one would of told me my freshman year of college 7 years ago "when it is all said and done you will graduate with your bachelors only to go back for another undergrad degree and become a nurse and you will also transfer colleges your sophomore year, go to a party and run into Brandon Yates that you graduated with from high school ((out of all of the students at the University and 3 hours from home))... fall in love with him.. marry him.. and then become a Navy Wife after he graduates from college and decides to join the Navy" I would of probably died over laughing!! I guess God is truly mysterious and things happen when and where they should! SO glad I decided to open my heart up to him and decided to follow HIS will for my life! Everything happens for a reason after all I suppose!

You may not end up where you thought you'd be, but you always end up where your meant to be.

Questions of science Science and progress Do not speak as loud as my heart .

So today I got an expected phone call from my Husband.. hum hum excuse me... My Sailor! He called and said he had passed Battle Stations 21 and was finished with boot camp! I was a very proud wifey and very happy that we got to chit chat for a hour! And even more happy knowing that in one week I will get to see him, hug him, kiss him :) I just love him!!! These 2 months were brutal but survivable! No doubt that if it wasn't for my very supportive family and friends and it wouldn't have been as easy to swallow. 

Speaking of family and friends I am going to be missing a lot of people but notably my Mom, Sister, Grandparents, and my baby nephew Cameron. My Mom has been my rock my supporter, motivator, basically my all since forever! I am so thankful to have such a caring, giving Mother who has always done whatever it took to give me and my Sister everything! I hope I can be half as great as she was one day!

My sister Heather has been my partner in crime, my best friend, my confidant for 23 years! I am going to miss her like crazy even the bickering over stupid stuff haha. But she is also my Momma's daughter and know that she is strong and will be okay! She has grown into a wonderful woman and I am very proud!

As for my Grandparents.. they are AMAZING! They have also always been there for me with a supportive spirit! They always have my best interest in mind and have never steered me wrong! Great role models!!

And Cam- well like I said he is and will always be my little Baby Nephew :) Just a little nugget! That kid stole my heart!!

But on the bright side, I  put my life and marriage in God's hands and know that this (the Navy) is the right decision for us and it is all going to be OKAY! At least Charleston, SC is a nice place for them to visit haha!

Me and Mom 1987

I'm here without you baby, but your still with me in my dreams & tonight its only YOU and ME.

Cannot believe I haven't blogged in 3 whole weeks!! Time has been flying by (Thank you Jesus) but not quickly enough :) I guess I haven't done much in those past 3 weeks except for... study, workout, watch some of the boob tube.. eat.. lots and lots of sushi nom nom noooommmm. Oh! I graduated (my second undergrad from Miami University I need a life ahha) and I went to Kentucky for my cousin's wedding and visited my Denham Grandparents.

In 13 days I will  be busy checking and double checking and triple checking making sure I have everything to go to Chicago that next morning.... So I can finally see MY MAN!!!! I have been making up scenarios in my head for weeks now about when I get to see his face for the first time in 60 days! It has truly been a crazy experience having no contact except old fashion snail mail with your Husband. Not necessarily a good experience and yet not a bad experience either. I sure have missed him like crazy but have learned a lot of things about myself and our relationship. One thing is for sure I will NEVER take our time together for granted! He is so special to me and I actually love him more and more everyday. I remember walking down the aisle on our wedding day looking at him and thinking "I love him so much" and I never thought it was possible to love this person even more than I did that day but I do- I actually love him more today than I did Sept. 19, 2010.. and think a week from now I will love him more than I do today! Gag I know haha! 

Besides the fact that he is an amazing person who I already had tons of respect and admiration for, his actions in joining the military has made those increase! I have seen plenty of bumper stickers and heard plenty of comments from people who not only don't agree with the War but have no support for our service members and while I didn't like it before and it kind of aggravated me I didn't take it personal. Well last week I took it completely personal haha! I was madder than a hornet! I thought how dare you.. I have you know my husband is one of those men who are giving up their own freedoms to protect yours..And you don't even deserve it! BUT I guess that is something I am going to have to get used to. All that matters is I am so PROUD of him & he makes me smile just thinking about him and what he is doing!

The Picture is Me & Pretend Brandon @ My Cousin Andy's Wedding.

Saturday May 14, 2011.

Lucky I'm in love with my best friend. Lucky to have been where I have been

So today was great! I finally got a call from Brandon and we spoke for 22 minutes, I missed his voice so badly. He sounded like himself but different- major oxymoron I know haha. I had a million things to say/ask/etc but it was like I was so happy that I couldn't remember anything I was shocked I guess. But all in all he sounded wonderful with nothing but positive things to say. I just love him SO MUCH!

Besides all of that exciting business, I also went to WPAFB and took care of my ID Card, DEERS stuff etc. My Uncle is retired from the AF so he was very familiar with Wright-Patt and showed me around. I had fun it is like its own little world behind gates :)  I am excited to move onto base in South Carolina and get familiar with not only the base but also the new way of life!!!!!

There’s only one thing.. To Do.. Three words.. For you.. I love you

So we are officially at W3D1 (week 3, day 1) of Bran being gone and I miss him so bad! Today I got some more letters from him and they of course made me beyond happy! I love being able to read his feelings and what is going on in his life currently. He got picked to be the Yeoman and I am so proud of him and all of his achievements, he is my hero :) It so weird that in 6 days he will have been gone for a whole month! And that means we are half way through with only one more month to go. I have a lot of things going on with my graduation, a wedding, Kaplan Nclex review week, studying for the Nclex, etc... so hopefully.. JUST MAYBE these last 4 weeks and 6 days will ZOOOOOOOOM by!