Little Rock Lesson and back to reality

Hello World,

My trip to Arkansas comes with mixed reviews. There is not much bad I can say and There is not much good that I can say about my trip to Little Rock, but I did learn a valuable lesson---Family does not always equal friend. Family does not always equal support. Family does not always equal fun. You can't please people who are not pleased with themselves. If they are miserable. You have to be miserable too or they will work really hard to find a way to make you miserable even if that means ending a relationship, manipulating others and starting all kinds of trouble. I also learned that I could be pushed to the very edge. BUT the most important lesson I was the lesson of letting go. Some things and some people no matter who they are-are not worth the stress or the strife. It is okay to love people from a distance especially when you have given all that you have and it is never enough. Well, I have had enough and it is finished. Thank you Lord for the lessons and the people placed in our lives to teach us these lessons.

Anyway there were a few good things about the trip. I managed to workout, but my eating went a little of course. Not too bad, but not good either.  My cousin and I went to the Arkansas Art Museum and toured the Pharoah exhibit. I thought it was awesome. The artifacts and the real mummies and tombs was amazing. My favorite was the sexy dress that the pharoah liked for the women of the palace to wear. There were a lot of gods that were worshipped by these people. They believed in a lot of interesting things, but at the end of the error of the pharoahs and dynasties...they converted to Christianity. Isn't that something. At the end of the trip my cousins brought me home and we ate at a restaurant in Southaven. They had never been to my home town. So that was fun to show them my stomping grounds.

Lil' Fred had a great time playing with his cousins and in the pool. He is a natural swimmer. I have got to get him some lessons next year.

Well, vacation is over back to real life and real work. Back to good eating and great exercise. I have to do a lot of catching up from after the camps. So next week here I come....

Little Rock!!!

We are in Little Rock! It is so fun! I found some energy from somewhere. Last night's banquet was fun. We had great food and great music. My grandmother was present and looking great. She is 81 years old and still a "hot mama". I came with my sister and her family. We are sharing a room at the Hilton-Little Rock. Thank God the rooms are huge. Tamara has 4 children and a husband. Lots of people; Lots of fun.

This morning, I got up and workout with Tamara. She did a great job. I think if she keeps it up she could meet all of her fitness goals.

Anyway...today we have a couple of choices before the family picnic at 3:00pm. We can go shopping, to the Pharoah exhibit, the clinton library and Hot Springs. I don't know what I am going to do. I would love to go to the Pharoah exhibit and see the history behind Ancient Egypt. But I am going to do whatever my sister and my cousin Rowena wants to do. I hope it's the Pharoah Exhibit. Okay...I am headed to breakfast. I will write later to let you know how the day went.....P.S. I really miss Fred. I hate that he couldn't come....tears :(

Camp Ends...Aunt San...Little Rock!

Hello World,

 My camps ended yesterday. They were so much fun and all of the kids had a great time. We learned lots of new things, made great crafts. I have great ideas for next year. BUT! Although it was fun, I am worn out. Next year, I can't do this any more than a week. Even though I will have more staff next year, I still will not hold  this any longer than a week. I am so tired. It negatively affected my routine as far as running and eating healthy. I was so tired that I had difficulty this week running. I missed two runs this week. Yes, I said it two runs. I don't miss my runs. I am so tired that I almost want to cancel my trip to the Cole family reunion this weekend. I don't know what I was thinking. I will not get any rest. Right after the camp, I am heading out to a reunion. That is not the only reason why I want to skip the reunion...my Aunt San is sick in Oxford. The doctors haven't given her long to live (days is what they are saying). I went to see her on Wednesday. She knew who I was briefly(she goes in and out), but she looked terrible. Breast cancer is a monster! It is the ugliest thing I have ever seen in my life!

She is my maternal aunt. My mother's second oldest sister. She was living in my grandparent's home in Oxford after they died. Who's going to be there now after she is gone? Where are we going to have family gatherings? Is anyone going to continue to come to Oxford to visit after Aunt San goes to heaven? I feel like everything is about to change. She makes the best pound cake. What am I saying she makes the best desserts in the world! I hate to talk about her like she is already gone, but she is. That is not my aunt in that hospital. That is the cancer. She doesn't look or talk like my Aunt San. Breast Cancer lives there now and has taken over her entire body. I miss her. I want to tell her that I love her again. She knows. I tell her all the time. But I just want to tell her again. I want to talk to her, not the cancer. As I watched her Wednesday, I thought of all the times I shared with her. The way she laughs. Her shoulders go up when she laughs. She always had the most beautiful black hair. The longest I had seen on anyone in our family. Now the hair is all gone due to the chemo. She had beautiful dark dark brown skin...now it's pale. Who is that? That is not my Aunt Sandra! She can see my grandfather. She can see my uncle. She can talk to and follow them with her eyes. They are all dead and have been for a long time. But she can see and talk to them now. I heard her talking to someone as she lay in the hospital bed. Who did she see? Is she really seeing the dead or is that the cancer playing tricks with her mind?

I have to start packing for Little Rock. We will be leaving this evening. My sister and her husband will be driving. Lil Fred and I are going. Fred has to work. Mom is going to stay with her family because of Aunt San. I think Dad is going too. We will have a good time. I will write a little later. Keep me in your prayers world.

Man O Man what a weekend!

Hello World,

My weekend was really something. Friday night was pretty usual. At about 4:00 am on Saturday morning, Bug complained of back pain. I went to my SIM run at 5:30am and let Bug try to sleep things off with his dad. The run was great. We did speed drills and a little  coordination techniques to help fine tune our skills. I am getting faster and faster. I finished one lap in 1 min 37 seconds. I know that's not really fast for true runners, but that is good for a novice like myself. Anyway, after the run, I stopped and picked up breakfasta and came home. Bug was still hurting and very still. This is not in his personality. He moves at all times. He usually can't keep still.

I decided to give him a warm bath. Maybe he sprained a muscle or something. The bath didn't help. I called the doctors office and they said to bring him in because it might be a UTI. I knew this wasn't the case because he was grabbing his leg even though he mentioned his back. So we got dressed to head to the ER and after the ER visit we were going to head to Oxford to the 2nd annual Juneteenth festival. We went last year and had a great time so we knew that this year would be even better. We arrived at the ER at 9:50 am we did not leave until 5:30 pm. They were so unnecessarily slow it didn't make any sense. The ER was not crowded. They only took blood work and X-rays which took 15 minutes total. The rest of the time was waiting. So we didn't get a chance to go to Oxford. Boooooo. I am glad that Bug was okay. They said that it was probably growing pains. Yes that is right. I will received a $250.00 bill in the mail for growing pains. When will I learn.

So we got home from the ER. Fred took a nap. He was extremely tired since his work schedule has changed. Bug got started playing. He played hard. I was reading my books and making notes as usual. Bug came up to me and tapped me on the arm. GREEN MOUTH, GREEN TEETH. "I ate crayon!"  He said. What! I shouted. He was so proud of himself. He showed me what was left of the crayon. He thought he had done something special. He smiled and took a picture.  I scolded him (trying not to laugh) and we brushed his teeth. Kids, gotta love em :)

Sunday, we went to Paula Dean's at Harrah's. This is what Fred wanted to do for Father's Day. We had never been there before. I love how the restaurant was set up like a house in the country. I don't know if it is because I don't eat like I used to or what, but I wasn't that impressed with the food. Don't get me wrong the food was good and it had great presentation, but I wasn't that into it. Can you believe it??? Mia Cole not into it. I just ate a little and sat down. I am just not into overeating anymore. It's not fun. What is fun was spending time with them. Fred and bug are two of the most interesting, exciting, lovable people in the world. I guess I am a little bias. They are great. Bug is such a character. He works really hard to make us laugh at him. He had always been like that. Even as an infant. He may be a born comedian. As long as he keeps his materal clean and God centered, Mommy wouldn't have a problem with that as a profession :)

Anyway, healthwise, I was a little thrown off track with the trip to the ER. I didn't do my planning, cleaning schedule or food schedule for this week. So I am going to do it tonight after Fred leaves for work. I was like a lost child without it. I had also planned to go to the farmer's market to get fresh organic food, but ....ER.

I  read an article in the Muscle Fitness for Her magazine that focused on how humans ate thousand of years ago. They didn't eat any grain at all. I was not aware of this. They only at fruit, vegetables and meat. No rice, corn, or wheat. The article talked about how grains were never ment to be eaten unless they are processed. The author of the article lost over 100 pounds by eating only fruits, veggies and meats. I am still thinking about this way of eating, but my spirit agrees with it. We will see in the near future if I am able to let go of the grain.

This mornings workout was terrible. I was so lazy this morning. I only managed to push out 45 minute of working out. I just didn't feel like it. I went to the gym, lifted weights, and completed 20 minutes on the elliptical machine. Although my workout was terrible, my scripture reading while completing this workout was excellent. I guess today was not a have it all day. I'm tired, gonna plan as much as I can before I get to tired. Good night world.

Listing the Good...more success

Hello World,

I have had some great workouts this week so far. Yesterday, I had a great 5.5 mile run in my neighborhood. It is definitely related to this new garmin watch.  I have the 350, not the 450. I plan on purchasing that one later, maybe after I complete my first 26.2 miler. With this watch, I love being able to see my mileage and pace as I run. It is great. I have been getting up at my regular 4:30 am time, I put on my reflective vest and hit the streets. By the end of my run, the sun is up. The only thing about the street versus the gym is I don't get to read my scriptures. When I am at the gym, I put my scriptures on the treadmil or the eliptical machine. Even when I lift weights, I put my scriptures on the weight rack. So, I guess, I will have to make sure that they get read during my administration time at work. Yes, I have established a time to be at work. 7:30 am...PERIOD. I need this time to prepare for the day and just to get myself together. I am going to add devotion time into this hour. This does mean that Lil Fred will have to go to school a little early, but he will be fine.

I gave myself the day off today. I didn't run or lift weights. I just wanted to sleep in. So that's what I did. Tomorrow, 5.5 is the goal. Hopefully 6 miles. I only have an hour to complete my run before I have to prepare for work. So I am going to work on my speed so that I can accomplish more mileage in my hour.

Tonight, I am listing all of the good that has happened over the last 12 months (personal as well as business). I am needing to see the good. I get down at times and focus on the negative and how far I still have to go instead of looking at where I am now and how far I have come. I know that I am looking on the outside, but it sure seems like God makes things very easy for some people. I don't seem to be one of them. I have to work and work hard for everything that I have ever had. This gets frustrating at time, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have more experience and character than a lot of those that get things the easy way.

I am starting a study of the book of Phillipians. Chapter 3 is awesome. Paul is talking about not looking behind but pressing forward to things ahead. I am also still reading the How successful people think book and it also talks about looking at the big picture..looking ahead and not behind. This is my challenge for the next couple of weeks. I am going to practice on seeing the big picture. I have created mental pictures of myself at my goal weight and I have mental pictures of my business in 5 years. The challenge is remembering to pull these images when the day gets long and hard.  But I am a success and I thank God for each of my successes. Okay...night, night. I am off to read Phillipians...World, you should read it too.

Gibson 5k 2010 Complete! Bye Weight Watchers!

Hello World,

All planned out! Yes, I have my week's plan and I am ready to go. I have my menu, workout schedule and things to do at home for the week. Now all I have to do is make sure that I follow it :)

The Gibson Guitar race was really fun last night. During the race one of the sisters in motion passed out. It was extremely hot and humid. I hydrated fairly well during the day and felt that this helped me complete this run.They had a great roof party afterwards. Lots of food! Lots of fun! After I ate my snow cone, I headed back home. I didn't eat any of the food because I couldn't wait to get back to my two favorite guys. Fred and Bug were in the living room waiting when I came in. They both gave the biggest hugs and congratulated me on another run.

Today, church was what I needed. I was very, very, very close to not even going. I have been tired with Fred's new job and our sleeping patterns altered. I was going to take Sunday morning to sleep in.  Pastor Orr talked about going back to the basics, living in 3D..Digging deep into the Word of God, Doing the Word (obeying) and Discipleship (sharing, teaching what you have learned and practice to others). We all made a committment to re-dedicate ourselves to doing the 3Ds in our lives...Great message.

I have officially decided. I am on my own. I have reached another level in my healthy journey, business and family responsibilites...so I am not going to return to my weight management meetings through Weight Watchers. I am definitely going to continue my journey and my quest to help others overcome overeating. I am thankful for what I have learned from this program. I am thankful for the principles that will stick with me for the rest of my life, however, it is time to move on.

Tonight, I am going to review the material that I received from that nutrition class that I took a couple of weeks ago. I don't want to ever forget what I learned at this conference. This will help me stay on track.

Okay, night night!

Weight Lifting; Motives...Again

I have been including a lot more weight training in my workouts and I can feel the difference. I can't wait until I can see it. Because of my work schedule, it has been difficult for me to get my second work out in for toning. I have been cutting my cardio time down in the morning and adding more time for weight lifting. I was doing 45 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of weight training to complete and hour everyday, but now I am doing 30/30. With the change in my work shedule, I am really going to have to stay on top of things...which anyone who truly knows me knows that this is a challenge for me.

I am looking forward to attending the weight watcher meeting under my new leader. I am going to keep an open mind and stick it out until I reach my goal. I am of course going to add my own style of weight loss into the mix, but I have decided to keep going to the meetings. I like the group, even though I am not a true follower of the plan. Like I said in the last post; knowledge is soooo powerful. I have not had a desire to eat anything that isn't healthy since I attended that nutrition conference last week. I have paid more attention to advertisements and the use of the "layering effect". This has made unhealthy food almost undesireable to me. It is amazing how knowing something...truly knowing something can change your life. The book of Proverbs speaks on the power of knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

My role in my business is going to change tremendously. This had been very stressful. I have even lost a little sleep over it, but I had to meditate on a scriptur from Psalm. I have been a therapist with a couple of assistance and an office assistant. Now I am headed to less therapy and more supervision. I have quite a few people coming on board. I pray for God's wisdom as I am going to be responsible for household incomes. I ask God to help me to be what these people need...I pray that they are what my company needs.

I talked to one of my good friends in Nashville. She made a statement that almost brought me to tears. She stated that she admired my courage. She admired my ability to "not be afraid of failure". She has no idea that there weren't too many times in my life when I didn't think I wasn't one (especially when it came to my weight). But to hear her say that made me feel really good and I am so glad that she can see that I am giving everything in my life all I've got.

I was reading one of John Maxwell's books the other day and he stated a person that is everywhere is going nowhere. That hit me like a ton of bricks. As you know, I was starting to focus a whole lot on my second business venture or should I say second career. After reading that statement in the book, I have decided to keep my eye on the K2C prize. I don't want to lose focus and get into something else too quickly.

Sidebar....Motive is ...Motive makes or breaks you. I am so glad that God showed me this again. He really wants me to monitor my motives. So, I have been asking myself, "Mia, why are you doing this...or why are you doing that?" He  put it on my heart to seek out the true motives of others and other things. I have been doing this for the past couple of months and have been sensitive to the true motives of myself and others. Motive or the type of heart involved or the reason for doing something will determine success or failure. For example: Just the other night I was talking with a family member and he heard and idea from a man that he was having coffee with. This guy (not the family member) is interested in starting a business in the rual areas to help with things that they can not get to because they are so far from the city. This man has voluteered time to assist these people and put alot of his own hard earned money into these communities. He asked this family member if he knew of anyone that could help him with this venture to let him know. Well, the family member stated that this man has a great idea  and that this man could make a lot of money. The family member said, "I am going to do that myself. I am not going to help him find any information. I am going to get the information for myself 'cause I could be a millionaire. Mia, since you are a business woman, can you look up the information so that I can start this business?" Can you see the difference in these two motives? Which one will be successful? The man who has his heart in this community or The family member who is seeking self gratification-millionaire status?

Conference Attended; Knowledge is Power

Today, I couldn't decide which conference I would attend. There was one "free" that I could attend in Oxford about Augmentative Communication Devices or I could attend the one that I signed up for a couple of months ago and paid $86 to attend, but it is not related to my field and I don't get any CEUs. The confernce that I paid for was about food addictions and mood swings. Idecided to attend this one because it was in town and I have heard about AAC devices all of my ST career and I don't use them and I am interested in food addictions right now...so that is the one I wanted to attend.

I learned so much. I learned about how addictions to food is environmental and encouraged by the food industry and marketed by companies to keep us addicted to food so we can spend more money. I also learned that it doesn't take much to meet the criteria of a food addict and also that food addictions don't differ from the drug addict. This presenter broke down the contents in sodas, french fries, and other foods. It is equal to trash...it isn't even food in most instances. Artificial sweetners are terrible. Just plain garbage. A lot of this information I already knew. I decided some years ago that I was going to try my best to stay away from products that had words on the ingredient list that I couldn't even pronounce or recognize as food.

I also learned that the same triggers in the drug addicts' brain effect the overeaters' brain (no difference in the brains, just a difference in the substance used to cope with life stresses). Wow! Wow! I wish that I could attend this class again so that I could try to get more information about this subject. I have decided to continue my own personal study of this matter.

I won't write too much because I am going to attempt to get a little organized for next week. So, I'll write later.

The Crossroads...Good from the Lips

I didn't get to write yesterday. I was a little busy. We had a slow start yesterday. I slept in and then began to clean up our house and unpack from the trip. Lil' Fred complained of ear pain again. I had been thinking for the last couple of days that it was just allergies. We decided to take him to the doctor since he continued to complain. The doctor confirmed what I was thinking. His ears were not infected, but they were not clear either. He didn't want to give him any antibiotics (he is allergic anyway). So he gave us some samples of zyrtec for allergies. We will see what happens.

I went to my meeting and of course I had a gain. A BIG ONE...I am too embarrassed to tell you how much I gained in a 4 day period. One day, I will be able to go on vacation and not be a slave to overeating or a slave to watching what I eat. Both have stressed me out in the past. Anyway, I gave my leader Jana and the receptionist a card for all of the support and encouragement that they have given me for the last year. They both suggested other meetings and good WW leaders that could help continue until I reach my goal. I have to leave this meeting because of the summer camps and other business needs. I am thinking about trying the meeting on Thursday at 7 pm. This is a great time. I will definitely be finished with my work at this time and I won't have to worry about the Memphis traffic. I am also thinking about not going back to the meetings and just picking up on my own. This is really scary since I haven't been doing so well the last couple of weeks. That makes me think that I need to go back to the beginning. What was my driving force then??? What was my motivation??? What was my faith in??? I don't know what I am going to do. I am a the cross roads of my healthy journey. I don't know which way to go right now. I have to make a change. This is something that has to be done, but I don't want to make a mistake.

To be honest, the major reason for my falling off the wagon relates to what I was telling you in previous posts about Mark 4. I have let the cares of this world steal my roots in the goals that I have set. I am stressed. I have more referrals than I can handle. I am trying to be patient and wait on God, but He seems to be taking His sweet time. I am sure He knows something that I can't see yet. Maybe I think that I am ready for something that I am not. Whatever it is, I am going to wait on Him 'cause He knows and has always protected me from hurt and danger so....whatever you say God...whatever you say!

You all know that I am working on my organization and consistency as it relates to a healthy lifestyle, my home and business Well, I also need to say more positive things. I have been doing very well on not saying negative things, but I haven't done well to replace the negative with the positive. So today, I ran across this scripture from Proverbs 12:14  From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him. I guess I had better start saying good things from my lips.