Day 1 of 90

I want to actually sit down and document my thoughts about changing my life but today seems to not be the day. I am, however, writing at least a little because I promised myself I would document everyday for 90 days straight. 

Today started on the right foot. I ate a healthy breakfast, completed 80% of my to do list, walked 2.8 miles and ate a healthy dinner. Lunch was skipped 😫

I also attended my Mary Kay meeting for the first time in 2 1/2 years. It was nice to see everyone. So, day 1 is complete. It wasn't perfect, but baby steps in the forward direction. Tomorrow's goal will be to write down my thoughts of where I'm at and where I wanna go and why I'm doing it!! 

A New Beginning!!

The thing about "life" is that each day we have a new beginning. It's a wonderful thing. That's where I am tonight as I begin this entry. Tomorrow begins a new day. Tomorrow begins my road to authenticity....again. In the past, I would have been embarrassed and angry about having to say the word...again. Yet, today, I am just positive that this is the day of change. My "day 0" so to speak. My journey of 90 days to a new me. 90 days of focus on my health, my food choices (I hate the word diet) and my profession. Here is to "tomorrow".....

My Isagenix Journey

I had really meant to start this blog on Day #1 of this Isagenix body cleanse journey but life has thrown me a curve ball and I am starting on Day #3. You see, my father passed away April 30, 2014. That was my original start to the product. Obviously, it came to a rapid end. So, On May 6, 2014 I started again.

Day #1:
   The first day was not too bad. Actually, I found it kind of easy. I'm not a big fan of breakfast and lunch is hit and miss. The "no coffee" gave me a slight headache but was bearable. All-in-all, a success!!

Day #2:
   This was a challenging day. My headache turned into a migraine. I was tempted by pizza, but ate fruit instead. (I was very proud of myself for that) This was also my son's 11th birthday and the first one without my dad present so my emotions were a bit low. Once again, the day ended on a successful note, so I'm happy.

Day #3
  That is today!! I woke up with a bit of a clearer mind. Not feeling quite as "sluggish" as I have been. My only dilemma is that I am not sure if I am feeling better because of the products or because I have had a week to grow a bit more accustomed to the loss of dad.  Either way, I feel pretty good. I still have a slight headache today but lots more tolerable. I hope it stays that way. I have only lost a pound but it's a pound. I think that Sunday I will do my first cleanse. I think it would be the easiest "non stressful" day for that.

Life's Little Questions...

When you are a child it seems that all the world is yours!! You don't have limits to your dreams or even the way you think. The world is your oyster and you are going to make a HUGE pearl necklace with every adventure you accomplish!!  But then we enter into the adult world and BAMMMM..... we set limits on everything we think. Why is that when we become adults and are at a place in life that we could actually make those dreams come true, we put a lid on them? We start to take all those dreams and shove them into this big box and say that they were childish fantasies. Now, granted, some were probably silly ..... like living in a castle with a pink unicorn or something like that, but others were probably attainable.

I think that we stop because of those around us. The people that start to tell us that we are dreamers. That we are being silly and it's time to grow up. It is probably comments from those individuals that have had heartache and failure and never picked themselves back up. Those individuals that know that if you accomplish your dreams than they are that much of a failure. Those that have let the negativity consume them.

Now, I have always been a mostly positive person my entire life. Yet, there are times that I have taken my dreams and crammed them into a box of my own and sat back and felt sorry for myself. I'm not perfect and will never claim to be. I've even had some fairly tragic events in my life that I could use to justify remaining in a negative, "why me" type of attitude, but my faith in Christ seems to dictate that I pick myself up, learn the "lesson" in that situation and move forward. It's never easy, but ALWAYS necessary. You see, I still believe in dreams!! I still believe in miracles!! And I still believe it is NEVER too late!! And I think that most importantly that lessons and trials in life are never failed unless you don't get back up again.

I've learned a lot of life lessons in my Mary Kay business that I use daily. Over the past 18 months I've grown a great deal in my spiritual walk with Christ too. I credit the majority of my life changes to my car accident in 2012. That one night that made me have to "be still and trust". My therapist encouraged me to search out why God allowed this to happen to me. To search out the "why"?? To find out the answers. That has been my goal. I was angry for a couple of months, but today I can say that I have found so much freedom in the lessons. In the searching. In the belief that it was in my best interest. In finding the answers to why I was not happy in my life. In the realizations that I needed to put myself first so that I could be able to be strong enough to help others. To know that it is truly okay to say no.

Obviously I don't have every answer I want. I'm still searching for answers, but I have come to realize that those answers I search for are in the stillness. When my life and mind are cluttered and in chaos it is impossible to hear anything!! It's about simplicity!! One of my life goals right now. The absolute faith and belief that less is more!! So in this journey we call life, I will continue to declutter my mind, my "stuff" and my schedule. To get back to the simplicity of life. I know, now, that it is us that makes life complicated.

                          It's not about what I have -- it's about who is in my life...memories made
                     It's not about how much I do -- it's about the balance of my personal priorities
         It's about creating a life of abundant love, memories and moments that take your breathe away!! About the awe and wonderment of all that God created for us!! It's about enjoying the moment. It's about trusting in something other than myself. It's about PEACE!!

Introduction to me....

How do you begin one of these things? I've been reading other blogs and really thought that they are mostly full of inspiration and help others to feel that they are not alone in their walk of life. They give a small glimmer of hope that there are truly others out in the world that have "been there, done that". So, that is where I am at. I am at that great precipice of life where you begin to feel like maybe one person can benefit and find hope in my journey of life!!

My name is Susie and I am a mother of four. A step-son (25), daughter (23), son (20) and son (10). I have been married for 17 years in April. (WOW that seems like a really long time!! LOL) Our family is made up of "his, hers and ours" so life has always been an adventure. There have been ups, downs, sideways and even topsy-turvy, but we still love each other and even better,....we still LIKE each other!!  I live in northern Indiana, so as I type this up it is 20 degrees. It's cold, but the sun is shining on the new white snow. It makes me feel like it is a smile sent to us from God and I love it! 

I've been a stay-at-home mom most of my marriage. I supplement our income with my Mary Kay business and recently added an art career. Painting helps me to find peace in the midst of a sometimes crazy life!! If you are interested in seeing my art, you can visit www.dailyartbyjacqueline.blogspot.com. If you visit, thanks! If you don't, no worries!!  My other passion is to cook and I love to be around friends and see them smile. I am an incurable optimist. My logic is that life is full of negative things and that will never change. But if you look at the "trial" you can always find something positive to focus on. It's not the situation that changes by doing this, only you!!  I'd rather have thoughts on a rainy day that the ducks are happy rather than it's an ugly day and I don't like it. Either way it is still raining. It makes me smile and there are not enough smiles in the world.

Well, now that you have a small glimpse into who I am,(I will reveal more as time goes on)  I would like to let you know what I plan to focus on in 2014. By no means are these "resolutions" since I am a firm believer that those are doomed to fail before February. I am focusing on my overall health each day. As a mother and wife, I have always put myself last. It is how I am "wired" and no one is to blame. Just thought I would throw that out there. My over all health includes my physical, spiritual and emotional. I have found that when these three things are out of balance, my life is in chaos. Over the years, I have add a few pounds, fallen away from my church and become an emotional basket case.

Sometimes when we are out of control, God allows a tragedy to hit us so that we have no choice to slow down and look at where we are at. Mine was April 23, 2012. A day that will forever be etched into my memory. That was the day that an 18 year-old boy hit me almost head-on. It left me with a ruptured C5-C6 disc in my neck that left me partially paralyzed. The entire left side of my body. I could still use it and walk and talk and such but with little strength. If I wasn't watching what I was doing, I wasn't sure the left side was really moving. It was scary. Thankfully, surgery fixed it. I now have a titanium plate and 4 screws in my neck. The paralysis is now gone, but other "issues" have developed. Yet, I am thankful everyday for this life. 

 Thankful enough, to say "I deserve to put myself first so that I can be a better mom, wife and friend!! So that I can live a fuller life!!" Eating healthy is my first priority, then exercising and finding a balance between my home life and my 2 home businesses. And to be a successful blogger. I truly hope that I can touch the life of just ONE person. To give ONE person hope that "you, too, can make a change". I know that life can feel like it is beating us down. But I CHOOSE to see the bright side. I CHOOSE to make a difference in this life! Life is a one time performance NOT a dress rehearsal!  Life is about being "Authentically You"!!  Today is the day!