God Given Talents

I have been feeling really convicted about my talents the Lord has given me that I am wasting away. I really love my jewelry making and art creations. I have not been truly pursuing them actively. Right now I am rehabilitating my knee and it is a fine time to make more jewelry.

A pair of earrings I made from upcycled zippers

Now I just have to await the arrival of my tools and beads in a few weeks in the moving truck.  Good thing I have blogging, books and one knitting project.  Or else I might go mad. My jewelry website is here and my Facebook page is here.  Check it out and like my page!

Another little ditty I made

What talents do you have or dreams that you have that you have not been pursuing?  Or have you even thought of this?  Are there things that you love to do that you have put aside because they are "too hard" or you don't know where to start?  Let me hear what you have to say!


Thanks for reading!  Aloha.

A Fresh Start

Well, I am back!  2012 has been a tough year for my fitness and health overall.  Physically and mentally.  I plan on blogging more often, although I only have five followers now.  That really does not matter, perhaps someone will read this and it will benefit them.


Anyhoooo, what have I been up to?  Whelp as you know from previous posts I have been struggling with my weight and health.  Since trying to gradually change my lifestyle back to the healthy one I once knew.  I re-joined Weight Watchers in February and did astoundingly well.  I was eating a high raw diet mixed with fish and chicken.  I lost about 15 pounds in 2.5 weeks.  I even lost weight on a cruise!  While on the cruise I had a flair up and both my legs were swollen (mostly towards the last three days).  After much pain, a night in the ER, countless tests the ER doctor was perplexed and he was not a young guy either...Eventually we narrowed it down to my left knee.  I have been faced with a knee injury since the end of February.  


Prior to the knee injury I had a physical with my doctor to which he declared me obese.  Yes, I said it, OBESE.  "OMG!  Seriously?" is what I thought to myself.  Morbidly obese, yup me.  I NEVER in a million years would have ever pictured me in this place.  Because my BMI was so high and due to practice protocol, my doctor had to write me a referral for a Bariatric surgeon. I told my doctor I didn't want it and that is when he told me he had to write it for me.  So I literally that day went straight to Weight Watchers where I weighed in at my all time high.  When I got home I put the referral smack dab on the handle of my fridge door.  How did I get here?  This is not a picture of me, but it is a picture of the typical american.  More than one third of adult Americans are obese 35.7% to be exact; according to the CDC's website.

Sadness will not go away if you eat more

So after the cruise, I had lost weight, but I was sent to physical therapy for two months.  I went through pain that could have been a lot worse I am sure, but it was the worst knee pain I had ever felt, well really it was my whole leg as I had hurt tendons in my calf and ankle too.  I was on modified bed rest for quite some time as they thought that I had blood clots.  I had been through physical therapy in recent years for my other knee, but it was never this bad.  Truth is my body was crying out for help then four years ago.  I didn't listen to the call then, but I sure am now!


All that to say, here I am five months and some change later having gained more weight then where I started.  I have moved to a new city to live with family since I have been on medical leave for so many months and the lease was up on my apartment that I could not pay for on my own.  So, I packed up gave some stuff away, sold some stuff and journeyed to Phoenix to be with family.  I have been here for four and a half days now.  Sadly I caught some sort of stomach bug before leaving and was really nauseous days before leaving for the road trip with my two kitties in the car and my mom.  It seemed to have subsided and then flared back up again.  I am eating really bland food now and on August 1st I started fresh.  Since I cannot eat veggies or fruit right now (besides bananas) I am taking a multi-vitamin, calcium, probiotics and an omega.  I have not missed a dose remarkably!  It has always been really hard for me to remember my vitamins much less twice a day.

There is much controversy over taking supplements versus eating fresh (or raw) fruit and vegetables to gain nutrients instead.  I for now am going to take them until I can incorporate more of the yummies in the pictures below into my daily routine.  The supplements I take are from Melaleuca, The Wellness Company which have Oligofructose Complex for maximum mineral absorbability and antioxidant protection (ask me how to order these!).

Yummy in my tummy!

Each day there are little conscious decisions I make to incorporate vitality and health back into my life.  One of them is choosing products that are safe for me, my family and the environment.  Cruelty free is key too!  Each day is a difference and I know I can do this, I just have to take it one day at a time instead of looking at the overall amount of weight I need to lose.  So reach one, teach one.  Encourage someone today to make a positive change in their life.  One of my favorite scriptures is Philippians 4:13 which says "I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.".  I am going to have to really lean into that this next year as I work hard to take some serious weight off.  So stay tuned for my adventures of fun, fitness cruelty, and plateaus.  Thanks for reading!  Much Aloha!