Trip down memory lane....

Last September just before I set target about 4 weeks before the wedding, the group I went to had a 'women of the year' competition. You had to have lost over 2st to be able to nomintaed and the class had to vote. People could nominate you to be entered if you didn't want to do it your self.

My friend Natalia wrote me a poem as my nomination:

My Friend Cheryl

My friend Cheryl was really pleased,
Her boyfriend Tom had got down on one knee.
She was very excited with a wedding to plan,
Now to find her dream dress to wed her dream man.

The hunt began for the perfect dress
But with each one she tried she felt more distress.
She'd tried 26 diets in the last 7 years
With no luck on any she was close to tears.

But then she heard about Slimming World, lots of pasta and chips
Eat as much as you like and still get smaller hips.
Green days are her favourite, she even likes quorn,
By adopting a new lifestyle, her weight would be gone.

She swapped fat coke for diet and pizza for pasta
Adding some Body Magic to lose the weight faster.
More fruit and fresh veg, Tom helped with the cooking,
She started to like how her body was looking.

Again to the shops to find the dream dress,
And at last she had found it, she was going to impress.
But it didn't stop there, she continued to run
She was still determined to get a smaller.................tum!!

Now only 4 weeks to go before the Big Day
You've worked hard this last year to get looking this way.
Now you've lost 4 stone and you're not so big,
The first dance with Tom could be a wee Highland jig.

I asked you "after the wedding what will then be your trigger,
To keep up the good work and maintain your new figure?"
You said you love buying clothes and you'd still want to run
And you couldn't do that if you had a big ...........bum!!

So my friend Cheryl, what can I say
You will look amazing on your big day.
You have been my inspiration and you got me here
Thats why I nominate you as my 'Woman of the Year'.

I won! I went to the regional finals and met some truly inspirational women, was a great day!!

I still get emotional when I read/think about it. I have printed it out and pinned it to my desk, to help me focus at work. It really busy and normally when I am stressful situations I want to eat crisps. No crisps allowed so I just need to remind myself of how well I have done. This extra 10lbs (was 16lbs) is going to go soon. With a little help from my running shoes and of course Neenie!

Tempted to sign up for Bristol Half after the disaster that was my training for Edinburgh. Have made a promise to myself that I'll train for 4 weeks and then I'll decide properly whether or not I'm going to sign up. So it started tonight, I went with my friend and another one came along tonight too. Ogden water looked lovely again, such a nice night. We all run at different stages so we kind of run apart.

Was good and I really enjoyed it. Managed 2.30 miles in 23 mintes. So pleased with that.

Plan to get me out running/active for the next 4 weeks:

Monday - body pump, 60 minutes
Tuesday - swimming, 40 minutes
Wednesday - running, at least 20 minutes
Thursday - rest day
Friday - rest day
Satuday - Park run 5k
Sunday - swim/easy run

Sorted.

All work and no play...well not quite

Crazy work! Spent most of my weekend at the office...boo. But I did manage to fit in some fun times.

Friday night = curry night
I had an awful day on Friday. I was trying to survive on just a few hours sleep so I was moody. Come 7pm when the girls came over all for forgotten. We had such a laugh. We don't do it enough so when we all get together we just laugh, chat and we have been known to break into song. Over the years we have changed so much as a group that are never short of something to talk about. Currently in our group of 6 there is: 1 married lady, 3 engaged ladies, 1 in a serious relationship and 1 single lady. 2 own homes, 3 rent and 1 lives at home, 3 on diets, 2 natrually skinny ladies, 1 pregnant lady (who looks fab, only weight that has gone on is her bump, sooo jealous!) and out of us one is planning to go travelling in October - all of the above make the over conversations very random. One minute we'll be discussing houses then suddenly we'll be talking about shoes. I love it. We need to make it a more regualr thing :)

Saturday afternoon from 2pm
I was at a beer/cider festival. I thought I quite liked proper cider and ale but Saturday proved to me I am more a strongbow girl. I tried 4 types of cider and 1 ale (all half pints) and I didn't like any of them. Hubs found some beers he likes one called 'tangerine duck' bought purely as it shares it name with the colour of the other love in life Blackpool FC. We headed to a pub at 5 to watch Spurs v Blackpool. Disappointing they didn't win :(
Out with hubs friends, one couple appear to be applying for 'don't tell the bride' would love to see the guy plan a wedding, would make great viewing.

Sunday morning
Quick Sainsbury shop, quick clean and work. zzzzzzzzz Boring, no more to be said really.
2 of our friends ran Leeds Half - one did it on 2.06 and the other 2.32. Awesome!

Today has been pretty poo. Although even after a bad diet day on Saturday I maintained. So pleased I didn't gain.

So onwards and downwards this week!
x

Busy bee

I am using my lunch time to catch up on internet time. I used to spend ages on the internet catching up on news, forum time and facebook. Now it seems I dont have any time to do these things at all. Lunch times recently have been spent walking into town with my two best friends in the sunshine. Today feel cooler and one of them has the doctors and one of them only works half day on Thursday/Friday. Perfect excuse not to move from the warm office.

Today sees the start of what is a busy work/social weekend. I am working until 5pm tonight, home cook tea and wash my hair. Ready to come back to work at 10pm where I will be until around 3am. Back home, sleep until 8am, breakfast/ready for work which is a 9am start. Here until 5pm Friday and then the girls come for curry at around 7 which I am supposed to be making. Staurday work begins again 8am until 2pm. Beer/cider festival from 2pm onwards, hubs wants to watch Blackpool game at 5pm and then we're meeting everyone in town around 8pm. Sunday we really should go to church and I should really do a long run since yesterdays love of running. I am typing all of this wondering 1. where I'll find the time to actually make the curry I've promised given that I offered as I didn't want take away for diet reasons 2. I could do with a quick clean before the girls come but I have other things to be doing and 3. when do I sleep?! For the next few days I may have to rely on coffee to keep me awake, but it will all be worth it. I love seeing the girlies, something we don't do nearly enough, I love spending nights out with hubs and his mates they crack me up, Sunday I'll feel great and proud of myself once I have completed my run. And the most important bit - on payday the lack of sleep will be worth it when I see the bank balance.

The cleaning can wait, after all I am not a scruff so they probably won't even notice.

Running shoes have come out of the closet

And I am wondering why I ever left them in there for so long.

Its been a good week. Since Easter something has really clicked in my head and suddenly I have new found love of wanting to eat well and want to get out and exercise. Weight watchers online has really helped. Suddenly I have to concentrate on what I am eating, plan my meals and really aim to to eat as much fruit and vegtables as I can, not just because they are pro point free but I actually like them. Being good saw my weight change by 6lbs in a week, yes 6lbs. I was amazed and nearly cried in the middle of boots. I managed to hold it together just, rung hubs told him. Then text my diet buddy Neen, we signed up 2 days apart and have been emailing/texting like crazy about. Love that we are at the same stage, really helps with stuff.

Last week was my first run in ages. I went with my friend Stacey and we both really struggled, we have both been piling on the pounds since my wedding. So off we went, not as far as we would have liked but it was a start. Made a rule Wednesday would be running night.

Plans work for me, like tonight people from work are out for a curry, I declined as I had plans to run. So glad I did. The sun was shining and we went here:

Its Ogden Water. This will now be where I spend every Wednesday night, well next Wednesday at least, my friend goes on holiday and I won't go alone. But when she is back, that's where I will be. Was so peace and having something nice to look at really helps. May even take the hubs for a picnic one Sunday.

Gorgeous end to a rubbish day at work...

Wow busy but happy days

Things have been a bit hetic in the Murphy house over the bank holiday. Mr Murphy had all week off so he strarted operation garden. Our garden isn't all that big but it has been seriously forgotten about by the previous owners.

This is what it looked like when Mr Murphy started

He worked really hard though and it looked like this by the end of Day 1


So with the hard work done, I was there to help on Day 2! Off we went to B&Q to buy flowers. Mr Murphy decided that he wanted to plant herbs/strawberries. Two people who know not alot about gardening took nearly an hour to choose what to plant.
Our garden now has, various flowers (I chose them for the colours they will be so I have no idea what they are called :rolls eyes: we have various herbs, carrots, spinach and lettace. The ot has strawberries and yet more herbs. The big black bag has potatoes.

So pleased with the results. Can't wait for things to start to grow. Who knew gardening was so exciting.

With our hard work done, off we went for a walk round the village where we live. Gorgeous end to a gorgeous day:

Happy happy days.