Pinned

I spent all of Saturday, really, all of Saturday, pinning photos to Pinterest. I would have never thought it could be so addicting!

I've heard about and seen photos from Pinterest for a while now, but never really thought much about creating my own account. Recently, a couple people have mentioned maybe I should showcase my food photos on Pinterest. So, finally I done just that.

Funny thing is after I spent the entire day posting board after board and pinning photo after photo. I started actually browsing other folks Pinterest pages. After peeking around for a while I noticed that their pages looked nothing like mine. They had photos of lots of different stuff, from more than one category, and from lots of different people. I set my page up with ONLY my photos, my food photos.

After browsing I surmised  the concept of Pinterest was not to ONLY share my photos, but more about me finding other photos that I liked and repinning them. Ha. I laughed hysterically at myself and then left the page as is. Sure, I may now and then repin photos if I find them appealing, fun, or interesting. But, I kinda like my page the way it is. Besides, I've always been more of a leader than a follower. What can I say? I'm OUTSIDE of the Box in all aspects, including Pinterest.

I'm here, there, everywhere in the community sharing my love for good food with you and NOW on Pinterest too!

Interested in following me on social media? Here's a link to my accounts:

Pinterest
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn

Zumba Memories

Rehabbing a fractured leg couldn't keep me away

For months. Day in. Day out. An eager group of women -- myself included -- filed in, scurrying to claim our spots and packing the room like sardines. The crowded, sweaty room never bothered us -- not too much anyway. We were too caught up in the rapture. Too caught up in the Latin rhythms, Hip Hop beats, and African drums. Oh, what fun we had shaking our hips, stomping our feet, laughing in Zumba.

The days I spent shaking my hips and laughing with the ladies were the early days of my self-discovery and weight loss journey. For me, it was a time where I met new friends, discovered things about myself, unleashed inhibitions, melted inches off of my waist -- while having a blast! In retrospect, the months that I spent in those countless Zumba classes were really when Chrisetta became alive.

Recently, a Zumba favorite came on in rotation while I was listening to my iPod. It brought back memories, Zumba memories. I soon found myself listening to Zumba tune, after Zumba tune. The music started getting really good and before I knew it I was up on my feet shaking it a little! Funny, I still remember some of the choreography. 

I was so moved by the music, I paused just for a moment to post a Facebook message to my Zumba friends, calling for a Zumba reunion. I surmised from my friends responses that they too felt the same. Those Zumba months were a very special time in all of our lives. For different reasons. Though it wasn't said, it was implied. We all needed each other, for one reason or another.  But, the season has passed. That's not a bad thing. It's a good thing. We've grown. We've moved on. Yes, we're still friends. Sure, we still love Zumba. But, the season has ended. Our time together in that capacity has expired. See previous blog post about reasons and seasons here.

We bonded in Zumba. We changed in Zumba. We had the time of our lives in Zumba. Through music. Through Salsa and Merengue. Through laughter.

Thanks Zumba for the friends, the smaller waists, and the memories.

Better

I want to be better. Please don't misinterpret that to mean that I'm NOT proud of myself for what I've accomplished and I'm NOT grateful for all that I have and all that I am.

I realize in order to be better, I have to give more of myself. I can't stay in this safe place. I have to push myself out of my comfort zone. I repeat -- I have to push myself out of my comfort zone. For me, motivation comes from within. And if I'm honest with myself I can give more. I can do better.

Yesterday, I posted some photos (see above) on Facebook that showed me jogging the hills of Mt.Tabor Park. The photos are of me at my best. Physically, I was in a really good place. I was training to run my first half-marathon. One week later, I was KNOCKED off my axis and hit by a car while walking in a parking lot. I suffered a broken tibia, had surgery to repair it and was left  with 14 screws and a metal plate in my leg. I went through months of rehab and physical therapy. It was a very trying time for me. But, I made it through. I successfully rehabbed my fractured leg and did NOT gain one pound. Instead, I LOST 15 pounds the physical therapists and orthopedic doctors said that, that was unheard of. While I was able to successfully rehab my leg and lose weight while doing so. I feel like that accident did thwart my overall progress. It's been nearly two years now. I don't feel like I've been able to make the physical breakthroughs that I had hoped for. Partly some mental stuff going on (another blog post).


Anyhow, after I posted my photos a few of you made comments -- I appreciate you all. My story is an open diary for you all to read. And, I realize sometimes I'm quite contradictory in my comments and my posts. One minute, I'm telling you to ... and the next minute I'm ....  

I want to be better. And, sometimes I get frustrated with myself. Right now, I'm frustrated with myself. I try not to speak negative thoughts because you know my theory on that, but sometimes I slip up. 

I'm proud of and grateful for what I've accomplished it's because of that --  not in spite of that, that I know I can be better. Am I too hard on myself? Perhaps. Too honest? Nope.

"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."