Speaking of change...

I finally decided to stop whining and complaining about how out of shape I've gotten since I moved back to hell (the south) from Michigan and got my fat keister off the couch and went walking after work today.

Let me tell you something.

IT FELT GREAT!!

It's just a bit chilly outside and there was a light breeze the entire time I walked. Today was 1.37 miles. I'm starting small. One of my goals is to be able to do the Azalea Trail Run next year. It's an annual race that Mobile hosts every year (hmm isn't that what annual means Mollie) and runners from all over the world come to compete. They have a 2k walk/run and a 10k run.

I'm no Katie Holmes but I think I can pull off being able to run 1.2 miles in a years time, or at least jog/walk 6! (I did the conversion from kilometers to miles, in case you're confused)

The first picture is me in Michigan in 2003 in the best shape I've been in since high school. The second one is me this past December 2007.

I was THICK in the 1st picture. I'm ok with that.

I am FAT in the second. I'm not ok with that.

I'm perfectly happy with the fact that I'll never be "skinny" I don't have skinny genes. I'm a thick girl. At peak shape I have a very athletic figure and in the 2003 pic, I think I look damn fine if I do say so myself.

Well athletic except for the gargantuan boobs. They unfortunately remain the same no matter how much weight I lose. argh

2003 in Michigan

and this past September 2007

Seriously LOOK at the difference in my face. I had a jawline and cheekbones and eyes that weren't half hidden underneath eyelid rolls.

I've been in a real funk the past week or so and I'm not sure what finally served as the motivation to get me in gear but I'm glad it did whatever it was!

I'm blogging about this because I need to be held accountable to sticking to this. By myself and by you, my readers. Both of you. =)

I've not quite gotten brave enough to do the weightloss journal thing, where you plaster your measurments and weight online for the world to see. I'm always inspired by people who are brave enough to do that. Know that it does help people like me and others who really really want to lose weight and (for me) get back in shape. But when I do it will read something like

Bust - Equator

Waiste - line of demarcation

Hips - laugh.. snicker.. laugh.. snort (not the candy bar people c'mon!)

I will post some before, progressing and after pictures though. As soon as I find someone with a wide angle lens to take them.

So wish me luck, pray, chant, meditate.. whatever it is you do to send positive, motivational vibes my way. I'm determined that I'll get back in shape by my 33rd birthday Nov 24th. "In Shape" is a slightly relative term, but my main goal is to get back into those jeans that I have on in that first picture up there. I still have them. I think I can get them up to just above my knees.

If anyone who reads me lives in the Mobile area and would like to volunteer as a walking partner let me know! I live in a beautiful neighborhood and the walk is really quite enjoyable.

Here's to being the next "Biggest Loser"!

Thursday Morning Commute

OK so wow, when you make a conscious decision to open your eyes to the world around you, you begin to see so many interesting things! Simple things, complex things, things that just make you stop for a moment, take a deep breath and smile..

Here's some of those things from my morning commute =)

Well first here's ME! =)


<~~On my way to the bus stop. It's about a half block from my apartment to the intersection, then I hang a left and walk another block to the bust stop. This morning was really nice - not too cold, just a little nippy - it gave the air a fresh crisp feeling. Usually I just walk the walk and not really pay attention to the surrounding scenery. This morning I looked..

~~>Here's me at the bus stop - the blue thing to my right behind me is a bench - I have a slightly better picture you'll see a little further down. There's a huge tree right on the corner too - it's beautiful.

I forgot what these are called but they remind me of Christmas.. there's a tree in a yard I pass on my walk to the bus stop in the morning - the ENTIRE tree looks like this - bright greens & rich reds. HOLLY that's what it's called - how funny! I don't know about you but for me it always works that way - I'll wrack my brain for hours trying to remember a word for something or someone's name then the very second I give up & say oh well, it pops into my head!

Here's fellow passengers at my morning stop -

The guy in the red jacket has been there every morning. I think he works at Wal-Mart - at least that's where he gets off the bus every day. The lady - it's the first time I've seen her. She wouldn't sit on the bench lol I imagine because she was wearing white pants. She was also freezing - she didn't have on a coat!

The bench I was nervous to sit on my first day - it's got what looks like green spray paint all over it - some kids idea of graphic art I'm sure. But it's actually pretty clean. I was for sure it would at least have some bird poo on it but nope! I wonder if people from the transit authority do regular checks of the stops to make sure they are in decent condition..

This is the house that sits on the corner where the bus station is. It's actually an lawyer's office now - I'm sure it was converted. Mobile has absolutely some of the most beautiful homes and architecture I've ever seen. One of these days I'll get downtown with a regular camera and take some pictures. It reminds me a lot of downtown Boston

Here is what's left of a pair of sunglasses on the ground in front of the bench. I noticed them Monday. I wish there was a garbage nearby - it's sad that people feel it's ok to leave their trash on the ground just anywhere.

This past Saturday - my birthday - I walked a few blocks down the street to the corner store to buy myself some ice cream - since my accident stranded me at home for the weekend and I missed out on birthday cake. It amazed me the amount of junk people had thrown on sidewalk and surrounding lawns. Dozens of pop bottles, bags of chips, candy wrappers, empty fast food bags, you name it and it could probably be found on the side of the road in the few blocks north of my house. It's odd really - my street - well the block of the street I live on is in a nicer area of down town. Yet once you go through the light at the corner of my block you enter into an completely different world. The houses and apartments are run down, the roads are littered. It's not entirely unlikely that you might be able to find a um "lady of the night" on the corner a few blocks up.

The turquoise dot on the aeriel map is my apt - the yellow one is the store I bought my birthday ice cream from lol - the pink dot to the right is the bus stop I walk to in the morning. It looks a lot further than it actually is lol.

OK - so I suppose I'd better actually do a little more work today so I must be going, but again I hope you enjoyed coming on my journey with me today! I hope today and each day after brings you a journey of your own!

Love and Blessings

Mollie Jo