Life Update: Starting 2019 at the End of January

January 30, 2019 No Comments A Well Crafted Life

Guys, life is interesting. So interesting that I’ve dropped in and out of this blog for a bit now and I just now jumped on the train for 2019. I figured it was high time for a life update and an update on how things are moving forward in this little corner of the interwebs.

Rather see parties? Check out the post I shared earlier this week on Galentine’s Day ideas. Hanging in there for the no-holds-bar update on life in the world of this blogger… read on! It isn’t a short one (over 1,000 words!), but I appreciate you reading!

Some background…

I’ve been blogging here for nearly nine years now. I started this blog well before kids were in the plans and I needed a creative outlet like WHOA. This blog has opened SO many doors for me including my current career in brand development. Blog readers that have stuck around from the beginning have followed me from being a bartender and party enthusiast to full-time blogger, blogger with full-time marketing job, two kids, and three moves. The latest move being from Portland, Oregon to Spokane, Washington.

Our new home…. in Spokane, WA! I said I’d never move from Portland…
here is me eating my words!

So, that is where we are now. I moved to Spokane this past July, all while continuing my career. I’ve been trying to make my house a home, keep my job, make sure the family is surviving, and trying my damnedest to create fulfilling relationships here all while missing my social circle from Portland. January came around and I felt… nothing. I had no goals other than SURVIVE. (Yes, a tad melodramatic.) But, now that we are at the end of January things are looking up. Before I get into PLANS let me share a bit about the past that is influencing these plans.

Health: Fibromyalgia

I always feel slightly uncomfortable sharing my health stuff online. (Though I have dabbled in it to raise awareness for issues such as anorexia and skin cancer.) However, I also feel grateful when others share their experiences with health issues that I share. So…here it goes:

One of many…many doctor’s appointments trying to get to the source of pain.

I’ve been struggling with pain and extreme fatigue for years now. I’ve been diagnosed with PPD and Hashimoto’s Disease in the past. While I don’t doubt those are accurate (especially since my thyroid levels are hard to argue with) I still was dealing with pain even with treatment.

Sometime over the past year or two, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and began a very long and frustrating path of finding treatments that would work. The most successful treatment of Fibromyalgia (according to my doctor) is frequent aerobic exercise—which sounds easy… but, I was unable to even walk the recommended steps in a day without so much pain that I couldn’t bend down to go to the restroom. There were a few nights I honestly didn’t know if I was going to live until the next day— the pain was so bad.

Self-care and awareness are essential to managing life with fibromyalgia. Stress and overdoing can set me back weeks. I can look at my blog and literally see when my fibromyalgia began messing with my day-to-day, times when I got it under control, and times I’ve over-done it.

August to November change in weight after decreasing carbohydrates for pain management. Weight loss = 26 lbs.

I’ve made a lot of changes to my life over the past five months including cutting out a LOT of carbohydrates. I’ve found that extra sugar in my diet causes inflammation and thereby causes excess pain. Have I been perfect? HECK NO. Pizza is my downfall. 😉 But, it has helped. It has ALSO helped me drop 35 pounds so far (26 pounds pictured above). The weight loss has gone a long way in allowing me more room to exercise which has in turn seriously helped with the pain of fibromyalgia. (BTW– looking for a low-carb pizza alternative… check out Caulipower pizza. SO GOOD.)

New Town, Meet New Girl

Dear lord…moving to a new town is HARD. I came into this move with eyes wide open, knowing that it wasn’t going to be easy. I had spent a LOT of time and effort building the friendships that I had in Portland. However… I had a lot more energy then! I didn’t have two kids (at least not the entire time) or a full-time job and a new house. I also had the benefit of being very similar in beliefs to those around me in Portland.

Enter Spokane… where, literally everyone I’ve met has been lovely. But, at least in the beginning, I was wondering if I’d have any friends that would share the same belief system I did or value the same things I valued. We don’t need to be the SAME, but we needed to have at least one or two things in common to build a friendship.

One thing that Spokane seriously has going for it—and perhaps there are these same resources in Portland but I didn’t need them at the time— are some great meet-up groups for women! I’ve encountered mom’s groups, business groups, and just women’s groups that have introduced me to really fantastic women who make me… I guess the word is HOPEFUL. I’m hopeful that I’ll find people that will eventually become my Spokane peoples.

Looking forward

It has been difficult for me to look farther than the week ahead while trying to control my pain, manage my home, and not fall into the depths of despair (Anne of Green Gables fans… anyone?). However, after three weekends of…

little to no pain
engaging moments with new friends and
news of old friends visiting my new space

I’ve finally been able to make some decisions and plans. I’ve decided that I’m not quite ready to move away from this blog. I love sharing ideas, stories, and DIY content. I’ve also decided that while I want to strive for regular content, I’m not gonna let that stress me out. I know that regular content will grow my blog to where it used to be or beyond. I know that readers like to know when I’ll be posting. However, I also know that right now… that isn’t super realistic. I’ll aim to hit my goals, but I won’t be fussed if I don’t meet them right now because my focus right now has to be my health and my new life in a new town.

2019 Goals & Blog Plans

My 2019 blogging goals are simple:

Blog at least every Monday and Wednesday— I’ll aim to post a party topic every Monday and a lifestyle topic—including beauty, fashion, parenting, self-development, current reads, podcasts and more!—every Wednesday. If I’m feeling extra frisky I’ll get in a Friday post. 😉
Post more in Instagram/Facebook. Gosh… I work in marketing and social media… I KNOW how important it is. I think sometimes COMPARISON is hard and wanting to SHARE is hard. I don’t really want everyone to know every detail of my life… so, I struggle with WHAT to share and how often. However, I do know that I enjoy other people sharing so I am aiming to share daily on these channels at least throughout the week.
Share my house stuff on my house blog. What!? I can’t keep up this blog yet I started another. Yep. That’s me! Anywho… while I’m sure to share some of the new house updates here, I did start a blog called A Well Crafted House where I plan to update about house projects.

Kids in living room looking at fire in fireplace stars projected on ceiling — Being more present as a mom is a personal goal of mine.

My personal goals are a little more important/ harder:

I’ll continue with my health journey to decrease overall sugars and increase exercise. It’s f***ing hard. But, it is making an overall difference in how I feel, so I gotta keep with it.
I want to be a more present mother. I’m tired of my kids hearing, “Mommy doesn’t feel great.” While true… I want to make the times that I am engaging with them to be fully engaged.
I want to indulge in creative pursuits. I love painting. I love writing. I truly enjoy decorating. I want to intentionally focus my time in these areas.

Enough about me…What about you!?

Okay, so you’ve read about ME, ME, and more ME. I’m pretty much bowing down that you’ve hung on this far to my indulgent update. But, I promise you… that all of this ME isn’t without wondering about YOU. Tell me… what are your goals this year? What are you prioritizing? How can I help? Because, I seriously would love to help!

A Well Crafted Lady

Mother’s Day Gift to Yourself: Baby Boot Camp

May 12, 2017 1 Comment A Well Crafted Lady

Baby Boot Camp is a fitness, nutrition, and social resource designed for mothers. Baby Boot Camp Baby Boot Camp franchises can be found across the United States including three Portland-area franchises Portland-area franchises covering several area locations. I was provided classes with purpose to review my experience. All opinions are my own. You can get your own first class free by scheduling your first class!

Each mother is as unique as the kids she raises. As unique as they are, there is one thing that many—most even— have in common, they often put their kids before them in all things. For example, my sons both have been to the dentist every six months since their teeth all came in. Me? I haven’t been to the dentist in 10 YEARS. (No flack…scheduling appointment now.)

After some pretty rough bouts of postpartum depression I have truly been working—with the help of my partner in parenting—to spend some time focusing on ME a bit more than I have done in the past. I work a lot, and I love my work, and that is where the majority of my “me-time” is devoted. What I haven’t made time for is exercise. I have a gym membership at my work, but after working 8 hours a day and being gone with the commute, I just want to be home and spend some time with my kids before bed time and time for me to open up my computer to work some more.

Signing up for Baby Bootcamp was an opportunity for me to spend an hour on some serious self-care while still entertaining and engaging with my kiddo. I liked that he and the other babies were able to watch from the strollers and laugh at the mommies doing silly moves. It was much better than the guilt I’ve felt so many times when I get home late because I took an hour to go to the gym after work.

My Baby Boot Camp Experience

I’ve got to admit… I was NERVOUS about saying ‘yes’ to this experience. My fitness level is less than ideal at this moment in my life. I was not looking forward to being in a class with women who were at a fitness level much higher than my own. Honestly, if there were a ‘slow and fat getting back at it’ class out there then I’d sign up much more willingly than I did with this class. That said… I am SO glad I did say yes in the end. Not only was everyone super friendly and welcoming, the instructor gave options for different fitness levels. She also gave options for people who had wrist issues which was AMAZING because of past carpal tunnel issues my wrists really can’t handle my entire weight at this moment in time. I was thrilled to have options that still allowed me to get in a full workout without risking injury.

Someday I’ll be able to do the below… but, until then, I sure was glad to have a less stressful move!

What to expect from Baby Bootcamp

Baby Bootcamp here in Beaverton moves venues throughout the season so that they can really take advantage of the good weather in Beaverton when the summer comes around. I went during the early Spring and was able to do my workout both indoors and out. Here are a few things to expect if you join Baby Bootcamp:

You’ll meet other moms with fitness goals. I am always super hesitant meeting new people, but these moms were super nice and all focused on achieving their own goals more than they seemed worried about what the next lady was doing. I didn’t feel uncomfortable doing the modified moves because there were other women that used modified moves as needed.
You’ll want to bring your jogging stroller. The kiddos stayed in the strollers the entire time that I went. At times we worked out with the strollers and at other times the kiddos hung out chatting with each other and watching the moms workout. I’m sure another type of stroller would also work, but the jogging stroller was sure handy.
Most all of the exercises are using your own body power and not any fitness tools. Nearly the entire workout was a set of moves that could be done without any additional equipment which was awesome because I was in turn able to bring those moves home! We did use a yoga mat to help cushion the floor when we did moves that were on the ground. We also used resistance bands for a few moves.
You will feel it. I felt GREAT after the first class. I was so excited that I made it through and I had so much energy afterwards. However, the next day, I was sore. It was the first time in a long time that I had done a full workout and my body knew it. I think I started feeling normal again about two days before the second class began!
Classes to fit your needs. There were a few different class types available including Stroller Fit (which I did) and Restore the Core. There was even a 5K training course available.
Enrollment Fee & Affordable Plan Pricing. You can get your first class free. After that there is an enrollment fee of $59 that pays for all the equipment you will need. There are several different plans at affordable prices for the classes.

There are several different Baby Bootcamps across the US. The Beaverton class was not even the only one in the Portland area! Many classes were available throughout the week, but as a working mom there was only one class that would fit for my schedule. The Saturday class offered free attendance to significant others as well.

Overall I hope to continue using the skills I learned in the class and plan to attend more Baby Bootcamp classes in the future! If you are on the fence right now about devoting a little time to yourself and your fitness goals then please think about giving yourself a very much deserved Mother’s Day gift of classes with Baby Bootcamp!

Portland-Area Mommas: Join Baby Boot Camp’s Free Mother’s Day Event on Saturday, May 12th at 9 AM at THPRD Athletic Center in Beaverton. Hosted by Baby Boot Camp Beaverton. The first 80 moms in attendance get a SWAG Bag!

A Well Crafted Lady

Health & Fitness: College Years with Weight Gain and Accidental Anorexia

July 30, 2013 12 Comments A Well Crafted Lady

This post is a part of a series on my health and fitness journey. The series posts are coming along much slower than I anticipated… they are much harder to write than I thought they’d be! Confronting my past health and fitness issues as I am working on my present issues has not been easy. I still plan to continue writing about my story in hopes in hopes of reaching out to others, motivating myself, and confronting some hard truths about myself. Bare with me! My first post in the series was, “Childhood and Teen Self-Image and Food Relationships.”

Junior Year of College (Sorry about the fuzzy image!)

My college years were likely similar to many other people’s college years. My freshman year I gained the freshman 15 as usual. I started college my freshman year at 130 lbs and left around 150 lbs. College was a hard transition for me because I was working three jobs, taking a full course load, and living eight hours from all my friends and family. By the end of my Freshman year I decided to move back to my hometown and attend college near family. The Summer of my Freshman year I spent working, losing some weight, and trying not to feel like a failure. (If you don’t know me by now… I’m a tad dramatic.)

My Sophomore year was a doozy. I worked three jobs, found many good friends, declared a major in Journalism, and met the man that would someday be my husband. It was a wonderful, whirlwind of a year. Throughout the year I became much more serious about my health and about writing. I’d write for hours and work out for hours. I rarely slept. My roommate never saw me.

How I Accidentally Became Anorexic

Unfortunately, likely due to not being well-educated in food and health, I didn’t understand much about calories and exercise. I *knew* I was supposed to eat 1500 calories a day. I *knew* that burning calories meant I was going to lose weight. So, I’d work out. I’d burn 500-700 calories a day while maintaing a food diary that would hover around 1500 to 1700 calories a day. I’d punish myself if I went over my goal by working harder. My mind was constantly counting calories. I was losing weight—I made it down to my goal weight of 125. (By *knew* I mean I thought it was a truth and later found out that while there is some truth to both those statements, there is much more to it all.)

I wasn’t happy though. I felt like I was hungry ALL the time. I began to have stomach problems, my hair started falling out, and I was tired all the time. My nickname at work was “Chiquita” because I bruised as easily as a banana. I went in and out of the doctor’s office several times until they discovered that I was anorexic. While I was losing weight, I was also losing muscle mass and making myself sick.

“Anorexic? Me? But, I eat!”

It wasn’t something I did intentionally— It was accidental anorexia. (I don’t think that is a clinic diagnosis!) Not understanding how calories worked in my body made me make mistakes with my body that could have been even more harmful than lost hair and bruising.

I didn’t stop eating or begin working out because I was desperate to be skinny. I wanted to be thin, sure, but I thought I was getting healthy. My idea of health came from reading hundreds of magazines that explained the “way to lose weight and get healthy!” It was from well-meaning, but not understanding friends who would not so subtly suggest I not eat something. It was from friends handing me their “fat” clothes as hand-me downs all the while saying, “I’m never going back to that size.” It was from giving away my skinny clothes to a pregnant girl to wear around her round belly. It was from not understanding about the differences in people’s body types, how foods works in the body, and what burning calories does to the body.

I thankfully was able to catch myself in time to not do any permanent damage. In the end I maintained a weight around 135-145 throughout college. It was a rough realization that I needed to actually pay attention to my body and what I put into it. I learned to eat more for sustenance. I ran myself ragged in college. My senior year was spent prepping for a wedding, working four jobs, and going to school full-time. I didn’t have to really watch my weight because I rarely had time to even think about it. I was always on the move.

Me at my smallest adult size. Please excuse the bell bottoms!

Looking back, I was a beautiful size. At the time I was fixated on the fact that my jean size was a 10 instead of an 8. Now I know that was likely be the smallest that I will ever be in my adult years. However, I still aim to be a healthy weight and to focus on my health.

Some notes:

Even at my smallest adult size I was not a small lady. I had size 9 feet, I had wide shoulders, I had hips that weren’t getting ANY smaller. Judging yourself (or others) on the size of their clothing is just wrong. I’ve learned I need to love my body without worrying about my clothing. I needed to learn how to make me HEALTHIER not smaller.
It is funny now to look back and see how uneducated I was about something as straight forward as calories. I am a fairly intelligent woman, always did well in school, etc. Our food relationships and what we are taught as children matter when it come to things like body-image and weight loss. What people write online and in magazines matter. What we say to ourselves and others matter. It is complicated, but simple all wrapped into one.
I don’t believe that FAST weight loss is healthy unless under the supervision of a doctor. I am not a doctor, nor am I an expert in this field. Please talk to your doctor before making any huge life changes.
For more information on Anorexia Nervosa or related disorders visit the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Related Disorders website.
I’m currently writing about my fitness journey over on the East Side Athletic Blogas part of a partnership. I’d love for you to check out the blog or like the East Side Athletic Club Facebook page.

What lessons about weight and health did you learn in your college years?

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