The numbers are in!

I weigh 217 lbs.
At 5' 4.2", that puts my BMI at 37.
My A1c came in at 8.3. I have type 2 diabetes.
My cholesterol was a bit high at 244 as were my triglycerides at 167.  My LDL needs some work as it is 160.17. 

These are my numbers, but they are NOT me. They are just a point of reference.  My starting gate.  And nothing more. 

Who am I?

I am... a Daughter of God.  The wife of a wonderful man.  Mother of 8 incredible human beings.  Grandmother of 3 (soon to be more) of the most intelligent children EVER.  Raised by terrific parents with great siblings.  Friend to the best sort of people. Lover of sunrises and sunsets, birds, cats, dogs, and oddly enough--chickens, moss covered trees, berry covered bushes, and sweet fragrant flowers, the ocean, the river, the stream by my house, 80's music, classical music, and relaxing smooth jazz, winter storms, thunder storms, and warm summer breezes,  sunny days, cloudy days, rainy days, and occasionally even snowy days, the sound of the ocean crashing to the beach, the cry of seagulls overhead, a heavy rain pounding on the rooftops, and birds singing their songs in the early morning light. .  I am the lover of many things.  I am a lover of life. 

And lately, I am a runner.  My running numbers suggest that I run fairly slowly, but that I am improving my times steadily.  Since January 6, 2014, I have actually run 15.52 miles.  My greatest distance this year has been 2 miles.  My slowest average pace has been 19.57 minutes per mile, while my fastest pace has been 17.08 minutes per mile.  I have been running 4 times a week and my goal is to add two upper body weight training days to my schedule. 

Why do I run?  Well, mostly, I run to reclaim my health.  I want to be happy and full of energy. . . full of life!  I run because I want to set a good example for my daughters.  I want them to know that we can do hard things.  I run because it inspires my husband.  And, some days, I just run because I can. 

A Pleasant Discovery

We have discovered a delightful little park in our sweet Kalama town.  I have no idea what it is called, but we intend to play there as often as possible before the warm weather crowds fill it up. 

This is what we see from the freeway.  Four totem poles erected in the 70's to memorialize a few influential Kalama citizens.  At 140 feet, the main totem is the tallest in the world carved from a single tree. 

We originally found the park as we were cruising around the area looking for someplace for this poor "chunchy" Mudder to safely start running again.  I was immensely delighted with the black-top type path that winds around the park along the breath taking Columbia River. 

 The driftwood along the shore of river is super pretty.  Since the community is trying to restore the beach and bank, there are signs all around asking that we leave the wood right where Nature placed it.

 There was some sort of Lune or huge black duck on top of that pole out there.  I just couldn't get a good picture of it with my phone. 

 A bird house standing near a picnic pavilion.  When the girls ran to explore it, a dark robin sized bird actually flew out of it!

 Although I would love to see more sunshine, I absolutely love cloudy days in the Pacific Northwest.

There is just something about water that speaks to my soul.  It fills me up with peace and serenity. 

My little reds even discovered opportunities for learning.

And just when we came around a little bend and found cause for GREAT rejoicing.  A playground!

 Jamie just jumped right in.  She has to take advantage of any play time she can get with her busy schedule these days!

 It was a chilly day, but that NEVER stops the Reds.  They play so hard, they warm up in no time at all.

The swings are probably everyone's favorites.

Even I was prevailed upon to try them out!

Out of shape. . . back into the fire!

Once upon a time, I was a runner.  Not a fast runner or even a good runner.  I just ran around my little neighborhood at my little snail's pace and I started to get into pretty good shape. . . for me, anyway.  Then the autumn rains turned into winter rains and the Holidays arrived.  I kept telling myself, "AFTER" I would get right back on it.  Well, after the Holidays came the spring rains, then the summer heat.  (Yes, we actually got a little summer heat in 2013.)  Then there were those beautiful autumn days, but by that time we had moved into the tooley hills where only a crazy lady would trust her life to those windy shoulderless roads. . . Suddenly, we were back into the winter rains which brought a week of winter FREEZE which was followed by the Holidays.  Now I have a whole new shape, and I have decided I liked the old shape WAY better.  So, today I decided to give my dotter's suggestion a try.  Yep, I shredded it all up this morning!  Right now, my arms are shaky and I feel like barfing. Yeah, that's right!  I am back!!

I didn't do the most impressive jumping jacks and my butt kicks were atrocious, but I finished the first day of my 30 Day Shred.  Whew!!!