Month: January 2016

Dear Readers,

We all have pain, some of its physical and some of it is emotional.

Sometimes you have a little from column A and a little from column B…

In this particular post I am talking about physical pain. Since late Tuesday evening (yep my birthday) my back has been in a chronic state of pain which is REALLY annoying for several reasons not the least of which is that it was my birthday. Let’s not forget, my chiropractor had JUST given me the all clear for “see you in three weeks”…. UGH!!! –so when this cropped up I was saying ..”Um, back, maybe you didn’t get the memo but you are on the mend, I was just told that!!!”

During this time, I was coming to the end of the thirty I spent over thirty five days eating no processed foods, no chocolate and no soda after I decided that 300 pounds is not a number I am happy to call mine. I did this for a few reasons. I kept telling anyone who offered sweets and treats “I am not eating sugar today”.. I used to say “good or bad” but have dispensed with that as it doesn’t help and only moves the cycle back to the destructive place. When in pain (like I am right now) you tell yourself things like – “I deserve it” or “its just one piece of ….” Does it really matter? yes.. yes it does.. because one baby step to decide not to eat that pastry today helps you build another baby step to not have that drive thru on the way home.. and so on.. It works the other way too.. you make one unhealthy decision, it tends to stack others on top of it.. I think its possible to limit that behavior but it takes discipline.

I did stray a bit due to my birthday but it was a conscious choice. I had 5 wings at Pluckers not 10 or 15 and half of a plate of their AMAZING macaroni and cheese. I had amazing Monkey Bread Cake.. which I didn’t even know existed.. but just one piece !

Since my birthday, I have eaten a bit of processed food and a bit of chocolate but not the “normal and uncounted amount” I was previously ingesting. I have completely given up all sodas including Fresca (which they give out for FREE at work so that makes it doubly hard, trust me!!!) and despite choosing to eat some cheese and chocolate and I have continued that and I think its making a very large impact so while I may change the rest that I will do my best to maintain that choice.

Why do I tell you all this? Good question.. right now, my back hurts and I am doing all the exercises the doctor told me to do, using ice and ibuprofen and its getting better but not fast enough for this girl! I am patient and working to become more patient every day. Today is not a good day for patience practice.

What I WANT to do is eat really tasty greasy food and I want my back to feel great so I can go run it off.. but I need to look at the reality.. doing what I have always done which is eat what I want ALL the time has led me where I am now and I am not happy with those results so I NEED to change something.

This helps me resist the fast-food on the way home-  I hope!

Baby Steps helped me out of debt, Baby Steps will get me to my ideal weight!

What baby steps can YOU take  (or not take) TODAY to pursue a goal? This picture is from March of last year completing 10 miles— I did that, so I can definitely DO THIS!

Think About It! 

Dear Readers– Some of you know this already but I am a HUGE Sex and the City fan…. let me quantify that for you.. With a glance at a frame of the show, I can tell you the plot, season and title.. and even give you a line or two.. If that wasn’t enough to prove the statement, I can also tell you whether Sarah Jessica Parker was pregnant at the time of filming.. Yeah, I am a fangirl.. and in fact.. My wedding shoes were majorly inspired by the shoes she wears in the movie.. so we have now firmly established that I am obsessed.. Okay..so that’s done.

In 2008, I was working at Dell Computer in the sales department and I said to myself, I am going to be making some serious money.. so I am going to buy myself some Manolo Blahniks.. (they are the black ones pictured below) and of course I didn’t pay cash so I paid 500.00 (not the 485 quoted for them using a Nieman Marcus credit card that I opened just for the purchase.. I also spent more money on my other credit cards that day with the same mentality. I wound up making mediocre bucks at Dell because while I am good at sales, I HATE IT. I am ashamed to tell you it took me almost three years to pay off that purchase and while I definitely enjoyed those shoes….. but they were not worth what I paid.. especially when you consider that after interest I probably paid almost 1500.00 for ONE PAIR SHOES!

So I couldn’t help thinking about that when I returned to the “scene of the crime” this Sunday for the long awaited “Debt Free Shoe Shopping”– What is that, you ask?

Well let me explain, much like Carrie Bradshaw, I LOVE shoes. I have a lot already.. so much so that when we started really getting intense about eradicating our debt last year in March, I made a promise that I wouldn’t buy shoes or movies until we were out of debt. I will be brutally honest, I really thought we would be out of debt sooner.. but as it turned out.. we didn’t get debt free till November *see here for more details on that* (https://jenniferhastonsays.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/we-are-debt-free)

So it was a longer wait to go shoe shopping than I thought. Even more so when the car decided to have issues in December and I had to be a grown up.. (groan, when did that happen?) and pay for my car repairs instead of using that budgeted money for the splurge of shoe shopping.. but at long last I did in fact go shoe shopping with some close friends and it was great.. We started at Nieman Marcus where I had fun pretending that I was rich (s0meday!!) and after trying on hats.. I love hats and purses too… Then I went over to the Gucci counter and looked at 500.00 purses (on sale even!!) but did not feel tempted at all.. then meandered to the shoe department, the smell of new shoes was intoxicating and the carpet felt lush under my feet, and I thought back to all those years ago when I bought the shoes in the first place. I remember feeling like, this will be turning point for me, I will start making good money and be able to shop like this all the time… oh and I have a wedding to wear them too, oh and hey since I am here I will buy a dress too.. really scary how fact that thinking can get you into trouble. You can justify anything, if you try and I really did justify those shoes.. But back to the present, Fun fact, the Manolos that inspired my wedding shoes were there.. but they are now.. 8 years later.. 1000.00 not 500.00.. so we moved to another store. There may come a day when I am comfortable paying 1000.00 for shoes but I don’t really think its any time soon. So we went to another store and I spent 150.00 ( half my allocated budget by the way!) for three pairs of awesome shoes. The feeling of freedom I got knowing that a payment on these shoes does not await…  was incredible.. and made the finds that much sweeter! I love that I waited, it was hard, but worth it. I also LOVE my new shoes!!!

I really feel like its important to mention the need for rewards, we spent three years of sacrificing, saving, and scrimping and working extra jobs to get out of debt and along the way we did things like this (nothing this big before) to acknowledge that hard work.

The next thing we will do to acknowledge the hard work we have done is to take a road trip to Houston, New Orleans, Nashville, and St. Louis to see family and some sightseeing sometime in April. Stay tuned to this blog for that one 🙂

What goal have YOU (that’s right you!) been working toward that is “still in process” or close to fruition.. have you had a “milestone celebration” or “getting there award” If you haven’t, I recommend planning one.. it will truly help you stay on course.

That applies whether you are in graduate school, getting out of debt or losing weight.

You get to decide what your “shoes” are.. and plan it.. put pictures on your refrigerator, write it down and make it a goal, YOU CAN DO IT!!! It will just take time, hard work, and sacrifice!

Think about it!!!

Dear Readers,

Tuesday, January 19th is my birthday! I have a favor to ask of you……

In lieu of presents, I request that you do one “random act of kindness” between now and next Saturday and then tell me about it                                        That’s it.. no expensive jewelry or books or movies.. This is all I want..!

Make someone thankful for something YOU did!

I usually try to give ya’ll a little more notice.. but I was so distracted with The Voice audition I completely forgot!!

Please email me at jenniferhastonsays@gmail.com or comment below to tell me about your random act– It makes my birthday so much more fun knowing that other people helped other people that I don’t even KNOW!!!

If you need some help coming up with ideas.. (the internet will provide) but don’t be afraid to get creative.. if it will help someone smile.. do it!

https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas

Think About It!

Dear Readers,

I am lucky to know a wonderfully sweet guy and a phenomenal world class speaker, Ryan Avery- This is his tagline and I thought it appropriate to use for this post since….. Drum roll please.. and deep breath and authenticity activated—

I am auditioning for NBC’s “The Voice” on Saturday and its a BIG dream.

I could use any of your comments, prayers, good vibes or anything you want to send my way. I have spent the last two years working diligently with my vocal coach and in tandem with a very intense acting program which has ABSOLUTELY made me think its possible even probable! (thanks Richard Robichaux) and I feel as ready as I ever have been for an audition. My husband wouldn’t want the credit but I will give it anyway, his unwavering support and steadfast faith in me has increased my faith in myself so its with that confidence that I stand ready.

The advice I keep getting is to be myself and go “KILL IT” so that is what I intend to do. The hardest part is writing about this and building hopes and positive thinking and “maybe, maybe, maybe” and getting myself built up to it and what if it doesn’t happen? I prefer to think this way.. What if it does?

As Ryan says, “DREAM BIG” so I am doing EXACTLY that!

What would be DREAMING BIG for YOU?

Think about it….