Time for Taxes.....

Oh boy..... and I say that without any enthusiasm in my voice at all.  :-(

Yes, even though I am nearly 100% positive that we will get a tax return again this year, it just isn't enough to make me even the slightest bit excited about all of the work that needs to be done right now in order to get everything together for doing our taxes.  I know that everything should be all organized and put together throughout the e year, so that all I need to do is grab it and take it out our friendly tax gal, but for some reason that just never seems to happen around here.  No, instead I am now having to take the time to try and remember everything from last year, organize everything from last year, log everything from last year, tally everything from last year, and put everything together from last year....so that we can eventually get it all to Amy, our friendly tax lady, so she can perform her magic and see to it that we get the maximum return we can.... legally!!!  :-)

Right now, I am sitting here with a calculator, adding up sales tax from all of the receipts we have saved up for the entire last year..... knowing that by doing this, we get substantially more money back than if we are to just take the basic allotted amount based on our income.  It takes much more work, but has proven itself for the past two years now..... so here I go again, adding and adding and adding!!!


I would like to say that this year will be different, and that I will do a much better job at keeping up with tax stuff, and with being more organized, etc.  However, I know it will only work for the first four or five months, and then we will get busy with summer, and it will all go back to just how we do it year after year after year.  And again, this time next year, I will write yet another complaint about myself, and how much I don't like doing taxes.....even with knowing that money is coming back to us!  :-)

Oh well..... I am actually quite lucky to have this problem to complain about, yes?!?!?!?!?!   And this year, I happen to already know how we are going to use our tax return..... selflessly!!!  :-)


Praise the Lord, for He is worthy of our praise!!!

Latest Body Composition.....

OK, so two years ago I had a wake-up moment and realized that I was huge, fat, obese, unhealthy and unhappy.  I decided to change my life, to become the healthy person I have wanted to be, felt that I should be, and want to be for my children as they grow.

So, in January of 2009, I began my personal journey of weight loss and body transformation, as well as with changing my diet and my lifestyle habits.  I topped the scale back then at nearly 290lbs!!!  Today, I weigh in at 199lbs!!!  :-)

This past year, I have had my body composition done a couple of times, both to see where I was at, and also to track my progress along the way.  I really wish I had done my body comp back when I first started, but it just never crossed my mind back them...maybe because I knew just how bad the numbers were!  So today, with marking this month as two years into my new life of being healthy and fit and happy, I had my body comp done again, to see where I am at, and also to help me establish some goals for this upcoming year ahead.

As of today, my total body weight is 199lbs.  My lean body mass is 175lbs.  My fat weight is 24lbs.  My body fat percentage is now at 11.9%

I am quite happy with my results, and realize that with this I have already reached one of my goals that I made for myself for this year, to be at or less than 12% body fat.  :-)

With my new lease on life, new outlook on health, and new body that allows me to do so very much more... I am thoroughly looking forward to a great year of fun and fitness with my family!!!  :-)

Time for listing my fitness goals for 2011...

As I have now made fitness a regular part of my life since starting my healthy new life journey two years ago, I am finding it to be fun and exciting to reach for new goals, and to reach new achievements.  Incorporating a variety of healthy challenges into my year is an important way to stay focused and on track with living a healthy life, and teaching my kids to do the same as they grow.

Part of this, for me, is to list some fitness related goals I would like to achieve throughout the year to come.  I have been thinking about this for the past couple of weeks now, and have come up with a few goals for myself thus far for this year:

1.  Ride 3,500 miles or more on my bike

2.  complete my first triathlon

3.  Run my 2nd half marathon

4.  have a body composition of 12% or less body fat

I am sure I will come up with more to add to this list.  For now, though, these are the big 4 that I would like to strive to accomplish in 2011.

I encourage you all to come up with a list of goals for yourself for this year, be them fitness related goals or otherwise.  Let's see what we can all accomplish this year!!!  :-)

Psalm 118:24 - This is the day that the Lord has made, so let us be glad and rejoice in it!!!

It is..... January, 2011

With every year that passes, the clock seem s to speed up, the days go by quicker, the weeks pass on by faster, and the months seem to come and go before I realize what has happened!!!  WOW, what a whirlwind tour of life God has me on.... just trying to stay grounded and focused on the most important things in my life.... my God, my family, and myself.  :-)

As we start into this brand new year, there are so many things I look forward to.  I do not plan to make any resolutions, so I won't even write any down here!  I do plan, however, to make some goals for this year.... goals for myself, and for my family.  I will hopefully put them together soon, and then post them here, so I can periodically look at where I am at, what has been accomplished, and what still lies ahead.

For now, though, I just wanted to take this moment to wish you all a very Happy New Year!!!  May you all be filled with the wonderful joy of God's amazing love for you, and may you all have good health and happiness throughout 2011.  I look forward to spending time with you all throughout this year.  :-)



1 John 4:7 - Dear friends, let us love one another, for live comes from God!!!