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Friday, March 25, 2022

It's been a few years!!

 It's been awhile, but I have a project I wanted to share.


I started painting last year.  This year I decided to create postcards for voters as my practice. I've got 100 done so far, and I'm going to share.

We need to get the vote out to overcome republican voter suppression. One way to help is 

https://www.turnoutpac.org/postcards/

https://postcardstovoters.org/

https://www.buildingbridgesforamerica.com/


Thursday, July 27, 2017

Non Scale Victory


I saw myself in a video yesterday and could see the weight I've lost and how I just look healthier.  I often dread finding myself in photos and videos from events, but this was nice.

Making a long range plan

I am ready to start training again.  I thought I would get ready for the Monterey Baby half in 2018.  I don't think I can be ready for this year - too far to go and I want to be smart about this.  Then I was looking up info on the Mother Road Marathon.  It's been on my bucket list for awhile and I was just thinking about it.  As I was looking over information, my plans changed.  That's what I'm going to do.  I might still do Monterey again but my goal is to do the Mother Road Marathon



This year I'll do the 5k
2018 and I'll do the half
in 2019 I'll do the whole thing.







I've wanted to do it because it goes through 3 states.  Plus the medals are always cool


My training is starting out slow because I need to get my body used to moving like that again.  For now I'm going to just focus on getting my steps.  My goal is low, 8k a day.  When I've done that for a week solid, I'll move it to 10k.  Yesterday I slipped up, so today I start over.  I will try to remember to post my steps to help keep myself accountable.  If you're on fitbit add me.  I'm StaceyLynn https://www.fitbit.com/user/2598TH


My Kid is getting married!!!



My oldest daughter is getting married!  I'm happy for her, not terribly surprised, but very happy.  Of the 4 kids, she looks the most like me, though on the surface she acts the least like me.   We are very different in day to day stuff, but actually quite a like in the stuff that counts.

She and her boyfriend gave marriage careful consideration and much discussion...Dan & I said, "hey let's get married" one day while we were at the mall in Springdale, Arkansas.  We did it a week or so later.  At the time it seemed to us to be the best solution to his parents cutting his college off for dating me. (they had never even met me, but his mom hated the IDEA of me)  As a married person he qualified for financial aid and so that's what we did.  We've been married for 30 years now.   And next month my first baby will be the first one of our children to get married.  I'm excited for her BECAUSE she's excited and happy.  That's what I want - for her to be happy.

There's not going to be a wedding.  Susi thinks they are a waste of money and I have to agree.  That's a lot of $$ to spend on a day that will never be as perfect as you wrote out the plan for.  People get so stressed that I see brides totally unable to enjoy their big day.  It shouldn't be that way.  For Susi & Justin it won't be.  They will have a party to celebrate.  Two parties actually.  One for the KC folks and one in Illinois for Justin's friends and family there.  The actual wedding ceremony will take place at a courthouse halfway between with the parents and maybe some siblings in attendance.

That's a smart move. I can't imagine trying to plan an actually wedding with this particular kid.  Even the wedding topper would be a pain. I looked through lots of images of them trying to find one for this post and it took forever.  So many show the bride as subservient or the groom as being trapped, shackled or caught.  They are partners and she would HATE all of those.  That's a small thing.  A bigger issue would come with his family being ultra conservative, religious, non drinkers who supported trump.  Us, not so much.  I'm spiritual in the neo pagan sense, Dan is Jewish, two of our other kids are atheist and one is agnostic.  We drink on occasion, though none do it regularly. My hair is blue, green and purple, so it's obvious that I'm not exactly conservative and we all voted for Hillary.  Dan & I are fairly active in progressive politics and attend quite a few protests.  All of that just sounds like a headache when it comes to planning a reception.  I envision it being like a middle school dance with the boys on one side and the girls on the other.

But none of that will be an issue.  There will be parties celebrating their union instead of a years worth of wedding planning to stress over.  I hope that overall, they stay as happy as they are during those celebrations.  There will be ups and downs, hugs and arguments, but it's the average of all those days that counts.  I want their average to be on the positive side.

When my baby was my baby
 

Monday, July 24, 2017

Veganiversry

4 moths ago today I decided to be vegan.  Why?  Because I have diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, gout and a desire to not have those things any more.  So far so good.  My bp is normal, my blood sugar is getting there, I haven't had a gout attack in the past 4 months and I've lost some weight.

And I feel good.

Yeah, some days it sucks to not have the junk foods I crave.  Having a stroke sucked more and while a vegan diet might now work for everyone it does for me.  I feel better and am getting healthier.

I didn't have a problem giving up the stuff I thought I could never live without.  I just had to choose myself over the bad foods.  I had to choose my health over my childish need to consume.  I had to choose life over death.

and for 4 months I have.

Really Good Friday

Monday has started off good too, but I can't share that yet because I promised I wouldn't.  so let's talk about Friday.

When I found out I have type 2 diabetes they tested my A1C.  The result came back with 10.9  That's a really bad number.  I didn't know it until I googled it later but, yeah, that sucks.


On Friday they told me that my second test put me at 5.7.
5.7
yay!!!
My weight was down, my blood pressure was normal and I'm getting there with my blood sugar.  

As if that wasn't enough...My husband also go a job!!!!  He's been unemployed since May and $$ is getting tight!  I'm good at stretching a nickel but even I have limits.  

So life is looking good right now.  



Go, Angela Go!

A woman I know just did the San Francisco Marathon and she totally rocked it!  It's a hard one with all those hills and I am super impressed with her.

Since I'm in Missouri I couldn't be there to cheer her on in person so I decided to enlist some help and send her some extra support.  I made signs and asked people at the market to hold them.  It was the hottest day so far this year and there weren't many people out, but I got some great pics anyway.


These first two ladies I actually know from local activism.  It was a surprise to run into them at the market, but  they were happy to help out.



This guy runs and hopes to do a marathon one day


He's done the KC marathon. Also a hilly one.


She was just a hoot.


This beautiful lady has lost 250lbs!  I'm so impressed with her and her accomplishment!


Two girls visiting Kansas City.  Sweet kids and I hope they enjoyed their stay.


 
 This nice lady was the first one to agree.  She had stopped to ask me directions and was happy to help out.

People are great when you give them a chance. It's easy to forget that with all the mean spirited stuff that seems to populate the news.

I know how much people's support has meant to me and I was happy to have the opportunity to pay it forward.  And Angela has helped me too.  Just seeing her excitement got me excited.  I miss running.  I miss walking long distances.  I have been so sick for so long and I didn't know if I was ever going to do it again.  But I can and I am and I did.  Or at least I started.  This morning I hit the pavement and got some miles in.   I'm planning for a 5k in October and a half at that same race next year.  My ultimate goal is to do the full race the year after that.  It's one that has been on my bucket list for a long time. I'm not going to live forever so I better get doing if I want it done.