Priorities and Lists

Hello Blog Followers!
Tonight on the radio Dr Phil was on (I am not usually a huge fan of his.)  He said to make 2 lists.  The first one list your life priorities in order of importance.  In the next list rank what you spend your time on in order of most time spent on something.  He said the lists should match where most people have them opposite of each other.  So it made me say hmmmmmm.  My priority list would be something like this:
1. Me and my happiness (this is a new #1 for me....use to be close to the bottom of the list.
2. Family
3. Friends
4. Professional development/work

Now my list of time has been skewed this month due to my involvement with the ED going to computerized charting but it usually is something like this with #4 & #5 switching places depending on the time.
1. Sleep (which I put in the me and my happiness category)  I have made sleep a priority.  I make sure I am in bed to get a full 8 hours of sleep a night.  I am happier and keep on goal much better when I do this.
2.  Work.  Here is where I disagree a bit with good ole Dr Phil.  Work is a means to family and friends.  Going to see my family cost $$ and being social with friends sometimes takes money.  Also there is a cost to live.  I dont feel bad about spending a lot of time at work.  Also I work with people I like and consider friends.  I have cut WAY back on the amount of OT I have worked since the new year.
3.  My weight loss plan.  Going to the gym and prepping all my food is like a part time job!  Hannah and I walked for 2 hours tonight.  That didn't count the 45 min to get to and from San Francisco.  Quickly hours in your day are gone!
4.  Family  I have gotten to see my family a lot this month.  Ironically I have seen all of my immediate family (including my favorite aunt Margaret) this month except my brother who lived 20 minutes from me.  I am going to change that soon.  (Add giving big bro a call and make plans to my to do list!)
5. Friends-  I truly believe I have the best friends of anyone!  My friends in California are in a big way my family here.  I love doing things with them!

In summary (this is getting way too long on the Not So Deep Thoughts by Murn) I dont think my lists are that far off from where they should be and that makes me happy.  Things that I am happy are not high on my time lists are TV, scrapbooking and talking on the phone.  I love doing all of those things but since I have new goals those have had to take a back seat.  Finally my time is matching my goals. What do your lists look like?  Are you happy with the way they match up?

Now on to much less serious topics.  I have gone into SF to go walking with one of my best friends Hannah last night and tonight.  Hannah has become like my personal trainer.  She pushes me on our walks....in a great way.  Tonight she came up with a great hilly trail all through the Presidio.  I took a bunch of pictures because I just couldn't help myself.  We ended the walk by walking across and back on the Golden Gate bridge.  My little Sophie couldn't be happier to have her mom back and to be going on our long walks again!

Here are Hannah and I on our walk today.  It was such a beautiful day!  That is Alcatraz behind us!

Here we are being goofy making fun of Hannah silly looking yet incredibly useful head lamp! I wont tell if you wont tell!  We didnt actually take Sophie into the restricted areas!  You know I am a rules person!
View from the Golden Gate bridge!
I couldn't resist this picture!  It tugged on my American strings!  Murn!

Stand up and finish what you started!

This is a quote I heard tonight on The Biggest Loser.  My thought immediately was....damn straight!  Today I got back on my plan.  I had a social event where I ate the salad I brought and one very think slice of garlic cheese pizza.  I went to the grocery store and stocked up on healthy choices.  I didnt chop up everything but I will do that tomorrow when I get home. I went to the gym this morning and did 30 min on the treadmill and 20 min on the stationary bike.
I got to see a friend that moved away several years ago.  Donna was my mentor when I came to the ED.  She took me under her wing and taught me how to be a good ED nurse.  It was really great to catch up with her.  There were several kids at the get together and as you see....I played dress up with the kids!

Feeling good and anxious to finish what I started with this weight loss journey.  Thanks for all the support!!!

Back in the Sadle

I had the best weekend in So California with my little sister.  Earlier this month I had a week with my older sister at the beach.  Vacations are over.  I am ready to hit the weight loss hard!  I did not do well this weekend.  On my long drive home I tried to think about why I lost my focus.  Here is all I can come up with.  I was way stressed at the end of my work stretch.  My old way to deal with work stress has been to eat.  I have not done that since Jan.....but this weekend I think it reared its ugly head.  I guess I have learned to manage it on a day to day basis but when those days built up....I ate.  

The good news is....I am back at it.  I am going to the gym tomorrow morning.  I am going to a friends house tomorrow night for dinner.  We have an old friend that is coming in town.  The purpose of the gathering is to visit with each other so I am going to bring a big salad and bypass the pizza.  Right now it dosnt even sound good!

I missed my weigh in today and I am not planning on weighing in again until next monday.  Quite frankly I am sure I am up in my weight and I dont want to face that but come next monday please ask me how my weigh in went.  I just keep reminding myself that this is a journey with a few setbacks.  Just have to get back on it!  

Murn

Country Rockin!

Hey from Palm Desert!  I drove down to my sister Ruth's house yesterday.  I chilled with the kids and had fun reading them bed time stores.

This morning we went for a short hike where I was startled by stepping on a small snake (it jutted out so its not that I didnt see it)  Ruth screamed....I screamed and immediately the hike was terminated.  It seems that I am a magnet for snakes these days.  Perhaps I will stick to the gym for a while.

Ruth and I split off from her twins and checked into a beautiful resort in Palm Desert.   We are having a sisters weekend of relaxing.

 We spent the afternoon lounging at the pool then went to the Stage Coach Music Festival in time to see Billy Cuvington (sp?), Sugarland and Kieth Urban.  It was so much fun!  We had these 2 older women in front of us.  They were having so much fun but their dancing was less than great.  We joked that we would be them in 30 years.  (ekkk!)  I couldnt resist taking a picture of these women having a blast.  I hope I am having a great time with my sisters at a concert in 30 years!

Hope you are having a great weekend!
Murn

New and Improved!

What do you all think????  I had a fun time getting to pick out stuff for my new blog design.  

It was a rough week but I made it.  Today I am driving down to the Palm Springs area to have a "girls" weekend with my favorite little sister.  We have a 2 day country music festival to enjoy as well as a great resort hotel and she gets to be kid free for a couple days!  I am positive there will be pictures to follow!  Have a great weekend and leave me a message of what you think about my new page look!

Murn

I'm still standing!

Well today turned out to be a good day. All went mostly smooth with the emergency dept going to computer charting. I was asked a lot of questions...but all really good ones. We had to wear these ugly orange shirts. The only redeeming quality of I paired it up with navy pants so it was my beloved Auburn University colors! This is a picture with Jewell! We worked hard and long on this project together! Jewell is my gym rat friend who gets me there many a time! She has lost a ton of weight and is doing so great!

This is Cindy. She started at weight watchers with me and has lost a bunch of weight too! You can tell this is the end of my day cause I am getting silly in the picture! (orange is not my best color!!!)

All in all it is over....and it was not terrible!

Hope all of you had a wonderful day too!

ps- I did go to the gym before work today and I do think it helped me deal with it all!

Murn

Weigh in Monday!

Yahoooooo! I went to weight watchers today. I lost 4lbs! I'll say it again! Yahooo! My total is 37.8lbs gone. I am pretty sure this is the most I have ever lost in my life. Certainly not the lowest weight I have ever been in my adult life (that would be 208....there will be more than yahoo screamed when I pass that.) I suppose I should not celebrate that I started the fattest I have ever been.

I have had several people this week tell me they are "inspired" by me and my weight loss. Every time someone says that to me it makes me chuckle. You are inspired by my 200+ pound self!???? Be inspired by someone that never got fat! Be inspired by someone control in their weight before they ate themself to 271lbs! I am happy to share what is working for me though. I feel like weight watchers needs to start giving me a kickback. It is a program that I do believe in.

Last night I got home from work at 1am. I wanted to crawl into bed. I had been scavenging in my house for food for days....and this is when I get into trouble! I made myself go to the grocery store. I made a recipe my sister made up and I tweeked it a bit. It is pretty good. I cooked the full pan then froze individual servings to pull out on lazy cook days! At 4am I was all done and in bed. Today when I pulled it out of my lunch bag I was a happy girl that I had stayed up to cook it. (I am not sure I like the name as that is the U of A colors but since I didnt write the recipe I dont think I can change it!) Here is is:

Red and White Pasta

1 large egg

1.5 cups cottage cheese (I used fiber one's cottage cheese)

1lb turkey kielbalsa, sliced in half then sliced and browned

1 lb pasta, whole wheat

1.5 c cooked carrots (about 6 large carrots)

1 large cooked zuchinni

2 red bell peppers, cut up and cooked

32 oz spaghetti sauce (whole jar)

1 1/2 cup shredded 2% mozzarella cheese

Peel carrots, and cut in slices, Cut the zuchinni and red bell peppers into slices. Add carrots, zuchinni and peppers into a med sauce pan with about 3/4 cup of water (you want there to be enough water to steam veggies.) Cook until fork tender. Add enough water to Puree veggies and water with immersion blender (or regular blender). (I did this in the pan with my immersion blender.) Add more water if puree is too thick-- should be thick, but you need enough liquid for the blender to work. (Exact quantities don't really matter on this item since it is a "free vegetable" anyway) The idea is to "stretch" the quantity of sauce and add more veg in a way that is undetectable to both children and adults....

Beat egg with fork. Mix with cottage cheese. Add a dash of nutmeg. You could also add parsley if you like green flecks. Mix together sauce, veggie puree, meat (already cooked). Heat in saucepan. Cook pasta al dente. Penne work well. Drain. Spray 9x13 pan with Pam spray. Put pasta in pan. Stir in sauce to coat pasta. With large spoon, add blobs of cottage cheese mixture, making depressions for the cottage cheese in between the pasta. This gives this casserole a "red and white" appearance. Top with mozz cheese. Cook covered with aluminum foil in 350 degree oven until hot, cheese melted, and cottage cheese mixture has set (about 30-45 minutes or so). (make sure to cover dish or you will have yucky crunchy pasta) 10 servings, 6 points each.

Tomorrow morning at 7am the emergency department I work in is going from paper charting to digital. I am not worried. Well not too much. I am a bit worried about how the staff that never came in for practice are going to do. I have a few people in mind. I am working 11am-11pm tomorrow. Its going to be hard for me to not put my efforts in with the people that put forth effort to be prepared. Its a catch 22 though....cause the people that came in for help....will need a lot less help tomorrow. Sigh. I guess I am not too worried. There will be some painful parts I am sure but I think it will be fine. I am getting up in the morning to work out before work. I know this will help with the stressful day! Also I make much better food choices on the days I exercise. I dont have any good pictures (I forgot to take pics of the pasta last night and the pics I just took of the cold dish of it in the fridge will not tempt you to make it so I am not posting it.) Here is a picture of my puppy after our walk yesterday! She has been so neglected with me working so much this week so she giddy out on our walk!

On one quick note. I have someone working on a new design for my blog! I am super excited about this. Yesterday I picked out the background and she is now working on the design. I have asked her to make a section for food and recipes so hoping it will be easier for all of you to find older recipes!

Please keep the all of us working tomorrow in your thoughts! Going to be a hard day!

Murn

I think I am a nurse

I love being a nurse. It is a huge part of who I identify myself as. These last weeks I have not gotten to be a nurse. I have been in the teacher role. I like teaching but I love being a nurse. The emergency dept that I am working in is going computerized. I know, I know.....we are the last ones in the country to go computerized! As part of being the ED staff educator I have taken on helping to train the staff. I have been doing this all week. There is understandably a high level of anxiety for the staff with this HUGE change. I am having open "play time" where staff can come in to practice using the new charting program. I do think what I am doing is helpful for most of the staff so that is rewarding and makes it worth it. I have personally also learned the computerize system great and feel totally comfortable with it but I sure miss being a nurse! Hats off to my parents and all other teachers out there! Its a hard job!

Pretty Please let me get in a good trauma or a super sick complicated septic patient with lots of IV drips and tubes in all orifices or (wait for it.....) the delivery of a baby (GASP!!!!this is usually my least favorite type of patient!!!) I have had about all I can stand of looking at the same computer screens for hours and hours! I am so sick of teaching the same example patients over and over and over. I am sure my fatigue has a lot to do with me working 70+ hours this week and working the last 7 days straight (only 5 more to go and I have a weekend off with my little sister and a country music festival in palm springs!! YEHAW!!) 2 more days of training then we go live with the computers on real patients!!! I cant wait! Lets rip that band-aid off. I am excited maintly because I think it is going to be a great thing for the ED but mostly cause I get to take care of a patient or two. I might even get to put someone on a bed pan, quickly wrap up a stinky homeless patient's feet before the whole department is reeking of foot rot or starts an impossible IV in a dialysis patient! I am an Emergency Nurse, Damn it!!! Bring it on, I can take it!

Another day

Today was an average day. Not much to report on. I did manage to go to the gym on my home. I didnt have a spectacular workout. I did 1 mile on treadmill but I did jog a good part of it. I biked for 4 miles on the stationary bike. Then I swam a measly 11 laps. In all it was a 50 min work out. Some days are like that and just move on.

I fixed one of my favorite things for dinner. Now please have an open mind before I tell you all the details. I am the worlds pickiest eater. I have a LONG list of foods I dont like (onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, anything that was raised in water and the list goes on and on.) I was skeptical of this but my love of goat cheese made me try these and they are AWESOME! I have served this to friends and friends husbands (he didnt know it wasnt chicken til we told him!) and they all agree they are delicious. Here they are:

Fake chicken breast with goat cheese and cranberries (6 points!) YUMMY! I can only find them at Whole foods but i buy severa boxes when I go there. DOnt cook them longer than the 18 min it says on the package....they start getting dry fast. I had that and a delicious spinach salad! Anyways...if you see these at the store pick up a box. I think you will like them!

Murn

Soups On!

When I started this journey I subscribed to Cooking Light. I know that a lot of their recipes are not that low in calories but what I do love is that they calculate the nutritional facts for you. I got my first magazine in the mail this week. This morning I was flipping through it and found a recipe that was called Chicken and Okra Stew. It looked good to me! Any of you that have been around me since Jan know that I have made a lot of soups and many of them containing okra! It is a great way to get a lot of veggies in and control the calories. It has also been a long cold wet winter so its been so yummy! Anyways....after working a long day with some disheartening things happening I was thinking about what I could grab fast. I then dug deep and decided to make the soup that looked so good. I went to Whole Foods (where else can you get Okra in California in April?) I came home to make the soup! I used the jalapeno instead of the habanero pepper. I think next time I might kick it up to the real thing! The other change I made was I took the tomatoes and used my submersion blender before adding them. I didnt want any chunky tomatoes. I didn't think people would believe I bought the slimy seedy things so I took a picture! I did omit the onion but that wont surprise anyone! Anyways....you get 1 1/2 cups for 5 points. I have discovered I really love okra in soup! I guess my Alabama roots are showing!

Tonight I watched "The Biggest Loser" from this week. One of the contestants said "I am finally doing this for me." It clicked for me. I have said to several people on this journey that I am not sure why I am so committed to this this time. I now know. I am doing this for me. I am not doing this for all the other reasons I have in the past. I am not doing this for a dude, for a dress, for a reunion. I am doing this because I want to be healthy and I am done being fat! Simple as this: I am putting me first, making me a priority and Its Murn's Turn!

Thanks for all the support from all of you!

Murn

New Ground being covered

First of all I want to say I just read my last 2 posts (mainly cause my mom emailed me that she found them amusing and I really didnt remember what I had written that was funny!) I need to proof my posts prior to posting them. I will try to be better but I am a terrible speller and I am promising to not have that change!

I went to the gym tonight. When I am at the gym I usually have time to think. Typically I think about what I am going to blog. I also do a lot of talking to myself.....like trying to talk myself into staying on whatever piece of equipment is trying to kill me with a SLOW death. Here is a typical conversation I have with myself on the treadmill:

"No...you will not die....keep going....just 2 more minutes...what is 2 minutes?...its shorter than time to boil water in the microwave...its nothing....damn.....still have 1 minute 55 seconds to go.....thats not that long....just a few more steps....keep running.....do you want to be fat?....you can quit and keep your life the way it is.....arg...1 min 50 secs to go. "

Tonight I started thinking about this being my 14th week. I dont think I have stayed with any "diet" this long. I know this is my future life but it is a little satisfying that I am still going strong. I went to the gym today after teaching a computer class all day. I did 2 miles on the treadmill, 2.3 miles (with a lot of hills) on the bike, and I swam 24 laps.

I am sorry I dont have any pictures to post. I will try to charge up my camera and get some taken. The battery is still dead since my trip! Have to be at work at 5 am!!! So I am heading to bed!

Murn

Weigh in Monday!

I had to work today but I talked to my boss about leaving for 30 min so I could go to Weight watchers. After missing last week due to being out of town I really felt it was important to go today. Luckily it was fine. I lost 0.8lbs for a total of 33.8 lost. I am ok with that since I was traveling etc. Tonight I went out to eat but I am back on with tracking so I feel ok with it! Here's to a good week. Going to bed early so I can go for a long walk tomorrow night after work!

Murn

I'm HOME!

I had a fabulous trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama. My older sister, Sarah and her family came from Minnesota, My aunt from NYC came, my parents from Auburn drove down. My sister's husband's parents came also. I brought my brother's little man from Cal for a fun week with his cousins. I was a bit nervous about how I was going to deal with my weight loss plan there but I think I did ok. I went on 2 walks...one was 5.8 miles and the other was 4 miles. I went on 2 bike rides with my sister and her family. I certainly splurged on a couple of things (cheetos got a little out of hand at lunch one day!) but I tried to be conscious in most of what I ate. I will really know tomorrow after my WW weigh in. I went to the gym after work tonight for my Biggest Loser inspired "last chance work out. I wore a blister on the back of my foot with my new shoes in Alabama. I thought I had given it time to heal but when I got on the treadmill I quickly knew it was not better yet. I did my campus 2 mile bike ride then I went to the pool. I swam 32 laps which I think is 1 mile. Sadly it took me just at an hour to swim that far but I did it.

Here are some pictures form my trip. The first one is at the USS Alabama.

This is the group shot of all of us. It took a couple tried to get one with everyone's eyes open and smiling but I think I got a good one!

This is one of my favorite one of the kids on the beach. They had so much fun playing in the surf and sand. They are really great kids and I am missing the minnesota ones already!

This is me and my sister, Sarah. It was great to spend a week with her. I wish I got to see her more often but love soaking up the time when I get it.

I hope you had a great Easter week. I am working the next 12 days in a row but will be posting!

Murn

beach week!

I am having a great time at the beach! I do not have easy internet (sitting at McDonalds right now borrowing their internet) I will do a long post when I get home. Doing my walks and being pretty good with my eating! Murn

Sweet Home Alabama

I have been slack about posting. I will try to get better! I went walking with Meggie and her new puppy Gennis! He is such a sweet puppy! Sophie (my pooch) was her usual self.....she wanted nothing to do with the other dog. She is such a brat (I am sure it has NOTHING to do with how she was raised and her mom!) Anyways...Meg and I took the pooches out for a nice 4.5 miles.

By the end of the walk they were walking side by side.

So Hannah has a calender that she writes all her exercise on it. I started one. Here is march. all the pink circles are where I have exercised. I am ok with the amount I have exercised.

I am going to Alabama tonight with my nephew. We are flying into Biloxi. Lance is going to pick us up at the airport. We are going to go get some yummy southern BBQ! Then Lance is going to take us over to Gulf shores where we will meet my parents, my older sister and her family and my aunt Margaret from NYC! We have 2 houses at the Gulf State park there. I can not wait!!! Work has been high stress with getting ready for the Emergency Dept to go computerized.

Now...just in case you thought you could rob me while I am out of town....my house is being turned into Hotel Murn. In prep for the computers in the ED there are classes for all of the staff at the hospital building that is 2 blocks from my house. I have a string of people that are going to be staying here while I am gone so they dont have to deal with the terrible hwy 4 commute. Sophie (my vicious guard dog!) will be so happy to have them all here. I have been wanting new bedding for my bedroom. Hotel Murn has given me a good excuse to get new bedding. Here it is:

Hope all of you have a great weekend. I am taking my laptop so you will be seeing posts from Alabama and fun in the sun!

Murn