Never Give Up, Never Surrender

[CODawn]

Nice pictures!

 

[Mamatigerj]

You do sound rested and rejuvenated!

Lovely photos! Indian Paintbrush is one of my favourite wildflowers.

 

[Lady Celerity]

@CODawn @Mamatigerj

Well, it's the last day of my week off. And while I'm not dreading going to work tomorrow, I'm not exactly looking forward to it either. I feel like I just got de-stressed and now I have to jump back into the fire. There has to be a way to balance everything so I don't end up a basket case. One thing I know about myself is that I don't do well when multi-tasking or rushing from one thing to another (who does??). I need lots of time to think, and dream, and plan. I can't let my work environment dictate how I react. Pressing on...

7 April workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Yard work! Did some mowing, blowing, weed-whacking, puttering, etc. It was cloudy, with a sprinkle or two but very pleasant.
Post-Workout Mobility workout

Now to prep food for the workweek ahead. Have a nice evening!

 

[Lady Celerity]

Today wasn't too bad at work. No major crises just a huge pile of bills and emails. It's gonna be a great week.

8 April workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 16
Core Strength - day 13

We're having blackened fish tacos for dinner 'cause I can't wait until Tuesday.
Have a lovely evening.

 

[Lady Celerity]

The weather has been very warm here so yesterday I had to do some irrigation work in my yard after I got home. The grass is growing fast so that needed to be mowed and edged. Ugh. Trying to hire a teenager to weed-whack the rest of the property. Anyway, by the time I was finished I was hot, sunburned and covered with pollen so no 'official' workout but as @Damer says I try to do something physical everyday.

Today was another gorgeous day; sunny and warm. But the pollen is a real bummer. My car is covered in yellow dust.

10 April workout:
PT exercises
Total Burn - day17
Core Strength - day 14

Time to fire up the BBQ and grill some dinner!

 

[Lady Celerity]

Another beautiful sunny day. I've been eating my lunch outdoors. The kitties have been taking many sunbaths.

11 April workout:
PT Exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 18
Core Strength - day 15

Have a peaceful evening.

 

[Lady Celerity]

I'm glad it's Friday, aren't you?
I didn't sleep well last night and got about 4 hours of rest so I arrived at work already feeling tired. The rest of the day was unbelievably bad, the worst in all my time working there. Not only were students misbehaving but staff as well. It was one crisis after another. When I got home I didn't want to work out but because I'm stubborn I did it anyway, and at Level 3. I feel a bit better now and am resisting the urge to gobble down sugary junk. I press on.

12 April workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 19
Core Strength - day 16

And just because, here's a picture of Pixie doing kitty yoga on her tower.

 

[Anek]

Awwww kitty!! I hope your weekend is awesome!

 

[Lady Celerity]

A good night's rest and a Saturday to recover are just the ticket. Pixie will never understand the concept of sleeping in, though, and demands her food much earlier than I would like. It's raining so I can't do any yardwork (awww darn ). Instead, I'll putter around doing chores and getting some online training done for work.

13 April workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 20
Core Strength - day 17

Have a great day bees!

 

[CODawn]

 

[MadamMeow]

Pixie is such a cutey. Thank you!

 

[Lady Celerity]

Spent yesterday with family. Today it was back to work to try for a better week. Not a bad day at all, which I'm thankful for.

15 April Workout:
PT Exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 21
Core Strength - day 18

Have a nice evening.

 

[Lady Celerity]

Today was distracting but I managed to get stuff done, cuz it's what I do. I've got to finish 4 hours of online training before a big audit coming up and I'm slightly freaked out. The only time I can do the training is at home because of all the interruptions during the day. *sigh* I'll log my workout and then get to it...

16 April workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 22
Core Strength - day 18

 

[Lady Celerity]

Another busy day. I had some unexpected chores when I got home (moving a washer & dryer & cleaning the laundry room) but it's great because my old nearly-broken-down washer is getting replaced and so is my dryer! Yippee!
The online training at home continues, however....

17 April workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 23
Core Strength - day 19

 

[Lady Celerity]

Yesterday I realized that I have absolutely zero margin in my life. It was evident when something as inconsequential as unexpectedly moving a washer & dryer and cleaning the laundry room totally put all my plans in a tailspin and I was unable to do what I had planned. The problem is that there is no - zero - none whatsoever time this week for me to make up for that 'lost' time. Working harder and longer doesn't help, just makes me exhausted and prone to mistakes. I think I have everything neatly planned--except for time to just be. And what kind of a life is it that doesn't have time for self-reflection or for just sitting in the sun and watching the birds?

Only time for a quick workout today:
18 April workout
Express workout - 7 sets

 

[Mamatigerj]

Hope you are able to find some down-time soon.

 

[Maegaranthelas]

I hope so too, you deserve to rest and simply enjoy being in the world

 

[Lady Celerity]

Thanks @Mamatigerj @Maegaranthelas

Friday! Time for a quick log before I head out again.

19 April workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 24
Core Strength - day 21

Have a great Friday!

 

[Lady Celerity]

Back from a conference all day yesterday. While I didn't do my Darebee workout, I was able to walk laps around the parking lot. #winning! There was also too much tempting food and not a salad in sight. I did indulge a bit, drank lots of water and according to my scale this morning I dropped half a pound (.23 kg). ?? weird.

21 April workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 25
Core Strength - day 22

Have a lovely evening.

 

[Lady Celerity]

It's Monday and the rot has set in. I'm an introvert that was surrounded by people all weekend and I am tired. My batteries are drained. It's going to be a long week.
Beautiful weather though, and things are blooming.

22 April workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 26
Core Strength - day 23

Hope you are enjoying the Springtime!

 

[Lady Celerity]

I didn't sleep well last night and it was all I could do to work out. But I did something! There are thunderstorms rolling through so I cancelled the hike I planned. The trail is out in the open on a hill--not a good place to be when lightning strikes are in the area.

23 April workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 27
Core Strength

It's taco Tuesday! What's your favorite kind of taco? I like blackened fish tacos or carne asada street tacos.

 

[MadamMeow]

I was in for this as well! I had Banh Mi style tacos tonight, but I love my own beef or black bean tacos with my own seasoning blend. It's a blend I took from a recipe I have for Gordon Ramsay's empanadas and I added some garlic powder.

I'm also a baby with spicy food, so I like controlling it not being too spicy. I just put hot sauce on my husband's so he's happy.

 

[Lady Celerity]

I was in for this as well! I had Banh Mi style tacos tonight, but I love my own beef or black bean tacos with my own seasoning blend. It's a blend I took from a recipe I have for Gordon Ramsay's empanadas and I added some garlic powder.

I'm also a baby with spicy food, so I like controlling it not being too spicy. I just put hot sauce on my husband's so he's happy.

@MadamMeow Ooooo, your banh mi tacos sound good! I love anything Asian. Does it still qualify as a taco??

 

[MadamMeow]

@MadamMeow Ooooo, your banh mi tacos sound good! I love anything Asian. Does it still qualify as a taco??

Maybe not really, the only thing in common is the tortilla (which I heat up on my stove's grill plate and not microwave).

And I guess it's also constructed like a taco, either way, it was tasty. I call it "fusion".

 

[Lady Celerity]

It is Administrative Professionals day today and my co-worker and I were celebrated. I received a very generous gift card to a snazzy restaurant and a pretty houseplant.
I also received an over-the-top crazy day: a kindergartener got his arm stuck in the playground equipment and we had to apply soap to get him out; a bloody nose; a case of strep throat; of course there was also vomit; our phones weren't working properly; and both copiers were down. All during a webinar I was trying to watch. It was so ridiculous all I could do is shake my head and laugh.

24 April workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 28
Core Strength - day 24

Looking forward to a peaceful & quiet evening.

 

[MadamMeow]

Sorry to hear all that craziness, but very happy that you got to be celebrated. That sounded lovely!

 

[Lady Celerity]

@MadamMeow thanks! It will continue to be crazy until school is out in June.

Today it was cool and cloudy with a bit of sprinkles. Kind of nice especially since those really hot days are coming soon. I had a decent day at work, solved a few problems and left on time for once (well, almost on time). Which got me thinking about work habits around the globe. Why do Americans work so much? Is it because we are generally a consumer-based society? Earn more to have more? There's so much more to life than stuff.

25 April workout:

PT exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 29
Core Strength - day 25

Have a nice evening bees, and don't work too hard!

 

[Lady Celerity]

Happy Friday everyone! We made it!

Yes it was crazy again today. But I made some progress preparing for the audit at work.

26 April workout:
PT Exercises - 15 min
Total Burn - day 30 This is the 4th (?) time I've been through Total Burn. Probably my favorite program 'cause exercising with @neilarey makes it fun. Plus it makes me smile watching her dogs run around during the video.
Core Strength - day 26

Time to develop a new exercise plan, yay!
Have a nice evening bees.

 

[Fremen]

Congrats

 

[TopNotch]

Congrats!

 

[NancyTree]

Congrats on Total Burn!

 

[Anek]

Congrats! It's my favorite program too!

 

[CODawn]

Congratulations!

 

[MadamMeow]

Congrats for another Total Burn!

 

[Lady Celerity]

I spent the weekend catching up on some much-needed chores and yardwork. But I overdid it again moving some very large potted plants and messed up my back again.
So for now I'm just doing my PT exercises and applying ice. Hopefully I'll be able to run in my school's Jog-A-Thon on Wednesday! My sponsors are counting on it! Plus I've told the older kids that they'd better not let an old(er) office lady outdo them .

29 April workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Apply ice
Berate myself for overdoing it

*sigh* I. Press. On.

 

[NancyTree]

 

[Fremen]

Healing vibes

 

[TopNotch]

 

[Anek]

Healing vibes!

 

[Mamatigerj]

 

[Lady Celerity]

Checking in again. Thanks for all the healing vibes @NancyTree @Fremen @TopNotch @Anek @Mamatigerj.
My back was feeling pretty good yesterday for the Jogathon. Considering I haven't run in a long while I think I did well. In our allotted time I ran 19 laps, or just under 2.5 miles (3.86 km). Even better, I outdid most of the 12-14 year olds I was running with! I'm sure it was a lack of motivation on their part.

Today my hips are a little sore but I feel better than I thought I would. I'm being careful not to aggravate my back so kept today's workout fairly lightweight.

2 May workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Super Easy Workout - Level 3
Core Strength - day 27

A belated Happy May Day to you all!

 

[Anek]

Congrats on outrunning the teenagers!

 

[Lady Celerity]

@Anek thanks!
Rant warning Today work was particularly bad. Actually the last two weeks have me considering applying for another job. I just can't work in such a chaotic atmosphere and be expected to get so much done, tasks which were never on my original job contract. I've been working lots of overtime which means I'm behind on things that need to be done at home. I'm just feeling really angry about it all. Rant over

There's a chance of SNOW tonight/tomorrow!! Isn't that weird? I doubt we'll see more than a flake or two but still, my poor garden plants don't know what to do.

3 May workout:
PT exercises - 15 min
Exercise of the day - perfect for today's mood!
Ok, deep breath...all will be okay. I press on.

 

[NancyTree]

 

[Fremen]

 

[TopNotch]

Bad work situations are very draining. It's easy to say because I'm not in your position, but if you do nothing about things, nothing is going to change. Perhaps people don't realise that they are giving you tasks you shouldn't be doing or how much work you actually have on your plate. Sometimes, a 'no' with an explanation of why not can work wonders. Open people's eyes. You can't expect things simply to change for the better.
Is there another job you can apply for? If so, apply. If you get the offer and it's better than where you are, you're golden; if not, well, at least people will know that you're less than satisfied with your current situation. Easy for me to say, of course, but I'm applying the tough love here. If your best mate was in your situation, what would you advise her? Or your daughter?

 

[Lady Celerity]

@NancyTree @Fremen thank you

@TopNotch I really appreciate your feedback. There is a new job posting that I've been debating applying for. I even did a 'Pros & Cons' list about it vs. my current job. They are about even. But I think I will apply anyway and see what happens.

Today was absolutely beautiful. I took a drive up into the mountains. I didn't want to come back.

Tiger lily



Spring falls


Mountain meadow


Wild iris


Dogwood blossoms


5 May workout:
PT exercises - 15min
EoD - Serenity
Core Strength - day 28

Have a beautiful day!

 

[CODawn]

Awesome pictures!

 

[TopNotch]

Splendid photos! So many people here are excellent with a camera.

 

[NancyTree]

Beautiful photos!