My first 5 k! Boy what a day!

 Last April I began a journey. It has been filled with many things. It has made me see a very different side to myself. A side that I never knew existed. A strong determined side. I laid out some very specific goals. I continue to work hard everyday to reach them. Changing my left one step at a time. Learning along the way that I have been very blessed with people who support me. My husband and girls are at the top of that list. The list is one that I am very grateful for. On the list of supporters are my parents, my brother and sister, my nieces and nephews, my Aunt, and my friends. Some friends I haven't seen in years and others I see all the time. As the time for my first 5k approached I was blown away by the messages of support and good luck that I received. Many messages on Facebook and through email. I received a couple beautiful plants with special wishes. I can not even begin to tell any of you just how special these wishes were to me. I greatly appreciate everyones gestures.

Aren't these plants and special crafty touches so ADORABLE???? I LOVE them! I am going to do something special with both the sign and the pennant banner. I can't wait to do it and share it with you!

 Last Saturday night I knew I needed to get to sleep. I knew I wanted to have a good sleep. I had to get up very early to be downtown for the Peace Officer Memorial run. It was my very first event and I just wanted to be well rested. Well let me just say that wasn't going to happen.  I had talked with my brother before hand and he told me don't stress or think to much about it before that day. I didn't think that I was worrying at all. In fact I thought I was in a pretty good place. Well apparently my body thought it didn't need as much sleep as I had planned on. It also thought why don't we let Teresa dream strange dreams tonight. I actually woke up about 15 minutes before my alarm went off. I just got up and started my morning.  On the way to the race my husband asked me if I was excited. I told him yes. I was excited. Once we arrived I looked around for my friends. I found several of them. Some running, some were just there with their families. We were just listening to the Opening Ceremonies and then it was time. The Half Marathon runners left first. As we all lined up I started speaking to a nice lady beside me. I asked her if this was her first 5k. She said she had been in several. She told me that she would be the person that finished last. I'm going to be honest I was relieved to hear that. In my mind my fear was that I would be the last person to finish. Pretty soon they said those magic words, READY, SET, GO!!!!!!!!

  At the beginning I just tried to settle in. I wanted to be comfortable. There are all kinds of people that participate. Many are walkers and then some people do run the entire length, which in this particular case was 3.15 miles. Now the runners finish as early as 20 minutes. These are people that run all the time and are very quick! I just wanted to take this race one step at a time. I knew why I was there. I was there because it was a goal of mine to participate in this particular race. I wanted to honor the memory of our friend CHP Officer Earl Scott.  Let me tell you to me the first mile seemed WAY longer than a normal mile. Once I reached it I felt good.  I could feel people all around me. I could hear them. Many running, walking and talking. I do not run outside with an iPod. I know many people that do. I made the choice not to use an iPod while running outside after speaking with my brother. He uses one on the treadmill but not outside. He likes to be aware of what is happening around him. I think it is much safer. For me I am not a very coordinated person. The last thing I have any business doing is trying to adjust my music or my earphones while trying to run. This would just be a recipe for disaster. I did notice that many people that participated in the Half Marathon did not have iPods. I do ALWAYS carry my phone when I am out.

As the race progressed I just NEVER wanted to look behind me. The thought of looking behind me scared me. I did not want to look back there and see a couple people. I just kept my head forward and my feet moving. I knew that at mile 2 there was a water station. I just kept looking ahead to that. About 2 blocks before the mile 2 marker and water station there were volunteers handing out water bottles so I took one had a sip and just kept moving. I passed through the mile 2 water station and volunteers were cheering everyone on. At different points throughout the course there would be people with cowbells and signs and they were all cheering. I thought this was so awesome! With just about a half a mile left to go there were two girl volunteers cheering and yelling at the runners so and so is waiting for you at the finish line. Just shouting out names of different celebrities. When I was right in front of them they yelled out " Ryan Gosling is waiting for you at the finish line! " I got a big kick out of this because I actually have a saying that says that posted on one of my Pinterest Boards. My daughter Alissa and I love him. As I turned the corner onto the final stretch of the race I became filled with excitement. I could see the finish line. This was what I have been working towards. Then I looked over and saw my husband and my youngest daughter Holly. As I got closer I could see that Holly had run up a couple of blocks. The look on her face was awesome. It was right then that I began to get emotional. I could see her big smile.

She actually ran out to me and grabbed my hand and ran with me almost all the way in to the finish line. She kept telling me how proud she was of me.  She told me you can do this Mommy! She told me to finish strong just like Chris tells you. She has been with me to some of my training sessions and listens to everything that Chris tells me to do. I really couldn't talk. I could feel her love. It was AWESOME! A little bit before the finish line she let go of my hand and went around to the other side. As I crossed the finish line I had such a rush of feelings. I DID IT!!!! I accomplished what I have been working towards for months. It was such a rewarding and amazing feeling. I received my medal and a banana and some water.

 


As I came around the other side my oldest daughter Tiffany was waiting there for me. My husband was able to snap a few pictures. I was so happy that Tiffany could be there. After I was done I went over to the chairs that my family were sitting in. I sat there and watched the rest of the 5k. As I began to relax I noticed that there were a lot of people left in the 5k. I realized I finished ahead of many people. This was a great feeling. The lady that I met before the race really was the last person to finish the race. We all cheered very loud for her.

Here I am with my medal. I was so happy! A couple days later I made this shadow box as a keepsake. I placed my shirt, bib and medal inside. It is now hanging on the wall in my craft room. I can enjoy looking at it everyday and feel proud of my accomplishment.

I LOVE this saying... It is so true.

I think for me I can honestly say that 1 year ago there would have been NO WAY possible for me to do this. I have worked very hard to change my lifestyle. There are days that it is very hard and then there are days just like this one where I feel like my hard work has helped me achieve something that I could only have imagined before. As I continue this journey towards a healthier life I will look back on this day with much pride. I will remember how it feels to overcome something that I once felt impossible. I will also remember that my life is my dream in the making. I will build on that dream one step at a time........

Fresh from my Garden....Stuffed Bell Peppers

I love having a garden. Last week I had a nice harvest of 6 bell peppers. I knew right away exactly what I wanted to use them for. Stuffed Bell Peppers! I know that the days of my summer garden are coming to and end so I am trying to savor each and every thing that I harvest. When you make stuffed bell peppers you can put anything inside that you like. There are no rules. I will share the recipe that I made up. 

I like to make a sauce first. My family enjoys rice so I serve the bell peppers over rice topped with the sauce. I start by chopping up mushrooms and fresh basil. I also chop up a clove or two of garlic. I start by putting the garlic in my skillet with a little bit of Olive Oil. I sauté the garlic until lightly browned and then I add the mushrooms. I also use a bit of sea salt at this time. 

I add diced tomato at this point. I use 1 large can. I like to add a little bit of sugar to my sauce. Using sugar helps to counter act the acid from the tomatoes. I use about a teaspoon. I let this sauce simmer for about 20 minutes. The sauce is ready after this.

For the filling I make some rice and just eyeball the amount I like to use to put inside the pepper. I had some baked chicken left over so I chopped it all up and mixed this with some sauce and rice. I do not use a lot of rice but you can use whatever amount you would like.

I then get out my fresh Parmesan cheese and grate away. Once it is grated I set it aside until I am ready for it.

Below is a picture of my mixture that will go inside of the bell peppers. This time I decided to add a small can of diced olives. It helped to give the filling a little something extra. I cut the tops of the bell peppers off and clean out the inside and begin to stuff them.

I put the remaining sauce in the bottom of a pyrex baking dish and place the stuffed peppers on top. I will then top the peppers off with the freshly grated parmesan cheese. I place them into a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes.

The mixture will be bubbling and the cheese will be a light brown color. I remove them from the oven and let them sit a couple of minutes before serving.

My family likes to have their bell peppers served over a bed of rice with some sauce. This is a very healthy and filling dish. I have to say that if there are any left overs they taste even better the next day. There is just something about cooking with sauces that makes them taste even better the next day. This dish is always a crowd pleaser at my house. I can't wait until I have another batch of bell peppers to bring in from my garden.

  I have a busy week ahead of me. My first 5k is coming up on Sunday. To be honest I am starting to get a bit excited about it. I have no idea what to expect. I just know that I am going to go out there and do the very best that I can. I am not in competition with anybody. I am doing this for me. With each step that I take I will be thinking of my friend that lost his life in the line of duty as well as all of the other law Enforcement Officers in our County that have lost their lives in the line of duty. It is a day of remembrance and a way to honor them. It should be a very nice day.

Feeling very thankful and also very blessed.....

When I first started this journey I kept it mainly to myself. My husband and girls knew what I was working towards but other than that not a single person. I explained my reason as to why I needed it to be that way. Since I started my blog and let others know of my journey I have received so much encouragement. I can not begin to express exactly what that means to me. When I started back at the gym I was nervous of everything. I did not want to be looked at by physically fit people in a negative way. I knew that the only way for me to work towards my goal was to be there doing what made me most uncomfortable. I quickly realized that I didn't care what anybody there might be thinking of me or my shape and size. I knew how I was feeling about myself, proud. It takes real commitment to do what I had embarked on. The way that I feel about the gym now is a totally different feeling than a few months ago. I do not find it a scary place. I am not uncomfortable there. I don't feel as if others are judging me. I feel good about being there. It is a part of my life 5 days a week now. 

I have been touched by so many different people. I have received so much encouragement. I get messages from people, likes on my facebook page and comments left on my blog. My friend Nancy leaves me encouraging messages and will even post fitness inspiration to my facebook page. I have known Nancy since we were in Kindergarten. She inspires me with her routine. She works hard. My Mom and Dad ask me all the time how things are going. They are very supportive. My Aunt will read my posts or my blog and always leave me an encouraging reply. I am also blessed by the support I have received from my friends. I have a group of friends that will ask me how things are going on a regular basis. There are no words to describe how much this support means to me. I appreciate it so much.


As I am getting ready for my first 5k I have mixed emotions. I am nervous and I am excited. To most people a 5k might not sound like a big deal but to me it is HUGE! I know full well that to many people 3.1 miles is nothing big. Easy peasy. To me I do not look at it that way. To me it may as well be 10 miles. My friend that participates in events a lot has told me many times that this is a big deal. She tells me often that she is proud of me. I recently had a Birthday. I turned 49 years old. I received a very special gift from a very special friend. I read the card and as I was reading it  I started to cry. She told me that she wanted me to know if she had not already had plans with a certain famous singer ( Justin Timberlake. She LOVES him ) that she would be there at the finish line cheering me on when I run my first Half Marathon in January at my very favorite place on this entire planet, Disneyland. She got me this beautiful necklace. It will remind me every single time that I wear it of the words she wrote in my card. I will definitely be wearing it in January so I can feel her there with me at the finish line. It is a gift that I will treasure always.

I just wanted to take this post and let everyone know just how much your encouragement means to me. I feel very lucky and very blessed to have so many people in my life that believe in me. It truly means the world to me.