Concussions and Survival Camping!

So if you didn't hear the news... I got a concussion about a week and a half ago... 

It was an accident.. no big deal... My head was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when tables were being moved. I didn't realize how hard it hit until monday when my headache and nausea started up again... But the funny thing is when you go to the DR 3 days after the accident he just tells you to rest and take some tylenol for the pain. 

oh... and don't do anything where your head might get smashed again....

ABOUT THAT.....

We had a survivor camping trip this past weekend. Yes, I went with a concussion but got some special treatment since I hadn't healed yet. I didn't have to sleep under the stars and could get a staff member to sub for me for a game if it got to much. I also didn't participate in many of the event because it was just too dangerous running through a dark forest trying to capture the flag. That fact made me sad because I really wanted to have the whole experience. 

This camping trip was INTENSE. We were dropped off of the bus about a mile from our check in point where we had to find our luggage from the huge pile in the middle of the woods, then on to cross the "border" over an "electric fence" all connected together. Then after we completed that obstacle on to customs we went! Customs was customs... except for a crazy "corrupt government"! 

After our team made it through customs (first btw) we treked through the woods to our campsite... thats where I left my team for the night! When I got back the next morning probably around 7:30 am (we were not allowed to have watches) I was astonished at how great the campsite looked!... Bear Grylls would be proud! They even had breakfast going from our rations of rice and beans for the day. Love my Team!!

Plains Tribe (minus 1 south african)

Lots of team building games, beans and rice, and smoke filled everything later We survived. Our team won despite having one with a concussion and one who got injured because of over exertion during a game! We couldn't beleive it! I am super proud of us. We all grew closer to each other and have a better appreciation and understanding of what so many people in this world go through each day. 

I learned that I would probably really love camping like that if we had real food and didn't have to do extreme sports on no food.

I learned that I have learned alot from Bear Grylls and his competetion show this summer. 

I learned that I can't do everything I want.

I learned I have to listen to my body.

I learned that giving your all when it doesn't matter might mean you can't give it all when it really counts.

I learned that communication is everything... and even though we know that we sometimes find it hard to do.

I learned a lot this weekend and I'm glad I got to experience what I did even if I didn't get to experience it all. 

So there you have it! 

My post for the week!

Love you guys!

Chelsea-Lou!

PS... I'm feeling much better!

I fell off the Wagon

When I say I fell of the wagon, I don't mean I just slipped off and landed on my feet.... I mean while I was twirling around in excitement from my success I lost my footing and did a faceplant in the horse poo and the mud... or rather a pizza and mac and cheese.

I started to tell you the whole story but as I was typing it, it all just sounded like a bunch of excuses. Any thing I could say other than I ate a whole pizza and taco bell in one day and didn't exercise or take my Advocare Vitamins would be an excuse. And I am so ashamed.

I am a compulsive overeater and stress plus the smell of pizzas equals disaster for me... every time... and if anyone has ever lived in a dorm during exam week knows that you can escape either of those things.

But I want to you know that it was not a split second decision to order a pizza  or go pick up taco bell. I struggled with the compulsion to do it for literally days before I gave in. Which in turn increased my stress level. I couldn't focus on anything else... like really, I couldn't remember kids names or the date or anything.

So I gave in.

and I regret it. and I'm finding it hard to get back on the wagon... today I just sat in the mud and looked at the wagon and complained about my swollen ankles and Tried to come up with some plan where this will never happen again...

But... The thing is...

It will happen again. I've just got to figure out how to cut my recovery time  considerably. Its like show choir or Guard auditions... they aren't judging you completely on how perfectly you can perform the given routine.... they need to see how quickly you can recover if something unusual happens, because one day it will.

So what do I want you to take away from this?

1. We ALL fail... and sometimes we wallow in our failures.

2. Tomorrow is a new day with no Mistakes in it yet.

3. Its ok if tomorrow has a mistake... just do what you can to make it better than today. 

So yes I fell off the wagon... but in the morning I'm setting my alarm, eating breakfast, dusting myself off and hopping back up on that wagon.

Thanks for reading today.

Hopefully the next post will be more upbeat!

Chels

Its spring!

Its finally feeling like spring and its MAY 8!

and I have been a slacker this spring... Not only in posting but in accomplishing my goals.

don't get me wrong. its been quite an eventful semester: a couple of weddings have taken place and one still to come, each with their own set of festivities, a spring break get away with my aunt to Savannah, GA and Hilton head, a Month long stress related illness that i'm still recovering from, several trips to southern LA and back, not to mention an elderly grandmother who had a spell in January (the same week we welcomed a new baby into the family), seeking God's will for where I need to be come fall and helping out with coordinating our children's ministry at church... oh and a little thing called working in a high school dorm through all of that.

 Whew... I'm sure there is more but my mind doesn't want to remember it all!!

I finally feel like I'm on the upswing of things.

 I mean summer is coming.. and you all know how much I love summer.

I got ACCEPTED to YWAM Madison for a Children-at-Risk DTS that Starts in September. I'm SOO Excited about this opportunity and It has brought an amazing amount of peace with it. You can find out more information about what this is here. I'll probably post on down the road some specifics with my trip and how you can help through prayer and support!

My stress related illness is calming down, which means that I finally feel good enough to try to eat right and actually get moving.

I started my AdvoCare 24 day challenge yesterday and I feel good...  This is a two fold goal for me. I'm trying to get my fitness journey kick started again and I'm using it as a tool to get some consistency in my life because I feel like I'm all over the place ALL of the time. I'm committing to this because I know that wherever the day may lead me I need to follow through with it. It also means making a point to get all of my spark and vitamins and shakes together in the mornings before I start my day.

So this is just an update of where I am these days. I'm going to try to make it a point to write some posts about the things that have happened this semester because I was constantly taking photos and writing them in my head but they just never made it to the keyboard!

Thanks for your patience with me!
Talk to you soon!
Chelsea Lou!

Going G-Free

After having a crazy 5 day long headache last weekend I decided that I needed to do something about it. It had to be what I was eating/not eating that triggered it and wouldn't let it leave. I've had headaches like that when I was in college but I hadn't had one in a LONG Time. I could feel it from the tip of my nose all the way through my shoulders and down to my back, I can feel it now as I am telling you about it. UGH... I was miserable, medicines wouldn't help and I slept all but 8 hours on Saturday (4 to eat thanksgiving lunch and family photos and then 4 to drive back to  and still woke up on Sunday with this nasty headache.

So, I went through my diet last weekend when I was home, and low and behold, almost every meal included some type of flour or wheat product. Knowing that I have a gluten intolerance I immediately knew what needed to be cut out/way down in my diet everyday. Even though the lack of caffeine starts the headaches, if I've had gluten that day it won't simply go away with taking in the caffeine.

Since Gluten is in like EVERYTHING premade I had to do some searching and try some new things. Luckily for me Kroger has a whole section full of foods that are gluten free as well as tags on the price tags that state if a food is gluten free... This is so helpful!

These little meals have been a lifesaver this weekend. They really are delicious and far exceeded my expectations. I've also eaten some gluten free organic yogurt with sugar free caramel sauce, Chicken, Tuna, Guacamole, Hummus, gluten-free rice crackers and lots of carrots for dipping and I don't feel unsatisfied which is a BIG DEAL for this big girl.. I love food.

And guess what.. after 4 days of gluten free eating I feel sooo much better. I have more energy, My fingers aren't swollen all the time and I've lost 5lbs with little effort. I haven't had a headache until today and that was because work started earlier than expected for me this morning so I didn't have time to fire up the keurig before heading out to get the bus.

I wont lie.. its been tough.. especially when student's would have Pizza delivered and it would sit outside my office window or when the waitress delivered those steaming buttered rolls to our table at Logan's. Also when I saw what the cafeteria was serving and I know how yummy that food was.. and it was free but I still had to say NO. but it defintitely has been worth it. 

Now the tough part is figuring out how to keep this up and how I'll do it every day. Like I said.. I LOVE FOOD... and I've just got to work on making the right choices when I am out. I've got to research my options and know what I'm getting before I get to the restaurant so when I see that other yummy thing on the menu it will be easier to say no.

Pray for me as I am on this journey. its gonna be a daily choice and hopefully it will get easier with a little practice. 

Thanks for reading!

Until Next Time!

Chelsea-Lou!

Preparation Under Pressure

Isn't it funny how God prepares us for things and we don't even know it! He's just constantly acting in our lives and many times its through the things that are so aggravating to us. But... we if push through and listen to our gut those are the experiences we look back on and are so thankful that He ordered our steps in that way to prepare us for the here and now.

This has become very evident in my life this busy busy weekend. I'm sitting here in the dark typing this post on my phone. It's almost 2 am on Tuesday morning and my mom is sleeping since its my shift to stand watch over my grandmother who is in the hospital as they are checking her out after a fall this past Sunday.

But ... My amazement starts back on Saturday morning.

If you're my Facebook friend you know we had a couple of dear friends get hitched this weekend and the baking bride and I were helping run the show. I decorated, and did hair and just about any of the forgotten tasks that needed to get done (ex. Covering the ugly black planters and downloading the exit song while the mothers were being seated) while She did such an awesome job coordinating the people and the plan side of things. Anyways, Friday I had a lot of stuff I had to get done so my mind wouldn't stop so I was up after just 5 hours of sleep. We worked until 12:15 am sat getting ready then finally got in bed around 1 am and set the alarm for 7:42( this time allows for 2 snoozes before 8 am actual wake up time) but alas the mind wouldn't stop once I half woke up to turn the pillow to the cold side at 5:30 am. After about 45 mins I decided I'd just get up, get ready, and get a head start. So at 8:15 I loaded my bag in the car and headed to the church where I was the lucky one to discover a default in the alarm(it has since been fixed so don't go trying to break in the church ... You WILL regret it!) after an hour and a half of our earsplitting alarm the techs made it out and fixed us up. At some point in there I realized how gracious God was in letting me get an early start so that satan didn't have the opportunity to steal ANY of the bride's joy or stress her out. They got most of it fixed before she even arrived and we were able to laugh about it while rolling her hair instead of sitting in the car and crying together.

Also the running on just a few hours of sleep the past few nights prepared me so much for this hospital experience being that we were in the emergency room at 2 different hospitals for 14 hours Sunday night. My mom, aunt and I took turns sitting with Mamaw Dot and sleeping while the other kept guard over our stuff. We all got just about an hour total of sleep in that waiting room but it kept us going. If my body wouldn't have been conditioned to the lack of sleep it would have been a much harder task to stay awake and in good spirits.

And finally ... without too much detail... There were several skills I learned last year teaching little ones that have come in handy while caring for Dot that the weak stomachs of my mom and aunt haven't been forced to handle in 10-15 years!!

This fact that God is constantly at work in our lives is one I really needed to experientially learn here lately. The "Why me?" and "Why not me?" questions come to my lips far too often.  God has given this realization to me as encouragement to me to press on through some unpleasant (and they are simply that.. just not as pleasant as I would like...not awful or dreadful or even hard) things right now so I'm better prepared and can handle things in high stress situations later on down the road. Also it's further proof that everything happens for a reason, and although a situation may really stink while I'm living through it, all things work together for those who love Him. And I do! :)

Grace and peace to each and every one of you. Take time to thank God for the experiences in your life that have done some sharpening to make you a better more efficient tool to further his kingdom, and be open to the spirit's work in and around you so you can be a useful tool as well.

Until next time!
Chelsea Lou

A blog I found the night after I wrote this post. It is kinda long the same lines and has a very encouraging video there at the end. Check It out!!
http://brookeespinoza.blogspot.com

I have a skewed self veiw

I am so tired of being fat. 

And... I am not just eating whatever I want and sitting on my bum all the time either. I am eating pretty healthy small meals and trying to stay under my calorie count, but nothing seems to really work without making me bitter towards it or nauseous just thinking about it (eggs...ugh). 

You see, I have PCOS which is pretty much a hormone disorder that has all kinds of symptoms that are oh so frustrating to the women who have it. I got pretty lucky on some of the symptoms like acne and skin tags that have never been a problem for me. But I do have several of the other symptoms like cysts on my ovaries, super fast hair growth everywhere, insulin resistance and major difficulty losing weight. 

That last one is the most difficult one to live with day in and day out. Mostly because the other symptoms would become less evident if I could lose weight. 

Ugh.. Its just a Vicious cycle where there isn't much hope.

I also have a gluten sensitivity that I'm still trying to figure out and work my way around... but thats another story. 

back to the main topic...

I have a skewed self view... but its not in the typical way. 

Many girls/women OVERESTIMATE their body size, meaning what they see in the mirror is bigger in their minds than in reality, but I'm the opposite. 

I think i'm smaller and thinner than I really am. That girl in the mirror doesn't look half bad and she's not that big, and she's pretty cute. I realized this what not actually the case after seeing some photos from a friend's birthday party... I looked HUGE! I didn't even recognize my body in the photo at first... and I was appalled that that is what I actually looked like. 

This may be a hinderance in my weight loss journey because I feel like I don't have that much to lose when I look in the mirror. That is not the case. I have 100 lbs to get off this body to be in good healthy condition. Some girls would love to have this problem, feeling smaller than they are, but its working against me I think. 

A skewed view is a skewed view no matter which way it is skewed. 

So, I'm gonna work on getting a realistic view of my body and my goals so that I can figure this thing out and get / on my way to a smaller less focused-on-weight me. 

Just needed to share!

Until Next Time

Chels

Weigh-in Week 3

Alright Guys..
I made a commitment to weigh-in this week even though I knew that I wouldn't like the numbers on the scale this morning.
Here are the stats:

Weight Loss this week: +1 lbs

Total Weight Loss: 4.5 lbs

Total Loss To-Go: 103.5 lbs

Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be but that means that my mani-pedi is that much farther away. :( 

But today I've gotten back on track, its just another day in which I am sticking to my commitment. 

I made a sign to help remind me to stay on track. Here it is:

If its a little busy for your eyes, it says "What you eat in private you wear in public... Think before you open this door." Its on my little fridge in my room so that I have to look at it each time I walk over to just look and see. 

This week will be better. 

I will make this week better.

Thanks for keeping me accountable!

Chelsea-Lou!!

There is surviving and then there is thriving

God is revealing to me this morning the things he has been trying to get through my head the past week or so. He is teaching me about surviving and thriving and the difference between the two ... and that sometimes (most times) we ask for help to survive when we really want help to thrive.

Here are the definitions of the two words.

To Survive:

1. To remain alive or in existence.

2. To carry on despite hardships or trauma; persevere

3. To remain functional or usable

To Thrive:

1. To make steady progress; prosper.

2. To grow vigorously; flourish

I am a person that is very used to thriving. I do very well at most things I attempt (other than spelling). I thrive and have thrived in most of the settings of my life... but then this week came along and I was miserable...My back went out, my phone was broken, my only source of contact with my support system was facebook and with the time difference I kept missing the people I wanted to talk to the most.

I began to pray to God to give me the things I"needed" to "survive" ... and he gave them to me... a phone that stayed broken, an understanding supervisor and his wonderful wife, pain meds, some amazingly encouraging conversations with my dearest girl friends and lots of time to cry and be by myself before Him... and I did just that... Survived.

But I didn't feel like I was surviving... I felt like I was going crazy and dying on the inside because I am so used to THRIVING that i think my SURVIVING is me actually THRIVING.

It wasn't until this morning after 5 days of praying for strength and healing to survive that what I really needed to be praying was for the strength and healing to thrive!

God is teaching me that sometimes as a child of his he sometimes needs us to be only in survival mode so that other children of his own can thrive, so that his love will be shared with exactly who it needs to be shared with. He needs us to be broken down with no clue what to do next to make things better for ourselves so that he can grow us in a new way that we never even imagined.

Although this week has been the most miserable physically that i can remember (simply because there was so much i wanted to do but couldn't) It will always rest well in my mind the week that God taught me exactly what i NEED to Survive!

All my love

-Chels