The Don’t Quit Poem

When things go wrong,as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudgingseems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

Back At It

After my lil whinge about my sore arm from being prodded with a needle, I didn't get back into the gym at all last week.

Friday and the weekend was all about cardio, cardio, cardio! An RPM class, an 8km run, a walk and some time with the bike - I slept very well :)

I took some progress pics and was blown away by the changes. Mind you the comparisons were from beginning of January... but still, I didn't feel like too much had changed, so it was a very welcome surprise!

My arm is sporting a nice blue/green bruise which has somehow extended down my arm to places nowhere near where the needle went in... I had someone ask me if a blunt needle was used - it felt like it! A runner friend who takes blood said she must have went thru the vein and 'bled me'. Lovely. Anyway... over it now! Does make a nice bruise though ;)

Trained leggies yesterday (and it hurt to hold the heavy deadlift bar... oh my poor vein) ;) but my peaches and hammies are sore-as today, so it all worked.

Today was skin-fold day and holy dooly, they were all down again from only a week ago. I know it will really start to slow up now, but every ml counts! My trainer thinks my upper body is pretty muchly in comp shape. Subtle hint to my ass - MOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Then he proceeded to smash me with a session. Love it :)

Enjoy hump day! Short week - YEEEHA!

Best Job Ever!

My sister and her hubby went to the Gold Coast Friday afternoon for her best friend's wedding. They decided not to take bubby so nana moved into their house for the weekend. My sister is like me - a total control freak, so there was a daily detailed agenda (she used to write up job descriptions, so you can imagine!), and more than enough expressed milk to feed four babies!

I was chief of baby-sitting and Little Miss was in very good hands. She told me so. I think she must be starting to recognise me as I always get the biggest, hugest smiles! That, or she's laughing at me ;)

So we had lots of fun all weekend till mummy and daddy came home on Sunday afternoon. It was the bestest fun job ever!! I'm so totally in love with her! :)

OUCH

I visited my doc yesterday and she ordered some blood tests.

I went to the pathology straight away instead of putting if off for days like I usually do.

For the first time ever, IT BLOODY HURT!!! Although the nurse did say I had an awesome vein to suck it from. ;)

Only after I was done I saw the sign saying "no heavy lifting including handbags and groceries". Damn damn damn... just to check I asked if that included doing weights at the gym (ya know, just in case...) and the response was a blunt, "er, no".

:(

Today my arm is so so sore, I can't even straighten it or clench my fist and it's turning a nice shade of purple. I don't think I'll be lifting heavy stuff today either :(

Enjoy your Fridays :)

What a week!

So after Cyclone Ului swept through (and lucky it didn't bring its A-Game!) I was pretty bored at home with no power.

I read a few mags, no one was answering my calls or text messages so I was getting cranky (later realised alot of services were down!), I was a bit like a caged animal so at 1pm I decided to just get out and goooooo.

So I ran for an hour. Through town, past restaurants - and the ones that were open were packed as there was no power in most of the town still. Red Rooster was rocking, McDonald's drive-thru caused traffic jams onto the major roads. How convenient that those places get their power back.

After a cold shower I visited my sis and bro-in-law who also had no power; so had a very hot, irritable little bubby girl.

I got my power back on at 6pm Sunday night, and I was a lucky one. I had someone stay with me as they had none... and then again Tuesday nights, and to this day, they're still not connected!

The pics above are at a park close-by where I take training sessions. Those trees are HUGE and OLD... and you can't tell but there is a walking/running track under the mess on the second pic. The park was flattened compared to what it normally is!

Anyway - what an experience!

*****************

Had my skins done again Tuesday and again they were all down! WHOO HOOOOOOOO! I'm doing something right :) I know it will start to slow up a bit now, and we're going to do them weekly so I know the changes won't be as drastic. But everything is going in the right direction, so I've just gotta keep the focus, and keep doing the job at hand... one meal at a time; one training session at a time :)

All Gone

Last night as soon as I pressed the "Publish Post" button the power went off (after just typing that we still had it!). Timing was freaky... it was like I pressed the magic button that lost power over the suburb!!

The candles and torches came out. It was impossible to sleep with no fan or air-con working, but I drifted for about 40mins, until about 11.30am it was soooo noisy. Not a chance in hell of sleeping! My dad was on the back deck watching the trees; have you ever seen trees blowing horizontal!?!?!

There was no sleep for a few hours - the window above the bed I was in was rattling; I had horror thoughts of it caving in on me... The peak of it was about 1am and there was no letting up for a few hours.

We all managed a few disrupted hours sleep later in the morning, from pure exhaustion.

We were lucky, no major damage. Mum just brought me home to my unit (I just wanted to be here all nite!! It's so hard being away from your own stuff, especially through things like that). THANK GOODNESS I only have a water leak at a window, so soaking carpet in my spare room is the extent of it for me.

Powerlines are down; trees are down everywhere; some major roads are blocked. It's incredible to see. Fortunately there doesn't seem to be any major destruction, although there's no power over town so I have no idea what the TV is showing!

My uncle lost his little shed; a few people had them blow away. We're very lucky it was only a category 3 cyclone.

My lappy toppy battery may die, so best be off. All's good here, can't wait for the power to come back on so I can see what's doing round town!

All safe, ta again for the well-wishes. Can't believe I've actually been through a cyclone.

It's Nearly Time....

The 9.50pm update.

I could so be the next weather chickie huh!!

Raining heavy... wind is howling... 1am is expected 'hit' time....

I'm lucky where I am, I still have power. A few of my friend's houses lost it three hours ago... At least I can net-surf and continue to 'scribble' (thanks Mel!!) ;)

I'm gonna attempt to sleep, although I don't think anyone here will get the chance to do much of that tonite!

Thanks for the well-wishes guys - I'll be back in the morning with the outcome :) We've been told to expect to stay indoors until at least midday... booooring! LOL!

Sweet dreams! xx

And closer it comes...

This is the updated image as at 5.00pm.

Expected to hit in the early hours of the morning. Man, it's windy out there already!!!!!!!!! Radio announcements are saying to be where you plan to spend the night by 7.00pm.

So I succumbed and I'm at my parents. They didn't want me home alone, and I was getting scaredy-catter by the hour.

My naughty little brother is still out surfing.... there's no telling some men. I've called him and left a message, hope he gets his butt home soon.

Nothing much to do except wait. And watch TV. And I'm already sick of both ;)

Fasten your seatbelt, it's gonna be one hell of a ride....

Here Cyclone Ului comes. It certainly hasn't fizzled to nothing (as I mentioned last post) and the whole town has taken it very seriously. There is no water or tinned food left on the supermarket shelves.

The cyclone is expected to cross the coast early Sunday morning........

It's a little bit scary; I've never been through anything like this before! I was co-incidentally out of town for our region's heartbreaking 2008 floods. I'm not quite sure what to do...??

I had plans for someone over tonight, but we decided it would be better to stay at our own houses... just to keep an eye on things. Mum has asked me to go there, but Max doesn't have any shelter at mum's house. (Max is my car ;) ). I may be able to go to my friend's house that was to come here; provided I get picked up or my car fits in the garage. I can't do anything more at home but wait - I just don't want to be alone... it's a little scary!!

Strangely enough there's been no rain today; it's very overcast/dark and windy (no surprises there). I was up at 5am and there was nothing better to do than go for a run, so for 50minutes I pounded the pavement. It's the best run I've had in a long time - I felt so STRONG! YAY, I must be coming back. That, and the diet has been spot on - good, nutritious, fuelling foods :)

Cyclone threat or not, you can't do much about it, so I did some shopping as well... then went into work and did a major back-up of all my systems, just in case!

Now it's just the waiting game....

This little lappy-toppy will be getting packed up very soon as staying close by me, lots of stuff on here that I can't afford to lose!

Sooooo see you all on the flip-side! Hope and pray for us that the winds are kind and there's little destruction, and most importantly that everyone stays SAFE.

Time for me to put those wheelie bins somewhere indoors. :)

I need 27 hours in a day!

And another period of time has passed. Where do my days go!? And on that, I was just told today that easter is just over 2 weeks away.... NOOoooooooooooo the year is flying!!!

You know just when things are all going great, there's always something that happens to disrupt the happy little world. Well yep, work did it to me again, and we're not quite over the hurdle just yet. Need to remember to turn every negative into a positive. It will all work out in the end. And Breathe! Been a little bit stressy the since my birthday but there is a light.

So along with that came.... ding ding ding, round TWO of the summer flu! Go me, I'm on fire with harvesting all the nasty bugs. As soon as the razor blade throat came on, and woke me at exactly 2.22am Tuesday morning (what's with that time?!) I smashed the pills, so managed to skip the crappy part of the flu, and now it's just coming out of my nose. Lovely.

********

Training is going well. Infact, I did a 5km Club Championship race on Sunday (where all the 'guns' come out to play as it's for trophy points). In the past 4 weeks since my three-week bout of the flu, I've run about four times - most of those being reduced to a walk. Since December I've done ONE sprint training session, so wasn't expecting to pull any magic numbers. Wasn't even sure I'd crack 5minute kms.

When that gun went off, the sleeping, competitive little biatch came out to play and I pulled out a 23:50 race. Shocked? A little. Only 54secs off my fastest time ever from years back.

Not running and being sick really works for me ;)

Two of the boys I do sprint training with did massive times; a 17:22 and an 18:35 (yea I run with fast boys...) so we went out for dinner to 'celebrate' (I went wild with chook and veges). I wasn't there for the food... how good did I look dining with two fit men!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;) Shame no one I knew was at the resturant to see ;) LOL.

Weights are going well - I'm liking seeing all the arm veins again. Keep burning fat, keep burning.

*****

So there's a cyclone coming this way. Just like every other year. We all get so complacent. But this one is different... so everyone is cleaning their yards, doing the cyclone grocery shop. All I have to do is bring my wheelie bins in. Easy! Oh and the pegs, they may become very dangerous flying missiles.

Hope it all fizzles to nothing... but regardless it's going to be a very wet and windy weekend. *fingers crossed* everyone stays safe!

THE Par-tay!!!!!!!!

I had the bestest fun on Saturday night!

It all started Friday when my bestie flew up; we organised stuff, then Saturday was my actual birthday! I started with a run - best way to start, right

We had just 'stuff' to do, visits to make, then got my hair done and my other friend flew up then it was time to get ready and it was all on

Everyone made an effort with the masks, it was so good to see.

I had a great night, and everyone who attended said they did to. It was only a small party, but the people that matter to me most were there - that's the most important thing to me. :))))

Picture time!
My funky hair! And yes, it's all mine, no extensions. (I get asked that all the time)

Soooo not a poser!

My bestie and I.

Speech time and my yummo cake!

Trying to cut it, and not touch the bottom! ;) You'll see on the table my mummy presented me with a gift I had to open there - which is my Oxygen mag article framed :)

Some of the boys.


Getting a little crazy.

The awesome foursome back together again.

Mummy and her two daughters.

More fun and games.

I have heaps of pics and heaps of memories. I scored some great gifts, but just had so much fun spending time with everyone!

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes via facebook and the texts - I'm going to turn 30 every year!!! xx

4 More Sleeps

ARGH! Till I wave buh-bye to my twenties! Soooo looking forward to my par-tay on Saturday night :) I have a two friends flying up from the Gold Coast just to help me celebrate!

I got my skins done again today and the results made me a very happy chappy! They've come down again this past week - whoo hoo!!

I managed a veeeerrrryyyy slow 8km run in the rain on Sunday. First run in a month, so it was just one foot in front of the other. I'm not out to break records at the moment, but to burn fat. And that's what I have to keep telling myself when the little competitive girl in me starts to play games... :)

Early to bed, early to rise - this princess is needing alot of sleep these days. Must be the old age catching up with me. ;)