Happy Fall.....Change of season....

Once again its been awhile (since the summer) since I wrote a post on my blog. I vowed before to do a better job, but of course life happens and blogging falls by the waste side....

I love summer weather (and the heat) so this fall change is not my favorite....also the change in season means my children are getting older by the minute which makes me sad. Now having two kids I really understand the statement many mom friends told me "time flies fast....they will be 18 before you know it..." I always laughed at that statement but now, I TOTALLY feel what they mean....

My little ones are 3 1/2 and 7 months and both growing before my eyes. They keep my husband and I busy, but we are truly blessed to have great kids....my oldest (Tornado) is a never ending bottle of energy....she's a drama queen although she corrects me daily and says "I'm a drama princess, mama". My little man, is so low key and laid back. God definitely helped balance us out and reward us with a sweet, calm baby, after dealing with Tornado for the past three years :)

Here are some pics of them from Halloween....we had Princess Merida and the Incredible Hulk this Halloween....they both enjoyed the trick or treating and Princess Merida definitely enjoyed some sweet goodies!!

I will be back to write soon!!! (Seriously this time I will)...in the meantime I will keep myself busy with the daily duties of wife, mother, personal trainer, and part-time teacher.....exhausting but awesome :)

Busy Summer (Coaching Again)....

For some reason I just can't get coaching out of my system. I vowed to my husband once we had children I would stop coaching, but three years later, I'm still involved with the game. I really enjoy building relationships with the girls and teaching the game. Its something I've been blessed with the ability to do, and I still cannot find the heart to let it go and walk away. 


We are winding down exposure basketball and starting the second half of July with some major tournaments.  Our major event earlier this month was adidas Nationals held in Louisville, KY. Our girls performed very well going 3-1 over the four days and finished in 5th place. More important than the 5th place finish, a number of our girls got scholarship offers from Division I schools, which is the main purpose of exposure ball. I was very happy for the girls that received interest from schools because of their play in early July. Our team has created a buzz and I hope we live up to expectations and play well again in the 2nd half starting tomorrow evening. Above is the picture of the team I'm coaching (Atlanta Celtics). Below is a picture of me with our adidas All-Americans and the GM of the Atlanta Celtics Girls Division.

This trip I'm bringing both kids, and giving my husband a few days to relive the bachelor life that has been long long long gone....I know he will enjoy being able to workout longer and have a quiet house to come home to the next couple of evenings. We had a good low key July 4th and spent time with my family. Below is a picture of all of us!!

Weighing on my heart.....

On Saturdays, I usually do a date with my daughter and we either go to breakfast or dinner together. This Saturday she begged me to have pizza so I took her to a local pizza place for dinner. After we placed our order for two personal pizzas, she ran to find a seat and we sat down. While she talked about all the memorabilia she saw on the walls, I looked around at the other patrons.
As a health teacher and fitness enthusiast I know the stats, over 60% of our country is overweight or obese. As I preach this and other scary stats like it to my students and friends, I really never truly felt what that meant. While in the restaurant the statistic held up to be true, 2/3 of the people in there eating were overweight or obese and it really made me sad.

I cannot believe a country like ours has just taken our freedom and destroyed our bodies. Granted, I like to eat pizza and splurge from time to time, but I cannot imagine treating my body with disrespect by not putting healthy foods/drinks in it and not exercising. I know obesity is classified as a epidemic in the United States and I don't understand why most Americans don't take charge of their lives and their bodies and become healthy. I'm not saying become a fitness model or body builder, but take charge of your health, by fixing the way you treat your body.

Instead of grabbing fast food on the way home, wake up 10-15 minutes earlier in the morning and create a healthy meal for the slow cooker that will be ready when you get home. Instead of reaching for a soda, drink water with a slice of lemon or orange inside. Instead of spending hours on Facebook, Twitter, or in front of a TV, go for a stroll in your neighborhood in the evening. These small changes can make a huge difference in the way you look, but even moreover in the way you feel. Your body will welcome being treated like a "temple" and increase your energy levels, body functioning, and overall wellness. Even with two kids and a husband, I find the time to workout at least five sometimes six days a week. I also make a point to cook healthy meals for my family at least four some times five days a week. I splurge once a week with my eating (usually on Saturday), but make healthy choices when I eat out as well.
I know as Americans we have the freedom to do as we choose and I respect that right. I wish 2/3 of our country would take a long hard look in the mirror and realize the choices they are making in regards to their health is leading them to an unhappy, unhealthy shortened life. However, if you want to be unhealthy yourself as an adult, go right ahead, but please, please, please don't subject your children to your unhealthy pattern of living. Childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years!!! It truly breaks my heart to see an overweight/obese kid......they are being sentenced to a life of misery both physically and emotionally which is truly unfortunate. Wake up everyone, and please make the choice for you and your family to live healthier happier lives!!!

Here is a guest blog post....enjoy

Having a Village There For You During Difficult Times 

Many people say that it often takes a village to help just one person. While this particular phrase may get thrown around a lot, my experiences in life have made me believe that it truly does take a village sometimes. My daughter, Lily, was born on August 4, 2005 after a relatively normal pregnancy. Throughout the pregnancy and birth, I was surrounded by, what you could call, my very own village. My village was my husband, my in-laws, our close friends, and my entire family as well. Everyone was there to help us welcome Lily into the world on that beautiful day. Everything was truly going so well that I would have never thought that we were really in the eye of the storm. I returned to work soon after the birth of my daughter and found that I wasn't feeling very normal. After about a month at work, I started to feel fatigued, lethargic, and even breathless at times. Some people simply told me that what I was feeling was the after-effects of being a new mother, but I had a feeling that it was something a little different. Because of these symptoms, I decided to make an appointment with my doctor to see what was wrong with me. I had a variety of tests done on me and the culprit of my illness came back with frightening news. This was not just stress that I was dealing with. I was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma on November 21, 2005, which was only three months after my daughter was born. After doing some research, I found that mesothelioma is a form of cancer that actually affects the lining of the lungs. I then found out that this type of cancer is brought on by asbestos exposure. I came to find out that my asbestos exposure happened to me when I was a child myself and that it was coming to haunt me almost 30 years later. My doctor told me that I had just 15 months to live if I did not get treatment for the cancer. I didn't necessarily think about myself when I was being told this news. I was thinking about my newborn daughter and my husband who would have to take care of her if I was not there. Thinking all of these thoughts made me realize that I needed to do anything and everything to get rid of this cancer. Because I knew that mesothelioma is a deadly cancer, we made the decision for me to get the most drastic treatment that was being offered. My parents watched Lily for us in their home in South Dakota while I went for cancer treatment. I went with my husband to a treatment center in Boston to get this taken care of. One of the best mesothelioma doctors in the country performed an extrapleural pneumenectomy on February 2. This particular procedure entailed the removal of my left lung and all of the surrounding tissue. This was then followed by an additional 18 days of full recovery while in the hospital. Obviously, my treatment was not done yet and there would be more to come. In fact, I would be going for chemotherapy and radiation treatments for two months following this procedure. I understand that being a brand new mother is hard, but it is even harder when you also have mesothelioma staring you down every single day. Even though I am cancer-free right now, I would not have made it this far if it weren't for my own personal village of supporters. All of our relatives and close friends came out to help me and to help my parents take care of our daughter those long months while I was away. I saw many of my daughter's first milestones by looking at faxed pictures at the hospital, but these are what kept me fighting the entire time. My fight with mesothelioma has taught me that life is incredibly fragile and should be embraced at all times. While my battle was difficult and the cancer itself a very bad thing, a lot of good truly did come out of my time with mesothelioma.

Heather Von St James is a 43-year-old wife and mother. Upon her diagnosis of mesothelioma, she vowed to be a source of hope for other patients who found themselves with the same diagnosis. Now, over 6 years later, her story has been helping people all over the globe. She continues her advocacy and awareness work by blogging, speaking and sharing her message of hope and healing with others. Check out more of her story at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog

It has been a really long time since I've posted on here....I apologize for being so slack, but life has had me super busy like everyone!! :) Well here a quick family update....we have welcomed #2 into the world!!! Micah was born in April and now our family is complete with a girl and a boy. He's a good baby, only wants to eat and sleep, and I love when he smiles and laughs at me now....I'm very proud of his big sister who has been great with her little brother. She likes to help change is diaper and when he cries she says "what's wrong with the brother mommy?" So of course a second child has been keeping my husband and I busy and always on our toes. Dealing with two children under 3 is hard work, and I completely am in awe of women who do it by themselves or parents that have more than two kids!!! :) I stopped training to stay at home with the new little one. Training didn't pan out like I hoped financially, so I plan on returning back to teach. Paying for one kid is expensive so of course two is definitely more....so even though I enjoyed training and still have a passion for fitness, teaching will help pay the bills. I'm waiting to get my school assignment since I took a year leave of absence. Hopefully I will hear something very soon. I will be coaching basketball again this summer...we head out for tournaments next month, so I'm enjoying my last bit of vacation this June. I will be joining the teaching force in August and hoping to be blessed with the opportunity to personal train again in the near future. Until then, I'm enjoying being a wife, mom x2, and person at peace :) I promise to be better at updating this :)

Quick update......

Well its been awhile, I've been running around almost like a chicken with my head cut off but have had a lot of peace of mind while doing it. I made the leap into personal training and it hasn't gone as smoothly as thought, but it has been interesting. There is tremendous upside to training (my own hours, more time with my little one, doing something I really enjoy) but so far the financial side has not caught up. I know economically many people can not afford things like personal training anymore, but I was hoping it would be a lot more financially stable than it has been. I hope and pray that business picks up at the beginning of the year with all the new years resolution gym goers.....
My family is great, my little one is growing up so fast. My husband and I enjoy her so much as well as each other....I can't believe she will be three in a little over a month and a half...we had a great Christmas (my husband of course got my girl all the gifts she wanted) and I look forward to the surprises and joys of 2012...I promise to be better at keeping this updated in 2012!! :)

Its been a busy, busy summer!!!

Wow, its been such a busy summer, I don't know where to begin!!! Well I'm in full swing at my new job....its been interesting, tough, but very rewarding. I hear summer is a slow time for training, so I'm looking forward to the fall when business picks up. Luckily, I have an awesome boss who has been very helpful and supportive during my time there. There is a great atmosphere at the gym, and it feels like family so far which makes it a great environment to work in. I have a few clients and hope to earn many more with my knowledge and passion for fitness....time will tell.
Outside of training, I've also being coaching summer basketball....that has not been a fun and smooth experience. Unfortunately, I jump into to situations thinking that others involve themselves with kids/coaching with the ultimate goal of helping the kids become better players and people. This naivety as gotten me in trouble twice last summer with one organization and GM that didn't communicate boundaries well. We have since communicated our issues and misunderstanding and found a mutual respect for each other.
Well this summer I got into double trouble with a prideful president of a summer basketball organization. When someone does not have the kids' best interest at heart, that is not a situation for me. Unfortunately all of the drama from coaching has worn me, my husband and my daughter out. I walked away this week and feel complete peace about being at home with my family and not dealing with nonsense. Although I love my team and my girls, I feel walking away was ideal and removed drama from their rest of their summer playing experience. I now have to sit down with my husband to re-examine if coaching is best for me and my family. I enjoy it, but don't want to revisit another situation full of drama and selfish focus instead of it being on the kids!!! :)
Off to spend more quality time with my little girl before my husband gets home....I plan to be better keeping this blog updated!!