A Lot has changed since Lent

I know it has been awhile since I last posted a blog entry and alot has happened since them. Where do I even begin? Lets start with what happened after The Season of Lent! I changed. I changed emotionally, spiritually, and even physically. Its so amazing what 40 days of prayer, fasting, giving, and meditation can do for the soul. God is amazing and he truly blessed me with this life I have. I prayed for hope for life to change and for a sign that things are going to get better. I prayed for faith, faith in myself and my abilities. Finally, I prayed for the loneliness and longing to be near Him to be ever so great. He delivered in so many ways. My Catholic faith is stronger now more than ever. I try to attend Mass every Sunday, and my week is off without The Body and The Blood of Christ. I am a better person now than ever. No more do I take things sitting down, I stand up for myself. I do believe The Lord helped with freeing my life of the things that were bringing me down, and I'm sad to say it, but even the people in my life who were encouraging the negative. I definitely found out who my real friends are.

When we put our cares in His hands, He puts His peace in our hearts

Now, to my fitness journey. It continues almost daily! New goal to reach now is 125 lbs. Ive been stuck at 132-134 lbs for about 5 months now and its super frustrating! I completed P90X2 in May 2012 and gained more muscle than anything. Almost done with Brazilian Butt Lift in a hybrid currently with Les Mills Pump. I LOVE THIS combination, don't think my arse has ever hurt this much. That can only mean one thing...ITS WORKING!!! Bah ha ha ha!! I guess for now, I should focus on toning, sculpting, and maintaining the weight loss. The last thing I want is for my weight to creep back on slowly, little by little. That would be a TRAVESTY!!

Needless to say, I bought another Beachbody program for my birthday. Should have it soon, so I can embark on the RevAb workout next. I will try to keep everyone afloat in regards to my progress. When I started the fitness journey almost 2 years ago, I would have never thought I would be this small or this healthy, but here I am and I cant give up now. Hell! The way I look at it, my journey has just begun!

Now in the area of my job, this has been one of the most stressful areas of my life. Its definitely tested me in more ways than one. Alot of changes in this aspect. I found that in this area I was being very passive and alot less aggressive. People were bullying me and I was letting it happen. I was being called into my "principal" office alot for mindless stuff. I felt like I was being picked on, still do sometimes. But after some reflection and prayer, I realized that there is nothing I can do about the ridicule and picking on but to shut the door, literally. I go to work and shut my office door and do what I am paid to do. WORK! I don't go and play desperate housewives with my co workers with a cup of Joe in my hands. I found that its much easier to just do the job and go home. Now, I do realize that some may think that I am being rude or that I think I am better than them. This is not true. I just don't need the drama and if it means cutting my losses and shutting the door than so be it, honestly, life at work is better this way. I also found out who my real friends are this way too. I'm sad that I lost one who meant the world to me, and they would have stood next to me at my wedding someday, but this isn't the case. I don't know what I did or why they stopped talking to me but I guess I can look back on our memories and remember the good times we had, I do miss them. People come and go throughout our lives but its the ones who make the effort to stay who really are the ones you want around for a lifetime. One in particular is like a big sister to me, don't know how life would be without her! She tells me things like they are and can instantly snap me back to reality, she's a real friend.

Things are better when you shut the door to the drama, gossip, and fakes...Life is better :)

The one area that I know all my twitter followers and facebook friends are all curious about...think I have to change the blog name, cause this Texan is no longer single!! Yep, its true. I have been blessed with the most amazing man a girl could ask for. He is smart, sexy, romantic, has a college degree, and CATHOLIC!!!

I cant say that I wasn't looking, because I was. I was actively looking and praying for someone like this man to come into my life. I knew exactly what I wanted and I wasn't going to settle for anything less. I didn't think I had to. I joined Match.com on April 19, 2012 and even paid for the 6 month guarantee. So, the journey began. I "winked" at the Lt.first and he winked back, then emailed. we emailed back and forth for awhile before he asked for my facebook. Then we became friends on there and messaged awhile on there before he finally asked to meet me. Ive met guys before through dating sites in the past, but I was a bit apprehensive about it this time. I went to reconciliation and asked Monsignor for guidance, he told me exactly what I needed to hear! So, I trusted in the Lord and followed my heart. It's a fantastic thing I did because Lt. makes me a better version of myself and I find myself slowly letting my guard down and I can honestly say I am falling for him :)

This is where I am in life. All I can really do is pray that God is leading me on the right path of life. That all these new adventures that are happening and all these changes that I embark on are for the better. I pray that God sends Angels to surround me and show me the way that He has mapped out for me. As I embark on my 26th birthday, I pray harder for everything that I have been blessed with and I thank God for it all! I pray for forgiveness and I know that He will never leave me or Lt. because now its now its not just about creating my life but a life with someone else. That all the choices I make reflect Lt. in a positive way too. Lord, give me strength to have integrity in this relationship, patience for the long periods of time we are away from each other, loyalty, and above all a relationship with our Catholic Faith at the core, always.

My Catholic Faith, the Season of Lent, and Immaculee Ilibagiza

Lent is starting tomorrow. I cannot tell you how excited I am to start this journey with The Lord. I have never been at a place in my life where I can say that my best friend is God. I have a relationship with Him now and I want to continue to nurture this relationship and I want it to grow. I pray the Rosary everyday and this brings me peace and comfort. I always have a Rosary in my pocket, I cannot leave my home without it. I clutch it tightly when I feel overwhelmed with work or life and ask God to help me. I don’t know how to describe the serene feeling I get when I am deep in my Rosary. Then I just talk to God, The Blessed Mother, and Jesus. I just talk and let all of my concerns, pains, sufferings, tribulations, and any good news out on the table. There is nothing that I don’t talk to God about. I fully trust Him!! I pray everyday that my heart opens and let Him know that he can come in; I pray that my ears open even more so that I may hear His voice calling to me, my mouth that every word that comes out of it is not evil but pure. When I ever feel that I am being tempted by the Devil, I close my eyes and pray for God to protect me. The best shield I have is my prayers. I haven’t always been this way, I can tell you it's been quite a journey to get to this place. To get to a place where I can just leave my life in the Lord's hands, took me 25 years!

I know what your thinking, why the sudden change? Well, I was told by someone that they didn’t like who THEY were when they were around me. This hurt but it also spiraled me into a place where I had to reconfigure who I was. If they didn’t like who they were maybe I need to change. I began to pray. I prayed for strength mostly at first. With the Help of a Novena to St. Joseph, (just in case you don’t know what a novena is…A novena is the reciting of powerful prayers and devotions for a special request over nine consecutive days. Traditionally, a novena included praying, fasting, and meditating) I prayed for strength. Losing this friend still pangs me from time to time but with the help of my Catholic faith and St. Joseph the pain has slowly started to diminish. Then I prayed a Novena to St. Jude and that’s where I found how Great the feeling of being Loved, protected, and trusting of someone. St. Jude is my patron Saint; he brought me back to life and reality and closer to Our Lord. So, that’s what brought about my sudden increase prayer and faith.

From there it continued upward. My Church is having a Catholic retreat with Immaculee Ilibagiza on March 9, 2012. She wrote a book called “Left to Tell” and my Mom told me that I needed to read this book before we went to see her. So I bought it on my Nook and was introduced to a whole new way to look at my Catholic Faith. I have never cried so much or re-evaluated my life so much while reading a book. Even writing about it now is bringing tears to my eyes. Happy tears. Immaculee suffered so much during the Rwanda genocide but forgave the man who killed her family, forgave all the Hutu’s who committed murder, and forgave the Pastor when he would talk down to her. In the book she states that she would pray…and she prayed…and she prayed! She stated that she began to feel The Lord’s presence around her. She would pray the Rosary everyday with her Father’s red and white Rosary that he gave her before sending her to the Pastors house to hide. She stated that this brought her safe and that she felt at Home. She stated that God was with her and she could feel Him. She lived in a tiny bathroom with 7 other women for 3 months with nothing but her Faith to keep her going. Through prayer, Immaculee survived and gained an everlasting friendship with The Blessed Mother and Our Lord. The entire book made me cry because I realized how badly I wanted that relationship with God. And so, I prayed…and I prayed…and I still pray!!

"God never shows us something we aren’t ready to understand. Instead, He lets us see what we need to see, when we need to see it. He’ll wait until our eyes and hearts are open to Him, and then when we’re ready, He will plant our feet on the path that’s best for us . . . but it’s up to us to do the walking"
I’m not one of those Christians who will go around to preach the good word, but I do believe in my Catholic Faith. In fact I believe whole heartedly in the Apostle’s Creed of the Catholic Faith.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

I began to go to Reconciliation after re-evaluating myself. The first time I went in January 2012, I cried to Monsignor and asked for absolution of all my sins. Then I went again the next week and cried some more and sat with God at adoration and prayed. I continued to go and this last weekend at confession, I felt at Home and I didn’t cry I smiled. Monsignor hugged me and kissed my hand, He told me that God Loves me and I will always be His child no matter what sins I commit and that He was proud of me. He then stated, “Welcome Home” I smiled and kissed Monsignor’s cheek and sat with God in adoration without tears but happiness. And so, with the Season of Lent upon Me I am giving myself to The Lord. I am going to pray the Rosary every day when I awake and again before I go to sleep. When I feel like the Devil is talking to me, I will close my eyes and pray. When I think about wishing ill of someone, I will pray. When life just seems to get the best of me as it sometimes will, I will PRAY! I want to grow in my Catholic Faith and Let God in. Jesus, I Trust in You.

When all seems lost and there is no hope...WORK OUT!

Soooo, today has been rough and I have so much on my mind. Most importantly, I am missing my friend like a fat kid misses cake :( so much so, that my heart is hurting. What am I to do about it so that I don't think about missing this friend...I WORK OUT!!

I pushed play 3 times today and ran 8.03 miles this morning. At lunch did some INSANITY Pure Cardio, got out of work early and pushed play with Tony and some P90X2 Power and Balance. After this workout, damn it if I didn't have more energy (thank you results and recovery formula), did me some Turbo Fire 45!! I ROCKED THE SHIT OUT OF TODAY!! I really don't care if I'm going to hurt tomorrow...WORTH IT!


Stop wasting your hard earned money on gym fees...THIS is how I lost 83 pounds!

Ive turned to my Catholic Faith alot lately. When I'm sitting in Mass or at Adoration with God, I feel like a weight has been lifted and that He is speaking to me and when I pray to Him in the AM and at night, I feel that little flicker of Hope from Him telling me that this pain I'm feeling and the hurt that I'm carrying will pass. With a tear that falls from my face after my evening prayers/Rosary, I let out a sigh and know that He will take care of me and the Everything is going to be OK. It may rough right now, but I believe that He knows my hurt/pain and will take care of me :)

"...but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint."

-Isaiah 40:31

I know there's sunshine behind that rain, I know there's good times behind that pain; Can you tell me how I can make a change? I close my eyes and I can see a brighter day; I close my eyes and pray;  I close my eyes and I can see a better day.

Where has time gone?!

It appears as if I have neglected to update my blog in a long time. Alot has happened in my life. I'm trying this new thing called GROWING UP! Ha! More like letting go. Its not easy at all and Im trying really hard here. Thats a whole new blog post though. My life has been great. I have become a bit OCD lately and reorganized my entire house. There is a place for everything and everything has a place...everything also has a label. Seriously, everything has a label! Its not just OCD in regards to my belongings, I am dedicated to my workouts these days. Ive also been getting alot of shit in regards to how much I workout an how much I am losing. To them I want to say that I'm not too skinny and if they think that theyre crazy! I am in fact healthy but not skinny. If I was skinny, you would be able to see my bones...you cant. I also get that people think I have Body Dysmorphic Disorder alot...This pisses me off!! I can stop and I know when to take a rest day. Its all about pushing myself to the limits and knowing my body. I have never in my life fit into a size 4 or been under 150 pounds, I have no intentions of ever going back to that big. I am in THE best shape of my life! Yep, even better than High School :D Without "magic pills", I got this way with Hard Work, Persistance, Dedication, and the old fashioned way...EXERCISE! You only get one life, Make the most of it...You only get one body...Take care of it! Let me break it down for ya...I am up at 0400 and out on the road at 0415. I run on average at least 6 miles a day and on Saturday's its a LONG run day. Which means, I run no less that 10 miles...unless there is a race that day. I love running, If you would have asked me a year ago if I was a runner I probably would have laughed in your face. Today, I am a RUNNER, my day is not the same without some milage. After my AM run I eat a BIG breakfast to get that metabolism started, shower, coffee, and get ready for my day. By 0700, Im sitting in my living room watching The TODAY show. I workout again at lunch. This varies and depends on how I am feeling as to which workout I do. Usually its a HIIT with TurboFire just to keep that metabolism going :) Finally after work its the primary program that I do that workout for the day. Currently, I am doing P90X2. Incredibly difficult program!! Honestly, I dont think I would be able to do the program had I not completed the other programs. I am only on Phase one week 2, but I can see a difference and have dropped 6 pounds so far. I am at 135 right now. I know it may seem like I do workout alot, but this was a lifestyle change all the way around. I dont eat red meat at all and Shakeology is part of my diet daily. Tons of fruits and veggies and mostly organic/gluten free food. I cut out milk all together and will only drink coconut milk. Alcohol is in moderation and usually liquor only because it has less caloric intake. The best advice Ive gotten from Turbofire, WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU EAT! Ive found that this has helped me tremedously in losing the weight. But enough about my weightloss journey.

Life in general is overall good. I'm trying to branch out and make new friends. Joined the Runner's club here, would be fantastic to meet others who share the same passion as I do!! My finances are good too. I want to branch out more and make some investments. So if anyone has any advice in regards to doing this, please let me know. Ive thought about checking out the online stuff, like fidelity, but I think I may have to do some research before I chunck some of my savings into this. Will keep you posted on what I do here. Also starting to really clamp down on my credit. I got my score and well its pretty awesome!! Something to be proud of, its the little things. I requested copies of my credit reports from the 3 big firms that look at that: Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. You can get yours too for free at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ You can pull all three from here.Not all are the same so check them for mistakes and accuracies. Letting a mistake slide can cost you anywhere from extra interest fees to a hit to your credit score. So I highly suggest you do this and Im sure Suze Orman would agree. :)


As far as still being single, well I am. Given all the changes Ive made for myself, I want to say I am ok with being alone for now. and Maybe someday my prince charming will come but maybe he wont. For now, I will continue to work on me.

My High School Body aint got Shit on my Beachbody ;)

 Here are my stats:

Start - 200 pounds (YIKES!!); Size 18

Now - 141 pounds (Better!); Size 6

November 2, 2011 - Insanity: The Asylum

- 40 pounds and counting...

BIG DAY!! WOOT!! Unless I hit 50 next month...

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!! 

DIGGING DEEPER!!

Aimee Correa

Independent Team Beachbody Coach

Let's connect!

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Email me: aimee_leigh15@hotmail.com

"A lot of people want a shortcut. I find the best shortcut is the long way, which is basically two words: work hard." ~Randy Pausch