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What’s your word for 2012?

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happy new yearHappy New Year! I love January, it is another new beginning! You can live a life you love-make choices to get you to where you want to be! You can do anything you set your mind to! One thing that helps me in goal setting is to pick a word for the year.

Last year my word was Pursue. 2010 was Create. I encouraged others to think about a word for themselves for the year and frame it and put it in a place they will see every day. I chose my bathroom counter. This year’s word for me is DELVE – as in “Delve in 2012”! I looked up Delve and it means to search for something, or the research or making painstaking inquiries into something.

I have trouble focusing, saying no, over volunteering. I’ve been spread too thin. It has kept me from delving into the areas and relationships where I really want to spend my time. I feel the need to go deeper. Delve. So this is my year.

As I have said before in my Goal setting series, when you set goals for yourself, be specific rather than general.  So that is what I am going to do. I encourage you all to think about some things you want to change or learn this year and take steps to do it. I divide up my goal setting into home, business, creative goals and fitness goals. For creative I am going to learn Adobe Illustrator. I know enough to be dangerous! I am going to master it this year through tutorials and mentors. In 2010/11 I ran 2 half marathons with Team in Training to San Francisco and San Diego. Then I got injured over the summer and couldn’t run for 13 weeks. But it was a blessing in disguise because I really got into Yoga. So I am so excited- I have already signed up for the 40 Day Revolution at Inner Peace Yoga in Tulsa starting January 8. (Yoga 6 days a week for 40 days!) I’m Type A, I have to have goals like this. Oooh, maybe that means I really need yoga, huh? For home I plan on having every room in our house reorganized and decluttered by March 31st. That’s a tough one because home organization is ongoing. I am also setting new goals for my business.

So I guess since I have told you a bit about my goals, I have to be accountable, right? It really helps to be accountable to someone. Last year a friend and I were accountable to each other with our weight goals. So feel free to be accountable to me if you want, or a friend. What are some of your goals? It is inspiring to see what everyone comes up with! I am going to be featuring some of my friends soon and their words of wisdom!

Oh, and what is your word for 2012?

Let the adventures begin!

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team in training jersey partyWe are here in San Diego! Lots of people coming in for the big run-the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon- there will be over 40,000 runners! Here is a pic from our jersey decorating party on Wednesday night.

Wow, I am amazed in just 24 hours the amazing people who have crossed my path. You just never know what people are going through. The guy that sat next to me on our first flight had a mohawk. I didn’t think we would have anything to talk about. Turns out he is so interesting-was in the marines, now has an IT job and is finishing his computer science degree. Then he told us he just went through chemo and radiation for a brain tumor. He was so positive and uplifting. So happy I got to know him. Then while waiting for our next flight we were talking to a guy that was an engineer and was hit by a car and had a brain injury. After he got better, he went back to school and now speaks at events about brain injuries (he was on his way to be the keynote speaker at some convention). Then this morning I got to know the guy at the front desk at the W Hotel (Team in Training puts their runners at nice hotels-we are loving it!) told me he was hit by a drunk driver 5 years ago, went into a coma and died on the table, then came back to life and was told he would never walk again. Six months later he ran his first marathon and has been running marathons ever since! I love it-if you just are friendly to people and take the time to get to know them, you never know what will happen. I just love making new friends. I get so inspired and uplifted by others.

Just got  back from picking up our race packets at the big expo. My nephew and his fiancee live in San Diego and they are running too. They have  been showing us around. Off to dinner and more adventures!

Happy June 1st!

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Happy June 1st cardHappy June 1st my friends! I’m so excited, leaving tomorrow for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon (half for me) with Team in Training! Trying to pack (in my newly organized closet, yay!). We are having a jersey decorating party at my house tonight with the San Diego team and our incredible coach Becky Gilray! We have purple Team in Training jerseys, and we decorate them for the run. A really special thing we do is pin ribbons with people’s names on them. They are people we are running in honor or memory of that has been affected by a blood cancer. I will take a picture of my jersey for you all to see!

Oh, by the way, if you want to send this Happy June 1st card to others, go to the Love tab on my Happy First site! Celebrate a new month! It’s a new beginning!

My Team in Training Journey

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TNT Nike marathonI have become obsessed with running. I just love it. It is a workout you can get just about anywhere. It feels so great just to grab your running shoes, run out the door, and just go. I love the adventures I come upon (like the copperhead in our woods last week) and the new ideas I come up with while running.

My first exposure to TNT

Let me tell you about Team in Training (TNT). You never know where the people you meet will lead you. In May 2007 I launched Happy First. Jason Ashley Wright, our local style reporter/columnist (he’s the best!) wrote a full page article about Happy First in the Tulsa World in August 2007. I was thrilled! What great exposure! Angie Smith, whom I did not know, read the article and called me to see if I would be interested in donating to her fundraising event for TNT. She read that Happy First gives to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) and that is what TNT does-fundraises for LLS by training for and running in destination races all around the world. She was having a social event called Life by Chocolate where people would attend, have drinks and chocolate and other desserts and participate in a silent auction. I was happy to donate to her auction and my husband and I and cousins even attended her event. I kept in touch with her over the years, donating to and attending her event each year (she even asked me to speak to the group). I didn’t imagine that someday I would be a runner for TNT too.

Joining TNT

In 2010 I decided to join TNT-I wanted to become more involved with LLS and I wanted a fitness goal. I love to run but wanted a reason to run. I had never done a half marathon before (the most I had run was years ago-the Tulsa Run-9 miles) but wanted to go for it. I signed up for the TNT Nike San Francisco Marathon that took place in October 2010. Our group met every Saturday morning and our coaches had everything mapped out for us. It was fun making new friends and having someone to run with. It wasn’t always easy getting up early on Saturday mornings. But something about having the goal and new friends to run with kept me going. I was growing through discipline, perseverance and dedication. I felt like I was changing-I was becoming a more serious runner and my mind set was changing too!

I had learned so much-my coaches Angie and Becky Gilray (she is so awesome too!) have taught me new things about running. I didn’t know anything about carb supplements, hydration, how to handle hills, etc.  I have emailed and called them with questions and sometimes little aches and pains and they have gone above and beyond with research and help in any way. I really appreciate how they cared for us. They had to get up even earlier on Saturdays and plan for us!

The Nike San Francisco Women’s Marathon

Our big event was in October in San Francisco. LLS flew us there and we stayed in a super nice hotel. It was so exciting! There were over 20,000 runners in this event. The proceeds from the Nike run went to LLS and they raised over $13 million! (With the help of generous friends and family I was able to raise over $5000!). My friend Jana went with me and we stayed a few extra days and went to Napa (I had never been). It was such a fun trip.

The San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon

So now I am hooked! Now I am training for the San Diego Rock and Roll (half) Marathon on June 5th. We just did our long 13 mile training run Saturday  (And I am sore- thanks to Aaron for going at a faster pace than I am used to!) It has been a bit frustrating this spring because I have not been able to run with my TNT group as much because my mom has been ill and I have been out of town a lot. But the great thing about running is you can do it anywhere, so I have been training wherever I have been! And today I am in Dallas to be with her and I am about to head out the door to run. It is fun to run in different places.

So if you want a running goal and some friends to run with, check out TNT! My personal TNT site is  http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntxok/rnr11/dvinyard . Feel free to donate if you would like, but I am not writing this to ask for donations, but to spread the word!

Where’s the balance in life?

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I want to blog regularly and life has been crazy lately. I keep thinking I have to have perfect conditions to sit down and share with you. (I am having trouble typing right now because my cat keeps nudging me for attention!-sorry I get easily sidetracked, my friend Linda says we have Bright Shiny Object Syndrome-we get easily distracted!). The needing perfect conditions got me thinking about how I am always seeking this magical balance. I am realizing it doesn’t really exist for me but that is ok, I need to just roll with it and be happy! Which I usually am happy, just frustrated because my To Do list is always so long.

Is it just me or do you all have problems saying no and then getting overwhelmed with commitments? This year is crazy for me-I am making big exciting changes with  Happy First, I am the chairman of our local Charity Ball, I am a runner and Mentor with Team in Training, and I am going to be on our PTA board this upcoming school year. It is all stuff I want to do! And then I didn’t plan on my mom being in the hospital/rehab/or ICU since January 29 and she lives 4 hours away.

I am proud of myself-I actually said NO yesterday (and it was a little hard, because I don’t like to be left out). I was asked to do another position at school that I enjoy. But there is always next year. I think if we spread ourselves too thin, we can’t do anything well and our family doesn’t usually like our grumpiness then!

Then I am feeling totally guilty for having any stress or frustration at all because I have some friends that are going through serious health problems (or their child is) or marriage problems so then I just feel grateful that I can be in the position to have too many fun things to do.

Ok, this is so weird-I have this great book that I read every day and this is an excerpt of what I read today, after I already thought of writing about this topic. “There’s no doubt that we will continue to “run”at a certain pace, for life is very busy for most people. To be able to run through life guided by wisdom means knowing your own best pace and allowing for only the amount of activity that can be done realistically and well.” (ooh, good thing I said NO yesterday!)

So in conclusion, for me, there is no perfect balance, just a happy attitude and gratefulness!

What are your thoughts? Would love to hear!

What is the Happy First Blog all about?

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happy first logo Today I wanted to write about what I envision for the Happy First Blog. I want you to know where I am going with this. I decided to blog so you can get to know me and my brand. Happy First is so much more than cute tees! It is a philosophy, a movement, a way of life. It is living your life to the fullest, living out your potential. I am so happy to have a second chance at life and I want everyone to realize how precious life is and how special you are! I want to inspire you to pursue your passion. I want to challenge you with goal setting ideas.

I want to portray the fun happy life we can all live. I will be featuring inspiring and entrepreneurial stories. I have met so many wonderful people that I have quite a list of people I want to feature! If you have a story, please email me at debbie@happyfirst.com .

Part of the fun life is having hobbies and entertaining friends. I love to have people over and cook, so I will be sharing some of my favorite recipes and other ideas.

I love fashion and style, so of course I will be talking about that too! And I will be telling you the story behind some of my tees. Some have meaning and some are just plain fun! I hope that by wearing my tees and accessories you will smile and be lifted up. I hope that you give Happy First as gifts to spread the happiness!

Also, there is a cause behind Happy First. I give a portion of Happy First profits to leukemia and lymphoma research. I also have become involved with Team in Training, which raises money for LLS by running half and full marathons, triathlons, and other endurance events.

I envision Happy First Blog to be a warm, happy  place you can come to and find friends and exchange ideas. I love to surround myself with outgoing, optimistic and driven people! I think we can help each other in our life adventures!

So, there’s my vision so far. I can’t wait to see where we go with this.

Seize the day!

Fun Fitness Goals!

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It’s Motivational Monday again! This is part two of my health and fitness goal setting.

Last week I focused on a healthy diet, this week I want to focus on exercise goals.

I love to work out, I just was in a rut last year and needed a challenge. I was running some and doing videos that I had dvr’d on FitTv on cable. My favorites are Cathe Friedrich and  Total Body Sculpt with Gilad (I think he has been around at least 20 years!) but I needed to change it up. I still do their workouts from time to time; if you already have FitTv on cable and can dvr, this is a great free option!

Choose a fitness plan

I needed a new fitness plan to follow: a new goal to work towards and check off each day. The following are some fitness ideas.

P90x workout

I started out with p90x workout. I love it because you can do it from home using their videos. I love the variety. One day is lifting weights focusing on arms, chest, back or legs, the next day is yoga or kenpo (kickboxing) or plyometrics (jumping). Every other day includes a great abdominal If you want to start with a version that is not quite so extreme, try the  Power 90 . P90x can be an hour+, the Power 90 is 30 minutes. Check them out.

Running

About 6 weeks into p90x I decided I wanted to get involved with Team in Training (TNT) because they contribute to my cause, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) and I love to run and wanted to be outside. I decided to train for my first half marathon, which I completed in October. I did the San Francisco Nike Women’s marathon. It was incredible!

So even though p90x is a 12 week program and I only did 6 weeks, it is ok to switch goals as long as you are doing something! After my October run, I switched back to p90x this winter because I don’t like to run in the extreme cold. Now that it is warming up I am running again, training for the San Diego Rock and Roll half marathon in June with TNT.

I am not saying jump in and train for a half marathon. Set small goals like running a mile and then entering a 5K-there are lots of runs to choose from. Find a buddy to run with or join a running group.

Yoga

Another form of exercise I do that is essential for me is yoga. It is a great workout and just the balance I need. I need some stretching to balance the running and the weights. I go to Inner Peace Yoga in Tulsa (they carry the Happy First line!) and their classes are wonderful. They have a variety of classes for every level. Another thing I love about yoga is it is nonjudgmental. You focus on what you can do and don’t worry what the other person is doing. Every one has  their own journey. Inner Peace has a  happy atmosphere! It is fun to see familiar faces; the friends there keep me going.

Golf

I also love to golf. I love to be outside and have fun with friends and work at getting better at something (I have a long way to go with golf, but still love it!) I started out with some friends that were at the same level as me and we took lessons together. We have a blast.

Fitness Club or group

There are many good fitness clubs out there. My friend Lori loves Gold’s Gym because there are so many classes (spin, weights, yoga) to go to. She also likes the pool since she is training for a triathalon. My friend Erica owns Fitbootcamptulsa in Broken Arrow, OK. A group of moms meet at 5:30 am every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and have a different challenging workout each time. It is great to have a group to be accountable to and have fun with!

Pick a form of exercise that is fun and works for you. Set some goals within that plan. Get out there and do it! You will feel so much better!

What fitness ideas do you have?