Mom works on re-introducing herself

I’m Angela and I’m working on re-introducing myself to you. I’m just a woman who lost 200 pounds (a combined total of 500 pounds with my husband) and fell in love with running who then fell into motherhood. I learned along the way that healthy living encompasses the mind, body, and soul. That’s where I am today. Trying to balance it all and encourage others to tackle the journey they think is impossible. Most importantly, I am a mom to a beautiful 2-year-old who is referred to as Tiny Tot on this blog.

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Weight loss is the catalyst to it all, but that’s not the only thing about me. The journey of weight loss taught me so much about myself that I now apply to all areas of my life. Running is my jam, and I’m continually learning from that journey, too. I’ve run 40 marathons, 65 half marathons, and 4 ultra marathons.

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Tiny Tot keeps me busy and on my toes. I find myself having real conversations with this child that I can only understand. I get what she says when everyone else thinks she’s talking to gibberish. In my free time, you’ll find me pushing her in the stroller because we love to be outside. Or you might discover crouched in the corner, trying to read my latest library lend in between dance party breaks.

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So the next more important thing you should know about me, I LOVE Dunkin Donuts coffee.  I don’t know what it is, but the coffee speaks to me and I must drink it all.  I love going at happy hour to get half-price iced coffees, cold brews, or espresso drinks.  I really dislike Dunkin charges extra for almond milk.  I can’t help that I’m lactose intolerant.

I really use to love to craft, so maybe I should get back into that, but I will always have a love for photography. Things may have changed, but I still enjoy taking a good picture.

I love watching television, and Real Housewives of…anything will always get my attention. If I’m being candid, anything on Bravo will suck me into a tailspin and vlogs on YouTube, too. I love listening to music with the windows down, even though sometimes it too hot to do that in southeast Texas. I may Taylor Swift and India.Arie hard some days. My musical taste spans the gamut of choices.

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I love everything colorful, especially my socks. I’m not a “dressed to the nines” woman. Most days you’ll find me in Vans and a graphic tee. I’ve never worn makeup a day in my life, but I’m completed obsessed with all things skincare.

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I am a business owner. I work with my mom. I take Tiny Tot to work with me, even though that time will soon come to an end. It’s not always comfortable working with family, and some days it drives me nuts. There are times when I’m balancing Tiny Tot on my knee, answering the phone, and typing on the computer all at the same time. I want to show my child that hard work goes a long way and she needs to see what happens with strong black can build over the decades. I’m beyond thankful to have these moments, even in the chaos.

I am on the constant search for perfection, but I must remind myself that I’m not perfect even though I try so hard to be. I am my most prominent critic and my biggest cheerleader. There’s no doubt there are times I’m a legend in my own head, but that only pushes me to new levels in life. I am my own hype man that gets the crowd warmed up. That’s crucial to me because I may not end up doing half the things I’ve done without being my biggest supporter.

I am sensitive. I feel a lot of things. My heart is wide open, and I want to help others. If I don’t feel like I’m helping, sometimes I feel like I’m not doing something right. That doesn’t make me weak. I do feel like I fall behind or I’m not doing something right and I take it hard. that’s the time I have to give myself a pep talk. I am not perfect and I need to get myself space to just lean into life without searching for perfection.

My blog is a place for me to share my stories of motherhood, healthy living, running, and just motivation to tackle the hard things in life. I hope you’ve made it to this far in the post. This is just our jumping off point.

Mom works on re-introducing herself to the world. This is me. Thank you.

Do you mind sharing something about yourself in the comments?  

Friday file: Sunday night edition

Friday file: Sunday night edition

I know, I’m sorry.   I left the blog vacant for a week because I’ve just been tired.  Last weekend was a huge running weekend for me.  That kind of threw my whole week off because I ran both Saturday and Sunday. I wasn’t at home to get stuff done around the house or get ready for work.  That one day of prep kind of pushed everything off.  Daily life has been busy this week. I ran two half marathons back to back.  I’ve been working with a running coach because I am really improving.  I see progress which is really…

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Friday File: heart rate monitor and the workout

Friday File: heart rate monitor and the workout

Happy Friday!  It’s been a long and adventurous week for me. Life has kept me busy the past two weeks and I’ve been trying to change some of my habits.  There a lot of change happening among the chaos in my life. This week I’ve been trying to get my Garmin Fenix watch of unproductive fitness mode into something that made me feel better.  Do you pay attention to your heart rate zones when you work out?  I have always paid attention to my heart rate but never in the area, I should be working.  I always assumed that if…

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Putting yourself first

Putting yourself first

Life is busy and things get really messed up in life, but it is OK to put yourself first. Have you ever made a list of the important things in your life? Where do you fall on that list? Most of the time your name doesn’t even show up on the list. I’m giving you permission to put yourself on the list. The misconception about putting yourself first is that selfishness. This is not being selfish, this is smart. Think about all the things you do in a day and how many of those things you do for other people.…

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Friday File: podcasting, running, essential oils and more

Friday File: podcasting, running, essential oils and more

Happy Friday!  I’m starting something “new” on the blog called the Friday File.  I’ll be honest, it’s just the Friday Five but without the five.  The pressure to produce a list of the five things sometimes made me not want to do a weekly roundup. I feel like I’ve been hitting my stride this week in life, which means next week everything is going to fall apart.  I’m ok with that though.  I did some great things this week. If you haven’t listened to the podcast, you definitely should.  Having this podcast will add more content to the site and…

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Race Recap: Louisiana Marathon 2019 Weekend – Half Marathon

Race Recap: Louisiana Marathon 2019 Weekend – Half Marathon

Louisiana Marathon weekend happened a couple of weeks ago, but I never got around to talking about the events of the weekend. The event happened January 18-20, 2019 in Baton Rouge. The event didn’t go exactly as planned, but the weekend turned out great. This is the race weekend I look forward to every year. The atmosphere is great! The expo isn’t my favorite part because it’s very small. There isn’t really much to see or do so it’s really just a place to pick up your bib and see friends. There were a few extra things this year but…

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I am making changes

I am making changes

I am making changes.  I’ve been hanging out without a plan for too long so now it’s time to change.  It’s ok to not have a plan, but I know I need a plan to get back on track. Before I get too far into this post, I want to tell you about the biggest change I’ve made.  Yesterday during the Super Bowl, I finally dropped my podcast.  Back in the day, I did podcasting before it cool and I talked about Gossip Girl.  This time around I’ll be talking self-improvement, weight loss, and some other things.  My co-host of…

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Closing out 2018

Closing out 2018

Hey all!  It’s the last post of 2018.  It’s been a year and I would like do a rundown of 2018.  This post is going to be extremely personal, so if it’s something you would like to skip, I understand.  I’ll just see you in 2019!  If you want to keep reading, that is always welcome. I ended the year with a strong workout.  Let me tell you, I didn’t want to get up to do this workout but it’s important to me to finish out the year strong.  This isn’t the time to slack off.  It’s time to start…

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Merry Late Christmas

Merry Late Christmas

Hello all!  I was super busy cooking a bunch of food for Christmas and getting things ready for Tiny Tot that I didn’t have enough time to post. It’s wicked hard to be a parent at Christmas. I never really understood the pressure, but I’m going to try to keep it real. Gift giving is hard for me because I never know when enough is enough.  She is a child and deserves to have gifts on Christmas but she doesn’t need an overabundance. I can’t control what other people buy her, but I can keep my spending in check. I…

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Preparing for Christmas

Preparing for Christmas

I missed blogging yesterday because I was just too tired. From Tiny Tot’s birthday and now planning for Christmas, I kind of screwed the pooch on the blogging thing. I did have a very productive day yesterday which has eased up on my Sunday a bit. Normally I would tell you about the meal prep I would be doing this week, but that’s isn’t going to happen today. I can’t fit any more food in my fridge. My fridge is packed to the brim with things for Christmas dinner and some essentials we need to last until then. It’s been…

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Should I make broccoli salad for Christmas?

Should I make broccoli salad for Christmas?

I don’t know why I’ve been thinking about broccoli salad all day, but I think I want to make one for a side dish for Christmas.  I haven’t really decided what we will be eating at this meal.  I’m just now starting to put the pieces together.  I’m sure Tiny Tot would prefer to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I didn’t know there were so many variations of a broccoli salad.  There are options with mayo and mayo substitutes.  I need to decide between grapes, blueberries, apples, and oranges.  There is a bacon and cheddar combination.  I didn’t think…

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