I am not one to do many recaps of my weekend. I certainly don't do one every week. I do however want to get back into doing reviews and such on all sorts of things, not just my weekend. I also thought this past weekend needed to be reviewed because many people wanted to know what it was like to have a kidney stone. So here we go..

If I had to rate this weekend between a 10 and I want my money back, I would definitely want my money back pronto. To bad there isn't refunds on life right?

I went to CrossFit for the first time last Wednesday. I wanted to be a bad ass and show the world I could do it. It was free trial night and I dragged along a friend and we had at it. After my first "warm up" I felt crappy. I had a raspy voice and I couldn't stop coughing.

I trucked along until we got to the burpees. I hate a burpee on a regular day, but this was something else. I was in pain. Things did not feel good at all. This was beyond the pain of what a burpee brings to the table. I had to discontinue them. I finished up my workout with just rowing, which was fine.

Thursday I was pretty sore as expected. I made it through my work day pretty uneventful. I felt like I was starting to feel worse as the end of my day neared, but I figured it was just my body being tired from the intensity I put it through.

I laid down to watch Big Little Lies on HBO streaming, and had the sudden urge to pee. There's no other way to say that statement, so I'm sorry if that's TMI. I had drank A LOT of water during the day because of my 5 day challenge. I could not go at all. It was odd. As I wrapped up I got the worst pain shooting up my left side. It was between a cramp and a sharp pain.

I immediately went to lay back down. The pain got worse. I called my husband and practically yelled on the phone that he needed to get home ASAP. He was like a minute from the house, thankfully. We got in the car and headed to urgent care, because it was closer than the ER to our house.

I felt like all anyone wanted to do was ask me a million questions. I was in so much pain at this point I was very agitated. Everything became an annoyance. I didn't want to answer anymore questions about where I lived or when my last period was. I just wanted some damn relief.

I was to the point where no position was comfortable. Pain was intense and I honestly just wanted to be put out of my misery. I had been in the exam room for almost an hour with no examination. I finally walked out of the room and said, "this pain is so bad, can someone just please put me out of my misery?"

Like magic a doctor appeared.

I was finally given some pain medication and a CT scan was ordered. The medication was not doing anything. It did not touch the pain. The doctor ordered a shot to be given. At first that didn't work either. By the time the CT scan was ready I had some relief. I was so grateful. I went through my test and felt like it was all over.

As soon as I got back to the room, the pain was back. Seriously?!

I continued to be asked to give urine samples and drink more water. It was frustrating. I just wanted to know what was going on with me and if I was going to make it alive out of this exam room.

Finally, the results were in. I was being blocked by a 2mm kidney stone. It was trying to pass. The doctor felt I needed to pass this one on my own, so she gave me all of the warning signs of needing medical attention, along with prescriptions for more medicine and a strainer. I was finally going home.

We stopped at McDonalds because I was hungry, tired, and needed something bad. I don't often like cheeseburgers, but when I'm distressed apparently a McDonalds double cheeseburger is where it's at. I was in heaven eating my burger and fries. I took my pain meds and tried to sleep. Nope.

I was just too wound up and uncomfortable at this point. I ended up sleeping a few hours on the couch. Had my good moments and bad moments through the weekend, and here I am today wondering if this stone will ever pass.

I am feeling much better today. But I think I still have a stone. I'm wondering if it will get more painful as it makes it's official exit or if the worst is past me.

In the meantime I am going to try to work today, see what happens. I am hoping this will just be a distant memory and I won't ever have to deal with something like this again.

I appreciate all of the love and support I have received through this rough time. I hope none of you ever have to go through this.

Happy Monday Ya'll!

I am going to start posting this challenge on Sunday's so the goal is set and ready to go for Monday mornings. For those of you new to the 5 Day Goal Challenge, it is a small goal set to help you reach your larger goals. Reading my intro post will give you a better idea of what I believe the purpose is for smaller goals.

For last week I challenged myself to drink 80 ounces of water a day. I can honestly say I don't know why I challenged myself this much water, as I did not meet that goal each day until Thursday and Friday. I did however up my water intake quite a bit, so I call that a win.

Part of me wonders if by upping my water intake set things in motion to my kidney stone episode. On Thursday at about 6pm I was laying down watching TV when I got this sudden urinary track infection feeling, that sudden urge. You know what I mean. So off to the bathroom I went. I suddenly had the most awful cramp and pain in my left side.

I immediately went to lay down in bed. It just got worse. I called my husband and told him he needed to get home immediately. I needed medical attention. By 9:30pm I was diagnosed with a kidney stone that was travelling through my system. I had a partial blockage which was what brought on the pain so quickly.

I have really upped my water intake through the weekend to help flush that baby out. As of now it still has not come out, but I am hopeful that will be soon.

So for this coming week, my goal is going to be pretty chill. I had originally planned to get to the gym 5 days this week, but that isn't happening until I am all better from this fun experience I've been going through.

I am thinking this week I am going to write letters to all my friends. One letter a day. I have been wanting to get back into writing actual meaningful letters to all my friends whom I don't see on a regular basis. This might be the perfect week to get that done. Not a lot of effort required to do that.

What goals are you setting in motion this week? Will you join me in taking this 5 day challenge?

They say immersing yourself into the practices and teachings of yoga can be life changing. They say it can be an emotional rollercoaster, where every loop you twirl can be different. They say you will be lonely. They say you will feel liberated.

What they say, is all true. It is really hard to explain this journey out loud. It is so challenging, yet so rewarding. You have moments where you feel amazing and strong and like you can rule the world. You also have moments that make you feel uncomfortable both physically and mentally.

I just finished my third weekend training and I had a really great Saturday training. I felt strong and moved through my practice very fluidly. Sunday I came in and my energy was all out of wack. I felt very off, but not 100% sure how to explain that feeling. My practice wasn't focused. I didn't feel great.

By the time savasana (relaxation pose) came I was exhausted. I laid still and for the first time in my training I felt connected to my inner voice. I heard what needed to be done to move forward in a situation that has been dragging me down for way to long. It was very uncomfortable for me to accept this.

It is times like this that remind me why I am doing this. Why I want to surrender myself to my intention. I want that release. I want to let go of all of the pain, both physical and mental that I have carried with me for so many years. I want to fully know myself and be confident in teaching others who want the same.

My journey is only just beginning, yet I already feel so different. Yesterday I took a yoga class at my studio where I'm training and my teacher asked if I wanted to teach some of his class. I said yes. This isn't something I would of done just 2 months ago. I felt the answer in myself to do this. I felt confident and comfortable leading the class and it made me feel strong.

I cannot explain how great it was to share my teachings with others. I am confident this is what I want to do. It was like the universe knew I needed an answer. Now I know.  I am so grateful for this opportunity.

What practices have led you on a journey to your own self? Do you practice yoga or something else? I'd love to hear about your journey!

Happy First day of Spring! Although there is still quite a bit of snow out there, I know the  nicer weather is coming. It also makes Monday seem a little friendlier when the word "Spring" is associated with it. Am I right?



So today I want to introduce a new 5 day challenge and also let you know with pictures how I did last week. Last week I challenged myself to get dressed 5 days in a row. That to me meant changing out of what I wore to bed into something new. Working from home can make it easy to hop out of bed in your PJ's and start work.

I am excited to announce that I met my goal and dressed all 5 days! I learned it really made me feel put together and made me take my work seriously. I also realized I own A LOT of leggings! But ya know what? When you sit 8 hours a day, this is okay in my book. Plus it's winter.

Here's the proof!



This week I am challenging myself to drink 80 ounces of water every day. Spring is here and I am ready to start working on myself. I gained some weight over the winter and clothing is a bit snug. Time to work towards that summer goal so I don't need to buy a new swimsuit! My current one is new from last year.

Will you be joining me in this challenge? Check back to see my results next week!

Recently I decided to trace my ancestry. It is a lot of work and gets frustrating at times, but it is so rewarding when you find connections that were your ancestors. I found it appropriate to write about this today, on St. Patrick's Day, as I have traced most of my ancestors back to Ireland.

My Irish eyes were shining! Picture from many many years ago!

I am doing this search mostly on my own. I no longer have grandparents to ask these questions to. My parents have been a little helpful. One of my uncles is in connection with an aunt of his who would have some of the info I am looking for. I am planning to call her this weekend.

It is exciting to see the old documents with my ancestors names on them. So far all of the people I have found settled in Brooklyn, New York when they come over from Ireland. My mother told me her grandfather was an orphan, so I would probably have a hard time finding him. I do believe I found him and his siblings.

It seems his parents immigrated here in the early 1900's and his mother passed away somewhere between 1905 and 1910. I was able to find her on a census for 1905, but by 1910 her husband was marked as a widow. I have not found any proper paperwork, but my own suspicion has me wondering if the father abandoned his children after his wife passed, leaving them in an orphanage.

So much to still learn, but so exciting none the less! I am proud of my heritage and what my family worked for to make us who we are today. Everyone I found had hard labor jobs and provided for a lot of children. I today still follow in those footsteps. I have worked 2 and 3 jobs to provide when needed. Hard work is in my blood, and I can see that clearly now from my ancestors.

Today I remember those people who have passed on. I am celebrating by cooking some Irish food and sharing stories with my family. I am teaching my husband some tradition and I can't wait to share this with my children one day!

Have you traced back your ancestry? What did you find? Let's chat about it!