Happy New Year & Updates!

Happy 2013 Folks! 

First…THANK YOU for the overwhelming support, encouragement, prayers and virtual hugs. As I mentioned, my grandmother passed the week after Thanksgiving and it threw me for a major loop. Between her passing and the CT shootings, I wasn’t feeling festive during the holidays and I was struggling simply to make it through most days without an emotional outburst. Grieving is a process and my family is still working through it.

Grandmeré (she didn’t feel she was old enough to be "granny" or "grandma", so this was our term of endearment…plus she loved all things French) was an educator that molded minds and changed lives. Her memorial service celebrated her accomplishments and put a spotlight on the thing that mattered most to her: education. She was easily the most accomplished member of our family: High school graduation at 15…college graduation at 19…multiple degrees and awards. The first Black teacher in her IL school district (and went on to become principal). Several people spoke at her service and the theme was the same: She saved my life. My grandmother managed to cram 3 lifetimes into one and definitely left us a legacy. 

My favorite 3 generation throwback! 1979! I was 2…you can see the cheeks have been here forever + 1 day. 

Everything else that has been going on in Coco’s life…

Weight Loss: Well, grief spiral/comfort food foolery rolled into the holiday chaos and I am up 10 lbs in the last 6 weeks. Oy vey! Mandatory positive: I got back on track a few days ago and I am feeling strong going into this new year. It’s amazing how emotional eating never goes away. It simply lays dormant until something big happens. I hate that I experienced the gain, but I’m glad I put the brakes on quickly. The scale is already moving in the right direction and my goal for January is to knock all 10 lbs off and get back to my pre-Thanksgiving weight. 

RA/Paleo: I’d have to say the Paleo lifestyle is definitely a keeper for me. Since making the change in May, I’ve dropped 57 lbs (Err…47 lbs now) and have successfully managed my rheumatoid arthritis. I still have my less than stellar days, but the good far outweighs the bad. In fact, my rheumy doc was so pleased with my last round of blood work, that I’ve graduated from monthly visits to quarterly! Thank God! I am not looking for a miracle, but once I realized that my RA can go into remission, you know what goal I set for myself. My focus for 2013 will be following a 90/10 Paleo diet…with heavy emphasis on the autoimmune protocol. I am still learning as I go, but I am very in tune with my body these days and I’m grateful for the progress. 

Fitness Events: As you know, my only 2012 resolution was to do 12 fitness events. I finished the year with a baker’s dozen (fat girl brain LOL)…a nice mix of 5Ks, cycling, mud runs and one WTF stair climb. 2013 focus will be on quality vs. quantity. I want to get better and faster. Not sure how many I will end up with this year, but I’ll keep ya posted.

The Biggest News of all: Coco is getting married! Can you believe it? The beau was bamboozled asked me to be his wife! I won’t bore you with the mushy details. I will tell you that his proposal was heartfelt and amazing. He took me to "our spot"…a place we used to visit in the early days of our courtship. I laughed when I realized where we were going because it seemed like a MILLION YEARS ago. He stated everything he loved about me, our relationship and his plans for the future. He got down on one knee and asked me to be his better half permanently. I did the ugly cry and got distracted by the sparkly (not even sure if I officially said "yes" haha). Oh…this happened on 12/22…SO AWESOME that the world didn’t end the day before. I’m just sayin.

Here’s some crappy cell phone pics…really doesn’t do the ring justice. It’s a princess cut halo that shines enough to make me lose focus on everything else. He did a good job!

We don’t have a date set at the moment. We’ll be touring a few venues in the next month. I hope to have a final decision made before Spring. I  do have my bridesmaids chosen (my ride or die chicks that have been around through everything!), my wedding color (Aubergine for the win! Umm…"eggplant" if you’re not uppity LOL) and the location for our engagement photos. Everything else is TBD. I am going to keep the stress to a minimum and try to remember this…

Well, I think that is enough for now. I hope all of you have a happy, healthy start to the new year. Turn the page! January 1 is a gift! 

Until next time,
C