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What’s my “S”? December 8, 2015

Posted by jeneypeney in a little help from my friends, all growed up, in it to gym it, life, return to athleticism, tattoos-day, Uncategorized.
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Franchise-Stability

I have this great idea for a new tattoo. I want to get the outlines of all the states I have lived in together as they are on a map across my thigh; Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, North Dakota, and Minnesota. I also want to put a star on the spot of each town I have called home; Park Forest, Oak Creek, South Bend, Fargo, and Hewitt.

In my mind, this tattoo is badass and would echo those big changes in my life that always seem to be marked by a move.

But in reality, it will show so much more.

It will show the fact I never really found a place to truly call my home. It will show the sad truth that I’ve moved so much that I failed to keep in touch with SO many friends. This tattoo will show the matter of how I’ve never really found my footing in my professional career; I’ve never found my true passion. It will show that I have simply felt lost and alone for well over a decade.

All of this instability and uncertainty came to an epic climax when my mother died and no more than 3 months later my husband and I moved to a town with a population smaller than my high school graduating class. I was truly on the edge of a very long, very destructive downward spiral.

Alas, in the infamous words of my late grandfather, “Things work out.” And work out, things did.

You see, my mother’s passing kick-started a sort of obsession – not so much with health – but with not kicking the bucket. The last thing I wanted was to pass away from a heart attack that I could have prevented before I even turned 55. So when a good friend of mine entered me into a contest for a month of free personal training, I took her up on it. That is when 3S Fitness came into my life and I couldn’t be more grateful.

The 3 “S”s of 3S Fitness are strength, sweat, and soul. There is also an unofficial, invisible “S” – support. But in reality, the “S” that this company provides for ME that is most important is STABILITY. And I’m not just talking the kind that you get from the million and a half minutes of planks my trainer has assigned to me since starting my training program.

I have incredible workouts that I can count on to make me sore everyday (never has peeing or washing my hair been such a challenge) – and a trainer that I know will be with me every step of the way.

After years of depriving myself of foods and obsessing over calories, I have finally developed a healthy and satisfying relationship with food.

I now have a job that I adore. I work from home. I have been granted the opportunity to help women – and men! –  grow with fitness and healthy relationships with food. I am ACTUALLY using both of my degrees. I couldn’t have asked for a more rewarding and fulfilling career.

I finally have an incredible group of friends that transcend distance and location. The 3SFitFam is an incredible group of women who will lift you up when you are failing, congratulate your accomplishments, and tell you it’s okay when you really just don’t feel like being a human that day.

So what’s your “S”? I suggest you begin with START. 

Start3sfit

Obligatory Pre-Wedding, Post-Planning Advice June 13, 2012

Posted by jeneypeney in a little help from my friends, weddng madness.
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In 7 days, I will be driving to Wisconsin to pick up my marriage license and invade my parent’s house in Milwaukee.

In 9 days, I will be standing in front of The Actual holding a bouquet of ribbons practicing what will be the first day of our lives together as joint-filing tax citizens. (And eating pizza… lots of pizza!)

In 10 days, I will be walking down a grassy aisle after taking a shot of whiskey with my dad toward the greatest man I could ever have ever had the blessing to love me. (And eating pulled pork… all the pulled pork!)

In 11 days, I will be on a plane to Colorado to enjoy my new husband in some of the most beautiful landscape in the country.

Being a self-proclaimed veteran of wedding planning – I have been planning this shin-dig for a year and a half now, you know – I would like to pass along some of the advice I have been given that has helped me survive this whole process.  You can take it or leave it – but I promise you these tid-bits have helped me immensely by stopping me from committing homicide, suicide, or any other –icide that would land me in prison or a grave.

1)      The wedding day is just that – a day. One meal, 24 hours, and a singular pair of underwear dirtied. Marriage is a lifetime of these. Keep perspective.

2)      The ceremony is all about the couple. Be as picky and selfish as you want in planning it. The reception, though? Has absolutely nothing to do with you two. It is the biggest party you can throw for all your closest family and friends – remember that.

3)      What are your two to three most important goals of the day? If everything else goes wrong and these things go right, your day was successful.

4)      How do you want your wedding party to remember you in the days leading up to and during the big day? Keep this in mind when you start freaking out about your timeline.

5)      The only thing you should NOT skimp on when budgeting is your photographer. It is the ONLY part of your wedding that truly lasts forever.

To be completely honest, if I had a second chance to plan this wedding all over again, my first reaction would be to haul ass to Las Vegas and get hitched on the pirate ship in front of Treasure Island.

But in reality? It doesn’t matter where, how, or when I sign that piece of paper. It actually doesn’t matter to me if I sign that piece of paper at all. The only thing I care about is having The Actual by my side until the day we are old, senile, and arguing over what breakfast cereal to buy at the grocery store.

The dress, the cake, and the pulled pork sandwiches are all just incredibly awesome frills for an incredibly lucky day.

The One About Crazy Moms and Lost Messages April 20, 2012

Posted by jeneypeney in a little help from my friends, all growed up, life, the famn damily, what the hell.
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Before I start – and just in case anyone was curious – I would like to make something very clear…

There will be absolutely no zygotes, fetuses, babies, or any other form of tiny human being incubated and grown in my  lady parts any time in the next few years.

It’s not that I don’t want kids someday; I do. I have simply decided to head off the, “So when are are starting a family?” conversations that I am sure to encounter beginning June 24th.

Or, more importantly, if you happen to be my baby-crazy-I-want-grandchildren-like-yesterday mother – I am putting the kibosh on any more of your “Honeymoon Surprise!” wishes.

I seem to have those, “I want grandchildren!”/”Get off my back!” conversations with my mom far too often. Yesterday I had a particular doozie in which I kind of went all Gretchen Wieners on my mom’s ass and this is how it went:

***

Baby-Crazy-Mom: “I was telling your dad yesterday I hope you and Brian have an oopsie during the honeymoon…”

Empty-Uterus: “Not going to happen. We cannot afford to have a baby right now.”

BCM: “Well, whatever your insurance doesn’t cover I am sure The Actual’s will.”

EU: “That doesn’t mean we can afford the crib, changing table, diapers, food, toys, clothes and all that nonsense. I would probably have to take a leave of absence for an extended period of time considering all the heavy lifting I and all the chemicals I am exposed to – the stress of living on one income wouldn’t help anything”

BCM: “But your father and I just saw a four-in-one crib at Sears!”

EU: “Well, that’s nice – do they make four-in-one diapers too?! How about food that digests in to more edible food after the kid shits it out? Have you seen any self-washing onesies lately? I SAID NO BABIES!”

*

I just can’t seem to get this through her head. Despite the blatant privilege I have been afforded of actually having health insurance, a decent paying job, and the ability to afford the birth control my insurance does not cover through a Planned Parenthood that is only a 10 minute drive away, The Actual and I are not ready to procreate.

Hell – I’m lucky if I remember to pants on before I leave the house or can feed myself proper meals seven nights a week.

I guess besides needing to get this frustration off my chest, I was wondering how I get my mom to understand where I am coming from? How do I get her to understand this is less about her getting grand babies to spoil and more about us being handed a huge platter of responsibility we are not ready for?