Boot Camp, Brutal Camp, LOL!

Hey Friends!  Hope all is well. Ms. Girl has been trying to get active. I fell off the work-out truck awhile back... and I fell hard.  Zero workouts. Zero activity. Zero loss. I've been trying to get into a routine, but it's so exhausting, LOL.

Decided to try out an exercise class today. Things got off to a rough start as soon as I arrived. I was 5 minutes late. That wasn't the bad part. The bad part was that the entire class was already in a full-on trot by the time I got there. They were all "running," not jogging, but running around the room.  A big room. Whatever happened to the warm-up?  I was just about to turn around and leave when a friendly hand from the sprinting group waved me inside to jump in line.  She was very thoughtful, but I should have followed my gut and bolted. I'd only been running a few minutes and I thought I was having a heart attack.  I don't run. I don't even walk fast.

The class schedule said it was supposed to be a cardio class, but I quickly learned it was a BOOT CAMP class... that's because the instructor kept yelling, "This is Bootcamp people!" Bootcamp?! What the heck?!  Where was the sign that said that? Who do I have to talk to about this crazy mixup, I said to myself, because someone... ME... could get hurt. I was already in big-time pain and I'd only been in the class 10 minutes. The instructor made the class do a crazy rotation of steps, weights, punching bags, sit-ups, etc. Seriously?  What am I training for?!  I cried to myself. I think I cried. Tears, sweat... all the same thing. I was delirious.

My heavy gasps were actually drawing looks from the girl next to me... the same girl who waved me in. Was this a setup?  "You can do it!" She said.  I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked crazy, disheveled, exhausted and in shock. "Does she not see what I see?!" LOL. She was lucky I was virtually unable to speak. I suspect she was probably the same person responsible for the mix-up. Not really, but I needed someone besides myself to blame. :-)

I'm pretty sure my heart has never beat that fast before. If I could've made it back across the room to my cell phone I would have called 911 but I thought it might be a tad embarrassing to be carried out during a workout class. Although, it couldn't have been more embarrassing than the way I looked. LOL.

So I continued to gulp air, wince in pain, and suffer through the rest of the bootcamp AKA fake cardio class.

My joy moment for today was "cool down" time. Oh, how I LOVED the cool down.  I laid down on that workout mat like it was my bed. It was a wrap for me, LOL!  I only moved when he said, "We're done!" Yay, I whimpered, then hobbled to my car and thanked God I'd found a parking spot close to the door.

How was your day, LOL ?!

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

Girlfriends

A bunch of my local gal pals and I are planning to gather with an out-of-town girlfriend this weekend. It will be the first time we've all been together in quite awhile.

Dinner and dancing are on the itinerary... along with lots of laughter, reminiscing and catching up. When I spoke to our long distance friend on the phone today, she was so excited, and so are we.

My joy moment today was getting plans together for our girl's night out and hearing our long distance friend's excitement over her pending welcoming party.  Girlfriend time = Fun time!

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

New Friends

Attended an event tonight where I didn't know a soul... and it was pretty cool. Both the event and the attendees. Glad I went.

Sometimes people are friendlier than you think they are. Never judge a book by its cover, as the say. Glad I didn't. They were a great bunch. A few of us swapped numbers and will hopefully, see each other again soon.

Making interesting new friends was my joy moment for today.  We can never have too many. :-)

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl 

I'm Baaaackkkk!

Hey Friends! It's been a bit, I've missed you guys! My break was longer than anticipated due to a slight med scare for my gran and a few other issues. Very happy to report, she's doing fine, thankfully!

And I'm finally home! Back in La La Land. Where it's sunny and warm. Not that I didn't enjoy all the snow and chilly weather, always nice to mix things up, LOL. And of course, I'm grateful that I was able to spend quality time with the fam.

But I have to admit hearing the weather man announce the temperature in Los Angeles will be in the 80's this week did warm my heart, literally! LOL.

Now that I'm back, the pressure is on... lots to do. My luggage remains unpacked and the towering bags seem to be taunting me, I have several pending things to get in order and my to-do list is two pages long. Just means it's time to get my plans for the new year underway... and fast.

My joy moment today was settling in at home, preparing my goals for the week and getting back to you, my blogging friends!

Hope you've had a pleasant and productive January, so far.

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

Happy Thoughts

I love good quotes.  Came across a few good ones today pertaining to happiness...


"Jumping for joy is good exercise."  ~Author Unknown


"Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit."  ~Hosea Ballou


"Some pursue happiness, others create it."  ~Author Unknown

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."  ~Marcel Proust


"The best way for a person to have happy thoughts is to count his blessings and not his cash."  ~Author Unknown


Happy Quotes. Happy thoughts.  Finding these wonderful gems was my joy moment for today.


Have a happy one, friends!


Stay tuned :-)


Ms. Girl 

Wow! Joy Journey Marks 1 Year!

Ta-Daa!  One year ago today I started my joy journey!  I did it.  I can't believe it.

Seeking the joy in every single day for a year has been fun, crazy, wild, trying, unexpected, surprising, educational, fulfilling, sobering, and amazing. Who knew?! I sure didn't. All I knew when I started was that I wanted to wake up and take notice of each day.

Before beginning my joy journey, I'd been on cruise control. Boring, uneventful, unappreciative cruise control. I wanted (and needed) to wake up and start living and appreciating the gift of each day... No matter what kind of day it was! And you know what? Surprisingly, I always found it. Whether it was just a few hours or a few moments. Seek and ye shall find!

Big joys like, interesting new TV gigs, reunions with dear old friends, meeting wonderful new ones, (including my blog buddies!) getting to see a few of my fav celebs and attending lively events. Smaller joys like, checking out new sights, music, sweets, baked goods and fun brunches. Everyday joys, like waking up to a new day, getting inspired, chatting with family, hanging with friends, and enjoying sunny days.

I found unexpected joy in simple things and learned valuable lessons in trying times... both leading to big breakthroughs and deep gratitude.

Believe me, some days I had to look pretty hard for my joy moment. But it was ALWAYS there. Every single day. Even on the bad days, my joy hunt helped me to discover the good, the positive, the blessing, or the purpose, every time. It's been a wild and amazing ride!

Thank you my blogger friends for joining me on my roller-coaster journey. I hope you were entertained, inspired or at the very least, amused by this lively L.A. chick seeking her yellow brick road.

Wake up and Live will continue for year two. You can't get rid of me that easy, LOL!  My entries will now just be a few times a week, although I will continue to seek the joy in each day on a personal level. I hope you will, as well.

May you discover joy and happiness today and every day!

Wake up and Live!  ... And Stay Tuned, dear friends!

xoxo

Ms. Girl :-)

Road Trip

Spent part of the day on the road with my mom and gran headed to an appointment that was quite a distance away in my grandmother's old hometown. It was a pretty interesting ride and turned into a blast from the past. As we drove through the small town where she grew up, my grandmother pointed out places she remembered fondly from her childhood.

I saw where she used to go to school, the places her and friends would hangout, restaurants she would frequent, homes of other relatives and several other locations that brought back great memories for her. It was a real treat to see the town where she grew up, hear lively old stories and learn new things about her.
 

Our little road trip became a fun trip down memory lane for my grandma...  and for my mom and I, as well.

Learning more about my gran and spending great quality time with her on the road was my moment for today.

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

Happy Trails

I'm always on the happy hunt... which you may have noticed from the title of my blog link, www.huntforhappy@blogspot.com. LOL.

Found an article today with a few tips on how to get happy. 20 of them! Can't beat that.

Have a look... "Reader's Digest - 20 simple ways to get happy!"

Getting new ideas for my happy hunt was my joy moment for today.

Hope you enjoy them, as well.  Happy Trails to us all!

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl