Fire It Up

Are you there Blog? It's me, Marjorie.

 

So, here it is, the very first post. Where do I even start? What do I write about? This isn't my first foray into blogging, but it's been a couple of years and I feel pretty rusty. Truthfully, I don't even feel much like the same person who ran those old blogs, so this is like starting fresh. A new blog for a new me!

 

Maybe I should just begin by telling you a bit about me and my plans for this blog? Well, ok then. For starters, I write exactly the way I speak. For those who don't know me in real life, it may not translate so well, sarcasm rarely does. We shall see. Hopefully you like what I have to say and you keep coming back. I intend to share my life with you here: my challenges, my successes, what I love, where I've been. It's all a part of this journey and I'm not one for holding back.

 

I suppose that brings me to the next thing you should know about me: I have no filter. Never have. Sometimes it leads to hurt feelings, but know that I'm just being honest and try to appreciate that. Honesty is a rare and beautiful thing in this world. Everything on this blog will come straight from my heart and my real life. I won't give false reviews to get free stuff or make up stories to gain readers. This is totally, genuinely me: the weird, the awesome, and everything in between.

 

I mentioned that I don't feel like the same person, and it's because, in many ways, I'm truly not. In the last few years, my life has changed dramatically. I left my job to become a stay-at-home mom and go back to college. Having breastfed all three of my children, I felt very passionately about helping other mothers as a lactation consultant and becoming a nurse would make that a possibility. Once that clicked, I registered for classes the same week. Going to college as an adult is a total change from my first experience straight out of high school. I'm more focused, more driven, and I'm doing a hell of a lot better. I'm proud of what I'm doing and the example I'm setting for my kids. I want them to see that they don't have to follow the well-traveled path, because there are a lot of different ways to be successful. I hope to instill in them the confidence to forge their own paths and choose happiness and goodness over all else. They're pretty awesome little weirdos so I think we're well on our way.

 

Weirdos being weird.

 

Lifestyle is another area where I've been making big changes. Over the course of 7 years and 3 kids, my husband and I have become increasingly sedentary, as many parents in our particular season of life do. We watched a LOT of TV and ate a LOT of bad stuff. Whatever was quick and easy, or could be picked up locally or delivered, was on the menu. We gained weight. A LOT of weight. 2 years after the birth of my youngest, I weighed 50-60 pounds more than I did on the day I was married. Going back to school gave me the push I needed to make a change, when I realized I didn't have the energy to get through everything my schedule now demanded. I joined a Beachbody Challenge Group that a friend was hosting, ordered PiYo and a month of Shakeology, and committed to doing better. We planted a huge garden, where we grow more food than we can eat ourselves, and I began to focus on eating well. Almost 3 months later, I've lost 16 pounds and become a Beachbody Coach, myself. There is no miracle pill and it's going to take me a while to get where I want to be, but I'm really happy with this start. I've kicked my coffee habit, I have more energy, I feel GOOD, and I want to help others reach their goals too! I'm not going to turn this blog into some thinly veiled Beachbody ad, but I do want to share my journey, because I know it's something that many can relate to. I promised you honesty, and the truth is, this is working for me, so I'm going to talk about it.

 

Breaking a sweat with my Mini and our magical garden!

 

Oh, hey, before I go, were you wondering how I came up with the name? It's a little weird, I know, but once you know the story, it will make more sense. Well, as I've mentioned, my name is Marjorie, but because it's an uncommon name, people often think I'm saying something a bit more familiar: margarine. (Seriously, how awful would THAT be? My apologies to anyone named Margarine.) Throughout my life, jokesters have made the leap from margarine to butter, thinking themselves very clever and original. And so, when I was trying to come up with a name for the blog that would be unique to me, what could be more fitting than a play on my own unique name?

 

So there you have it. I suppose now I can check "Write first post" off of my To Do List. I really don't have a clear cut plan for this blog. I figure, like today, I'll just sit down and start typing and see where things go. That's pretty much how I live my life, so I think it's fitting.