Things That Have Changed with Weight Loss

Guys, I wrote this back in the fall and never published it! I can't believe I'm just now finding it; I added a bit and hope you enjoy reading this piece! Love you all! xoxo

1. Cankles

LOL. I never really had actual cankles, but my ankles are slimmer now... My legs are thinner in general, and it's nice to see more definition between my calves and my feet.

Hi, ankles!

 

2. New shoe size 

I've gone from a size 10 shoe to a 9 or 9.5. I didn't really think it was possible to lose weight in your feet, but I guess I have.  Most of my size 10 shoes are too big on me now. It's a good excuse to go buy more shoes :)

3. Boutique stores are in my comfort zone 

I used to avoid them like the plague. I'd go to all those cutesy stores with my friends and feel so out of place because I knew hardly anything would fit. Now, I walk in with confidence and can shop without breaking out in hives. Does that mean every size large fits? Absolutely not. But it means that I can try pretty much anything on and it will actually fit over my body. One of my greatest accomplishments happened at Stella Ivy recently; I tried on a size XL top by the Umgee brand and was surprised at how well it seemed to fit. The lady working brought me the size L in the same color and style and told me to try it, and I was thrilled to find out that it fit even better than the XL. It's been such a refreshing change to go into stores like that and be able to shop!

 

4. Higher metabolism 

If you're ever frustrated with your metabolism while on your fitness journey, my advice for you is to just hang in there. I had totally accepted that my metabolism would suck forever, but in the last couple months I've seen an enormous change. I'm eating more than I have in a while, and my weight has stayed in the same range (203 at my lowest, 212 at my highest in the last few months). I also have to include here that I've not been eating as healthily as I was a couple months ago, which tells me that with a few clean changes in my diet I can easily break 100.


5. The need to binge.
I can't tell you exactly where "that out of control, I've got to eat more" feeling always came from... I once tried journaling my thoughts before and after a binge, but it was difficult keeping up with all of those emotions at once. I'd scribble words like "happy" or "depressed" or "lazy" or "fat" on a notepad then reflect back on those notes later on and not understand how/why I felt that way why it came with the urge to eat until I wanted to vomit. I am happy to say that I've not had a binge-eating session in a while. Keep in mind that over-indulging and full out binging are totally different. I have definitely over-indulged a few times!

6. Lightweight status is real.
I've always been a lightweight when drinking, and I'm even more so now. The good thing is that I'm a cheap drunk :)

 

7. I feel like I belong...
This one may seem kind of weird, but being heavier than most of my friends often made me feel like the odd one out. I sometimes felt unpretty and was ashamed that I couldn't wear the same clothes they were. I couldn't trade shirts with someone or raid a friend's closet. I still can't do that, not with all of them, but there's definitely a change in my confidence when I'm hanging out with my girlfriends. I'm loud and fun and funny, and people enjoy being around me. I truly enjoy being out and around others too because I finally feel good about myself. I feel like I belong.

 

8. I'm happier.
There's something to be said for the girl who changes her lifestyle for the better and ends up happier and healthier she's ever been. I'm not where I want to be, but I understand that leaving healthfully never truly stops. I'll always be a work in progress, and I'm 100% okay with that!

 

When life is tough...

No one really prepares you for disappointment, and I guess it's probably a good thing. Typically when life sucks a little bit, the suckiness swoops in with absolutely  no warning and we're left to decide for ourselves whether we sink or swim.

I faced a really tough situation recently and though it hurt--my God, it hurt-- I didn't sink. I rose above. I swam.

When I was younger, it was so incredibly easy for something (or someone) to get the best of me. I wore my feelings on my sleeve, I still do, and I was so incredibly sensitive. I played tough on the outside, but inside I was a big softie. I still am sometimes, but I think motherhood has definitely toughened me up.

Anytime I got into an argument with a friend, it felt like my whole life was ruined. It didn't matter who was in the wrong--I would completely shut down until our dilemma was solved.

Breakups? They were the most torturous.

Drama with my parents? ("Y'all are seriously not going to let me go to that party where everyone will be drinking and smoking God-know-what?") I would pout about it for days at a time.

None of that really prepares you for overwhelming disappointments in life, whether it's at your job or in a relationship. I wish it did... But sometimes things happens that you just have to get through. Things happen without warning, and we're left to decide how we'll handle it. The ball is in our court.

Recently I was faced with a really tough decision. Well, it wasn't so much that it was a decision to be made on my part, but I had to choose how I would react to a situation that was outside of my control.

I was hurt and disappointed, and quite honestly, I was mad. It took a day or two to get myself together and let go of the anger I was hanging onto. I had every right to be upset, but at the same time, I recognized that God was at work in my life; I knew this was a situation I could run from or learn from.

Taking the initiative to step back and try to make a tough experience a learning experience can be difficult. It often means you have to look at your situation from a different set of eyes; it's not always pleasant, but you usually learn a thing or two, or you at least get a little bit of empathy from a different point of view.

I thought I'd been through so much at 25, but the truth is that I'm nowhere near finished. There will be so many more times when I'm hurt or disappointed, and it will be up to me to decide how I handle the situation. I can hole up in my room and cry and feel sorry for myself, or I can accept it. I can take the tough times for exactly what they are (and they're all small things in the end) and I can learn from them.

Rowland Down the Aisle

My beautiful cousin, my best friend, my go-to person for the past twenty-five years got married on March 19, 2016.

We waited for the day for ten months, and it came and went too quickly! This beautiful girl is officially Mrs. Rowland!

Alex and Audrey Anna (for the rest of this entry, you will read her name as Audrana), met while attending Itawamba Community College in Fulton, MS. I'm not entirely sure how friendly they were, but I'm fairly certain they didn't really know each other (she'll correct me if I'm wrong on that one). That was back in 2008-2009. In 2014, just a couple months before giving birth the Vaught, Audrana called me and told me that she was dating this guy, Alex.

I will say, and I know she'll agree, in my heart I knew from the beginning he was it. I knew he would be her one.

I finally got to meet him just a few days after Vaught was born in September when they stopped by our house to visit. He was polite but quiet. In given time, I grew to love him the way you want to love your best friend's boyfriend. By May, they were engaged, and Audrana asked me to be her Matron of Honor.

She was Maid of Honor in my 2013 wedding, and I was so ready to take on my role as her Matron and make this time as easy and special for her as I possibly could.

The months flew by and finally it was wedding weekend!!

We started with a bridesmaid luncheon on Friday morning at Harrisburg Baptist Church in Tupelo, MS, where Audrana and Alex would be married the next day.

Her gifts to us were a beautiful pair of Swarovski crystal earrings and a kimono for getting ready the next day!

After the luncheon, the bridal party got our nails done. We practically took over the salon!

Wedding rehearsal began at 5:30 at the church, followed by a rehearsal dinner at the Tupelo Country Club, where the reception would also be hosted the following night after the wedding.

I crashed on the couch at her parents' house that night, and we were up by 8 the next morning, ready to get the wedding day started! Audrana and I ran around Tupelo doing a few pre-wedding errands between 8:30 and 10. We had to get her pedicure fixed, grab some false eyelashes, and of course hit up Hardy's for breakfast.

My hair and makeup appointment was with my friend Sara at 11:30 in Saltillo, and I made it to the church right on time at 1PM!

Thanks for making me look and feel pretty, Sara!

The wedding was at Harrisburg Baptist Church in Tupelo. It's an enormous, beautiful church, and it could not have been decorated more beautifully.

We had so much fun getting ready and hanging out, laughing and talking with Audrana. It was surreal that she would become a MRS in mere hours!

 

I mean it when I say I've never seen a more beautiful bride. She absolutely glowed in her dress; she was perfect!

I loved watching her mother, my sweet aunt, button her up and get her ready. I could tell she was so proud!

 

A few hours before the wedding, Audrana and Alex shared a "first look." I totally cried.

 

I'm a BIG advocate of first looks; that way, we get pictures out of the way and can get straight to the reception after the wedding (FOOD).

 

Praying over my cousin and her marriage before the ceremony was probably my favorite part. I loved getting to share this moment with her.

 





 

The wedding started promptly at six, and I know there's never been a more beautiful ceremony. It was sweet and simple--truly a worship service honoring this holy covenant. I loved how I got to be a part of "giving her away" as matron of honor. I got to stand beside my best friend as her dad gave her away to Alex; I've never seen it done this way at a wedding, and I really loved getting to be a part of that.

The reception was hosted at the Tupelo Country Club, and I really wish I'd gotten more pictures! By this time though, I was hangry and tired and just ready to kick my shoes off! We had so much fun dancing and visiting with everyone.

I'd not seen Vaught since leaving Friday morning; I was so happy to see my baby boy again!

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it on my blog, but Audrana and Alex are his godparents, and I love seeing how much they both love Vaught!

I love, love, love this girl so much! She is truly another piece of my heart, and my life would be incomplete without her. Congratulations, Mrs. Alex Rowland!

New name, new look, same Kate... Sort of.

I really wish I'd built up to this moment and had a big "unveiling" of my "new blog," but it honestly happened after I spent an afternoon at Starbucks. I was supposed to be doing homework (I have a shit load to catch up on after being sick with strep and missing two classes), but of course I couldn't get my mind in the right place. So, I have a new blog.

Sort of.

I've been thinking of changing things up for months but couldn't quire decide how I wanted to do it.
I'm so grateful to those of you who have been following along for nearly TWO years now (and if there are any readers who have hopped around on here since 2010, God bless you). I started out with a "busy" page. I had one of our weddings photos as my header with a caption across it I think.

Then sometime towards the end of 2014 I had a pale pink floral design that was a cute but a little underaged for me. I finally went full white with my layout--I've always thought the plain white layouts looked the most professional! You can make the blog your own by decorating with pretty fonts and different colored texts. So that's what I set out to do!

I use PicMonkey for all things editing, and I finally caved and bought a membership so I get all the cool fonts and features (I don't know why it took me so long to do this--it's only $2.50/month)! I love the header I created using my favorite color blue and black for my name. I had considered using navy and gray, but I didn't like the way it looked with the rest of my site.

Speaking of the header, I guess I should discuss why I decided to change my blog name. I loved the pun with my last name, Pace. It was such a cute idea and so easy to do! But now I think the game is shifting a little. There are a lot of little changes taking place in my life and so many more to come. I basically just decided that I want the focus to be more on "keeping Kate" than keeping up with her. It's taken me years to find myself, and the truth is that I'm still doing it, picking up little bits and pieces along the way.

I don't think I'll ever have myself completely put together; I'll always be discovering new things about myself, so my goal is to hang on to all of these little things I'm finding out along the way. That's the idea behind "keeping Kate."

I set up my new header, then worked on restyling my clickable social media icons you'll notice if you're on a desktop (they're on the right side of the page, before my profile picture). I decided to go with simple, black ones. I love the ones I found here for free!

Tackling a blog makeover isn't easy, but it was definitely easy the fourth or fifth time around! Now that I have a pretty solid handle on HTML coding and blog design, it was basically just a matter of making the time and making decisions as to how I wanted the new design to look.

I wanted something even more grown up, and I think I nailed it right on the head by getting rid of a lot of the pastel colors and swirly texts. I desperately need a new, more professional profile picture for the right side of the page though, and my goal is to have a new one within a couple weeks!

The last step was changing my domain name. I purposefully saved it for last because when I bought KeepingPaceBlog.com, it literally took me five hours to set up the name on my blogger site. I use GoDaddy for my domain name, and I highly recommend them! I started a customer chat with a representative named Keith, and he was so helpful! He processed my small payment for my new domain and sent me clear instructions on how to plug my new domain name in. Guys, it was so easy the second time around! It took a total of about 20 minutes once I'd purchased it!

I absolutely love my "new" blog, Keeping Kate! I'm excited about reestablishing myself as a blogger and getting my name back out there in the blogosphere. Thank you guys so much for reading along and being so supportive. Love you all!

**What do you think of the new blog name/look?