yay for water and ice!

After several months of our refridgerator leaking and not knowing what was happening, we decided it was time for a new one.  We bought a new fridge from Sears over the weekend and they delivered it today.  The fridge that we bought with our house was very basic.  The new one is pretty basic, too, but we did upgrade to having a water/ice dispenser on the outside.  We go thru a lot of bottled water, so that will be a nice feature! 
I have class tonight and I am hoping I can get through it ok.  I am a sleepy girl today.  I didn't sleep very well last night and I was restless.  I should sleep well tonight, though! 

playing catch up

I have thought about posting everyday and it seems like I never to find the time...  It makes me sad, because I hoped to use this blog as a journal and I feel like I NEED to share some of the things that happen everyday.  I love journaling.  I enjoy reading through the thoughts and experiences I've had in the past.  It helps me remember and it helps me gain perspective on how things are different and how some things never change...

Ok, now that that's out of the way, I am commiting to MYSELF that I will do better about posting.  It is all about me, you know!  :-)

Things have been going well.  Weight wise, I am officially under 210.  208.8 to be exact.  So close to onederland I can almost taste it!!  Also, I bought a REAL size 16 dress yesterday!  Sizes are so different I am anywhere from a 14 - 18 pant and about an 18/20 or XL shirt.  I feel great.  :-)

We had a blast last weekend!  We went boating with my Mom's side of the family on Thurday.  I rode a jet ski!  Very fun and VERY scary for me, but I was glad I did it.  We swam and played and had a great time.  Then that night I went to the midnight show of Harry Potter.  I've actually seen it 3 times now!  LOL!  It's great!!  It was all I hoped for!  Saturday and Suday Nick and I went to Cincinatti for the Reds/Cardinals series.  We had a lot of fun.  We walked around downtown a bit and our hotel was nice.

Nick is doing awesome.  He is finally over his stall.  He was stuck at 226 for a few weeks and finally had a 4 pound loss last week, so he's happy!  My Mom looks amazing!  Kathy is doing great with weight watchers!  I am going over to my brother's tonight to help him with a weight loss stategy.  It's good stuff!  I love seeing the people I love get healthy! 

Work is still work.  I am having a great time with school and that's getting me through right now.  I am just hanging in there trying to lay low until things get better.  I still have a job and I am so grateful for that!  :-)

Things are going generally outstanding! 

relections and soul searching...

I wanted to post this a few days ago, but haven't been able to find the time...  I mentioned in my last post that my good friend Louanna and I had a great chat when we visited last.

I am sure if you've talked to me or read my blog for a while, you can probably tell that I've been struggling with some aspects of the "new me".  I am feeling more comfortable in my skin, but my head is a foreign place to me.  I have noticed some changes in my feelings towards different things, and some of the changes have made me worry a bit.  I've been trying to put my finger on what's happening to me for a while.  I notice the differences mainly at work, but in other areas, too.  I think to myself that if I notice these differences, surely everyone else does too, right?

I have had a weird couple of months at work, so I have just chalked my "weird" attitude up to maybe some bitterness or maybe some burn-out.  I don't seem to have as much patience for people and I don't have nearly the "Light and Fluffy" I am used to. 

Louanna was able to help me sort thru some of these feelings in a way that totally "clicked" for me.  You see, for a long time I fit into a specific "box".  My adjectives were things like "Outgoing", "Accommodating", "Generous" and "Over-extended".  I used to care entirely too much about what others thought of me because I got my sense of value and worth based on what other people thought.  I would get great feedback from people.  People would pay me the nicest compliments and I would feel good about myself based on what they said.  I am happy to say that I am now able to see my worth all by myself.  I feel wonderful about all that I have accomplished and all that I am working towards and I don't need as much feedback or praise from others to feel ok with me.  So I find that I don't try too hard to make people like me.  I have the best core support group ever with some amazing friends and a wonderful and loving family and the most supportive husband!  Those people's opinions mean a lot.  It's important to me that my relationships with those people only grow stronger, but as far as "acquaintances" and everyone else, I find that I am not nearly as accommodating with them.  It's an adjustment for me, so I am hoping that I can embrace the new me.  As Louanna said, I just have a new set of adjectives and I just fit into a different box.  Not a bad box, both boxes are good.  They are just different. 

I am, for now, feeling a little less "crazy" and a little more empowered.  Thanks for letting me get that out and if you are still reading, thank you!

How fun!

I had an amazing talk with my good friend Louanna last night.  She is a wonderful supportive friend and I will post more about our chat in my next post.
Now I would like to share some photos of our journey.  We have been able to meet up a few times since surgery and we have taken some photos to document our journey.
Here were are at our first meeting:

This is a photos post-surgery about 3 months out:

This is last night.  Doesn't she look beautiful!?  We have decided that we are super hot rock stars!