2012 Word and Life Plan

I have become obsessed with Nerd Fitness.  While I'm new to the Rebellion, I love what I have gotten from it so far.  I could never and would never choose to live like Steve, but I love his philosophy.  Basically, quit making excuses.  Figure out what you want from your life and figure out what you need to do to get there.  Quit wasting time on things that will not help you "level up" your life.  The tricky part is that no one can make your levels but you.  You have to figure it out.  And that's what I have been working on for the last several days.

I still don't know what the highest level of Beth Ann would be.  That is going to take a little more thought and preparation.  But this is what I have so far. 

• I want to be a good person (friend/sister/daughter/aunt/etc.) and to be known as such.
• I want peace in my life.
• I love my job and my company and I want to be the best asset I can be.
• I want to be "put together" and organized.
• I want to be physically fit and continue to push my body.
• I want to wear a smaller size.
• I want to fill my time with more true hobbies and less mindless TV.

These things are what helped me shape my 2012 life plan.  And from that, I got my 2012 Word: 

LIVE



To me, to live means to experience all things and not let life just pass me by.  I want to see everything my body can do.  I want to enjoy my life.  I want to give joy to others.  I don't want to waste my time.  I want to live every moment to its fullest. 

I chose not to make any true weight loss goals, although my Leap to Goal is still in effect.  My focus is turning from the scale to how I look.  I'm not abandoning the scale yet because it still helps me stay on track.  But it is no longer the "end all, be all" of my master plan.

I have broken up my 2012 life plan into six parts:

• Fitness
• Diet
• Hobbies
• Organization
• Work
• Peaceful Living

Fitness

In 2010, I worked out 170 times and in 2011, I worked out 251 times.  This is the 2012 plan:

	Minimum	Goal	Stretch
CrossFit	100	120	135
Jazzercise	100	120	135
Running	12	25	36
Other	25	25	25
Total	237	290	331

Diet

My plan is to continue to work to stay in my calorie range and make healthy choices.  I'm sure that during the year, I will have "super focus" times where I log food or do other things to help myself get or stay on track.  But the overall goal is to do what is necessary to stay on top of a healthy diet.

Hobbies

I watch too much TV.  My plan is to focus more time on hobbies, specifically reading and playing the piano.  My goals for 2012 are to read one book per month and to devote 30 minutes per week to playing the piano.

Organization

I'm a clutterer and I'm tired of it.  I have broken up my 2 bedroom apartment into 60 mini areas (i.e. the dresser is one, under the bed containers is another, the bathroom drawers are another...).  My goal is to touch/organize/declutter each area once a quarter.  The hope would be that everything gets overhauled in the first quarter, then it won't be so hard to keep up. 

It breaks down to doing 5 things each month.  With as small areas as I have broken down, this should not be an issue.  I will make it a goal each Tuesday to do 1-2 areas.  (Yes, I have a spreadsheet.)

Work

I won't write out my work goals here, but the take away is that work will be more of a focus for me this year.  I worked hard in 2011, but it was a little more of just doing things that had been put into place and not really forging my own path which is more my norm.  2012 will be getting back to figuring out better ways to get things done.

Peaceful Living

Most things here are intangible.  I plan to give to any charitable situation provided I believe in it and it is under $5 absolutely any time I am asked and most times when the request is under $20.  (This is a repeat from 2011 and I thought it was a good one.)

Rein in my judgements.  I do not walk in other people's shoes.  Therefore I do not know what has led up to their decision making, nor do I understand why they might be in a certain mood.  Have patience.  Remember that being happy is so much more important than being "right."  I DO NOT know better than everyone else.

Go to church whenever possible.  Continue as a Eucharistic Minister.  Truly listen to the scriptures and homilies.

Remember that it is better to give than receive.

Slow down.  Nothing good comes from rushing.  Unless I'm in a 5K.

Present myself every day in a way that makes me feel good. 

Make decisions during the day that will allow me to sleep well at night.

No one likes a know-it-all.  I don't need to have all the answers.

Be more affectionate.

Open my heart and know that I am worth loving.  AND I'm worth waiting for the right person for me to love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, that is my grand plan.  I will check in with you all at the end of March to let you know how I'm doing.

I plan to ring in the new year looking at Adam Levine.  Woohoo!  I hope that you all are able to start the new year off spending time with those you love most.  I will be back on January 3rd (after CrossFitting!) to tell you how I have stayed on track for 5 whole hours.  :) 

I look forward to my best year ever.  Olympics, my 20th high school reunion, & BOOBs 3.0...what more could I ask for?

Hugs!

This time last year...

2012 is almost here!  In fact, today is going to be my "official" weigh in of the year.  I didn't make any official resolutions or goals for 2011, but here is how I did.

This time last year...I was still reaching for Onederland.  In 2011, I lost 17.80 pounds.  That brings my grand total weight loss to 95.8 pounds.  I started to be upset that I didn't reach the 100 mark this year, but I stopped myself.  Considering that in my adult life this is the only time I have ever had two CONSECUTIVE years of weight loss, I will take it!  I keep saying that this isn't a race, and it isn't.  In addition to 17.8 pounds (!), I have accomplished so much more.

This time last year...I was just starting to contemplate setting up my own blogging site.  During my first year, I blogged on LBT and once they changed their site, I had troubles accessing it and stopped posting regularly.  I didn't do one post between Thanksgiving and year end in 2010 and I knew that I needed to do something.  Blogging helped keep me accountable and I knew that giving it up would not help me in my goals.  In January & February 2011, I started moving all my posts to Blogger and 2/02 is my Bloggerversary.  I knew blogging would help me keep accountable, but I had no idea the community of support I would get and the amazing friends I would make.  You all are a true blessing in my life.

This time last year...I was a size 16.  That was pretty much the smallest I had been as an adult.  I think once in 1999, I got into size 14s, but it didn't last very long.  I was thrilled with my progress.  Today, I wear 12s and am even moving into 10s.  Even though I "only" lost 17.8 pounds this year, I dropped two (almost 3!) pants sizes.  I know that my fitness has kept me from losing pounds, but it has done OH SO MUCH for my body!  Speaking of...

This time last year...I was Jazzercising and trying to become a runner even though I hated running.  I worked out 170 times in 2010 and in 2011, I worked out 251 times!  That is almost a 50% increase!!  I Jazzercised 127 times, CrossFitted 47 times, ran 31 times and did something else (walked, other aerobic activity, etc.) 46 times.  Additionally, I knew that I needed to find something besides Jazzercise that I love to do so I would stick with it.  In July, I found CrossFit.  I have no doubt going into 2012, that I will continue to Jazzercise and CrossFit to help me reach my goals.  In July & August, I actually gained a pound.  BUT, the working out I did actually made my body change it the best ways.  I have a collarbone, shoulders, hip bones, biceps, triceps and all sorts of muscles that I could never see before.  As I lose more of the fat that hides them, I want to develop the muscles even more!

This time last year...I ran a 44:21 5K.  Labor Day 2011, I ran a 38:35 5K! 

This time last year...I was refocusing after my tonsillectomy and 3 months of stalled weight loss.  I made a fitness challenge to work out 6x per week for 6 weeks.  That was the best 6 weeks of weight loss I had all year.  In November 2011, I started another challenge and that was my 2nd best month of weight loss for the year.  This tells me what I already know.  When I am working out well, my eating is better naturally and I lose weight.  Time to get back to it. 

This time last year...I was started to recognize that I was becoming more "normal."  I was realizing that I was no longer always the biggest girl in the room and I was starting to gain some confidence.  Today, I feel very "normal"...almost ordinary.  While that is what I wanted for so many years, this year I learned that I want more than that.  I want to be a little extraordinary.  I want my body to do amazing things and that is what I'm going to focus on for 2012.

This time last year...I was learning how to dress a smaller body.  I made a promise to myself that I would make my body (whatever it's size) look the best it possibly can.  I feel that I do that every day.  Unless I'm just putzing around, I always put together an outfit.  I don't just throw on jeans and a shirt.  I work at my fashion and it makes me feel my best!

This time last year...I made a vow to live in peace and to pay it forward.  I gave a lot to charity over the months and I truly tried to do things for others whenever I could.  I'm still working on living in peace instead of getting upset about thinks and being judgemental.  But I have made big strides and I feel like I'm a better person for it.  Nothing makes me happier than to make someone else happy! 

This time last year...I was thinking of ways to celebrate my new life.  Early 2011, I decided that I was going to the 2012 Olympics.  Now I have my plane tickets, hotel, and event tickets.  I'm going to live my dream and I couldn't be more excited!

I am currently working on some tangible goals for next year.  Taking something from Fluffy, I plan to make goals and check in with them throughout the year.  In addition to my health goals, I plan to have other goals to help me level up my life.

Bottom line for 2011:  I'm happy.  I'm at peace.  I feel good.  I love you.

Hugs!

2012 Word

I like this word thing going on and want to jump right in. 

If I would have had a word for 2010, it would have been DETERMINATION.  I was so determined to lose weight and I wasn't going to let anything stop me.  I knew that on my surgery date in January, and I think I exhibited just that all the way through the year.  I lost 75 pounds that year and went from being a fat girl to someone that looked pretty "normal".  I felt great!

In 2011, my word would have been PEACE.  Originally, I wanted to hit my goal weight in 2011.  At the beginning of the year, that was my plan, but somewhere along the way, things changed.  I went into more of a maintenance mode for most of the year.  Instead of focusing on weight loss, I focused on finding peace and becoming the person I want to be.  I'm happy to say that in 2011, I will have lost around 20 pounds and I found my PEACE.

2012 begins very soon.  It is MY year.  I have a renewed vigor to reach my goal (many thanks to my fellow Leapsters!), it is the year of the Olympics, and most of all, it will be first year that I will never have to shop in a "womens" store ever again.  It is the first year that from beginning to end, I am normal.  Or rather, I feel normal.

Right now, I'm trying to think of a word that captures BOTH my perserverence as it relates to my continuing weight loss goals AND my goal to experience everything possible with my new life.  I'm not sure what it is yet, but I think I will know it when I hear it. 

Hugs!

Mid-holiday Break

Wow...I have been gone for a while!  But I have been having a lot of fun.  I'm in my routine for exactly three days and then it is time for another 4 day weekend.  YAY!!  Settle in, folks, we have a lot to catch up on.

Let's see, where do I begin?  Right before I left for my Florida Christmas vacation, I received my unbelievably awesome Secret Santa gift.  I don't know last names out here, so I only know her first initial "L".  Who is it?  I'm dying here!!  Anyway, L is a super secret Santa.  She gave me a full on workout outfit including the tank, pants, socks and super cool jacket with thumb holes!!  And it all fit perfectly!  I should have taken a picture.  Thank you Secret Santa!  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

Then it was off to Florida.  I'm not used to layovers, so it was a long day. I didn't touch down in Ft. Myers until midnight.  My brother picked me up and we drove to Cape Coral.  By the time we got there and settled, I tucked into couch just before 2am.  It was a short night because we were up at 6:15 to get ready to head to Tampa.

We found out that SIL's father went into the hospital on Monday, so SIL broke away from the rest of her family headed to Florida and drove a rental car to South Carolina to help her sister.  You may not remember but her mom just recently came home from the hospital where she was suffering from encephalitis and she is still not back to herself.  I think it was good for SIL to spend some time with her family even though we missed her a lot.  (So I don't forget, everyone is fine now and back happily at home!)

Wednesday went to Busch Gardens and I hadn't been since my brother and I were teenagers.  I was worried that it would be crowded because of the holidays, but it was totally the opposite.  Except for a lengthy wait on a ride that temporarily broke down, we barely waited for anything all day.  The boys loved the roller coaster ride that hung you over the edge before it dropped you off, but my favorite was the cheetah roller coaster.  It was just so smooth.

The family at Busch Gardens.

Big Bro & kids at Busch Gardens.

We had such a blast and the kids even agreed it was worth the two hour drive!

Thursday we got up and Big Bro & I took the kids to the beach.  Usually when I have gone to the beach there, it is so crowded and hard to find good places to set up.  It was practically bare!  The water was a little chilly, but if you stood in it a while, you got used to it.  And it was warm enough outside that you didn't get cold when you got out.  The kids had a blast!

After hanging out at the beach for a while, we headed home.  After freshening up, we went to a Florida Everblades hockey game.  It was so much fun!!  We were three rows from the glass and when they would hit up against it, we could see their spit coat the glass.  Gross!  But awesome!  Even my niece was getting into it.  I liked it so much, I asked BFF if she wanted to go to a Texas Brahmas game this month.  Maybe I will be a hockey fan yet.

At the hockey game.

Friday, Big Bro headed to Miami to pick SIL up at the airport.  So after some errands, I took the kids to see We Bought a Zoo.  What a great movie!!  We all loved it.  That evening, my parents hosted an open house to show off their family.  It was a nice party and my parents have some really nice friends.  One of their friends took family pics, so I hope to get a copy of those at some point.

Saturday was Christmas Eve.  Dad dressed as Santa to help out some of his friends, and it was so weird to look at him and see Santa!

Santa & the kids

Santa & his elf driver.  :)

That night we went to church and then out for a nice Christmas Eve dinner.  The absolutely ONLY negative thing about the entire trip was the Florida bugs that ate us up as we sat outside at dinner.  Well...they ate up one of my nephews, my dad and me.  We must be the sweetest ones.  We were joined by my SIL's aunt who lives nearby.  Everyone is family at our house!!

This is just one leg.  They cover the other leg, my feet, my shoulders and neck.  I stopped counting at 30!

Cheese!



I wore the magic dress for Christmas.  Thank you, Stephanie!! 

 After dinner, we went home for the 2nd Annual Family Showdown.  It was fun, but we were all tired and my brother couldn't play because his foot was hurting.  Then it was time for couch.

The next morning, we had a very joyous Christmas.  Here are some fun photos from my trip:

Me & the kids.  I love these children with all my heart. 

Electronics for everyone!

The boys used their $ to buy a present for their mom.  Super sweet!

<3

My elf.

Big Bro & SIL with their gang.

Big Bro & Me

Overall, it was a wonderful Christmas and a fabulous trip.  It is definitely not one we will soon forget!

Christmas Day was a long journey home with a layover in Atlanta.  My wonderful friend RoRo picked me up and dropped me at home around 10pm. 

Yesterday was a lazy day for me.  The only thing I did was muster up the energy to put on clothes to meet Debi for a mani/pedi and a late lunch.  Have I mentioned how much I love that girl?  Now my nails are all ready for NYE!

BFF comes home today.  YAY!  I pick her up at the airport this afternoon.

Hope you all had a peaceful and blessed holiday!  Back to work!

Hugs!

Post-fill Day

Hi all!  Boy, this time of year is crazy, isn't it?  I'm behind in every aspect of my life.  I guess it keeps things from being boring!

I took a vacation day yesterday and I think it was a good thing because I woke up feeling puny.  Sensing a sinus infection coming on, I doubled up my Claritin & broke out the nettie pot.  :)  Yesterday was also Fill Day.  I have had a very successful month since I was last there, but I have been battling the hungries like crazy.

Last time, I was so paranoid about being too full that I asked him for just an itty bitty bit and he gave me .1 ccs.  It helped a smidge, but my (too large) portions were still only lasting me 1.5-2 hours.  I was excited to see that on their scales, I had lost 9 pounds!  That felt good.  Hot Doc even gave me a high five!

I told Hot Doc about my hungries and reminded him about my fear of being too tight.  He checked me out under the fluoro and gave me 2.0 ccs.  He said that at 2.5 things looked a little "eh", so he backed it down to 2.0.  I only had liquids for the day so it was probably a very good thing I wasn't around people.  Fill or no fill...a liquid diet makes me cranky!!  It's not that I feel particularly hungry, although I did get that way right before lunchtime, it's just that I don't have a lot of energy.  It's going to be tough to get through Jazzercise tonight.

This morning I had my morning coffee and then I tried Cream of Wheat for breakfast.  It was my first time eating it.  While I think it was a smart thing to eat on a fresh fill, it wasn't my favorite thing.  Believe it or not, I actually prefer the oatmeal!  Who would have thought it?

For lunch, we went to La Madeleine and I had a bowl of reduced fat Tomato Basil soup.  Delicious!!  They also had a new Yellow Pepper Soup and since the calorie count was reasonable, I picked some up for either an afternoon snack or dinner. 

Today I'm sending out my Secret Santa gifts along with some Christmas and Pay it Forward gifts.  I do love giving people stuff!!  I'm really trying to focus on random acts of kindness this holiday season.  You never know when you can put a smile on somebody's face.

Hugs!

The days are just flying by...

Where has the time gone?  I meant to post yesterday, but ended up having a bad day and forgetting and now it is almost the end of the day.  Nuts!

Friday was a fun-filled day!  Our company holiday party was so fun.  We had a GREAT lunch and I ate up a storm.  I wasn't even ashamed of it.  We were at a fancy joint and I was going to enjoy it!  Our gift exchange was fun too.  I ended up with a bottle of Bailey's.  YUM.

That night, we went our Jazzercise friends party.  We had a DELICIOUS dinner and I brought some chocolate pie for dessert from the local bakery.  We did a Christmas ornament exchange and had a great time doing it.  I ended up with a margarita glass and shaker ornaments.  Plus, our sweet hostess got us all ornaments engraved with "Diva".  That's what we call our group...the Jazzercise Divas.  We are a very diverse group of ladies and it is fun that we get together and can have such a good time.

Saturday was mostly lazy.  I did do a lot of laundry and got my eyebrows threaded.  How's that for the exciting life?  BFF & I went to see My Week With Marilyn.  I really liked it and thought Michelle Williams did a fantastic job playing Marilyn.

Sunday, I had my big photo shoot.  I think everything went really well.  I get nervous when I think about it because all I can think about is that I will see them and think I am fat.  Sigh.  I hope that isn't the case, but what can I do?  The photographer is a friend of Debi's and he seemed to be a perfectionist.  I know that they will turn out as well as they possibly can.  I just have to decide that I like how I look and there is nothing a photographer can do about that!!  :) 

Yesterday, we had our Interesting Dinner Christmas get-together.  These are the beautiful ladies I have dinner with every month.  It is so nice to find time for special friends.  BFF drew my name in the gift exchange and she gave me piano music books which I can't wait to try out.  I drew Cowgirl and got her Christmas towels with cowboy boots on them.  Perfect, right??

It cracks me up that I look so tall.  I have my Oxford Platforms on and those always make me feel like a giantess.  :) 

I made it up for CrossFit yesterday and today, so that's awesome!  I'm very sore.  :)  Tomorrow I have the day off (I'm getting a fill!) and I'm trying to get myself to get up and go to CF.  I would be so glad I did!  But I probably won't.  Ha!  If I don't, I will go to Jazzercise though.  Gotta stay on track!

One last thing.  I'm planning a Minute to Win It style game for my family to play this Christmas.  We did it last year and it was so much fun.  Have you done that?  If so, what are your favorite games?

Hugs!

TGIF

It's a quick day for me because we are having our company holiday party at lunch today and then we are done for the day.  Woohoo!

I got my butt up for CrossFit this morning.  AFTER the workout (which involved Presses and Back Squats), we ended with 5 minutes of handstands.  That's not doing handstands up and down for 5 minutes.  That is being in a handstand for 5 minutes over however long it takes you to get it done.  Oh...and every time you came down, you had to do 10 sit ups.  I think I ended up with about 140-150 sit ups.  I held my first handstand for 45 seconds, but then they just kept getting shorter and shorter.

I was glad though because every time I kicked up into a handstand, I stayed there.  Before each one (especially at the end!) my arms were shaking and I was so worried they would buckle and I would fall.  But they held me every single time.

Tonight is a holiday party with some of my friends from Jazzercise!  I have a feeling it was really good to get up for CF this morning.  :)

Have a great weekend everyone and hugs to you!

Crazy Wednesday Recap

Yesterday was nuts!  I meant to post, but I just didn't have any time to sit down and do it. 

I have no idea why you all aren't tired of my pictures, but a few of you wanted to see my snazzy jacket, so here is me on Tuesday.  I had just run 2 miles at lunch so my hair was sad and my makeup all ran off, but you get the idea.  This little number came from Cato!

Yesterday was a super great day!  First of all, another batch of Olympic tickets were released at 11am.  I was right by my computer and ready to go.  The website was moving SO SLOW and it was driving me crazy.  I went right for the Diving (there was nothing available for Swimming) and found tickets.  I went to put them in my cart and the website went nuts.  I think that they disappeared right before I got them.  Boooo!

When I went back in, the cheapest available tickets for Diving were $606.  Each.  Uh, no.  So then I went to Tennis.  The tennis matches are at Wimbledon which is totally awesome and so even if I don't know who is playing, I will be at Wimbledon for crying out loud.  The match at Centre Court was a little bit more than the match on the other court, but it was totally worth it!! 

After I got those, I decided to keep going for it.  There were a lot of tickets available, but they were all over $300 each.  I mean I wouldn't mind going to Weightlifting (especially now that I understand some of the technique involved) but I'm not going to pay $300 to watch it.  But then I found some tickets for Fencing.  There was no time to cross reference what event, I just knew it was in my price range so I took it.  Later I found out it is the Women's Individual Epee Finals.  Finals are always good because then you get to see someone win a medal.  I knew we had a good fencer that won the gold last time, but when I looked it up, I found out she was a Sabre fencer.  I hate when I mix up my Sabres and my Epees.  :)

All in all, it is a good deal.  We arrive on Saturday, 7/28 and we now have tickets to events on 7/29, 7/30, & 7/31.  That will allow us to figure things out before we start having to scrounge for tickets.  You never know who we will meet in our first four days!!  I consider it a challenge to get in to see at least one night of swimming!  It will happen folks.  If I had a vision board, that would be on it!! 

After that excitement, I went to a work lunch.  It wasn't noteworthy until in walks Owen Wilson.  Yes, THE Owen Wilson.  He sat two tables down by himself and quietly enjoyed his lunch.  I LOVE star spotting! 

Then, if that wasn't enough, I went to dinner with my beautiful sorority sister.  She was actually my Pledge Daughter.  SoDa=Sorority Daughter...go with it.  It just so happened that yesterday was the 2 year anniversary of SoDa losing all of her weight.  She was thin when she was younger but had some tough times and gained weight.  She made a commitment and worked hard and lost that weight.  She is truly one of my heroes. 

I LOVED my outfit yesterday! 

I figured I would throw in a picture of today's outfit while I'm at it.  Still wearing the new clothes from my Thanksgiving Shopping Extravaganza!

Why this one won't turn right is beyond me.  I'm technically inept apparently.  Anyway, my Chicago scarf and sparkly tights have me feeling festive yet again.

I just had a conversation with Pres and Lizard.  Pres guilted me into committing to going to CrossFit tomorrow morning.  But I really need to anyway.  I told him that I only let him guilt me when I know it is what I need to do anyway.  Ha! 

Hugs!!

It's coooooooooold!

I bailed on CrossFit this morning.  I've instituted the Freezing Rule.  If it is below freezing, I'm drawing a line.  Brrrr...  I may have to rethink that later on because I don't want to miss out on 3 months of CF, but my body needs to adjust a bit. 

So, instead of CF today and tomorrow, I am running at lunch today and going to Jazzercise tonight.  Tomorrow will actually be a full day off exercise.  Hmmm...don't get those during the week very often.

I happy though because I get to wear my new headband!  I bought a super awesome new feather headband this weekend at Nordstrom.  I really haven't been on the feather bandwagon.  I think other people wear them well, but I didn't think they were right for me.  But the sales girl got me to put one on and it looked adorable!  But it is very delicate and I couldn't pack it.  So I couldn't wear it on days that I have to CrossFit in the morning (since I pack my clothes for work) or Jazzercise in the evening (because I pack up my work clothes when I change to my workout gear.)  So...yay!

I'm wearing yet another new item today.  It is a zebra print jacket!  I really like how it looks and I'm having another nice day in my clothes!

Hope you are all having a great week!!

HUGS!

My Prayer

It is a two post kind of day.  :)

Many of you that have followed my blog, may know that I'm a devout Christian but I typically don't share my religion with others.  I'm making a little bit of an exception for today because this touched me so much.  I don't "not share" because of embarrassment or shame, I just keep things to myself.  I try to follow the "Show, Don't Tell" philosophy of life. 

When my world fell apart three years ago, I needed something to pull me out and get me going.  My faith was part of that.  I truly changed the focus of my life and while I still often take a wrong turn, I feel like I have found the right path. 

Yesterday, our new priest read the Prayer of St. Francis during his homily.  I had tears in my eyes because without knowing it, this was MY prayer.  This was the path that I started following years ago and contains all the thoughts I have when trying to guide myself toward true happiness.  I used to be very selfish in my feelings.  What was going to make ME happy, why didn't everyone love ME, why am I always the one to GIVE?  I realized that those weren't the right questions and when they would come up, I would squash them.  Now I just have the words to help myself do that:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life

Whatever your beliefs, the message is clear...We GET joy, by GIVING it to others.  SHOW, don't TELL.

Hugs to all!

Weekend recap & Big Scale News!

Happy Monday, everyone!!

I have some super fun and wonderful scale related news, but you have to hang on until the end for that.  ;-)

Friday I went to see the Muppets.  I have to say, y'all, I was a little disappointed.  I LOVE the Muppets, but the movie fell flat for me.  Although, I did love the songs and the cameos.  Sheldon rocks!  I also think I decided that Scooter is my favorite Muppet because he makes sure everything gets done.  Ha!

Saturday, I was feeling quite festive.  I know you all are probably sick of pictures of me, but I took this one before my party on Saturday.

You don't get the full picture because you can't see my pink sequins Sperry's and my pink eyeliner doesn't really show up.  I was very pink and sparkly!!  And see the Starbucks cup?  That was my one & only Starbucks since getting my Keurig.  Wow!

Sunday, I finished putting up my tree.

I love Christmas decorations!  Even though I live alone and besides me, only BFF will see the tree, I have to have one.  I turn it on every night when I come home.  Love it!  Ronnie pointed out that it was a skinny tree that is reflecting my outward transformation.  I love that too.  :)

I had a funny experience on Sunday.  We have a new priest that came to us from Wichita Falls where he has been the last 10 years.  Sunday, I was serving communion and I went up to the priest to get the wine.  He did a double take at me and said, "It is so great to see you.  Looking good!"  I just stammered a bit and said, "Thank you, Father."  I have never met this man in my entire life!!  It was obvious by his words and tone that he thought he knew me.  It must have just been an amazing coincidence.  I told my mom that I choose to take it as a sign from God that I am on the right track!

Today, I'm wearing another new outfit.  I will spare you yet another pic, but I tell you that I just feel so good in all my new clothes.  Every once in a while, I almost feel pretty.  That is a big, huge stinking deal.  I don't feel it all the time and some moments I feel downright ugly.  But I'm seeing glimpses and I know that it is possible to feel that way.

Now for the big news!  I hit an official all time low!  *189.4*  I am beyond 95 pounds lost and working toward the big 1-0-0!!  That was a 2.6 pounds loss for this week.  YAY!!  I have lost 7.4 pounds since starting my What's the Point program for an average of 1.48 pounds per week. 

If I continue that pace, I would lose 4.4 pounds in the next 3 weeks which means my goal of 100 pounds lost by Christmas is certainly possible.  But I will have to keep my focus through all of these tempting holiday festivities!!  I have five different holiday events to get through this week:  I have two holiday work lunches, a work afternoon reception, dinner with a friend, & a holiday party with my Jazzercise friends.  It is going to be a HUGE challenge to stay within my calorie ranges this week.

Plus, the Skittle went a little nutso and I have to take it into the shop which means I'm not going to make it to CF tomorrow morning.  Lots of challenges springing up.  We will see how I get through them.

HUGS!

WEEKEND ALERT!

I wanted to jump on and say happy weekend to everyone!!  I had a conference downtown this morning and I have been busy at work this afternoon.  I guess it is going by fast, so that's good.

BFF & I are going to see the Muppets tonight and I couldn't be happier!  A. I get my treat of the week by getting some movie popcorn which is my favorite!  B.  I <3 those darn muppets so much. 

Today's new outfit:

I'm so glad that I did new outfits each day this week.  I had to work at it and I felt really good most every day.  Now if I can just do that EVERY day.  :)  The sweater I got at Cato.  I don't think of their things as being super high in quality, but they are inexpensive, so I don't mind getting some trendy things there that I full expect not to wear next year.  I got the belt at NY&Co.  The layering shirt is from last year as are the tights although this is the first time I've actually worn the tights.  They were actually too small when I bought them last year.  :)  The shoes are also from Cato.  I need to get some inserts so they don't slide around on my feet, but they are SUPER CUTE!!

Talk to you all next week!

HUGS!

November, I did good.

Y'all, I'm so sore today!  Like super, crazy sore.  You just never know when it is going to come, I guess.  :)

I changed my ticker yesterday to reflect my monthly weight.  In the month of November, I lost 6.8 pounds!!  That is so great for me and I'm very excited.  I lost continually from my pre-op diet through month 10 (November 2010).  In December 2010, I had a tonsillectomy and I got an unfill for that.  It was super miserable, I couldn't work out for several weeks and I couldn't care less about calories because my throat hurt so bad.  In December & January, I gained four pounds.

In February 2011, I started my Blogger site and got back to business.  In February and March, I lost 8.6 and 8.4 pounds, respectively.  Woohoo!  But then I entered stall city.  I think I went into maintenance mode without really planning on it.  From April-October, I gained 3.8 pounds.  Then something started to click.  I joined a group of girls in attempting to get to our goal weight by Leap Day...we are known as the Leapsters.  We are a fierce bunch!  Anyway, they are awesome support and I'm quite in love with them. 

Then I started my What's the Point system, giving myself points for positive behavior in an effort to "win" a necklace I want.  These things really seemed to work for me.  For the first time in 7 months, I'm showing significant and legitimate loss.  YAY!!  And during Thanksgiving no less!  I'm committed to doing the same thing for December.  With all of the Christmas traveling and holiday parties, I'm nervous, but committed.  I still have 25 pounds to lose!

I'm also pleased that I dedicated 1190 hours in November to working out.  That averages almost 40 minutes PER DAY.  Excellent!  And almost every day for the entire month, I drank over 100 ounces of water. 

I woke up today with the scale still stuck on 190, but I look back at what I did in November and I get over it.  I just have to keep going and it will work itself out.

Today's new outfit:

I'm so glad that I made this committment to wear my new clothes each day.  Otherwise, I think I would be in boring jeans and sweaters instead of the lovely things I bought. 

I thought I would leave you with a little picture from CrossFit.  I had to chuckle that my belly is showing, but I feel sure that no one would know it was me.  :)

Hugs!!