No TV, Vegan Eating, Thrift Town & 2 more pounds

I just got back from one of my best-friends-in-the-entire-world's house in CA... what a fantastic long weekend we had with them! We got out to their place in Sacramento on Thursday, and came home yesterday... the entire time was spent TV-free... what unexpected heaven! I have to say, I was a bit nervous about the no TV (I'm a bit of a news junkie) and a vegetarian/vegan mealplan, but it was great. Kristi made sure I had plenty of dairy (protein), and honestly we had some of the best food I've had in a while! Between a wonderful pasta dish Thursday night, a great pesto lasagna and then tacos and more fresh fruit than I've eaten in a month, I am feeling great! I got home and realized I've lost 2 pounds! Rock on! Down to 233.8. And, this morning I fit into a size 20 pair of black Gap capri pants (thank you Catherine!!!) that hadn't fit before the trip. Yay!

Kristi & Sarah

Charlie is a plastic surgeon, and he & Kristi own a business, Chrysalis Cosmetics in Sacramento, CA. Friday, we got to visit their office which is absolutely beautiful. So soothing... lots of Asian influence and beautifully calm colors. They introduced us to their staff, many of whom know about my surgery as Kristi has shared my blog with them. It was so interesting to talk to someone who has seen it across the country! And knowing that these professionals are so supportive of people getting healthy... how nice! Also, I got to look at all the picture books ... so interesting for me to see the pictures of various proceedures Charlie has done (tummy tucks, arms, thighs, boobs, etc...). With my ongoing weight loss, I'm definitely aware that there may be the possible need for one or more of these proceedures in the future, so I'm interested in seeing the difference some of these surgeries made. Absolutely amazing. Personally, I'm very interested in the arms and tummy... who knows what if any I'll need - so far things are shrinking and tightening nicely, but to be able to see the results after the weight loss was really cool.

Elin, Jackson & Lucia in the pool

The majority of the weekend was spent at their house, and the kids got along amazingly well! Kristi & Charlie have a son who is 7 and a daughter who is 5 1/2... so they were all pretty close in age... the kids spent most of the time in the pool, and interspersed that with lots of arts-and-crafts, puppet shows, playing make believe princesses and princes in the backyard, swinging, and just plain-old-reading. Honestly, I've not had such a good time in a long time. We all read 6 (at least) Magic Tree House books, and then some... so fun to read together! The biggest achievement for me was Lucia getting her courage to jump off the diving board in their pool... granted, still with the floaty, but she did it! She realized she can do it and she did. They had such a blast.

Charlie, Dennis & the Kids

Saturday morning, the dads took the kids fishing on the American River... what a motley crew, while Kristi and I went back to Thrift Town (see below). They had a great time from the stories I heard! Between seeing gold in the river, to Dennis falling in, there were lots of good stories. Really, the kids had so much fun - that made the whole trip even better... nights were spent in bubble baths (below) and reading books...and then early to bed for the kids, and a nice glass (or two) of wine for the parents!

Here is a bottle of wine we enjoyed... wonderful! I usually drink realively cheap wine (under $10 per bottle)... This one was a bottle we had way back 8 years or so ago in Lake Tahoe when we were there with my parents... it was as good as I remembered it! Yum... Pinot Noir from J Wine. Highly recommend it! (about $35 a bottle)

My own selfishly personal best part of the weekend was Kristi's and my trip(s) to Thift Town. Yes, we went back more than once. Holy Cow, we need one of these in Richmond! It is basically like a Goodwill (we went there too)... where people donate old clothes, shoes, etc... and they resell them. But here is the best part of the trip for me... I bought 2 shirts, 4 pairs of pants and 2 things for Lucia, all for $36... AND 3 PAIRS OF THE PANTS WERE IN A SIZE 18!!! Whoooooo Hoooooooo! I will fully admit that one pair is currently a pair of "sausage pants" (i.e. my legs look like sausages stuffed into the casing - won't be wearing them for a few more pounds) but damn it, they fit! And 2 pair look good enough that I can wear them to work! What a great experience. I proudly admit that there were more than a few tears shed in thrift town with Kristi... so great to have a good friend with you to have that kind of successful shopping trip! All in all, a wonderfully succcessful and inspiring trip all the way around!

I'm finishing up my last week here at Church, and then starting the new job on Monday... lots to get through this week but I'm rested and ready to get-to-it!