an unplanned NSV

This was one I definitely wasn't planning on... but always subconsciously wanted to do... I went to the driving range today with a girlfriend of mine and hit a bucket and a half of golf balls! Doesn't sound like much, but something that honestly I've put off for a while. A few years ago, Dennis gave me a set of clubs for Christmas (I thought it was a vacuum cleaner before I opened it, lol)... I've had them for 3 years now - and just used them today. In fact, they still had the plastic on them when I took them out a few hours ago!!! A girlfriend of mine, Virginia, loves to golf, and finally we found a time to go to the driving range together. I did pretty well, if I do say so myself! She is a great instructor, and I hit 90% of the balls, used almost all of my clubs (she explained the science behind each one) and after I finished the large bucket, I was having so much fun that I got another small bucket! Of course, I am HURTING now, between the run yesterday and this - lots of Tylenol tonight... but, the best part is knowing that a year ago, there was NO WAY I would have even tried this for fear of embarrassing myself and not being able to physically manage it. Very cool!

~*~*~

ps - note to self - do NOT wear an underwire bra when golfing... Can we say chafing??? The girls definitely need to be held down more securely in a sports bra! (lol)

What do Snoop Dog, Miley Cyrus, Eminem & Barry White have in common?

Well, nothing other than they are in my go-to play list on my Ipod when I run... Today was my longest run so far... 4.7 miles. I think I probably ran 3.2 to 3.5 of it... not too shabby, but boy am I hurting now!!! And I'll tell you what... Miley saved me today (yes, I'm a dork) - I had a lot of negative self-talk stuff going on, when her song (Party in the USA) came on... and for whatever dorky and silly reason, the lyrics really spoke to me and got me moving...

This is all so crazy, everybody seems so famous

My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda homesick

Too much pressure and I'm nervous

.....

So I put my hands up, they're playin' my song

The butterflies went away

I'm noddin' my head like "yeah!"

Movin' my hips like "yeah!"

Got my hands up, they're playin' my song

And now I'm gonna be okay

Yeah! It's a party in the USA!

I've never actually sung out loud when I run (usually I can't breath - today was more like a gasping/singing)... but I sang this one - 3 times!

*** Disclaimer - this is my "bad girl" list of music... DEFINITELY NOT FOR LITTLE EARS!!!*** (the only time I get to listen to it is when I run... guess I have to run more!)

Lucia is spending the afternoon with our friend Glenna, so Dennis ran with me and kept me company. At any rate, if you like Hip-Hop & Rap, here you go!!! I'm dating myself - it is a lot of old school and also stuff from college days... good (mostly) memories!!! (lol) ~*~ I'm going to be building another one that is primarily Dave Matthews and Jimmy Buffet, and I also have one that is Contemporary Christian... Yes - TOTALLY ODD MIX OF MUSIC TASTES, I'll admit!!! Would love to know what some of your favorite songs are to listen to as you are running (or working out)!

Don't let the door hit you in the ass...

I'm talking to the last month or two, that is! I'm glad February is over. It's been a crummy month. Actually, the weight loss as a whole since the New Year has been less than exciting or motivating. Yes, it is still going down, but I can't seem to get past this hump of 200. I know it will come. Tomorrow is a 5 mile group run - will be the furthest I've gone yet - so hopefully that, along with a date with a girlfriend to hit some golf balls on Sunday (which I know nothing about), will jump start whatever needs to be jumpstarted and I can finally get into the 19o's in March! Ugh. Good riddance to cold weather and limited weight loss.

The new haircut...

• Cute, short and a bit sassy? CHECK.
• All the white & grey hair is now highlighted in Blonde? CHECK.
• All the Moms at Dance class ooohhhed and aaahhhed over it? CHECK.
• I like it? Nope... I LOVE IT!!!

Lucia on the other hand, did NOT like it for the first 2 hours. In fact, the first 30 minutes I saw her, all she said was that she didn't like it and I didn't look as pretty... Oh well! (Then she quietly said that she was sad that she didn't have as much hair to play with.... tearjerker!)

~*~*~*~*~

I think it is a bit more Kate than Posh... but I'd like to think that I'm not quite as hard as either of them and carry it off better (lol)... At any rate, it is a change and I think it looks pretty good! Now if I can do all the gel, hairdrying, paste stuff, we'll be in business... I might just need to go buy some makeup now - I did find and order a pair of those black boots I mentioned wanting!!! They are extra wide in the calf, so hopefully they'll fit. Can't wait to put the whole outfit together now!

Random sticky note thoughts (even though it isn't Tuesday)

If you love sticky notes as much as I do, you can find the tool to make them for your blog here!

We'll see how short I actually end up going later today... :-)

Hurray!!!

I am jumping for joy inside... Just got back from my Floro, and all is well in bandland! Yippee!!! They still aren't quite sure what caused the sudden onset tightness... she put my band back up to 5cc's and did the xray and it was bizarre - the stuff just sat there and didn't go through - I definitely felt that full, burping sensation! She backed off to 4 cc's and it flowed through with no problem... put me back up to 4.5 cc's, and that seemed to be a good point. The stuff went through slowly... So, they added 1 cc - I have another appointment in 4 weeks, which is perfect. For the time being, I'll see how this does. Hopefully well, because as of this morning I was up to 208. YIKES! Okay... refocus... I can get below 200... I WILL get below 200... I'm on a day of full liquids, 2 days of mush, then on Friday back to normal food... And time to start measuring. Remember last post how I admitted that I didn't measure? Well, it is time to start... I am going to do my best to measure everything... 1/2 a cup at a time! Darn it, I do not want to mess this up! I'm hoping between a few more days of liquids and mush, better measuring and getting back into the running groove, I'll be able to kick this 200 pound mark in short time! I'll keep you posted. And by the way... THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of your kind words on my 1 year bandiversary post! I feel so loved by all of you!!!

What a difference a year makes... My One Year Bandiversary!

Seeing is believing...

The Side & Back Views...

Disclaimer: This is going to be a long post!!!

Today is my one year anniversary of having my lap-band surgery. What an amazing difference when I look back on a year ago!!! Just amazing. In fact, when I was putting together these pictures, I found myself getting VERY emotional. I mean, look at me above last year this time... I was SCARED! And tired, and unhappy.... and fat. I was so sad that it had to come to this point. And I was afraid that this too, wouldn't work. I didn't care about how I looked. My hair looked like shit (mind you, the picture is at 5AM, but it basically always looked like that). I wore baggy, crappy clothes... I was not a happy girl. Fast forward a year. Someone sent me these Gap Flare jeans (Catherine or Amy I think - and thanks again!!!) and I don't even know what size they are - I do know that they are too big up top, and for the first time, they fit over my calves today. So I decided that there wasn't a better day to wear them! And I'm smiling. I smile alot more these days. That is a good thing.

YEAR IN REVIEW PIX

I've been thinking a lot over the last few weeks about this day. Would it be different? Would I feel different? Nope... just a normal day. But there have definitely been some little moments today that have made me smile, especially because I know where I was a year ago. My friend this morning told me how amazing I looked in the jeans, and that "you just keep shrinking... so much for being large boned, huh?!?!?"... and being able to squat on the floor during a Daisy Girl Scout troop event this morning with 14 little girls... and coming home and having my husband tell me that I looked hot, and that I look way younger than he ever remembers me and that he feels like he's "robbing the cradle", and yesterday having someone seriously in disbelief when (a) I told them I was 37 and (b) showed them the "before" picture. Great things.

~~~~

So here are some thoughts, differences and general observations from this past year... and some honest admissions about where I haven't been as successful too...

• Stats: My ring size has changed from a 9 to a 6.5... My clothing size from a 24/26 to a general 16 (14 in some things, 18 in others)... 75 plus pounds lost... not sure on inches (I haven't been measuring lately)... I couldn't walk a block without wheezing and now I can run 1.8 miles without stopping... I still go to bed by 9PM and sleep as long as I can (5:30 if I'm running, 6:30 if not)... My shoe size is down at least a half if not a full size... last summer I was wearing the bathing suits with the skirts to hide as much as possible. Last week I bought board shorts and a bikini top for the next vacation!
• I can actually run up the stairs now. Heck - I can run! I DO RUN! Here's my admission though... it is bizarre to me that I'm a role model to so many of you because I don't consider myself a runner at all. Honestly? I dread it each time I go out there, but I know it makes me a stronger person. And it is something tangible that I can both do and feel and finish... But I still haven't done a full 5k without walking. That will come though - hopefully in 2 weeks - at least that is my goal!
• I've noticed huge things that are little in the grand scheme of things, yet big to me at the same time... I can buckle my seatbelt without an extender on an airplane AND the tray table and arm rests come down without hitting me... I have ridden on a roller coaster with Lucia... I fit in restaurant booths without having to move the table... my heels don't crack nearly as much as they did... I can shop in "normal" stores now (although I am still scared too)... I don't quite know what sizes to buy and almost always choose things too big for me...
• I can actually watch the Biggest Loser now... before the surgery I wouldn't watch it because it was just too painful. It is still hard to watch, but now I know that I am living and getting healthier every day. I finally know I won't die from this.
• At Disney last week, I saw my reflection in a store-front window and mentioned to Dennis that I would like to look like that... then I realized THAT was me. THAT was cool.
• I weigh myself EVERY DAY, TWICE A DAY... yes, probably crazy... but I weigh myself in the AM to see where I am, and at night to see what I did... it gives me an idea of where I'll be the next morning. But I only make it "official" on Friday mornings.

ADMISSIONS:

• I still think of myself as a fat girl. I've been heavy since forever... I don't know differently... I just can't get beyond the fact that I still think that I'm the "fat girl" in the group - yet that has never defined me...
• I haven't found the courage yet to go into J Jill, Ann Taylor, or any other "skinny" girl stores yet. I want to though. The day is coming soon I hope!
• I would be about 15 pounds lighter if I listened to the rules on not drinking... but I love my wine, and I've chosen to allow myself that vice - in fact, I'm having a glass of celebratory Toasted Head Chardonnay right now as I type!
• I don't measure my food. Almost never since about 3 weeks out from surgery. I eyeball it, and I know my eyes are bigger than my stomach.
• I still haven't quite gotten the connection between my eyes and new stomach, and at times feel like I should be able to eat more - but thankfully I've learned to listen to the physical signals.
• I am hopeful that we'll have another baby some day - and that this weight loss will help with that entire process. But you know what? Selfishly, I don't want to gain weight again. Is that awful? I am SCARED TO DEATH to try it... but the benefit of kids far outweighs the scariness of gaining weight now, because I know with this tool I can lose it again.
• And going on that last bullet, every morning I wake up and think "did I gain it all back last night" and that I'm living in a dream... It's a wonderful place - but for some reason, I still think about having to squeeze into seats, and I'm always afraid I won't fit somewhere... the brain takes a long time to catch up.

A FEW UPCOMING GOALS & DREAMS:

• Finish the races I have on tap and meet that goal of 37 miles of "official" races this year...
• Find the courage to go INTO a "real" store AND actually BUY something there
• Get that connection a bit more solid between my eyes and my stomach
• Get below 200... but first, figure out what's going on with my band
• Find a pair of black boots that fit over my calves to wear with skirts
• Cut my hair short & sassy... and maybe learn how to wear makeup - just a little bit!
• Get to the point where I know I can get my rings re-sized. I miss my wedding rings.
• When I lose 100 pounds, I promised Lucia that we would dye our hair (the wash-out kind) pink and purple. I can't wait for that day!!!

The Finale (aka my acceptance speech):

I could write so much more... really, I could... but honestly, I'm a bit emotionally exhausted of thinking about all of the last 37 years and the last year's journey... it's been quite an amazing ride. Would I do it again? IN A HEARTBEAT. Hands' down, it was the BEST decision I've ever made. So here's a toast to all of you out there who have joined me in this journey.... To my fellow bandsters... I am SO appreciative of the sisterhood I've found. I can't even begin to describe how much this community has played a role in my success... to know you're all out there cheering me on is such an amazing gift. And to those of you who are petrified about making the decision? Do what your heart and gut say. Honestly. And know whatever your choice, there are some amazing people waiting to support you. To my friends and family... THANK YOU. Thank you for always loving me no matter what and knowing I wasn't who I was wrapped up in, and for so many of you who see the "before" picture and who honestly say "I never thought you were that fat...that isn't the Sarah that I knew." That really means a lot to me because it means you always loved me for me - not for my "wrapping"... To my running buddies and those folks who push me... keep it up. Yes, I might bitch at you when you make me run to the next street light, but I love that you love me enough to do it. For all of you who have shared your clothing with me... I'm in HEAVEN that I can finally swap clothes!!! Mom & Dad??? Love you more than I can ever tell you - thank you. For everything and all your support... and Dennis and Lucia - my rocks... my daily cheerleaders... couldn't have done any of this without you! And I can't wait to pay it forward to all of you. Cheers.

Paying it Forward... My nominees for Beautiful Blogger Awards!

Belated thanks to a few of you for my nominations!!! I'm way late in responding... the most recent person who nominated me was Catherine, and she most DEFINITELY is someone I consider to be a Beautiful Blogger!!! As are Amy and Cara... all of whom I've been following since the day I started blogging, and I can honestly say that I wouldn't be as far in my journey without their moral and blogging support! Now... for the rules of this deal...

• Thank the person who nominated you for the award;
• Copy the award and post onto your blog;
• Link to the blog of the person who nominated you;
• Tell seven interesting things about yourself;
• Nominate seven bloggers; and
• Post links to the blogs of your nominees

Seven things about me:

1. I am an only child... always wanted a brother or sister, but alas, no luck!
2. I am farsighted in one eye and nearsighted in another
3. I'm really, really type "A"... (my friends can stop giggling now)... Sometimes I think I'm a bit OCD in terms of organizing things... except for my house.
4. I should have been a travel agent or administrative assistant... I'm good at that kind of organizational/administrative stuff... instead I work in Human Resources and manage Recruiting and Training for my organization.
5. I have a 5 year old who is the light of my life, and although she exhausts me and I often times think I'm a crappy mom, I really hope someday we'll have another one... (the success of my band so far will definitely make carrying a baby a lot easier!)
6. One of my favorite moveis is Blue Crush... it is AWFUL - but it appeals to my inner surfer girl!
7. I organize the money in my wallet both by denomination AND order of crispness of the bill (see?!?!? I told you I was anal... somehow the crisper bills are worth more to me so I save them 'till the end and get rid of the yucky ones first)

My Seven Nominees (which is SO HARD! I could nominate many, many more, but here they are) in no particular order!

• Kathi & her band, Boston at Don't Look Back: Kathi rocks Texas hard... she lets nothing get in her way, and threw herself an awesome 5oth birthday
• Brooke at Lap Band Labryinth: Brooke is kicking some serious Canadian Band Ass!!! Girl, you are amazing at how far you are in your journey!
• Jen at Life's Little Journey: I often find myself living vicariously through Jen and Catherine in NYC... single girls with no kids living in the city and getting to go out to great places to eat and have nice shopping! (Sigh...) And she was in a Marching Band to boot... you go girl!
• Jennifer at A Southern Girl's Journey: I'm getting to know Jennifer, but I love the title and as I've now lived in Richmond longer than anywhere else, I find myself almost becoming Southern! I probably broke some cardinal rule because you KNOW that a northerner can't really become a Southern Lady, but I'll take my cues from Jennifer!
• Susie at Free2bme-Susieq4given: Susie has provided me quiet inspiration - your comments and emails have been kind and I hope you're enjoying your journey!!!
• Linda at Linda's Bandwidth: I can always count on Linda to leave me a post or comment, and find myself often empathizing with her posts and where she is in her journey..
• RC at The Crazy Coconut: My fellow Virginian - although MUCH closer to the ocean than I am - I love the pictures and the honesty on your blog, and can't wait to hear about your next non-band journey!

That's it for now, but there are so many more - I love following all of you!!!!

So grateful for each of you...and what I'm taking on for Lent

Ya'll rock! I have the best blogging buddies in the world! Thanks so much for all your support about the last post and the un-fill. I was down this morning to 201.4, and I'm hoping to get below 200 if for nothing else to know that I can do it - I do anticipate that I may gain a bit over the next few days/weeks, but we'll see! The great news is that I'm going in on Tuesday afternoon for the floro, so hopefully if all is okay, they'll put a bit back into the band and start filling me up again slowly but surely... and maybe, just maybe, I can have a picture of 1XX.X to be looking at to motivate me! In the meantime, I'm embracing my liquids... I'm meeting friends for dinner tonight and will have soup, and tomorrow night after I get to move to mushy food, will have lobster bisque and some mushier food for dinner at Texas de Brazil (Dennis and I are meeting some friends to celebrate one of their birthdays and our anniversary)! ~~~~~ I'm not sure how religious or spiritual any of you are, but between working for a religious organization and being semi-active in our church, I do like this time of year... it used to be that I dreaded Lent - there was always this pressure to give something up - usually something I really liked, like chocolate. But a few years ago, after I started going back to church more regularly, I was reminded by my minister that we can take things ON for Lent too... In fact, he recently sent out an email reminder to us that said the following... "Lent is a season of repentence, when we listen closely for God's call for us to return. It's a time when, with particular intention, we enter into disciplines and practices that help us get in God's way...". Hmmm... Get in God's way... part of what I decided to take on earlier this year, was a commitment to really embrace my physical health. For lent I want to push myself even further than I have. When I think I can't do anymore, I need to tell myself I can, and do a bit more each day... I am in such a better place than I ever have been physically - and part of that is the mental realization that I CAN do these things. I want to keep pushing myself... I have 3 races on the board to accomplish within this time period, and I think God is smiling down on me to see (a) how much healthier I am becoming, and (b) how I am taking care of myself both mentally AND physically now too... so more running it is! And more praying too - I've been slacking a bit on that. And I forget sometimes, that I get in God's way the most when I am out there running in the dark at 5:45AM... because he is usually saying something to me, and that is when I am listening. So, we'll see... time to get myself more in his way! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hopefully with these efforts, dealing with having less restriction will help me stay at a static point or, dare I say it, even lower... time will tell!

Egads... an ALMOST Complete Unfill!!! What the heck happened?!?!?

FELLOW BANDSTERS.... LEARN A LESSON FROM ME!!!

So, I've been having some minor issues over the last week or so that are all "warning signs" of being too tight... I ignored them because we were going to be in Florida... and because sometimes I have a tight day but the next one is fine. Bad Sarah. Nothing major happened in FL (a bit of acid reflux, and I did PB a few times)... but when we got back, it started to get a bit worse... so I called my doc yesterday to get in sooner than my March appointment - they gave me a time next Tuesday. Last night I noticed that even liquid was "gurgling" and not going down easily... this morning, same thing. Dumb me decided to try a few chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A for lunch on my way home.... BIG MISTAKE! I chewed, chewed, chewed... but was too tight for them to go anywhere... 45 minutes later, I tried a sip of water. Not! PB in the car at 70 miles an hour... Ugh. So, long story short, I called the doc, told them what was happening and they said to come in right away... in I went. I had ALL THE SIGNS of being too tight but hadn't paid attention to them... Again, bad, bad Sarah!!!

• Acid Reflux
• Hiccups
• Night Coughing (didn't have this one)
• Lightheadedness in the morning
• Regurgitation / Vomiting
• Pain in the lower chest / abdomen
• Discomfort while eating
• Poor food choices

She told me that normally in this situation, they take all the fluid out - to have this many signs start so quickly when I've been fine for 4 months is not normal (note: last fill was 10/11/09). So she took out 6 cc's in my case. However, I must have looked really pathetic, because she decided to "let the negative gravity of the band take back what it needed to "neutralize" (her terminology) the band" which was 3.5 cc's... basically a bit more than I had post-surgery. And told me I need to come in and go under Floro to see what's going on... Hopefully that will be next Tuesday. Also, my port is super tipped - she can still access it, but if at some point she can't, that is an outpatient surgery... BIG SIGH! So, I'm down to 3.5 cc's and my tummy is growling already. I'm on full liquids for a few days, then mushy food, then back to normal... fingers crossed that all it is, is my stomach being a bit inflamed... won't know until the Floro. But, now, I have the pleasure of Bandster Hell to re-live until I get refilled.... (sigh).

~~~~~

Okay - I can do this - I already have - and the silver lining, is that maybe I'll actually get below 200 for a few days while on liquids! I'll keep you all posted! Things like this make me very appreciative that we have great insurance.

As promised... the WDW comparison picture

Well, as promised in my earlier post today, here are the side-by-side comparison shots...

It was cold - so you can't see pix comparing my thighs... no shorts on this trip, but I do think that just the difference in my face (although the other differences are great too) speak volumes!!! And she's also 40 pounds heavier to hold)... Not too shabby!!!

~~~

(BIG, BIG GRIN!)

No closer to Onderland...

Hello everyone! I've missed you!!! We're back from FREAKIN' COLD FLORIDA... but we had a great time. And thankfully Dennis made it there a day and a half late... I haven't had a chance to get my "pre/post" pictures up yet, but I can't wait to compare me at 280 with Lucia to now... I tried to get a similar pose taken at WDW - we'll see what it looks like - hopefully tomorrow! All of the pix have the same basic clothes though since I only had one pair of jeans with me... thank god I had those or my tush would have frozen off! ~~~~~~~~~~ On the band front, I'm still holding firm around 203.5-204... Amy - I'll gladly take the trip to Onderland with you! I seem to be in the slow line for that trip! I did actually call my doctor to see if I can get in to get a slight UN-Fill... maybe just .25 cc's, but I've been having a bit more acid reflux over the last week and have gotten stuck a few times in the last week - not fun. I also can barely eat 1/2 a cup at a sitting... so, just want to make sure all is well in band-land. ~~~~~~~~~~ I'll try to post pix later today/tomorrow and in the meantime, hope to catch up on all of your happenings over the last few days!

V-Log Promise, I love JetBlue & new time for WDW pix...

OK - I have never admitted this, but I am scared to do a VLOG... Just like I was scared to run. Weird, yes... and probably unreasonable. HOWEVER... that being said, I've decided that when I hit onederland (whenever the hell that will be), I will post my first vlog... so, stay tuned!!! I'm really, really hoping it is before 02-20-10 as that is my one-year bandiversary, but we'll see! (of course, now I have to figure out how to actually DO a vlog, but that is my worry, not yours!)

~~~~~

On the weather front, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get out of here tomorrow heading south to FL for a nice mini-vaca... Dennis was rebooked up in Boston to get down there Friday night, which is a bummer because he misses a day BUT it is better than nothing - he will still get two plus full days down in WDW. Fingers continue to be crossed that everything that is supposed to happen does! And a little plug for JetBlue... they changed his flight to fly directly from Boston to Orlando (keeping the return to Richmond) with NO CHARGE... Plus they gave Lucia a pair of wings when I showed up in person at the RIC airport in the snow this morning...I think they are my new favorite airline! At least, if we get to actually leave tomorrow morning they will be!

~~~~~

I'm thinking I may have to get a new pose of these pictures (below) to do a "before" and "after" set... since this is probably the highest I was (at about 283), so I'll see what I can recreate at 203 and holding!!! Check back in with ya'll next week sometime unless things slow down enough over the weekend to post!

Weather & Travel Woes, a size Medium shirt, and Rings

Dennis is in Boston for work... flew up this morning. We're scheduled to go to FL on Thursday for a mini-vacation, and lo and behold, his flight home tomorrow night was cancelled due to weather (sigh)... I'm REALLY hoping they can just rebook him directly to FL!!! Ugh. Is this Murphy's law??? Whatever happens, as long as he is safe, I'm happy. But we REALLY want this brief and WARM vacation...

~~~~

On the size Medium front...

here is my most recent and exciting purchase... the shirt is a size MEDIUM! WTF?!?!? MEDIUM! Amazing. So fun. The skirt is a 16, and is getting a tad big (thank you Candace again for giving it too me!!!)... Lucia took the pic this morning, so sorry if it is kind of blurry... not bad for a 5 year old!

~~~~

I had posted in prior posts about my wedding rings... both my band and engagement ring are now FAR too big, and have been put into a safe place. The "fake" engagement ring I bought a few months ago is getting big too, so today I got this little "fake" at TJMaxx on clearance.

I'm not totally sure whether I like it or not, but for $20 I won't complain. I'll keep it on for a few days and see how it feels... I'm pretty sure it is a size 6.5 or 6 - it is a little snug, but I think part of that is the style of it. At any rate, it is SOMETHING to hold that space until I get to goal and can have my rings resized!

I do miss my wedding band and engagement ring a bit... I guess it is a small price to pay for losing the weight! I'll take that anyday! And maybe when I get to goal, a new (NICE, i.e. not clearance) ring to boot!

Shedding my Excess...

Not a particularly WLS-related blog, but enjoy none-the-less!!!

I love this quote... and borrowed the format / picture from Simple Media.com's blog site...

I'm a big fan of simple. In theory. I really, really aspire to live a simple life. In my real life, I try on a daily basis to make life more simple every day and many days I fail. I do think I've been pretty successful over the past few years... (all of you who really know me can stop snickering now). At any rate, I have lots of "Simplify your life" books (Simplify Christmas, your kids, your life, your bathroom, blah, blah, blah...), I am a fan of lots of simplifying websites (check out this awesome compilation HERE... they are having some great giveaways!), and I really do think that there is something to be said for shedding your excess. When I get a bit down about having too much stuff and how stressed that makes me feel, I have to remember that I HAVE been shedding my excess for the last year... 70+ pounds of excess weight and a lot of the baggage that has gone along with that - and there is something to be said for that!

~~~~~~~~

Dennis and I decided this summer to really focus on our priorities as a family, and so after reading The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family, we decided to use their method and scorecard... it is a really simple and good one - at least worth a look IMHO. Yes, we've gotten lots of questions and a few "teasing digs" about our Scorecard, but I don't care - we post it publicly and proudly... and we've gotten a lot of good feedback about it too (if you're interested, check out the Frantic Family website). And this time our goal is to "Shed our Excess"... It's a worthy goal - I've taken lots of our stuff to Goodwill, I ask myself repeatedly whether I need something, and I do have to remember that part of shedding my excess is getting rid of this weight, one ounce or pound at a time - no matter how it comes off! Yes, I still buy stuff I don't need (I'm a bag (purses, backpacks, duffles) and office-supply whore), but at least I am thinking about it now!

~~~~~~~~ Just my thoughts for today.

Cara's Easy Cheesy Pancake Recipe... YUM!

Hey all... I tried Cara's recipe for "easy cheesy pancakes"... and although I made some adjustments to the recipe on my end, I think it is worth sharing... YUM!

Cheese Pancakes...

• 1/4 C. Ricotta Cheese
• 1/4 C. Cottage Cheese
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 to 1/2 C. French's Fried Onions (Cara used regular onions)
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (Cara's calls for flour)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooking spray

Combine the cottage & ricotta cheeses, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, onions and salt/pepper in a small bowl. Stir 'till well mixed. The actual batter will be quite thick - not like normal batter. Spray a frying pan again and drop in half the mixture - it makes 2 pancakes. Cook on each side, I like my things done well, so I did about 5 mins per side. Makes 1 serve.

Cara's recipe was 250 calories and 22 grams of protein. I'm figuring mine for about 300 calories and 18 grams of protein (less protein in ricotta than cottage cheese but I like the consistency). Next time I think I'll try some other spices (maybe dill?)... but it was really yummy and I am FULL! In fact, I couldn't finish the 2nd pancake - my DH and DD were happy to help me along with that! Definitely a keeper for a quick lunch or dinner.

Snow, snow, snow

More snow here in Richmond in a month than is normal in a year! This is our 3rd storm of the season... Crazy... it started snowing again yesterday... my work was closed, Lu's school was closed - we had a nice girls day - ran errands before it got too bad in the morning, and spent the afternoon making crafts and jewelry. Thankfully we didn't (or maybe I should say haven't, since it is still snowing) gotten anywhere near what they were calling for here... however, my folks in NJ seem to be getting hammered! It is the 2nd week in a row that the 10K training team at the YMCA was cancelled... I just really need to get moving - maybe I'll try to get the treadmill set up and use it today in the garage. On a nice note, my scale read 202.8 this morning... a new low! Not far at all 'till one-something! I should definitely be able to get there by my bandiversary in 2 weeks (2 weeks from today actually)!

Movement!

Of both the physical AND scale kind this morning! Yay! On the scale front, I am back down (THANK GOD) to 203.4. I'm hoping for a 202 number tomorrow for my "official" weigh-in day... I am finally feeling like maybe I'll see Onderland sometime soon - remember - my goal is to be below 200 by my 1 year bandiversary which is February 20th.

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Physically I was able to get outside this morning and run. Yay Again! Never thought I would see the day that I was excited to run. We've had so much snow (for here) and they have no idea how to clear the roads. This morning was the first morning it was safe enough to run, and I did 2 miles. I was able to do about 1.6 straight, walked for a minute, then ran again to the end. Considering I haven't been out in about a week (or more), not bad... They're calling for MORE snow tomorrow, mixed with sleet and freezing rain and then snow again Saturday morning... ugh. At least I got a good workout in!

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Side note - I used the pedometer tool on my Ipod Nano for the first time this morning... 2 miles and it was 4700 steps in 30 minutes... not to shabby! I used to think it was impossible to get the recommended 10K steps in a day... not if you run it isn't! :-)

My new friend, Ann Taylor

Meet my new friend, Ann Taylor!!! I love her... there is something to be said for a nice pair of lined, wool pants - especially when it is snowy out AND when you score them for $4.99 (remember this post?)!

In the effort to be completely honest, I am showing you what these SIZE 16 ANN TAYLOR PANTS look like on me (did I mention that they are Ann Taylor? This is the first FREAKING time I've ever worn anything from them - can you tell I am excited?!?!?). They are definitely a smidge too tight, but they zipper without much effort - it is just the darn stomach / saddle bag issue... another 10 pounds and I think they'll hang quite nicely!

On a side note, I thought I would also show you my ring dilemma... the first picture is how I've been wearing them... my wedding band (size 9) which is way too big is held in place by my new, fake engagement ring (size 6.5).

This picture is of my "engagement" stand-in, by itself on my hand.

And this is showing you how much space I have between my ring and my actual finger in my wedding band. Amazing! I'm holding it from the bottom, but no pressure so that it would show the realistic amount of space there is... Hard to believe at one point a few years back, it was difficult to get this on and off of my hand!!! It is now tucked safely away until I get to the point of having it resized... Now off to find a new band alternative!

A Ring NSV...

In case you didn't know, the average american woman's ring size is a size 6. A few months ago, I took off my engagement ring and put it safely away... it was getting too loose! Both that ring and my wedding band are a size 9. So, I got a new "fake" engagement ring to hold my wedding band in place and went on my happy way. I remember being thrilled to be able to buy a ring "over the counter" at Kohl's, and I just figured it was probably a size 8 or so, 'cause that had to be a lot smaller than a size 9, right? Well this ring is now getting loose, so yesterday, I decided to see what Kohl's had in their clearance section... everything I tried on was too big - and so I asked the lady what the ring I have on is, and it was a 6.5... and I am fitting a size 6 now! Holy Cow! They didn't even have any (on sale) in stock in that size because most people don't fit that! Great NSV. I do need to find another ring soon though - or take off my wedding band until I get to the point of having them resized because it is just SWIMMING on my finger! Maybe I'll look around on Overstock.com or QVC and see what I can find!!!

Wishing that the scale would move... Too Tight???

Well, at least it has moved a tiny bit over the last few days (i.e. tenths of a pound). I was down to 205.4 this morning... ugh. I almost am wondering if I am too tight? Yesterday, I could barely eat anything that had any bulk to it... I stuck to mostly mushy things yesterday. But this morning, I could manage 2 eggs and a piece of bacon. So who knows. I am finding I am leaning more toward liquids (Saturday night was a bit more liquid calories than I anticipated in the form of wine). Combine that with lots of snow (for VA anyways), being stuck in the house with foods that are more tempting than I want them to be and no running = tough situation!

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I'm hoping that a week focusing on more protein, increased water intake and really trying to measure and see where I am in terms of what I can eat will help me figure out whether or not I should go in and be tweaked in terms of having a bit of fluid removed. My next appointment isn't until March 24th, although I know they'll work me in sooner if I need it.