It's nice to know...

(My random band-thought of the day)...That a McDonald's Cheeseburger (the kid's-meal size), folded in half with one of the buns gone is still more than enough for me for lunch!  And four fries was three too many.  No PB'ing, just a few hiccups and that slightly-uncomfortable feeling.  I think I'm right in the right place with restriction.  There are certainly times that I can eat more, but for the most part I'm between 1/2 and 1 cup right now.  Too much tighter, and I get major acid reflux issues.  Too much looser, well we know what happens then.  So I am glad to have found out today that I could eat a cheeseburger as described above, but that it was enough.  In fact, 2/3 of it would have been a perfect amount!
~*~*~
And on the clothing front, I just hit the "fancy" consignment store in Richmond, which is where all the uber-rich folks donate.  And I got some nice things!  A 2 piece Talbots set (the two patterned pieces are too much together, but separated they will be GREAT), a pair of Dana Buchman pants, a tank for under a sweater and a really nice black skirt.  Whoo Hooo!  It's been a while since I've been "shopping" so it was nice.  And as I have lost weight, I am definitely becoming more of a clothes snob for work... I love that I'm able to replace all my stuff with nicer brand labels - especially when I get them 2nd hand!  (And I felt like I brushed royalty a bit, because I saw an Elie Tahari jacket and immediately thought of Catherine in NYC!  Before knowing Catherine, I wouldn't have had a CLUE what or who Elie Tahari was!  Too bad it was a size small.)

We're adding to the family...

Nope, not that way... Meet Alexander.  

Alexander the Beta Fish.  

A close up of Alexander, who is really a beautiful fish...
why is it that the males are so much prettier than the female betas?!?!?

The proud "mama", holding Alexander very gingerly...

As I mentioned in Saturday's post, Lucia earned/saved enough money to buy herself a fish and all the accoutrements (minus the aquarium which we bought for her for being so focused and saving / earning her money)... She named him Alexander.  I think it is a nice, strong name for a fish!  (Who knows where THAT name came from)...  He is very shy and hides behind the filter... hopefully he'll warm up to us and his new home - especially the pink and purple gravel which she very carefully chose for him and the seashells she took from her treasures to make his home more comfortable!!!  He'll be getting brothers/sisters in a week or so... more to come!

The new "digs"... you can see him kind of in the top left corner near the fake fern...

09-11; 6-year-old Capitalism & Who knew something so cool existed?!?!?

#1 Here is THE primary reason I haven't lost as much weight as I could...but...on the other hand, I have a great friend who knows me WELL!  ~*~*~ As mentioned in the last post, I had Girl Scouts cabin camping basics training today (which was so darn cool!  I got to build a fire all by myself and re-learn how to tie various knots, among other things - yes, I'm a dork), and when I picked up my co-leader Virginia this morning, she had my mess kit ready to go that she had picked up for me (see the bottom picture).  What awaited me in it?!?!?  

A freaking awesome collapsible camping wine glass!  

Who knew such a thing existed?!?!?  Clearly not me, or I would have gone camping before.  Just for that very reason to use this glass.  This has got to be a necessity for all girl scout leaders, right?!?!?  All of the sudden, camping has become MUCH more interesting for me!  

~*~*~

Check out the coolness below...

In it's cool all-in-one-travel-container

The two pieces side-by-side

With the stem screwed into the "glass" portion

Cozily in it's resting place with the mess kit!!!

On a completely separate note, I have to tell you how darn proud I am of Lucia.  She desperately wants a pet, and we agreed about a week ago that she could get a fish (including all of the "dressing") if she earned half of the money.  We figured by the time we bought the tank, fish, gravel, food, "toys", etc... she would need to save $25.  We'd give her the other $25.  Well, I THOUGHT that it would take her at least a month to earn that much.  Nope... as of tonight, she has the money.  SERIOUSLY?!?!?  Barely 10 Days?!?!?  She cleaned out her wallet, her room and gathered up her meager allowance... ended up with about $6.  Then Grandma who was one her way south to FL, chipped in $5 toward it.  Today, she had a lemonade stand.  Mind you, the temp never got above 80 degrees, but in the course of an hour, she managed to make $10.50... When you add in her $3 allowance that she gets tomorrow, she has somehow busted-butt and managed to make $24.36.  Since we told her we'd match the money, we'll be adding to the Fogler family tomorrow in the form of fish.  Wow.  I just love my junior capitalist!

~*~*~

And finally, always remember... 09.11... bittersweet day, as it was as beautiful today during training as it was 9 years ago.  Always remember.  I'm glad Lucia has no memory of it.

The NSV I never thought about having...

I'm not sure how it works for others who are banded, but every now and then, something little will hit me that makes me realize just how much my band has done for me. And I'm not talking about the weight here... I'm talking about the growth in my head... my self-confidence... in my willingness to take risks and look like a fool. ~*~ I think I've mentioned on here that Lucia is in Girl Scouts. She is a Daisy scout to be exact, and last year I helped my friend Virginia form our troop. I was the Asst. Leader for her troop. Well, this year I decided that yes, I AM capable of being a Co-Leader. The difference in the two roles is mainly in the responsibility and training that you have to take... And what training am I taking tomorrow? Well, this girl who considers certain levels of hotels to be camping is signed up for the "Cabin Camping Essentials" training with our Girl Scout Council tomorrow. From 9-4 at Camp Pamunkey Ridge. And then in a few months, we're taking the girls camping. In October. For two nights. In a tent (mind you, it is a platform tent - I'm only willing to go so far right now).  My family members reading this can now stop laughing and pick themselves up off the floor.
~*~
A certain part of me is screaming inside "what the hell are you thinking?!?!?!"... but a bigger part of me is screaming "Horray! You can do it! You never would have done it 80 pounds ago but you can totally do this! And it might even be fun!!! And Lucia is going to think you are so cool!!!!"... It's really a fun thing to be thinking about... I actually found myself EXCITED to be planning this camping trip this morning! Looking for campfire recipes and activities we can do with the girls... Trying to figure out who I can borrow an extra sleeping bag from... And while I'm not nearly as "hard core" as some of my other co-leaders who will be on the trip are, I'm still doing it. I'm going to show my daughter that yes, you CAN have fun camping and girls (and moms who were once really scared to do things because of their weight) can do anything they want too! What a great, and unexpected outcome of losing weight.  Rock on.

The requisite "first-day-of-school" picture

My big first grader!!! 

When on earth did this happen?!?!?

Time sure does fly...

Lucia was VERY excited about this outfit... can't wait to hear all about her first day at school!