The Wrap Up

TGIF everyone!! I thought Friday wasn't ever going to get here. It's been a week full of meetings at work, and lots of homework and a sprinkle of drama. But all is well. Highlights for the week include the Dean's List reception at school on Tuesday...always awesome! Let's see...got my hair done and very happy with the results (as always!), and had a great dinner with Kim on Wednesday. It's been a good week!

Chris and her hubby and darling twin girls are in town tonight, and I have been counting the days! We are working out in the morning, and then going to the info meeting on the 3-Day. After that? Lunch and shopping! We're taking our hubbies out on the town Saturday night, so that should be lots of fun...not to mention her twin girls are way too cute for words!

The drama this week has been my step-grandmother. She had an episode of congestive heart failure, but she is really doing quite well. She's got a great attitude and is eager to build her strength back up and get home! I worry about the stress on my dear Grampa. He's 90 and this has to be tough, but he is wonderful and I think he's doing ok. Mom and I are making dinner to take to him, so I am looking forward to hugging him.

We booked our hotel for the Paris leg of our December vacation! Found a great deal in a little hotel by the Eiffel Tower! I wanted to stay in the same hotel Kim and I stayed in 5 years ago, but they must have decided to renovate the rooms in 14 karat gold. They wanted close to 300 Euro/night, and we're not paying that. So we found a great little place for $107, and it gets good reviews from other travellers. I think we found a gem! (I'll let you know in December!) Now we just have to book our London hotel, which we're using Hilton points to cover the room, and one night in Munich. (The Munich stop is so we can tour the world's oldest beer brewery before we head to Paris! Cool!)

I think that's about it for now. Have a fantastic Friday, everyone!! I know on Sunday I will be burying myself in homework, so I'll come up for air on Monday, and hopefully have fun pics to post from the weekend!

Sleepy!!

I am a sleepy gal today! I had such a great evening yesterday...Christy did an awesome job with my hair, and then I met Kim at Victory Tavern for a VERY yummy dinner! I took the train there and back, so I got home around 10, but then David and I were silly and sat up and talked for a while. When we went to bed it was almost midnight! But you know, I'll take being sleepy today for all the fun I had yesterday evening! :)

I am still a big congested, but I am definitely on the mend, and I am very relieved about that. However, I am asking for your prayers again. It's for my Grampa's wife, Ann. She had been doing well since she had a small heart attack a few weeks ago, but she had another one yesterday and is back in the hospital. They plan to keep her there for a few days and then move her to a rehab facility to help her gain her strength back. I worry for both her and Grampa. So please, when you say your prayers, please think of Grampa and Ann...I love them both so very much!

I think I'll end there today. I hope you are all feeling blessed and loved! Have a beautiful Thursday!

Monday Again?

Ugh...I really could use one more day in my weekend. (I usually feel that way, though.) It's just been exhausting. I am still feeling icky thanks to my allergies. I feel like somehow the weekend got away from me. I spent the better part of my day yesterday doing homework, and that usually takes up a chunk of the day. Hey, at least it's done.

We bought a new vehicle this weekend, so that was exciting. We replaced David's Jeep so he is a very happy camper. It will be another year before I get anything new, so I'll just have to wait. My little Civic and I get along just fine! :)

My 15-year-old cousin spent the night with us Saturday night. She was in town for a cheer leading competition and she had dinner with us, which is always fun. She's a great girl and I love spending time with her. I always wish we had more time!

Chris and her husband and kiddos are coming to town on Friday, and I am VERY excited! I haven't seen her since Christmas, so we have some catching up to do! Actually, we're in constant contact, so rather than catching up I guess we're really just getting together to be silly. We're going to work out, going to the meeting for the 3-Day, then going shopping! She and her husband are excited because her Dad is watching their girls so the four of us get to go out for the evening and we are a very excited bunch!

I am also having dinner with Kim this week to celebrate her birthday. (Yes, it was a week ago!) I'm looking forward to getting to enjoy an evening with her. :) I haven't gotten to hang out with her in a while, so this is going to be fun! (Wow, I am going to have a really good week!!)

So I think that's it...I need to get my day started. Let's get this Monday over with!!

Thank You, Mountain Cedar

Because the air is full of allergens, I am all congested and stuffed up. And not having much fun with that! It's not getting worse, but it's not really improving. My nose is stuffed up, I am sneezing and have watery eyes...ugh!!! I hate this! And even though I go to bed at a decent time, I am waking up tired and I look craptastic. Lovely.

But on a positive note, our tax return was deposited today and that was some great news! This means tomorrow I get to put my car in the shop for all the little maintenance things that it's time to do. As much as I hate spending money on that stuff, it's just necessary. I'd much rather buy shoes or lip gloss, but that's just not how it works. :)

We are looking forward to having my cousin Ashley over this weekend! She's 15, and lots of fun to hang out with, and always love having her with us. She is so sweet and well-mannered, and lots of fun for us to take out. She lives with her mother in south Texas, so having her with us is a treat! We'll have to think of somewhere special to take her for dinner.

I think that's it for today. TGIF everyone!!

The Stress Fog Is Lifting

In my psych class last night, we were due to get our tests back from last week. While I felt like I had done fine, I am always a little nervous when it comes to getting my grades. (Are we all clear on how OCD I am about my grades?) Anyhow, my professor decided to throw out the test because he thinks the material is more important than the tests. He gave us all an A on the test, and from here on out we just have to write 1 page summaries for each chapter. This is a piece of cake for me! Seriously, this removes a LOT of stress, because now I will only have tests in my algebra and sociology classes. YAY!!!! I think this semester is going to be okay after all! And even after bombing my last algebra test I still have an 87 average, so all will be fine! :)

The bummer about today is that I woke up feeling very congested. I am hoping not to get sick and will be eating lots of oranges and taking my vitamins. Cross your fingers!

On a final note, our tax return is deposited on Friday!!!!! I am so excited! This means we will be buying our airfare for our vacation in December! (Tickets to Europe are not cheap!!!)

I hope you all have a great Wednesday!!!

Best. Husband. Ever.

So I get home after school last night and David is walking over to me across the parking lot. What did he have in his arms? A foot bath and a bag of foot goodies from Bath and Body Works. That's right, I got a pedicure from my husband last night!! And it was awesome! My feet look lovely and are so nice and soft!! This was a wonderful treat!

He also picked up sushi for us for dinner from our favorite little sushi place, so I was a very happy girl. I guess this is my reward for birthday week! :) So it was a lovely evening and I feel like a princess today.

Yes, I think I have the best hubby in the world!

No big news for today...school tonight and then home work when I get home. Chris isn't coming to town this weekend because we didn't realize that the 3-Day Get Started meeting requires an RSVP, and it's full, so next weekend she'll be here. I can't wait!!! :)

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Catching Up

Whew! It's been a very busy week! It started out with 3 tests, one of which was my Algebra test. We'll just say it wasn't my best grade and thank goodness the lowest one gets dropped! My Sociology test was fine, and my psych test went fine, too. I don't have my grades on those yet, but I don't expect any surprises. On Wednesday I left for San Antonio to sing with the Texas All-State Alumni Ensemble. We performed Thursday morning, and right after we finished I headed right back home to make sure there weren't any weather issues. I couldn't believe all the snow!! I didn't have to work on Friday, so we had an epic snowball fight and went for a walk. And I learned that you shouldn't make snow angels because you'll get your jeans wet and your booty will get cold!! Friday night we went to Fireside Pies for dinner, then on to the Tap In for drinks and just hanging out. We had a great time!!

Saturday morning we went and had brunch at Mimi's, which seems to have become a ritual for us. We have the same waiter every time, and he's a really cool guy named Justin, so if you go to Mimi's in Grapevine, be sure to ask for him...great service! Anyhow, after brunch we headed over to Central Market. I don't usually like going on Saturdays because of the crowds, but it was the chocolate festival, and I had to go! Surprisingly, I didn't eat much chocolate...nibbled a little bit, but mostly enjoyed the shopping. David had a custom floral bouquet made for me, which was very special! (And incredibly gorgeous!) Saturday night we made homemade chicken tacos (my recipe? a few chicken breasts and salsa in the crock pot until the chicken falls apart...about 4-5 hours). I found some whole wheat taco shells which were AWESOME, so we had healthy chicken tacos, fat-free spicy beans, and for dessert? Strawberries and chocolate and wine!!! :)

Sunday was lovely. We went to yoga, which was awesome! Came home and David began getting things ready to grill. I spent a few hours doing homework while he grilled, and when dinner was ready, David made me the best ribs and mashed potatoes ever! It's our traditional Valentines meal...I don't know why, but it is. And it is A.MA.ZING!!! And then we had a little bit of heart-shaped cheesecake with strawberries...YUMMY! We watched Star Trek (not the typical Valentines movie, but we both like it!), and then went to bed. It's been a wonderful weekend!

So how is WW going? Not well this week, for sure. But we are getting back on it. We didn't work out this morning since we went to bed so late, but we WILL be there tomorrow and sweating off some of this food. We've eaten so poorly, but it's been delicious. Now it's time to get serious again, and so we will! I'm looking forward to this weekend, as my friend Chris is coming into town. I think she and I are having a girls' night Saturday night, and I can't wait! Sunday we're going to a meeting to learn about doing the 3-Day. We're not sure about doing it yet, but we're going to check it out. :)

One last and very important note...Happy Birthday to my dear friend Kim!! You are thirty-fabulous, so enjoy your day, dahhhling!! We'll celebrate together soon!

Everyone have a wonderful week!

Rainy Monday

It very blah outside. Just perfect for my mood this week...although I am not so much blah as I am stressed. Three tests. Three of them! And a quick trip to San Antonio to sing with the All-State Alumni Choir. Seriously, I am worried about getting through the week with my sanity intact.

So much to do and so little time seems to be my motto. However, I am slowing it down this weekend. David is making our traditional Valentine's meal of ribs and Dave's Creamy Dreamy Mashed Potatoes. WW friendly? Nope. But it's a special day and I am planning ahead, so it will be okay. This week I am determined to do well, and I think I can. I made lots of healthy WW recipe snacks for the big game yesterday (And here's a shout out to the Who Dat Nation!) and so I think I did fine. Oh, except that my friend Alma made homemade queso. REALLY good stuff! But I didn't eat it by the bowlful...however I think I could have!

I don't have much news. The blogging will be sparse this week, as I am going to be bogged down with trying to get everything done. Please keep praying for my Grampa's wife...she is still in the hospital and we don't have any more info than when she went in.

Stay warm and dry, my friends!

Can We get Some Spring Weather Please?

I don't know about anyone else, but I am ready for some 72 degrees and sunshine! All this dreariness and rain has got to go. I left Seattle for a reason! Anyhow, hopefully it will be nicer than it's been...I'm tired of the hem of my pants being damp from all the puddles!

My knee is much better, so I think I can get back to my grind. I have not done well this week at all with the food or the working out. This will change tomorrow. Tomorrow is homework/workout day, and I am very serious about that. I am taking a tip from a friend and Saturdays and Sundays are known from here on as "1000 Calorie Days". Not because I will be ingesting tons of food, but because I am going to try and get 1000 calories burned each day. Right now, this isn't as hard as one might think. That's about 2 hours of good working out. I can burn almost 600 walking for an hour, so I figure the 9:45am water aerobics class and then an hour of walking should do what I need on Saturday. Sundays will include an hour of walking and an hour of yoga. The hour of walking may need to turn into an hour and a half, but we'll see. I have a heart rate monitor that lets me know what I've burned off, so it's all good.

I am really looking forward to WW tomorrow. I will tell you now that I am not stepping on the scale tomorrow. Tomorrow is for getting myself BACK on track..again. But that's okay...I'm doing what I need to do, and it's going to be a good week.

Please pray for my Grampa's lovely wife! She is in the hospital with a bowel obstruction. While we are told it isn't life threatening, it is still serious. Ann is in her mid-80s, and Grampa is 90. I know this is worrisome for them both, and I just ask that you pray for God to provide comfort to them and to take care of them as he always does. God truly is good all the time, and I trust in that completely.

On a different and far more frivolous note, I had to post this picture from David's dinner last weekend...

Is it okay for me to love this picture? I look smaller! :)

So that's it for Friday...everyone have a great weekend! Go Saints!!

My List Of Things To Complain About Today

Hold on to your hats, folks. I am a bit whiny today. My stomach is feeling icky this morning. This is wholly due to what I ate for dinner last night. Go me. I ate nachos and I am now paying the price. Ugh. I would like very much to get on the treadmill to make the nacho damage go away, but I woke up this morning with my knee feeling a little wonky so I opted to rest it today. Let me be clear, I am not limping or in pain, but it feels a little tight like there might be some fluid buildup on my knee. So I have my gym bag packed and will be working out in the pool tonight. Yeah, I'm not letting my knee get the best of me. Also, I am super tired. I can't seem to get my fabulous self into bed at a decent time. Or if I do, then I am reading some textbook in efforts to be working on getting studying done. So much to do, so little time.

Okay, I think I am done with the bitching this morning. It really is going to be a good day! I am having dinner with the family tonight. David is out of town but will be home tomorrow, so there is yet another good thing. :) See? Today is shaping up already! I don't think I am going to be awesome on the scale Saturday morning at Weight Watchers, but that's okay. I am working my way where I need to go, and as long as I am staying focused, it will all be fine.

So now I am going to use some of my time to work on Algebra some more. Why do I have to be 37 years old and taking Algebra?? Ugh!!

It Has Been Decided

The next 5K on the agenda is the Dash Down Greenville on March 13th. It benefits the North Texas Food Bank, which is a group I really love. The Food Bank does so much here in North Texas, and I am happy to participate to give back. Anyhow, this is the open invitation to anyone who wants to do a 5K to come and join me and my girl Kim. Afterwards we are going to clean up and enjoy all the St. Paddy's fun at the parade. I think this will be a blast! So anyone who is interested, here's the link:

http://www.dashdowngreenville.com/

I hope you will come and participate! The Food Bank really needs to the help right now!

On another note, school is really going well this semester. I was telling Kim this morning that I think I am really managing my homework time and class time really well. So far, I don't feel too stressed out, although I do have a Sociology test next on the 10th. However, I should be fine. I have a psych test next week, but I am really not sweating that, so it's all good. :) I am enjoying all my classes. Okay, I am not enjoying Algebra, but it's not horrible. My friend Sheila is good at math/science, so after class tonight we are meeting so she can work with me on some of the Algebra that isn't clicking in my head. I think I'll get it, it's just been a LONG time since I was in a math class of any kind! But you know what? I still feel confident that I am going to do well this semester! David promised me a Coach bag if I stay on the Dean's List, and I already have the bag picked out! However I have to say that when it comes down to it, with all we are trying to do this year I don't know if I can actually go through with buying one. They are so expensive, and we're already going to Europe in December and trying to buy a house this year. A bag doesn't seem like a smart purchase. However, maybe one of those cute wristlets might be okay...there is one on the Coach site I love and it's $69 I think...that seems like a good reward to me! Even a couple new lip glosses would be a treat! So I think I am going to tell David that as much as I would LOVE a Coach bag, I just can't let him spend that. It's just too much money! I'd rather save it to put toward a refrigerator or some All-Clad cookware!! (Now I know I'm growing up!!!)

So I guess that's it for today. Feeling good after my early workout this morning!! I just need to kick it up this week! Have a great day, friends!

Weekend In Review

I'm going to be fairly brief, as I am so very sleepy this morning! It was a great weekend, and thanks to all who helped make it great! David was surprised Friday when we went to Buca di Beppo in Dallas for dinner. There were about 29 of us, with all the family and some of David's closest friends there to celebrate. The food was great, and the cake I got from Society Bakery was A-Ma-Zing!! Good stuff! Afterwards Dave and I went and had a celebratory drink to cap off the night. Good stuff!

Saturday we went out for breakfast and then did some shopping in Southlake at the Town Center. I dropped David off at The Boardroom, which is a men's day spa. He got a hand/foot grooming treatment (mani/pedi to us girls) and he loved it!! I love that my husband likes to take such good care of himself! And seriously, he has the softest, nicest looking feet you've ever seen on a man! Saturday night we met our friends Anne and Jason and their 2 kiddos for an evening of bowling, and let me tell you, we had a BLAST!!

Sunday was more subdued...brunch at Fearing's in the Ritz-Carlton in Dallas. If you've not eaten there, you absolutely must. (Save your pennies, though...not cheap!!) We'd been there before and loved it, so this time we met both sets of parents there for the birthday weekend wrap-up. It was such an incredible dining experience!

So now birthday week has come to a close. I hope David can come back down to earth after his week of Rock Star treatment! I was ready to make dinner at home last night to kick back and relax, but apparently my stove/oven decided to quit working. (Not happy about this!) So we reheated leftovers from Friday night's dinner. I left the apartment complex a terse message. They have a history of not acting on maintenance requests in a timely manner. (I called one in on August 27th because the master bath linoleum is coming up and I either trip on it or it hurts if I accidentally forget to step over where it's coming up. Still not fixed and it's February 1st??) Hopefully they will get to that quickly. I guess we'll see!

Tonight is my English class. I need to spend my lunch hour finishing up reading for class tonight...I was just too tired to finish the reading last night!!

Happy Monday everyone!

Happy Birthday David!

David is 40 today!! I'm taking him out to dinner, but I'm not telling him where. I think he's going to like it! I gave him his special birthday shirt this morning. He's a good sport and put it on right away. It's a baseball-style shirt with the number 40 on it, and it says "Birthday Boy" on the back. :) Yeah, I'm silly like that! We've got fun stuff planned for tomorrow, and brunch on Sunday, so I think he's had a good birthday week. :)


Today two of my co-workers and I are going to fill in for our customer service team for about 4 hours. One of their colleagues passed away Tuesday (she had pancreatic cancer) and the services are this morning. So three of us who came from the customer service team here are going back to fill in so that the team can all go to the funeral. I'm not really looking forward to it, but it seemed like the right thing to do. I've got good friends over there, and I think they need to go and get some closure and say farewell to a good friend. I know it will be a tough day for them.


Dreary weather today, huh? I wish it wasn't so cold and rainy, but it won't be ruining the birthday fun! I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!

Already A Great Day!

I'm having another one of those days where God is making sure that I know I am loved and encouraged. I've had two separate people take the time to tell me I am looking great and to keep up the good work. I wonder if these people know when they take a moment to encourage me just how much of a difference it makes in my life? I think I need to take time to tell them. (One is a co-worker who is a very cool gal, and the other is a really nice security attendant here in my office building. Both are beautiful women with the most cheerful personalities!) I feel so honored that they take the time to notice my progress.

It's just one of those days where I woke up feeling strong. I got a good workout in at the gym this morning, and am ready to take on the day. I have school tonight, and then dinner with my friend Kim Hightower. She is the mastermind behind the whole 1/2 marathon idea. She's a friend from WAAAAYYY back in high school choir days, and we reconnected on Facebook. She has really been a big cheerleader for me, as she understands the struggles of weight loss. She's lost 120 pounds and now regularly runs marathons and leads a very active, healthy life. One of these days, someone will say the same about me! :) Anyhow, she is in town on business and this will be the first time I have seen her since high school! Pretty cool!

Last night we celebrated day 2 of Birthday Week for David. I got him a gift card to Home Depot, and we had strawberries and champagne. I originally wanted to do cupcakes, but then I reigned myself back in and remembered David is really one who enjoys fruit more than most desserts. I'm afraid I'm the bad influence there, so I did good and got some very delicious fresh strawberries. We had fat-free Reddi-Whip that I decorated the plate with, and little "Happy Birthday" picks that I stuck in the berries to make it extra festive. It was very delicious and guilt-free! Tonight's treat is very low-key, and he'll get his little surprise when I get home tonight. I love doing this for him! He's a wonderful husband and my best friend. I couldn't ask for more.

So that's about it. Everyone have a great day!

David's Birthday Week Begins!

So today is the official start of "Birthday Week" in our home. I think birthdays are a very big deal, so I like to make a fuss. And especially since this is a landmark birthday, I really wanted to make the most of it! It wasn't supposed to start until today, but I opted to start it last night. David has had to work all weekend, and when we weren't working, we did family stuff, so the weekend was gone in the blink of an eye. So I gave him his first present last night, which was an iPod shuffle. It's a blue one with a special note engraved on it for him. I think he loved it! It's perfect for working out. He was tired of having to use his iPhone at the gym, so this is much lighter and better suited for gyms and half marathons. :) I'll tell you about tonight's birthday activities tomorrow...I don't want to let the cat out of the bag!

Tonight is also my first night of my English class, which is actually a writing class. We'll be learning about writing grants, proposals, and a bunch of other stuff. I don't have to rush since class begins at 6pm, so that's nice. I am finding that I am having a lot of homework already, so I am a little worried about balancing everything, but I'll get it figured out. Hopefully my English professor will have a little mercy!

And on a very frivolous note, GO SAINTS! What a great game yesterday! I had to watch it alone since hubby was working, but as I folded laundry I got to cheer on Drew Brees and the rest of the Saints in a very exciting game! I am looking forward to the Super Bowl!

That's about it today. I need to cut up my grapefruit and have a little breakfast so I can start my day. I hope everyone's Monday is manageable!

Proof That I Have My Act Together

Let me recap the week with regards to focusing on being back on track:

I worked out every morning at 5am, except for Friday. Friday I was tired, so I slept a little later and David and I walked for 3.2 miles that evening. Still a victory! Got up this morning and worked out, too! I was pretty good with what I ate this week, but there were a good handful of questionable choices in there. So how did I imagine my weigh in going this morning? Honestly, I thought I would maintain, maybe even gain a little bit. But my body chose to reward me for making a better effort than in weeks past - I lost 4.2 pounds this week! So I now only need lose a couple more to have the holiday pounds off forever. This is a very good thing!! I am feeling really victorious about this, and I think this only serves to motivate me further.

I mapped out a 3.2 mile walking path for myself, so we tackled it last night. One of my socks wore out so I got a little blister on the side of my left foot, but I didn't let it deter me at all. However, I will be going to Dick's Sporting Goods today to get some different socks, for sure! Kim has only told me about these a few times and encouraged me to pick some up. I listened! I just never got around to it...now I will!! Blisters aside, I feel great and am planning to tackle the path again in the morning before I go to Yoga.

I have spent a good part of my day working on Algebra. I am getting it, but got frustrated with one problem and have had to walk away for a bit. I'd love to go shopping, but I think I will stay in since it's rainy outside. I am waiting for David to get home from the Market Center in Dallas so we can get ready for a busy evening of family stuff. :)

I also have a special dinner with a friend this week. My friend Kim H. from Houston is in town and we are meeting up after I get out of class on Tuesday. She has also been a very special cheerleader, and she is the one who planted the 1/2 marathon seed. She's part of my support system going to Chicago, so it's going to be fun to have dinner. After all, we haven't been face to face since my senior year of high school!!

I have to wrap up now...Algebra awaits, and I also need to wrap some birthday presents. Have a wonderful Saturday, friends!

4:20am Was A No-Go

When the alarm went off this morning, I absolutely couldn't do it. My body is tired from adjusting to my morning routine, and I needed the extra sleep, so that's what I did. The trade off? When I come home from work I am changing clothes and going for a walk. A nice long one, too. It's going to be nice to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Besides, this will be good for my training. :)

So how will my weigh in go tomorrow? Not sure yet. I am retaining water, and have had some stumbles in my eating this week. I'll get on the scale at the gym when I go for my "Last Chance" workout in the morning before WW, but right now I just don't know. The good news in this is that I really have done better this week, and I am proud of the activity I have gotten in. So it's baby steps for me right now. But you know what? I'll get there!

Next Monday begins "Birthday Week" for David, and I am excited! I have daily treats/activities planned to celebrate...it's his 40th!! His birthday is actually the 29th, but I am making it a week long event. :) Good wife? I think so! I'll be taking lots of pictures and will be posting here. Look out for all the birthday fun! Each day has it's own theme tied to a treat, gift, or fun thing we'll be doing. I've really been planning this and I can't wait to spoil him!! (Hey, this man spoils me so I am excited to return the favor!)

I think that's about it for today. I hope everyone has a great day! Just a quick thought...although it's important to remember those in Haiti right now, please don't forget that we have so many people here that go hungry every day here in our own hometowns. If you can, please make a donation to the North Texas Food Bank. They do so much for people here, and the recession has really affected donations.

Have an awesome day everyone!!

Whoa Nelly!!

So three of my four classes began yesterday, two of which are online. My Foundations of Psychology was great, of course. My favorite professor is teaching, so it will be a good class. My online Algebra class is scaring me just a bit, but I need to stop and breathe and it will be okay. My online Sociology class is going to be a good one, I think. All of my professors seems good, and I have gotten welcome emails from my online profs and they seem very accessible and easy to communicate with. This is going to be a very difficult semester, but I think it will be a good one. Just as a side note, I get to go be extra nerdy and buy a graphing calculator. I think I will treat myself to a new notebook, too!

I am totally back in my workout groove now, as evidenced by the fact that even with David out of town I was able to get out of bed and get to the gym this morning! I am working hard to get back on the losing track, and with the 1/2 marathon coming, I have a lot of work to do. I spoke at length today with my friend Knox at the gym. (He's my cheerleader there, and he says good morning to me and David all the time...we love this guy!) We talked about motivation and encouragement, and he told me he is really looking to see great things from me this year. I love knowing people have faith in me! It makes me want to work harder! So it's going to be a good week and I am celebrating my recommitment to the 5am workout!

I am looking forward to dinner with Christy tonight. We haven't had dinner since...um...I think it was before the holidays so we are overdue! She is my only friend who will go to Red Lobster for dinner (and vice versa) so we are looking forward to dinner together! :)

That's it for now...I need to cut up some strawberries for a snack. Have a GREAT day, friends!

Everything Back In Full Swing

So today is the day that everything starts again! I am back to my early morning workouts, school starts today, and David hits the road again. It's a busy day! I am so ready to get back to class, though. I like the feeling of moving forward and working toward my degree, and as much as I love the winter break, I love getting back to the classroom. Yeah, I'm a nerd. It's all good!

Cool thing of the day? Yeah, it's 8:47am as I write this and the best thing of the day has already happened. There is a gentleman at my gym with whom David and I have become friends. He used to play pro football many years ago, and now teaches at the community college. We met back in the summer when he came up to me and told me he saw how much progress I was making with my weight loss and told me he'd be rooting for me. Since then, he has told me that in one of his classes where he talks about goal setting and motivation, he uses me as an example. So his class knows about me and my progress, which makes me feel a little like a celebrity. :) So today, since I haven't been working out in the mornings since the end of last semester, he tells me he has a card signed by his class for me! This might be the coolest thing ever! He's going to bring it tomorrow and I can hardly wait to get it. This is my new piece of motivation. A bunch of people who don't know me and never met me want me to succeed. Aside from feeling so good about this, it reminds me how great people can be. For any time I might feel discouraged, there might be someone sending me good thoughts and wondering how I'm doing. I'm pretty sure I'll be thinking of these people somewhere along the 13.1 mile 1/2 marathon in August! I'm so honored and flattered. And most importantly, I am humbled. It really takes a village to do something big, and I couldn't go on this journey alone. I need that community of people in the gym in the mornings, my friends, family, and co-workers. I am supported by people everywhere I turn, and I am proud that they believe in me. So next time I feel like I am struggling and alone, I need to remember that I'm not. I stand on the shoulders of all those people who believe I can, and most of all, I believe in me. I know I can do this.

How lucky am I to be surrounded by so many good people? I am so grateful for all of you! I just want to say thanks to everyone who has ever sent me a kind thought, comment, or put good things out into the universe for me. Thank from the bottom of my heart. And now this journey kicks back into high gear and we're going to push forward and celebrate success together!

Weekend Wrap-Up

So it's been a rather quiet weekend...nothing big. My weigh-in was not great, but I'm working on that this week. I had the day off today for MLK day, and honestly have not done anything productive. I flipped through my algebra book for my class and now I am worried that I might be a little impaired because I closed that book as fast as I opened it. I hope it comes back to me!! Some of it looked like a foreign language. *sigh* I think this is going to be a tough semester.

So here I am, eating blackberries and pondering school. I really am ready for class tomorrow. I have my Foundations of Psychology tomorrow night, and both my online classes (Algebra and Sociology) start tomorrow, too. My writing class is on Mondays and starts next week. 12 hours...what was I thinking? Oh yeah...that I want to get this degree out of the way so I can move on to grad school! If all goes well, I am hoping to graduate in December of 2011...it just depends on the school offering stuff when I can take it. (Hello, Statistics!! Please start offering that when us working folk can take it!)

Tonight Angela is joining me and David for a Stars game. Hopefully they'll win!!

Have a good evening, everyone!