Weigh In and Stuff

Good morning!

Weigh in was very good for me this week. I'm guessing a good part of it was due to not eating because of being so sick. Another part was probably due to the coming and going of that monthly monster. (At least I don't have to deal with that the first week on the job! LOL) I lost another five pounds this week. That means I weighed in at 388.5 which is a total loss of 141.5 pounds in 65 weeks. Average weekly loss remains just over two pounds per week (2.17 pounds to be more exact).

I have a few more things to do here and then it's off on my newest and wildest adventure. I will be staying in a hotel for the first two weeks, for sure. This first week Tim is going to come with me. I suspect it's more because he won't know what to do without me, but he keeps saying he doesn't want me to travel by myself. It's a little irritating but I'm also glad to have the company. In the almost 21 years we've been married, we've only spent a total of four nights away from each other. That was a few years into our marriage when my oldest niece graduated from the Air Force. Anyway, I digress.

There is still going to be a little bit of a commute for me from the hotel we're staying at, but I don't mind. We could have stayed closer to the training campus but I liked this hotel last weekend and it's near our friends. Tim should be okay each day on his own. Guess we'll find out for sure, huh?

It's chilly and raining here this morning. I hate to drive in the rain. I'm packed and just about ready to hop in the shower so we can head out. I'll be checking in from the hotel on dial-up. My next laptop will definitely be wireless so I can take advantage of "hotspot" free high speed internet access. Gotta love technology!

Back at it

Today I feel almost 100%. The tummy rumbles and cramping is pretty much gone. I'm sore and tired but I'm okay.

Got the laundry done. Need to go do some packing. Tim and I will head up north tomorrow sometime early. We have some errands we need to do and I need to scout the main campus so I know where I'm going on Monday. It's been about eight years (wow, I can't believe it's been that long) since I've been there and I don't want to risk being late Monday.

The scale has been good to me. I'm hoping I hold onto the number that was showing this morning. It was a good loss and puts me in a good place for the end of April. I can't believe that's come now, too. Where is time getting to these days?!

I'll do my best to check in with my weigh in before I leave but in the event I don't have time, I'll definitely post before bedtime tomorrow night. Onward I'm going!

I'm still here...

...and I'm not going anywhere! I know I dropped off the face of the earth for a couple days there. Sorry about that. I ended up catching Cecilia's flu and it knocked me for a loop. I don't generally get sick. As a matter of fact, Tim and I were trying to figure out the last time I was sick and we couldn't remember, it's been that long! And I can't imagine my poor baby granddaughter having to go through this and not understand the pain. All she knew was it hurt. Poor baby!

This strain of flu was just nasty. One day of vomiting followed by a day of the other end and then today has been stomach cramping all day long. Added to that was the darn monthly monster and well ... I'm not sad to no longer be spending as much time in the bathroom, that's for sure! The cramping is now passing and I hope to be healthy when I wake in the morning. Lord knows I have a ton of things to do yet.

As of yesterday, I was below the 390 pound mark. Praying I hold onto that until my Sunday weigh-in. That will put me within ten pounds of the 150 pounds gone mark. Woo hoo! I am rapidly approaching my "half-way to goal" milestone. I cannot believe that it's getting so close.

I'll be going up on Sunday to get ready to start my training on Monday. I'm looking forward to getting back to work more than I thought. I know in part it's because I loved working at this campus before. A lot has changed there, including almost everyone who worked there, but a lot of it will be the same, too. The excitement is still strong but I also worry. This is a lot happening very quickly. I know it's all going to be fine, though.

A few have expressed concern that this new adventure in life will detour my weight loss efforts. Please know that isn't going to happen. When I started this journey back in January of 2005, I vowed I was going all the way, and that's still my intent. I'm bringing my scale with me. I can't imagine now weighing in every day. It would drive me nuts to not be able to do that. I know I'll be doing a lot more walking with this new job and there is a flight of stairs I'm sure I'll be going up and down every day numerous times per day. I promise I'll continue to track my calories et al via my Sparkpeople site. I'll also track my exercise there as I've been doing for the last four months.

Hope all is well with everyone who reads here. Know I think of each of you, I really do, all the time. Without many of you, I know I'd not have made the progress I've made to date. Thanks for hanging in there with me and continuing to support and encourage me. Almost time for bed, but wanted to get a post in to let everyone know I'm okay and I haven't quit!

Gosh

I had to call this morning and leave a voice mail for the school that thought I was starting work today that I wouldn't be joining them after all. I hated to do it that way, but didn't know what else to do. Later I found an email address for the person I interviewed with and sent an email. I apologized for the short notice (had no home number to reach her at yesterday) and explained why I wouldn't be taking the job. I got a very snippy return email about how I could have at least let her know yesterday so she could have gotten a sub for today. Gee, I'm sorry! Guess I should have just mentally sent her my withdrawal from the position. Sheesh!

Had the granddaughter for most of the day. You know, I love her to pieces, but after about four hours I'm more than ready for her to go home! Poor baby has had it rough with being sick but she's all better now. It did tie up my day though and I'm so far behind in blog reading and commenting and feel it's only going to get worse. Please know I'm not ignoring you, at all. I'm going to be busy but I'm really going to make the effort to get to all the blogs tomorrow. Still so much to do and so little time. LOL

The Trip

So now, the news you've all been waiting for.

I woke up at 1:30 this morning (Monday) and never did go back to sleep. At 5:30 I gave up and just got up. I tried to do some posting but had some real dial-up issues. Got to resolve that as I'm going to be doing dial-up as my internet connection for quite some time now.

We went for breakfast and then I dropped Tim and Mandi at the mall on my way to my interview. It went GREAT! I got the job. Woo hoo! I did all kinds of paperwork, got instructions on a couple things I need to do (get an official copy of my college transcripts, physical form filled out by doctor, TB test) and then went to have the drug screen done. I start work on Monday. Yeah, one week from today I am officially employed! Woo hoo!

Now I have to tie up some loose ends, do laundry, pack, gather some stuff, find a place to stay (I'll probably stay in a hotel for five days, come home for two and then back for five more), and eventually, Tim will get our home sold and we'll find a place up there. Man, right now it's pretty overwhelming. I'm not sure it's set in yet that this is all for real! I really did get the job I wanted. I am excited, happy, relieved, and scared.

Thanks to all of you who prayed about this and agonized with me over this for months and months. I can't begin to express how much appreciation I feel. I have been blessed once again and it feels GREAT!

Weighing in a day early

Since I'm going to be traveling to Chicago tomorrow, I am weighing in this morning instead. I don't know if I'll have time to do it tomorrow. As of this morning, I'm down 2.5 pounds from last Sunday and a total of 136.5 pounds. I'm losing at a rate of 2.13 pounds per week over 64 weeks. I'm pretty happy with that progress!

I'm trying to get out and do more natural walking than walking to the DVD right now. I figure I can best save that for a raining day for now. As Barry said in my comments for yesterday, it gives one a sense of accomplishment to realize just how much the weight loss is impacting real life events like walking (things like distance, speed, time) and just moving about.

My daughter reports Ceci is doing better today. I pray it was just a 24 flu bug but now everyone in the house except mom are sick. Even her little bottom is looking better today according to her momma. Thanks to the few of you who knew and have prayed for my little angel. Sick babies have to be the worst as they can't tell you anything. Momma said she's laughing and bouncing on her dad this morning, babbling again so she must feel a lot better. I'm so thankful for that!

Leaving in the morning for the suburbs of Chicago. I'll be gone until sometime Monday evening. I'm taking my laptop with, but if I miss posting tomorrow, know that either the internet connection via dial-up was horrid, or I just don't have the time. We're meeting friends for lunch and dinner and expect to while away hours and hours visiting.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Better Late than Never

I had a really good day today. My sister came over this morning and helped me color my hair. I think it looks great and don't notice the wrinkles and lines in my face as much today. Yea, me!



Did quite a bit of walking this evening. Went to the mall to get a couple pandas for Tim's Panda Family. He now has 45 pandas in all shapes and sizes. I'm going to be dusting them all shortly and will take a photo of them. It's amazing that he has so many of those darn stuffed critters!

I'm still not doing the dvd walk but will make an attempt this week to do it twice, to work out with Richard at least three times this week, and take the dog for a walk at least twice a day. Most days, I take her out in the yard and we come back in. I figure we both can benefit from an actual walk!

Waiting on Mandi to get home from work so I can go to bed. It's been a long day. The grandbaby has 'summer flu' according to her doctor. She was vomiting much of the morning. Got that stopped and now she has watery diarrhea. Sorry but it has me really concerned. Crys is giving her Pedialyte to try to keep her hydrated but now the diaper rash has kicked in. She's going to try using cornstarch on it. My sister says that will help to soothe it. Poor baby! I hate it when the babies are sick. If you're a praying person, please say one for my little Ceci.

A nice day

The weather here in Illinois was absolutely fantastic today. Temp was about 77 for the majority of the day. It was so nice.

Tim and I had a wonderful day. We went to breakfast and then I got my haircut. My sister may be coming over tomorrow to help me color it. Then we visited a few cellular stores to check and compare rate plans, etc. Just wishful thinking but may be necessary if I go to Chicago to live without Tim and Mandi for a few weeks. We also had an appointment with our auto insurance agent this afternoon to make sure we're properly insured. Out to dinner with Mandi this evening. It was just a nice relaxing day.

Nothing else to report. I'm really struggling with making myself walk daily with my dvd. This week I've managed to get my butt and walk three days so far. That's not necessarily all that good, really. I've done some other things, so I've been getting some exercise, but I really need to do that walking. The sodium has been a bit high this week, too.

So on I go and we'll see what happens.

Background about the job

I've had many ask just what kind of job do I want that I want it so badly. Since it could be on more minds than I'm aware, I figured I'd devote today's entry to info about the job.

This is a group home for developmentally disabled teens. When I worked on this campus before there were four ten bedroom homes. They are two story and beautiful. The homes were built the second year I worked there and each home cost one million dollars to build. All of the bedrooms are on the first floor with a huge open area and five bathrooms as well as the staff office and four huge walk-in storage closets where we kept things like extra shampoo, toothpaste, clothing, sandals, towels, etc. Each youth was issued her own set when she arrived, but we'd have to replinish it. Part of my job was shopping for all of that stuff. I LOVED that job!

The downstairs had a laundry room with four washers and four dryers, three ironing boards, and a sink. There was the kitchen with two industrial stoves, two fridges, and two dishwashers as well as two sinks and lots of counter space and a huge walk-in pantry. It was also part of my job to plan the meals, shop for the week spending $400 week on groceries, and then many times cook the meals as well. (The girls who lived in the home did have chores and helped with shopping, cooking, and did all the clean-up.) The point of the program was to teach them appropriate social skills as well as how to live on their own.

Also downstairs was the huge dining room table that would seat up to 24 (ten youth, at least three staff plus the manager and assistant manager which was my job) and a few guests. There was the "family room" with a couple couches and chairs (enough space to seat about fifteen and also a computer desk and another small table for doing homework at. Then there was the formal living room which had two sofas, two loveseats, and two chairs. This was used for family visits, psychiatrist visits, and group therapy. A bathroom, reserved for staff only and the manager office with another huge closet for storage! Oh, we also have the furnace room which was huge and used for storage and an exercise area as well. I don't know if they still have only four homes or have more. When I was there, the admin building was in a portable trailer but I know they now have a real admin building. All of the homes surrounded a lake and had huge decks off the back at the upper level and a nice patio off the family room downstairs. Each home also had an elevator to make them handicapped accessible.

As you can tell, I loved that place and the job. It was challenging and ever changing. We had girls coming and going. Some would run away, back to the city (Chicago). Many were gang members and we would break up at least one fight a day. I LOVED it all! Gosh, sorry for the ramble. LOL

This is a private not for profit organization.

Got the phone call

This morning, stomach tied in knots, I called the job I really want. Darn it all! I got his voice mail again. Does the man ever work in his office?! Left a voice mail saying I was wondering what was going on as I had not heard anything in a week now. Advised him I have been offered a temporary position here but would much rather work for his organization. Asked that either he or the woman who knew me call me back as soon as possible so we could discuss what's going on.

This afternoon the phone rang and it was Evelyn, the woman who knows me. She said how good it was to hear my voice and "almost welcome back". We talked about how long I'd been gone and how it didn't seem possible. Then she asked if I could come for an interview on Monday at 10. Can I come? I'll be there for sure!

Near the end of the interview, if there's no indication of whether or not I'm getting the job, I'm going to ask her if I have a chance at all. I'm going to explain that I really want this job and am ready to start any day she says she needs me but I really need to know if I should hope or just give up now. I don't know if it's the thing to do or not, but this woman was once a friend of mine and I feel pretty comfortable asking her this.

Tim and I are talking about going up on Sunday, meeting our best friends for dinner, and then spending the night. That way we don't have to leave at the crack of dawn or rush to get there on time. I'm hoping we can convince Mandi to come with us. She's been thru a lot lately with breaking up with her boyfriend and I think she could use some time away from here.

So ... I'll keep you all posted. I have to figure out what to tell the job here about starting on Monday since I'm not going to be here to start. I just don't want to let this job go until I'm sure I'm going to have the one I want. Actually, after some discussion with Tim I've decided to say I fogot Tim has an appointment with a specialist on Monday that cannot be changed. It's not exactly the truth and I'm not in the habit of not being truthful, but it is at least plausible.

About the current photo for my profile here on blogger ... I took that photo last week of myself. I was pretty distressed when I look at it as a big picture. My face has wrinkles it has never had before. Poor Tim. He can't see them, his vision is so bad. But I know they're there and I'm not happy about them. Guess I have more of that to look forward to as I drop more weight. I'm not going to let it totally discourage me, though. On I trudge.

Anyway, that's my news for today!

Doctor Visit and Who Am I?

I went to the doctor this morning for a follow up on my blood pressure. The last couple times I was there it was running 150/94 which she (the physician assistant) said was a bit high. This morning it was only 110/80 and she was quite pleased with that number. Woo hoo! Finally, something went right. I don't have to go back to see the doctor until after my next lab work. She said to come back in about four weeks for a blood draw for a TSH level for checking my thyroid. By then, the last adjustment to my thyroid med should be stable and they'll be able to see if the medication needs to be changed again.

A friend at Sparkpeople asked us to define ourselves without saying we are a wife, mother, sister, etc. This is my definition of who I am right now. It has definitely changed over the years. Once you finish reading who I am, why not tell me who you are?

WHO AM I?

I am a tender soul with a sweet spirit. I am a loyal and supportive friend. I am sensitive and caring. I am educated and smart. I am a good listener. I am a woman with a mission, determined to lose the fat that has kept me hidden from the world. I am a work in progress.

Your turn ...

Week 63 is Over

I want to start by thanking those of you who responded to my dilemma yesterday. I'm happy to know that I'm on the right track with what I plan to do. I'll wait until Tuesday, which is one week from the time the first job (the one I really want) called and will call them back. I will ask about a timeline for interviewing and hiring and at some point slip into the conversation the job offer. The only real problem will be if I get his voice mail which is what happened when I checked in last week. Whew! It feels good to have a plan.

Now ... I lost one pound last week. With all the stress I've had going on, combined with several sleepness nights, and minimal exercise, I'm surprised I lost anything at all. Still on track and I know it will get better so no worries here about the weight loss. A total of 134 pounds in 63 weeks is still a fantastic loss! I'm still AMAZED that I've lost that much weight!

I slept better last night, maybe because I was already coming up with a plan for this whole job business. I've been eating as I should so no adjusting needed there. I'm getting back on track with my walking and working out with Richard. I feel so much better when I do it, anyway.

So here's to a new week with new goals and obstacles and challenges. Have a good one, everyone!

I KNEW this was going to happen

I got a phone call this morning from the interview yesterday afternoon. I've been offered the job. I KNEW this was going to happen! She has to find out if the job has to be posted internally for ten days. This is a new position because this girl just moved back into the district so the job was never posted.

Now I have to really make the hard decision. I'm going to list the options and would love to have input on this from anyone.

I can call the facility I really want to work at and ask them if they have a timeline for hiring, possibly mentioning that I have been offered another position but would prefer to work for them.

This woman will be calling me on Thurs with starting date info. They are on spring break next week so I would potentially start a week from Monday. I can wait until she calls to see if the other place calls to set up an interview.

I don't know what to do. I don't want to start working for the school (remember it's only a temporary position in the first place) and then quit before the end of the school year but if the other place interviews me and offers me a position, I want that job. I absolutley HATE the way I'm feeling right now. I NEED a job. I WANT to work. Yet, I don't want to have to worry about whether or not I'll have a job come fall. This is driving me NUTS!

So ... if anyone has thoughts, ideas, suggestions, please share them with me and help me to make some sense of this all. I'm tempted to accept this job, and will call off if the other place calls with an interview date. And then if offered a position, if the school year isn't over, I'll be quitting the school job. It's just not fair to them but I have to worry about my family first. UGH!

Yet Another Interview

If practice makes perfect, I should be a perfect interviewee shortly! I had yet another interview today. This one was for a one-on-one classroom aide. The bad news is it will only be for the remainder of the school year. Should this child remain in the district, chances are I'd be hired back in the fall but there is no guarantee. I did my best and will play the waiting game now. They are on spring break this next week so I may not hear for a while.

I got back to my walking with Leslie this morning. Most of this week, I've only done the minimum I needed to do for a challenge I'm in. I've not been giving it my all but hope to be swinging back up now and getting back in the groove. The good news is the scale has continued to move downward despite my inactivity.

Nothing much else to say. Going out for breakfast at a buffet with my brother in the morning. We'll have Ceci for the afternoon. It's going to be another hot day with sporadic rain and thunderstorms. At least the grass is green and growing! Now I have to call my nephew to mow. *sigh* It's always something, huh?

In case I don't get the chance to say it ... Happy Easter to those who celebrate either the religious or bunny holiday. Remember to enjoy the celebration and not the food. Have a great weekend!

Dilemma

No post yesterday because again, I had nothing to say. I know some may not believe that, but tis true! I don't have much to say today either.

I do have a job interview tomorrow. Not a job I really want but it would be a job. Thing is it's only until the end of the school year with no idea of whether I'd have a job again come fall. I'm asking myself what is the point, really? It's a one-on-one aide position with a blind severely mentally challenged child. That's all they told me on the phone today. I'll go to the interview but my heart isn't going to be in it. I fear that they'll offer the job then and there. *sigh*

I've been waiting for a call since Tuesday on a job I thought was a sure thing. It was at a place I used to work for about eight years ago. I was in that job for four years and loved it. Saw an ad in the online newspaper and applied. Got a call from the recruiter on Tuesday saying someone I worked with before was now in charge and interested in hiring me back. We talked a little bit and he said he wasn't sure if I was going to interview with him or with the woman. I've been waiting for a call back since.

So, I grabbed the bull by the horns this afternoon and called up there, leaving a message on his voice mail. I basically said I was going to be out all day tomorrow (really only part of it, but I needed a reason for calling him) and wanted to be sure they have my cell phone number in case they try to reach me. Was it the right thing to do? I don't know.

I really want this job. It will mean another move, but we'll still be in Illinois (west Chicago burbs) and only about three hours from here. Far enough away that the girls can't take advantage of dad and I (babysitting on a moment's notice) but close enough to get here in an emergency if needed. This would give us somewhat of a clean start once again and I think both Tim and I are desperately needing that right now.

There! I've gone and posted about it. If it's meant to be, it will be. If not, I just have to keep on. The thing is, I don't want to go this interview, accept a job, and then get a call come Monday for the other. On the other hand, I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket. Seems I have a brewing dilemma. Dang!

Nothing happening here

I have nothing really to say tonight. Had Ceci all day today. She was fun to play with. I'm loving watching her grow. May have news on the job front in the next few days. No details right now as I don't want to jinx anything. Sorry this one is boring, but I just don't have anything to say!

At the park

It was a busy day, today. Cecilia came over about 6:15 this morning. Her mom tried to keep her asleep but it didn't work. She was wide awake and rearing to go! Eventually, grandpa got up and we ended up at the park. It was the first time she had been to a park and we had so much fun.

She hadn't walked on any surface other than carpet and hard surfaces. Seeing her tentatively step on the grass was too cute! She had a lot of fun riding on the spring horses and sliding half-way down the slide. She also giggled and babbled on the swings. Naturally, she had a baby swing, so swinging wasn't new. But her favorite was sitting on the merry-go-round with grandpa while I pushed them. Round and round she went. Then I'd push her around the opposite direction to help lessen the staggering effects. She really enjoyed that and it's the one thing she went back to for a second turn. There wasn't anyplace to sit down near where she was playing, so I had to do a lot of standing. We were there for about an hour and I sat down for maybe fifteen minutes of it. Just one more indication of how far I've come.

It was a beautiful day here in central Illinois. The sun was shining and we had a gentle breeze. It was about 70 today and we're headed up to the mid 70s tomorrow. Ceci will be here for the whole day again tomorrow. Maybe we'll go to the park again.

Had a major stress evening yesterday. Triggered a desire to eat today but I fought it off. I think having Ceci here helped. I did manage to log 3500 steps just running after her today. Had I done my walk with Leslie, I would have logged the 5000 but with the baby here I just didn't have time.

Week 62 is behind me

I stepped on the scale this morning to find I a 2.5 lb loss. I'll take it and be happy. It could have been more but I think I know why it wasn't. For one, I shot up on Monday and spent most of the week getting back to my Sunday weight. Also, I was on the low end or under my calories most of the week, but had increased my exercise. Don't think my body was getting enough calories. Ah well ... I'll work on it this week and see what happens.

I pretty much updated yesterday on my steps for the week. Going to do my best to keep those numbers where they've been the last couple days for a while. I know that with warmer weather and being able to get outside to walk, soon I'll be increasing the numbers, but if I can just maintain at least 5000 steps per day I'll be thrilled.

Average weight loss per week is 2.145 pounds. I'm pretty happy with that overall figure. If I can hold this steady, I can be at my goal in just over 94 more weeks. Let see ... That's about 24 months which would put me at goal sometime in the spring of 2008. That's pretty much been my goal all along. I figured when I started it would take me three years to get to goal. Started in 2005 so I have to say I'm pretty much on track right now. Woo hoo for me!

Nothing much else going on here so I guess I'll keep this entry short. I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday. Remember why you started your own journey. Be proud of what you accomplish each day. Pay attention to the little things that mark your progress. And just keep on going!

Progress is being made

I did only my walk with Leslie this morning. I didn't feel like listening to Richard so I just left him in his little box today. Tim and I did go to the mall today, though, and I did a lot of walking. It's interesting.

I went to this same mall with Mandi back in December. The last time I had been there, they had sofas and chairs in the middle of the halls all through the mall. They evidentally removed them for more center stores during the holidays. I barely made it down one hall (this mall has four of them and over 250 stores) and thought I was going to collapse, back in December.

Today I made it up and down two halls and then found a place to sit. I had to rest my legs because I felt that my legs weren't going to carry much further. I was able to talk with Tim the whole time we were walking. It felt so good when Tim commented how proud of me he was! Shoot, I was proud of myself. We sat down for me to rest twice. I walked a total of sixty minutes while we were at the mall. My knees are sore and my lower legs are "jumping" a bit but it was worth it. I did take some ibuprofen and it seems to be helping.

I also logged 5500 steps on the pedometer today! Hey, Paul ... do you remember when I used to whine I wasn't ever going to walk more than 1200 steps a day? And what about the doubt I had that I'd ever see aerobic steps on my pedometer? You commented on that recently. This week I logged 10,361 aerobic steps (28,807 total steps for the week) which was 102 total aerobic minutes. Woo hoo!

Yes, indeed! Progress is being made.

I know that the scale is registering a loss tomorrow morning. I'll try to post early for those of you who can't stand the suspense. ::winking:: I will say that it hasn't moved as much as I'd hoped but I think I know why. I increased my exercise but somehow my caloric intake has been less. It wasn't intentional and I'm thinking it may have hurt my loss this week as the last couple days the scale has been stuck on the same number. At least I think I know why so I'm correcting that ASAP!

Lastly, to show progress is being made, I have to go through my closet. My pants are literally sliding down now. I have to hold them up when I exercise and that's just not cool. I know I have a few pair hidden away that I didn't stretch completely out. I also have some pants that have been sent to me but not sure if I can get into them yet. I'll check that as I'm going through things. The t-shirts are getting really baggy and I may have to retire them soon, too.

Enough of my rambling. This has gotten longer than I intended but just had to share my progress with all of you!

Back to the moving

Got up this morning and was happy to feel pretty darn good. I did my walk with Leslie and then started the workout on the fitness ball with Richard. About ten minutes into it, the phone starts to ring. Mandi is outside starting her car. Tim is in bed. And I'm not getting off the ball or stopping my workout for something as mundane as the phone!

By the fifth ring Tim was up and grabbing the phone. He said hello and turned to see why I didn't answer the phone and burst out laughing. There I am, in my jammies, arms and legs flailing, trying to keep my balance and he's laughing. He said he wished he had a video camera! Darn that man, anyway. LOL

The day was beautiful! Nice and sunny and warm until about 5 PM then wham. The winds picked up and it started to cool off. An hour later, the temperature had dropped 12 degrees. Brrr ... now it's chilly again. Will spring ever come and stay? Or will we move from winter into summer like we did last year?

I logged over 5000 steps on my pedometer for the first time ever today! Woo hoo, that was exciting. Kind of ties into my AMAZEMENT of a few days ago. Can't wait for the official weigh-in Sunday. The scale has been going down and I'm happy about that. I plan to keep it going through the month so I can reach that 150 pounds gone goal. Man, I can't believe I'm approaching that milestone already. Who knew 14 months ago when I started this, I'd be approaching that and be nearing the halfway point already? I sure didn't! Just another thing to amaze me!

No Motivation Today

Today was not a real good day for me, motivation wise. I woke up chilled. It was raining and dreary outside. I sat down to watch American Idol which I taped last night because I was watching Lost on another channel. Can I just say I told my hubby that we'd see three people who had never been in the bottom three down there this week? I also stated two of them would be Mandesa and Elliott. I thought Elliott would go home, though, not Mandesa. Anyway ... Watched that and it was only 6 AM. Watched a bit of television and told myself I really needed to get up and move. The seven o'clock hour came and went. At eight, I got up and sat down at the computer and that was it. No exercise for me today! I allow myself one free day per week to not move and today is it. I will definitely be back at it tomorrow no matter what the weather is like or how I feel because I have promised myself and now all of you that I will.

On the job front, I was skimming the classifieds for the Chicago suburbs tonight and see a place I used to work at is hiring. I used to be the program manager for a group home and loved that job. Why wouldn't I? I had the privilege of being paid to take girls shopping, to plan and prepare meals for fifteen people, go to the movies or a party, etc. It was GREAT!

It is really imperative I find a job and I need to find one now. Tim and I are willing to relocate and going back up north wouldn't be the worst we could do. Our best friends still live up there. And we already know the housing and such. They paid really well back then, and I'm sure they still pay really well. I'm going to send off a resume and letter in the morning and see what happens.

I'm not giving up on getting my teaching certificate back. I can still do that if we go up there. But I can't wait around all summer. Our income is going to be cut in half literally, come June. It will take every penny we have coming in to pay the bills leaving nothing left over. This is crunch time ... do or die.

Don't know why I keep going into all of this. It's a wonder I can even focus on anything as much as I feel I bounce around. It just helps to put it down, I guess.

I am amazed

You know, every day I seem to be finding things that amaze me about myself. I am amazed that over one year later, I'm still fighting the battle to get the pounds off. I surely thought I would have given up long ago, but am so thankful that I haven't. I said when I started this I was going to go all the way and I know in my heart it's true.

With the workouts today I now have 72 minutes of aerobic steps on my pedometer. That amazes me. I know a few of you can remember a few months back my lamenting that I'd never have aerobic steps. The progress amazes me!

I noticed the last couple days as I was walking with Leslie I have to walk with my hands on my hips to keep my pants up. That really amazes me! Finally, the weight loss is showing in my clothes and I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be able to wear the clothes that I've worn for the last five years. Woo hoo! AMAZING!

On Monday, one day after weighing in, my weight crept back up to 403. I struggled with the fact that I had undone my hard work. I don't know why I gained the weight, and does it really matter? The good news is that as of this morning, I'm back down to 399 and know that the number is going to continue going down the rest of the week. Only 19 pounds to get to the 150 pounds gone mark, and only 22 pounds to get to the point of having lost 30% of myself. Wow! I find both to be amazing. The goals are set and now all I have to do is keep heading toward each one. I know I can do that!

Update about teaching

Went to get more info today about being a substitute teacher. It's a little more complicated than I initially thought. Why am I not surprised? Anyway, I'm going to wait and in July when the new fiscal year starts I'll get a temporary teaching certificate. That way I can apply for a regular full-time teaching position anywhere in the state of Illinois. I have one year from the time I get the temporary certificate to take five semester hours of coursework related to the field of education. I already have the classes picked out at the local community college. I'm hoping to take them both in the fall, but that could depend upon where I end up finding a teaching job. I sure hope I find a district willing to take a chance on a fat teacher who hasn't been in a formal classroom for twenty years. Gosh, it's all so darn scary!

I'm pleased to report I did both workouts again this morning. This is becoming a part of my morning routine. I know that the workout with Richard sitting on the ball is working because I'm a little sore in the core muscle areas. It's been fun, though!

Another moving day

Sure am glad the storms are over for now. We lost power last night (Sunday) and a tornado touched down a few miles west of our town. It was really windy for most of today, too. Thankfully, we weathered the storm.

Up early this morning and moving the body with Leslie by 7:00 AM. When done with that walk, I moved right on in to working out with Richard while sitting on my ball. I tell you, my shoulders and arms are a little tender but worth it. I'm sure by morning they'll feel fine and I'll be right back at it again.

Nothing else of note happened here so I guess I'll just go on to bed now.

Got that body moving

I am sorry to say that this morning's weigh in leaves me at 399.5 so nothing to add to the total lost today. That's okay, though. I didn't do my walks with Leslie this last week and I wasn't as on target with my calories as I should have been. You'd think breaking into the 300s would have been motivation enough to get me going and keep me going, but I guess I did the reverse and slacked off.

I'm happy to report that this morning I'm back on track and will be definitely be reporting a loss next week. I did my 19 minute one mile walk with Leslie first thing this morning. I rested for about 30 minutes and then did my 25 minute sitting workout with Richard Simmons while sitting on my ball. Woo hoo, if y'all don't think it takes effort to stay upright on that darn ball while doing that, let me just tell ya!

Breakfast was Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal, 2 Morningstar vegetable sausage links, and a single serving of Motts Healthy Harvest Granny Smith no sugar added Applesauce. Total calories is 500 but that's okay. This is a bit later than I normally eat breakfast so I'll just not have my mid-morning snack that I usually have. I don't know what lunch and dinner will be yet as Tim is still in bed.

It's raining here with thunder and my poor little Fancy Pants (5 yr old Pomeranian) is trembling. Two years ago, we had a major storm come through with some tornado activity and she was home alone while the house rocked. I think that's what has caused her fear. I tried to hold and cuddle her, hoping my voice would calm her, but it hasn't. I hate that she's so stressed while this storm rolls through and it's only going to get worse with the season of rain upon us.

I hope you all have a wonderful day. Ceci will be here this afternoon. I hope the storm doesn't knock out my power. I have things to do!

I'm going to make April am amazing month.

A new month begins

With this new month beginning, I have a new exercise plan. I will be walking with my Leslie DVD daily. I'm also going to go back and use my Richard sitting down tape but do it while sitting on my fitness ball and using one pound hand weights. I figure this will give me some core strength training, work on my arms to hopefully ward off flab, and give me extra movement. I intend to workout with Richard every other day. On the off days, I'm going to do some other things with my fitness ball. Bottom line, I'm going to move this body and reap the benefits.

I've also been a little lax the last week or so in staying in the lower calorie range set by Sparkpeople. I've been in the range, but at the upper end of the scale and I don't like that. I want it back down where I had it before this junk with jobs surfaced and I started to feel it was okay to have a higher calorie dessert because I had the calories to spare. Uh uh ... not anymore. The desserts will be 120 calories or less or I don't eat them anymore! I also will not be eating after 7:00 PM once again. I've been a little lax with that, too.

Water has never been a problem for me. I've been averaging fifteen glasses per day and will continue with that. I don't feel I need to drink more or less to keep things going.

Lastly, as it warms up, I'm going to get myself outside and walk more. I did take a walk the other day with my CD player and that was a nightmare. The CD player bumping cause major skipping and I ended up just turning the darn thing off! I guess one of the first things I'll need to invest in is an MP3 player because I do walk longer when I have music to walk to. Any suggestions of an inexpensive player that I can download my CDs I've loaded into my Media player would be great. I'm not real well versed on those things. I believe the I-pods require you to download from I-tunes? Are there any that I can use with songs already on my computer that are in MP3 format? Tips, ideas, suggestions, etc are all welcome.