we're having a blast!

Hey, peeps! I'm blogging on a computer at our (very nice) hotel. We're having a great time here in St. Louis! Yesterday, we went to the Magic House on our way into town, and Nick had a great time exploring everything there. We were pretty tired by the time we checked in, so we just had dinner at the adjacent restaurant and chilled in our room. I did fit in a workout, though, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. Plus, I've been eating really well so far - yay! Nick slept like a champ last night on the pull-out sleeper sofa in our room, and actually kept his GoodNite dry! What's up with that? Why can't he do that at home?

We slept pretty well, too, and we all hit the ground running today to go to the City Museum. My head is still exploding from the sheer awesomeness of that place. I can't even begin to describe it, so I won't. All that I can say is that if you live anywhere near St. Louis and you haven't been to it, you need to go - especially if you have kids, but even if you don't. I'm not kidding. You really MUST go. You won't be sorry! It's unlike anything you've ever seen in your life. It will completely blow your mind, and you'll be amazed that this place exists. That's all I can say about that.

This evening, my old friend Jerry Dickneite is going to gather us at the hotel and take us out to dinner. I'm so excited! I haven't seen him since 2005, so this will be a zesty treat. He's good people.

Tomorrow, the plan is to hit the Science Center and the Botanical Gardens on our last day here. Thursday morning, our plan is to stop by the Cathedral Basilica (which has the world's largest collection of mosaic art), hit Trader Joe's for some foodstuffs, and then head home. A faboo trip, all-in-all!

Now, go make your plans to visit the City Museum. Seriously - do it! Not going would simply be a crime. I guess I lied a few paragraphs ago when I said that was all I had to say about it. :)

we're off...

...to St. Louie, Louie! It's going to be pretty hot, but hopefully, we'll have fun anyway. I think Nick will really enjoy everything, and it'll be fun to swim in the hotel pool. Plus, we'll get to see my cousin and an old friend while we're there, which is great! I'm off to finish packing...

paying the price

Well, the results are in, and they're not pretty. I gained a whopping 3 lbs. during my decadent visit to IL! I'm actually pretty horrified and ashamed. I assumed I'd gain a pound or two, but three just seems so awful. Believe it or not, that is the largest gain I've had since I started this weight-loss endeavor over a year ago. I didn't even gain that much at Christmas! Looking back over the five days in IL, I really can't believe the way I ate - I'm pretty disgusted with myself, and sad to be back below the 50-lb. mark. And what worries me even more is that we're spending 3 days in St. Louis next week, which will probably just add insult to injury. I'm just going to have to really buckle down and use some tough love on myself. Sigh. After the fact, I realize that it really just isn't worth it to let myself go and eat like that. I don't care how good the food was - it wasn't worth gaining 3 lbs.! I wish I could have a do-over. :) I just have to learn to somehow remember this feeling before I overeat, rather than after. Wish me luck on getting headed back in the right direction...

it's good to be home

My drive home went very smoothly, and I got here at 4:30 yesterday afternoon. Nick was still napping, but after a short while, I went into his room to get him up, and he was so happy to see me! He hugged me, burying his face in my neck, and wouldn't let go. And I know this sounds cheesy, but even after being gone for just a few days, I was just overcome with a wave of emotion as I hugged him. I was just so incredibly happy to see him again that I almost cried. And it was wonderful to see Brian, too. We also shared a long hug, and settled onto the couch in our usual places to chat about my trip and what they did while I was gone. Last night, Brian had class, so Nick and I had time to bond. We went to Wendy's for dinner, and then to Walmart for a few things, and we just had such a good time together! Nick behaved so well and was still so happy to see me - he kept telling me that he loved me and was happy I was back. We had a lot of fun just trolling the aisles of Walmart, singing and being silly. We got him a new pair of sunglasses, and he kept modelling them for everyone we passed, telling them that they, too, could get new sunglasses at Walmart! :) The whole evening was just so nice. I'm sure that soon, Nick will tire of being on his best behavior and the novelty of having me back will fade, but for now, it's awfully enjoyable. This morning, the three of us enjoyed snuggles in bed, and that was wonderful. I've gotten a lot of little stuff done today, like unpacking, laundry, working out, etc., so I feel pretty accomplished. And I'm really looking forward to yoga this evening. I miss my Effingham girls, though!

i'm outta here...

Well, today's my last day in Effingham, and I'll be leaving around 1 p.m. :( I'm very sad to be leaving this lovely little town and my friends here, but it's probably best that I'm getting away from the warm Otis Spunkmeyer cookies that are a permanent fixture in my hotel lobby! :) Any longer here, and I could have done some serious damage to my figure. Right now, I'm having a little lunch at my friend Carrie's house, and some other friends are stopping by to wish me farewell. It's a beautiful, sunny day for my drive home, and hopefully traffic won't be too bad.

spinning class

I tried spinning class, and it was certainly a good workout, but it is not for me. I do not like it, Sam I Am! Let's just say that my butt is not used to sitting on a bike seat. And even if I could stick it out and get past the butt pain, I just didn't like it in general. I found it too confining to be stuck on a bike for an hour. Whether I like it or not is really neither here nor there, as there's no spinning class where I live. It's just as well, because I prefer a class where you move around more, like kickboxing. But it was fun to go with my friends and check it out, and the abs/legs class afterwards was great! Tonight, I'm planning to go to a kickboxing class. I just bought new Aasics tennies at Kohl's (a zesty green and grey pair), so I'm looking forward to wearing my new shoes. Patty bought the same ones, so we're shoe twinkies!

Last night, Patty, Carrie, Kelly, and I had dinner at the Firefly Grill, which is an amazing restaurant! Everything on the menu is just delectable! We enjoyed the hummus platter and some crab rangoon as appetizers. I had a chicken pot pie with a side of summer squash and zucchini - yum! We each ordered a different dessert - cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, banana cake, and molten chocolate lava cake - and shared them in a frenzied free-for-all. :) We were all feeling pretty bloated by the time we were done, but it was worth it. We ended up being there for 3 hours, and we had such a good time eating, talking, and laughing. Love my Effingham peeps!

I'm feeling a bit sad that my visit will be ending tomorrow, but it will be nice to get back home and see my guys and sleep in my own comfy bed. Next week, Brian, Nick and I are off to St. Louis for 3 days to stay in a hotel there and do some neat stuff.

one year today

I just realized that today is the exact one-year anniversary of the day I started on this weight-loss journey. Wow! And if you average out my weight loss, I have lost a pound a week, which is pretty good. I've come a long way, baby! I'm still not officially at my goal yet, but I'm feeling pretty content with the way things are, and I'm happy with my appearance now. I'm just so proud of how I've improved my level of fitness, my endurance, and my strength and muscle tone. Go, me!

I'm having a very nice time in Effingham. It's been low-key, but then I didn't expect high excitement. :) I've really been enjoying hanging out with my Patty-friend, and also very much enjoying my downtime in the hotel - just chillin' on the bed, reading, watching TV, working out, taking a dip, etc. For lunch today, Patty made this delectable dish involving asparagus, Italian sausage, potato gnocchi, and Parmesan cheese. Shut up! It was muy delicioso. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to go to a spinning class and an abs class with some friends, and tomorrow evening, some of us are eating out at this really fabulous restaurant called the Firefly. There might be a kaffee-klatch Tuesday morning, and Tuesday evening, Patty and I are going to hit a kickboxing class. So, I'm not slacking off on my exercise while I'm here!

OK, I've been saving the really cool story for the end. Yesterday, Patty and I were driving around doing some shopping, and Patty nonchalantly turned to me and asked "Do you remember how you felt when you were at the very beginning of your pregnancy?" I said "Why? Do you think you might be pregnant?" She said "maybe," and I asked her how late she was. She revealed that she was about a week late, and I asked if she had taken a pregnancy test. When she replied "no", I just about jumped out of my seat! To me, the concept of sitting on that uncertainty and not rushing out to buy a test is completely and totally foreign. I would have taken a test the minute I had the slightest inkling I might be prego! So, I immediately declared that we must drive right to Walmart, purchase a test, and take it in the Walmart bathroom. :) Amazingly, Patty agreed to this like a trouper. Later, I felt a bit guilty at making her take the test in such an unsavory setting, but that's neither here nor there. We procured the test and proceeded, together, into the handicapped stall in the bathroom. I turned my back and studied the instructions while Patty peed, and when she was done, she set the stick down on the TP dispenser. I immediately whipped around and grabbed the stick to read the result. What I didn't know was that rather than just peeing on the absorbent tip of the stick, Patty had lost complete control of her bladder and had crazily sprayed pee all over the whole darn thing. So, I actually touched her pee! No big whoop, really, but boy, we got laughs out of that for the rest of the day! The way it unfolded was this: I whipped around, grabbed the stick, read the result (which had appeared instantaneously), and said to her "You're pregnant! And by the way, I just touched your pee." :) It was pretty neat to actually be with someone at the moment when she found out she was pregnant. We went back to her house and told her husband, who is, of course, thrilled. This will be child #3, joining Danny and Charlotte. Congratulations, Patty and Bil! And now that I've touched your pee, we're truly bonded for life. :)

sayonara!

Today is the big day - I'll be leaving this afternoon to drive to Effingham, IL. It's about a 3.5-hour drive, so no big whoop. I'll stop for dinner on the way, and won't be in any big hurry. I'm so excited!!! Effingham peeps, I can't wait to see you...

the beautiful world of children

As I sat on a park bench yesterday evening, watching Nick play with other kids of all colors, my breath caught in my throat and my heart swelled in my chest. Such innocence, such openness - it literally took my breath away. One benefit of living in a military community is that Nick is surrounded by kids of many colors, of many nationalities, and gets to hear lots of different languages. (The other day at the same park, I heard Russian to my left and Portuguese to my right.) I will sorely miss that when we move to the very white Springfield area. Anyway, I watched as Nick played with a little black boy, and it just amazed me that these kids didn't notice what color each other was and certainly didn't care. To them, the other was simply another child to play with - a new friend. As Nick approached this boy with a smile and said "I'm Nick - what's your name?", and then invited him to play, I thought about what a wonderful world this could be if only all grown-ups could have the same color-blindness. Sometimes, we need to pay attention to the lessons we can learn from our beautiful, sweet, wise children.

made my day!

What had been an otherwise rather ordinary day has turned out to be quite momentous. My Jutta-friend called me from Germany, and I got to speak to her for the first time since she moved away about a month and a half ago! Yay! It was great - we had a nice, long chat and got all caught up. I love talking to her on the phone, because it's always so easy and flowing, and we never run out of things to say. They have found a house to buy and things are coming together for them. And perhaps I can go visit them after they're all settled. Maybe next spring? We shall see. It was just so great to hear her voice and find out how she's doing. So, I'm smilin'.

I'm also smilin' because I leave for IL in a mere two days! I almost can't stand it. I am so excited to have 5 days there, BY MYSELF, to just chill with my peeps and enjoy my hotel room, indoor pool, and fitness room. I just can't wait to see my friends again, and it's probably going to be pretty good for my ego. You see, the last time they all saw me (two years ago), I was a big girl, so this will be the official weight-loss unveiling, and they probably won't believe the difference! I'm looking forward to eating at the restaurants I love there, maybe doing some shopping, and mostly just having relaxed time to chat and catch up with everyone, especially my dear Patty-friend. You can't see it, of course, but I'm literally doing a little happy-dance in my chair right now. :)

I'll try to post one more time ere I depart, but then you probably won't be hearing from me until I'm back.

my 4-year-old son is a dirty old man

So, last night we were sitting here watching the So You Think You Can Dance (Dance...Dance...Dance) results show, and they had a musical guest. It was that girl who sings "I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It" - don't ask me what her name is. Anywho, we were all sitting here watching the performance, and Nick made the following observation: "She has good boobs!" Yeah, that's my son.

happy anniversary to me!

Today is the one-year anniversary of my blog, and coincidentally, this is my 200th post! (I swear I didn't plan it that way.) I can't believe that I've been blogging for a whole year, and doing it so prolifically, to boot. Other than drawing attention to this milestone, I don't have much else to say today. :)

a first for nick

Last night, we took Nick to see his first movie in a theater - Wall-E. First of all, can we just talk about how outrageous it is that we had to pay $22 for the three of us to see the movie? Sheesh. Anywho, the movie was decent. I didn't love it, didn't hate it. It was sort of cute. That's my opinion, vague and non-helpful though it may be. :) As for Nick, he did OK. He had a pretty hard time sitting still and an even harder time understanding the meaning of "shhh!". It's not that he was being "bad," per se - he was just excited and wanted to comment and ask questions about things. He thought it was pretty cool, and said so, quite loudly, a few times. My final analysis is that he's not quite ready for the theater yet; it will probably be quite a while before we try that again. But, we tried, and now we know!

yes!

I am so pleased to see that sense has prevailed in my thong poll! The nays have it, 6 to 4. Three cheers for underwear that covers your butt and stays out of your crack! And thanks to those of you who voted. Polls are fun - maybe I'll think of more to do from time to time.

Not much to report today. I went to Rolla, and bought a lovely aqua linen button-down, sleeveless, belted shirt-dress (well, I wanna make sure you can sort of picture it!) for just $9. I still can't believe that I'm a medium now. It boggles the mind.

Gotta go pay bills!