a productive weekend

This weekend has been quite fruitful! Yesterday, I went to Pilates class, and after I got home, the guy came to clean our carpets. Today, we got everything back in its place, and now we have nice, fresh carpets (Well, I should qualify that by saying that the carpeting is as nice as 15-year-old, loose, dingy carpeting can be.). I guess the important thing is that even if it doesn't look fabulous, at least it's cleaner than it was, as evidenced by the filthy water the guy showed me. I always want to see the gross stuff - Show me the dirty water! Can I see my placenta? Things like that. :)

Of course, no weekend can be complete without a trip to Walmart. In this case, I have gone to Walmart THREE DAYS IN A ROW. I know - it's an illness. But there's always something I need, ya know? Today, on an impulse, I bought a curling iron and a hair straightener. Now that my hair's longer, I have decided that I need to avail myself of my various options. Heck, I only recently bought a blow-dryer, so this is quite a sparkly new world of wonder for me. I'm heady at the thought that I can now have curls or sleekness instead of my usual waviness. As for when I will actually use either of these implements for the first time remains to be seen.

I have recently noticed, much to my horror, the beginnings of some wrinkling on my forehead. So, I ran out and purchased a night cream with retinol - that's supposed to be the magical anti-aging ingredient. It's quite expensive, though, so unless I see a whole new face in a few weeks, I'll have to debate whether I'm going to buy more. I'll keep you posted.

I've noticed I'm rambling. Oh, well. It's MY blog!

Last night, we watched "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day." I recommend it! It's a frothy delight, but also has substance, and some of the dialogue is very sharp and witty. And I just love the way they did the ending. What Joe says to Miss Pettigrew just took my breath away, it was so unabashedly romantic! Contented sigh. Also, Michael (can't think of the actor's name) is very easy on the eyes.

Right now, I'm rather sore, because I've spent quite some time on a ladder painting our front shutters and the medallion vent thingy over the garage. The shutters were once a dark blue, but had become very faded and discolored, so I freshened them up with a nice, dark, periwinkly sort of blue. Then, in a fit of ingenuity, I decided to paint the medallion the same color to tie it in and make it pop against the siding. I like the results! The front of the house looks much nicer now.

The remainder of the evening will consist of a workout on the treadmill and elliptical and watching Army Wives. Then, it's time for bed and a new week! The wheel just keeps spinnin' round and round...

shameless sales pitch

Just in time for fall, I am selling a beautiful Denim & Co. lamb leather one-button, fully lined blazer. You can see this blazer at QVC.com - it's item A103448. Mine is a size 1X, color tan. This blazer is in excellent, brand new condition, and it's amazingly soft and supple. It's well-made and of great quality! It currently retails for $117; I'll take $50. There's not a thing wrong with it - it's just way too big for me now. I'm incredibly sad to see it go! But, my loss is someone else's gain. So, if you're local and are interested, or you know someone who might be, let me know!

frustration

I'm up 1.5 lbs. today. Aaarrrggghhhhh! I'm hovering so close to my goal, but can't quite get there. I mean, last week, I was teased by being just 1/2-lb. away from it, but now I'm back up. I've been in the 150s for almost 3 months now, and that just seems like forever! It seems like the number 150 is right outside my grasp - I just can't reach quite far enough to grab it, ya know what I mean? If it's this difficult to get to 150, then I wonder if 145 is just going to be an impossibility. Maybe I'll have to be happy right where I am. Hmmm. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm going to work my butt off for the next week and see what my next weigh-in brings.

I needed a new umbrella, as the one I had was about 8 years old and was all faded, with a bent shaft. It was a sad, sorry thing! So, today, I picked up a festively striped new one at WalMart for a mere $3.83. Oh, today's purchase was another one for the record books: an umbrella, a belt, and Greek yogurt. :) Only at WalMart!

This evening, I'm going to rent some movies for the weekend (I'm thinking of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and Smart People, along with the second disc of Mad Men.), and also go to Hallmark for my quarterly card stock-up. Yes, I'm a bit of a freak about the cards, but anyone who's close to me has hopefully benefited from that and enjoyed the fruits of my obsession. :) I'm also a bit of a freak for their ornaments, though less so as the years go by and the prices creep ever higher.

Tomorrow is carpet cleaning day, and the rest of the weekend should be pretty low-key. What are your weekend plans?

i love my mother-in-law!

How many people feel that way? Apparently, a lot of women do not get along with their mothers-in-law, but I am lucky enough not to have that problem. My MIL is a lovely woman who is nothing but loving and supportive. The only thing wrong with her is that she lives too far away (northern VA). It's very hard for us to get out there, and she has health problems that prevent her from travelling. :(

Anywho, I'm feeling particularly close to her today, because I just got the most wonderful surprise in the mail - a lovely note from her, including a check for $200 to use for the purchase of new, smaller clothes (scream of delight)! If you know me very well, you know how cheap I am, and with that much money, I can probably get around 20 or so new garments. I'm so excited! That lady is a doll.

In other news, I finally worked out today after skipping 4 days - shame on me! But, I'm back in the saddle with plans to work out every day for the rest of the week.

That's all, folks...

another cute nickism

The other evening, Brian was talking about his neck pain, and Nick asked "What's the matter with your neck, Daddy - do you have a cricket in it?"

oh. my. god.

I am LOVING the new high-speed cable Internet! It's funny, because our speed is actually probably pretty slow by some people's standards - it's 250 Kbps. But for us, it's lightning fast, compared to the dial-up we've always had. I feel like a kid at Christmas! Santa Claus has, indeed, come to town. :)

home again, home again, jiggity-jig

We're back from our long weekend in Springfield. It was a good weekend, all-in-all! We had a big, crazy dinner with my whole family on Saturday evening at TGIFriday's. Love their fried green beans with wasabi ranch! I also enjoyed my mojito. :)

Sunday morning, my solo went really well at both services, and the music director and I went to Panera between services and had a nice time chatting and enjoying a pastry. I was feeling really attractive in my new size 8 black slacks and size small clingy, flattering top - it's a beautiful aqua-teal sort of color. I really can't wrap my brain around the fact that I can wear size 8 pants and jeans, but it's true!

Sunday afternoon, Brian and I went to the mall together while my Dad watched Nick, and we had a really nice time just walking around. And as usual, I got some absolutely killer bargains. I got this really thick, heavy, chunky cable-knit cardigan at Steve & Barry's, where everything is $8.98. It'll definitely keep me warm this winter, and it's grey, so it'll go with everything. At JCPenney, through the combination of a sale and two coupons, I got a $36 pair of jeans for a mere $7. At Payless, through sales and BOGO, I got myself a pair of silver ballet flats and Nick a pair of canvas slip-ons for a total of $14 (full retail would have been $38). At Bath & Body Works, I bought three hand-soaps and got two free, and at Godiva, we got some delicious truffles for half-off! I'm still riding the high from all this incredible cheapness. :)

We were going to go out for a fancy dinner last night, but when we were at the mall, we spotted this new restaurant in the food-court there called Cravin' Crepes. We were intrigued, so we decided to radically change our plans and just have dinner at the mall! We shared a savory crepe (they're plenty big for two) that had ham, apple slices, cheddar cheese, and dijon mustard - yummy! Then, we went back for a dessert crepe with Nutella, bananas, and strawberries and shared that one, too! A really yummy, unique dinner for a total of $12. We even decided to get one with caramel sauce, apples, and walnuts to take home for Dad and Nick, and they loved it! It's really cool, too, because you get to watch them make your crepe after you order it. I'm a huge fan, and I just hope that the place makes it in our mall. It's only been open for 3 weeks.

After that, we were so exhausted that we just spent the rest of the evening at Dad's, chilling out, watching TV, and looking through old photo albums. This morning, Brian had an appointment with a neurosurgeon in Springfield about his neck (he may need surgery, but needs more tests first), and then we headed home.

I'm getting caught up on email, etc., and waiting for the cable guy to come and install our high-speed Internet! I really need to work out this evening, as I've skipped three days now, but right now, I'm just so tired that it's the last thing I want to do. Must soldier through!

blah blah blah!

I've been spending so much time on the phone lately that I don't have any time to be online! It's rather strange for me. Even now, I'm only on for like 5 minutes to do this and check my email. Then, I have to fold laundry, eat, and go to yoga. I just don't want my bloggy peeps to think I've abandoned you. Patty, I will get to the meme list sometime, but maybe not until next week - sorry! You see, we're leaving tomorrow evening to go to Springfield and won't be back until Monday afternoon. And Monday afternoon, the guy is coming to install our cable Internet! So, I'll be quite scarce between now and the middle of next week. Hope everyone has a faboo weekend, though!

in light of the title of my blog...

...I have to share with you that in a fit of coincidence, there is, as I type, a lizard in my living room! It's a cute little thing with a bright blue tail, and it shows itself every so often, but then skitters and hides as soon as we come near it. I first saw it a couple of days ago. Isn't that funny?

a triumphant day

It's a long story and I'm too tired to explain, but let's just say that today, I was the squeaky wheel, and against the odds, I got the grease! I love it when I get all persistent and prevail. Also, I made great headway in publicizing my MOPS group, and connected with a woman whom I believe is going to be an invaluable contact to that end. Go, me! I spent way too much time on the phone today, but it was very productive. And now, off to bed I go.

the results are in...

...and they're pretty good! I saw my gyn today (LOVE her!), and found out how my lipids are. My total cholesterol is 162, which is great and is down from last year's 190. My LDL ("bad" cholesterol), VLDL ("very bad" cholesterol) and triglycerides (another undesirable) were all down significantly, which is great! The only disappointing thing is that my HDL ("good" cholesterol) hadn't risen nearly as much as I'd hoped, and is still much lower than desired. She explained to me, though, that while diet and exercise can really help lower the bad stuff, it's much harder for it to raise the HDL. That's more determined by genetics and is harder to improve with lifestyle changes. She's really pleased with the results, and thinks that even though they're not optimal, they're just fine. And she was obviously very pleased with my weight loss. When she was palpating my abdomen to feel my internal organs, she kept commenting on how "skinny" I am ! That made me feel pretty darn good. She told me to keep up the good work, and I plan to do just that.

things that make you go "hmmm?"

So, we were putting Nick to bed the other night, and Brian leaned in to kiss him, whereupon Nick said "Daddy, your face smells like a xylophone."

in the dark

Well, my day started somewhat roughly. For various reasons, I have not gotten enough sleep the past several nights, and I thought I would finally get a good night's sleep last night. I went to bed a little before 10:30 with my alarm set for 6:30. However, at about quarter to 5, I was awakened by my husband's muttering of the word "Great!" This utterance was in response to the realization that the electrical storms we had overnight had caused us to have a power outage. I dozed a little bit after that, but really, the jig was up. Then, I had to get ready in the gloom, and my breakfast was missing its toasted bagel and, most importantly, the coffee! The coffee, man! Boy, was I cranky and tired. And Nick was a bit thrown and clingy, as he often is when something like a power outage occurs. But, I made it to the fitness center for kickboxing and suffered through the class, after which I treated myself to a honkin' coffee from McDonald's (plus a Sausage McGriddles). And now, the power's back on! So, the day is looking up. I might just have to take a nap during Nick's. :)

wish me luck

I've been fasting since 7 p.m., because tomorrow morning I'm going to the lab to have my blood drawn to test for cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. I'm feeling somewhat nervous about it, which I know sounds kind of ridiculous - it's just that I so desperately want good results! You see, last September when I had this blood work done, my total cholesterol was under 200, but my HDL was too low, my LDL was too high, and my triglycerides were rather alarming. Given that I've lost all this weight and become so active, I'm really hoping they've all improved dramatically, and if they haven't, I'm going to be pretty dismayed. I would hate to have to go on medication. So, I guess I just feel like a lot is riding on these tests. My yearly check-up is a week from tomorrow, and I'll find out the results then. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for me!

btw

I'm not very savvy about this stuff - can anyone tell me exactly what to do to create a link within a post without having to just cut and paste a URL? For example, instead of the long URL in the following post, how do I just make it so that one could click on the words "my online album" and be taken to that URL? Or, instead of http://www.citymuseum.org/ , how can I make it so that one could just click on the words "City Museum"? Help! And thank you. :)

july pics + my new goal

Here are just five of the many photos from our recent trip to St. Louis. (Also note the new family pic on the sidebar.) To see the rest of the faboo photos, check out my online album!



Here's Nick in the "construction zone" at the Magic House Children's Museum.

fun with static electricity!

striking a pose at the bottom of a slide in the City Museum

Here's Nick eating his banana ice cream with much gusto at Crown Candy Kitchen.

It was so great to see my friend Jerry again after three years!

And now for my new goal: I'm not sure how or when it will take shape, but I have decided that I want to become a certified fitness instructor, particularly in kickboxing and yoga. Stay tuned!

2 pounds from my goal!

I can't believe that I'm only two pounds from my goal! Of course, that's only my initial goal. Once I reach 150, I'm going to set a new goal of 145, and if I get there, I'll decide if I want to shoot for 140. That's the absolute lowest I'd go - anything less would, I think, be unhealthy and impossible to maintain. Wish me luck!

I guess I need to finish accounting for our St. Louis trip. On Tuesday evening, Jerry took us to this neat old ice cream parlor called Crown Candy Kitchen. It was such fun! It was wonderful to see him again - he's just such a kind, affable teddy bear. I'm so glad he's in my life, even if I do only see him once in a blue moon. And Nick warmed right up to him. The two of them sat together at dinner, and had a high time together! I got some great candid shots of them laughing together. When I get a chance, I'll be sure to share those. Anywho, CCK is such a neat place! It's all old-fashioned and vintage-y, and it has great sandwiches and ice cream treats. They even make their own chocolates. I had probably the best egg salad sandwich I've ever enjoyed, and we all had huge, decadent ice cream treats, because, really, how could we not? :) It was a very enjoyable evening. Later at the hotel, I squeezed in a workout, but I had to cut it short, because my stomach was still too full.

On Wednesday, we headed to the St. Louis Sciencenter (yes, that's how they spell it). It was pretty neat, though it can't hold a candle to the City Museum. Really, nothing can. We had a good time exploring, though. We saw an interesting exhibit called Monsters Alive, which was about creatures and monsters in the movies, and how they're made and the animatronics involved. We also saw an Omnimax film about dinosaurs, which we all really enjoyed. Wednesday turned out to be a rainy day, so we had to nix our plans to go to the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Instead, we went to the home of my cousin Jessica's fiance, Brian, and had dinner with the two of them in addition to my cousin John, his wife Sarah, and their two kids, Claire and Evan. It was fun! I enjoyed bonding with my cousins, and Nick and Claire really got along well, since they're the same age. We all shared good food and good times, and we were really tired by the time we got back to the hotel. No workout that day!
John and Sarah invited us to attend Evan's birthday party in about a month, so we're looking forward to that.

Thursday was rather blah and gloomy, and we were tired and didn't really feel like doing the Cathedral Basilica or Trader Joe's, so we just headed home, stopping for lunch at Cracker Barrel and making it home around 1 p.m. So, that was our trip!

Yesterday, I had an errand-running extravaganza and bought, among other things, a yoga mat and a flat-panel computer monitor. I got a great deal on the monitor, and we're really excited about getting rid of our bulky, outdated one. I also got some paint to refresh our faded shutters, and started pricing treadmills. Staying at hotels and using their treadmills has really made me want a new one. Mine works fine, but it's 9 years old, and the technology is so much better now! My treadmill is so incredibly loud, and I'd love a new one for its quietness, more accurate controls, and built-in fan. I'm not in a big hurry, though, and will take my time shopping around.

Today is all about TCB - laundry, online business, etc. Hope you're having a great weekend!

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!

the birds, the bees, and the lions

This is the conversation I had with Nick this morning regarding our recent visit to the zoo:

Nick: I wanted to see lions at the zoo!
Me: We did, remember? There was a boy lion and a girl lion.
Nick: But no baby lion?
Me: No, they didn't have a baby.
Nick: Because they're not married?
Me: Right!

vpl vs. perpetual wedgie

Let's talk about thong underwear for just a moment, shall we? I have always been anti-thong, professing that they're hideously uncomfortable and that I am just not interested in having a scrap of fabric wedged in my butt crack for any length of time. I think I might have tried a thong once, in college, and didn't like it. In the intervening years, it would seem that visible panty lines have truly become public enemy number one, and everyone who's anyone is wearing thongs. I personally know people who would never dream of wearing anything else. Also, lately, as I look around me in fitness class (where the women tend to have on tight-fitting workout shorts), I have noticed that I'm the only one with VPL. (Side note: No, I'm not a lesbian. It's just that there are some really nice asses in fitness class, and I can't help looking at them because I wish mine looked like that!) Now, here's what I'm confused about: What's the big deal with VPL? Everyone wears underwear (Well, sure, there are some who go commando, but they're a small percentage of the populace.), and everyone knows that everyone wears underwear. So, why is it such a big deal if people can see the outline of your panties through your pants? I mean, women always have visible bra lines, and that's no big deal, so why are panties so different?

The upshot of all of this is that I recently decided that since it had been so long since I'd actually tried wearing a thong, maybe I should see what all the fuss is about and give it another try. I mean, the people I know who wear them profess that they're just SO comfortable, and they would never go back to (gasp!) regular undies. So, yesterday at WalMart, I picked up a cheapo 3-pack of thongs. And today, I wore one when I took Nick to playgroup and ran a couple of errands. And here's my verdict: thongs ARE hideously uncomfortable, and I'm just NOT interested in having a scrap of fabric wedged in my butt crack for any length of time! It was horrid. The whole time I was wearing it, I was aware of it and was really uncomfortable. I kept feeling like I needed to pull my underwear out of my crack. I would momentarily forget that I was wearing a thong and would attempt to grab my underwear through my shorts and adjust them, but all I would grab was skin, and I would realize that Oh! I can't pull my underwear out of my crack, because they're permanently lodged there! Who wants to go around feeling like they have a consta-wedgie? People claim that you get used to it, and you eventually can't even feel it, but personally, I'm not interested in making it through the adjustment period. I don't believe that there's any need for me to suffer through even one day of wearing a thong, when there is so much comfy underwear out there for me to choose from. I just don't get it! The minute I got home, I shimmied out of those things as fast as I could and breathed a delicious sigh of relief as I unwedged myself. I promptly threw all 3 thongs into the nearest waste basket, and now, I'm comfortably ensconced in my plain ol' panties, and lovin' every minute of it!

So how about you? Thongs: yea or nay? See my poll on the sidebar, and weigh in...

could my son BE any cuter?

Just thought I'd share this photo with everyone. Happy Sunday!

i've been kinda quiet this week...

...mainly because I just don't have much to say! Alles ist gut - it's just a normal, fairly boring week, so I guess I haven't felt compelled to blog. I've worked out, taken Nick to story time, done laundry, done a bit of clothes-shopping, watched TV, etc. Tonight, we're taking Nick to a local fair so that he can ride carnival rides - should be fun! Tomorrow, we have Nick's sports class in Rolla, and then I'm going over to Leigh Ann's house to help design our new MOPS brochure. Tomorrow night, I'm going to see the play Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with a couple of friends. Sunday should be pretty low-key, which I'm kind of looking forward to. I hope you've all been having a good week, and have a great weekend!

today is my daddy's birthday

He's 72, and not terribly infused with the birthday spirit. :) I guess when you've had that many, you don't care much anymore. Heck, the past few years, even I haven't cared much, and I'm only 34! :)

We just got back from a long weekend in Springfield. On Saturday, I went to JCPenney (where fashion comes to life) and scored my usual coup by combining sales and coupons. I got a pair of jean shorts, two pairs of PJ shorts, and 2 nice bras for just over $40. Wow! In the end, it was worth it, though shortly after arriving at the mall, I wondered why I was crazy enough to be there. It was so crowded and stuffy, and there were just people everywhere, with the racks all messy and picked over. When it's like that, it's just a total turn-off for me, and it usually completely kills my mood to shop. My mood was certainly dampened, but since I had those coupons which were about to expire, I soldiered on.

I got back to Dad's in time for the big familial celebration - we were celebrating not only Fathers' Day, but also my Dad's and brother's birthdays. We had pizza and cake, and much hilarity and loudness ensued. :) Tim even stopped by, which only added to the fabulosity. I got to see all of my nieces, which I always love; it doesn't happen nearly often enough. We gave my Dad a charcoal grill and grilling tools, which we made use of yesterday evening. After the party, I went to Target with my older nieces and my sister-in-law, and we combed through the clearance clothing racks and then went into a family dressing room together to try everything on. We laughed so much that the people in the other dressing rooms must have hated us! I ended up buying a cute t-shirt for $5 and a knit polo shirt-dress for $10! Tim met us there, and after we were kicked out at closing time :), Tim, the nieces, and I went to Applebee's for some chips and salsa. I didn't get to bed until 12:30, which is insanely late for me!

Sunday morning, we went to the zoo with my Dad, and it was fun, but so hot and humid. We spent about 2.5 hours there, and by the time we were done, we were hot, hungry, and completely exhausted. I got some great pics, which I'll share at some point. We had lunch at a nearby restaurant, and I gave in to temptation and had a peanut butter hot fudge sundae - it was SO good! That afternoon, Dad and I went to WalMart to get stuff for dinner, and we grilled chicken breasts and corn on the cob. For dessert, I made double-berry shortcakes. It was a really good dinner! Later in the evening, I finally got my much-anticipated haircut, and I'm thrilled! It feels so good to have all of that scraggly hair gone from my neck, and it looks really cute. Last night after Army Wives, it was early to bed, but I'm still exhausted today, because Brian and I were awakened at 4 a.m. by a weird sound that we never did identify. Go figure.

I know that I should work out today, but I might not. I'm just beat. I don't want to do anything but sit around and maybe read a magazine. I'd really love to sleep, but if I took a nap now, I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Tomorrow, it's back to the usual, with fitness class and various domestic chores!

this is so funny!

People, you must read this blog post. I laughed out loud!

http://www.dooce.com/2008/06/13/rite-passage

birthday wishes

Happy Birthday to you;
Happy Birthday to you;
Happy Birthday, dear Greg,
Happy Birthday to you!

Today is my brother Greg's birthday. He's 8 years older than me, so we haven't always been in each other's orbits, but I sure love him. I hope you have a good birthday, Greg, and I'll see you this weekend!

today's ramblings

Hey, everyone! First of all, be sure to take note of my new sidebar list - "foods i'm currently loving!" I figured that maybe it can give some of you ideas for new foods to try. Let me know if you are loving any of these foods, too!

On this humid, 80-degree+ day here in central MO, I decided to go to the indoor track in the fitness center on post for some nice, climate-controlled jogging. I got there, and it felt really warm - almost like a sauna. I thought that was odd and wondered if the AC wasn't working. But, I was there, so I figured I'd go ahead and stick to my plan. And I did! I jogged and walked for an hour, jogging more than half of the distance I covered. In fact, I ended up jogging almost 2.5 miles (not consecutively)! That makes me very proud, as I'm pretty new to this jogging thing, and it's really not that easy for me yet. I'm so pumped that I managed to do that much. I just alternated jogging and walking, and even mixed in a few sprints. Anywho, when I was finished, I was literally sweating more than I've ever sweated in my entire life. I was like a human waterfall. It was completely disgusting! I looked like I had just been in the pool. Imagine the sweatiest person you can, and then imagine that person twice as sweaty. :) I went to the front desk and asked what was up with the AC, and the guy told me that it was malfunctioning, and that the heat had actually been running! OMG. Imagine. I actually sat in the lobby and read the paper for awhile, because I didn't want to go out to my hot car without cooling off at least a little first.

You know, I've been getting a lot of compliments about my weight-loss recently, which is great. And it's gotten me thinking about what I'm really the most proud of, and I realized that it's not just losing the weight - it's actually that I've gotten so in shape. I mean, here I am, at 34, in the best shape I've ever been in at any age. There are plenty of women who are "thin" or "normal-sized," but they're not really fit, and they don't have much endurance or strength. You can be skinny but not able to jog or lift weights, or kickbox for an hour. It's sort of a revelation to me that my new smaller size is really secondary on the list of what I'm proud of. I just can't believe how buff I am! I know this sounds braggy, but I don't care. I'm just proud that I've really put in the work to tone my body and develop my muscles, and to become so much stronger. I've realized that my goal was never to just be skinny or small, but to be in great shape, and I can't believe that I've made that come true. I mean, don't get me wrong - I'm not in the greatest shape compared to some people, but for me, I am, and that's what counts. I'm just feeling very triumphant today. Maybe jogging in such heat took a toll on my brain and rendered me loopy! :)

thanks for sharing!

Today, I took Nick to story time at the library on post. It's a really nice story time, but I've just about decided to stop going, because Nick just won't sit still, be quiet, and actually pay attention to the stories. Today, he gave me even more justification to never show my face there again. In honor of Fathers' Day, the librarian was reading stories about Daddies, and was in the middle of a sweet book about all of the nice, loving things Daddies do for their children. During a quiet moment, Nick piped up completely out of the blue and said "When I'm a bad boy, my Daddy yells at me."

that's my boy!

So, today, we drove the hour to Osage Beach to take Nick to Miner Mike's, the faboo indoor funplex. They have an arcade where you buy tokens to play games; you get tickets from playing the games, which you can then redeem for prizes. "Prizes," in this case, is defined as "cheap, crappy, worthless trinkets." Out of all the choices, guess what my son chose for his prize: the sparkly, heart-shaped fairy wand complete with flashing jewels and marabou feather accents. Seriously. Furthermore, 4 hours later, said wand is now in about 5 pieces. Boys will be girls will be boys! :)

back online!

I have actually been offline against my will for the past couple of days. On Thursday afternoon, I discovered that I had no dial tone (we have dial-up Internet). With some over-the-phone guidance from the phone company, I determined that the problem was definitely not inside our house, so they put in a request to have a repair-peep come out. That peep did not come until 10:00 this morning (He couldn't possibly have come yesterday, due to the weather - more on that later.)! Mind you, with the dial-up Internet and the fact that I have a prepaid cell phone that costs 10 cents/minute, losing my land line for a couple of days was rather catastrophic for me. :) So, now that it's back, I have been making phone calls and catching up with emails, etc. I burned through way too many expensive cell phone minutes yesterday, but whatareyagonnado?

Yesterday turned out to be rather odd for other reasons, as well. First of all, I woke up and did my weekly weigh-in, and was shocked to see that I was down 4 lbs., taking my loss to an even 50! In the past, I have had times when I plateaued for a bit and then had a freakishly big loss, and I sometimes came back up a pound or two the next week. I mean, I can't really, truly have lost 4 lbs. in one week, surely. But, even if I'm back up a bit next Friday, I have high hopes that I've kissed the 160s goodbye for good. I also took my measurements and determined that I have now lost a combined total of over 3 feet! Wow. Most notably, I've lost 6-7" each off my bust, waist, and hips (I'm now a 39-32-39), and 5" off each thigh.

So, my day was off to a great start, and I got all ready and dressed to go to the gym. I was planning on calling my Rebecca-friend to see if we could go over and visit her after the gym, so I was looking forward to a lovely morning. I had my breakfast and went into Nick's room to get him up. When I walked in and turned on the light, I was greeted by the worst throw-up mess I've ever seen. Why did he not summon me when this happened, you ask? I wish I knew. He never does, even though we've told him time and again that he should. It's almost like he doesn't want to burden us. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that the clean-up was grueling. The sheet, I simply threw away. Nick was very upset and very gross, and I had to get him right into the tub. Needless to day, fitness class (or leaving the house at all) was not going to happen. He claimed that he wanted breakfast, but only ate about half of it. As the day progressed, he was stricken with a high fever and became very lethargic, just flopping on the couch and wanting to be held. Since he's normally rather hands-off, I secretly enjoyed getting to cuddle with him all day, but I felt terrible for the poor kid. The day was just so strange - I had no phone or Internet and was effectively cut off from the outside, and had a very sick kid on my hands, which is unusual in itself, as Nick virtually never gets sick. So, there we were, he and I, just flopping on the couch and watching Mary Poppins (As an aside, I just have to point out that this movie is pure genius, and nothing like it has been made since. I don't care how many times I watch it - I still marvel at its fabulosity every time.) Well, this was boring, but Nick was resting comfortably in my arms, at least, and I was enjoying our togetherness. Then, things got a bit more interesting, because some very dicey weather came our way, with tornado warnings and very scary rain and straight-line winds. So, I had to carry my poor child (who was just radiating heat at this point) down to the inhospitable unfinished basement and lay him on the cold, hard floor, while we waited out the worst of it. I felt so bad, because he had just nodded off on the couch, and then I had to disrupt him. But, within a minute or two of lying down on the basement floor, he was asleep again! That's how sick he was. I was finally able to carry him back upstairs, and I got his bed all made up and tucked him in for a long summer's nap. After his nap, his fever had gone down some, and he had a bit more pep. He still hardly ate anything all day, but at least he didn't throw up again.

Today, in his usual fashion, he's right as rain! This kid has an absolutely stellar immune system - I've never seen him sick for more than a day. He even said to me "I feel like I'm me again!" At another point, he also came up to me and said "So, how ya doin', m'pretty girl?" :) Yup - he's definitely back to his old self.

So, the upshot of this incredibly long post is that yesterday was just plain weird, and I'm thrilled to be back online and back in touch with the world! Tonight, we're going out to dinner, and I'm beside myself at the prospect of getting out of the house. (In case you haven't picked up on this, being at home all day is like torture for me - I have to get out of the house every day or I go crazy.)

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

well, color me crestfallen :(

I'm so disappointed! I signed up to take a Latin dance class which was to start this coming Sunday, and I was really excited about it. But today, I got a call to let me know that it's cancelled, because not enough people signed up for it. Gaahhh! I'm really bummed. They're supposed to be offering it again in the fall, though, so hopefully it will be a go then. I guess I'll just have to wait a bit longer to get my cha-cha-cha on. :)

sex and the city movie

Loved it! It had emotional moments, it had sexy moments, it had laugh-out-loud hilarious moments, and it had amazing fashions. It was very satisfying, in my opinion. An important note: even if you didn't watch the series on TV, you could still totally go to this movie and enjoy it. You don't need to have watched the show. So, go see it!

i'm a swinger

Last night, we drove the 20 miles to Rolla. We had dinner at Panera, and then we went to this amazing park there - the Lions Club Park. Locals, if you haven't been there, you need to GO! It's fabulous. There's tons of play equipment for the kids - everything you could dream of. Plus, there's a beautiful man-made (I'm assuming) lake with a fountain and bridges, and lots of trees and a nifty walking trail. Every time I go there, I just feel happy. Anywho, there is a big swing set very close to the bank of the lake, and you can swing whilst looking at the water and feeling a slight mist from the fountain. Nick turned his nose up at my idea of swinging, but I didn't care - I just hopped right on a swing and started pumping my legs. For a few moments, I did something that I rarely do - I simply got lost in the moment, savoring the feeling of swinging higher and higher, feeling the mist on my face, tilting my body back and gazing up at the clouds, and forgetting everything else. The world just fell away. It was awesome! I felt like a kid again, and I have decided that every adult should swing now and again. So, if you haven't swung lately, you need to become a swinger like me. :)

aaaarrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhh!

I have obviously plateaued again. I just want to be done with this, already! I need to get my eating firmly under control. Lately, it's been mostly under control, but not quite, and it's clearly the "not quite" that's causing my problem. :)

Beautiful, warm, sunny day here. We'll be taking Nick to the park later. Have a great weekend!

melancholy

Jutta is gone, so it's been a sad day for me. Last night's dinner went well, although the packers took way longer than anticipated to finish packing up their stuff, so they got here a lot later than we thought they would. As a result, they could only stay for about an hour and a half, much to my disappointment. But, they enjoyed the home-cooked meal and we had lots of good conversation, and took some photos and video. Jutta gave me the most wonderful gift - it's a figurine called "two alike", of two women standing back to back with their hands touching. It's so perfect, because we really are alike in so many ways! It's such a touching gift, and it's going to be wonderful to have a tangible object that will remind me of Jutta and our friendship every time I look at it. It was bittersweet to watch the boys play together for one last time - they had a crazy, raucous, great time, as usual! Little buddies. When the time came for them to leave and Jutta hugged me, I pretty much broke down and then cried for a while after they drove off. It was so very hard for me to say goodbye to her. But, I'll be OK. As my Dad always says: This, too, shall pass.

a fond farewell

This evening will be bittersweet, because we're having Jutta and her family over for dinner on their last night here. I can't believe that tomorrow, she'll be gone forever - I'm pretty sad about it, and I know that tonight will be difficult in a way. I hate goodbyes! And Jutta has been such a good, dear friend to me that saying goodbye to her will be particularly upsetting. I will miss her terribly, but I know that she'll be very happy to be back in Germany with her parents and other family.

Just in case anyone cares, tonight's menu will consist of:
- sweet & sour cranberry chicken
- citrus and baby spinach salad with feta, cashews, and a citrus vinaigrette
- warm wheat rolls with lemon-dill butter
- iced tea with sugar and fresh lemon wedges
- dark chocolate mousse with whipped cream and strawberries
A fruitylicious menu, to be sure! :)

Tomorrow will be a hard day for me, as it dawns on me that Jutta is really gone. I will sorely miss her as I take my walk tomorrow - it was always so much more fun with her by my side. I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it, and look forward to visiting her (maybe next summer)!

we are fa-mi-ly!

This is a picture of me and my cousin Jessica, taken yesterday during our visit to St. Louis. I had not seen her in about 4 years, and it was so wonderful to spend time with her again! We just took up as though we had been seeing each other every day, with much laughter and snorting. :) She is 6 years my junior, and had been living in NYC for the past several years. But, she just moved back to St. Louis and will be getting married on Halloween. We also got to meet her fiance, Brian, which was nice. It's funny how we both picked Brians! It will cause some confusion in the future, I'm sure. It was also great to see Aunt Karen and Uncle Jim (Jessica's parents - Jim is my mom's brother), and cousin John and his kids, Claire and Evan. Claire is just two months older than Nick, and the two of them had a blast playing together. Jim and Karen are quite the connoisseurs of yummy wine, and they plied me with a faboo dry red. I had a bit much, and ended up with a lovely buzz for a goodly portion of the afternoon, which made me even more fun to be around than usual. :)Those Klinglers are a hoot even when I'm sober, but when I'm a bit drunk, they're a barrel of monkeys! We all talked and laughed and shrieked and snorted, and by the time we left, I just felt so warm and fuzzy. I really love spending time with them. I'm so glad that Jessica's back and that I have the potential to see more of her now.

In funny Nick news, we ate watermelon there, which he kept calling "waterlemon." He also kept calling his cousin Evan "Heaven," which was hilarious. He would say things like "Where's Heaven?" or "I'm gonna go find Heaven". Also, at one point, he very matter-of-factly referred to his sandals as "mandals," which is what Tim and I call men's sandals. I didn't even realize that Nick had picked up on that! Little pitchers...

Today, we're just sticking around the house and planning to do such exciting chores as waxing the car, vacuuming, etc. Hope everyone's having a nice long weekend!

nick's latest verbal cuteness

Several weeks ago at the park, Nick found a pine cone, and kept calling it a "pineapple cone".

The other day at the park, Nick approached a boy about his age and said "Excuse me, young man - may I see your toy?"

A few days ago, I made my "famous" crunchy peppermint chocolate bark for Jutta, and Nick kept referring to it as "chocolate barf".

Just last night, Nick picked up his wooden snake and said "Mommy, this is my pet snake, Sherman." I said "Ooh! Does Sherman like to eat bugs and mice?" Nick said "No - he just eats woogers (what he calls boogers)." I said "Really? Does he crawl into your nose to get them?" Nick replied, rather enigmatically, "Not necessarily." :)

maybe it's like childbirth

So, this morning was the last MOPS meeting of the school year. As usual, I availed myself of the baked goodness, eating a muffin, a slice of sweetbread, some pudding, half of a sausage biscuit, and a couple bites of cinnamon roll. I know, I know. But it only gets worse. Because after that was the Army Band picnic, and I ate a hot dog, some potato salad, fruit (yay!), a chicken leg, more fruit, and three different desserts. Then, I sat there feeling disgusting, bloated, uncomfortable, and sore, and I thought "How many times does one have to do a behavior and then regret it before one will actually not do it again?" I mean, really! It kills me that no matter how many times I overeat and then feel bad, I don't seem to be able to control myself the next time I'm in a similar situation. The only thing I can figure is that it must be like childbirth - you know, the way women seem to "forget" how painful it is so that they're willing to go through it again. Having never gotten to transition and ending up with a C-Section, I wouldn't know personally, but I'm thinkin' there must be a certain amount of amnesia that occurs.

So, I'm feeling pretty down on myself right now, and tomorrow's weigh-in will probably not be a happy occasion. Sigh. :( I AM looking forward to yoga, though, and to the veritable treasure trove of TV tonight - the season finales of Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy, PLUS the 2-hour premiere of So You Think You Can Dance!

to amber and patty

Alas, there is no photo. But, I will make sure to get one the next time I wear the sundress. It is really cute, with a faboo pattern comprised of various shades of blue, green, and brown. You guys are so sweet and supportive! Amber, I have been thinking of you a lot lately, because I know your due date approacheth. How are you doing? I am a terrible person for not calling you, but I love you still. Patty, I was so glad to finally get a comment from you; your "silence" lately had me a bit concerned. Just busy? Ditto on the not calling but loving. :) I am such a lucky girl.

I must admit that I've rather been feeling sorry for myself lately, what with my Jutta-friend leaving next week and the summer stretching boringly out ahead of me. :( I've gotta get out of my funk and find some ways to fill the time and have fun. The last thing I want to do it sit around moping about Jutta, but I'm afraid that will happen at least for a little while.

Jutta and I went on an extensive walk today - I am really trying to grab every last moment that I can with her. It was great - the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we just walked and talked, in perfect harmony. For the final stretch, I left her behind while I jogged to her house, then waited for her on the porch steps. We went inside and talked even more, while enjoying baked goodness. It has occurred to me that her departure could be good for my waistline, if nothing else. :)

I'm in for the rest of the day, just TCB around the house and looking forward to watching Idol and Dancing with the Stars. We'll probably take Nick to the park when he wakes from his nap - can't waste this beautiful weather!

hold on to your hats

Those who know me well will be flabbergasted by this: I, Amy Jane, have purchased a sundress! I know. And I even wore it yesterday, along with my new peep-toe espadrille wedges. :) The winds, they are a-changin'.

a loverly day

Despite the gloom, rain, and chilly temperature, I've had a really nice day so far! I took Nick to his last day of preschool, and then went to meet Jutta. We had planned to go on a walk outdoors, but the weather forced us indoors to the walking track inside Davidson Fitness Center on post. We walked for an hour, and I even added some bursts of jogging and sprinting, totalling close to a mile. I was really proud of myself. I have NEVER been a jogger or runner, and used to avoid it like the plague. But lately, I've been finding myself actually willing to jog, and even enjoying it. Strange, I know. Perhaps I'm ill. :) We also had lots of great conversation during our walk, as usual.

After that, we went back to Jutta's house for the customary faboo German baked good and tea. Even though the woman is leaving the country forever in two weeks, she still had a baked good prepared! It's astounding. The time we spent together today only served to remind me just how much I will miss her friendship (and baked goods). We visited at her house for quite some time, and then I left to pick up Nick. I got myself a Southwestern salad at McD's on the way home (yum!). Now, Nick is napping, and I'm doing laundry, paying bills, and (obviously) blogging.

Tonight, I have Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy, and Brian will be home! This really is shaping up into a good day. Hope you're having the same...

to all my mommy friends

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY! To all the hardworking, loving, dedicated mommies I know, I wish you a lovely day full of whatever your hearts desire. You all deserve it!

3 ringy-dingys

In the past couple of days, I have had three very interesting/unusual phone calls! First of all, a woman I know called me and asked if I could tutor her teenage daughter in geometry. I was very flattered that she thought of me! I explained that while I understood and did very well in geometry and enjoyed it a lot, it was 20 years ago that I actually took the class. I said that if she was willing to take the risk that I wouldn't be able to help her daughter, they were more than welcome to come over. So, they're coming by tomorrow afternoon. Wish me luck!

Secondly, my Jillies-friend called me (we haven't actually talked yet - she just left me a message) and said she'd like to come visit for a couple of days next week! Yay! I literally haven't seen her in 5 or 6 years, so this will be quite a treat. This definitely makes my gloomy month of May a bit cheerier. It was such a delightful surprise to hear her voice!

Thirdly, I just had a long, juicy chat with my cousin Jessica tonight (she's 6 years my junior). She is originally from St. Louis, and there was a time when we were quite close, but she has lived in NYC for the past several years, so I hadn't seen her in a long time or even really talked to her. Well, she has just moved back to St. Louis, and it was so wonderful to talk to her and reconnect. I'm so excited about seeing her this summer, and am really looking forward to attending her wedding on Halloween. It's going to be great to just be back in each other's lives more.

So, the telephone has brought me some real joy the past couple of days. I wonder what it will bring next...

a shout-out to my peeps

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say a big "THANK YOU!" to each and every friend and family member who sent me and/or Brian a birthday card, e-card, or wished us a happy birthday in any way. You know who you are! It means so much to have friends and family who care enough to mark our birthdays, and we certainly do not take it for granted. We love you all!

Now, an aside to Patty: I love your STL Zoo idea, but as you realized, that IS Nick's last week of school. And even though it's "just preschool," I hate to have him miss it, since he loves it so. But mark my words - we WILL get together this summer, whether we meet in STL or I come to Effingham. I simply cannot go much longer without some face-to-face Patty-time. Love you!

happy birthday to brian

Well, today is Brian's birthday. His birthday is just about as exciting as mine. The weather is awful today - all gloomy and rainy and thundery. He's 43 to my 34. Despite the nasty weather, Nick and I sallied forth to WalMart to pick up a balloon and cake for Brian. I was going to just get him one of those little individual cakes, but at the bakery, I decided I might as well get a big cake that he could share with all his coworkers. Why not? I had them decorate it with "Happy Birthday, Brian". We secured the birthday goodies and took them to the band hall, getting rained on a goodly bit in the process. Brian was surprised and really appreciated it, so it was all worth it! And his coworkers were more than happy to have free cake. :) We hung around for the duration of his lunch break, and are now home for the day. It will be a rather long, lonely day, since Brian has class and won't be home until maybe 9:00.

I hate to be a downer, but honestly, May is not shaping up to be a very good month for me. I mean, I had a totally anticlimactic birthday, I'm bummed out by this weather, my best friend is going to be out of town for a week, Brian will be out of town for 4 days at the same time, preschool is ending, MOPS is ending, and my best gal pal here is moving away. :( So, I'm just going to wallow in self-pity a bit, and there's nothing you can do to stop me! I just don't think that the upcoming weeks are going to be one of the best times of my life. Pessimistic view, I know, but I've never been a glass-half-full type of person. Who knows, though? It always seems like just when you think you know how things are going to be, life goes and surprises you. So, I'm waiting, life - surprise me!

happy birthday to me

Feeling kind of quiet today, but figured I should post something, since it's been almost a week.

We had a good weekend in Springfield. Saw friends, shopped just a little, had some good restaurant food, went to the First Friday Art Walk (a thing where you walk around and visit various downtown art galleries, enjoying free food and wine!), enjoyed a Springfield Symphony concert (Broadway tunes) in beautiful Jordan Valley Park, had dinner out with much of my family (It turned out to be a surprise birthday dinner, complete with a cake!), and went to ArtsFest on historic Walnut Street. A rather whirlwind weekend!

I'm having a pretty boring birthday, but that's OK. I've even done some very non-birthday things, like cleaning the toilets and tub and Windexing windows, but they needed to be done. Tonight, I'll be watching American Idol and Dancing with the Stars, so I'm looking forward to that. As you get older, I think it's really the little things. :) I just don't need a big hoopy-do for my birthday anymore! I have gotten many lovely cards and a package from Brian's parents, including a really cool necklace and vase. Tomorrow is Brian's birthday, and we won't even hardly see each other, between his job and night class. Alas. Such is life, I guess.

I think I might go take a nap!