not much going on

Not much going on with me. Just thought I would update since I haven't posted in a while. Its nice to have not much going on. I have learned to appreciate the boring times. I used to be quite a wild girl who loved to party and get rambunctious. I guess Rick has tamed me. Now, I really value the quiet moments, the general feeling of peace is wonderful. I am in a good space in my life right now. I owe most of that to Rick. We are comfortable, the two of us together, happy. That is a very good place to be!

I'm still on this eating plan and am doing pretty well on it. I feel good, I'm rarely hungry and I am losing weight. Not as quickly as I would like but its coming off. I weigh less now than I have in several years. I weigh less now than I weighed when Rick and I met. I'm exercising everyday. I have plenty of energy. I'm hoping to lose another 10 pounds before the end of May. I have also started using one of those therapeutic lights for 15 mins in the morning. It really helps give me a boost in the mornings.

Chanel has almost decided on a wedding date. She is thinking about May 12. She is still going to get married at the waterfall. I just hope that its warm enough that day. I've tried to talk her into waiting until June but she says her best friend will be in Europe then. May is going to be a very expensive month for us. Chanel graduates May 5, my parents are coming May 10, Chanel's wedding May 12, CKU registration May 16, Chanel's birthday May 18 and then, thank goodness, our vacation May 19. Whew!! Hopefully we will have some peace and quiet at the beach.

So, like I said, not much going on and that is a very good thing!

girlfriends

I am so fortunate to have close girlfriends. I have 3 girlfriends that I feel like I can share all the little bits of my life with. Only Leeann knows my deep dark secrets but the three of them know the little secrets like who I think is hot, who I think is a total idiot, who I think just really shouldn't be wearing those shoes with that outfit, you know, things like that, things that I can't just tell anybody. Girlfriends are a treasure. Its hard not to take these friendships for granted because if you have very special friends, like I do, they are always there no matter what. What has made me really think about this today is a conversation with one of my patients. I just felt so sad for her. She was tellling me that she is miserable. She has a husband who is absent, 2 daughters who are mean and 2 grandchildren that she has assumed care of and she is so sad. So I questioned her more about what is going on, does she have a support system? Does she go to church? Does she have friends she can talk to? and the answer to all of those questions is "no". She asked about maybe getting a referral to a therapist and I said: "You don't need a therapist, you need a girlfriend." And it is so true. She just cried and said, "yes, yes I do." How sad is that? I can't imagine my life without girlfriends. They are there to laugh with me, cry with me, become self righteous with me, everything. We girls should all foster relationships with other women, after all, our wonderful husbands are great and everything but they will never understand PMS no matter how much they profess to. So here's to my beautiful girlfriends. Thank you so much for loving me!!

Its spring!

Its spring and I am so happy!!!! The days have been beautiful, a little chilly some days but beautiful. The weather has made Rick and I start planning for our vacations. I really want to go to the beach and we are going to try going in May before the kids get out of school. I love kids, you have to to do the kind of work that I do, but kids are loud and sometimes on vacations its nice to have peace and quiet. I used to take the kids on vacation one month and then Rick and I would go on vacation another month. It was like the best of both worlds. I miss that but the kids each have their own lives now and are doing their own thing. And that's okay with me. I'll have grandchildren one day....not anytime soon but one day and then I can take them on vacation.
So, Rick's big project should be done May 1 and as soon as we can after that, we are at the beach

Chanel is at the beach this week. She and 3 friends are staying at a grandma's house and they really seem to be having a good time. Its sort of a last hurrah for her before she graduates and has to go into the real workforce.

My diet is going well. I really like it and if I am sure to have some nuts at breakfast and beans for lunch, I don't get hungry. I am losing weight which I am THRILLED with! And Rick has decided to get on a diet plan with me! That has been so helpful for me. We are a team and we really are more successful when we work as a team in everything we do. I really want to get in better shape for summer.

Have a good Tuesday!

Okay, so I so didn't want this blog to become about weight loss but it seems that weight loss is always on my mind. Its difficult not to think about it when everyone around me is thinking about it. It seems that everyone I know wants to lose weight, is losing weight or has lost weight. It always comes up in conversations. New diets, new exercise programs, new philosphies regarding dieting, its everywhere. Its the American way. We spend so much money on food every year, then we eat it all then we spend so much money on programs to help us get the food off of our fat bodies. Its crazy! Now that being said...

I am on a new diet. Its sort of a modified raw food diet. Its been tough, the first couple of days I was completely ravenous, but now I really like it. I'm not usually hungry between meals at all and when I am hungry, I'll have an apple or carrots and I'm fine. Chanel and I are trying it for 30 days. So, we'll see how it goes after that. I'm still working out most every day. I wish I had taken measurements before I started working out. Chanel said I look thinner and especially my arms are smaller. Yay! Its really motivating getting positive feedback from others. She has been on a vegan diet for about the last 1 1/2 months and she's lost about 15 pounds.

More later, (and hopefully not more about my weight).