YEAH Halloween!

Ok…so we all know how much I was NOT looking forward to this Halloween Holiday (see previous blog). Well after much ado about NOTHING I have to report that I am feeling like a million bucks today! I found a costume that fit (thank you craigslist). My mom fixed said costume to hide what I deem as the worst part of my body (THANKS MOM!). My friend Jennifer gave me sultry eyes (thanks Jennifer). And Revlon gave me RED RED lips! I am also sporting the fish nets, high heels and garter belt (with my pistol)! I had to run an errand for work and complete strangers were telling me how pretty I looked…NICE! Good for this girl’s ego!

I have never really been all that into Halloween and up until yesterday was still not looking forward to it, but last night something changed. I finally realized that this would be fun and I would have fun! I also continue to learn that I am my own worst critic and I need to stop being so hard on myself! So without further ado…here are the pictures!







Isn’t my gangster handsome? We are off to have more Halloween fun with Sara & Matt! Happy Halloween everyone!!

More to come on my first week of boot camp (I am alive to tell about it)!

Celebration!

33 Ways My 33rd Birthday was celebrated!

Just wanted to remember the good times that were had in the past week to celebrate my birthday!

1. Birthday Kisses from you know who :)

2. Birthday singing from 2 very special girls in my life (Haley & Christi)

3. Birthday calls from very special friends

4. Birthday texts from very special friends

5. Birthday emails, myspace messages, and facebook messages from very special friends

6. BBQ in Lockhart…not all that great but we had to try it out!

7. Visit in Luling with someone that I have MISSED very much!

8. Driving to Houston with Jason & Evie

9. Visiting with Jason’s Mom

10. Dressing up for a fun night out!

11. Birthday call from Thomas & Mallory

12. Dinner at Cabo’s with fried plantains…VERY YUMMY!

13. Ray Lamontagne concert…I know you all say who…but he was AMAZING!

14. Bedtime Cookies at our hotel

15. Breakfast in bed-chocolate chip pancakes (the birthday girl requested)

16. Trip to Banana Republic at the outlet mall…to get my new jeans for Saturday night! (New Smaller Size)

17. Hruska’s in Ellinger, TX-the Ranger cookies were AMAZING!

18. Marc Broussard with Sara & Matt-had so much fun!

19. Magnolia Café at 1 AM for more chocolate chip pancakes with pecans and bananas…

20. Sleeping in Saturday morning

21. Shopping with Jason and his mom to spruce up J’s new place

22. Getting ready for dinner out with 13 AMAZING friends!

23. YUMMY DINNER-Mediterranean Food all while dining outside in the nice crisp air with an amazing group of people!

24. Trip to Amy’s ice-cream for pumpkin ice-cream!

25. Getting dressed up to go to the ballet with 2 amazing girl friends

26. Ballet-ending with a 9 song tribute to Frank Sinatra…very cool!

27. Finding a new sushi place

28. Eating and catching up at said sushi place with my 2 amazing girlfriends!

29. Coming to work on Monday morning to find a floral shop had landed in my office! (4 arrangements and balloons!)

30. Emails and phone calls from people that missed the day but wanted to make sure that I know that they were thinking about me…

31. Cards that came via the US Postal Service

32. Upcoming outings planned with the family!

33. And last but not least…going back to thank all the people that made my day so special!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! It is always an amazing feeling to know that you are so loved and cared about! It is times like these that I have to remember how blessed I am!

***On a side note. After typing all this out, it is easy to see why I didn’t want to go weigh in this morning! But the good news is I started boot camp yesterday morning (thanks to a birthday gift from Dave & Tammy) so this week will be all about undoing the damage of the birthday week…but I wouldn’t trade it for the world!***

A Grateful Heart!

So here we are on the eve of adding another notch to the total number of years I have been on this earth! And for those keeping count…I am at 21 ;) and I am sticking with that number! A lot has gone on in the last year and I can’t believe how quickly it has passed but I am thankful and I need to remember that there are great things going on all around me…so in an effort to remember that I am going to list 33 things that I am grateful for! Some are silly and some are serious but they are all things that I am grateful for.

1. Family-at times they are crazy and they drive me nuts but I can’t imagine them not being in my life! This includes blood and adopted family…cause I have some great “family” that has taken me in and made me a part of their own.

2. True friends- I have some AMAZING friends. At times I want to get upset about the ones that I have lost or am close to losing but then I think back to what a wise friend told me. Don’t keep thinking about what you don’t have or you will lose what you do have. Sound advice.

3. My weight loss journey- It is hard for me to remember that this is a journey and that I should embrace every moment but I am working on “fixing” that part of my brain! And for those keeping count…

• 89.8 pound lost with WW (almost made my 90 pound birthday goal!)
• 126.4 pounds lost overall
• 18.6 pounds until goal

4. My health-which with each pound lost gets better and better!

5. Weight Watchers-because it changed my life…see #3

6. The Weight Watchers Message Boards-I have made some amazing life long friends and I wouldn’t trade them!

7. The 3-Day-If it wasn’t for the 3-Day in 2007 who knows where I would be in my WLJ or in life. If you have the chance…DO IT!

8. Elizabeth & Dawn and all those who deal with the dreaded cancer. They are such an inspiration!

9. Dusty-cause whether she knows it or not…she has changed my life forever and I am grateful that she pushed so hard!

10. This year I am grateful for first time experiences and a new found confidence.

11. MY DVR-means I don’t have to plan my life around the TV anymore!

12. My new Asics…they didn’t give me blisters at the 3-Day!

13. Compliments-There are days when I feel like I haven’t done enough…those are the days that people pick me back up! Remember to give out compliments and smiles…you never know whose day you could brighten!

14. My new IPOD-even though I am still learning how to use it!

15. New Music/Old Music-Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE music?

16. Bailey & Bria-Even though Bria isn’t with us anymore she taught me that I am stronger than I think I am…and I miss her!

17. Weekends-They keep me sane!

18. My job-even though at times (like now) I don’t really like it…at least I have one.

19. The city of Austin-even though I take for granted that I live in a GREAT city…I love having the uniqueness of it all. The hiking is GREAT. The scenery is BEAUTIFUL and the weather isn’t all that bad!

20. Pumpkin Ice Cream from Amy’s and Pumpkin Pancakes from Kirby Lane…I have only had them once…but MAN I love me some pumpkin!

21. Frapuccino’s from Starbucks and the fact that you can pick how they make them now…A guilty pleasure that cost me 2 points!

22. I am grateful for any time I get to spend with my family and friends!

23. The opportunity to visit the Statue of Liberty on a picture perfect day!

24. The opportunity to travel to visit new and old friends!

25. The new babies (Addison, Carson & Tucker) that have come into my life and to all the new ones coming…

26. Soccer Games-Time to spend watching Mallory and Thomas grow up!

27. Myspace and Facebook-I told you some were silly…I love being able to keep in touch and have a place to put up the special times in my own life!

28. I am grateful for the fact that I have more than 2 stores to shop at these days!

29. Any opportunity to share, listen and be with people I care about.

30. The ability to forgive and be forgiven.

31. Honey Crisp Apples-again silly…but I LOVE THEM!

32. Knowing that most of the things I am grateful for, cannot be purchased. They are experienced.

33. and last but not least…I am grateful that I am alive and I can wake up everyday and live this life that I have been given!

One last thing…a quote from my favorite John Mayer song…

“I believe that my life’s gonna see the love I give return to me”

Costume Makers SUCK!

What is it with this time of year?

Every year I have what amounts to a nervous breakdown in my world. The past two days the breakdown has come in the form of Halloween costume shopping. For 2+ years I have wanted to be a flapper girl for Halloween. 2 years ago there was NO way I would have worn ANYTHING sleeveless. Last year I just wasn’t in the Halloween spirit so I took the easy way out and wore a Halloween shirt and pajama pants. This year I have the perfect gangster to wear on my arm, a.k.a. Jason. I am closer to having the body to wear the outfit so I decided that is what we were going to be for Halloween. Not a hard sell on Jason’s front, he has this hat that he has been DYING to wear that would be perfect for the part.
So on Friday we went to find my part of the costume. We went to 3 Halloween stores only to find out that costumes come in sizes like "standard" fits up to size 10. SINCE when is size 10 standard? Or one size fits all up to 165 pounds. Who do these people think they are? Needless to say, my self esteem or what was left of it was SHATTERED! I spent Friday night thinking I haven’t come far enough and then Saturday I spent the afternoon crying outside the costume store where you could rent costumes. The only flapper dress I could fit in had 2X on it...and it was UGLY!

So since then I have been thinking and thinking and rethinking the past year and a half! I have worked my rear off to get to where I am today and I can’t let a costume or lack there of at this point take any of that away from me. I don’t know what I am going to do but I REFUSE to buy a plus size costume. I am not a plus size girl anymore in spirit or in body. I will be a flapper girl and I will have fun at the Halloween party that I will be attending! If I have to hurt some costume makers to get there! Here is hoping that my mom can help me fix what I have found...

More to come on why this time of year gets to me...

2 Years ago...

The Beginning...which is really not the beginning at all!

Well, I have always been someone that goes with the flow. Sometimes I am a leader, sometimes I am a follower...today, I am a follower! I decided I needed a place to put my random thoughts! I can't promise I will be any good at it, but I will try!

Will you join me for the journey?

A quote that a wise woman shared with us...

"For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin- real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one. Happiness is a journey, not a destination."
Souza

Have a WONDERFUL day!