Cherry Blossoms

For those who don't know, I live in the DC area, and this time of year is very special around these parts.  Right around the end of March/beginning of April, the beautiful cherry trees start blooming, sticking around for <i>just </i>two weeks.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsh4lrGYFoKlZ2d6qAyWAe5mltbcFfD7TMRsjLi3ODIJrBPU2sMavqISJs4x3fFyy5-QgVTXoA-X2Jz4NgUu-O4Jtl-y11rj-O59RnixDhXmWNrNkcr7jqjNJe9Y60rf8eM6_ri7Xwig/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsh4lrGYFoKlZ2d6qAyWAe5mltbcFfD7TMRsjLi3ODIJrBPU2sMavqISJs4x3fFyy5-QgVTXoA-X2Jz4NgUu-O4Jtl-y11rj-O59RnixDhXmWNrNkcr7jqjNJe9Y60rf8eM6_ri7Xwig/s400/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+144.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />As if DC wasn't already crowded enough, those two weeks in early spring cause a HUGE migration of tourists/residents to the Tidal Basin area to bask in the glory of those pretty-in-pink petals.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQsiNMy1COjzRlfSiVkvzDFy2NgTBpQAm7YQj8JopJPXePjSuRrlYjVSC_iZVNwOBqbF9khfc0RYiyy01s8AnRPWPCLm4lPvFc4KGdPsasig3Qvt3UNz3ycaJS6LYyuJ0Yb9eI3tner8/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQsiNMy1COjzRlfSiVkvzDFy2NgTBpQAm7YQj8JopJPXePjSuRrlYjVSC_iZVNwOBqbF9khfc0RYiyy01s8AnRPWPCLm4lPvFc4KGdPsasig3Qvt3UNz3ycaJS6LYyuJ0Yb9eI3tner8/s400/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+158.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />One of my favorite things about the cherry blossoms is that when the wind blows, the petals come cascading off of the trees like pink snow, creating this blanket of pink all over the ground/sidewalks.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGHTXJy0Wr1lqUlDUk2tJutVouo1cR5yNXZ1eVrYWkaeS8AsDy7BPXgfO_LxRea_FqATF7kUmBBVtSO1-YIOhFxlGAHTnmQpWaB8gGfoVQpFWirREKc9fYjqP9yauVdKCZDeviIA4ByA/s1600/cherry+blossoms+on+sidewalk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGHTXJy0Wr1lqUlDUk2tJutVouo1cR5yNXZ1eVrYWkaeS8AsDy7BPXgfO_LxRea_FqATF7kUmBBVtSO1-YIOhFxlGAHTnmQpWaB8gGfoVQpFWirREKc9fYjqP9yauVdKCZDeviIA4ByA/s400/cherry+blossoms+on+sidewalk.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFURMPM48PT0bNJONmsGo5nbd4zpj_6zcLIIyyQTsOQiJQyVYziHntHnpGH-1wCdv93w9CfKQvIOEsMPwSGvKWybC90omHUhuKyLzlun-VIVOCApot217Z6ryhKe-F3GyYUGcLSKKkQZo/s1600/cherry+blossoms+on+the+ground.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFURMPM48PT0bNJONmsGo5nbd4zpj_6zcLIIyyQTsOQiJQyVYziHntHnpGH-1wCdv93w9CfKQvIOEsMPwSGvKWybC90omHUhuKyLzlun-VIVOCApot217Z6ryhKe-F3GyYUGcLSKKkQZo/s400/cherry+blossoms+on+the+ground.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />By the way, I wouldn't be surprised if you had never heard of this DC-area phenomenon.  I never heard of it until I moved here.  Still, if you ever have an opportunity to visit, try your hardest to come during this two week span - they are definitely worth seeing!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJL3YePfy42_FowuU-rKrsWT5MAFjq-nFV5f7L9pKw_U_46peVYAYnSmoBwFycJAhMBZ3Plu9x7PwaigpdEZybxll5xBXcI9QnzO0NZqglWmINY7Ij3mkuIcSu4bAyQvDYDXJe4GCiqY/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJL3YePfy42_FowuU-rKrsWT5MAFjq-nFV5f7L9pKw_U_46peVYAYnSmoBwFycJAhMBZ3Plu9x7PwaigpdEZybxll5xBXcI9QnzO0NZqglWmINY7Ij3mkuIcSu4bAyQvDYDXJe4GCiqY/s400/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+159.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><br />Back when Joel and I first started dating, I told him that I wanted to go on a paddle boat date on the Tidal Basin {by the way - this is the body of water by the Jefferson Memorial - shown below}.  I just felt like it would be such a perfect date - you get a view of two of the monuments while scooting around the water - peaceful and calming.  Every year since that first year together, I've subtly reminded him that we have yet to do that paddle boat date.  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhji7qXZiONzhe7BKRzDyBoVdSBer16JvntjgKp3V00FcK-wu9RB3yVtbEoxYb29E-nqdpV9iW_91M0ouKcIZb_E4OOJSJMQctSX4pQpvxt_-BkO1dfzNpaDdY9ujd3GciujdJgzpmeHr4/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhji7qXZiONzhe7BKRzDyBoVdSBer16JvntjgKp3V00FcK-wu9RB3yVtbEoxYb29E-nqdpV9iW_91M0ouKcIZb_E4OOJSJMQctSX4pQpvxt_-BkO1dfzNpaDdY9ujd3GciujdJgzpmeHr4/s400/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />You know where I'm going with this.<br /><br />Friday, the long awaited paddle boat date finally ensued!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4i_ljQeoB3-zXQZcurECqNiYywf04SmVgpebSfA73ENAyCf64yqo4MSKiPwIJ7DcSEjxSRCpqxvWQ7Ll7ysXhKHmozwsCWZXA9uXjS21-aMJ34GQ9N4anHriciZlTvROj94MxZSFKZg/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+025+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4i_ljQeoB3-zXQZcurECqNiYywf04SmVgpebSfA73ENAyCf64yqo4MSKiPwIJ7DcSEjxSRCpqxvWQ7Ll7ysXhKHmozwsCWZXA9uXjS21-aMJ34GQ9N4anHriciZlTvROj94MxZSFKZg/s400/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+025+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Guys, it could not have been a more perfect day.  The weather was mild - warm but with cool breezes along the water.  We also took full advantage of all of the photo ops.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CyV0L41cRTBFxBNpbCEIoqqCk14TeLamt4M-NhA006WcZs1z4dJOcyNwaQqiVH3RCR01sO61yNvvWMvHpkRyThH8XjV7rjybsdUPdzYWYrhG3-K9AJvZqtrsjr5QryjgHTNMhDMwEYE/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CyV0L41cRTBFxBNpbCEIoqqCk14TeLamt4M-NhA006WcZs1z4dJOcyNwaQqiVH3RCR01sO61yNvvWMvHpkRyThH8XjV7rjybsdUPdzYWYrhG3-K9AJvZqtrsjr5QryjgHTNMhDMwEYE/s400/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+169.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P66EvrWFKuG-R_wDKtDNmSjjdBvYTbzkc5RywSSOxJ91nxsEUh3Itp-iOvYw4GQt02vzcib170wcN5cLiTf1FT7UHqzOx_ZWaXK_qEghsgLZcWA2Y0GmLA_VSm3PeabOxLbJarWJ71E/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P66EvrWFKuG-R_wDKtDNmSjjdBvYTbzkc5RywSSOxJ91nxsEUh3Itp-iOvYw4GQt02vzcib170wcN5cLiTf1FT7UHqzOx_ZWaXK_qEghsgLZcWA2Y0GmLA_VSm3PeabOxLbJarWJ71E/s400/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+004.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5Fpt22VlmjMJq1JGgNRWI3ocghWmHoYlsJ4U_N11VnPeZwiBTUNjpj_acOGMFAgNEiPB9hWF9XJI-bkZD0oWJn2Hlj2LMZF7xaXd9as3nw7N6VGW9BhIlWmLlUINgz9ZZ0_y8Icfaz0/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5Fpt22VlmjMJq1JGgNRWI3ocghWmHoYlsJ4U_N11VnPeZwiBTUNjpj_acOGMFAgNEiPB9hWF9XJI-bkZD0oWJn2Hlj2LMZF7xaXd9as3nw7N6VGW9BhIlWmLlUINgz9ZZ0_y8Icfaz0/s400/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+197.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Another bonus - we got in a lot of exercise from walking and paddling.  I think this is why my hips/legs are still sore.  Well, from this and from <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/03/refocusing-winning-outcomes.html" target="_blank">the Wave</a> - I'm sure of it!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqecbVPh2_yZjbKOx8vJW5wu1HJYNm_ixy63IYyrwYlZCRFBPK8aM-IQHDTQEbfO8OwKL4A1lK2G7bQdPtVw2zaQVPVK-wg6SuA5gFxem0p52BYjvo3vVriz7WNGe8mxmJkf2AC_kMoRU/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqecbVPh2_yZjbKOx8vJW5wu1HJYNm_ixy63IYyrwYlZCRFBPK8aM-IQHDTQEbfO8OwKL4A1lK2G7bQdPtVw2zaQVPVK-wg6SuA5gFxem0p52BYjvo3vVriz7WNGe8mxmJkf2AC_kMoRU/s400/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+078.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>  <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepaEQ3bd6-2-8n3_jOU-dyWSTkcIQgAFPdUG-Z_xLumb9J_rIcd5DzOXB7FpBFT4rhXCxJxixY7hG4i7lXIjpjSBNrnzhOsxDb8iSt8Qnix_IYXcmxjSDLORZ5VSZdB-HG4HAIhg7WmQ/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepaEQ3bd6-2-8n3_jOU-dyWSTkcIQgAFPdUG-Z_xLumb9J_rIcd5DzOXB7FpBFT4rhXCxJxixY7hG4i7lXIjpjSBNrnzhOsxDb8iSt8Qnix_IYXcmxjSDLORZ5VSZdB-HG4HAIhg7WmQ/s400/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+175.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />It was definitely one of my favorite moments of living in DC thus far.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYD2CR0VJcXNPBzYLvu30jcPXouyLdykYT3QsSCxP3w9iOKuoWtB63rRF67j2emG2z5jzGA-CCHA6D4cikucp1iPED-NOAxQAh31-Zr-innLv0W3ezCaQw2BfT0P5CICIdic-GagtZQLc/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYD2CR0VJcXNPBzYLvu30jcPXouyLdykYT3QsSCxP3w9iOKuoWtB63rRF67j2emG2z5jzGA-CCHA6D4cikucp1iPED-NOAxQAh31-Zr-innLv0W3ezCaQw2BfT0P5CICIdic-GagtZQLc/s400/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+090.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDU9hw_z28_4Nk4kSPJ48z8s7TNQBKOkkONjUKDHAm8JrXXZo1-sjEzNdXRpfsZAXtSEzymtpBoR9bR0t8y4D095Ss1eAQY8hDl41YKRAvDWYrGVgQAR8Dck5TzL-zEdOTKZAkjOfRl0/s1600/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDU9hw_z28_4Nk4kSPJ48z8s7TNQBKOkkONjUKDHAm8JrXXZo1-sjEzNdXRpfsZAXtSEzymtpBoR9bR0t8y4D095Ss1eAQY8hDl41YKRAvDWYrGVgQAR8Dck5TzL-zEdOTKZAkjOfRl0/s400/Cherry+Blossoms+2012+162.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Now, this isn't he first time I've been to see these beauties.  I actually went three years ago on my birthday {April 4}.  It was incredibly windy and cold that day.  And while it started off great for me in DC, it <a href="http://www.odmp.org/officer/19889-police-officer-stephen-james-mayhle" target="_blank">ended in tragedy</a> for my dear friend back in Pittsburgh.  While I love this time of year because it means cherry blossoms and my birthday, I also cannot help but think of my friend and the loss she suffered, unbelievably, three years ago now.  When I see the trees, I automatically think of her and her family.  Please keep them in your prayers as they approach the three year anniversary in just one week.<br /><br /><b style="color: #351c75;">Have you ever been to see the Cherry Blossoms?  What is your favorite thing to see/do this time of year? </b> <br /><br />    

cherry blossoms Joel Miscellaneous Cherry Blossoms

For those who don't know, I live in the DC area, and this time of year is very special around these parts.  Right around the end of Marc...

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A Conversation with God

Hey all - switching things up a little today on TBW.  When I read this from a friend's Facebook page, I nearly cried.... because right now this is really speaking to me and I thought you could benefit by reading it too.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">***********************************</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Me: God, can I ask you a question?<br /><br />God: Sure<br /><br />Me: Promise u won't get mad<br />...<br />God: I promise<br /><br />Me: Why did u let so much stuff happen to me today?<br /><br />God: What do u mean?<br /><br />Me: Well, I woke up late<br /><br />God: Yes<br /><br />Me: My car took forever to start<br /><br />God: Okay<br /><br />Me: at lunch they made my sandwich wrong & I had to wait<br /><br />God:Huummm<br /><br />Me: On the way home, my phone went DEAD, just as I picked up a call<br /><br />God: All right<br /><br />Me: And on top of it all off, when I got home ~I just want to soak my feet in my new foot massager & relax. BUT it wouldn't work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did you do that?<br /><br />God: Let me see, the Death Angel was at your bed this morning & I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that<br /><br />Me (humbled): OH<br /><br />GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.<br /><br />Me: (ashamed)<br /><br />God: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick & I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work.<br /><br />Me (embarrassed):Ok<br /><br />God: Your phone went dead bcuz the person that was calling was going to give false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered.<br /><br />Me (softly): I see God<br /><br />God: Oh and that foot massager, it had a shortage that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.<br /><br />Me: I'm sorry God<br /><br />God: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.....in all things , the good & the bad.<br /><br />Me: I will trust you<br /><br />God: And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan.<br /><br />Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything today.<br /><br />God: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I love looking after my children...<br /></div>

Miscellaneous A Conversation with God

Hey all - switching things up a little today on TBW.  When I read this from a friend's Facebook page, I nearly cried.... because right n...

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Wedding Update

First off, let me just say how <b>awesome </b>you all are who commented <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/01/needing-advice.html">yesterday</a>.  When I finally read all of the posts, I cried.  The main reason why I cried is because you helped validate my sanity.  I know that Joel often thinks I'm nuts because I cannot come to terms with living here.  Sometimes I think he must be right!<br /><br />He's said it before: "It's just a land mass Hilary, what difference does it make where you live".  But Joel has never lived anywhere else, and I've lived a lot of places.  It's hard living somewhere that you hate.   I'm lucky enough that despite how he feels, he's willing to put his wants aside to make me feel better, even if that does mean sticking it out another year and a half. <br /><br />After I wrote yesterday's post, I decided to email my landlord to find out our options.  You might wonder why I didn't just do this in the first place before worrying about all that I wrote yesterday.  The thing is, I hate to inconvenience other people on my behalf.  I figured that by asking her to accommodate our needs (meaning extend our lease just 6 months, instead of the traditional year...long enough to get us through the wedding), she would most likely say no.  I mean, she lives in Puerto Rico, and I'm sure she'd rather have someone committed to living another year over just 6 months.  I couldn't blame her at all for this.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_B1NqgwXf3M/TwO3JJFPPzI/AAAAAAAAGFY/S1LRxz2zEgA/s1600/charles+cat+loaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_B1NqgwXf3M/TwO3JJFPPzI/AAAAAAAAGFY/S1LRxz2zEgA/s400/charles+cat+loaf.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Side note: I'm long winded. I'm sorry. I know it's annoying.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Our landlord responded with a really nice email basically stating that she would be more than happy to work with us on the lease... and would basically do the 6 month extension with no problem. HUGE weight lifted off of my shoulders!!  Would I love to move in June? Yes.  BUT, I am more than willing to stick it out through October to have the wedding I want, and still leave here in less than a year.  I am absolutely <i>giddy</i> with excitement knowing that this will hopefully be my last year living here!  <br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Your advice is/was much appreciated!</div>

Miscellaneous wedding Wedding Update

First off, let me just say how awesome you all are who commented yesterday .  When I finally read all of the posts, I cried.  The main reaso...

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Needing Advice

I need some advice today, and it's actually not related to my weight loss journey at all.  Well, it <i>kind of</i> is but... just bare with me if you can.<br /><br />I've lived in the DC area for the past 5 1/2 years.  I hate it here.  I <i>have </i>hated it here for 4 1/2 of those years.  The basic reason why I hate it is that I'm not a city person.  I enjoy smaller towns and smaller cities and the slower way of life.  Of course, it goes much deeper than this but that is the gist. <br /><br />The only thing that has kept me here so long is my relationship with Joel.  We began dating after I had lived here for just a year.  Joel also grew up in a suburb of the city, so he isn't much bothered by this way of life.  However, I've been wanting to leave badly since about the last 3 years.  It never seems to be the right time to make the move though.  There is always some excuse as to why we need to continue living here longer. <br /><br />Today that excuse is the wedding - we have to stay in the area for at least another year and a half in order to pay for it.  While October is less than a year away, our lease is up June 2012, and it's hard to find a place that will allow a 6 month lease (for a reasonable price).  Plus neither one of us want to move AGAIN just for 6 months to then move again (I have a hate HATE relationship with moving - I've moved 12 times in the last 10 years.)<br /><br />So... with every "new year" that rolls around, it's another reminder that I'm still not in the place in my life that I'd like to be.  I cannot bear the thought of having to live here and work in my current job (which is another thing I strongly dislike) for another year and a half.  Believe me, my hatred and sadness go very deep with this place.  I'm actually to the point where I don't even like going on out of town trips because I cannot deal with how sad I am when we return... and the sadness goes on for days afterward. <br /><br />Joel and I have discussed some options:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>Option 1 - Stay</b><br /> We'll stay the year and a half and then plan to move in June 2013.  That way we will be able to afford the wedding that we both would like to have.  This also means that I will be stuck working at my current job for the next year and a half and living in this area that I hate.  This also means that Joel will put his career plans on hold as well.  He wants to be a police officer and doesn't want to apply to places locally if we're just going to move in a year and a half.  He's not getting any younger.  I'm not getting any younger... and the thought of trying to muddle through another year here makes my heart hurt.<br /><br /><b>Option 2 - Leave</b><br />We would make it our goal to have jobs by June 2012, and move out of the area.  This is where it becomes complicated with the wedding part.  I know that the places we are considering moving to will not provide me with a job where I am making anywhere close to what I make now.  That means we won't be able to pay for the wedding that we are currently planning, which means we'd have to try to plan something else.  Perhaps we would then have to have a very small ceremony within the next 3-4 months and that would be it.  It would be small because we just don't have the money saved right now to afford the same size wedding in 3-4 months that we are planning for October.  This isn't what I really want for our wedding, mainly because I really want to have a considerable amount of weight off before the planned October wedding.  There's no way I can drop 60 lbs in 3-4 months.. at least not in a healthy way.  I don't really want to wait until after we've moved to start wedding planning either.  It's been hard enough to secure a wedding site looking 11 months in advance of a wedding, much less 4-5 months in advance of one.  We want to be married in 2012... preferably on or before October 6.         </blockquote><br />Ugh... it's just not so cut and dry as you can see.  Life never is, this I know.  Joel is leaning strongly toward Option 1, and I am stuck between the 2.  As I said early on, there are always excuses as to why we cannot move.  What will happen in a year and a half?   What will be the excuse then?  I also think of it like this: we only get to do life one time.  Why waste it being miserable?  Weddings are really supposed to be about God and two becoming one, and all the religious aspects (at least this is how I feel)... not about a big lavish affair.<br /><br />So I need your advice.  Have you been in a similar situation?  What would you do?  Please, PLEASE I welcome any advice you have!! 

Miscellaneous Needing Advice

I need some advice today, and it's actually not related to my weight loss journey at all.  Well, it kind of is but... just bare with me...

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Sick...Again

It seemed like I spent the better part of October not feeling well in some shape or form.  I'm ready to start the month of November off on a better foot!<br /><br />I had a great weekend visiting my niece and nephew in the Motherland.  We did pumpkin carving and spent plenty of time coloring and playing with Play-Doh.  Joel found a "Barbie Princess" app on the iPad that had Grace enamored for hours.  She is 3 years old and had NO problem learning how to navigate the iPad - amazing!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8ht28X1AqMHw29aEpo5CNK6ZlfRKhCYqA9XHfkUu1dGzUzlo_6VAxCXduyO2pj3uQlgjItg_ptY_ztqzOBfPY_-zNUrVra1yRuDzXfiEGIOrhhK5DRl0rlNq8xK7XvFWE2FFuyI_G18/s1600/Blogger+PlayDoh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8ht28X1AqMHw29aEpo5CNK6ZlfRKhCYqA9XHfkUu1dGzUzlo_6VAxCXduyO2pj3uQlgjItg_ptY_ztqzOBfPY_-zNUrVra1yRuDzXfiEGIOrhhK5DRl0rlNq8xK7XvFWE2FFuyI_G18/s400/Blogger+PlayDoh.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a recreation of Dinosaur Train (if you have little ones, you probably know<br />what this means)</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9HK6NQxq0Rm6WbaIpaVn-UyGKrBXq7l7ziAh3PNKV5yF_J3bL2T8CvlTlVvX-cyLgJGrh-oj7LTY6f4ldDdzsVw5L6pfNeh4R5eoP0ao0wwiQW68CcgeaA8JMWCzu7IYC4QBg1CY0v4/s1600/Blogger+Barbie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9HK6NQxq0Rm6WbaIpaVn-UyGKrBXq7l7ziAh3PNKV5yF_J3bL2T8CvlTlVvX-cyLgJGrh-oj7LTY6f4ldDdzsVw5L6pfNeh4R5eoP0ao0wwiQW68CcgeaA8JMWCzu7IYC4QBg1CY0v4/s400/Blogger+Barbie.jpg" width="340" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the "Barbie" game</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZwDY1ISMRuahBTPbN2zpgu_mahhC1Id8mAbjShZHjU-NgCCkiSVMq7ovgzNhyQ8T46VJJGhayW6GCKAIXkxbsj6aB_u1j1XrH46s82zLSda0khCBGX68aAWubfTITRhX-CoQpLVLVnU/s1600/Blogger+Pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZwDY1ISMRuahBTPbN2zpgu_mahhC1Id8mAbjShZHjU-NgCCkiSVMq7ovgzNhyQ8T46VJJGhayW6GCKAIXkxbsj6aB_u1j1XrH46s82zLSda0khCBGX68aAWubfTITRhX-CoQpLVLVnU/s400/Blogger+Pumpkin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rexon's, Grace's, Tiffany's, Vern's</td></tr></tbody></table>One of my challenges with heading to my sister's for the weekend was how I was going to stay "on plan".  It was definitely a lot easier this time, mainly in due part to Joel's support.  Neither of us wanted to go off plan.  I counted and tracked diligently all weekend.  Even though we did get pizza on Friday night, I tracked it and felt a lot better about eating it.  Typically I wouldn't track it at all out of frustration of not knowing exactly how many Points+ the pizza was (seems counter-productive, this I now know).  I estimated as best I could, accepted the estimate and moved on.  Saturday night my sister and bro-in-law went out to dinner, so Joel made us a WW friendly meal of mac/cheese with broccoli (a recipe from e-Tools).  It wasn't bad for 7 Points+. <br /> <br />On Sunday, we stayed long enough to get the majority of the pumpkin carving done before we headed out on our long trek back to Virginia.  We were both ready for the drive to be over, but we had to drop my car off at the dealership - the heater was not working, which made for a challenging weekend spent up north where it actually snowed in October!<br /><br />Monday morning, as I was waking up to prepare for the work day, I started to not feel well.  It started off with....plenty of bathroom visits, shall I say, but ended with throwing up.  Of course, I felt better afterward like you always do, but not 10 minutes later the stomach sickness came back full force and I was sick alllll day long.  I have never been sick like this in my adult life (except from hangovers).  It was awful.  I spent the greater part of Monday in bed with severe stomach pain, which eventually developed into a splitting headache.  All of this was so bad I couldn't get relaxed enough to even fall asleep.  By Tuesday, I was feeling much better, but still a little queasy and today (Wednesday) I feel better yet, but am still struggling with an appetite.  Quick! I need to note somewhere that I actually said I have no appetite!  Believe it or not, I can count on 1 hand the things I've eaten since Monday.    <br /><br />Either way, I'm back to feeling moderately better, though I plan to visit the Urgent Care center tonight after work because I've been experiencing heart palpitations since the sickness ensued.  I usually only get these when I consume caffeine or lots of chocolate, but it's been kind of crazy since Monday, so I want to go get checked out.  I'll let you know how it all pans out!<br /><br />Happy Wednesday!<br /><br />

Miscellaneous Weight Watchers Sick...Again

It seemed like I spent the better part of October not feeling well in some shape or form.  I'm ready to start the month of November off ...

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Groupon Weekend Part 2

On Saturday, I had scheduled Joel and I for massages at a spa in Old Town Alexandria.<br /><br />Whoa.<br /><br />I can't even believe that I just called that place "Old Town".  I cringe when I hear others use that term: it's for the uppity gang to call that part of Alexandria "Old Town", not me :).  After moving here and learning what exactly encompassed that part of Alexandria, the artsy swanky part of town, the term immediately annoyed me.  It's <i>still </i>Alexandria after all.  Rant ended.<br /><br />We each had hour long massages.  Mine was pretty painful, as are most massages for me.  I prefer deep tissue massages - where the masseuse pretty much drills her fingertips in to me to work out all the knots in my muscles.  My shoulders are littered with knots.  I also found out that my face and forearms are as well.  Wierd.<br /><br />After our massages, we still had the whole day to figure out some plans.  It was such a nice fall day so I suggested we go to some wineries.  We have a ton of wineries all throughout Virginia.  We had enough time to make it to 3.<br /><br />First up, we visited <a href="http://www.hartwoodwinery.com/temp2011/">Hartwood Winery</a> in Fredericksburg, VA.  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQDqzjx6HPF9KPl_VBULSASfdp9a1nRn2Z9yTDK80-K9v8gFPIKy9uE7Q3G9kPiNGjWQM4zPAugMedYUBwPbJbZ5hCa5RUvuaryAjyJQn6sJ-zwGUaQ7BjL4YFSBwdIYRvshvfo9VGO8/s1600/Hartwood+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQDqzjx6HPF9KPl_VBULSASfdp9a1nRn2Z9yTDK80-K9v8gFPIKy9uE7Q3G9kPiNGjWQM4zPAugMedYUBwPbJbZ5hCa5RUvuaryAjyJQn6sJ-zwGUaQ7BjL4YFSBwdIYRvshvfo9VGO8/s400/Hartwood+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>This was our favorite stop of the day. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqWQd4pXEaZKAdlszKjUvKrWmAyCrAhBDu3Z9WDFwesTxWwM5MMgOeuuRmVjfQVpZnGXnv72UF9MFBOll4S_B07G9MegyhEFJfRTKvtZj1qyKrnpC3K1d_6Y1l6WdS78K8IKRe4rM6wc/s1600/Wagon+Wheel+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqWQd4pXEaZKAdlszKjUvKrWmAyCrAhBDu3Z9WDFwesTxWwM5MMgOeuuRmVjfQVpZnGXnv72UF9MFBOll4S_B07G9MegyhEFJfRTKvtZj1qyKrnpC3K1d_6Y1l6WdS78K8IKRe4rM6wc/s400/Wagon+Wheel+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We got to talk with the owner of the winery and he helped us find the perfect wines to fit our tastes. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kZIenS-Zyib5OVDA8MsQ7HEwb57ELBopoJ1Vx5Zc0DgXwNtseAFzLUi12SBbKdLjliRg6IAdjgcyJXBcbKY8Nr0RLC8oU20vbLP13pYsK6hpAWeZVvBmPaTPKVIHQVy5-PbDkOMxQEc/s1600/hartwood+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kZIenS-Zyib5OVDA8MsQ7HEwb57ELBopoJ1Vx5Zc0DgXwNtseAFzLUi12SBbKdLjliRg6IAdjgcyJXBcbKY8Nr0RLC8oU20vbLP13pYsK6hpAWeZVvBmPaTPKVIHQVy5-PbDkOMxQEc/s320/hartwood+2.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><br />Next we headed to <a href="http://www.rogersfordwine.com/">Rogers Ford Farm</a> in Sumerduck, VA.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPKbaz1poJW71pWwTGCJ1JgrzDNDoxPJYCyIIOGrMD0fqJOBCF22gyCnF4Y1QzZ_x45mX9a8N8ULZpxLala1ECYLUr_U_1zIOq2N36yMxsewNssrTzQRq0oUhekg2kb_WfDJ9zQ9V0NA/s1600/Rogers+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPKbaz1poJW71pWwTGCJ1JgrzDNDoxPJYCyIIOGrMD0fqJOBCF22gyCnF4Y1QzZ_x45mX9a8N8ULZpxLala1ECYLUr_U_1zIOq2N36yMxsewNssrTzQRq0oUhekg2kb_WfDJ9zQ9V0NA/s400/Rogers+1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />This place was really off the beaten path - just the way I like 'em.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI10svfsaaDDM8eBNEaZ5pSt_Ofgv_18KUKVs-VDau5BiJ_4VxaBXyqYqNg4tzWj9Wuvjhyphenhyphen3QTYt9zLiFwEev_ZS9fTMNGmZ-GsKa5I3XJWvEz2tqu6hv7I1u4dzR4Tb11rtxJlp1vaYA/s1600/Rogers+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI10svfsaaDDM8eBNEaZ5pSt_Ofgv_18KUKVs-VDau5BiJ_4VxaBXyqYqNg4tzWj9Wuvjhyphenhyphen3QTYt9zLiFwEev_ZS9fTMNGmZ-GsKa5I3XJWvEz2tqu6hv7I1u4dzR4Tb11rtxJlp1vaYA/s400/Rogers+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />Of course we had to do a self-timer.  Disregard my lack of dressing up please :).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXy2rxEUi58GgQC5zdhamOQGKJzprqAsgoPrkbexdj_DrRXPzE0_Kbi7AHyT-nE9FRlA_Kf5VpnEh6jGEnFKfigOSjb-yO4mmrF0r4gWfXwkq2p_zFBbvxGlPR75xU_Hj0Fq_VVH-mM8E/s1600/Rogers+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXy2rxEUi58GgQC5zdhamOQGKJzprqAsgoPrkbexdj_DrRXPzE0_Kbi7AHyT-nE9FRlA_Kf5VpnEh6jGEnFKfigOSjb-yO4mmrF0r4gWfXwkq2p_zFBbvxGlPR75xU_Hj0Fq_VVH-mM8E/s400/Rogers+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And finally we ended our vino tour at the <a href="http://www.potomacpointwinery.com/">Potomac Point vineyard</a> in Stafford, VA.  This was the swankiest winery of all 3.  There was even a wedding going on when we arrived.  The tasting room was very fancy and also very busy.  We bought 2 bottles at this place and that ended our day. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Arxp-4LEgx7I2DsXO18Nmf8MOQML7Fx2SUHd2zi7am_zaPJrZkPCDad9Savn_RNIfNrRfig75P3GD2oRLpXQWjM5962vwaxXsXUSo_T6RYP0CDnYYbjwZrqoM6TV0y-cljuAELF2olI/s1600/Groupon+Weekend+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Arxp-4LEgx7I2DsXO18Nmf8MOQML7Fx2SUHd2zi7am_zaPJrZkPCDad9Savn_RNIfNrRfig75P3GD2oRLpXQWjM5962vwaxXsXUSo_T6RYP0CDnYYbjwZrqoM6TV0y-cljuAELF2olI/s400/Groupon+Weekend+012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />So how does the Groupon weekend relate to weight loss?  For me, when I stay busy, I don't eat.  And while we were busy on a 3 hour sailing adventure and a wine tour, I wasn't eating.  Now, sure, I was consuming calories from wine tasting, but I accounted for that and moved on.  Part of the weight loss journey for me is the mental aspect as well (not just the physical).  If I keep myself busy and get out and enjoy other things about life (instead of sitting at home....eating), it helps me realize that my life doesn't have to revolve around food - it can and should be centered around doing fun things instead of worrying about my next meal. <br /><br />On Sunday, Joel and I finished off our busy weekend with some football and a wine and cheese affair:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhf_QcWZKvZjNxOoD7c0KrR-JTUu7YpxpoCksfl5EMPV8zbU8DRVnOZws_tPi0ouZ3Bs7Rc8Vsd-H9hoEcoXcdB4A8e5RFdcCF6SBttDht9Po0uBHhM5v7bEzlBfaYfD_bcVTAt60YmUk/s1600/wine+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhf_QcWZKvZjNxOoD7c0KrR-JTUu7YpxpoCksfl5EMPV8zbU8DRVnOZws_tPi0ouZ3Bs7Rc8Vsd-H9hoEcoXcdB4A8e5RFdcCF6SBttDht9Po0uBHhM5v7bEzlBfaYfD_bcVTAt60YmUk/s400/wine+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />I hope you're having a wonderful week everybody :).<br /> <br /> Cheers!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkVWBlVMiR-cl2A7pofoiH5OEzCWM6Ya-Jh51oQ4lgB8AI4GyHwpjwgvGrhSshyPTLY9YBsKyv8Mq24oKiW1-hZt2hUHiTtPutb6LDhrFD0qrklnLcC68Dn-CgReVkZ-pHkzazbmXS0U/s1600/wine+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkVWBlVMiR-cl2A7pofoiH5OEzCWM6Ya-Jh51oQ4lgB8AI4GyHwpjwgvGrhSshyPTLY9YBsKyv8Mq24oKiW1-hZt2hUHiTtPutb6LDhrFD0qrklnLcC68Dn-CgReVkZ-pHkzazbmXS0U/s400/wine+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />

Miscellaneous Groupon Weekend Part 2

On Saturday, I had scheduled Joel and I for massages at a spa in Old Town Alexandria. Whoa. I can't even believe that I just called that...

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1st Weigh In with Joel

Joel and I had our first weigh in on Friday.  Here is how it panned out:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Joel (6'): 230.2</b><br /><b> Hilary (5'8"): 252.8</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">We both won this week!  I have hit my lowest weight yet since starting this journey.  Joel also did well - dropping<b> </b>around 2 pounds from his starting weight of 232.6.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I had a relatively large loss in one week - close to 5 pounds.  I think that was mainly due to me being sick.  I had been feeling under the weather on Wednesday-Friday of last week, dealing with flu-like symptoms.  I'm not entirely sure what was wrong in the end.  I had a hard time eating and just felt nauseous all day long for several days straight.   That all seems to be in the clear though, because since Saturday I haven't had too tough of a time eating anything :).  </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Joel and I had a really busy and fun weekend.  We called it our "Groupon" weekend because we had 2 sets of vouchers that we needed to use up before they expired.  So Friday evening we set out on our first adventure - a 3 hour sailing ride down the Potomac river in Washington, DC.  </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLahc-DscIvvbeO50tC0SqJ3JK2KThQx96BHvoh23k4-QRnmopTxVZe9YgZ2uVeDYZSD4gIIxXpVTZqfeXsvMo8njemHQR7zKYAqbe8hj_klteKawLrubaBawJamRQHfc2kVJn8Wpkxw/s1600/Groupon+Weekend+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLahc-DscIvvbeO50tC0SqJ3JK2KThQx96BHvoh23k4-QRnmopTxVZe9YgZ2uVeDYZSD4gIIxXpVTZqfeXsvMo8njemHQR7zKYAqbe8hj_klteKawLrubaBawJamRQHfc2kVJn8Wpkxw/s400/Groupon+Weekend+002.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">see the tip of the Washington Monument in the <br />background?</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">The captain told us that our trip was only his second one all season where he was actually able to raise the sails.  So what does that tell you?  It was windy!  Not only that, but it was very chilly out on that water, especially after the sun went down.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLU4qicvGRzu4HqjKHLwJZCLstZuBYrAycJbB2lCupvnoQvsFhQWZCu67BWLUZF3iIpRFaRiHDOBAM68PhMFa1ESspnvmjNY28TKapIu9-5HYBUrwlB5a4Eh2PaOMyvGFC_9ASeYNkyhk/s1600/Groupon+Weekend+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLU4qicvGRzu4HqjKHLwJZCLstZuBYrAycJbB2lCupvnoQvsFhQWZCu67BWLUZF3iIpRFaRiHDOBAM68PhMFa1ESspnvmjNY28TKapIu9-5HYBUrwlB5a4Eh2PaOMyvGFC_9ASeYNkyhk/s400/Groupon+Weekend+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">The ride was a neat experience overall.  It's not everyday that you get to see Virginia and DC from the Potomac River's vantage point.  Because it was so windy, we even experienced keeling - when the boat tips from one side to the other.  That was definitely a little scary for me.  I was not trying to include a chilly swim into my evening!    </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkTF_-0lpZFeZFUXfXNBh_bb9x1T2pdsqeXdN47jLAji116cIdhn60GMtGMN8g5vM9vu3vvrCZoOsSXUygJVVGL93vAOO8gMhRYOgGS4HgvmMr-0WisVdv7QPMJFJuNaYbKRWQpZ19fw/s1600/me+sailing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkTF_-0lpZFeZFUXfXNBh_bb9x1T2pdsqeXdN47jLAji116cIdhn60GMtGMN8g5vM9vu3vvrCZoOsSXUygJVVGL93vAOO8gMhRYOgGS4HgvmMr-0WisVdv7QPMJFJuNaYbKRWQpZ19fw/s400/me+sailing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Joel and I were more than ready for the ride to be over by the time we hit the 2 hour mark.  We were both cold and I had a headache.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87CXNeik1LmVHV6UwDGWmu_KFc-lI6Bl-cQwo7IxEcperCutyj9afhwM2zIxcb4SOCXRoBCbt7mZuEyqmjbO6dG44q_9GclYEtgaSDVwscJVG87ltv6DNfp-ftlOgqgGT4wH3lmLTdqU/s1600/sailing+wilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87CXNeik1LmVHV6UwDGWmu_KFc-lI6Bl-cQwo7IxEcperCutyj9afhwM2zIxcb4SOCXRoBCbt7mZuEyqmjbO6dG44q_9GclYEtgaSDVwscJVG87ltv6DNfp-ftlOgqgGT4wH3lmLTdqU/s400/sailing+wilson.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">However, one additional cool experience was that the captain took us under the bridge you see off in the distance in the above picture.  For those not familiar with the DC Metro area, that is the Wilson Bridge and it is part of Interstate 495, the highway that forms a circle around DC - also known as the Capital Beltway.  <i>Also </i>known as a driving nightmare.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CRejq4BSaBqKmz9pm9rzibQds-yaFA5NfeJqjrSNSbqkgffAHSNsO4LidRUtwe7HuDNu2rW6uO71wpQ8RB0LNJ-R0p4vQJGIF4NVl-Rrj8hN06pTyC0-Z-u6Y-lulBCj1ceY2_lm6Nk/s1600/us+sailing+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CRejq4BSaBqKmz9pm9rzibQds-yaFA5NfeJqjrSNSbqkgffAHSNsO4LidRUtwe7HuDNu2rW6uO71wpQ8RB0LNJ-R0p4vQJGIF4NVl-Rrj8hN06pTyC0-Z-u6Y-lulBCj1ceY2_lm6Nk/s400/us+sailing+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Still, this was a great start to a fun-filled adventurous weekend :).  </div>

HJ Competition Miscellaneous Weight Loss 1st Weigh In with Joel

Joel and I had our first weigh in on Friday.  Here is how it panned out: Joel (6'): 230.2 Hilary (5'8"): 252.8   We both won t...

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A Walk Through the Park

I appreciate all of your advice and encouragement on my <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/10/breakdown.html">breakdown post</a>.   Some of you stated that I am too hard on myself, and on one hand I know that I am my own worst critic.  On the other hand, I know I cannot continue to make excuses for myself for the rest of my life - I have to get my butt in gear if I want to enjoy what is left of my 20s!<br /><br />Onward to more happy things, shall we?<br /><br />On Sunday evening, after Joel and I drove the 7.5 hours back from Charlotte, we decided to take a stroll through a nearby park that we've been meaning to check out.  A walk through a park is much more enjoyable than 45 minutes spent on the elliptical, wouldn't you say?  <br /><br />The park offered nice, leisurely walking paths through the woods, allowing us to forget that we really live in a major metropolitan area (score!). <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrMx9Gu-0rvS47Omg0P9pcwKKvEc5FkI7O26clxrIHWBsFZPvXYjLiCfGzM1ZxEare2V3Qq9eTUmBuQod-k3TEd0FPtYlYEsTp0iUEaTTj9U1OkZQ2abDHgMo2rxI2N0HYRYLR1Hqs5Y/s1600/Walking+Pic+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrMx9Gu-0rvS47Omg0P9pcwKKvEc5FkI7O26clxrIHWBsFZPvXYjLiCfGzM1ZxEare2V3Qq9eTUmBuQod-k3TEd0FPtYlYEsTp0iUEaTTj9U1OkZQ2abDHgMo2rxI2N0HYRYLR1Hqs5Y/s400/Walking+Pic+1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />Though Joel was a little unhappy when we came upon the marshland to find out that they do not allow fishing.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjOBdIaNlDNu1JC9lsx7OKu_mKVrc3ESI3qpXVgQcyrv7yKaq5mU2nKkRqmXOmQvOHto4ycGmrCsx2yyw4tcMXvYmOchflsUR3octFVodZtrZkUqXNtDzmaYyJiuR-Bz66FqMDXprXuA/s1600/Joel+no+fishing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjOBdIaNlDNu1JC9lsx7OKu_mKVrc3ESI3qpXVgQcyrv7yKaq5mU2nKkRqmXOmQvOHto4ycGmrCsx2yyw4tcMXvYmOchflsUR3octFVodZtrZkUqXNtDzmaYyJiuR-Bz66FqMDXprXuA/s400/Joel+no+fishing.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />Even so, this deck was so nicely built and well maintained.  It was clean and clear of debris, and while walking through the marsh, it confirmed our suspicions as to where all those mosquitoes are coming from!  We pretty much cannot step out our front door without getting bit (our condo's property lines the perimeter of this park).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOO79NleXWQBebPUOnbWYtYbdZzKeFmNZR7WbU0VDyp7X2K30eLDALxYcb8IKQUAPtNJ12ty_V5oqPKffUk0MqyxlY50D_KqRAbb1RhvyPPhSsdWhThqnJcQ-F0Xe6doNTtiL6iSzDo0/s1600/walking+deck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOO79NleXWQBebPUOnbWYtYbdZzKeFmNZR7WbU0VDyp7X2K30eLDALxYcb8IKQUAPtNJ12ty_V5oqPKffUk0MqyxlY50D_KqRAbb1RhvyPPhSsdWhThqnJcQ-F0Xe6doNTtiL6iSzDo0/s400/walking+deck.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />You can also see that here in the northern part of Virginia, our leaves are just now starting to change colors.  I just love the fall :).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggKPwfBBVwy6nL9KR8aKlJZFB9a2ToVQM4vTRxuTvfvrLw3yP-9ePY4o2910Uj-Ytn3R1WJ5KyEHGcKHeUYY6ZlZ_Po7uUKUJBdQZEDbiBQrG0uLy0fdGsqGWIV3r8AK9G4g-GW0Wweg/s1600/leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggKPwfBBVwy6nL9KR8aKlJZFB9a2ToVQM4vTRxuTvfvrLw3yP-9ePY4o2910Uj-Ytn3R1WJ5KyEHGcKHeUYY6ZlZ_Po7uUKUJBdQZEDbiBQrG0uLy0fdGsqGWIV3r8AK9G4g-GW0Wweg/s400/leaves.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />We really enjoyed ourselves here, and look forward to taking advantage of other area parks before it gets too cold to tolerate the outdoors. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhki3c8Y9cmmJpvkc6ZLlSLjpnTn1FWSsySpZiCVcEbPLyiuF5bLVQnMzlI6-igPRiSF4b9y9_SYttKnT0JhD2scKGTSVWrKeY5s8la9H6aJl3DePn6v0vfS3i3UxIPLl4f1ldyp29gSxg/s1600/fall+woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhki3c8Y9cmmJpvkc6ZLlSLjpnTn1FWSsySpZiCVcEbPLyiuF5bLVQnMzlI6-igPRiSF4b9y9_SYttKnT0JhD2scKGTSVWrKeY5s8la9H6aJl3DePn6v0vfS3i3UxIPLl4f1ldyp29gSxg/s400/fall+woods.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cat tails are so neat to me, and not just because I <3 Charles so much & they <br />somewhat remind me of him :)</td></tr></tbody></table>On Friday, Joel and I are doing a sailing adventure on the Potomac River.  We purchased the tickets for it through a Groupon-type website.  There will surely be more pictures to follow from that!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0WvWhhYqr3nmUFRFyzNNQOLeDkQOJfcvpcB9nOfFtu6TyST4EOIPZL6aLY_mOeUif-F0kAd8qY_GOMjoOHU18D8PVu3Ly9qEVOTiCa7bhwVFnp9ZsQMewG3WgLd0mwGOUFWc8EhCNTc/s1600/marsh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0WvWhhYqr3nmUFRFyzNNQOLeDkQOJfcvpcB9nOfFtu6TyST4EOIPZL6aLY_mOeUif-F0kAd8qY_GOMjoOHU18D8PVu3Ly9qEVOTiCa7bhwVFnp9ZsQMewG3WgLd0mwGOUFWc8EhCNTc/s400/marsh.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Tomorrow (Friday) is also Joel and I's official weigh in for our first week on WW.  We started together officially on Monday, and so our weigh in week this week is short.  However, after tomorrow, we will be weighing in weekly on Friday's. <br /><br />Have a great weekend!

Exercise Miscellaneous A Walk Through the Park

I appreciate all of your advice and encouragement on my breakdown post .   Some of you stated that I am too hard on myself, and on one hand ...

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Rainy Thursday!

We've been getting non-stop rain for the last 3 days here in the D.C. metro area. <br /><br />I personally love the rain - it is the perfect occasion to cuddle up on the couch with a book and some hot tea :).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2icwkpFtpmLuUfjimNiFZzBJyUDFfMHPULP6DBGDQdNLdFXy_uzOlGtAx7krd1aKzQaDaXORsvvT0R_B_ms_7drWL6hvgBTfypX4vf_6bM2BnB1IC3RmtDRMMIdrnGzXjcwrRSpt2Qig/s1600/February+2011+082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2icwkpFtpmLuUfjimNiFZzBJyUDFfMHPULP6DBGDQdNLdFXy_uzOlGtAx7krd1aKzQaDaXORsvvT0R_B_ms_7drWL6hvgBTfypX4vf_6bM2BnB1IC3RmtDRMMIdrnGzXjcwrRSpt2Qig/s400/February+2011+082.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />When it begins to rain frequently in September, that is when you really know that fall is just around the corner.  I used to believe that summer was my favorite season, but after living in this extremely hot part of the country, I really appreciate the cooler, crisp temperatures that come with fall.<br /> <br /> I especially love fall for all of its outdoor activities, including traveling to wineries (lots of good ones in Virginia!), going camping, visiting haunted houses, picking pumpkins, and some general mischief with my niece :).<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31gJP7omC4RMVhmKC5ok3VbUplBXHXanTXwIfzkm6p8FQjNSuJheWvmygWZovbt_JZT1unz2aNDyU0J1EKSmBaykM3fg4WJBz0g22ExEjKRDukjfuq17YyTV9p8raCpCRkwx8maWhTI0/s1600/DSCN3955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31gJP7omC4RMVhmKC5ok3VbUplBXHXanTXwIfzkm6p8FQjNSuJheWvmygWZovbt_JZT1unz2aNDyU0J1EKSmBaykM3fg4WJBz0g22ExEjKRDukjfuq17YyTV9p8raCpCRkwx8maWhTI0/s400/DSCN3955.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6k_5aUjEq0X5dVd77A9JPQnQpjAfTbEfJx-hYLaNivgIQu-37AQQJEc48wZ56JoDF-IvIw-4XHVQwT_cA3nyPAfd5qwcDecGgYD0EpsQDjhDW8yqLMELnRH8ljjJsZ80SFhD9GkJHZk/s1600/DSCN3952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6k_5aUjEq0X5dVd77A9JPQnQpjAfTbEfJx-hYLaNivgIQu-37AQQJEc48wZ56JoDF-IvIw-4XHVQwT_cA3nyPAfd5qwcDecGgYD0EpsQDjhDW8yqLMELnRH8ljjJsZ80SFhD9GkJHZk/s400/DSCN3952.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And raking leaves only to jump in them!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOCf_yNd9j3ohslytusQ8fIrFbPkhr9GcD9cUUOZYgOFRpnrBCP_fbCpRPalZ7FSoI-h4uiQMspTnrWscp02_8qBRohaI6V58CcZFvNaNmpRePzYEmo3bDB4gsqZqgN2N8G6Sjpg1YyU/s1600/DSCN3953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOCf_yNd9j3ohslytusQ8fIrFbPkhr9GcD9cUUOZYgOFRpnrBCP_fbCpRPalZ7FSoI-h4uiQMspTnrWscp02_8qBRohaI6V58CcZFvNaNmpRePzYEmo3bDB4gsqZqgN2N8G6Sjpg1YyU/s400/DSCN3953.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5kx_pZ4OGwqUETiLGVxLM5qcgzjXEHXtHUCEzn0e5NzNwmK48hN20-qNGbsm5MacMxlA0iJlMVJVqfCoTxbOyOo3xb2Ovk_xWyYCmHXg60O_S6_6Q74gpa8RmZLnEAo6ymMh9xKRdRg/s1600/DSCN3972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5kx_pZ4OGwqUETiLGVxLM5qcgzjXEHXtHUCEzn0e5NzNwmK48hN20-qNGbsm5MacMxlA0iJlMVJVqfCoTxbOyOo3xb2Ovk_xWyYCmHXg60O_S6_6Q74gpa8RmZLnEAo6ymMh9xKRdRg/s400/DSCN3972.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is the life, eh?</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Tomorrow is my official weigh in day and I'm really hoping for a loss, however small it may be.  <br /><br />Do you get to enjoy all 4 seasons where you live?  What is your favorite season?

Miscellaneous Rainy Thursday!

We've been getting non-stop rain for the last 3 days here in the D.C. metro area.  I personally love the rain - it is the perfect occasi...

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5-4-3-2-1

I saw this meme post on <a href="http://honeyishrunkthegretchen.com/">Gretchen</a> and <a href="http://bethsjourney.com/">Beth's</a> blogs and thought I would also participate.  It's like, even though I've been reading their blogs for quite some time, sometimes there is still plenty you don't know about people!  So I present to you, my friends, this numbers game about me:<br /><h2 style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">5 Words to Describe Myself</span></h2><ul style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">Compassionate</span></li><br /> <li><span style="font-size: small;">Control Freak</span></li><br /> <li><span style="font-size: small;">"Fussy" (I brought Joel in for help)</span></li><br /> <li><span style="font-size: small;">"Soft" (This is his word for being a girly-girl)</span></li><br /> <li><span style="font-size: small;">Thoughtful</span></li><br /> </ul></ul><div style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not gonna lie - I had a hard time coming up with things to describe myself..</span></div><h2 style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4 Favorite Foods</span></h2><ul style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">Pizza</span></li><br /> <li><span style="font-size: small;">Heinz Ketchup</span></li><br /> <li><span style="font-size: small;">French Fries</span></li><br /> <li><span style="font-size: small;">Reese Peanut Butter Cups</span></li><br /> </ul></ul><div style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>3 Things I’m Most Proud of Accomplishing</b></span></div><ul style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">Getting a job based on my own doing, not because I knew someone</span></li><br /> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/search/label/5K">All those 5K's</a> I participated in this spring/early summer.</span> </li><br /> <li><span style="font-size: small;">Not giving up on this weight loss journey.</span></li><br /> </ul></ul><h2 style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 Favorite Workouts</span></h2><ul style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">An outdoor walk</span></li><br /> <li><span style="font-size: small;">Laying on the couch. Oh wait...</span></li><br /> </ul></ul><h2 style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 Thing to Expect from my Blog</span></h2><ul style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">While this blog is always going to be about me and my weight loss journey, and I write this blog more for <i>myself </i>than for anyone else, I still hope that my story comes across as genuine to those who actually read it.  I want to be able to look back to these entries years from now and truly remember how I felt at this time in my life just by reading an honest account of my own journey.  While there are plenty of positive elements to weight loss, it's not all puppies and flowers :).  And I, unlike most other weight loss bloggers it seems, truly am struggling - take a look at the left - it's not like the weight is melting off!  Aside from helping myself by documenting my own journey, perhaps one day another young 20-something can read my story and be inspired with their own weight loss expedition.   </span></li><br /> </ul></ul><div style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I encourage you to do this meme as well, or something similar, so I can get to know you better as well :).</span></div><ul><ul></ul></ul>

Miscellaneous Random Weight Loss Thoughts Weight Loss 5-4-3-2-1

I saw this meme post on Gretchen and Beth's blogs and thought I would also participate.  It's like, even though I've been read...

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So Why Should I Be Afraid?

<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid?  The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?" - Psalm 27:1</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Friends, I'm not over what happened yesterday.  I have to be honest here.  While this natural disaster was mild in comparison to what others have experienced over the years - Katrina, tsunamis, tornadoes - I have to imagine that the same thoughts and fears that people experienced through those events are  similar to what was running through my head yesterday while my office building was shaking.   For most, it seems, it is back to business as usual today.  For me, I don't easily forget things like this.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here is how yesterday's earthquake affected my weight loss journey:</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Joel and I stopped at McDonald's to get something to eat and drink while we were sitting in traffic.  This might be the first time I've ever entered a McDonald's and the only thing I ordered was a bottle of water.  For those who are following the Beck book, this is me giving myself credit!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2. I pretty much sat in a trance all night long, trying to digest the events from earlier that day.  Hunger finally started rearing it's head around 7 PM.  I didn't want to make anything.  I didn't even want to eat, but I couldn't get past the growling in my stomach.  I made myself a remake of a Chipotle burrito bowl.  It did nothing for me other than take away the hunger.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">3. I had a gym visit planned for yesterday and I could not muster the energy to go.  See #2 - I was busy sitting in a trance people - no time for gym visits!  Not only was I busy staring off into space, but I had a splitting headache that began about the time I stepped foot in our front door and continued all the way until bed time.  </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">4. I didn't read the second round of the Advantages Response Cards, and I didn't read Week 2 Day 2 of Beck either.  </div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not at all upset with myself for not doing what I should be doing or planned to be doing in the least.  Sometimes there are just more important things that worrying about weight loss.</div>

Miscellaneous Weight Loss Challenges So Why Should I Be Afraid?

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid?  The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should ...

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So There Was An Earthquake Today...

<i>Dear Lord:  </i><br /><br /><i>Thank you God.  Thank you God for protecting me, Joel, and my coworkers today during the 5.8 magnitude earthquake here in Arlington, VA.  Thank you for getting us out of our office building safely and as quickly as possible.  Thank you for Joel getting out of our condo safely.  Thank you for keeping everyone safe throughout the East Coast of the U.S. </i><br /><br /><i>Thank you for being with me as I took cover under the desk in my office.  </i><br /><i><br /></i><br /><i>Today was the scariest day of my life, Lord. Ever. And I never want to experience that kind of fear again, Lord.</i>  <br /><br /><i>I just simply cannot thank You enough.  As I was under my desk, I was frantically praying to You, asking You to keep us safe.  As we made our way down from the top floor (11th) in the stairwell, I prayed more.  All I could think about were those poor souls on September 11, and the fear they must have felt.  I imagine I felt a similar fear like that today.  It was awful.   I prayed and thanked You for every flight of stairs You helped us descend.  </i>   <br /><br /><i>Thank You for allowing me to get in touch with Joel, family and friends so quickly afterward by allowing enough of a cell signal for text messages to process. </i><br /><br /><i>Thank You for giving me kind enough coworkers to obtain my laptop for me because I was too afraid to go back into the building once it was deemed "safe".  </i><br /><br /><i>Thank you for allowing Joel to easily drive to my office to pick me up afterward.  </i><br /><br /><i>Thank You for being with me today, Lord.  Without You, I don't know what I would have done</i>.<br /><br /><i>In Jesus' name,</i><br /><i>Amen</i>

Miscellaneous So There Was An Earthquake Today...

Dear Lord:  Thank you God.  Thank you God for protecting me, Joel, and my coworkers today during the 5.8 magnitude earthquake here in Arling...

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Happy Friday!

As I struggled to wake up this morning after a late night (more on this later), I was delighted when I stepped onto the scale to see a 1.4 pound loss this week!  Thank you Lord - I'll take a loss anyday... even if I have lost these sames pounds over and over again.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteL1GEXjwvmPZ9P4vgPW3SOGaJKDfWxLkx_uswzPAa1DBsAMMZjg81LRmCluzF148JkwG93PMZGwKpmQsUhKIz8hK9Y-2TT7wfh4jC5Body92LqDEe56oe5MsWdgHR9u-dODH17v399I/s400/happy+friday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteL1GEXjwvmPZ9P4vgPW3SOGaJKDfWxLkx_uswzPAa1DBsAMMZjg81LRmCluzF148JkwG93PMZGwKpmQsUhKIz8hK9Y-2TT7wfh4jC5Body92LqDEe56oe5MsWdgHR9u-dODH17v399I/s320/happy+friday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Last night we had a wedding rehearsal dinner for Joel's friends who will be getting hitched this Saturday!  I <3 weddings :).  The wedding is taking place in Baltimore, and that is an hour away from us.  We didn't get back from the dinner until around midnight.  I am a girl who needs her sleep, and so waking up at 5 AM was rather complicated after only a few hours of shut eye...<br /><br />I can already cross off half of an item from my <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-goals.html">August goals list</a>!  I printed out my goals and stuck them up at my desk at work...now I just have to do the same for the fridge at home.  <br /><br />Stay tuned for some wedding pics!

Loss Miscellaneous Random Weight Loss Thoughts Weight Watchers Happy Friday!

As I struggled to wake up this morning after a late night (more on this later), I was delighted when I stepped onto the scale to see a 1.4 p...

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Hey Ya'll!

Joel and I had a safe and awesome trip to/from Savannah, GA.<br /><br />We spent 10+ hours in the car (we stopped a few times on the ride down and back), but the actual drive time was 9.5 hours.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjkT04yBRVF53sqVvSEIEjENidqnIciZCmNqlHya4pgXr2DPl0EoeRw1_knGg5P74Gx_2mNRi59Iv6t7my3QpcwNLXfWwuv98zkT1VqsmaL8HQcMsGn_gdDE-88wYERSrf5BMx-kyr2s/s1600/savannah+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjkT04yBRVF53sqVvSEIEjENidqnIciZCmNqlHya4pgXr2DPl0EoeRw1_knGg5P74Gx_2mNRi59Iv6t7my3QpcwNLXfWwuv98zkT1VqsmaL8HQcMsGn_gdDE-88wYERSrf5BMx-kyr2s/s400/savannah+012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />We spent half of our week in Savannah and the other half in Tybee Island.<br /><br />The time spent in Savannah was filled with LOTS of walking.  In the first full day there, we walked over 6 miles on just the self walking tour alone!  We made sure to check out as many of the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil hotspots as we could, including a tour of the Mercer-Williams house.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqgQ2kj6SnAj8WVwCvj_lowCWy90UZX35e656rW8iMoTHpguB2kRNbHgic8p-h32HhNylBnMMyVoKGALXFQxy6BuBF0OWL8WBUFDuDhYydiK1gnRKAk9Nw_P8r0MI0uCsXzWv7FUe7rg/s1600/savannah+115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqgQ2kj6SnAj8WVwCvj_lowCWy90UZX35e656rW8iMoTHpguB2kRNbHgic8p-h32HhNylBnMMyVoKGALXFQxy6BuBF0OWL8WBUFDuDhYydiK1gnRKAk9Nw_P8r0MI0uCsXzWv7FUe7rg/s400/savannah+115.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />We toured the entire Historic District, along with the River district. We did a lot of shopping and did a few guided tours as well.  We took a river boat cruise.  We rode around in a trolley bus listening to ghost stories about the townsfolk (Savannah is one of the most haunted cities!) and also took the lovely Paula Deen tour :).<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvJ0pT_zd9pOGbdMM411CXIH8Qfu9uT0qPcEsLhg8iXEUODPLG-tql-Jx05wnxYFJuKZhhuGE1Anwt_91rIFElQEC0rJIGvSjMx9twXVg49WMEXJ06fW7yhfVif4ERIY7ZZ6IxVXIRCI/s1600/savannah+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvJ0pT_zd9pOGbdMM411CXIH8Qfu9uT0qPcEsLhg8iXEUODPLG-tql-Jx05wnxYFJuKZhhuGE1Anwt_91rIFElQEC0rJIGvSjMx9twXVg49WMEXJ06fW7yhfVif4ERIY7ZZ6IxVXIRCI/s400/savannah+004.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The church where her and her current husband were married.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />My honest assessment overall on some of the things we did is this: I pictured the River District to be a little more....."cool" - filled with sidewalk-dining eateries, coffee shops, antique stores, local arts stores etc.  Not really the case at all.  I know the town is probably trying to maintain the original "look" to this part of town, but I just wasn't impressed.  The shops were mainly those that you find at the beach - filled with stuff that is "Made in China".  The ones that pertained to local artistry were way out of our budget!  We stopped into a few bars and had drinks and even ate dinner down there at one point, but this was definitely not what I had pictured and not my favorite part of Savannah.  I enjoyed the Historic District most - the tree lined streets were definitely in full swing!  As for the PD tour - the only things we really did that were exclusively PD related was going to tour the church her and Michael were married in, which sits on a property that Paula has invested a lot of money in - a boys home called Bethesda.  The rest of it was spent driving us around to various local shops (including a candy store and cookie store).  Overall, I still really enjoyed the tour - we had an awesome guide who knows PD personally and told us a lot of stories about how she got her start in Savannah and on the Food Network.   <br /><br />Of course, I had good intentions of trying to stay On Plan while on vacation, and I failed..... miserably.  I took some WW friendly snacks, and while the trip started off well, it quickly went downhill.  I'm not good at staying On Plan when eating out.  Whats the point in eating out if you have to order things you really don't want to eat?  Despite all our walking, I still gained weight on this trip.  I actually even took the scale with me, with the intention of weighing in each day to help keep me on track.  Instead, I became scared of it and only weighed in on the first morning  (which, btw, I did have a loss that morning - why couldn't I keep the momentum going??) :(.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWmYM4iR5hZWMtD0r5X8hMiz6yuN0490LFP0Gc9quFJaasVWyUOrE4NyW-1PzsOYQWrjPTa1fAsZqH_91JLbDSNAWLaH0hca9OXVonEU7_7Lxyt34I6sM2Q5rj94ebWOpaNCPVohj1r8/s1600/savannah+119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWmYM4iR5hZWMtD0r5X8hMiz6yuN0490LFP0Gc9quFJaasVWyUOrE4NyW-1PzsOYQWrjPTa1fAsZqH_91JLbDSNAWLaH0hca9OXVonEU7_7Lxyt34I6sM2Q5rj94ebWOpaNCPVohj1r8/s400/savannah+119.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not exactly the type of homes I imagined, but still pretty none the less</td></tr></tbody></table>I weighed in last Friday at 261.2 - no surprise.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4it4PFTTVLIEm22KR2ruX6PPurBmpQ4CmkPuHV-Mz3hqoGZ7E3AWy5mLL4DFKsdumGlr7RXNHW8vc2F-hiGags65S2Z-YEAgXKl1fnYzkQclRYtX9a6qK8LeSswxW0uLqiJLKtC4jm4/s1600/savannah+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4it4PFTTVLIEm22KR2ruX6PPurBmpQ4CmkPuHV-Mz3hqoGZ7E3AWy5mLL4DFKsdumGlr7RXNHW8vc2F-hiGags65S2Z-YEAgXKl1fnYzkQclRYtX9a6qK8LeSswxW0uLqiJLKtC4jm4/s400/savannah+017.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of Bonaventure Cemetery - from The Book</td></tr></tbody></table>I'm jumping back on the wagon this week and giving it another go... as per the usual.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCxfyoF3F3gY7TsLmW2nZt_EGBgOJMhXuu2JIasehcA7WOLXt4iqyTP42wa7oDQe-dujCy-DXSWg5xyarYyYxeLc6qT8m79FKN8aW72JD8XTIxIMfSCXys1sgwRASG-OcugU4942JWPU/s1600/savannah+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCxfyoF3F3gY7TsLmW2nZt_EGBgOJMhXuu2JIasehcA7WOLXt4iqyTP42wa7oDQe-dujCy-DXSWg5xyarYyYxeLc6qT8m79FKN8aW72JD8XTIxIMfSCXys1sgwRASG-OcugU4942JWPU/s400/savannah+012.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lady & Sons Restaurant (Paula Deen's place!)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstPiHL3_yyZNEc6PqbrHcR9zIa74YWYRtxnP3Zdg6Qp7y7CaEwsB5Wjc48CLqOkctUc1Fv3Um6yc4ecu6FsYQV0IXdKmfQyjFCa6eBJiUDdEYP7TZhKxR50ilfRoIPgFTr0jsUuPIzZU/s1600/savannah+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstPiHL3_yyZNEc6PqbrHcR9zIa74YWYRtxnP3Zdg6Qp7y7CaEwsB5Wjc48CLqOkctUc1Fv3Um6yc4ecu6FsYQV0IXdKmfQyjFCa6eBJiUDdEYP7TZhKxR50ilfRoIPgFTr0jsUuPIzZU/s400/savannah+005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>We then spent the latter half of the week in Tybee Island, and I worked on finishing The Book while sitting with my toes in the sand :) - I LOVE this life!  I would give up my current situation in a heartbeat if I knew that I could survive comfortably with some other job near the beach if I could do this on a more regular basis - but then again, who wouldn't?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPMPpMoVljOPdJeBe_IFano0NYXOBUyq8KlgqYFeCY63GsF5Pwf_Y2pShWg3O5aDkx5vyRbtZqY_Y5Lmam2w_0QfMD1TWfCNaCdwHDzBsgQZrQNlSbDOz10sDxTn_-WQgW_clVeqC2pY/s1600/savannah+085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPMPpMoVljOPdJeBe_IFano0NYXOBUyq8KlgqYFeCY63GsF5Pwf_Y2pShWg3O5aDkx5vyRbtZqY_Y5Lmam2w_0QfMD1TWfCNaCdwHDzBsgQZrQNlSbDOz10sDxTn_-WQgW_clVeqC2pY/s400/savannah+085.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Joel fished a lot - and only caught sharks. <br /><br />We definitely loved our vacation, and even though it was a long drive, we were grateful and blessed for a safe and uneventful journey to/from Virginia.  <br /><br />Anything else you care to know about Savannah?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEjfWQbC83dAaOL33PjCP9Fx8W6zmi_nhnDJc0WWd9ZOIUcilBXUti_6VM77PUjg2ePE3hTxT8XptTTSiAmf7SikW7095y-yVHOfRcXcrrz2Rnseq8Fj-vvyL9KE2bZRIHzuRgz5gcmU/s1600/savannah+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEjfWQbC83dAaOL33PjCP9Fx8W6zmi_nhnDJc0WWd9ZOIUcilBXUti_6VM77PUjg2ePE3hTxT8XptTTSiAmf7SikW7095y-yVHOfRcXcrrz2Rnseq8Fj-vvyL9KE2bZRIHzuRgz5gcmU/s400/savannah+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Back at it again folks...

Gain Miscellaneous Savannah GA Weight Loss Challenges Hey Ya'll!

Joel and I had a safe and awesome trip to/from Savannah, GA. We spent 10+ hours in the car (we stopped a few times on the ride down and back...

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