News for today's 2018

Settling for good enough

11:15 PM Tukiyooo 0

We all settle for things in our lives that are a little or a lot less than what we wanted or expected. If you've ever settled, it's something you've accepted as part of your life. You made the decision that it is "good enough". That's what I've done with my weight. I've settled into this 176 range and accepted it as good enough.Yet it's a completely unacceptable weight for me. It's ridiculous that I've gained 20 pounds in the past six months. What's even more ridiculous is that I've tried to fool myself into thinking this it's okay. I use stupid logic with myself, telling myself that I'm a "little" overweight and that's okay. Most people are a little overweight. Well, it is really isn't okay, and I'm ready to do something about it. I complained yesterday about my exercise, that it was lackluster and boring. Last weekend I bought another strength training book. I cracked it open this morning and it's a really good book. I already own about ten strength training books, including NWLR4W (which I hate). This book is great because it's doing different variations of the same exercises I've been doing. This morning I tried a couple new things. Bicep curls using a slanted board (much harder than my concentrated bicep curls). The other doing the lat pulldowns while on my knees. It's suppose to work the glutes in addition to the lats, and mine have been sore all day. Just small changes in old exercises made all the difference in the world. I highly recommend this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Health-Big-Book-Exercises/dp/1605295493/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266476515&sr=1-1" target="blank">book</a> ($14.99 at Costco). <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxjJOXbbY-MszWEQcc6dIvSpegUb4ogk7rDggOXujZaap2FaUBmrqHqJ2cUe_KBF0g-tiAdjc5iByVARrMk4-j6zOCkDWDboAnNiV09OKxtOJTNNeU-2-IzPT_hf2QKGWJey5hgYEgkkZ/s1600-h/book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxjJOXbbY-MszWEQcc6dIvSpegUb4ogk7rDggOXujZaap2FaUBmrqHqJ2cUe_KBF0g-tiAdjc5iByVARrMk4-j6zOCkDWDboAnNiV09OKxtOJTNNeU-2-IzPT_hf2QKGWJey5hgYEgkkZ/s320/book.jpg" width="297" /></a></div> I bought new workout shoes on Monday, Asics Gels (GT-2150). I've had three pairs in the last three years and love them. These are a new, improved (and more expensive) model. I wore them Tuesday and wanted to amputate my feet after my workout. I tried them again this morning and they were like wearing pillows. I think I had the laces too tight on Tuesday (stupid me!). <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pdiL_VgBuOlfUstyJdrmC5TUm1sfFHj-uJbGTkIy5bLzNwEiV1w7t4dOqsP8DsqRaGq1s8M3qNy_5DUuB2eKkgjV8hBza7A53IXp62LkS_tIKzrk3EcGI82EzXF3CEyFNGUi9isDzFu4/s1600-h/Shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pdiL_VgBuOlfUstyJdrmC5TUm1sfFHj-uJbGTkIy5bLzNwEiV1w7t4dOqsP8DsqRaGq1s8M3qNy_5DUuB2eKkgjV8hBza7A53IXp62LkS_tIKzrk3EcGI82EzXF3CEyFNGUi9isDzFu4/s320/Shoes.jpg" /></a></div>I also made the decision this morning that if I really hate the treadmill (and I do!) I don't have to work it into my cardio routine during the week. I try to mix up my cardio, a couple days of the StairMaster (my favorite!), a day or two of the treadmill, the spinning cycle, crossramp and elliptical. On treadmill days I'm miserable. The reason I hate the treadmill so much is that I can't jog anymore. I've never mentioned this because it makes me feel so old, but since I twisted my knee last year it's never been the same. Running is just out of the question. I can slowly jog (4.5 mph) for ten minutes then it starts to ache and hurt. I really don't like getting old, but this is a sure sign of becoming elderly. Bad knees. That damn treadmill rubs it in my face every time I get on it. The young twenty-somethings are running up a storm next to me. There I am, the old lady, walking (uphill, but it's still not as cool as running). My decision this morning was to hell with the treadmill. I hate it, and I'm not doing it anymore. If I want to do the StairMaster seven days a week, then I'll do what makes me happy. Now I'm back on track with the exercise, and I'm actually looking forward to trying some new lower body exercises tomorrow. The next step is to figure out how to get back to tracking my food. I'm not settling for 176, that means I'm going to have to track my food. 176 is not good enough. Pictures from my walk at lunch today... <div style="text-align: center;">This is so strange, but a lot of the flowering trees and bushes are blooming. It's still February. We've had snow in March in past years. I hope winter is really over, but like I said, it's February in Seattle (and sunny...a total freak of nature)!</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrOLLBLnmNo3i_L_KBKFr_6TsXRRVmbgWkj_frNZ9oDGsQOR0rndiR6M59VuqtCQjs15ceRBvcDwzCevx_2H-ZBmveC3BPv1ohsfRtDT_x4dqDqTJOdlDymDDtThbsdOySgOeyS4pCskK/s1600-h/Flowers2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrOLLBLnmNo3i_L_KBKFr_6TsXRRVmbgWkj_frNZ9oDGsQOR0rndiR6M59VuqtCQjs15ceRBvcDwzCevx_2H-ZBmveC3BPv1ohsfRtDT_x4dqDqTJOdlDymDDtThbsdOySgOeyS4pCskK/s400/Flowers2.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJfdSbZNyS_QkYsvfY9LP-MUJmPbV78UDX0jtygM1wyQtxAEPEmkiSxArLpKvZcRJ4_sepOSqRrbgzPZWCdNHFIAa2_LtuNvtIT6un7F0S3puq-HZL0gt6MIRSLXf_oPHDzr1NgGsyxn1/s1600-h/Tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJfdSbZNyS_QkYsvfY9LP-MUJmPbV78UDX0jtygM1wyQtxAEPEmkiSxArLpKvZcRJ4_sepOSqRrbgzPZWCdNHFIAa2_LtuNvtIT6un7F0S3puq-HZL0gt6MIRSLXf_oPHDzr1NgGsyxn1/s400/Tree.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJwV9x_pEpNDmCzNy9SWSb6DjVo9urezam51U-4y4rjFqUeLQARBVx4YGHs5QBeo0-gEqfeDLv66dRw2GHdjx6QeM2qTk_yi8ncB2x-tGjlW1NN0bSljbwitBbiFPY-ei6rCDU9Xzm0x7/s1600-h/YellowFlowers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJwV9x_pEpNDmCzNy9SWSb6DjVo9urezam51U-4y4rjFqUeLQARBVx4YGHs5QBeo0-gEqfeDLv66dRw2GHdjx6QeM2qTk_yi8ncB2x-tGjlW1NN0bSljbwitBbiFPY-ei6rCDU9Xzm0x7/s400/YellowFlowers.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">View from the parking lot at my office, as I was leaving at 5:30pm. Just beyond the trees is the condemned trailer park, and to the right is the county detention center. It was still a pretty sunset.</div><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/AVvXsEhAYxV0PoouPxxjHoIs5XsIXccWqv4N9vhz9mKl9zEilaXZ89Z1NTN0uKf3wScPO9Kpuvf6KzcCFeMVL6iQXKbMn1VtCRbQSE-PQH3BwfEM-gW6dZEOgdedi5QdgG6MAlKGnDz88hzqQLc-/s1600-h/ParkingLot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYxV0PoouPxxjHoIs5XsIXccWqv4N9vhz9mKl9zEilaXZ89Z1NTN0uKf3wScPO9Kpuvf6KzcCFeMVL6iQXKbMn1VtCRbQSE-PQH3BwfEM-gW6dZEOgdedi5QdgG6MAlKGnDz88hzqQLc-/s400/ParkingLot.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1ZkMjKi50vnh9rsYS-bTUIFfCuZP5OcLyqfnzKII_hWIDI8wYI_lf8WIsF4Bbr_egPy72zrH3gR4YZmWWSIL54afuyIbIISThmnZADQHldv4kodPdV2OtFm-hq-MkhILAMAqkBcauJKm/s1600-h/ParkingLot2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1ZkMjKi50vnh9rsYS-bTUIFfCuZP5OcLyqfnzKII_hWIDI8wYI_lf8WIsF4Bbr_egPy72zrH3gR4YZmWWSIL54afuyIbIISThmnZADQHldv4kodPdV2OtFm-hq-MkhILAMAqkBcauJKm/s400/ParkingLot2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>

Settling for good enough

We all settle for things in our lives that are a little or a lot less than what we wanted or expected. If you've ever settled, it's ...

Fruity-licious!

7:19 PM Tukiyooo 0

Happy hump day! As many of you  may know it’s also Ash Wednesday. I know Catholics traditionally observe Lent and give up something. Even though I’m not Catholic I decided to do something that would “better” my life. I gave up the snooze button! Now I was so happy & thought it was so original until I ready <a href="http://tippytoediet.com/">Cammy’s post</a> tonight(she listed what I’m giving up)! ;) I’m sticking with it though!! And I started out right this morning and got up after just one annoying ring of the alarm! Kyle and spent some time together catching up this morning. I made an executive decision to skip the gym and enjoy some time with my man! Seems like things have been crazy lately and we were starting to get caught up in the “busy-ness of life”. So it was nice to take some time for each other! I still made it to my office nice & early. I switched up my breakfast this morning and had a over flowing bowl of fruit. I peeled and orange and sliced up an apple for 2 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8YpvDuWyqY15Dz68JPfgtyq6vK4zb3Awm-8govqUNWiOroEOlHMCJZKZPnLHpxe4Lyi_7wwHVfcLkjOYN-Cn1SuoOFpnMD2m3ix5ebIvf7JeGkgxX5kLeGX7JH_zuNGamUygMegQDWXw/s1600-h/DSC06064%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06064" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XsDjZaSiYmQFSJ_10ogHXoPaINnMiRQrzPDYPzmxXT7LseSW3XPSOcl4TvCsCE7IVZMaUxQVI8ota91w8EbHFms6G5R5BIJ4hgAgwe42SH7lPSvffRXF256huuZ23FSOJiQdgBs9Fpch/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06064" width="404" /></a>  An hour or 2 later I had 1 cup of grapes for 1 point. Can you tell I’m trying to get my fridge cleaned out before all this delicious fruit goes bad?!?!?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2m_UWIeDofgJPSR6cuGW1WyQWxqlM17tnuWp2ObOBr2gmFzm8zd3PqsKmbYyRwis8DNc-w-0QTpP80jCdeKTqYUwsJ-9QLghxEIZGlM1Rb3_mV8Gx-ffpEyo7Ow2qPWN26-pPIPCYVDe8/s1600-h/DSC06065%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06065" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXDyUODyVyB95A9a-Mgy9ZE-3LCTHYAwnYzAu8tU9xaEdAvR3zm2joJKNekT379hZsZmhbe8H9gIoPdHdXbPRmJO7bvGxyr9rWdbdyTYWI2TP5yz-80gbdK1Dx8lZkFgi_EEjBZQq5mhd/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06065" width="404" /></a>  My Dad called me around noon and said he was in town and wanted to meet up for lunch! What a nice surprise! Before I went I had my last fruit of the morning, 1 1/2c strawberries, ww vanilla yogurt, and 1/4 c <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/02/few-updates.html">homemade granola</a> for 3 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw43GC4-Prb8yuEN2DYZwRSuRCBZZOmflchktwgQoJNbHM8zDMkO9GvnMXLU3jbaZl-NmoK7J-x4_z-bMn-8t7upO4F5LDEkV9QUgKQ7Zjqzf8JUrzCb5Quyk2avmcMTuIHrdk_wGb-7xM/s1600-h/DSC06066%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06066" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZY-0wyBI80kwtaGlv0yAOFTUyMzqspa52ufI9uK9ORlyZ-yZc24laaR30s9OtFpuG9kICa8g5-J0TWlm5_wAp3hoNR5O_WSTZBcfZiWGSS6_M5TA7BG7McsPsr1vO7Z41YXum94sWzzz/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06066" width="404" /></a>  I met up with my Dad for lunch at Applebees. I love going there knowing they have ww friendly items and I don’t have guess on the calories & fat! Kyle even got to join us. It was a nice, unexpected lunch out with 2 of my favorite guys! Oh and I ordered the Garlic Herb Chicken for 8 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5cnf0h9kkojegLoNp2uYNyt4WAB5ScmvlhIS_cxIGPNJHS6VIvXch0RF9hyphenhyphenx6hJhxwcyROl4efJPnmNJlYPQQ_B2NHvqQKyAAIawDgSVjVJ89PIDqlropHMO0OxQYzo2MNhNrhqbZ61E/s1600-h/DSC06067%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06067" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uWD1kBXueSlyXolz6GaydBua-OHG_HvTkbcBtYDI_Q6brVLyGrVdxXET061JxPcQcGVau3_tJLcOc7ol0REKiSYgd3cA9ayd4vt26uhv5nwZZM67hJHlPkKbtD2mYvzQ-yqQz-IHO-dR/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06067" width="404" /></a>  After lunch I productive afternoon at work. Knowing I’m going to be gone on Friday (Chicago!!!)I was trying to get things caught up! After work a friend stopped by and chatted for a while with me & Kyle. Another unexpected visit! How fun!?!? I wasn’t sure what to do for supper and went easy! I whipped up a few pancakes and kept them simple and just had sf syrup on the side for 4 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdObAoGUl1c2hnokv1OcxH0N8ZzBNPYc_sflW0tsosZVzFqynlfdxPnZKm7z9yFhL73gyRZkoCALzFFhIrSKjbOZjHpbtckM4-ITcoyPu4werw8BtVSEiCqa-QtcRsLJo-HmyN7SxEad6v/s1600-h/DSC06068%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06068" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPb4qSfpw5qwwbiwCn59ze8eKsrqfxxj42NiumGWwh5KAa_OCL3-IL98qDqqhoWMxmQNuLu3Pm97UpsseazBTjpIwoZ0RnrPYCLNw2YGnzRpj2XPvZZOHMjOkFISUJ0zi6zhTEF6xVI0-J/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06068" width="404" /></a> I am working a short day tomorrow and Kyle & I are gonna hit the road to Chi-town!! Speaking of that, thanks for the ideas. I am definitely going to check out the bathrooms in the John Hancock building!! ;) I better get going to get a few last minute things done & hit the hay early so I don’t hit the snooze button! WEDNESDAY’S STATS POINTS = 18/23   WATER =  86 oz EXERCISE = none Do you participate in Lent? If so, what are you giving up? Or maybe it’s something you’re going to do “extra”!

Fruity-licious!

Happy hump day! As many of you may know it’s also Ash Wednesday. I know Catholics traditionally observe Lent and give up something. Even th...

All True Christians

8:26 AM Tukiyooo 0

“All True Christians Are Pro-Life,” thus said a bumper sticker in Carson City. I am indebted to this bumper sticker for keeping me entertained for days, spinning out lines of inquiry and wonder at such a curiously arrogant assertion of dogma. These are a few of the things I wonder about. Who decides what opinions you have to hold in order to be a “true Christian?” For centuries, we worked out our definitions of orthodoxy in ecumenical councils. Bishops from all over the Christian world met in prayerful deliberation, guided by theologians, mystics, and people of noted sanctity. They came to a consensus definition of the faith. In those days, the statements of the ecumenical councils set the limits on Christian belief. There was a lot going on in the Protestant Reformation, but the theological heart of it was the claim that the definitions articulated by the councils had become too precise. Each person, the reformers insisted, should be given a copy of the sacred text, written in his or her own language, and allowed to find their own understanding of the truth guided by the indwelling Holy Spirit -- not an ecclesiastical hierarchy. That opened up the possibilities of “true Christianity” to a radically wider array of opinions. What may be new in our time is the extension of this individuality to the right of each individual not only to discern his or her own interpretation but to declare that interpretation to be orthodoxy itself and pronounce anathema on anyone who has reached a different interpretation. So who defines a “true Christian” today? Ralph Reed’s Christian Coalition took most of the pending legislation of the 1990’s, prescribed a right position on that legislation, and claimed that any legislator who voted wrong on any issue was not a “true Christian.” But how did Ralph get that authority? He couldn’t even get himself elected Lieutenant Governor of Georgia. Yet he claimed a greater authority than the Council of Nicaea. It used to be so simple. For Paul, if you could say “Jesus is Lord,” you were a true Christian even if you had some harebrained ideas. Eventually that 3-word affirmation grew into the Apostle’s Creed, and finally the Nicene Creed. In the 4th Century, being baptized and saying the Nicene Creed were enough to call yourself a true Christian even if you could not have passed Ralph Reed’s gauntlet of legislative issues test. Who decides whether someone is a “true Christian?” Maybe we could go back to objective standards like the Bible and the Ancient Creeds. Otherwise, we are in the hands of the manufacturers of bumper stickers. But what about the substance of the claim itself? Are all true Christians “pro-life?” The threshold issue is: what do we mean by “pro-life?” If it means a basic orientation toward life and engagement with the world as opposed to life-denying asceticism, then I have to agree that a true Christian is pro-life. We are an Easter people, a people of the Resurrection. So we are for life – no doubt about it. I would think being pro-life compels one to be an ardent advocate of the Millenium Development Goals, to eradicate death-dealing malaria, tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS, and malnutrition. A pro-life person sends Nets For Life to Kenya. Since life depends on health, surely one who is pro-life must oppose toxic waste dumping, nuclear proliferation, global warming, and smoking. Are all of these positions essential to being a true Christian? Is that what the bumper sticker means? Of course, that is not at all what “pro-life” means in American politics. It means support for government regulation of a women’s choice to carry a pregnancy to term as opposed to abort. I have no doubt whatsoever that a true Christian can be “pro-life” in that sense. I know many of them. But is that moral stance so indisputable as to be the core of Christian faith? It is probably not in Scripture (one Old Testament verse is possibly related– but it’s a stretch). It is definitely not in the Creeds. It is not an ancient dogma of the Church. It was never addressed by an ecumenical council. The Episcopal Church’s Resolution on abortion is “pro-life” in that it regards all life as sacred, it holds any abortion to be a “tragic choice,” and says abortion should never be done for trivial reasons – but it finally affirms that this is an intimate moral decision to be made by a woman with pastoral guidance and moral counseling – not something to be regulated by the government. So, if being “pro-life” means I have to support legislation, I would have to defy the teachings of my church in order to be a “true Christian.” Yet, so many of the Epistles and the writings of Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch and Clement of Rome say that a true Christian respects the teachings of the Church. The bumper sticker does put many of us on the horns of dilemma. How do we define a “true Christian?” What are the standards? My son-in-law, an ordained presbyter of the Methodist Church, recently “became a fan” of a Face Book page supporting gay marriage. A friend wrote him a lengthy exposition explaining that homosexuality is a sin, so she could not understand how a Christian could support such a thing. She was making a host of major assumptions which many of us who think of ourselves as Christians do not share – for example the basic function of the Bible as a rule book, the interpretation of ritual purity violations as “sins” even though both Testaments clearly treat them differently, the idea that forbidding one specific sexual practice implies the prohibition of others, the idea that rules explicitly directed against men can be extended to women, the notion that most ritual purity rules were superseded by the gospel but a select few were not, that the whole of moral revelation was complete in the Scripture, etc. Again, there are clearly thousands of people on both sides of this issue –thousands who have been baptized, who receive the sacraments regularly, who recite the Ancient Creeds, and revere the Holy Scriptures, all saying “Jesus is Lord” and meaning it – yet who disagree about the morality of homosexuality. Is it possible for these people to disagree and yet recognize each other as “true Christians?” Yes, if . . . . And here I gulp at what I feel compelled to say. In this post-modern age of devout subjectivism, I know this sounds hopelessly conservative. We can do what our forebears did. We can disagree and have high-charged energetic provocative conversations about the implications of the faith, but only if we embrace a strong orthodoxy and a vigorous orthopraxy. The orthodoxy consists of a commitment to the sacred text, our holy Scriptures, as the starting point of discussion; a commitment to the ancient creeds as the framework, the language structure for our image of God; and a willingness to listen respectfully to the teachers, saints, poets, and sages of our tradition more than the pundits of today. The orthopraxy consists of a commitment to the Summary of the Law. To love God with all our hearts is to love a mystery, to revere a mystery, and so to be humble in the presence of that mystery. To love my neighbor as myself is to give him what is his due and what I expect in return, a decent respect for my integrity and my conscience. It occurs to me that adherence to the Summary of the Law might imply a certain reticence in what I paste to my bumper.

All True Christians

“All True Christians Are Pro-Life,” thus said a bumper sticker in Carson City. I am indebted to this bumper sticker for keeping me entertain...

My day and a few pictures

10:12 PM Tukiyooo 0

My eye was back to normal by last night. I even put on some mascara and went to the gym yesterday afternoon. The magic (expensive) salve did the trick. You've got to love modern medicine is all I can say. Not a whole lot to report today, just a hell of a day at work because I've been on call for the last six days. Being on call is the worst thing ever. I hate it. Our team of nine has over 100 applications we support. For one week every nine weeks, I have to carry the on-call phone and if there's an emergency, I get called and have thirty minutes to respond. It's a bloody nightmare when something goes down because often it affects the operation of the airline. There's always a lot of pressure to get it fixed quickly. I had three calls at home over the weekend, and by noon today I had nine new trouble tickets assigned to me. Today is my last day of being on-call for another nine weeks. It's been a tough week! I was at the gym by 6am this morning for another lackluster workout. My heart (literally) just isn't into working out any more. I go, I do my thing for an hour or an hour and a half (sometimes two), but I'm really fighting with myself about it. Every fiber of my being wants to stay in bed in the mornings. So far I haven't given in, but it's sure been tough lately. I have to have the conversation with myself every freaking morning...get up - get up - get up! One of these days I'm afraid I'm going to lose the battle and the fat chick in me is going to take over again. It's not easy making her shut up, especially at 5am. At noon I went for a walk by my office and realized there just isn't anything very pretty by my office. I wanted to take pictures with my new camera but I'm about a mile from SeaTac airport.It's a rundown, sad area. We have a state detention center on one side of us, where they keep the prisoners before they go to the real jail. On the other side is a trailer park full of single wides that they've condemned because a new road is going to be put in. They're all boarded up and look scary. I started to take pictures of all the new graffiti I saw today but decided it wasn't even pretty graffiti. So here's what I did see that wasn't too awful. :) <div style="text-align: center;">A tree in the parking lot of my work place. Please note the beautiful blue sky, in Seattle, in February and it was 52 degrees!</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5_V-f72AUMSYTtm7-OKpYq7lUpD2z9HiUZGIeqWgDthw0VuTn8Qb9ZZoPVn8ciJ-YNOg1Y_6_PXDlbtbOi-QlRsPUrWohhyphenhyphenPIfNSKdJHMw1Ye6hQ9PE2ZMl6US8FRuzO3jr6Ydcdo8kW/s1600-h/16FEB+2010+tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5_V-f72AUMSYTtm7-OKpYq7lUpD2z9HiUZGIeqWgDthw0VuTn8Qb9ZZoPVn8ciJ-YNOg1Y_6_PXDlbtbOi-QlRsPUrWohhyphenhyphenPIfNSKdJHMw1Ye6hQ9PE2ZMl6US8FRuzO3jr6Ydcdo8kW/s400/16FEB+2010+tree.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A tree on the street near my work, the street I like to walk because there's hardly any traffic. It's like a street to no where...they never finished it (but that's why they condemned the trailer park, they're going to finish it some day).</div><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/AVvXsEigZ51_UlPIOmKYZPzRDJMV2dFaXB8ZEfnXR4UZcmSQcDTGDBKXBykGUxerEttwrTyFtk-bAMeTvyfICqZhXRZd6_gP9NqzdSWJzMSboBq7IIz7XVkCwiYfNnvR0FBV7GaRs0_V92Gh79nG/s1600-h/16FEB+2010+tree3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZ51_UlPIOmKYZPzRDJMV2dFaXB8ZEfnXR4UZcmSQcDTGDBKXBykGUxerEttwrTyFtk-bAMeTvyfICqZhXRZd6_gP9NqzdSWJzMSboBq7IIz7XVkCwiYfNnvR0FBV7GaRs0_V92Gh79nG/s400/16FEB+2010+tree3.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My most favorite airline! Check out that sky. The bluest skies are in Seattle!</div><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/AVvXsEg3ULvsPHv6QXd1f9EkZ1lcSLxHJR7Wp0082HzECiIFBCOSsyPQXa0Uz8Xf_vfCg_R7bS2rmyl0G_jcO4Ce0BMYP75zqzdET-vtkdvc__o2MrnamoPNL8HcCiQh4IsEDcN8cUhj-AUgvdkq/s1600-h/16FEB+2010+airline.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ULvsPHv6QXd1f9EkZ1lcSLxHJR7Wp0082HzECiIFBCOSsyPQXa0Uz8Xf_vfCg_R7bS2rmyl0G_jcO4Ce0BMYP75zqzdET-vtkdvc__o2MrnamoPNL8HcCiQh4IsEDcN8cUhj-AUgvdkq/s400/16FEB+2010+airline.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The trees think it's spring time and are budding already..it's February!</div><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/AVvXsEitS8ekiSShwSe70xWuzJgRs6B9ivuMcYSjhyiaX6_EoelCRCumbWMlW_4IYgP2XVPo30OGkLiHRj2mvjfRKRw7NKVZ4sWOehWz5eCExGXeN-j6wcbk5zthFPexIZA05IklxJCRzXdcsv8F/s1600-h/16FEB+2010+Buds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitS8ekiSShwSe70xWuzJgRs6B9ivuMcYSjhyiaX6_EoelCRCumbWMlW_4IYgP2XVPo30OGkLiHRj2mvjfRKRw7NKVZ4sWOehWz5eCExGXeN-j6wcbk5zthFPexIZA05IklxJCRzXdcsv8F/s400/16FEB+2010+Buds.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A flag in front of an old house.</div><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/AVvXsEjOU35KytBZqJTuZoJlrIXR3ROUIKvj2Epxp0bFOhNPXm_vxqpyCbu2q8YfjU9AooJ7yFC_q9o8nMuFb5j6B4G6VDoUudp5hl2J6BOOHonmU_XrcwKhS8y2j8wUxPK7oBZ5jnAr4tNFScmE/s1600-h/16FEB+2010+flag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOU35KytBZqJTuZoJlrIXR3ROUIKvj2Epxp0bFOhNPXm_vxqpyCbu2q8YfjU9AooJ7yFC_q9o8nMuFb5j6B4G6VDoUudp5hl2J6BOOHonmU_XrcwKhS8y2j8wUxPK7oBZ5jnAr4tNFScmE/s400/16FEB+2010+flag.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Same flag from the other side through the budding cherry blossoms.</div><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/AVvXsEhewYMfKUGHxdiOxkuWeHeWWNI8Y-a8s9bRJ4dm8KHj5xqItIAyWMtOf3zY4x8jxXZ0P4dyu-c5cDqzDzA3Kc7Tabk8fBUfRRxnfrEhSDk9pAFrB4aY6DBxi_w6k5vsuqCjOoMKCe8HYvuT/s1600-h/16FEB+2010+cherryblossoms.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewYMfKUGHxdiOxkuWeHeWWNI8Y-a8s9bRJ4dm8KHj5xqItIAyWMtOf3zY4x8jxXZ0P4dyu-c5cDqzDzA3Kc7Tabk8fBUfRRxnfrEhSDk9pAFrB4aY6DBxi_w6k5vsuqCjOoMKCe8HYvuT/s400/16FEB+2010+cherryblossoms.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The view from the county detention center, about 1/4 mile from my office.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The detention center doesn't have any windows. Sad but true.</div><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/AVvXsEjl7loHuIpXd0yNxXjkK28w3l7rEWmc0YAnCX28ipta_U4hBkgBu2mOeOxLOX0XecleKUc7ug8NkKfS9v146vl96VlANvTqM0BET3LILF2XR2qWz9X_7l7SWmMcXCyWgn6-3W3m2IlLo-Zn/s1600-h/16FEB+2010+a+view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7loHuIpXd0yNxXjkK28w3l7rEWmc0YAnCX28ipta_U4hBkgBu2mOeOxLOX0XecleKUc7ug8NkKfS9v146vl96VlANvTqM0BET3LILF2XR2qWz9X_7l7SWmMcXCyWgn6-3W3m2IlLo-Zn/s400/16FEB+2010+a+view.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> That's all I could find to take pictures of today. Actually, looking at the pictures it looks a lot prettier than I thought.

My day and a few pictures

My eye was back to normal by last night. I even put on some mascara and went to the gym yesterday afternoon. The magic (expensive) salve did...

Back to the Grindstone!

6:20 PM Tukiyooo 0

Hey blog friends! Well the wind died down and I actually had to go to work today so you can stop being jealous of me! :p I didn’t want to get out of bed though, I prefer the coziness right next to Kyle! But I finally convinced myself no matter how short the workout, something is better than nothing. I got to the gym and only had 20 minutes to workout and I made the most of it by doing intervals on the treadmill. I was a sweaty mess at the end, felt awesome! Headed to my office and whipped up a classic bowl of oatmeal with a small sliced banana, and chocolate PB2 for 4 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd92ohrrrpwUr_KrhBBwgV-ej3it289ZJrz5s1qngnMTpmL3obQD2dfRh2J3wYYyI6c0vFfEYPGvY7yMqrylv3hPajeDL75rOcNqKXz6ehjscoP4ySgBM6hEYvmr-Nzetd_FAEVdCWVCI5/s1600-h/DSC06059%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06059" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUwq33UuH9g5BqTiOrAAbEOseT-R4GS0ggbCZ613pE6wPTQa0upV1XFCduU7luE3EiRIMHD7_sw2DMt4s1MQZaKUJC1008Fr1qfhNgr_K4SxBcVbzPwXqzbxLgdrzJu9wFNuMHRN9sd6e/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06059" width="404" /></a>  Being closed on Monday made for a extra busy Tuesday! But it just made my day go that much faster! I took a little time out to mix up my morning snack of 1 1/2c strawberries, ww vanilla yogurt, and 1/4 <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/02/few-updates.html">homemade granola</a> for 3 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIeMFCycFSjL916xgv-2vMdnZ_qgoeDLZNTjwmAO_xuDUNtWzXtp5Ap_Kmb8bk4Q7J-huEv_cLP_p9lnrMRHYimCeek96hAlT-wuTDECu84ZkMO41PSn7b2eXFnLpB0GBfIKU_jvH91HCP/s1600-h/DSC06060%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06060" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZo-3aIUB4_DUKdyRG7AMJ3Puo6RgtC0Cwc6dXcZkA4sMthgzDK68uq2p1A6RWJ5O_ICZtpodMUrMoPmwxP4SnqEVueyVlr1hMjZLw0EieufJHUet63BbO3hA_y85TjZuL5CQh-TvQ3L3I/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06060" width="404" /></a>  I went home for lunch and made a quick, fresh meal! It consisted of 1/2c cottage cheese, 1/2c peaches, baby carrots, and a turkey & cheese flat out for 5 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_J9EljOQbYtwAXEaZAm37Un7OXGAaR2xKVBrhqIDf5wksK3Ycs4HdnLIx8_PYLOhYaV2wB_OxcUOkLHWLiZo0YdU_RNfhY81K7BxC_f6ncOODatn0WBvA5ETlkLUs95Bnt0kf_VVOTy3n/s1600-h/DSC06061%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06061" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFTR_S0vZZ_w2NgHh6oHqikktCx5uH0xJMd8gMfYt_x7e6Kso-Dz9ANAAb0iJhXnXKWT5Br5SURB6DnKS6z8h9zuaz9aC1Lopzg8WFBXrzczPXcuxl4zlIdpCGwPd1uV3qFOPeliGlW0P/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06061" width="404" /></a>  To get me through my afternoon I snacked on some crisp green grapes for 1 point. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLaZGZPegDOxH1vGYEeQK0UQqUElSUOCFGtPyN21pXSiSOjHpxdapdhb60HLKsT-5Ubr9EX9Q1XG504hOGlOH-ly3AUTqOsU2QcAZRU70TzMhXkkoVR77t2YTLNCjxdVP-_3OsHfZBKwF/s1600-h/DSC06062%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06062" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84T0iQ5FlGXILXOLziXH-BILNYX_DiEMrNkUs08WVF2Ap_7050cXNLoXrP0n1sqmkcagZ9o7yRp1Qmpq9tUCUvl7uCqeJB9mlu0ybDx3Nv7ZkjJjh44aYmrNzxz3-xxBDfu1etdyfww3l/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06062" width="404" /></a>  After work Kyle had a meeting at church so I was cooking for 1! I decided to go for pizza! Mine was made up of 2 oz chopped ham, 1/4c 2% shredded mozzarella, 2 slices of pineapple, 1/4c pizza sauce, and a flat out for 6 points. Mmmm, delish!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVgs-h87-ERDzikV-PoyT-tYgd0QTYpj5BXWWxFEi3575QCUQVnliFZowbWnCaNszjfV2JD2uh0rzabJG-EVlBrv4_3z_dWoaGeN_1aFKcrOk8RYQpCEiV6ppmktbuEKs-W5aLrTmxepx/s1600-h/DSC06063%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06063" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiku3Sz3dWGzWG_UdHnpWY2mCsXiSJJgFYRoE_0qTKeo8BPeN_AwIuyqoudGDvhihnEEesB-3LSQko5dExyRGNuwYKrtDr0kCWBkK-JW01JYOJPn5bANtUzBfaqkc8-Lpbm00ovsVH9RLqr/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06063" width="404" /></a> I was so ready for Biggest Loser tonight and got a little disappointed when the Olympics were on. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the Olympics, but was I just hoping for some BL. I decided to be productive instead and got my gym bag ready and then blogged! By the way, what do you think of my new layout? I’m off for some much needed time with my man!! G’nite bloggie friends!! TUESDAY’S STATS POINTS = 19/23   WATER =  96 oz EXERCISE = 20 min interval run

Back to the Grindstone!

Hey blog friends! Well the wind died down and I actually had to go to work today so you can stop being jealous of me! :p I didn’t want to ...

Believe it or not, another snow day!

5:53 PM Tukiyooo 0

Happy Monday friends! I got to sleep in once again this morning. We had a 2 hour delay that was announced last night with all the blowing snow that’s flying around and then around 8am we ended up closing. Hooray for another snow day! I wanted to wait a few days after I was sick to give an update on my weight. I weighed in this morning and was at 163, which is a 1.5lb loss from my weight last week! I was really hoping to be 162 right now and lose 2 lbs these last 2 weeks of February to meet my March 1st goal weight of 158, so we’ll see how that goes! Just need to stay focused and on plan! If you haven’t noticed yet, you should check out my new links to the left (i.e. progress pictures, about me, goals) and let me know what you think! After catching up on blogs & losing track of time I decided I need to get some breakfast! I toasted 2 left over pancakes from yesterday, topped them with warm cinnamon apples & a sprinkle of granola!! I also had an orange on the side for a 4 point breakfast! Yum-o!!!<img alt="DSC06048" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglySlXsFJ2Pm-cP2moD1mMtxA1D1h0woJN0PiJ-fQCk9eLaU0VFlu9lq_j6c_PjeJ_fy_bvMK4mDY3tjXUDGHAopYuI6n4UuuCGf1BTqn8a6jHDQ8Ari7daFBJoehUIH8PuVZoRzU5Yjej/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC06048" width="404" /> <img alt="DSC06049" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkaFYDLeT-zr5BR_DjmRsxSWuLsu46Ay3g4I-TI3Bf_6Iq74QGgJiQMF8bGufYDo4NtSIjkmmelu3sns0Y42OL23HrfUkIto9OrDT2iQvmp2F7y9GdPpENdGraBpnOojNCwIqGygqrXBP/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC06049" width="404" /> After breakfast I got my list together and ventured out into the wind & snow! I stopped at Wal-Mart, Target, Hy-Vee, and a quick stop to see my man @ work! I didn’t get home till 3pm and was ready for some lunch! I heated up 1c of chili with a sprinkle of ff cheese and had 5 ff crackers and a few baby carrots on the side for a wonderfully warm 7 point lunch. <img alt="DSC06050" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihF13z61_R0SYnU9mhfXvgGWrS4tsE8MAk-An6H5NQKMqqLE5H5MJmaQlgoX8TdWlkZppCaZIp88n5xAF465lijeboWUp-OvTFZBAx7qoGjiiySVET-2kBxE6V4wlBuQBDnyXWU6LM4ehi/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC06050" width="404" /> <img alt="DSC06051" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArDdccxvHs3nm_l-leFR4oAzC_Q1nROPUCd6BeshO-nek3Bk41MBBWi_NnfmEIvmul6epwiblHyAQ6Qb-QFlusuRfnihowclop6fyuKqkWdf8egZ0X4hl0b7V4E8-0RbNJMoHBXsdXhl0/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC06051" width="404" />Kyle and I are headed east this weekend to Chicago! Kyle’s sister and her husband live there, so we’re going to visit! We have a few things planned…of course shopping, dinner at the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building, and Kyle wants to go to Game Works (he’s a kid at heart)! Does anyone have any recommendations of something fun and unique that you’ve done or always wanted to do in the Windy City? I spent my afternoon getting ready for our trip! I pre-portioned snacks into baggies and put them & a few other snacks into 2 large containers, one for the way there and one for the way home! And my list of things to grab from the fridge is all ready to go as well!! I also got my clothes picked out & suitcase packed. I just have to throw in my things I use everyday!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxr2VYJz0P7Erj-oSf36Yu89zIYz19AKWwy7TxFZURK6FfYE2oPwe5SQIsFtZam0lvVlmyLJEdR5P03zy-3LhFFjjr_puEO2965JB4UW8aZpLvZIpLxEsFCQbn_59uPpXloep8BPYKZv4l/s1600-h/DSC06052%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06052" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VSLYKPz4iplwUzmAcumub-KuNUxAOK4hBJPn5eKDggbpv8S8wad9rdY53c1IBHjEDfI7QQVI1fvwxldlwSbxgU8CK6LsNHV_RZNUK7dh_-hsDxJa0oaATmH4oHMvsiteME_r3Itryxr8/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06052" width="404" /></a>  While supper was baking I mixed up my favorite combo! In the mix was 1 1/2c strawberries, vanilla ww yogurt, and 1/4c <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/02/few-updates.html">homemade granola</a> for 3 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lp7R-XpF58o5dgxmwBbdfy8kmxRGMkaM1nGxxgFVfGfIKFvW8E91UG3XKcefVcE1rROZIpWZp2qKJPEn7FIEy8-HGNQxtf8Dg_u-6JzlJ6PHcgnbpQZDy-owuWVrnAMtVmUGf2y4iWZx/s1600-h/DSC06057%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06057" border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WxynITKhTBR0TgZUf6y3s2Ijp7gpaUBXQ4XPOPfcRmOXbZzxFQ1gcDNE2nBMQ_kZuX2vvar-9UHrhZZr0fh5HDGmU6MCX8dk-XmAOORDuRriwIA6Z1PHzd6qJxGi0izsjU7Achl4cOJ2/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06057" width="404" /></a> Supper tonight is a favorite of Kyle’s, <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2009/02/day-112-monday-223_24.html">Creamy Ham & Potato Bake</a>. I had 1 serving and 1/2c of green beans for 4 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSvFUCO9L08NusBMiPVas-g3jCKme6e7X976dv8twNdB2GV9sAl-J1atrsum1xYcYu1H4dj87x808qxqQkCQcKi4RTKwQz_AgZJ04S4VO8qFoUth4dl5WkWMU3DRztr5IgaBJmiHdZK_l/s1600-h/DSC06058%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06058" border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNx2M8lrS9K4yjbU3H1NRvSUppVqSfVpvmmUo7URcEadhjaSCstk0rY22U-xYnUrNaV1wlYCCI9gL9OrPUU4RZS_tFhv72dNJ_kRFcpFP3hWRrJn5kGyxLNYZo12SvgWwgoTWVruTcWL0c/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06058" width="404" /></a>   I’m all snuggled in, waiting for Kyle to get off work, and watching the Bachelor! It’s kind of my guilty pleasure! G’nite blog friends! MONDAY’S STATS POINTS = 18/23   WATER =  72 oz EXERCISE = none P.S. Don’t forget to give me your good ideas for Chicago!!

Believe it or not, another snow day!

Happy Monday friends! I got to sleep in once again this morning. We had a 2 hour delay that was announced last night with all the blowing sn...

A Valentine owie

1:33 PM Tukiyooo 0

Valentine's Day from hell Valentine's Day 2010 will go down as my worst day so far this year and probably my worst Valentine's day ever. I had some sort of allergic reaction and my right eyelid swelled up so it was almost shut. In addition, as soon as my eyelid started swelling, I started sneezing uncontrollably for about twelve hours. I have no idea how what happened, but my eyelid felt like it had acid on it and it hurt like hell. Not to mention I looked like a one-eyed monster with a red nose. Yesterday wasn't my best day. The only good thing that came out of this is how sweet my husband was about the whole thing. He was really concerned, and kept checking on me after I took a couple Benadryl and passed out at 3pm yesterday. This morning when I woke, my eye was even more swollen. It wasn't just my eyelid, but the entire socket around my eye was swollen and puffy. Without me even asking him, my husband called the doctor and managed to get a 9:30am appointment for me to see an eye specialist. He drove me there, waited for me, took me to the pharmacy, got my prescription filled and was a carring and concerned spouse. I really appreciated this because I wasn't in any condition to drive and I felt awful. The sneezing had turned into a sinus headache and my entire head hurt and felt like it was going to explode. The doctor didn't have any idea what was wrong with me, just that I was allergic to something. He rolled back both of my eyelids to look at the underside (which by the way, hurt like heck). He said I had eyes prone to allergies, they were "cobble-stoned" on the underside of my lids. Nice to know but this has never happened to me before. My prescription was a tiny tube of salve, 3.5 grams (about 1/8 ounce), and it was $126.00 without insurance. Luckily I have insurance so it was only $25. Highway robbery but I would have paid just about anything for it. It seems to be working and the swelling has gone down considerably and the sneezing has stopped. I'm even thinking about going to the gym, or maybe a walk outside. The sun is shining and it's 47 degrees. I got a new camera for Valentine's Day that I'm dying to try out. It's a red Panasonic Lumix and very cool. It even has a "food" picture taking setting. I love it but haven't had a chance to play with it yet. In spite of the eye thing yesterday and Valentine's Day being a bust, I'm in a really happy mood. Not being in pain is always a good thing. Having a caring and loving husband isn't too bad either. Thank you I don't say this often enough, but I really appreciate everyone out there in blog world. Your caring comments mean a lot to me. I haven't been commenting as much as usual on your blogs, because I was so self-absorbed in my own sadness and throwing myself a daily pity party I just didn't have the time nor felt very like I had anything worthy to say. Those days are past me now (thank God, and I mean that literally). I feel like I can be supportive and caring about other people again. Just like you always are for me. :) Picture of the day I'm thinking about adding a picture of the day since I'm so in love with my new camera. I'm copying this idea from a few people's blog. I love pictures and taking pictures. In the picture below, the white and orange cat is my cat, Mickey Mouse, the only cat I've ever met that comes when he's called and loves me the best. The other cat is actually our neighbor's cat, Bear. My husband let's him in the house all the time because he's so cute and the neighbor recently decided to make him an outdoor cat and they won't let him in the house anymore. My husband has a bad habit of bringing home strays. I told him Bear isn't a stray, but even I feel sorry for the little guy when he's standing out in the rain, hovering on our front port, dripping wet. Mickey Mouse will sit and watch Bear for hours. He doesn't touch him or hiss at him, he just watches him very intently. I often wonder what Mickey is thinking when he's staring at Bear. Probably something like 'who the hell let you in here?' or 'one wrong move and you're history!' or 'remember, I'm numero uno around here and don't you forget it!'or 'ummm, excuse ME, but that's MY pillow you're touching, they're all MY pillows!'. <div style="text-align: center;">"I'm watching you"</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQbWl0WD1NJ_uyF1PkMTy_lO6s2-OyTkXsGanQM_BI2QO7sL3Ae6eX0lpI55wuMSy_ibfUe6KQxGZKuVVjzeFk-p98d1_D0gGjYkVADqyetctcgMMnEu4_XjU2yt81byx7CJEYtA97fbk/s1600-h/Mickey+and+Bear+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQbWl0WD1NJ_uyF1PkMTy_lO6s2-OyTkXsGanQM_BI2QO7sL3Ae6eX0lpI55wuMSy_ibfUe6KQxGZKuVVjzeFk-p98d1_D0gGjYkVADqyetctcgMMnEu4_XjU2yt81byx7CJEYtA97fbk/s400/Mickey+and+Bear+011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>

A Valentine owie

Valentine's Day from hell Valentine's Day 2010 will go down as my worst day so far this year and probably my worst Valentine's d...

6 Job Search Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make

4:09 AM Anonymous 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/rn/ar5l4ll6bmtc46b109rn.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/rn/ar5l4ll6bmtc46b109rn.gif" /></a></div>In any economic climate job hunting is nobody's idea of fun. And with the growing number of folks hitting the bricks these days it seems the task is getting even harder. But that's not precisely true because the actual job-hunting strategies and techniques required of the professional job changer remain the same in any climate. What is bothersome, however, is that the process is quite likely to take longer. This leads to increased stress: financial stress, physical stress, emotional stress and family stress. Most people do not perform at their best in stressful situations. They get tired more quickly, they get frustrated, and run out of patience, and they make mistakes. Here are six of job-hunting mistakes frequently made during a recession. Mistake No. 1: Feeling entitled In the new economy your stellar background, great track record, prestigious degree and glowing references guarantee you nothing. The new employment paradigm is, "What have you done for me lately?" You must be constantly developing your skills, your talents, broadening your interests and driving your career development. If you don't you may well be left behind. Mistake No. 2: Focusing on yourself, not the employer Spend your time finding out which of potential employer's needs are unmet instead of touting your brilliance. Saying, "I need a job" is irrelevant and depressing; that's your problem and has nothing to do with why this organization is hiring. Uncovering an employer's problem areas demonstrates your bona-fide interest and offering your solutions demonstrates your critical thinking, creativity and approach to problem solving. This is how to get hired. Mistake No. 3: Taking rejection personally Face it; there are a lot of jobs you are not going to land. Use rejection as an opportunity to assess and build your job-hunting skills. Evaluate what you could have done better in your research or interview or with your follow-up. If you aren't getting rejected regularly then you either aren't working hard enough to get your foot in the door or you're applying for jobs beneath your capabilities. No employer makes a decision not to hire you; they make a decision to hire someone else who did a better job of selling him or herself into the position. Suck it up and move on. Mistake No. 4: Focusing on your age It is human nature to focus more on one's perceived weaknesses as opposed to one's strengths. This is especially true for people in the job hunt. Younger folks worry about not having enough experience; older folks worry about looking over-qualified. If you don't want a potential employer to focus on your age make sure you focus on what strengths you bring to the party: energy, track record, endurance, patience, technology skills, people skills, creativity and work ethic. Sell yourself based on what you have. Mistake No. 5: Looking for a silver bullet Some job hunters swear by recruiters; others by on-line job postings. The latest buzz is that social networking sites are making all other job-hunting techniques obsolete. There is no one best way to job hunt. If you want to increase the effectiveness of your job search you must spend more time on it and use every technique in the book. This means answering print ads, responding to on-line job postings, contacting appropriate recruiters, cold contacting potential employers, networking your brains out and using social networking sites to pursue all of these strategies. Sorry, there are no silver bullets or genies in a bottle. Mistake No. 6: Absorbing too much news media Yes, there's a recession. Yes, a lot of folks are out of work. And, yes, finding a job is a hard job in and of itself. But, no, the sky is not falling. And yes, if you work hard and long enough at it you will land a good job. The media's motto is "If it bleeds, it leads." Bad news is their stock in trade. You will never see a story about company hiring back 10 workers or a person who landed a great job after a rigorous job hunt. A regular diet of bad news will convince you that no one is hiring (untrue), to avoid employers who have had a reduction or layoff (bad strategy) or maybe you should just move to China (bad idea unless you speak Mandarin). Get out, have some fun, work at keeping your energy and spirits up, and network with optimistic people. Eventually this recession -- like all recessions -- will really be over and you'll be better prepared for (gulp) the next one. By Dr. Paul Powers, psychologist, executive coach, career expert, and noted conference speaker and author of "Winning Job Interviews" and "Love Your Job!" For a free subscription to his "LifeMap" newsletter, visit www.drpaulpowers.com. <a class="addthis_button" href="http://addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=rockfordlink"><img alt="Bookmark and Share" height="16" src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/v2/lg-share-en.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" width="125" /></a><script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#username=rockfordlink" type="text/javascript"></script>

6 Job Search Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make

In any economic climate job hunting is nobody's idea of fun. And with the growing number of folks hitting the bricks these days it seems...

Non-Traditional V-Day

7:27 PM Tukiyooo 0

Happy Valentines Day to all my lovely readers!! I hope you’re feeling the love! I slept in a little bit and then got up and got busy! I blogged, balanced our checkbook, planned our meals for the week, and did laundry! Our KC friends got up and we all had breakfast together! I made a serving of banana pancakes for myself with a 1/4c sf syrup for 5 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2ZT3QPBU6o_AIZWFnt-tjrsoS0ZvrdUKlnCQ699OtfA5E3CBSuBvlgPL1UIt7T_0I4mzcdNw8_uTfZl7kLpYgPtF1OqxtiDLxQxjCx_ODZPTKaAvnZwvc58L1ekNOnKJWwrFLwHUTQzT/s1600-h/DSC06043%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06043" border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBD-my72pMRbbxVx844yHe7SNNNNZ00E8opIflgQ6XDSAa8a2vhaLythoIiL5oOaPot6CrSH9A5rjHOvs2HyuVtHsS5PUCENklIYjnurYjlW7vQNcNhtnTO2fbkDdXBwklSXA3chL5GDU1/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06043" width="404" /></a>  Our friends headed back down south to KC! It is always so fun to have them visit. Can’t wait for your next visit guys! I had a lunch date with a friend and a few other friends. Unfortunately it was to announce her very sad news, her & her hubby are getting divorced. She wanted her closest friends to find out from her and not from other people or ways. Food wise, I didn’t eat anything for lunch, it was only an hour after our big breakfast. I’m glad I can be there for my friend, but divorce is never a fun thing to deal with. :( After our afternoon I came home and left once again!  My sister from Omaha was in town and I hadn’t had a chance to see her with my busy weekend! On the way to see her I snacked on a vanilla ww yogurt & 1/4c of my <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/02/few-updates.html">homemade granola</a> for 2 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjREwzxfDWlEFKIcCOlqgDAshyphenhyphenlSNlWnzT68JBV3iytcbAaMuu9LzQZqRMkfBWwz94uhbvaLjBPLEgJ59Dq9jFrVVbPOJ8ZBcFWtzhYSrgenYJmKyiQRyNW0sK5OGtoDQVx-9DaNp2jdvB/s1600-h/DSC06045%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06045" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLO_a_rL4aN3gjTPfG_PfGILdVv1XtaPkhyphenhyphenddO7DgN7G4nsdNhX4p0BM5zW5EunSoGIIAEtdu8w3j2KXjM0MrqZIzseytjuPTZCnT5n6EsUUhsSQRMI2nWSc2QBRdvHgZcayeR-n3YW40/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06045" width="404" /></a>  I had a fun evening with my sisters! We didn’t do a whole lot, just our usual chatting! It is so nice to have her closer. She used to live in Georgia and we only got to see her 2-3 times/year. I think I’ve seen her that much since Christmas! I decided to head home early. The wind was really picking up and is expected to have white out conditions with drifting! We got a few inches of fluffy white snow last night that I’m sure is going to turn into some big drifts!! I got home a little before 8pm and knew I had to eat something, but wanted to go on the lighter side since it was a little bit later in the night. I made a yummy plate filled with a chicken salad sandwich with cheese, baby carrots, and 1/2c cottage cheese with 1/2c peaches for a total of 6 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72k9CPFKiqKzIuTsWV1BeFYBTmdlJuxOmrjmoSGRICGrwoT_lUgaJISMxe5ISOZgWpG8B-SLjwm0sdvX9HGlvPXZEMf1tOS_qt3QsY06QhullEpcdecBs7hjVngO4cCRGL6w5VFpaHInH/s1600-h/DSC06046%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06046" border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5CV1N2VQsOll-iioKsw2p3LzWJsYohdzbFZarzRkqEH6c38YZEtQQjzvjvy1bPImFai1u_GAR-yjlzrTte0UM_ruIsPHJVEUBDOQmTmsrIdgIokYk1bJ7WLMdKf4TImNUHrIpRzoiZvv/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06046" width="404" /></a>  Currently I’m munching my serving of “Valentine” chocolate for the day! I’m trying to teach myself moderation! Kyle thought it was silly just to eat this amount, but I don’t have to have a whole of a bag of M&Ms to enjoy chocolate. I need to teach myself that just a few are ok! My chocolate fix was 1 point. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRIUMy6gf3Q3OvAvOMXOOB31zMRwYmnllV4L2pDnOO116XQmFWXIgvyW72lhlu7-4qkoQFhTsfqOaQ5qlXXdLk26WCfHgwWmkIaXPRT2GESlTocSKQ6nCFqZlgPDozVG4uaqoxhgZy9ah/s1600-h/DSC06047%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06047" border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjlbKJ74kXyi_Pjkuiyg-O3-jDNppeAKSdfDBl9DrCmTT5yk35q4-da7gb8ErrdtqP8b_CPR4qHNKcK7PELv_6azuWYnFnYVMo8Gh1EuI9nBymme1HN-Uy_A8xBvOZClZhnXTqWI_2BgD/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06047" width="404" /></a> Even though it wasn’t a “traditional” Valentines Day for me & Kyle, I am glad I can be there to for my friend and show her I love & care for her. Talking with my friend over these past few hard days has made me even more thankful for Kyle! Don’t forget to tell those closest to you that you love them…don’t take any moment for granted! And I would just like to say that I love all my readers and all the encouraging comments you leave me, keep em coming! SUNDAY’S STATS POINTS = 14/23 WATER =  72 oz EXERCISE = none note: I did not even realize how little points I ate today! I think waking up late really throws me off. I didn’t want you guys to be worried that I was trying to only eat that low of an amount! Don’t worry this girl is not starving herself! Hunger wise, I feel more than satisfied with my day of eats!

Non-Traditional V-Day

Happy Valentines Day to all my lovely readers!! I hope you’re feeling the love! I slept in a little bit and then got up and got busy! I bl...

Happy Valentine's Days: Kicking depression's butt

10:12 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBtW3XsXxnvvFlM7XYNtHFpakNPw7Gvh6f3ydath1Cw7_1YRLFKQGFRPZBhgzWimARRkmhupNzQmlzm5HNb_SZTry_MFfmky8rPRuTGgDZObw2ErZGTe7l38HHn2JBjcT6lcZ1rCCGoKP/s1600-h/azk14-valentine-heart1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBtW3XsXxnvvFlM7XYNtHFpakNPw7Gvh6f3ydath1Cw7_1YRLFKQGFRPZBhgzWimARRkmhupNzQmlzm5HNb_SZTry_MFfmky8rPRuTGgDZObw2ErZGTe7l38HHn2JBjcT6lcZ1rCCGoKP/s320/azk14-valentine-heart1.gif" /></a></div>Depression I woke up this morning with a new attitude. I believe I'm responsible for my own happiness. I can't expect someone else to make me happy, just like someone else can't depend on me to make them happy. It comes from within, we can each control our own emotions. At least I believe that applies to most of us, but not all of us. Some people have true depression, not just a few weeks of being in a funk, but months or years of deep sadness. They need mind-altering drugs to get through each day. One of my nieces has been on a mixture of anti-depressants and anti-psychotics for several years. Unfortunately, her doctors have never found the magic potion to make her a happier person. Today she's a shell of the girl I knew twenty years ago. It's heart-breaking to watch, and I often wonder why she can't just "get over it", but after watching her suffer for the last sixteen years I realize she can't just shake her sadness. It has consumed her. I, on the other hand, can do something about this sadness I've been going through. I've been in an unhappy place since before Christmas. I thought it was kind of a post-traumatic stress thing from my project from hell I was on at work. However, it had been two months since that project ended and the sadness seemed to get deeper and darker. I'm not sure what happened overnight to make me realize I don't want to go through life wallowing in self-pity, but I woke up feeling optimistic and positive today. Even when it seems like things are bleak and happiness is impossible to find, half the battle is still having the resolve to fight back. I have the resolve to fight this depression. It won't consume me any longer. Life is short. I can choose to be miserable and sad, or I can choose to find the good in this life and build on it. I chose the latter. Valentine's Day I started the morning by  downloading a Valentine's Day card for my husband. American Greetings has a cool <a href="http://www1.americangreetings.com/printables/category.pd/Occasions-Holidays-February/_/N-5ybz2Z88cv/Ne-81c4?navtype=dropdown" target="blank">website</a> where you can add pictures and customize the card. Since he gave me roses and a romantic card yesterday I thought I should at least give him a card. He said I seemed kind of down lately and he wanted to surprise me early. This from a guy that last year ran to the store at 4pm on Valentine's Day to buy a card and flowers. I was going to make buckwheat blueberry pancakes in heart shapes for breakfast but my husband is on a new health kick and opted for scrambled egg whites and fresh strawberries. Finally, after living with me all these  years and watch me count calories or Points for most of those years, he's getting on the bandwagon with me. Although I'm finding it a bit annoying to hear him tell me what he can and can't eat, especially when milk, bananas and olive oil are on his do not touch list. I keep telling him you can't believe everything you read, but he tends to not listen to me. We don't have anything big planned for the day except I finally get to see the second Twilight movie. It's my turn to pick the movie, although I loved Blind Side, even though it was kind of about football. As far as Twilight, what can I say, guess I'm just a teenager at heart and still believe in young love (vampires...not so much). We're also going to hit the gym this morning. My husband is starting to go to the gym with me. The only problem is on the weekends I tend to workout longer, usually about two hours. He's done in an hour and wants to leave. The solution is we go in separate cars. It's not environmentally friendly, but it's only three miles and it keeps me from resenting him going with me. Food tip of the day Did you know one teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4.3 grams of sugar? Did you know one Weight Watcher orange sorbet and ice cream bar has 20 grams of sugar, or almost five teaspoons of sugar! It's only two Points, but that's a lot of sugar. Not exactly a healthy snack (especially if you eat two in one sitting!). A Weight Watchers don't. P.S. - By the way, if you think Jesus was just a man, check out this email I received. It was sent four days ago, but I didn't read it until today, after I posted this morning. I know this wonderful person has been praying for me. I'll leave the author anonymous, but wow, a rather profound statement! Here is something that it took me years to learn. NO ONE is ever going to make us happy. Happiness comes from inside ourselves. No man, woman, or child will ever be able to 'give us the attention' we crave. My husband still comes home from work and sits in his recliner and falls asleep in front of the tv. But I now know that he isn't really ignoring me. It is just how he is. I know he loves me completely; and he knows I love him. How do I handle it? Eating was always something I did to 'fill the void' and I am struggling, as you are, to break THAT one. But I can now find joy, happiness as it were, in simply being me. Imperfect as I am. I am a special creation of God. That should be enough. It isn't always, but I am growing and getting better. The only one who will never fail you is God. He can, and wants to be your source of happiness. All you have to do is let Him.

Happy Valentine's Days: Kicking depression's butt

Depression I woke up this morning with a new attitude. I believe I'm responsible for my own happiness. I can't expect someone else t...

Feeling good never felt so good!

7:46 AM Tukiyooo 0

Happy Hearts Weekend everyone!! Thank you for all the well wishes yesterday. I am feeling much better today. I didn’t eat anything yesterday so my Friday post would have been pictures of nothing! ;) Our friends from KC made it Friday afternoon and braved the sickie I was and still stayed with us. We actually had a nice time talking the night away! I just stayed curled up on the couch! :) I slept wonderfully through the night and woke up feeling much better. A little weak, but definitely on the mend! I was nervous to eat, but finally around 10am decided I think my body needed some fuel! I toasted a thin bun and put just a smidge of strawberry jelly on it for 1 point. And it settled in my tummy quite happily! :)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFtCxJzgWhC51YYfKPrSsfwBwWh0gYquFjREvRCGqDb8mk6z7HYdGSaYCnzY3-k1PYBQM7y80m80A6hiQGfu4V6t1oyRfiZssM2r-vk1BfCmdJUJtSscmxMoMOcLoovfkplTT9zjdtRjl/s1600-h/DSC06016%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06016" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdxZPRBvcuaV2xMKzQxI-ynPItNGo29mGt67CNVzEF4EH0LrueDFmE2eDbUNPSTWBcP3L_BJsXDiTsFA6hz-klwVTTQaUDrnolSWtCIZdAmR6egb4z7rRlpzEE01YjKii3V1c0GmA3zPP/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06016" width="404" /></a>  Our sweet KC friends brought us a little Valentine! She picked out the bite size snickers because they are only 1 point (and Snickers are my FAV!).  And the other candy is Andes Mints, Kyle’s favorite! How thoughtfully, she is a fellow WW friend as well!!! And the card was just perfect, we both LOVE ice cream!! Thanks guys!! I think I might wait to have any chocolate…for now anyway! ;)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRPMQorrU483e9L6-eEG7ZgRDk7dghsr7GTaxacOThB8mHBimgR5dTAeamXtwpefcVY4ddv1ha6x0a2lx4wKPIpcjXlN43QZ_-7dKfrLoyGTb3HaY38BloAJf0DfcHMaEV5VOmEJA3xST/s1600-h/DSC06018%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06018" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVCsBNoOZecF5Lmb6ztk5nHIIRk0BW8WLuk_f7DjOqPdOp9VfP4OyBrgi7RTeroYZXNPGqoPIjFXqPS_kKfRNZYB3J3kV38TdA8QheclH11SBlFrDxej2rYzSp-OxQacs_y92KMIWg39t/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06018" width="404" /></a>   We spent the morning just hanging out and catching up some more. Our friends had lunch plans with some family that lives in the area, so they headed out and I made a small lunch for myself. I had a chicken salad sandwich with cheese and some sf berry blue jello on the side for 4 points. Once again, still sitting just fine on my stomach! Hooray!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWM67whbQPXLkMkw3gWdYANqokOjC6-xte1Sj39fak1CS4X6FDwk4MvNZTDjqwc29Bhb_Ue1teWtPot94tjlT3Uw2brWkg3Q5TTYUQ-G3GH6Rl7ySjV_185y77_TZfxg6tlW73Ps-S9QJ/s1600-h/DSC06017%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06017" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlLU-6ziqiQcYt2FGtauYd3oz8Oc9S84MiBtmz3N3DSvNKiE4GLfdC0_wQE_U79ICgG0cz_cEtFOtQ5K2Qh1hbBMV4GDfkTwNyHNveiHZo2PPDx3p906laNFDdofbCvKcmXjx721vdo1t/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06017" width="404" /></a>  Our friends headed off to a family wedding they had and Kyle and I rested up! Needed to have my energy for the upcoming night of fun! We got ready and headed out for dinner. We decided to go to Applebees because we had a gift certificate to use and hey what’s better than a free night out for dinner!?!? Kyle parents ended up being there as well, so they joined us! It was a fun dinner, filled with laughs, as always! :)<img alt="DSC06019" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFDIIOODQYrELclENgN4s6GfD4nd29Qou1neghyM6fX3Dlz_D_XctJNDegkl1om0KOjGcgpc7GRjokpXvWN8_hrhIiiI6Y4YqbiUSp2I0oRukhBn8w9JF5M_4LLAAG0qohZPe_Lu-EXKF/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC06019" width="404" />  <img alt="DSC06020" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOBfkHdDYruxL93K7RaSxukdG3QyOivhE2lzava83vdRfp9CC-sG2WBt1D0BGLwGGf3i3-KvfMIC4b0oExZQx29y1WjcczTiPVo72pDwEtBDNHsguIY3Ao6n0r5H0bS0y-eTZL3RndGFw/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC06020" width="404" />I ordered my favorite WW meal there, Garlic Herb Chicken for 7 points. Delicious!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijDRf8FuXZQj_UIZgCrJ1987Po1NadWLWCGjMF6gAV2G8Wsccz5jfEtpwfweEWdQ7ttHM1Fd5-p7TH7cFCPb54RZCN_j4gbzZDGBgdE-8ULE9fw1PmYkdk-pjM7uPKrcEFS5uVt3HLNAWT/s1600-h/DSC06022%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06022" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNH4sHylxwYWAv0xRPqvqIuLEHtGhgXQ8AfSLH6rcCP3F9BAvBu7cY0FDUZgIh2TTBTzGxnAtTZnoPJarj8OOxyrenauFKhSOO9zCucI8DjYUtz4_ZJ_ZgAriGe5QsGs47at9-zD1cyDsF/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06022" width="404" /></a> After our impromptu dinner date with the ‘rents, we headed to reception to meet up with our KC friends. Here is a picture of the four of us! Just love these guys! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTozcDBJo71RmTQkXBgmIn_CsFN92UN-oayOdW72julzkIc2zzvWk6r-e3NtU20Bb0OMZbQVoTwDTeoYI3mnc_w6WRS45ZJmRmh64UnLTkS34NePHFSpDotq821laxWiZKA1sQ8abOYrn/s1600-h/DSC06024%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06024" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sV9zWgRJXYSigDJPSlN7LyLvYcaxvyA0YLUFvj813MipLLNydCT2KsQv8Bpr7MprfyXZjkce9zWpPCil4VgvvNyQydtm0G4kbJlVfuJ-0SDGTGW0InXGSZhrsufGCyhqdvAXeckFE2yj/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06024" width="404" /></a>   Since it was a wedding reception & all I had a 2 glasses of free keg beer (4 points)! Can’t go wrong there! ;)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5mJ0-hAzqaZwgGr33N9d_h0hRZcbai4IeY17zVUeZyCY8ZRRMgCJLKvmmPeYgpHflujD_MJJwLfm6IqgUY4ToROTIfC0YHtwLJAm9ePgWdd5-MBAbTpDOwDszpUu5q8F8sliU9HyyviZ/s1600-h/DSC06023%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06023" border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvDXclUeVREhsElMo6c3PvakpUsWM5xM6flZlk30BOONK2YeUxQEkQea3ptJTjkJI8l9i4Q5kOv3B4mmBTSM-aCOcuE95QWS-G66AQ1Sky4at7snXnTa-sHVqut2kWKdKz1h02iegHmSK/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06023" width="404" /></a>   We danced the night away, everything from the “chicken dance” to “bad romance” (by lady gaga)! And there may or may not have been some cupcakes involved!! For the record though, I did not partake in that part! ;)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_O_sqAd1_tQrJCuC_zgY5WTLbRtx8S3qrpssgg6JGD71lndO1aIMevv4zleV9CWdw2qF2DKJjV613hNP6OEEfs12c5jYpqoGfl-L2nKbszSilrBom2wFa8Bh8gzMBLwuRZmKhPO01_8Jf/s1600-h/DSC06026%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06026" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99ivyBT6kYFHIsNHLVYHWzdr6FidlucEjPSizB75UkuPquUjFr59shNiuRidrUczU77NVZxN6n3_L71ueawsQY6zqE0P55GH3dYzMWtvEHFrSYcfGDCgfBQhCJWo0mycM0Dk0gSLabn88/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06026" width="404" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-jofhpv-ycdPwCwmtFL2Ten0hX-4sMxmqNvPjxIUH0OltN8zD7X5ylj-jK9a-9_nZ5HHLHw9F5xpN1ZTAqMVxceRMugsotX7rW-ZCR5313vlCJwyCeZyn0q_QS8HZmgHzy6acaICMZfe/s1600-h/DSC06025%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06025" border="0" height="539" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDV-VGOX0cEEroTcjNTnMcq9DwQE4VNw0fB1fdobK1Y4VlgBha-Yv4C18LPZtYrYbDxBXWYjGFCaX53MnqP9qlRQQTni_MjvJRdZ9GnF2c6ixeCYTGF53q5M90lio_yAqMmSnA-Cn-qU4/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06025" width="404" /></a>       After the reception we headed downtown to a favorite “hot spot” of ours. I decided to go for the low point option and had a Budweiser Select 55 for 1 point. There ended up being about 1/2 of my co-workers there! So that was fun to hang out with them outside of work! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6MyjKF2UDrSbRBbYZQERbst4X29RJWY6isvdKPGLYjWkhTLqidJi9DJT9xtx90UpduZWmnQvld3gsNwGSdMFjEMx4a0Rq_oUDZ-xaIDYACAJzbYcnEwIHY0crY2k_Qu7siSgoGVM9eed/s1600-h/DSC06040%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06040" border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1zsWhSdvmaqmrsPUuSNd5o3wqKwf6vQ8nWdSa2mEqcr4GmBPE5KGogCvh2Mtoz_IGyXU0ecG5CG5c2i2T7ZI6dtEribGLjMmmk8Ew3062kcjrVkcIOd-dIm0GeASS_jLyhefGbwiU73k/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC06040" width="254" /></a> Kyle and I called it a night fairly early and got home a little before 1am…compared to <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/02/weekend-recap.html">last week</a> at least! ;) I had one bite size snickers before bed for 1 point!! Mmm, love the chocolate! (sorry for the poor picture quality…I was ready to devour this thing!)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPvbK2SKzBdqbDLPfgcCjRh-q8eNO6CP842_8fhSizKkZ-DGRuvmb56Ea-9pCTkuFpajPvEjY3lUSjRzotLq3OVd_8VhJ_wc0liY1Hj8-yI1tGmigNs8FA6A7WL9rF3gEAB3lk09Dn5zm/s1600-h/DSC06042%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06042" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEius5jC_8MRxdmu4TLLXqdEW_6fgurBLALO9HKyiUTE7DVCJ-36Qu_tG39XGd4pgWuX7bXtsh47lzpsrbSyjpI5qnPgA0hVBrRclIIDbdoTA9Y4pEAcG3-0kmbJ-aeQ47pIAbwk5mykGlze/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC06042" width="404" /></a>  When we were heading to bed I had this wonderful feeling of feeling well!! I think everyone says it after being sick, but it sure makes you appreciate feeling good! SATURDAY’S STATS POINTS = 18/23 WATER =  24 oz EXERCISE = none

Feeling good never felt so good!

Happy Hearts Weekend everyone!! Thank you for all the well wishes yesterday. I am feeling much better today. I didn’t eat anything yes...