2 posts in one day!

I haven't done this in a long time ~ it's a new record! But, I have to show you pictures from Mismatched Day at school. This week is Red Ribbon Week ~ remember the anti-drug campaign we always did in school? Yeah, the still do it... But, we get the joy, as teachers, of dressing casual and a little goofy!

Monday was a regular day, Tuesday was Jersey Day (favorite sports team), Wednesday was our fall festival so we wore our school polos, today is Mismatched Day, and tomorrow is Orange/Black day (schools don't celebrate Halloween much anymore).

So, here I am, in all my dorky glory:



Oh, and I have on one Winnie the Pooh sock and one Tigger sock with my capris. But, the best thing: I'm COMFORTABLE! This top is one of my favorite tops, but I don't wear it very often because it "feels" casual. It's so soft and "a little" baggy (perfect!) - not too big, but nowhere close to form fitting.

Now the question: Should I fix my hair before I go to class tonight?

The Importance Of Walking

In honor of me sitting on my ASS this week, NOT making healthy choices, and avoiding Weigh-In tonight.... The school secretary emailed this to us, and I liked it, so here it is:

Importance of Walking

    Walking can add minutes to your life.
    This enables you at 85 years old
    To spend an additional 5 months in a nursing
    Home at $7000 per month.

     My grandpa started walking
     Five miles a day when he was 60..
     Now he's 97 years old
     And we don't know where he is.
     
     I like long walks,
     Especially when they are taken
     By people who annoy me.
     
     The only reason I would take up walking
     Is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.
     
     I have to walk early in the morning,
     Before my brain figures out what I'm doing..
     
     I joined a health club last year,
     Spent about 400 bucks.
     Haven't lost a pound.
     Apparently you have to go there.
   
     Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise',
     I wash my mouth out with chocolate.
     
     I do have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

     The advantage of exercising every day
     Is so when you die, they'll say,
     'Wow, he looks good doesn't he!'
     
     If you are going to try cross-country skiing,
     Start with a small country.
     
     I know I got a lot of exercise
     The last few years,......
     Just getting over the hill.
 
    We all get heavier as we get older,
     Because there's a lot more information in our heads.
     That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
     
     AND

     Every time I start thinking too much
     About how I look,
     I just find a Happy Hour
     And by the time I leave,
     I look just fine.

Check in!

Well, I turned my comps in last night. That headache is over. Now, I just wait for the answer. If I don't pass all 3 questions, I don't graduate in December. If I do pass, then I graduate. There are 3 readers for each question ~ all are professors at the University, but they don't tell us who they are. Very scary.

David and I went to Kansas City this weekend to see my mom. She bought tickets to Lion King ~ the Broadway version. I have a couple pics on my camera that I will share later. You aren't supposed to take pictures, and David said that a red light showed from the front of my camera, even with the flash off, so I stopped. Very, very, very cool! It was so life-like, I couldn't get enough of it. David thought it was going to be stupid, but he fell asleep last night STILL talking about it!

We should find out in a couple days about the house closing. We had to switch banks (the other one was taken over), so the Underwriting process started again. It only takes 2-3 days though, so we should know by Friday. Then we can close next week! It came back first time "approval pending conditions." Basically, they wanted to know what our budget looks like ~ that we can afford it ~ and questioned a little bit of David's employment (someone wrote down a date wrong, so it looked like there was a gap).

I guess that's about it. I will go to weigh-in Thursday night, and will hopefully post a loss. Not sure though because this weekend was full of bad food choices. But, maybe I can hit the gym tonight and Wednesday night.

Bummer...

Well, weigh-in was Thursday. I gained 2 lbs. But, I was half expecting it. I've noticed that I'm letting myself go back to my old ways ~ part of the stress/emotional eating that I do. But, David and I are both trying hard to stay on plan! He lost 4 lbs this week!

I think I've decided that I have the best husband in the world. No, he's not perfect, but he does his best to make me happy and to make my life easier. On Thursday, when he could have been resting before working a 4-day stretch at the hospital, he cooked 3 meals for me: Chicken strips, Sloppy Joes, and Chimichangas! These are my all-time favorite WW recipes! He took what he needed for 4 days, but left me the majority of the food. Why? "Because I want you to focus on your comps, not cooking." How sweet!!!!

I'm about to actually put onto paper what my thoughts and research are for the first of my 3 comp questions. It scares me. What if I don't do it right? What if I misinterpret the question, or don't answer it "clearly and concisely" enough? If I don't pass all 3, I don't graduate. But, no pressure, right? EEK!

Random Update

Well, it's been a couple weeks, so I thought I'd throw an update up ~ Enjoy!

* I went and worked out last night! I realized how out of shape I've let myself get. Before my surgery, I could do 45 minutes on the Elliptical and then a bunch of situps on the ab machine. Granted, I was tired, but I could do it without feeling like I was going to die. Last night, I made it 20 minutes, and no abs. I should have tried abs, but the pain by my incision was starting to hurt a little bit, so I figured I didn't want to push it. But, man, was I tired! David and I are going tonight ~ I'm hoping to push it to 30 minutes.

* We are going to Weigh-In tomorrow night. I don't know how much I will have lost ~ I've been more cautious about what I'm eating, and last week I watched my points really close.... But, I know I'm not OVER-EATING, so hopefully I will have lost something. If I lose 1 lb, I will be at 50 lbs lost!!!

* Fiber One has come out with new stuff: pancake mix and pop-tarts! David went shopping today and was going to look for them! He's also cooking and cleaning for me today so that I can focus on my comps for the next week.

* My graduate project - the comps - is due in less than 2 weeks. It's 3 essays, 5-7 pages EACH with at least 5 professional resources on each one. Doesn't "sound" hard, but there is so much I have to cram into each question, it's overwhelming. Plus, report cards are due Friday and conferences are next week.

* My mood has finally settled down. The Lexapro has kicked in and I'm starting to sleep a little better, but not like before. Maybe I'm just catching up? I haven't had to take any Adavan for about a week, so I'm pretty happy about that!

* Our loan on the house has FINALLY been approved. Now, we are just waiting for the money to show up from the bank so we can close.

* I'm finally getting "Ok" about waiting to have a baby. We are going to decide what to do in December. We may wait a few more months and get some more bills paid off. But, I'm okay with waiting. I know we will have a baby when God wants us too.

Made it to a meeting!

So, I finally made it back to a meeting. The bad thing is... the leader that I love so much left this time (she only does one meeting at this location now). David and I go to Leah's meetings on Wednesday evenings when we can. But, with my classes, I can't go. So, I tried the new leader. Definitely not impressed. But, the accountability is there and that's what matters. When Leah left, they also changed the time from 5:15 to 5:45. Only 2 of the "original" group were still there. It was really sad.

But, anyways.... I lost 4.4 lbs since the last time I weighed (about a month ago)! With what the Dr. wants me at, I have 12.8 (so we'll call it 13) lbs to lose!!! Very excited about that! David and I set goals for ourselves last night. When I lose 2 1/2 lbs, I get a pedicure, and then when I hit my Lifetime, David is taking me to Castle Unicorn for the night! His closest goals are: 13 lbs, new clothes (I wish he'd let me get them for him sooner!), and then 50 lbs, Weekend Getaway.

Also, WW has come out with some new stuff... They now have pasta/rice sides. They were only $3, so I got the chicken one:

I used the recipe on the back and added steamed broccoli and grilled chicken. It was good! I think next time, I'll throw a little cheese on or maybe marinate the chicken for a while before grilling it. But, it was a really easy meal, and that's what I needed tonight.

Feeling better!

Okay, so first off ~ sorry about the last blog. Things just pile up and then I blow up. But, things are getting better!

I had a migraine last night (which wasn't the good thing), and continued in to today. So, I stayed home from work (I was up all night, all but puking most of the night). David made me go to the DR thinking that it was from all the stress. She changed my meds a little ~ upped my Lexapro and gave me Adavan for a more "fast acting" response to anxiety attacks. It's a really low dose, so we'll see what happens. I took one today to see if it would knock me out, and I stayed awake (I was already exhausted, so this is a good sign!) and continued to function.... If I'm still waking up extremely tired in the mornings in 2 weeks, we will play with my sleeping pill.

Oh, and I asked her about WW ~ what did she want my goal to be? According to WW healthy guidelines (medically based), I should be between 157-187. Considering I started at 252, that number really scared me. Will I be able to maintain it? So, DR wants me to shoot for 190. If I stall out, or have trouble maintaining it, she said 200 is okay, but 190 is better. She did say if I could go lower, that's great, but she doesn't want to see me starving myself every day to stay at that lower weight. She wants me to be happy with my lifestyle!

We have officially put Baby-Making on hold until January. Adavan is not safe for pregnancy, so David and I had to make the choice. Right now, I'm not emotionally ready for a baby, at least with all of this stress. So, in January, we will reevaluate. It's only a few months away, so David is going to keep taking the Clomid and do his test in early December. That way, if we decide we're ready, we can try IUI my first cycle after graduation!

The house is getting put together. With all the market ups and downs, there were some internal things that the mortgage company didn't even know about. That's what has taken so long. So, now we've got things figured out and should close on Friday. David is working Thursday through Sunday though. So, the notary and I are taking a road trip Friday afternoon (after work) so we can get everything signed! I told the company tonight that whoever can go with me will get dinner ~ yes, I'm willing to bribe to get this done!!!! And with the market the way it is, we REALLY don't want to have to wait until Monday, when David will be home again.

So, things are looking up. I still have pictures of the house to show you. Picture Day is Tuesday, so I'm hoping to get a new top that fits ~ which means updated Weight Loss pic, too.

Thanks to all my Blog Buddies who, without even knowing it, have gotten me through a rough month. This is my place to vent sometimes, and reading your blogs are inspiring!

Now to bed.........