Twenties

So Biggest Loser is over.  Olivia won.  She started out at 264 lbs. and she lost like, 49.32% of her body weight.  She weighs 135 now.  It was over 8 months, but still.  I stopped eating ice cream during the show a while ago but somehow, I don't think that's enough for me to lose weight.

I went shopping today.  We're going to a party tonight and Jim is playing some songs and I felt the need to buy something new so I would look good so I could feel good and not worry about how bad I looked all night.  I always feel more confident when I'm comfortable in my clothes and know I look okay.

Being overweight is not fun.  It's not fun to shop.  But I knew that going in, so when I tried on something that didn't fit, or looked gross, I just said to myself, "Just keep looking and trying different stuff on and you'll find something."  I have learned over the years that it just takes a while.  But I went with the cliche and got the long black dress that helps hide my belly, but I'm brightening it up with a bright green scarf.  It felt good on me and didn't look horrible, so yay.

Skinny Me in 2007

2007 was a good year for me body image wise because Jim and I had broken up and I was mad and all I did was workout and smoke cigarettes.  So I got super skinny.  I'm probably 145 lbs in that picture.  I loved being that small.  I loved wearing a Medium instead of a Large.  I felt pretty and guys hit on me more than I'd ever been hit on before.  But after that year, the focus on my health has slowly gone down hill.

I'm at about 230 lbs. right now and have never felt worse.  I've been overweight for most of my twenties and want that to change in a major way.  I'll be 29 this year.  One more year and then my thirties will be upon me.  I don't want to go through the rest of my life depressed and no fun to be around because of my weight.  So I'm going to promise myself something.  I'm going to promise myself that my thirties will be fun and sexy and happy and adventurous.  I also promise that I will never call it "My Weight loss Journey."  I try to never say the word "journey" because it is over used when in conjunction to the words "weight loss."

This will be different for me.  I've tried so many times to get healthy and stalled.  The one time I was "skinny" I was smoking a pack a day, so no, that wasn't healthy.  So maybe not since high school when I was on the volleyball team - in freshman year.  That was 1996.

I want to get to 140 lbs. and maintain it throughout my thirties.  That's a total loss of 90 lbs.  Jeez, that sounds like a lot.  Wish me luck.

Much Determination

Rather Fun

My parents and I went to West's 1st Birthday this past weekend.  This is a few Mom and Dad/West photos from the visit.  This kid is not neglected.

Pensive Susan

Nana's Fun

Dad, put down the bubble gun.

West would not share his Pirate's Booty

Reading with Nana

Why thank you, West.

He's pointing to the stands.  He's going to hit a home run. 

Thanks for the help, Papa

Real mature, Mom

Just passed 39 years of marriage

Looking for ducks.

It was rather a fun weekend.  Happy Birthday, West.

Much Bonding

Cookies

I'm making cookies again.


I can't stop baking.


Much Mixing

Convenience = Sick and Fat

We had a little scare with Wickett last night.  He had been throwing up after he ate anything all day yesterday.  But what really scared us was his behavior.  Wickett is extremely sociable.  He loves being around us and wants to be where ever we are.  But last night he was hiding behind the couch and going under the bed.  

We didn't know he could even fit under the bed anymore.

Favorite Spot

I was up with him.  I always put him in our shower when he throws up and I catch it in time.  It's easier to clean up.  He was pretty bad and I was getting really worried.  But it's when he started hiding that the stories of dogs going off to die in a hole started running through my head.  I didn't want my inaction to kill him, so I woke Jim up and told him the situation.  After discussion about money and morals, we decided to go to the 24-hour emergency vet.  After a very long, robotic, medical term laden conversation with the vet on duty it turns out the Wick had a stomachache.  

 

Yeah, you try to give a small dog a huge pill and see which one of you has more fun.

I felt so much better knowing that he wasn't going to die and we were outta there in about an hour.  I slept like a baby, only waking to tell Jim to put the trashcan out.  He's pretty special to us, this little dog, so I hung out with him all day and watched his behavior.  He seems to be back to normal, if a little tired from last night.  But after all this excitement, table scraps will no longer be given in our house.  No matter how cute/ugly he is, he ain't getting nothing.  In fact, we're probably going to go back to wet food feedings twice a day instead of a self-feeder.  Let me tell you, convenience = sick and fat.  I should know this, I'm an American.

Awww

Much Yarking

Who doesn't love mint?

Oregano

It was such a nice day that Jim got a wild hair to go buy some herbs and pots and plant the herbs in the pots.  So we did.  Then we stood back and looked at our accomplishment.

Looking good

This is not an add for MiracleGro.  We just want our herbs to be
freakishly large and non-organic.

We potted on the back of our trucks.  Who needs a work bench?

All right

They all look pretty good right now.  We'll see if I can keep them alive and the dogs away from them.  These are the herbs I use the most.  Well, except for mint.  But who doesn't love mint?

Much Potting

Erin

Wow, Ok

I always make sure someone knows where I am if I'm going on a walk in case I get nabbed or killed or something equally morbid.  So I sent Jimmy a text telling him I was going on a walk (he was at work).  I was almost out the door when I heard him text back and it says, "Whatever."

Wow, ok, pretty mean, but maybe he's having a bad day.  So as I'm walking towards the door I see a figure outside and no one has rang the door bell or knocked.  I hesitantly opened the door and guess who's on the other side?  That's right.  My sweet boyfriend, Jim.  Surprise.  It's date night.

Much Love
Erin

Geeky Things

 I don't remember what I was cooking last week when I dropped my cool 2 cup measuring cup that Jim got me for Christmas one year.  It had fun little facts for measurements like 1/4 cup was equal to 2000 grains of rice and so on.  It was very thin glass and had been chipped already but I was still so sad when I broke it.

Bye bye cool measuring cup

So all I had left was a cheap plastic 1 cup measuring cup.  Then I saw a deal on Slickdeals.  It you haven't heard of Slickdeals.net, it's a great website that combs the internet for deals on anything and posts them for everyone to take advantage of.  Anyway, that's when I bought these babies because they're supposed to be the best and they are very thick (that's what she said).  

Pyrex baby!

Even though I am in my late twenties, I still get these little confirmations that I'm an adult now, a grown up.  Such little things, like measuring cups that will probably be around longer than I will unless I drop them very hard on the ground.  I like being a grown up most of the time, especially when I get geeky things like these.

Much Measuring

I'll Summarize

Jim told me I hadn't blogged in 9 days.
"I know," I said.

I've been unable to find motivation for the last week or so.  I stopped moving and started staring at the TV.  It wasn't my finest moment.  Easter, my Mom's Birthday, a painting project, and making good dinners have all happened since and I'll summarize.  Jim and I had a discussion a few days ago and my better half put my lagging up to my face and said, "You're not doing your part."  I knew I was screwing around.  I feel frustrated and guilty that Jim had to get me back on track.  But it worked.  It's so easy to lose myself, to escape my reality when I have a 55 inch TV in the living room and a love of instructional food and diy TV shows.  Next thing I know a whole week is wasted.

Anyway.

Easter was fun.  The Oswoods showed up and we had some fun.  Here are some of the good ones.

Owen in the wheat field

Dying eggs with mini rollers.

West 

I want flowers like these.

Hide and Seek

No bigger than a bush

Oswoods (West was napping, again)

This was just before they started making out.

My hot sister hiding eggs.

Guy vs. Wickett

"I don't want to do this very often," said Owen.

First Easter

Mmmm...ham.

Good times.  There were more good times when I tagged along on Mom's birthday lunch with Grandma and Aunt Chris.

Presents!

They gave me happy gas when I birthed you.

Chris' first time at The Olive Garden.

57 and 82.  Pretty hot.

Most noticeably on food front, I made some Sourdough bread.  It took 19 hours to get "sour" so it was a pretty chill process.  I followed Alton Brown's guiding hand and it turned out great.  So great it was partially eaten before I could take a picture of it.

"You should make this once a week," Jimmy said.

Another success was this lentil and sausage soup.  We had lentils, we had sausages, and I have a love of soups.

Shoot, I never took that bay leaf out!

Next is the master bedroom.  I completed the first step to making it look how we want it to look.  Now you have to understand the meaning of a bedroom.  At least my meaning of a bedroom.  There is a bed in the room.  There is no TV, no stereo, no DVR, no video games.  There is a bed and a place to store our clothes.  So we decided to paint it a beautiful dark brown and make it somewhat like a cave.  

This is what it looked like before.  

Stupid, gross yellow!

And now it looks like delicious dark chocolate.

Can you tell we like brown?

New dressers, they needed some white to break it up a little.

The whites really pop.  Thinking about crown moulding.

Ummm...chocolate.

Remember, this is only the first step.  Curtains, artwork, some new bedding and it will be perfect. 

So that's what has happened in the past 9 days.  Well, not everything, but that would be a little...much.  I've always said I'm a slow starter, late bloomer, procrastinator.  I though I'd cured that flaw by going to work every day for 8 years.  I don't know, I'm coming to believe that people don't change, but they do learn.  The more you learn about yourself, the more you can deviate from your nature.  The more you can work around your flaws.  This I believe.  Evolution.

Much Love

Erin