Friday weighday

 I was down 1.3 pounds so that feels pretty good. If I can lose at that rate I know I'll start feeling it pretty soon. I'm currently 202.9 - looking forward to crossing under that magic 200 number.

Having said that, this is a busy weekend of travel. We have an SCA holiday party, heading back to our former part of the state to cook lunch at church one final time, and getting together to celebrate Christmas with T's family. I'm trying to have a good plan in place so that I don't cave and go overboard with the food.

The holidays can be a tough time for weight loss but I'm hoping I can manage to keep my current good habits.

Take care!

Not a bad week

 Work has been super busy this week as folks try to get stuff in under the wire before people start going out on vacation. Despite that I have managed to walk the dog every day, get to the gym one day, and keep my food in check. It's not breaking any land speed records, but the scale is slowly moving down and that feels fantastic. I'm starting to feel more in control. Water is going well so I feel like next week I'll be ready to tackle a new habit: regular trips to the gym.

One change at a time.

Monday already?

 Gosh, I was busy & forgot to post Friday!

My weight was down to 204.2, but its up to 204.9 this morning. I had a crappy eating day Saturday, but I did much better yesterday. 

I'm (finally) going to the gym today after joining 2 weeks ago today! No excuses - first I didn't have any energy and then I just got busy and didn't make it a priority.

Have a good day!

Ugh

 I got on the scale Friday. I didn't cry, but it was close. 205.8

The tortoise and the hare

 Well we are here and somewhat settled in. There are several boxes in the garage that need to be unpacked & sorted out, but overall we are in a good place. The weekend getaway was pretty much as fun yet tiring as I expected.

In a rather timely coincidence, I received an email/newsletter from Nerd fitness titled "Success secrets: one habit at a time" about the importance of changing and mastering habits one at a time rather than upending your whole lifestyle. Currently the husband and I are a perfect example of polar opposite plans.

T started Optavia (formerly Medifast) Yesterday. He is off soda, caffeine, sugar, and on a very low calorie, low carb diet. He is pretty much as miserable as you would expect. I will say that he has done this and been successful in the past. Successful in the sense that he lost a lot of weight on the diet, but failed to transition off appropriately or make permanent lifestyle changes, so of course he's gained nearly all of it back. I'm hoping this time it will stick. 

My "lifestyle" had devolved largely into chaos by the end of the move/ first week here. I was mentally, emotionally, and physically overwhelmed and exhausted. Not taking care of myself was only making it worse but I was stuck in a vicious cycle. I felt the move was the perfect opportunity to break that cycle. Rather than trying to do all the things all at once, I decided to make a list of goals/ habits. Some are very small and easily bundled, others will require more effort. Not necessarily in an order, but here are the things I've thought of:

• Skin & dental care. Get better about using my skin care products (done)
• Drink more water (working on, but this one is pretty easy if I do the next one)
• No alcohol (done). Now to keep it out - so not worth the calories or yucky feeling or effect on my sleep!
• Improve my diet. This one is pretty vague, but step one is cutting out a lot of the junk, mindless snacking etc. This one sets me up for the next goal - (doing this one)
• Start tracking my food. Find a plan and stick with it. To that end I will likely
• Find a nutritionist / someone to go to for info, feedback & accountability.
• Get on the scale (I will do this Friday)
• Work on my weight. I'm uncomfortable and unhappy at my current weight.
• Join a gym (done - Anytime Fitness is right across the street from the neighborhood!)
• Start going to the gym (next week I hope)
• Find a yoga studio & sign up (next week or week after?)
• Need to start doing yoga - I am so inflexible. Its not good.
• Swing my kettlebell 
• Get the garage unpacked

Yes, that's a long list. I'm giving myself until the end of January - that feels fairly reasonable. But if its 60% done it's still forward progress, and that's what I'm aiming for here. 

Two different people, two different approaches. I hope we can both be successful - permanently this time.

Here

 Well we are here. Still need to unpack a few boxes, take some stuff over to the storage unit, and unpack the pantry items once we have some shelves set up in the garage. It's been rough, but we made it.

We are completely debt free and have a significant sum in the bank to go toward the next house. Once T has a job we can start looking!

So that part is exciting!

Life at the UPS store

 Yeah, my house is still box land. Packing continues. Progress feels so slow right now. I'm down to the last bits, a lot of which needs to go to the house with us. I'm still using some of it and .. I'm tired. I just want this down. My husband and I have a trip to Asheville scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend and I just want to laze around and do nothing. Oh well. It'll be nice. Right now even a vacation sounds like work! lol. 

But I'm still here. Operation "Fresh start" begins on Friday December 2, with me getting on a scale and joining a gym. I don't know how much I'll be posting, but take care of yourselves and happy Thanksgiving if I don't write again before that.

Thank you

 Thank you for the kind comments. Yes, this is only temporary. And how blessed am I that I have family resources to gift us with the luxury of time. In the past, buying a house has meant looking at 3-4 in a day and picking one. This time we can be more intentional. 

I have been using the heck out of both my amazon kindle (thanks kindle unlimited!) as well as my bath tub. Mom's house only has a step in shower - alas I am a hard core calgon girl. Oh well.

So yes, some things I am doing well - others not so much. This is temporary and every period has its blessings and stressors. My feelings have been up and down, but I am slowly getting excited. One big plus (in addition to being close to family) is being close to my bestie. I'm not a person with a large social group - living near friends is going to be wonderful!

Take care.

Waiting for my life to start

 Things are weird. Our house is box central, a bunch of furniture is sold/ gone, and its basically chaos. We will be packed up on time. T still hasn't found a job and honestly we've been eating out a lot. I just don't feel like I have the energy or motivation to cook. I'm not exercising beyond walking the dog. I feel crappy. It's not good. 

House prices in Wilmington are coming down slightly, so we plan to stay with my mom while we take a time and find a house. I'm glad ours is sold - that's a huge weight off our mind. And I know we'll find a house, but putting my stuff into storage for an unknown period of time (again) just feels sad. My logical mind knows all the reasons this is the logical choice, but it still feels sad in a way. I don' tknow if that makes any sense. 

Anyway, just mentally struggling right now.

Take care.

The end is in sight

 Packing has slowed down this week, as we have focused on some cleaning & making it feel less crazy. And donating. This weekend we are headed out of town to go to an event and hang with some friends.So we well deserved break before we focus back down for the final dash to the finish line. Moving truck arrives morning of 19 November.

Take care.

Shifting Market

 The housing market is definitely changing. We sold our house just under asking, they came back with concessions after inspection, which we countered, which they accepted. It sold fairly quickly and painlessly, but I feel like we squeaked in under the wire. Still in packing purgatory.

Still waiting

 No news on the home sale front. I got on the scale this morning. Not happy.

Ugh

 So the buyers want a plumber to scope some of the pipes due to the inspector saying some are deteriorating? UGH

Update

Things progress. The home inspection and appraisal have taken place - the termite inspection is tomorrow. We continue to pack up. We've reserved a moving truck. It's getting real.

We continue to be impressed with Hungryroot. I can only speak to the vegan menu since that what we've been ordering, but 2 weeks in and we love it! I can send a code for $50 off if anyone is interested in trying it.

I'm tired, but I'm managing.

Take care.

Changes

Change isn't easy for me. I thrive on routine. I've just been putting my head down, focusing on the next thing and not thinking too hard about the somewhat vague future.

If you live in the U.S., then you know that the housing market has been insane. The prediction is that prices will fall into 2023, which is kind of what we are betting on. The market in our area is already slowing down - we had 6 showings in 7 days and 1 offer. That's still great, but its not the bidding war that was taking place a few months ago. I'm not complaining - just recognizing that I think we sold at the right time before missing out on a great market. I can say we sold our house for double what we paid for it 6 years ago. I can also say we put a fair amount of money and sweat equity into it!

So what's next? Our plan had been to build on land next to my bestie. We found a great builder and even put money down. But as we looked into it, we realized that land plus the house plus a garage, fence, etc. was going to be about $100k more than we wanted to spend - without any landscaping. I didn't want to spend my golden years house poor.

We're betting on the shifting market. We're already seeing houses near our target price range in the Wilmington area. So for the interim we're putting our stuff in storage and staying with my mom while we look around. I recognize we are extremely fortunate that we have a family situation that allows us to do that - my mom is excited about us staying with her for a while. We're moving our furniture into her guest room so we have our bed, her 3rd bedroom is becoming a sitting room so we can watch UFC and she can watch British mysteries. It will feel a bit cramped, but honestly? Three people in a 1800 square foot house with an outside area isn't really cramped. 

I've taken a step back from some things that matter to me (like my kettlebells) to focus on the here and now. My plan has been to focus on eating healthfully and walking the dog often. Hungryroot has been super helpful - it's been hysterical to see my husband excited about vegan food. (That's the option I chose for our boxes and so far its been amazing!). 

Friday I will climb on a scale and see where I'm at, but I'm going to try & focus on healthy mental and physical habits for now at least. If I see something too out there that plan may change.

Home inspection

 Home inspection is scheduled for Friday. Fingers crossed! We are headed back home tomorrow. Mom is going with us since she has an appointment with her surgeon. We'll likely be up there until closing, other than bringing mom back down here.

I feel like I'm in a holding pattern here - so I've bene playing solitaire and doing puzzles. :-)

Meal planning

Things have been pretty hectic. Inspection scheduled for Friday - fingers crossed! So meal planning has been ... non existent. So I decided to sign up for hungryroot. They describe themselves as being somewhere between meal kits and grocery delivery. I ordered 3 entrees, a couple of breakfasts, and we got some snacks. Overall I've been really impressed by everything we've tried!

We have a date

 We are officially under contract. Closing date is Nov 21!

Maybe baby

 We verbally accepted an offer last night. Just waiting for the paperwork. Fingers crossed!

And before

 Just for comparison, these are the pictures from the listing when we purchased the house 6 years ago.

Holding pattern

We had 2 showing requests for Friday - one with 20 minutes notice and one with 5 minutes notice. So we packed up and came to the beach. 

I declined one of those showings (I was about to start a meeting). So 1 showing Friday and 1 yesterday. Le sigh. I hope we didn't leave it too late.

In any case, mom and I are here with the dogs and T went back home to do some yard work etc. So I'm not set up down here (because once the house is under contract we'll be living there to pack up), so everything just feels in limbo. I'm not sure what to do about joining a gym or anything since I KNOW at some point I'll be gone for 6 or so weeks. 

We'll be fine, but the limbo stinks. I did sign up for hungryroot - a sort of grocery delivery/ meal kit hybrid. Trying to plan meals is a bridge too far. I'll report back.

Take care.

Listing pictures

 

In no particular order....

And we're live

 My house listing is up. So now we wait! I don't have control over what happens next, so we'll see what happens. It feels kinda like walking out of a big test, knowing you did the best you could, and just waiting for the results.

As much as I was excited about building a house near my best friend, I am now rethinking that. We aren't making any decisions right this minute, but the reality is that building what I want is going to be about $100k MORE than buying similar - and that is no paved driveway, no landscaping. So.... I dunno. It feels like I can have my dreams or a brand new "dream" house (and its not my ideal), so I'm wondering if that's the right choice.

My husband still hasn't found a job. We are toying with the possibility of doing a road camping trip prior to buying a house because it seems like a good opportunity. So much is up in the air, but that also means so many opportunities.

T minus 5 hours

 The photographer will be here in 5 hours to take the photos for our house listing. The past few days have been beyond exhausting.  Minor repairs, yard work, some painting, and of course decluttering and cleaning! But I hope it pays off in the form of a solid offer that comes in quickly. Fingers crossed.

If y'all are interested, I will share a link to the listing once it is up. I think I'd prefer to email that rather than post it on my blog though. What you you guys think?

Making progress

My son and his girlfriend came for a couple of days and helped with some maintenance type chores around the house. We've continued to pack up some extra stuff and now comes the big push to deep clean and stage before the photographer comes Tuesday afternoon. The appraiser came this past Tuesday, and the house should be listed & on the market come next Friday. So scary and exciting!

I'm not rushing the process on the new house, I know that adds time but right now I don't have the bandwidth for keeping that ball in the air.I will think about it soon. All of this has been very stress filled to say the least. I'm beginning to do a bit better, but its been a struggle. I spoke with my doctor about an antidepressant to help deal with things - especially going into winter (which I hate).

So not great, but not terrible.

Friday reflections

Good morning and happy Friday. Weight is down 2.6 pounds from last week, which is a miracle. Still no intentional exercise beyond walking the dog.

As I am packing up and getting ready to sell this house, it feels like a right time to reflect on being intentional in creating the next stage of my life. The goal is for the next house to be the last house, so beyond some obvious choices (one story & other aging in place choices), things like size of house matters as well. 

I am aggressively down sizing my furniture to minimize what gets moved & stored. While I'm keeping important family items, things I've collected and like but aren't emotionally attached to are going to go. The house we've looked at is roughly the same size as this one, but I'm wondering if we would be comfortable in a smaller one. Given that I work at home, I do need an office space, so maybe not. But size affects price, and price matters! Thankfully that isn't a decision we need to make right away.

My ideal is that I have a new house that is decluttered, which will translate to less maintenance.  The reason is that I want to be able to do more traveling - which requires money, so mortgage size matters!

The other reality I am dealing with is my husband's health. He has gained a fair bit of weight since his knee replacement surgery (much more sedentary role plus stress plus depression) and his weight definitely affects his activity level. One reason I went to Alaska alone was the simple fact that he would not have been able to do the things I wanted to to. I'm not trying to throw stones - my fitness affected what I was able to do in Alaska! 

I don't want to sound mean, I love my husband. But work demands, raising a child, etc. has meant certain dreams of mine have been deferred. I'm ready to stop deferring my dreams. If that means I do trips with women's groups or other organized travel groups or other family members and T stays home - well, that makes me sad. I'd love for him to have adventures with me, but I can't control the choices he makes around his health. We've had that discussion.

I don't know what that looks like. I need to think through that. I do know I need to set myself up for success - and that means creating a lifestyle that prioritizes physical activity and minimizes the constant sorting/ cleaning/ organizing that takes up a lot of my time now.

Have a great weekend!

Uncertainty

 I feel like I should be using this blog more than ever, but I feel so frazzled that even sitting down to write seems like an effort.

We've made some progress on packing up some stuff to declutter for photos. My son is coming Sunday to help with some of the "work" - we need to paint any exterior peeling paint, mainly the ceiling of our 3 season porch. Plus wash windows, tidy up yard, etc. A lot of manual labor, but we've been primarily focused on the interior.

It's just so huge. I'm trying to just do a bit at a time and not freak out. My goal is to have the house listed by the end of the month.

I had major sticker shock when we went to talk to a builder. Our new mortgage is going to be higher than I would like, that's for sure. But I still feel now is the time to do this.

Anyway, some days I do pretty good, other days not so much. Exercise is out the window for now, unless you count packing boxes.

Take care.

TGIF

 My surgery went ok, but my eye is pretty swollen and sore. Mom is on the mend and doing okay. House is a mess as we try to pack up to move on.

My weight is up - way up. Not happy.

Onward and downward.

Have a good weekend.

1 down, 1 to go

 I am at the hospital, waiting to take mom home. Her surgery went extremely well - even better than last time!

I'm super nervous about my surgery tomorrow - I am having a skin cancer cut out right beneath my right eyebrow. Not looking forward to anything about that.

The company is fighting husband's unemployment claim. I'm like, what????? So that sucks. Trying to get the house ready for pictures - I hate moving.  Also, house prices are crazy.

I am scared to get on the scale. That is all.

First Pennsylvania, now Alaska

 August has been vacation month! I am currently in Alaska for a week. It's amazing!

It's been crazy. So we went on our annual camping trip that was cancelled the past 2 years. Had a lovely time. Got home and my husband was laid off the new job he just started! They are having some $$ issues, and he was the newest hire, so ...  

I'm upset for him because of course he was so excited. OTOH.... We contacted a realtor and decided we are going to sell our house and move to the beach. His job was the only thing keeping us in the area, the housing market is still strong, so we're going for it. To say there is a lot on our plate is a massive understatement.

And of course there's this Alaska trip that has been planned for months. It's amazing.

Once I get back mom has her second knee surgery and I am having MOHs surgery to have a skin cancer removed. So its pretty much crazy.

Not too bad

For the first time since this whole horrid a/c saga began, I got on the scale today. I was only up 2 pounds. It's a miracle.

Now to get heading in the right direction.

 

Still here (kinda, sorta)

When last heard from, our protagonist was getting her a/c fixed and then headed for the beach with her ex-MIL in a couple of days. Things did not go as planned.....

Why no, the a/c was NOT fixed - it was more complicated than that. I finally got a/c back last Friday. It has been a rough month - my house has been generally 85 degrees and 75% humidity. Yes, we have a portable unit we used in the bedroom so I didn't die, but it's been tough.

Basically, I've managed to do my job and that's it. Too hot to use the kitchen - we ate out, bought deli food, etc. Exercise hasn't happened, it's just been survival. And spending $6k.

What else? Food has been "meh", exercise non existent, my trip with Jan (ex MIL) stressful, and I have of course used food to cope. So.... not very happy about that. 

But you know, no use crying over spilled milk.

 

Summer of crazy

 Not even sure where to start. This summer has felt crazytown.

We haven't been to Pennsic since 2019. Costumes don't fit, stuff been lost/ worn out/ given away etc.  Trying to figure out what we need to take and make sure we have everything we need. We are leaving July 29.

My back has been bothering me for the past 4-5 weeks, sometimes better sometimes worse. Why? Who knows?

The logistics of August are a nightmare.

We came home from the beach last Monday to our a/c not working. I mean, the unit works but the ducts had to be replaced. Remember the whole "couldn't get materials"? Yeah. Thankfully a family friend was able to get what they needed. After a week with no a/c they are here working on it today.

I am leaving for the beach tomorrow b/c my ex-MIL needs to get to Wilmington to get a ride to her grandson's wedding. (No, they won't drive out of the way to pick her up even though she's like 90 minutes away.) So out of town for 5 days while frantically trying to prep to essentially move for 15 days.

I've been up and down the same 2 pounds for forever now. I'm beyond frustrated. I need to reset and rethink my plan. I need to make this a priority. But that's a challenge with the crazy schedule that is August.

I haven't given up, but maybe treading water in place will have to be ok for now..... sigh.

Back, again

 Another crazy weekend that ended in self sabotage. All I can say is that t got a HUGE service award this past weekend in our hobby organization - it was a lot of work to get things ready and keep it a surprise. Also, he put in his notice at work and starts a new job next week. I'm happy for him, but change is hard for me and this is going to cause significant changes in our daily schedule. Right now he commutes 90 minutes one way, 3 times per week and works at home the other 2. New job is 25-30 minute commute one way, but he goes in every day.

He hasn't been going to the gym at all - hasn't even been bothering to ride the exercise bike at home. After my come to jesus 2 weeks ago, he is riding the bike (sometimes) but no gym. With the commute excuse removed, we'll see. Also, we planned to sell our house next spring and move to the coast, now that's up in the air since the new job is NOT remote. 

So, big changes, lots of unknowns, stress. 

I just keep trying.

Rough weekend

 I was feeling tired and stressed this weekend, and it was reflected in my eating. Today I am getting the week kicked off on a more positive note!

Return to normalcy

 Overall a pretty good week. Struggling to get back into kettlebells weirdly enough, but swimming and going to Planet Fitness for the elliptical, so calling exercise a win. Weight is down 1.6 pounds, so yay. Eating is getting back to normal.

Mom's gardenia bushes were gorgeous, so I was happy to come home to find my (much smaller) shrubs also blooming. Gardenias are my favorite flower.

My hydrangea is blooming - I wish I could capture the amazing, deep blue.

A couple of weeks ago my son had to get a pretty big shark off the line that a passenger caught. This week he caught one of his own:

Have a great weekend!

Back

 We took mom home last weekend. She is doing amazing and the doctor discharged her! So things around here are beginning to settle back in to a routine. I'm glad.

Weight was up & down for a lot of her visit, but I think I'm back headed in the right direction.

Slow & steady

 Getting food a bit more under control, gym is slowly developing into a schedule. and weight is down another half pound. Not as quick as I would like, but I'm feeling better about life in general.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Nothing new to report

 Mom is on the mend, my eating is up and down but I'm trying. I am back at the gym!!!!!!! So that my friends is HUGE progress!

A little better

 Mom went for her 2 week follow up with the doctor Wednesday. He is taking the back issue seriously, did an x-ray, and is looking at giving her a shot. In the meantime she is on more effective pain meds and is getting rest. Her knee is fantastic, its just this darn back thing!

Meanwhile..... can I just say my husband's work is a hot mess? They are super busy, never trained him, his boss is a bully.... it sucks. I keep telling him to go on LinkedIn and look for something different. Now is the time.

I went to the gym today for the first time in forever! I swam laps for 45 glorious minutes. Weight is easing back down (down 0.8 pounds this week). Still up about 4 from my lowest (this time), but better.

Have a good weekend!

The way things are

 So my mom has been here about a month so far and she's 2 weeks out from her total knee replacement. This hasn't been easy.

First they gave her some meds in the hospital that made her very sick to her stomach, then they gave her some that made her super constipated. Then she pulled a muscle in her back and had to wait 4 days to get something for that.

And she isn't supposed to be left alone, but gets upset when I call a friend over to "baby sit" or help out while I'm working. I think the need and money spent bother her. So there's so much to unpack in this situation. Add to it my husband and I have had exactly one evening to ourselves in that month (we went to dinner last night), so our relationship has taken a hit.

It's like having a newborn, but the newborn is an adult with their own feelings and agenda and fears. My weight is on the same roller coaster as my energy level and emotions. I'm just trying to hang on and not get thrown off the ride.

Argh

Y'all, its been stressful. I am not even looking at the scale, I've been stress eating like a looney, and I am feeling super frustrated with myself!!

Good week

 Hey there!

Not ghosting the blog on purpose, just been a busy week. Weight is coming down slowly. I'm not really working out - just walking dogs and doing yard work, housework, etc. 

My mom is coming this Friday - we are going to Biltmore, then she has some dr. appointments, then visiting friends, and then her knee replacement surgery is on the 26th. So I feel like stuff is happening quickly. At that point she's going to be here 7-8 weeks, so I need to prep the guest room so she has room for clothes and to be comfortable.

And its spring so yard work is happening. Anyway, just going along. Hope you all are well!

fruits and vegetables

 Good to know! https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/07/health/dirty-dozen-produce-2022-wellness/index.html

slow & steady

 I'm behind where I'd like to be with weight loss, but it continues to inch down. So I will try to be patient! I am going to the beach tomorrow (yes, again!). It's my last shot before my mom's knee surgery at the end of the month. She'll be with us at least 6 weeks, so it'll be mid to late June before I get back down that way. Can you blame me?

Take care.

Busy weekend

A friend came & stayed with us - we went to a medieval event near us. My first big thing since the pandemic started! I did okay, but by 5 I was exhausted and worn out. Sunday was a day of doing the bare minimum b/c I was just wiped out. Still not my normal self this morning, but I'm getting there. 

I'd been ignoring a volunteer position I have for nearly a month. Ouch. Today I put on my big girl panties and checked the email. I'm behind, but it isn't terrible. 

Take care.

Week of ups & downs

 My feelings have been all over the page this week. Feeling good, active, nailed my kettlebell workout Wednesday. Had a stupid argument with T yesterday, dreading my kettlebell workout today, some big changes at work (new boss, team moving to a new department) have me feeling anxious. So all over the page.

But a new (this time) low on the scale: 188.7. Yay!

Have a good weekend!

How Stella is trying to get her groove back. lol

 As much as I love having guests and going out of town, guests for 6 days after 2 years of lockdown AND a beach trip did a number on me. For two days I felt like a highly anxious zombie and I have struggled to get back into my routine. Good news is that I'm up 0.2 pounds from where I was before we left. I can live with that. 

I lifted weights this morning for the first time in 2 weeks. Ouch. I've cooked even when I didn't feel like it and chose a salad when we met my in-laws for lunch Sunday. Life is full of stuff (good and bad) that will throw you off your routine. The trick is learning to ride those waves without getting too far off course.

Take care!

Life's a beach!

 Lovely weather and I am enjoying my visit. Eating is pretty good but there is no scale so no idea whats going on there. No worries, I'll just keep on doing what I know to do and check in on Monday.

Take care!

Where I've been

 Well hello!

No, I haven't fallen into a vat of cheese dip or anything. Last week my son & gf came up for a couple of days and they helped me knock off some chores around the house that required a pickup truck.

We got rid of the old sofa (new one being delivered Friday), donated an old desk, moved my desk to a different room, set up the new desk we bought, painted and redecorated our home office (formerly the dining room), installed security cameras.... You get the idea. The before & after of the home office are up over at runs for cookies blog if you are interested. We are both very happy with how it turned out. All of the art was from around the house - stuff that wasn't being used and a couple of pieces from a different room. I'm big on shopping my home when I want to change things up.

A friend came down yesterday and we are headed to the beach this afternoon. So don't expect to hear a lot out of me! But no worries, food & exercise are going well. The extra sunlight gives me such a boost!

Last week I was down 1.4 pounds - so doing good!

Take care!

end of week

 Been a long, stressful week. Personalities and politics - they are all around us, at church, work, hobbies, whatever. They can be tough at times.

Down 1.4 pounds. Amazing.

Take care.

Checking in

 I'm still here - is anyone else????? :-)

Between having a friend visit from out of town, cooking at church, a meeting for church, etc. etc. it's been a crazy week! Work has been busy too - we had a critical team member out for jury duty! Thankfully he wasn't selected.

It's going okay - working out with the trainer tonight - working with her and my husband! It's a first, so we'll see how it goes. 

Anyway, not much to report - scale seems to be inching down. Fingers crossed!

Take care. I can feel spring around the corner!

Tired

 Did I tell you guys that we had to have some sub flooring replaced in our bathroom? Ugh. Today is day 3 of contractors in the house. I'm tired, my chihuahua is freaking out, and its been a rough week. Last night was take out burgers from Ruby Tuesday. Up a half pound. Sigh.

I have a friend coming for the weekend and I'm too tired to even be excited.

Sorta hump day

 I had Monday off, so yay for short weeks! 

Kicked my butt with my kettlebells this morning, invited T to meet me at the gym after work for cardio. Contractor is going to be here today to replace some of the subfloor in our bathroom. Cha-ching. Good times.

Take care.

 Had a great time at the beach - saw friends, celebrated my son's birthday, spent time with my mom. I was down a pound from when I weighed before we left, so yay! My weight has been stalled out for 3 or so weeks, I'm ready to get moving again!

Kettlebells are progressing. Spring is nearly here!!! So things are looking up.

Take care.

Headed for the beach

 I am still up a pound from last Friday. UGH. Oh well. Headed to the beach after work today, so nothing but crickets (probably) until I get back.

Take care you guys. Spring will be here soon - with warmer weather, more sunlight, and hopefully and attitude adjustment! LOL

I am a rockstar

 Ah, the vagaries of the scale!

We went out Friday - I had a salad, 1.5 stuffed shells, and left the bread alone. I was up 2.5 pounds the next morning and I'm still up a pound! And I was good! ARGH.

Oh well. I nailed my kettlebell workout this morning and my lunch is portioned out for today and tomorrow and I logged the calories. Tonight I am making a nice meal at home (I despise going out on Valentine's).

Despite the scale, it's going to be a good day!

Take care.

Warmer weather

 It's supposed to be 67 today! Yay! Lost 1.1 pounds this week. Not every meal is optimal, but overall I'm doing pretty good.

Have a great weekend!

Hump day

 I ate fast food for breakfast yesterday and dropped a pound. Go figure! Weights are going well, grateful its getting warmer (more outside walks!), still don't love yoga.

Working on eating more oatmeal, meatless meals, and vegetables.

Take care.

More of the same

 Not much to report - eating is going okay, exercise is going okay (except yoga, but I keep trying!). Needing to get some subfloor replaced in the bathroom we had remodeled. Sigh. It's always something, isn't it?

My son's gf has covid and is having to cancel a planned trip to Mexico with friends. I have a birthday trip for family planned up to Biltmore in April. I can't wait to have a vacation.

Winter stinks.

Take care.

Stepping it up

 Amazon replaced the kindle (yay!). After 3 days of reading my book on my phone, I realize how spoiled I've become! Dog is fine. Husband hasn't shown any symptoms (fingers crossed!). We had a pretty good weekend. We went to the pool twice, which was awesome! And I worked out with my trainer Friday. It motivated me to up my kettlebell workout a bit. 

I sorta did yoga twice. Sigh. I want to like it....

Going to crack down on the snacking so I can start making better forward progress again.

Take care!

TGIF

 Been a week - insomnia, kindle dying (its was a Christmas gift), husband exposed to covid, dog throwing up. Calgon take me away.

Down 0.7 pounds this week. Not great but I'll take it.

Groundhog day

 And I'm not talking about Phil! My weight is back up to where it was last Friday. ARGH.

On the plus side: I did yoga yesterday and I am on week 2 of restarting my kettlebell habit, AND Sunday T and I went to the pool and did 40 minutes of water aerobics. So yay to exercise!

Monday night my anxiety was really high and I did some serious binge eating. I have better stress relief strategies, and thankfully I'm using food less. But still - work in progress.

Take care!

Goal achieved

At the beginning of the year, T and I sat down and mapped out 30 & 90 day goals. My 30 day goal was to weight 193 by the end of January. I started the year at 200.8.  I hit 193.2 yesterday (down a pound from Friday)! Go me!

Now to keep it going!

Disappointed

 Well, now weight loss this week. :-( I didn't gain any though, and after 3 straight weeks of losses I guess I need to stay positive and focus on the big picture, right?

Now, here's to staying the path over the weekend!!

Going okay

 Other than struggling to get back into a workout routine, nothing to report here. Snow maybe tomorrow (yuck), new sofas are crazy expensive, food is okay but I'm so tired of cooking, and a clean bill of health at the dentist.

Procrastination

 I am posting this because I have a bunch of focus work to do this morning and I don't want to. Lol

This morning I took a shower, fixed my hair, put on a little eye make up, and I'm wearing yoga pants (as opposed to fuzzy fleece pj pants). between being sick and the icy road conditions, I've really struggled the past couple of weeks. But today is warm-ish (for winter - its supposed to be 55) and I'm feeling better. More frigid weather tomorrow, but my plan for today is to get outside and soak in some sun.

Take care.

Back in the saddle again

 I picked up a kettlebell this morning, for the first time in ages. It was humbling.

A little better

 Got a long night's sleep last night and I'm feeling a bit more energetic today. Still going to take one more day off exercise but plan to try yoga tomorrow. I am getting out and taking the dog on shorter walks, but it's cold out there!

Down 1.6 pounds this week. Not too bad. Did I tell you guys about Sunday? I make these really good homemade jalepeno poppers - a mix of cream and cheddar cheese with garlic powder and then wrapped in bacon and baked. So good. I have been craving them! So Sunday I made a big batch and had those for snack and then dinner (along with a cup of vegetable soup so I got some veggies). I totally enjoyed them! My digestive system.... not so much. Apparently 6 ounces is beyond my body's safe threshold for cheese. My hemorrhoid (keeping it real) finally stopped objecting yesterday. Next time I will space them out more. Lol 

Anyway, we may be getting more snow tonight/ tomorrow. Ugh. Is it spring yet?

Take care.

Energy

 Even the "mild" omicron variant of covid is no joke. I'm vacced and boosted, but my lack of energy is serious. Today I managed to walk the dog for our normal loop for the first time in over a week. It's 3/4 of a mile - I normally do it several times per day. After doing it once I am tired! Besides a nagging cough, the lack of energy is what seems to be hanging on.

No exercise is happening, so I'm just trying to watch what I eat.

Take care.

My great aunt

I know over the years I've written many times about mom and I going to Georgia to visit my great aunt. She passed away Friday at the age of 102. It's a blessing for her, but sad for us. She was a wonderful person.  

An exercise in futility

 First off: Thankfully we had less ice and wind than expected. It's still a sheet of ice out there in the yard & driveway, but once you get to the main road it isn't bad. Or so I've been told - I haven't gone anywhere in forever. Going to do yoga today! I have been a slug. I'm feeling better but my energy still isn't great. 

My PCR (non rapid) covid test came back positive. I can't say I'm surprised. Having lived this, I realize it's pretty much impossible to follow the CDC guidelines. Let's break it down:

2 Jan - go to party for FIL

6 Jan - Told someone at party has covid. Okay, you're supposed to quarantine for 5 days after exposure, but I didn't find out until 5 days. Per CDC, if I don't have symptoms it's okay to go out with a mask.

11 Jan - not feeling well. 

12 Jan - take rapid covid test (results are negative). Go about your life, citizen.

16 Jan - get notified my PCR test is positive. I'm nearly over the thing now! Feeling much better, slight cough and a bit on the tired side. 

In the interim my husband has been going to work, I've gone to the store, etc. Given the communicability of this variant its totally understandable why it's running rampant. I'm not saying I have any better ideas, but I can see why nothing short of a near lockdown is going to stop this variant.

Take care of yourselves!

On the mend?

 Feeling well enough today to actually take a shower. Still not 100% for sure, but a bit better. Which is good - we are supposed to have a storm Sunday. I have no idea why, but I don't want to be sick and have to deal with a winter weather storm. Jim Cantore is apparently on the way. Sigh.

Not much is new. I did love 2.7 pounds this week - just not hungry. No exercise, yoga is out the window.  Maybe in a couple of days.

Take care!

Sick

 Back soon - I either have covid or the flu. Either way I feel like crap. ;-(

Monday Funday

 Back to ye old grind. Weekend was busy (a little too busy honestly). We took down Christmas, did laundry & errands, cooked at church Sunday. We did a couple of fun things Saturday - we got some lunch from a fast casual place (Zoe's Kitchen - Mediterranean food. Tasty & easy to make a good choice.) and we went to an RV show. A fair number of unmasked people, but at least if folks were going into an RV, they waited and went in as family groups, v. piling in with a bunch of strangers. I realized Friday I was really starting to feel the strain of being home all week and need a change of environment. 

Weight was up a pound today from yesterday - no idea why. Anyway, still doing yoga, still doing Noom, still plugging away at those healthy choices.

Take care. 

Inevitable

 I think I mentioned the surprise birthday party my SIL had for my FIL last Sunday. 17 people. 17!! I knew it was inevitable - we were exposed. My SIL has covid. We found out last night. And I suspect our experience is typical: you are supposed to quarantine 5 days after exposure, then if you have no symptoms you can go out as long as you are masked. But of course it was 5 days before we found out we were exposed! (She took a test Wednesday evening). T has to go into the office, which he has been doing all week. Thankfully neither of us have symptoms. He called his boss last night and she gave him the green light to go in (masked of course).  Given the complete lack of masks and the positivity rate in our state, I suspect herd immunity is around the corner if the medical system can hold up under the strain. 

On that note, my mom decided to postpone her knee replacement surgery that was scheduled for 3 Feb. She doesn't feel good about having it done right now and I don't blame her. She's looking at late April. 

It's Jan 7 and I have done yoga 6 times. It's not getting more fun or easier, but that's just too bad. I need to keep at it if I want any progress. So I will keep taking my proverbial medicine. It's 20 (or so) minutes a day - I need to stop being a Wendy Whiner and just do it.

Food has continued to be pretty much on point and I am down 2.4 pounds this week - go me!

Take care.

covid, covid, covid

 Covid is everywhere! From my friend's toddler testing positive, my personal trainer (thank goodness I haven't seen her since before the holidays!), one of my team mates (thank goodness we're remote!), everyone seems to have 1 degree of separation away from multiple cases. It's nuts!

I am going out as little as possible and wearing an N95 face mask when I do. I have plenty of workout equipment and resources here at the house, so really no excuse. Yoga may never be my jam, but when I reach over to tie my shoes and feel how tight my legs are, I know I need it. I found a good series on Amazon Prime called "yoga therapy" with a gal names Lindsey Samper. She offers sessions for low back, neck & shoulder, stress relief, etc. I really like her a lot! That makes it easier. Once I work my way through that maybe I'll try something a bit more/ longer.

Food is okay - after the great pizza debacle the other night I am back on the straight and narrow. Lol

Take care!

The wall of "nope"

 Yesterday I hit the wall of "nope." No yoga, no fixing dinner, just no. Did what needed to be done at work and called it a day.

I'm feeling better today - I think all the work I put in last week caught up to me. I guess I needed a day.

Take care!

Back at it

 The holidays were really nice. I was off last week and was able to get a lot accomplished around the house! I packed up too small clothes and organized what does fit, as well as cleaning out drawers, organizing jewelry etc. T did the same thing, so that was good. We were both out of sorts this weekend, not at all on the same wavelength, lousy communication. All we could do was laugh about it - no one's fault - we just kept on not understanding what the other was trying to say. It was comical in a way. Yesterday his sister had a surprise birthday party for his dad. There were a lot more people there than I expected, so I wasn't very happy about that. Given covid cases right now and my mom's scheduled surgery, I don't want to take any chances!

What else? I committed to doing yoga every day this month and T agreed to ride the exercise bike 20 minutes per day. So far we have a perfect record! ;-) I'm back on Noom and I'm already back down 3 pounds - so yay!

Happy New Year!