wow... busy busy busy.  The last two weeks have been a blur.  With preparing for Ginger's yardsale (which went very well in my opinion) to moving Ginger, to unpacking, to preparing for my birthday festivities.  I'm quite ready to get back to normal now!  :)  The move went very well.  We were able to get almost all of her stuff out in the one day we had the Uhaul (I'd say about 98% of her stuff).  It took pretty much all day and it was really frackin hot out, but we did it and afterwards took a dip in her pool and went to Johnny Carrino's for dinner which Ginger paid for as a thank you for helping her move.  Josh even came out to help which was a pleasant surprise :D  She likes her new apartment very much and the fact that she's so close to me now makes things a whole lot easier!

I start softball today.  I'm excited to begin practices and even moreso to get my shirt :D  which will have Hellkitty as my name and my number is 137 (they're making an exception for me since most of the time the numbers are only two digits :)  I can't wait for the games to start ... I believe they start next week, I'll know more when I get my schedule tonight.

I have kind of slacked on my diet these last two weeks due to the fact that everything was so hectic.  I'll be returning to that this week and have my weekly update on Saturday.  I'll also be posting on Sparkpeople again which I also neglected over the last two weeks and I'm sure my teammates are pissed at me for not participating in the challenge I signed up for... :(  I feel bad about that but I'll make it up on the next challenge!! 

Work is going very well.  I have had several conversations with both Cindy (the key accounts manager) and Sarah (my Walgreens account manager) about me taking over Walgreens full time and becomming a Key Accounts Rep.  They want me over there now and are in the works to make that happen  :D  yay salaried position!  I'm hoping it will happen in the next month.  

Ginger is absolutely fabulous :)  She's been a real trooper through all of the recent changes she's had.  I'm sure she's also eager to return to normality.    I'm so glad we found each other, we're so good for each other.  I feel very supported and loved and I'm sure she feels the same :D

Another fabulous weekend has come and gone.  On Friday night TJ, Amber, Jered, Ginger and I went to Vertical Edge and did some rock climbing.  I climbed two walls (including my favorite one :) and then Ginger showed me how to Belay.  I ended up taking the test and I can now belay officially!  I was excited and in line with learning how to drive her truck, Ginger proved again to be a competant and patient teacher :)  I'm so lucky :)  Now onto Calculus!  

On Saturday we met up with TJ, Amber and Jered to eat at Wild Wings and then to see Wall-E.  I'm in love with all Pixar flicks and this one was just as good as any of them.  I would suggest seeing it.  It kept my attention even though there was very little dialogue in the movie.  I didn't look at my watch once.  Go see it!  :)

After that Ginger and I drove to the airport to pick up Patrick and brough him back to Fayetteville.  It was good to see Kim and Patrick even though it was a little weird.  The whole trip reminded me that I don't want that sort of situation in my life.  It's complicated and just seems a little like the person who wants it more just wants to have their cake and eat it too, and I'm not about all of that.  It really made me realize that I have what I want now, exactly what I want.  :)

Everyone decided not to do anything on Saturday night so G and I just hung out at the apartment.  I couldn't sleep so I watched a bit of the birdcage and played guitar hero until 3am, and passed out :)  

On Sunday I took G around to different apartment complexes in the area so she could get information on a new apartment.  She ended up deciding to get this really frackin awesome apartment about two blocks from my complex.  It's a two bedroom two bath, garden tub in the master bath, hot tub next to the main pool (they have two pools!), English Spa (erm whatever that is lol), Lake Lynn access (which I realized was about a 10 minute walk from my complex :D, and some nifty other things.  The apartment is on the third floor and it is on the back of the building so there's a lot of privacy.  I'm excited that she was able to find this place!  I can't wait to help her move in :)  It's going to help a lot with gas and distance issues. 

We ended up going to Frankie's that night and played miniature golf with TJ, Amber, and Jered.  It was really fun lol even though I kept score (I need to keep score... it's just how it's supposed to be!)  I got three hole in ones which surprised the crap out of me because I never play that well!  After we were done with that we went inside and G and I played 12 games of air hockey.... she threw one of her patented 'Smith fits' because I ended up winning all of the games ... sorry baby!  :)  I warned her ...  and then explained that that's why no one likes to play air hockey with me lol

Such a good weekend... but every weekend is seeming to be good :)  I wonder why that is?  I guess it's because I feel right... everything seems to fall into place, and I'm in love with a wonderful, caring, intelligent, beautiful woman. 

I know I was supposed to have this up on Saturday, but I know you'll all forgive me :)



Starting Weight: 230
Current Weight: 222
Loss this week: -8 !!
Total Loss: -22
Lbs til initial Goal: 12
Lbs til final Goal: 62
Goal for next week: -2 lbs.  
 
Well ... yeah um ... my body doesn't like fat apparently when I treat it well and give it what it deserves.  Somebody I spoke to recently said that I'm losing weight too fast.  Honestly I'm not sure how this is too fast since I'm doing everything I'm supposed to.  Most days I get at least 3 fruits and veggies and trying my best to consume at least 1200 calories (some days I'm just not 1200 calorie hungry)   I also have been working out at least once and more like twice a day through walks around the lake, treadmilling it, circuit training, dancing at the club every Saturday night :), and going to the pool.

I don't think I've told everyone about it but I'm also using a free site, sparkpeople.com, to track all of my nutrition and exercise stuff.  I joined a team called the Lesbian Cafe and we're in the middle of a challenge.  Basically every day we get a challenge and we get points for our teams for completeing the goals.  It's a really good informative site very similar to Weight Watchers but without the points.  Everyone on the team is very supportive and we all strive to motivate each other when we feel we need it.  To anyone that's needing something like this I highly recommend this site.

I just found out one of my favorite coworkers, Cel, is gone :(  I'm not sure if she got fired or if she quit but she's not here anymore.  I liked her a lot, she told it like it was.  On that note she was in key accounts, she handled the Wal-Mart account.  So therefore, now that she's gone, there's an opening in key accounts... I wonder who they're going to hire... *raises hand* pick me!  pick me!  :D  Hopefully I will have a key accounts position making 6k more a year than what I do now within the next month!

I started walking and it was semi sunny out.  I noticed, as I turned the corner at one of the main entrances of the lake, that the sky was black the way I was headed, I was 20 minutes into the walk so I figured I'd just keep going.  I had a conversation with the storm that went something like this:

Storm:  I'm gonna get you.
Me: Like hell you are!   GRRRR!

At this point I picked up speed.

As I turned the corner where the first big pier walkway started almost exactly opposite where I live, I saw huge bolts of lightning and the thunder was getting louder.  It was only about 6:40 but it looked much later than that because of the darkness the thick storm clouds had produced.  They slowly moved towards me as if to say, "You'd better run..."  I was pretty sure that if I got to the farthest edge closest to the storm and it wasn't raining yet I'd be alright.  

I walked faster tonight than I have since I started walking again.  I wasn't afraid of the rain, although it would've been very unpleasant to finish my walk in drenched clothes and sopping wet shoes.  I could handle that.  I could even handle the fact that my iPod, which was snug in it's little lycra clear plastic faced arm band, was probably going to end it's life tonight in a watery death.  There was no where I could've put it to keep it safe enough from the drenching rain I fully expected to strike at any second.  What bothered me was the increasingly closer strikes of lightning that cut the sky in half with their sheer power.  

I thought, "Perhaps I should find a small but full tree and hope that it isn't supposed to meet the tree reaper tonight."  Instead though I kept walking at the same pace.  My calves were burning I was walking so fast.  If it weren't for my horrible self consciousness when I jog I would have done just that.  The only people left on the trail were the runners and bikers.  All the walkers had scurried quickly back to their cars already.  "They're smart.  Why didn't I turn around again?" I thought.  Knowing when I got first glimpse of the storm it was a shorter distance the way I had come then where I was headed.  "Ah because it taunted me.  I can't let the storm win."

 I got to the point closest to the storm and there was no rain yet.  I sighed in relief and thought, "Perhaps my theory is right.  No rain, closest point, I should be able to make it home dry."  There was a clap of loud thunder shortly after I turned the corner and all I could think was, "I'm not that lucky." I strove to push my calves to their limits as they burned in protest to my increasing speed.  Two more small hills, a pier walkway and the incline back up to the apartment complex is all that stood in my way of winning this battle.  

At last in the darkness I saw the sign in front of the walkway that lead to the apartment complex.  I could only faintly make out the painted words reading Governor's Point on the dark green sign.  I turned the corner and slowed only slightly to go up the inclined walkway back to the parking lot and then up the hill to my apartment.  I could see my car.  Huge crashes of thunder were sounding off like cannon shots only a split second after the lightning would flash.  

I hopped onto the walkway leading to my stairwell and just as I reached the first small set of stairs into the alcove I felt a drop.  One single drop of rain.  I had beaten the storm.  Like a child I thought, "HA HA!  I beat you storm! You lose!"  I could tell it was angry.  As it started pelting the ground with more and more rain.  Standing there in the alcove watching the rain fall I was proud and satisfied. 

Sorry about not posting the pics on here yesterday but I had limited time before I went to play catch and to the batting cages at Frankie's with Krista.  I posted the pics and a couple of headshots on myspace but here are the three pics I'm most proud of:


This is me in April of 2008
 

This is me yesterday!  :)


And the outfit wasn't as cute as I made out... I was more proud that I could fit into those shorts :D


yay!  :D

I fit into my size 40's again :D  yay!!  I'm down 17 lbs now after weighing myself this morning after 2 and a half weeks.  I noticed that my body does things like a man ... it sweats that way... it loses weight that way... and it bulks up when I work out.  I may just do strength training only twice a week because of that.  I don't want too much bulk!  I think I have enough already... we'll see when I get under 200 :D  which at this rate should be in about two months. 

Also I think my outift is super cute today ... I'm going to take pictures when I get home :)

Was an absolute blast!  :)  I must say weekends are getting better and better as the summer progresses... I can't wait for my birthday weekend w00t!  :D 

First off let me thank music_likemercy for a wonderful time on Friday the 4th.  I went to her house for a cookout and games and we had a blast!  C and A were there... along with G and K.  We had hot dogs and hamburgers with potato salad, cole slaw, bean salad, and these really awesome mushroom/yellow pepper stuffers.. yum!  I opted for a boca burger on my continuing effort to keep my stomache happy :)  We all played Bocce Ball, had a few laughs and then I had to leave early so I could make it back in time for the smoke free retro night at SB.  

Which was a blast... I mean honestly "West grabbing TJ by the shirt and belt to pull her off the pool table" fun :D  I was pretty trashed that night having had a kamakaze, whiskey sour and 7 beers o.O  We pretty much played pool the entire night.  Got to talk with Patti which was cool, I didn't get to talk to her much the first night I met her so it was good to learn a little more about someone :)  At one point I remember everyone trying on Wests Heeleys (yes the sneakers with the wheels in the heels) and then West fell on his ass at some point which I had been waiting to see since he got those damn things lol  TJ brought the extra batteries but forgot her camera so therefore there's no picture fun from that night :(  The next night had pictures though :)  That I will post at a later time as I need to get back to work o.O  :)

Starting Weight: 232
Current Weight: 230
Loss this week: -2
Total Loss: -14
Lbs til initial Goal: 20
Lbs til final Goal: 70
Goal for next week: -2 lbs.  

Good week this week!  Did my walking thing in the morning with strength training on Monday and Wednesday.  I've been eating really really well still and keeping things in portion sizes.  I don't remember once in the last two weeks where I was uncomfortably full.  I feel like I have taken great strides in my eating and exercising habits.

To Legends tonight.  Anyone want to come? 

Just found out we're all being let off tomorrow at 1pm!  :D  yay 3.5 day weekend!  w00t! 

 "Well maybe there's a god above but all I've ever learned from love was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya..."   ~~Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen~~