I know...I am behind!

I am doing good.  I know I have not been posting.  Frankly I have not felt I had much to post.  I hit my 75 lb goal around the first of Nov.  I have been working on maintaining that.  I needed a bit of a break from trying to lose.  I have been successful at maintaining.  I have been staying between 196 and 194 pretty much every day.
Weight watchers just did a major overhaul of their program.  Everything has changed.  I dont have the mental energy right now to learn a new program.  I know the points of foods right now.  I dont want to learn a new point value for every food.  So that being said....I have stopped going to WW so I dont have my monday weigh in there.  I am a bit irritated that it has all changed.  I frankly feel they should have an option to stay with the old program.  I dont want to buy all new point guides and cookbooks.
Today I did decide I am ready to start moving in a negative (weight) direction again.  Of course as you can imagine it is getting harder and harder to lose.  My goal is to be in the mid 180's by the end of Jan.  I think I can do that!  I am going to Minneapolis for several weeks in Jan.  My sister has gotten me a gym membership to a really nice gym there.  My plan is to go every morning after I drop her kids off at school.  I'll let you know how that works out.  I am not going until Jan 4th.
the week of Christmas is traditionally a hard week to eat healthy.  I am working every day this week (although some days I am only there 4 hours) so I am hoping it will not be too hard.  I have been really good about keeping my hands out of the crap that always is around at work.

I appreciate everyone's support and love!
Hope your holidays are going great!
Murn

much better this week

Last week I had a really hard time.  There were a lot of changes going on in my life.  I dont deal with change well.  Most of the changes I dont really want to go into on here.  ONe of the biggest changes is that I am now working in a big beautiful new Emergency Dept.  The transition went as well as any one can expect but its always hard to work in a new place.  As a nurse many times you know what you need to give good care....it was frustrating to not know where to find what you needed!  It is getting better every single day that I work.  Another thing that has been hard (yes...get ready to moan) is dealing with all the comments about my weight loss.  I am not use to being the object of attention and last week I seemed to get a lot.  I didnt deal with it well.
I am happy to say that all is calming down in my life.  I have also been told by several people (and I agree) that a few sessions with a councilor might be helpful.  I need to get my head wrapped around my new self because I need to learn to love my new me and move forward and not miss the old me.  I went to my first session today and I think it will be helpful.  I dont really want to talk about this with people....so if I have not talked about it with you....please dont ask me about it.  :)  Thanks!  It is a personal thing that I am willing to put on here that I am struggling and getting help but dont want to chat about all of my issues with everyone.  Much appreciated!

On a different note....Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I am not working!!  Woohooo!  My friend Mia is having a bunch of us nurses over to have turkey with all the fixins.  In the morning I am going to  10K Turkey Trot with my friend Holly.  I am running purely so I can eat a big ole slice of Pecan (said in my best southern voice) Pie!  MMMMMM!!!  How I love thee!

I am so thankful for so many things but mostly my family and friends.
Murn

Race Day!

Today was the Mermaid all woman's 10K race in San Francisco.  This is a race I have been training for for quite a few months now.  I had 4 friends that did the race with me including my friend Teresa (TQ) who flew in from Arizona!  You could not of asked for a better day to be running in San Francisco.  The course was along the water, which is my favorite run anyways....but doing it as a race made it even better.  I had 3 goals. 

#1 Finish

#2 Not come in last place

#3 I really wanted to do it in under 12 minute miles

I am happy to report that I accomplished all of those.  I ran it in 73 min (just barely under my goal but under none the less.)  

After the run we all went to Hannah and my favorite hang out (The Grove) for some breakfast.  It was so much fun hanging out with my girlfriends on a beautiful 70 degree Sunday morning in San Francisco!  

 Before the race.....

 After the race.....

Murn

Mind and pictures!

We have finished up our second day here at Disney!  What a fun place this is!  I was showing Cindy some older pictures of me last night.  Her here is an interesting thing I found when looking at pictures.   I  am taken back at all of my current photos.  I dont think of myself looking like this.  Likewise I dont think I ever saw myself at 271.  In my mind I have been the same all along....living somewhere in the 220-230 range.  It is a bit strange to see pics of myself now cause I really dont think they look like me.  I guess thats a good thing.  How long does it take your mind to catch up to your body?  

Cindy and I got up this morning and went to the gym again today.  I ran 4 miles on the treadmill.  Eating in Disney is a challenge.  I have not been eating veggies like I do at home and I have had potatoes every meal but I we have not been snacking and I have been making the best choices I can with the options.  I am hoping that the gym in the morning will help the scale be not terrible to me when I get home.  

Here are some pics from earlier today!

Murn

MIckey's house!

I love being at Disney...world or land.  There is something fun about being kid-like and going with the fantasy.  Cindy and I are at DisneyLand for 2 days.  Day #1 was great.  we rode tons of ride (the park is empty!) and had fun being together.  We were good girls and got up and went to the hotel gym before playing.  By the end of the day my legs were beat!  Thought you might enjoy a few pics!

Murn

out with the old!

Losing weight is great....mostly.  There has been one challenge.  Clothes!  I used to have a large selection of clothing.  I started making a pile of clothes that  would put on and have to take it back off without wearing it because it was too big.  The stack was getting really large.  I took 2 large bags of clothes down to my sister's.  She works with someone that could use my old scrubs.  For some reason I was having a really hard time letting go of my clothes though.  This ugly stack of clothes has been in my bedroom for months now....growing!  

Yesterday my friend Lance told me to finally get rid of it all.  So I did.  I bagged them all up and took them to goodwill.  Here is the bigger problem:  I dont have very many clothes that fit me!  I have been trying to shop but when under pressure its hard to find things that you love and look great on.  So if you see me in the same outfit every week....know that I am looking for something else to wear...just having trouble finding it!

I am heading to Disneyland in a few hours.  This is my first time to see Mickey in California.  I am really looking forward to relaxing and having girl time with my friend Cindy.  My friend Kim gave me an amazing new camera for my birthday.  I still dont know how to use it but I am planning on learning and taking some fun pictures!  Because of the trip I am not going to be weighing in this week but dont fret....as of this morning I was down a little bit.  

Murn

Whew! I made it.

I have been terrible about blogging.  I am not going to make any promises to get better either.  I am having a good time out living life!  :)

I went to my little sister;s house for Halloween!  I have the cutest little sister!  My parents were there as well as my brother and his little guy.  It was a great weekend.  I am very hapy to report that when I went in for my weigh in on Tues that I was 196.6.  I finally am below 200lbs!  WOOHOOO!  

Here is the amazing thing....I hit my 70lb goal, under 200 lbs goal and 75lbs goal all in one week!  Hard to believe!  Guess my body was finally ready to get out of the 200s!

Here are a few pictures from my trip!  My sister and I went for a run at La Jolla while the family placed in the wave.  

 We hiked 2 mornings.  

 This is my sweet nephew James.  We had fun carving a pumpkin together.  

 Grover Girls all natural!

Murn

Happy Halloween!

I am in So California at my little sisters with my brother and parents.  Having a great time.  I have not been into blogging so much but please dont fret...I am still on plan.  My little sister and I went running at La Jolla beach for 4 miles (I was feeling particularly slow that day) and we are about to go hiking right now.  My birthday is the week before Halloween so growing up I had the best parties!  Thought I would throw up a 80s halloween party picture for old times sake!  Happy Halloween!

Murn

Back Blogging

In Sept I ran my first real race.  I seem to not of blogged about it yet.  It was a race 2 miles up Mt Diablo and then 2 miles back down.  There were racers also doing 10 miles, 1/2 marathon, marathon and ultra marathon (not sure how far that is but it seems really crazy that anyone would run up a mountain more than 26 miles!)  I did the race with Laura and Jewell.  It was a fun morning.  I was able to run much more of it than I thought I would be able to.  I will say that there was a tarantula in the path on the way back!  Yikes!  Apparently they are out mating in Sept/Oct.  (Mental note.....never go back to Mt Diablo in the fall.)  Next race....Nov.  A 10K (6.2 miles) in SF with many of my friends.  I even have Q flying in for the weekend!

(please note that when you always see me in a pink running shirt...know that I have 3 of them.  When I ordered them it was the only color in my size and they were on sale so I bought 3.)
Murn

slacker

I have been a major blogging slacker.  There are a couple reasons....
#1 I have a friend that took an amazing safari trip to africa.  I told her that I would help edit and make a digital book for her.  Her past history of taking pictures made this seem like an easy task....til she came home with almost 3000 amazing pictures.  I have been spending most of my free time working on that and quite frankly when I wasnt working on it, I didnt want to be on the computer.
#2 I have been slacking in the weight loss area.  I messed with my birth control pills trying to avoid having a period and instead it has sent my body into unhappy land.  Bloated, constipation etc etc.  I dont recommend doing this on your own without the right type of BCP to do it with (mine were not the right kind) and of course as a nurse I thought I could do anything.

I did go back to WW after several weeks of not going.  I was 207 this morning.  My body is really loving the zone between 204 and 208.   It is also an area that I can maintain in.  But I am not happy here!  I exercised very little last week and I feel blah.  I went to the gym today and ran 4 miles in 50 min (there were a couple times of walking in there.)  I am also going to get some warmer clothes in this size.  I really only have 2 pairs of pants right now and only about 5 shirts.  I am use to having 2 closets of cute clothes to choose from so this is not working for me!

I have several things to blog so be watching for those coming this week.
Murn

Yahoo

Just a quick post.  This morning I was at an all time low on my home scale.  202.6!  YEHHHAAAA!  I will not change the thingy at the top of my blog til Mon but I am knocking back on the door of being under 200.  I have to get there before my bday (Oct 26!)
I went to SF last night to see an old friend and catch up with her and meet her very sweet hubby! I dont get to see people from my far past too often since I live so far away from everyone.   Today I am heading back to SF to go running with Hannah.  We are planning on doing my favorite run by the water with hopes of seeing the blue angels show while we run.  After we are going to get nails done and cooking a healthy dinner at Hannah's!  Should be a fantastic day!  I need it!  Pictures to follow!
Murn

3 Point dinner!

Last night I made dinner for Meg and me.  I made my veggie soup.  I think I have put the recipe on here before but its super easy....

32 Oz fat free chicken broth

veggies (I used 2 zucchini, 1 red bell pepper and 2 carrots)

2 cloves of garlic

Boil veggies in broth til tender (about 20-30 min).  Put soup in blender or use the blender that goes in the pot.  

Add 2 T light sour cream.  blend more.  

makes 4 servings at 1 point each.  

At costco I got a bag of brussel sprouts.  They are something I have learned I love.  We did not eat them as kids.  I am sure we would not of touched them.  I cut them up in quarters.  Put them in a zip lock bag with about 1-2T olive oil and a few sliced almonds.  Tonight I added Tony Casheries cajan seasoning (yes...they were so good yeasterday I am cooking more right now!)

I then baked them for about 25 min at 450 degrees.

Delicious!

Enjoy!

I did go to the gym with Jewell tonight.  Did 2 pathetic miles on the treadmill mostly running.  I am still hurting from my 5 mile run yesterday.  I then got back in the pool after not swimming in a while.  I did my 1/2 mile.

Murn

sucess

ok....did great today staying on the plan.  Meg and I planned on going running.  She came over and as usual made me do more than I had planned.  I had wanted to run 4 miles.  We walked 1 mile and ran about 5.  I felt pretty good running today.  When we got back to my place...she pulled out a pilates tape.  WTF???  I just ran 5 miles!  So on the mats we went.  I am sorry to tell you that we ended up laughing through a large part of it.  Let me give you background on Meg.  She is not a runner.  She rarely goes for runs.  there is nothing more annoying then someone who is not a runner who is kicking your ass in speed!  Oh well.  Good thing I adore her!
I made all the food for the week including my soups and salads.  I bought a new thing at costco and liked it quite a lot.....its called an apple pear.  It is a cross between the 2 fruits.  Try it.  you might find you like them too!  Also....pre cut up butternut squash is back at costco.  Oh how I miss that when its not in season.

Hope you had a great day!
Murn

Whew! I have a plan.

Well I am happy to say this last week has come and gone.  I successfully planned and carried out all but one of the new Emergency Dept orientations.  I worked 76 hours (thank goodness for getting to go hoem one night early!!!) and most importantly it is OVER!
It was a stressful week.  What was stressful was the last minute way I had to do so much of it.  I am a bit OCD on planning.  I was not in control of a lot of this...so it all had to come together at the last minute which is not how I like to work.  Something had to give this week.  Sadly it was me.  I have reflected about it this weekend and am putting me back on the list....after all I said this year is about me!  So starting tomorrow I am back to eating healthy.  I am back to exercising.  period!
Tonight I sat down to map out my plan.  I planned what I am going to journal this week.  I am not going to go out to eat this week.  I have been doing that too much and I need a week without it.  I am not sure how much my weight is up but I think its not good!  I can only go forward.
Today when I started planning what I am going to eat this week it was a bit eye opening.  I stopped journaling about in June.  My weight loss slowed significantly since then.  When I actually sat down today to figure out what I can eat for 27 points it made me realize i was eating more than my points!  Guess thats why I have been only very slowly losing weight!

Here is what I am going to eat this week:

Breakfast: (4)

Oatmeal Pack-3

Fruit-1

Lunch (9)

Lean cuisine-6

Spinach-0

Salad veggies-0

Dressing-2

Goat Cheese-1

Dinner (6)

Chicken-3

Veggies-0

Smart Balance light 1T- 1

BBQ sauce- 1

Soup-1

Snacks (8)

Light Cheese Stick-1

Greek Yogurt- 3

Honey-1

Fruit-1

Popsickle-1

Weight watcher Bar-1

Mapping this out makes me realize how I have been overeating. I guess thats why journaling is so important.  Makes you really count what you are eating.  

I am also exercising.  This week I am going to really hit it hard.  I need to have a big loss this week.  Here is my work schedule and my exercise plan:

Monday: meeting in morning, Run 4 miles

Tues: meetings 7:30am-4pm  Gym: Run 3 miles on treadmill, swim 1/2 mile

Wed: work 7am-7pm  Walk 4 miles

Thurs: Work 11am-11am off exercise

Friday: Work 11am-11pm  Run 3 miles before work

Sat: Off work!!  Bike 20 miles and run 2 miles

Sunday:  Off work!!  Run 4 miles

I am hoping by writing it here I will be accountable for my exercising.  I am also ok with changing what I end up doing as long as it is about the same amount.  This is what I want.  This is important to me.  I will keep you updated.  I am actually looking forward to getting back on track.

Back to it being my turn!

Murn

I'm still here

I am still here.  I know my posts have been slim lately.  I am working like a crazy woman (I think I am working over 60 hours this week....and thats a lot for me!)  I have not been dealing with the stress well.  I have been eating crap and not moving like I should.  I can not weigh in at WW this week due to work schedule but I am up.  I got on the scale this morning and it was ugly.  Even a bigger deal is how crappy I have been feeling.  So...at 6 am I got my bootie out of bed and went for a run before work.  It was a SLOW run.  It was a painful run.....but it was a run.  I have not been out on a run in a week.  How quickly the body reverts back to old habits.  I dont like feeling like gut rot so I am determined to make good choices today.

Hope you are doing better than me on your plan!
Murn

Learn from my mistake!

I have a sad story.  My computer all of a sudden crashed this last week.  No problem you think.....your computer was backed up right?  Well yes!  It was backed up.....April 2009.  :(

I have it back up and running with more memory and speed.  I am still working on getting my music on it and also I am going to call itunes with hope that they will take mercy on me and at least give me a list of the songs I have downloaded in the last 18 months.  I have even heard a rumor that they will let you have your music back one time.  (I will report back when I find out!)

In the midst of all this I also had my oven/stove go out.  My car is still not fixed from when I was hit.  The chick that hit me wont call back the insurance company!  I didn't know that was an option!!!  4 weeks and no call!!!  GERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The Emergency Dept that I work is is moving into a brand new three times as huge new beautiful ED.  I am in charge of all the in-services related to this.  The person that is in charge of in servicing me on all the new equipment is not quite as organized or on top of things as I would like her to be which is making me look disorganized....which is driving me crazy!  All of these things are really starting to get to me.

Yesterday was when it all hit me.  I was on my way home from work....where I was for 11 hours on my day off trying to get things together.  My old habits were kicking in my head.  I really wanted to go to taco bell and binge!  I could think of all kinds of yummy cheesy goodness.  Instead I did go home.  When I got home I put on my running shoes and off I went.  I think I had the best run of my life.  I felt fast, light and free!  I only ran 4 miles because it was dark but man did it feel good!  When I got home, I was in such a better mood!  Those problems seemed manageable.  When I finally crawled into bed I realized I forgot to eat dinner!

I will be better about blogging in the next week.  Promise!  but dont expect to see any pictures from the last 18 months.  I cant....those are gone!  :(
Murn

Football, Family, Home, Love and Lean on Me!

 I saw this on a friends Facebook post.  I posted it on my facebook page too so I am sorry if you are my friend and have already seen it.  I love this video.  I am not sure if I can explain why I love it so much but here is my attempt at it:

Football represents home to me.

A group of people all cheering together....with the same feeling of hope.

A group of people all who all love the same thing.  

In my case its a group all loving the Auburn Tigers.

Its a group gathering on a street corner to roll a tree, screaming cheers and love it!

Happiness is teaching the traditions to the next generation and watching them love it too.

It is senseless, but it makes sense to us...and we look forward to it.

I love Auburn. 

Auburn is home.

Auburn will always be home.

Home is comfort.

Home is peaceful, easy and feeling like you belong just how you are.

Home is family.

Family is more than blood.

Family is tradition.

Football is tradition.

Families can look very different.

Family are those that love you even when you are ugly.

Family are those that reach out when you want to be reached to the very least.

Family is who you can lean on.

I have a family that I think of in Auburn that I was born into.

I love them.

I have a California family too.

I do not share blood with most of my California family.

I love them too.

I lean on both.  

Both love me.

Without my family I could not be all that I am.

Without family I could not of succeeded in my weight loss journey.

I hope sometimes they can lean on me like I lean on them.

Home is love.

Family is unconditional love.

I feel very loved.

We can all use more love and family in our corner cheering for us.  

I have an amazing family around me.

I am not sure I explained it well but I love football and family.  Both are very close in meaning for me.  Seems crazy I know but it makes me happy and makes sense in my head.  Lean on me!  Its what Families do!

Murn (I just couldn't sign in my normal red color when I have a post about Auburn.  Seemed sac-religious!  War Eagle!)

Final Stretch!

I have been doing a lot of posts that have not had much to do with weight loss lately. Please dont think that I have stopped working on me but I am enjoying life along the way!  I certainly am still chugging along.  Today I lost 2lbs at WW.  I am happy with that.  I am in the final stretch trying to get under 200lbs.  I am not really sure why getting under 200 is such a big deal to me but it is!  4 lbs to go!!!  I am so close I can practically taste it.

Something I am still struggling with is what to say when someone tells me I am looking good.  I still see myself as a fat fat person so its hard to hear that I am looking good.  I am not sure when I will start to see myself not as huge!  I have been wearing clothes that fit me much better than I have in the process so of course people are noticing it more.  I almost get embarrassed when people mention it.  I really dont know what to reply when someone says "you are melting away."  #1....its certainly not melting....I am working hard for every ounce of me that is leaving and #2 its not happening that fast anymore.    I am proud of what I have lost so far but I really do think I have a lot more to go so mentioning it in the mean time is a waste.  Sigh.  I guess this is a good problem.  Any one able to tell me when I will start to see myself as someone worthy of the nice comments?

On a happier note....I am close to crossing all of my goals off on my side bar.  I need to come up with some new ones!  Any suggestions?  I am going to work on thinking up some new ones over the next few days so keep an eye on that!

Thanks for all the support from everyone!  It takes a village to help me lose weight!

Meg and I went to the movies.  I hate making posts without pictures so here we are at the movie "The Switch."  It was a cute romantic comedy that was predictable but enjoyable in the way I love my chick flicks!

Murn

Chicago and Oprah!

One of my best friends Jewell is an Oprah fan with me.  We have been watching the Oprah web site for it to be open for tickets for over a year now.  My friend Lance teases me about my Oprah obsession.  My DVR is almost always 100% full but the one show I do make sure I stay up on is Oprah.  So when 2 weeks ago Jewell called me at work to tell me the window was open to get tickets I was swamped at work so I could not apply but I told her to win us tickets.  I never thought about it again.  The next day Jewell called me extatic that she got the email that she got tickets!!!!!!!!!  The big catch was it was less than 1 week away!  Graciously she gave me one ticket and told me my sister could come too.  I was going to be coming from Alabama where I was planning on being on vacation with my family that week.  Sarah (preg with twins) and I flew up and spent one night.  Jewell flew in on the redeye flight from SFO and joined us the morning before the show.  My sister then flew home after the show and Jewell and I stayed and explored Chicago for a night then we both flew home the next morning.  I decided I was going to enjoy the trip and for the 2 days I was in Chicago I was going to not stress about food and eat when I wanted.  The plan was when I got back to Alabama I was back on plan.  I am happy to say I did exactly that.  

Sarah and I were starving when we got to Chicago and found this Chicago deep dish pizzaria on the walk from the train to our hotel.  The pizza was so very yummy!

This is all of us the morning before going to see Oprah.  

I am very sad to tell you that the topic of the Oprah show was terrible!  I watch about 99% of her shows but this is one that I woudl see the intro to and then delete it.  Oh well it was still a fun experience.  We didnt know the topic of the show until Oprah came out and turned to the camera and started the show.  We did have a clue that is was going to be a depressing topic because she came out with her shoes in her hands.  Her sad shows usually start with her just starting by looking at the camera.  Her happy shows start with her walking out with a screaming audience.  After the tapping Oprah talked to the audience for about 45 min.  Even with the terrible topic it was still a wonderful day and I am happy to be able to check it off my bucket list!

After the show we did a photo opt with the sign.  

In the Oprah store is her chair that she used for many season.  I took a seat!

Jewell and I checked out Michigan Ave and shopped a bit.  

Another thing on my bucket list is to go to Art Smith's restaurant Table 52.  I have seen it on the Food network as well as Art Smith being Oprah's chef for many years.  We were able to get reservations so Jewell and I headed there for dinner.  

The food at Table 52 was so scrumptious!  I had pistachio encrusted Chicken with a chile sauce on it.  Jewell and I shared a side of Mac and cheese.  The Mac and cheese was so good!!!!  You can see me here holding it before we dug in!

Before the meal started they brought us out this Goat cheese and herb biscuit.  OMG!  I could of eaten a whole meal of those and the mac and cheese.  You certainly can tell Art Smith is a southern boy!  Here is the buscuit.  (and YES!  we took pictures of our foods!)

Chef Smith was very visible the night we were there.  He was all over the dinning room, clearing plates, bringing out dishes.....doing whatever needed to be done.  I have to say this makes me like him even more!  I locked eyes with him at one point and gave him my best southern smile so he came over to our table and talked with us for a while.   He even asked if we wanted a picture!  Well of course we do!!!

For desert we had Apple Beignets.  Delicious!!!

It was a fantastic trip to Chicago.  I must say that I now want to go for a much longer trip and soak up more of Chicago!  Thanks jewell and sarah for helping to make it great with so many memories!
Murn

Poor Maggie

The night before I went out of town my car (Maggie May Ling....yes I name my cars.  My Volvo was Ulga!)  Poor Maggie has a huge dent in her right front bumper.  I could not really do more than contact the insurance companies since I was out of town but now I am back I really want to get her in and fixed.  The people that hit me will not call their insurance company back to make their statement therefor it is holding up getting my car fixed!  There was a witness of the whole incident and I think she works at Red Robin by the mall so I am in hunt of this woman to get a statement from her!  I made my friend Cindy go to red Robin after work with me to look for this woman.  Luckily before we went, I looked on the Red Robbin website to get nutritional facts.  Am I ever glad I did!  There are HUGE differences in several of the dishes and a few condiments made a HUGE difference in the healthy or unhealthiness of the foods.  When I have to look at the nutritional facts it makes it impossible to choose a meal that is 62 grams in fat.  Not knowing....its not so hard to eat that!  Anyways.....the conversation was great with Cindy.  I had a grilled chicken sandwich with a slice of swiss on it and a side salad with balsalmic vinegrette.  It was a total of 19 points but that was way better than anything else I could find!  Sadly I did not see the witness that I need to get a statement from but I think I confirmed that she works there so looks like I will be going back this weekend!  Anyone want to go with me?
After the dinner I was feeling pretty good and I had planned on going to the gym so I managed to follow through with that.  I thought I was only going to run 3 miles but somehow I managed to run more.  I kept setting a new goal and when I got to that goal I was like...."I can do a little bit more."  I ended up running (with a couple of walking breaks) for 1 hour for a total of 4.7 miles.  I get so frekin bored on the treadmill so its impressive to me I could stay on the dang thing for an hour.
When I got home I weighed myself.  I was 205.6.  When I went to WW in Auburn I was 206.0.  When I got home from my trip I was up to 209.4 but I was also PMS and knew I was retaining water.  Feels good to be back down where I was.  I didnt weigh in this week because WW was closed on Mon for labor day.  I will weigh in on this Monday.  I am really putting a big push on myself to get under 200 soon!  I have been in the low 200s long enough!
Murn

lot to say!

I have lots I want to write about but since I have been home I have been a working woman!  I did ok (not great...not terrible) on my vacation staying on my plan.  I had a fabulous time in chicago and in Alabama.  I took many pictures and will fill you into all the details soon!  In the mean time my Auburn Tigers play tomorrow (thurs) so please cheer them on!  

This picture was taken right before we went to the game on Sat.  I love southern football!  There is nothing quite like it!  I hope you had a great labor day weekend!  I sure did!

Murn!

staying on track

I am hell bound and determined to not gain terrible amounts of weight on this vacation to the south.  This morning I made a quick trip to Wal Mart to make sure I had good choices to go with what my mom had prepared for lunch.  I did my okra (which I think I am the only that liked it....fine...more for me!) and ate a lot of salad.  Tonight when the homemade ice cream machine came out I went back to the store to get a watermelon.  

This afternoon I wanted to move.  Sadly it was raining but we (me and the kids) needed to not be cooped in the house anymore.  We went on a drive with my dad which ended at the coliseum on campus where we could walk.  Small problem is kids are not really into exercise!  They goofed around a bit but were quickly ready to go.  We went on a short walk around the stadium but that was all they seemed to have in them.  I needed more.  

Tonight after dinner my mom and I went on a nice walk.  I dont know how far we went (she seems to think it was very far....I think in reality it was probably 5ish miles.)  We walked at a good pace and I am feeling good that I got my movement in for the day.  

I am a bit nervous about weighing in tomorrow.  #1 I dont have my home scale so I have no idea where I am.  I dont like surprises....ESP on the scale!  By weighing in every morning at home I always know where I am and what my weigh in is going to look like.  #2 I know there is variation scale to scale.  I dont care that WW says they calibrate them.  I still think there is some variation....which is why I always weigh in on the same one at WW.  I'll keep you posted. 

Went to church this morning with the family.  Lightning didnt strike (at least not me at church) and it made my parents happy.  Here is a pic with niece and nephews!  Love these guys!

Murn

home sweet rainy home

I am home!  The flight home was uneventful (the best kind.)  I woke up this morning feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed so I got all dressed to go for a run.  Downstairs I went only to discover it was raining.  Arg!  It didnt even occur to this now california girl that it might be raining!  I ended up going on a short bike ride then headed to walmart (because thats what you do when you are bored in alabama) and got some veggies to add to meals my mom is making.  I am going to try to exercise again later today...maybe I can find my parents gym or maybe the rain will stop!
Murn

Headin Home!

I know there are the southern stereotypes.  People throw a southern accent on with bad grammar when they are trying to imitate stupid people.  I get it.  But I dont agree with it.  I am heading home to Alabama tomorrow and I could not be more excited.  I have not been home to my hometown (I went to the coast in April) of Auburn since Thanksgiving and that is too long.  My older sister is going to be there with her 3 kids (and 2 more in her tummy!!) as well as my parents.  I cant wait to get on the Delta flight out of San Francisco and start hearing those southern accents fly!  That is the sweet sound of home to me!  I love southern people and their kindness and hospitality!  I love southern food!  I love how green everything is in Alabama!  I love cooking with my mom and fishin with my dad.  There is truely no place like home!

A week from Sat I am going to be walking into Jordan Hare (pronounced Jurdan) Stadium with 86,000 other fans to cheer on my Auburn Tigers!  WAR EAGLE!!!

I hope to fit some exercise in and some good southern food.  I will hit the ground hard when I get back but will enjoy it while I am there.  Oh yeah, and in the middle of that week I get to fly to Chicago to see Oprah!  I am not sure if life can get any better!  I hope you are have a great week planned ahead of you too!  

Murn