Happy Thursday!!

Hey Ya'll! Today's Thursday, but it's my Friday and I'm so uber excited about a four day weekend that I don't even care that you're probably rolling your eyes in disgust because you have to go to work tomorrow and I don't! Yay!! (sorry - that was a little cruel...)

So I wasn't so much of a Hitler yesterday, but I did manage to get 20 8 oz servings of water in. I was really good until after church when ice cream and chocolate cake started calling my name. Oh well. I'm still down 2 pounds. Oh yeah. See how I casually snuck that in? Down two pounds baby! 182.something or other. I'm so excited!! Who hoo!!

I've got a ton of work to do today since I'm off tomorrow, and I've already spent a lot time reading your blogs so mine's gonna be short. I'm liable to be MIA until Tuesday, but I hope you all have wonderful and safe Labor Day Weekends.

Cross your fingers, say a prayer, and wish me luck that I don't look like Ronald McDonald in my canary yellow bridesmaid dress on Saturday. (Red hair + yellow dress = big mac cravings)

If I get some good pix I'll make sure and post them soon. I hope I can really tell a difference - I haven't had a picture taken in a long time!

{{BIG HUGS!!}} I'm gonna miss you ladies!

you know the Nazis wore flare...

I was feeling yucky and pissy and ready to crawl under a rock this morning, and then I read all of ya'll's blogs and it totally lifted my spirits. So I owe ya'll a big thank-you! (and I bet my coworkers really appreciate it, too...)

I didn't rock the goals yesterday. I got my water in and stayed really low in points while at work, but once I got home I had, like 25+ worth of total junk. (chicken fingers, fries, 1/2 a biscuit and a zebra cake...) But the scale wasn't up this morning and I feel like I've dodged a bullet. I'm DETERMINED to be a WW Nazi on myself today to make sure that I don't gain the weight I deserve.

Being a WW Nazi includes (just for today)

1. Drinking at least 20 8 oz servings of water.
2. Eating only fresh foods. (ie: salad, fruit, whatever)
3. Only drinking another coke if it's an absolute emergency (I've already had one today)
4. Drinking Green Tea when I need an energy boost.
5. Not sitting around watching TV tonight. (I really should grocery shop and make the hub get a haircut after church tonight...)

I think that's it. I'm just going to be really hard on myself today and lessen up on the Hitler stuff just a little tomorrow and Friday. I have this goal of 180 before the wedding, and I'm still 184. I doubt that I can lose 4 pounds in less than 4 days, but I'm going to give it my best shot. I'm not going to take seriously extreme measures, but it's just a few days. I can't hurt my metabolism too much in 4 days, can I?

So wish me luck! I'm hoping the excessive points of last night will have some sort of Wendie effect....

Hey! I can always hope, can't I? :o)

Have a Wonderfully OP Wednesday!!

Three More Days...

Until I have a four day weekend! I can't believe I didn't realize that I was off on Friday and Monday until yesterday! I'm off on Friday to help get ready for the wedding on Saturday and then Monday because it's Labor Day. Paid Holiday - Sweet! :o)

I just hafta say Congratulations to our MMalloy! I'm still dancing around clapping my hands from excitement about her news! Yay! (I'm obviously very physical with my emotions!) Lol!

Yesterday went really well on the WW front. I only hit 20 points for some reason (my min is 25) and I have 11 points to last until 5 tonight. I don't really know how because I'm not hungry at all. After starving all of the past two weeks not feeling hungry is just weird. But I'll take it. :o) I'm going to have to be uber good this week to help make up for the rehearsal dinner (Soul Food - yum!) and wedding cake. The scale is down a little 184 & change from 186 yesterday. I know it's bloat - but it is a little frustrating. I was just seeing that 183 and then TOM comes a visitin!

Now the goals:

1. At least 12 8 oz servings of water - no check. Bummer. I just wasn't focused enough on it yesterday.
2. Mini meals throughout the day - CHECK!
3. Some sort of activity every day - CHECK!
4. At least 5 servings of fruit and veggies - CHECK!
5. At least 2 servings of dairy - no check. I've GOTTA go grocery shopping. There's no dairy in my home!!
6. No WP's during the week - CHECK!
7. Limit Coke Intake - no check - obviously less water = more diet coke for me. I think I only had 4 or 5 which isn't too bad since I wasn't monitoring them yesterday but today I'm gonna do much better than that!

So there's that. Thanks for all of your prayers! I hope I can tell you more soon - but to be honest I don't know anything FOR SURE yet myself. But either way - we're still receiving some major blessings. It's really cool to see how God works - to see things happening in your life and to KNOW that it's all Him. Gotta love that! :o)

{{Hugs!!}} Happy Tuesday! Have a Great OP day!!

it's definitely a Monday

So, today got off to a rocky start (lost keys, late to work, havoc when I stepped in the office...) and I'm off my typical routine, but it's calmed down now. I had a pretty good weekend. I didn't hit my goals, but I had all those saved WP's, so I think I'm going to come out all right. The scale's up a little, but I'm still blaming that on the looming TOM. I'm just going to stick to my goals today and the rest of the week and try to not let bloating get me discouraged.

I did have a NSV this weekend. When Mom and I went shopping Friday night I found a great dress that was a 12 petite and it fit great. I wore it Sunday and got lots of compliments. :o) yay!

There's a lot going on in our lives right now that I haven't been able to tell ya'll about, but I just gotta say that God's really working in amazing ways. I'm really excited about these things (no, I'm not pregnant! :o) ) and hopefully I'll be able to fill ya'll in soon. It's killing me to not be able to say anything, but since I have peeps that know me IRL that read my blog I can't spill the beans yet. But it's all good things, and those of you who pray please keep us in your prayers. Thanks!

I hope you all have wonderfully OP days - I'm gonna check in on all of you now!!

Fabulous Me Friday

Today went pretty well. I ended up eating 1/4 of the hub's Mexican pizza at like 9 last night, and I really shouldn't have since I wasn't hungry, but I counted points for it and now I have about 6 points to last me until 5 tonight, but I'm bound and determined to make it. I do have WP's, but the scale was back up to 184.4 this morning so I don't want to use them. I think it's up because of TOM, or maybe too much sodium late at night? Whatever it is it can't be permanent, but it's not helping my mood this morning.

The hub left for a conference this morning and I won't see him until Saturday night. It's the first night we've spent apart (aside from camp where we slept in adjacent dorms) and I miss him already. I have a lot planned to keep me busy (shopping, anniversary party, girlie movies, hair cut) because I definitely don't want to get lonely and start eating junk. I think it'll help that I won't be home much in the evenings.

I noticed this morning that a friend of mine has a picture of me on her myspace that was taken who knows when. I know it was during WW, but it's such a horrible picture and makes me look fat. I don't like it and I wish she would take it off, but I don't want to seem so shallow. I think it was about 15 pounds ago, so maybe I don't look like that now. *crosses fingers* My posture is really bad, too. I need to work on that.

So since I'm sorta down on myself I've just decided to list 5 ways that I kick ask. Prepare yourself:

1. I've lost 46 pounds while doing WW and I'm down 56 pounds from my highest.
2. I can now easily shop in the "normal" section of stores. No women's sizes for me.
3. I'm making changes in my life that are starting to stick.
4. I can sniff out a bargain like a bloodhound.
5. I'm finally embracing my curves and I am realizing that I may not be a stick but I've got a cute shape.

There. I highly encourage you all to tell me 5 ways that you kick ask in comments. We need a pick-me-up. :o)

Now for the goals:

1. No WP's during the week - CHECK!
2. Limit coke intake - CHECK! Only 3 & 1 was caffeine free!
3. 5 Servings of f/v - CHECK!
4. 2 Servings of dairy - CHECK!
5. Some sort of activity daily - CHECK!
6. At least 12 8oz servings of water - CHECK!
7. Several mini-meals throughout the day - CHECK!

Whoa - I think that's all of them and the first time that I've gotten all checks! Go me! :o) See - the gain has to be TOM I totally rocked it yesterday. :o) (apparently now I'm arrogant!)

I hope you all have wonderful OP weekends!

ya'll know you do it, too

Yesterday was another fabulous OP day in Mandy's fabulous OP week. I feel this urgent need to lose as much as possible while I'm on a roll. The scale was down .4 today - 183.4. Makes me happy. If this keeps up I just might reach 180 before the wedding. (It's next weekend - can you believe?)

I went to Wally World yesterday during lunch and decided to try on some size 12's - and guess what? They buttoned. They were waaay too tight and was a little too obscene to wear in public, but THEY BUTTONED! Without me having to lay down and sweat and pull a muscle and harm internal organs. I almost bought them, and then I realized that I would have just bought them because they were 12's, and it was part of a suit, and I could have felt compelled to buy the jacket, too, and it was going to be like $60 - and that's just too much for Bargain Barbie to handle. Besides, I'm shopping with my mom tomorrow night and I'll want to spend money then, too. So I didn't get them, but they still made me happy happy happy.

So, I have a little confession for you ladies. My dear hubby has taken to teasing me about my before size lately, and every now and then he'll say something about the size I am now. Completely joking, mind you, and since I joke about it I guess he thinks it's okay, too. Well, he never did this when I was heavier. (I just realized yesterday that at my highest I was 240) But I guess he thinks it's safe now. Anyways, he said something yesterday before church about my before size. I don't remember what it was, but it burned me. My mental image is still of that girl. So, I asked him not to say stuff like that, AGAIN, and moved on. Last night we were in bed, and he was hyper so he was trying to get me to wrestle (I don't know if this is normal, but growing up with so many brothers I learned to like to beat people up - it has nothing to do with any sexual thing whatsoever) So he was taunting me and he said something like, "Geesh - you could fit the entire ocean in that stomach" and I give him this wounded look, and he says, "Aww, I was just kidding. Obviously you couldn't fit the entire ocean in there...maybe half of it" And I know it was a stupid joke, but I was sick of it. So I let him have it. I looked at him, my face crumpled, and I cried like a baby. And I started saying "Do you think I need to lose more weight - I'm only planning on being a 12, but if you think I need to lose more I will" and other things that I knew would make him feel like crap. Now, honestly, I didn't like what he was saying, but it didn't hurt my feelings enough to cry like that. But I knew it was the ONLY way to get him to stop. All of his teasing was chipping away at my self-esteem. So, obviously he starts apologizing all over himself and felt really bad, and once I thought that it lasted long enough I told him that I forgave him and that it was okay. Then he said something like, "But the words will be there forever, won't they?" and I said, "No. When I forgive, I forget, too." So, I was the hero, the hub learned a lesson, and I slept the sleep on a baby. :o) I guarantee he won't make stupid jokes like that again.

I know it was awful of me, but it's the only thing that worked. He didn't mean what he was saying, but as a man, he had no idea what it could do to me. So there it is. I hate to say it, but I'm proud of myself. :o)

Now for the goals:

1. At least 12 8 oz servings of water - CHECK!
2. No WP's during the week - CHECK!
3. Several Mini-Meals during the day - CHECK!
4. At least 5 servings of f/v - no check - but I'll get them today!
5. At least 2 servings of dairy - CHECK!
6. Daily Activity - CHECK! (wrestling with Jeremy - not quite 30 minutes, but it was something)
7. Limit Coke Intake - CHECK! only 3 for the day

I know this is getting long, but I wanted to tell ya'll that I've been drinking green tea in the mornings. It's supposed to be great for your metabolism, and it's a great pick me up that's not coke. Since I can't drink my coffee black, I had to find an alternative when I decided to cut back on the artificial sweeteners. Green tea was the perfect choice because I can drink it straight up! :o)

I hope ya'll have wonderful OP days!!

*doing a happy dance*

Tuesday was a great OP day. It was much much easier than Monday and I even stayed OP at the meeting. Thankfully there was lots of healthy stuff to eat.

I've already written this blog once, but the server went berserk before I could post so now I'm rewriting an abbreviated version.

Here's my goals for yesterday (with 2 added):

1. no WP's during the week - CHECK!
2. at least 12 8 oz servings of water - CHECK!
3. limit coke intake - CHECK! only 3 and one was caffeine free!
4. 5 servings of fruits or veggies - CHECK!
5. 2 servings of dairy - no check - only one
6. some sort of activity daily - no check - I spent 2 hours driving and 2 hours in a meeting last night after work, so no exercise. But I didn't spend the night in front of the tv either, so that's a good thing! :o)
7. several mini-meals throughout the day - CHECK!

So, all in all I did pretty well. But here's the best bit. I stepped on the scale and it said (drum roll please) 183.8. I had to look twice because I wasn't expecting a 3 before the decimal and of course it made me uber happy. It's just what I needed to make sure I stay OP today!

So I have about 5 points to last me until 5 tonight (it's about 11 now). I'll have a 4 point lunch with a 1 point mid-afternoon snack. I think I can make it. Oh! And I've already gotten in 8 servings of water, so I'm peeing like no one's business! :o) Can I get AP's by running to the potty?

Have a Great OP Day!!

OP!!!

Last night was hard. I was starving and I only had 10 points to last the rest of the night and I thought that I was going to die. Okay, maybe not that bad. It's a little too early in the day to be that much of a drama queen. But it was bad. My personal mantra was "It's just food and you don't want it" and guess what? I stayed OP. Here's my checklist for the day:

1. at least 96oz of water - CHECK! I drank at least that much
2. limit coke intake - CHECK! Only 3 (I know that's still a lot, but it's an improvement)
3. eat mini-meals - CHECK!
4. get some sort of movement everyday - no check - but I did get in bed waay early and I needed it!
5. No WP's used during week- CHECK! - Technically I used 4 for a glass of milk to keep my stomach from eating my kidneys. But since my points renewed at 5pm I'm counting it for today's points. (does that make any sense at all?)

We're going to our denomination's regional meeting tonight and they're supposed to feed us. Hopefully I'll be able to make really good choices, but I'll just do the best that I can. My hypoglycemia is really making itself known lately so my focus today is to eat plenty of protein. I'm thinking grilled chicken salad for lunch since I only have 8 points to last until 5 tonight and I still need to get in my mini-meals. (I've already had breakfast - thank goodness!)

So there you go. Mandy is getting back to kicking ask. And the metal demon was nice this morning - back down to 184.4. I'm hoping that I can get to 180 before the wedding on September 1st, but we'll see. I'm not going to kill myself trying to get there.

I hope you all are having wonderfully OP days!

I'll definitely be checking in tomorrow because Amanda has threatened my life if I don't! Geesh - you gals sure can pack a mean punch! ;o) And that's why I love you!! {{hugs!}}

Monday's Silver Lining (if you squint you can see it)

I had a really good weekend. Notice that I didn't say I had a really good OP weekend, because I totally didn't. But the only good thing about Monday's is that they feel like fresh starts, so I'm going to refocus again (again). Obviously what I'm doing isn't working for me (motivationally speaking) so I think that I need a new program. It'll still be WW, and for now it'll still be flex, but I'm hammering out some rules for this week.

For example:

I'm going to try to focus on eating several smaller meals. I know this is a duh thing, but I haven't really done this and I want to try it.

I'm force feeding myself water like it's nobody's business. I realize that it's possible to drink too much water, but it's really not possible for me to. I do good to get in 6 servings, but I'm shooting for like 12 8 oz servings. Big difference, and water helps in ways that I don't even have to waste our time listing because we all know them.

I've read somewhere about someone setting up their WW day from 5pm to 5pm, vs just from when you wake till when you sleep. This makes you watch your points at night and encourages more points spending during the day. That would keep me from saving points for snacking all night, and I personally think that it's best to eat more while you're up and about and not when you're just sitting on your bum or sleeping. (although the hub and I have gone round and round about this)

I'm doing some major coke drinking cutting out. I drink no telling how many diet cokes, and since there's this theory that aspartame causes sugar cravings I'm giving it a shot. Besides, that means that I'll drink more water. And it's a no brainer that water is better than diet coke. I've picked a crappy day to start, though, 'cause I didn't sleep well last night and I could totally throw back some Diet SunDrop. (my pity for those of you who don't know what it is - it's like liquid crack sent from heaven) The lack of sleep is also my excuse if this blog is boring and rambly. (I don't want the cracks that all of my blogs are like that!) :o)

And I'm gonna make myself do some sort of activity. Despite my best intentions I still hate exercise like cats hate water, but I'm going to do SOMETHING on a regular basis. (even if it is 30 minutes on the elliptical from hell)

So that's what I'm thinking I'm going to do. And oh yeah, no WP's during the week. I have a HARD TIME on the weekends because I'm such a social butterfly and everyone wants some face time with Mandy (not really) and all I seem to want is some face time with chocolate cake. So I might as well save those points for that time, and maybe, just maybe, I won't use them. (ha!)

I hope everyone had a loverly weekend and I hope ya'll have a great OP day!

PS: Thanks for the comments, you guys know they keep me going. And, Randi, you really really shouldn't feel bad about kicking by butt because I was totally crusin for a bruisin! ;o)

appropriately humbled

Thanks ladies. I asked for a butt kickin and you delivered. :o) I really appreciate the comments - they've really helped. Randi's right, though. It may have been unfair of me to ask you to motivate me instead of trying to be a motivation myself. I truly apologize for being so self centered. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me...

Yesterday was better, but not totally OP. I was down this morning, though, so I can only assume that some of the gain was water weight. My lowest has been around 184, and I had gotten back up to 188, but this morning it was around 185. We're getting there.

I'm so amazed by my weight vs size. My step dad asked me last night how much I have lost and then asked how much I weigh now (he should have better manners) and he was floored. Apparently I don't look like I weigh 185. That's a good thing. My mom is a 10 and she weighs 145 - if every 10 pounds is a size then I would be a 6 a 145. It doesn't quite make sense, but either way I've decided on a size rather than a weight a long time ago. Once I get to a 12 then I'll try to stay within that weight. I hope all that garbady gook makes sense.

I went walking with mom last night on the hill by her house. She has this wonderful tree lined road that no one ever goes down because its in the back 40 and it's so shady and peaceful. That's where I always walked when I was in high school. So that's where we're walking lately because it's shaded. Well, we usually get in 3 back and forth trips before mom has to tap out (she's been telling me when she needs to quit) but yesterday the air was so hot and thick, even at 7:15 pm in the shade, that we only made 2 trips. But it was enough to get my heart rate up for about 25 minutes, so it's better than nothing. I honestly exercise outside more in the fall & winter than in the summer. It's too hot for me here. So I'm really super duper looking forward to the fall. Plus I'm in love with a houndstooth jacket I saw in my Elle and I can't even think about wearing it until at least November. Then I'll be complaining about the cold. :o)

I'm focusing on pushing the water today and it FEELS like I can handle being OP. Maybe this past week has been hormones or something. Who knows? All I know is that I'm digging myself out and I couldn't do it without ya'll! Thanks so much! I love you ladies!!

Have a Great OP Weekend!!

somebody please kick my butt!

Hullo. I've avoided ya'll like the plague this week because I have been sooo bad. Horrific. I have no gumption to have self control. It's really bad.

I know I want to lose another 10 or so pounds at least to get to size 12's, and I know that if I don't reach this goal I won't maintain, but I just totally seem to lack the will power to do it. So, will somebody please kick my butt? It's like, "come on Mandy! We're SO CLOSE to goal" but it's just not enough anymore.

Maybe it's the excessive heat, or job stress, or the fact that I'm a lazy bum who likes chocolate waay too much lately.

So, there it is. When the tough get's going apparently Mandy gets lost. Today is the beginning of my WW week and I'm DETERMINED to stay OP and drink my water/ get veggies & fruit/ exercise.

Wish me Luck!

(and seriously, please, let me have it. Having a bad day? Here's your chance to vent some of that pent up anger...)

TGIF! (not particularly original, but so totally true!)

Thanks for all of ya'll's uplifting comments. I really love you ladies!

Yesterday went really well. I stayed OP, drank all of my water, and even exercised in this excessive heat. (although mom & I did wait until 7'ish and walked in the shade...) I didn't get in my veggies and certainly not my dairy. I'm still avoiding milk like the plague because I'm still coughing up crap. Bleh. So, not a total victory, but pretty good compared to previous days.

I hopped on the scale this morning and was reward with a .2 pound loss. It was enough to encourage me, but then the urge hit me to spend some special time with my potty. I realized yesterday while reading mmalloy's blog that I hadn't "gone" in a little while, so once I was finished I weighed myself again. And I gained back that .2! What's up with that? I was frustrated until I saw how hilarious it was that I weighed again after uhh, well you know what I'm talking about. (TMI, huh?) What really cracked me up is that I knew that I would tell ya'll about it, and I'm sure that some of you have done the same exact thing. lol. Dieting makes you do crazy things.

Mmalloy also reminded me that I wanted to try the Wendie Plan. I know you're supposed to do it to get over a plateau, but I think that it'll be something a little different to get me revved up. So here's how I understand it goes. Chris, please correct me if I'm wrong!

Since I get 25 points a day -

Day 1 - 25 points
Day 2 - 32 points
Day 3 - 26 points
Day 4 - 40 points
Day 5 - 25 points
Day 6 - 32 points
Day 7 - 30 points

That uses 34 WP's I think, and I won't eat my AP's unless it's just absolutely necessary. (I never eat them anyways) I decided to start yesterday, but I might tweak it a little this first week so that my very high point day falls on a day that I'm most likely to be able to talk Jeremy into taking me to eat Mexican. I've already asked for a date this weekend, but I'll pester him into locking in today or tomorrow so I'll know how many points to eat today. A diet that's fixed around my chips and queso fix? Now that's perfect for me! :o)

Jesse didn't go to school yesterday because he was just to tuckered out, but I think he's pretty much on the mend. It was super hard to get up this morning, but I'm slowly catching up on the sleep and by the end of this weekend I hope to be caught up on sleep, laundry, dusting, vacuuming ...

Luckily it's too hot for the hub to be outside and he finally finished his most recent distance class so he'll be at my complete disposal. *evil laugh*

I've got lots of cleaning to do here at work, too, so I'm gonna go ahead and take care of a few things then come back and check in with everyone as a break. I hope ya'll have a great OP weekend - TGIF!!

square peg + round hole = never good

Oh my. It's been a crazy 48 hours!

We went to open house on Tuesday evening and Jesse, my BIL, started complaining of sharp stomach pains. His mom said that she was having them the day before and since he looked kinda nervous I honestly figured it was just gas, but we weren't there 20 minutes before he wanted to go home. So we took him home and about 30 minutes later his mom calls and says that she's taking him to the emergency room. We still thought that Jesse was laying it on a little thick because he was too nervous to switch schools but didn't want to disappoint everyone...

A couple of hours later we get a frantic phone call from his mom at the hospital saying that they're transferring him to H'ville's Woman's & Children's hospital and that they think he has E. coli. My poor in laws thought that it was untreatable for some reason and they were totally freaking out. (as would anyone if they thought their son had an incurable disease...) So long story short, Jeremy and I ended up staying up most of the night with his family in the hospital, Jesse just has some sort of weird stomach bug, we're not moving because he doesn't want to switch schools, and I'm T-totally exhausted from all of it! :o)

I still had to work yesterday because there was no one here to cover for me, but I managed to sleep a little during my lunch break, so it wasn't too horrible. And I was really disappointed that we're not going to move, but I realized that it was God's will. It was really beginning to feel like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, but unfortunately, when I really want something I keep blindly pushing forward despite all obstacles. Jesse really did lead us on, but I'm not upset at him. I really thought that this would be a good thing for all of us, but God knows better than we do - and this hit me so hard on Tuesday that there's no denying the fact that God was doing a little finger waging at me. Yet another lesson learned! There's been sooo many this year!! :o)

I WI this morning and was up 2 pounds. I really am not surprised, but I've got to find a way to get it back in control. Between being sick and getting away with eating what I wanted because I wasn't eating much, stress eating and then exhaustion eating I've not had an OP day in a couple of weeks. So I'm just trying to get back in the saddle. I just really don't want to, you know? ;o) Well, it must be done!

I hope you all have wonderful OP days! I'm gonna go see what I missed yesterday!

please excuse the vent...

Jeremy and I went looking at apartments yesterday. There's one in particular that I've always thought was really nice, so I got off work 30 minutes early so that we could tour it. I get there and we find out that there's an income limit - $31,080 gross for two people. Frustrated we moved on to the next set on the list. These were $475 a month so we figured, "Surely there's no limit on these" (that's kinda high for a 2 bedroom here in Athens) but we get there and find out that the same limit is on these apartments! Both of these apartments are less than 5 years old and are really nice, so we were disappointed, but moved on.

We found a set that doesn't have an income limit but they won't be open until mid September, and they only have one that will be available. Mid September, as in when we're going to be on vacay! We went home at this point, but I was obsessing over it so much that we went back into town to drive around and see if we couldn't find anything else. And we did. There's this gorgeous set that are brick and have to be almost brand new. They're in the townhouse style that we want and they have a pool and a cabana looking thing. We think, "Surely this place doesn't have an income limit. Why would they go to so much trouble if they were going to send people away for making too much money?" but when I called this morning I find that they are limited to the same $31,080 gross for two people. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?!?!

I think it's great that they have really nice places that the rent is based on income. I think it's fabulous, but why are they turning us away? And besides, we'd have a hard time affording $475 a month plus other bills if we didn't make more than the limit. It's not like we're rich - we just don't have kids yet and we both work two jobs!!! GAH!!

*deep breaths* I don't understand, but I'll accept. There's one more that has townhouses and doesn't limit your income. They don't have any openings right now and the landlady was rude to me yesterday, but we'll see if it's any better than the first one. The hub has said that I can pick where I want to move, which is nice since it's hard to get us both in town while the office hours are open and I'm off work. I'm tempted to rule out the rude landlady on principle, but I guess I should forgive and forget. We'll see... :o)

Okay. I feel better having gotten that out. It's going to be a little stressful in Mandyland for the next month or so, but I really feel like the benefits far outweigh the stress right now. I feel bad for the hub, though. He'll be starting seminary again in September and he'll be sharing pastor's duties with another associate pastor then, too. I'll just have to be really good at uber planning. I feel the need to make lists...

:o) Thanks for listening to all this. I did great yesterday with WW until some chocolate moosetracks found it's way to my mouth repeatedly. Stress eating anyone? It'll be okay. It's a journey and I'll have to learn to control my intake while under duress. (me? a drama queen? surely not!)

I hope ya'll have great OP days!

up in the air

We had a really good weekend. Underdog was surprisingly enjoyable, but I'm sure a lot of that enjoyment had to do with the fact that I got to hold my nephy the entire time. I haven't had him for 90 minutes in years. :o)

We've planned for my in laws to buy our house in about a year, when we got a church of our own, but due to events in their current neighborhood they might be buying it sooner. Like this week. My brother in law would have to change schools, and if he decides that he can handle that we'll be moving out. School starts on Thursday, so we'll know soon. I'm trying not to get too excited about it, but it would be awesome to live in an apartment again. For some reason we haven't really been able to function in this house. We knew it was a fixer upper when we bought it, but we had no idea that we were about to be called to the youth ministry and would no longer have tons of free time. So we fixed it up just enough that it was livable and now it feels like there is always something that we should be doing. Does that make sense? Every where we look there's a project so home doesn't feel like a safe haven after a long day. Plus, we're townies. We like to be able to run to church or to Wally World, or wherever at the drop of a hat. We don't live that far out now, but the difference is huge. So, fingers crossed. The school that Jess would go to is my alma mater, so I'm taking him to the open house tomorrow night. If he likes it then we're on. I saw today on his myspace page that he said he's probably changing schools, so maybe the chances are really good. I know I'm rambling, but you really don't know how awesome this would be for us. No huge yard, one less room to clean, the ability to have company.... it would be great.

So that's that. We're keepin it on the down low for now until we find out for sure, so ya'll are the first people I've told. Yay! :o)

On the WW front I wasn't too good this weekend. We had no groceries in the house, and I let it get a little out of hand. That's okay, I'll just reel it back in this week and try to make sure I get enough water. I haven't weighed myself, so I don't know the real damage, but I'm finally breaking my addiction to the scale. I'll WI on Thursday and hopefully it won't be a big gain.

I hope ya'll had a great weekend, too, and I hope you have a great OP day!

hip hip hooray!

It's Friday! That makes me insanely happy.

I'm finally off the drugs, and I feeling more like myself. My ear is killing me, though, and if it keeps up I'm going to have to go to the doctor. Bleah. I've been such a downer this week - sorry!

On the up side, Shopping Barbie finally did some shopping yesterday and bought a couple of tops and a pair of denim trousers. I love these pants. I can now say with confidence that I'm a size 14 because everything I tried on, no matter the brand, fit in 14's. That makes me happy, too. It's a tax free weekend here in Alabama and me and the hub are going to the JC Penny outlet store in the next town on Saturday. Imagine how shocked and excited Shopping Barbie was when her Ken suggested this trip. He's all about the dress clothes lately and he looks so cute in a tie. Awww!

My nephew is taking us to see "Underdog" this weekend, too. Should be fun times, even though I honestly think the movie looks lame. Don't get me wrong, I love me some kid's movies, but this looks blah. I could be wrong, but even if I'm not I'll get to spend some quality time with Jack.

Oh! I can't believe I almost forgot! I weighed in this morning and it was 184.2! I've finally beat 185!!! That was my second 10% - and seeing as how I'm on the brink of TOM I think that's an extra big yay! *doing happy dance in chair*

I hope everyone has a great OP weekend!!

purple haze

Warning: I'm stoned out on cold meds, so please forgive me if this one is rambly and pointless. :o) (But no worries - it'll wear off before I have to drive or operate heavy machinery)

I've been eating bad things, but not in large quantities. I haven't had an appetite, yet I still eat. I guess it's a comfort thing. I'm also drinking OJ that's 3 points a can. And I'm bloated from TOM. So when I stepped on the scale this morning it was up a little over 2 pounds from last Thursday. Yuck. It's water weight I'm sure. Water tastes blah when I'm snotty. Maybe I'll drink Crystal Light instead. I know it's technically cheating, but it's better than nothing, right?

My mom's fridge died last night, so now my refrigerator is full of non-healthy left overs and condiments. Somehow I got stuck with all the weird stuff, too. Oh well. My brother finally noticed that I've lost weight, too. He's a really big guy, and it really concerns me because he has a mechanical heart valve and common sense says that he doesn't need to be that overweight. I was hoping that once he noticed that I've lost (he's not one to compliment...) that I would be able to talk to him about WW - but I was so out of it yesterday that I didn't realize that I had my chance. Maybe it'll come up again.

My house is filled with pictures of me from before WW, and I have a hard time changing my mental image of myself. I really should take some pictures I guess, but I'm afraid it'll be discouraging somehow. Why is it that? I guess I don't really feel how far I've come because I've yet to buy many new clothes, etc. I see it on the scale, but its not registering. Besides, my weight at this age seems to be equaling a smaller size than this weight when I was younger. Does that make sense? I guess I've gained muscle since then.

Well, that's it for now. I hope ya'll have a great OP day!