A Perfect World

What a wonderful day today. The sun is out, no clouds in the sky, and the air is so fresh.

I woke up nicely today. There was no crankiness. Odie only whined once and then he let me sleep in till 5:30.

So yesterday I took a personal day. I'm very pleased with myself. I was able to get the entire dining room and new hallway sanded and then the final touch ups of mud on. I also went shopping and bought some new clothes for my husband. Found a lot of really good deals - that made me very happy. He was down to one pair of jeans that didn't have the knees ripped out and the soles on his shoes were so thin that you could poke a hole through them. I found 6 shirts, 4 pairs of pants, shoes, and some socks. AND I earned $40 in Kohls cash, so now I can go and get something for myself :)

We also went out to Samba last night for my in-law's wedding anniversary. It was a very enjoyable experience. The place is beautifully decorated in such rich colors and they had an amazing band. Usually when there's live music it's too loud, but it was perfect and really added to the whole thing. The building used to be the Women's Club of Madison and they have quite a few plaques and pictures on the walls telling you all about it. Really nice.

I think the real cause of my insane happiness is that I got on the scale and it said 138. The reason this is so awesome is because I haven't seen that number in over a year. It's embarrassing, but I've gained a lot a weight since I met my husband 8 years ago. I used to be 110 pounds and very nicely toned. When I moved to Madison and took a desk job, all my muscle went to flub and I just couldn't find anyway to get motivated. Last year at Christmas I was 145. I bought a treadmill and used it through tax season. However the constant eating out and extra stress countered it.

On April 16 I decided that enough was enough and I was going to start living a healthier life style. Hubby and I started paying more attention to what we were putting in our mouths, and we're reading through the ingredient lists more carefully now (it's frightening how many things have high fructose corn syrup) and eating way more fresh veggies. Soda was nixed a long time ago, but I still have an addiction to coffee. That wouldn't be so bad, but I'm a wimp and need cream and sugar.

I've also been focusing on what I'm really hungry for when I get cravings, and I try and find what my body needs instead of just eating until my body says it got what it wanted. Portion control has been another big help. I kept finding articles about eating until your not hungry anymore. Not necessarily when you're full, but when you're not hungry. It took a little while to get that sensation figured out. I get teased a bit at dinner because I eat slower, but I don't get the stomach aches like I used to.

Thinking about it, the biggest motivator is fear. I don't want to end up like my mom. She was 56 when she had open heart surgery - single bypass. This was an eye opener for all of us. We (my brother and I) never knew how prevalent Heart Disease is in our family. I never put two and two together. Karl is doing very well. I think he dropped at least 50lbs and looks like he did when when I was living in Minneapolis. He also seems happier. Sometimes I think about finding a different job - one where I actually move. I love accounting and where I work, but if I can't find some way to get the exercise, I might need to.

I am pretty proud of myself. I've been able to change some of my bad habits and stick with my new ones. I've lost 7 pounds since April. I know it's slow, but it's still progress.