171.0 Christmas in February

It happens every Christmas. Family members will ask me what I want for Christmas and my mind goes blank. I really can't think of things that I want. But when I go out shopping for others, I see all sorts of things I want and buy them for myself. I don't know if this is a common response to all the glitz and exciting energy that I find in the stores or what, but those shopping hormones, as I call them, get sitrred up in me and Christmas can become more about me than others.

One of the things I bought myself just before Christmas this year was an Amaryllis bulb in a box. I didn't get it started until mid January and now it is gorgeous. Jeff always gets Paper Whites and Amaryllis plants mixed up and starts bemoaning the fact that the house will smell like urine. I do have to agree with him that I too respond to Paper Whites in that negaative way. But just look at that Amaryllis! It doesn't have a fragrance and is simply beautiful.

In the old days I used to bake a lot and buy a lot and eat a lot of sweets to please myself around Christmas. Now I'm going to buy an Amaryllis each year and watch it grow. It's a wonderful way to treat myself instead of using food to celebrate.

169.2 Lost and Found

Happy New Year and I hope everyone had wonderful celebrations during the holiday season.

We're back from our trip to Memphis to visit our grandsons, and I'd post some pictures but I did the unthinkable! I lost my cell phone in the Memphis Airport yesterday and those recent photos are on it. Our plane was also delayed twice yesterday so let's just say it wasn't a great day.

But in fact it turned out to be a great day. Friends picked us up at the airport, being as flexible as our flight arrival time forced them to be, and when we walked into our home and heard our phone messages, we learned that my cellphone had been found and turned into the lost and found at the airport!

So where am I going with this? All over the place :)! I found out that worse things were happening to people in the airport. As we were complaining to some folks who sat down near us about the fact I had lost my cell phone, the woman explained that she had lost her brother the day before, and that they were on their way to be with family. Suddenly I found that my cell phone wasn't so significant after all. I also found that people were honest and did the right thing. And, I found the Memphis Airport folks to be helpful and resourceful in helping me to get my phone back. It's arriving tomorrow via FedEx.

And I lost some weight over the holidays, partly due to a stomach virus that took me out for a couple of days. This was my first big holiday season being on maintenance and I was very cautious. But I also ate some very wonderful things and enjoyed the choices I made very much. I have continued to use hypnosis and just keep reminding myself of what I have accomplished and there is just no way I want to eat more than I want to maintain my weight loss. I think I have found a great way to handle food.

174.8 On Becoming Younger, Healthier, and Happier

I am having a great 68th birthday! We all went hiking this morning, even Charlee our dog got to go, and I was thinking a lot about my recent birthdays and how I couldn't have done this hike with ease a year ago, and definitely not at all 2 or 3 years ago.

I just looked up my weight on my last birthday and I've lost 32 pounds over the year. It's a lot of weight, but not a spectacular amount for a year. But most importantly, I feel so much healthier and younger and happier. From the first visits with Jennifer Scott and on the hypnosis CDs that she made for me, she always talked about those three changes occurring as I lost weight. And hiking today I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the fact that all of that has indeed become my reality. When I was first seeing Jennifer I wanted to believe her, but her approach was all new to me and the sceptic in me was alive and well. No more! She was so right and I am so grateful for her help, wisdom and encouragement along the way. Today I feel more like 55 or 60!

Now that's something to celebrate!

174.8 SURPRISE!

Alee and Scott


Tomorrow is my birthday, but yesterday was my big day! Our daughter Alee and her boyfriend Scott flew in from Boston and surprised me! I was busy in the house when our dog barked so I looked up and saw the two of them trying to make themselves invisible as they were sneaking past the front window! I didn't think I could run anymore, but I know I ran to the front door to make sure it was really them! I hadn't seen them since July and am so happy they are here. And, there are more surprises to come. For the rest of the weekend all I know are the times I need to be ready to go and what to wear! Turning 68 is promising to be a lot of fun!

I actually had another surprise this morning as I was walking with Jeff down a residential street when all of a sudden I heard a golf ball thonk within about 6" of me! Maybe I should take up golf again if people are playing so poorly that they miss the fairway by several hundred feet!:) I'd fit right in!

I did remember this morning to wonder at the scale's response to my getting on it instead of worrying about it. I will continue to approach the scale with wonder, but won't be too hard on myself as I enjoy whatever is coming my way over the next few days. The posts may dwindle or disappear, but I'll be back for sure on Tuesday or Wednesday.

And, as I celebrate my birthday I am filled with gratitude for my wonderful family. Even though Ted and Miranda aren't here, I know they have been involved in the planning and are sharing in the excitement.

177.6 One Big Gooey Delicious Mess!

Remember that really old song that has the line, "I'm beginning to see the light!"? I think I'm beginning to see the light, to see a pattern in regard to why my weight may fluctuate, especially once I lose a little. Could it be that I am celebrating with food the fact I am losing a little? Yesterday I celebrated. It wasn't what you would call a huge celebration. There was no music, no special lighting, and no big gathering of people unless you want to include all the shoppers at Costco! It was all about me. It was my idea and I think it had been simmering in the back of my mind for quite some time. You see, at our Costco, you can get an ice cream bar that is freshly dipped in warm chocolate sauce and then plunked into a big bowl of chopped peanuts and almonds for $1.50. I had seen some folks sharing one of these a couple of months ago and I hadn't forgotten their smiling faces. So when we were there yesterday I told Jeff I was going to buy one of these. He looked at me a little strangely but didn't interfere and I did it!

OMG, this has to be the best treat in the whole world. We shared it and it was really funny because it was so hot in the car it was melting faster than we could eat it. It was dripping all over us and the car. So we had to pull over and stop! We were laughing because it was hard to pass back and forth between us. It must have weighed about half a pound because it had so many nuts stuck all over it! And then, thank goodness, we were both overcome by the richness of it and threw about half, well maybe a third, of it away! But it was so delicious, I told Jeff we just might have to do that again on my birthday.

And, so today I can't blame it on the salt! If it is a pattern, I don't know how I am going to track it from all the posts in this blog, but maybe from now on, I can be aware that this might be at work in how I handle things when I do lose a pound or two. Come on, Sue, let it go until you've reached your goal. You are so close!

203.0 Happy Birthday, Jeff!

My son-in-law is a poet. I wish I were a poet. I would write a poem entitled How Life Gets In The Way! Today is Jeff's birthday and we are going out...again. I want to go out with him and I know exactly what I will order without even looking at the menu and it will all work out fine. But I make these proclamations to myself about home and healthy and then I find myself out and about. But honestly, I love my life and that we are together to celebrate his birthday so I will quit my complaining! I just realized we have celebrated 45 birthdays together! Now that's something to be very happy about.

I did face the scale this morning with some trepidation and it was barely okay, but it will go down. Today I went to my PT and, are you ready, I did the elliptical for 5 minutes and 16 seconds! How's that? She covered up the digital display so I couldn't see how long I was ellipticaling and when I finally stopped, I was really surprised, and happy, and I could hardly move! My PT told me that doing the elliptical is so much harder than the treadmill because the motion is more like running than walking. So, I was running for 5 minutes and 16 seconds??? No, but it is fun to think about.

Happy Birthday, Jeff! Let's go celebrate!