First Donation of 2008!!!

I already had $125 in the record books for the this year's 3 Day Walk, but that was actually some of the leftover checks and donations from my 2007 donors (those who donated after I did the walk told me to go ahead and get a head start on this year's fundraising).

Today, completely unexpectedly, I received my first donation in 2008!!!!! YIPPPEEEEE!!!!!!

Thanks to Tom and Connie from church. God Bless You!!!

Happy Easter!!!!

I hope that everyone had a great Easter Holiday!

Mine was jam packed. Took Friday off from work...."slept in" until 7:00 (been waking up at 5:00, so it really was sleeping in!). Went to the gym, WW, and ran errands. Came home and took a 2hr nap!

Got in the car around 8:00 pm to head up to my parents'...only to turn around 45min later b/c I though I forgot something at home (turns out I didn't. what can I say...blonde moment!). Went to bed at midnight and got BACK UP at 4:00am and left (for real this time) at 6:00am.

Picked up my niece and we spent the day together. We had breakfast, had a "play date" with my BFs kids, and went to Grandma's house to jump on the trampoline. After I dropped her back home, I went and visited another friend of mine. Then grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading out to visit with my Aunt Tina. THEN I met up with my friend, my sister, and sister's BF for a late night snack. FINALLY got to bed around 1:00am.

Here it is, Easter Morning. After I update my blog, I have to get Easter Dinner started for the family. Then will visit my BF. Then will head back home.

Aren't holidays (and long weekends) supposed to be RELAXING?!?!?!?!

Happy Spring!!!!

Spring is a time of fresh starts.......clean slates.......rebirth. It's also a time for "cleaning house"......tossing out those old things that just clutter up your life, while brushing the dust of off some older (let valuable) treasures.

This year, I plan on doing some serious Spring Cleaning. I'm not talking about my closets; I'm talking about me. My mind, body, and spirit.

Obviously, with the body, I have already taken the first step(s). Eating better, going to the gym. I'm only about 30% of the way to where I want to be with my weight loss, but that's quite an accomplishment.

Mind and Spirit are a bit more difficult to tackle. I know that I am tired of carrying around resentment, mistrust, and insecurities (baggage from past relationships). I know that I need to stop over-analyzing EVERY SINGLE THING and driving myself INSANE. I know that I want to be able to ENJOY the relationship I'm in, rather than waiting for that next shoe to fall (more baggage!!!!).

I'm not really sure where to start with any of the above things. Guess I'll have to take it Day By Day!!!

Happy St Patty's day

Yes, I know.....a day late. Better a day late than never, right?

It's been shamefully long since I've had a post. I've been very busy since November.

I'm registered for the 2008 Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk. I will be walking at the Philadelphia event, October 17-19. I am also going to be a training walk leader. I'm hoping in doing that, I will be a little more steadfast in my own training schedule. I had spurts of motivation last year, filled in with periods of stagnation. I made it through the walk with the help of my wonderful teammate Kimm, but it was a lot harder than it should have been b/c of my slacking off in the training.

I joined Weight Watchers right after the walk have lost slightly over 30lbs to date. I recently started going to the gym for some cardio and strength training. I have been incorporating some running and inclines into my treadmill routine, as well as using the elliptical machine as part of my 3 Day training. One thing I learned last year as that the cross training (of which I did NONE) is crucial. As soon as the weather gets warmer, I will take to roller blading and bike riding on the weekends in addition to my walking.

Still seeing my "old-new" boyfriend and it's been decent. Not to say that there haven't been some "hiccups" along the way, but what relationship doesn't have them?!?!?! I'm just not sure if his anger issues with his ex are surmountable or not. Guess time will tell.

I guess that's all for now. TTY Soon!!

Time for Giving Thanks!

I have just come off of an absolutely WONDERFUL Thanksgiving weekend!!!

First of all, I had a "date type thing" with my ex. We had spent the last week, on the phone constantly. The spark and emotions where still there, at least while on the phone, so we decided to see how that carried over to a face-to-face meeting.

We had a good time. Some of the connection is still there. Where will it lead? No idea......but I'm willing to find out.

I got to meet his kids, who are absolutely adorable. They took to me pretty easily and I am proud to say that I did well with them. I was a bit nervous about spending time with a 2 and 4 yr old, but things went very smoothly. I even played Martha Stewart on Sunday by making waffles for breakfast.

He is such a great Daddy that my heart melts when I see him with his children. I didn't think it was possible, but I actually respect him. And not to toot my own horn, but I didn't do half-bad while playing "house" this weekend. "Mommy-Skills", that I didn't even know existed, kicked in.


This Thursday is my birthday and Chuck is supposed to be coming down to help me celebrate. I'm not sure what we'll do. Maybe rent a Dane Cook dvd or head down to South Street. Maybe check out the Phila Zoo. Whatever it is, it will be fun!!!

I also got to spend time with my family (adorable niece and nephew) as well as my friend Christine. My sister, friend, and god-daughter went to see Disney's Enchanted on Fri (great movie!!!) and then Christine and I went dancing Friday night.

All iin all, it was a wonderful holiday weekend and I am very thankful for every minute!

Time to play "ketchup"!!!

It has been way too long since I've posted, so this is a Catch Up Post!

I am fully recuperated from the walk. My feet still look all jacked up from the peeling (dead skin from the calluses is coming off) but I am still amazed at how well they held up for 60+ brutal miles.

Because of the constant reminders about Early Detection, I decided start doing my self-breast checks at home. And I found a lump. So I had my first official mammogram. You know what, it was not bad at all. I'm not saying I would do one every week....but the fear and anticipation was SO much worse than the actual procedure. The dr says that it is 99% likely that the lump is just a benign cyst, but I am having it removed and biopsied anyway. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!!!

I also joined WW (the week after the walk). I weighed in around (maybe even a little above) 240 lbs. This past weigh in, I had lost a total of 11 lbs (been on the program for 5 weeks). I know that it's going to be a long road, but I know I can do it. If I can walk 60 miles in the piss-poor shape that I am in, I can manage lose 100 lbs.

I had my first date in almost 3 years. My 3 Day training buddy, Marie, set me up. It wasn't a BAD date (and I know that there are some horror stories about the Blind date), it was just.......ok. The guy is very "vanilla" and I prefer some "chocolate chip mint". Since he was calling me just about every day in the week leading up to the date, and I haven't heard from him since (2 weeks ago), I'm guessing he also felt the LACK of connection. It wasn't the most successful First Date I've ever had, but it was nice to get back in the saddle. I guess that means I need to sit down and update my Match and Cupid profiles!!! I have't had much success with the online dating thing....guys just seem to back away from meeting the "big girls". But maybe this time will be the charm!!!

I received a bit of news that envoked many different emotions in me. I found out that my ex had separated from his wife (she basically picked up and left). Initially, I was dancing for glee. This was the woman who he was involved with before we got together and who he went back to after we broke up. I know his reasons for doing what he did, but the catty part of me was still happy to hear that she proved to be the "not so nice word" I pegged her to be. My 2nd emotion was sadness and concern for him. There are some people in this world that will, no matter how much time passes, always have a place in your heart. This guy is one of those. Even though I now realize that we were not meant to be together romantically, I still care for him. And I know enough about his history to know that he would take all of the responsibility for the split upon himself (and punish himself unecessarily for it). Then, a week or so after I heard about the separation, when I heard that he was being treated for suicidal thoughts, I felt very real fear. We did speak on the phone and it seems that he is doing better now.

I also got to reconnect with another face from my past. I had dated a guy some years ago who had a son. Even after we broke up, I still set aside time to visit with Leon. Then Leon's dad got into a serious relationship with somebody, so my time was cut back. I understood why it had to happen but it was still a difficult transition. This past Monday, Leon was off from school for Veteran's day. So his dad brought him to me and we spent a wonderful few hours together. We went to Chucky Cheese (spent $40 in tickets, in order to go home with $3.00 worth of prizes. The person who came up with that idea is a genius!!!!) and then the park.

It's been a busy but fulfilling time since my 3 Day experience!!!

Arrrgh!!!!

There be (cross dressing) pirates about!!!

There's realy not much else I can say!!!!