Halfway
It used to be military cruise related when I would type something about halfway. But now, it’s about weight loss.
I’m now officially at my 1/2 way point! 
I’ve lost 14″ and 15 pounds. I get measured again next week, they do it monthly, so we’ll see if the inches have changed. I do feel lighter and I have more energy!
I’m so excited about the fact that this Christmas is the one that I will see the difference. 2009 is the start of a new year for me 30 pounds lighter and a lot of inches smaller! My next chapter will be a new me body wise. I’ve already started on the spirit.
One thing I have noticed is that I can sit with my legs pulled up to my chest. I never could do that before.I also can get up easier from the floor if I’m down there with Violet playing. I can carry her up the stairs and I’m not winded. She weighs about 24 or 25 pounds now! We have about 15 stairs to get up to the top level.
I recently had to buy a new coat! I just went out on Saturday and bought one. My first nice coat, it’s a pea coat, black, size petite medium. I was going to get the small, but it was too tight and well I do wear sweaters, so I need a little room. BUT, the fact that I had to get one is what blows me away. I tried on the coat that I bought last October for the trip I took with Lisa to NYC. It looked like a clown coat, which is how all my clothes fit as well. I don’t see it as it’s so gradual, but, the proof is in the fact that I dropped from a size 12 pants to a 6 and even those are getting a little loose on me. I will have to buy new stuff when we are down in Atlanta! 
Greg, Jess and Jac have been so supportive! Jac is actually kinda jealous sometimes with the food as it’s cooking, she wants it! Greg told me last week that there’s less of me to hug! *LOL* He’s so cute! Jess saw me around my bday, so when she sees me at Thanksgiving, it will be more of an impact on her than with Jac and Greg who see me daily.
It’s so weird to look in the mirror after putting on my clothes and seeing things that are smaller fitting. My mind is still trying to wrap around the inches and pounds that I’ve lost.
I’ve been eating the JC food 5 days a week, Jello and fruit as well as salads in between. Exercising on Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri. Running each day except for Wed, I’m doing the arc trainer that day. Usually the bike after running, and then abs. Takes about 1 hour or so, depending on what I’m doing that day. Totally is worth it to me!
Thank you to everyone for being so supportive with comments, I really appreciate it and I appreciate you! 
All about him.
Totally swiped from Lisanne! Thanks, it’s been a long time since I did any sort of me-me.
1. He’s sitting in front of the TV. What’s on the screen? Probably a motorcycle race or cartoons.
2. You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Italian
3. What’s one food he doesn’t like? Pickles
4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? Yuengling if not offered, Bud.
5. Where did he go to high school? In central Ohio.
6. What size shoe does he wear? 10
7. If he were to collect anything, what would it be? He used to collect “Hot Wheels” and now and then “Star Wars” things.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? BMT from Subway, no onions or pickles.
9. What would he eat every day if he could? Pizza and beer and burgers and brauts.
10. What is his favorite cereal? Capt’n Crunch
11. What would he never wear? Any sort of makeup or nail polish, thank God.
12. What is his favorite sports team? Buckeyes (college), Redskins and Steelers (pro), Braves and Pirates (pro)
13. Who will he vote for? Republican
4. Who is his best friend? I think I am. He’s got a few friends at work, but he tells me everything.
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do? Talk during movies! *LOL*
16. How many states has he lived in? Born in NC @ Cherry Point, lived in Ohio till the Navy. Virginia, NY, GA and MD. 6
17. What is his heritage? Welsh and Native American (Cherokee) but not enough to get the girls into college under a scholarship.
18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? Probably cherry pie. He’s not really into sweets.
19. Did he play sports in high school? Nope, he was a band guy.
20. What could he spend hours doing? Playing video games and probably sleeping.
Catching Up
I’m finally catching up a little!
Thank you everyone for the wonderful birthday emails, messages, comments, posts, it means a lot to me! 
Greg is the BEST husband ever! He bought me this and I love it! I ran with it on the treadmill for my 5K run on Friday, I think it needs calibration! We’re off to do that this morning. I just have to run once around the 1/4 mile track so it gets a feel for my pace and length of my stride. There’s no way in HELL that I’m running a 9 minute mile. That was a great gift and he bought me a cute fuchsia colored pouch to hold my Nano and headphones. That was something I talked to him about after getting my purse from Jess. There’s not enough pockets for everything and then the headphones get everywhere. I do wrap them up, but, this is better still! He brought me 2 bunches of flowers and I did take photos. I’m waiting patiently for the UPS man to deliver our new video cards. My current monitor is a widescreen and as my computer is 6 years old, the video card makes every photo and graphic look WIDE. Not good when you want to crop photos! I’ve been dropping them on my laptop and editing them there. PITA! So, tomorrow is my final gift. 
Jacqueline, Violet and I went to Arby’s for lunch on Thursday. I cut the regular RB sandwich in half and ate that and had one fry. I’m lucky that I can just do a taste of something. I used to just steal one chip from Greg’s plate! *LOL* I really didn’t like the Arby’s though. It’s changed a lot since we were there in June. It’s not as clean and even though it was lunchtime they weren’t really staffed for it. There wasn’t anyone at the register, just running back and forth from the drive-through and the register. We had to wait a while for our order to be taken. I totally understand lunchtime, but, if you have a busy drive-thru, have another person inside as well. There was a line of about 5 people at any given time inside, just waiting. Maybe they are under new management or something. Then, this guy hit on Jac! He said that he would give her his number if she wanted it! Oh wow…that was terribly funny. Obviously she’s in a relationship, although he didn’t know that as we’ve only been there with Vi, never with Storm as well! *LOL*
Jacqueline, Storm and Violet gave me a wonderful card that Jac made down in the craft room. She used chalk and put a faery on the front. I will scan it in and post it. And I also got some yummy goodies from Bath and Body Works via his mom, Emma. Warm Vanilla Sugar is SO yummy! Shower gel, lotion, sprays…I’m so spoiled!
Friday was a good day, Greg was home and we spent some time together both before and after my tattoo session. I actually have photos of them and of Keith as I took Jacqueline with me. They turned out great. I discussed with Keith exactly what I did and didn’t want and he drew everything on my back. During the discussion he was saying that he wanted to “finish” the rose that he did back in June. I wasn’t really sure what that meant, until he told me exactly what he was going to do. You can click here and see the photos from my latest tattoos.
Dinner on Friday night was most excellent! We went to Joe’s Crab Shack! Alisa I know through the military forum board we used to go to and everyone else I know through Greg’s work.
Photos and more of the weekend under the “more”! Read more
44
I’m 44 years old today. Funny how time flies, I was just 19! I’ve had a pretty good time being alive so far. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me.
This is me at 44, hiiiii!
Moving on
Not a lot of people know that I don’t have any sort of relationship with my mother. I wish I did, but I don’t.
After years of trying, I pretty much gave up about a month ago. I was looking forward to seeing her for Thanksgiving, seeing her with Violet whom she’s never met, but that’s not to be. I haven’t spoken to her since around Labor Day when she told me that she changed her mind AGAIN about Thanksgiving. We haven’t seen her since 2006. She stayed at our place in Alexandria for a week.
We are all going down there to spend Thanksgiving with Jessica (in Atlanta) and my brother and his family. We’ll also be seeing Greg’s sister (who is the closest thing I have to a sister) and her family as well. I’m so looking forward to it! I cannot wait for it, I haven’t seen my nephew in 10 years, although I did see my nieces in August. It would have been a chance for her to finally meet Violet, to see us all again after 2 1/2 years.
She didn’t come to Jessica’s college graduation, didn’t see Violet when she was born, didn’t come to Greg’s retirement, didn’t go to Jessica’s high school graduation. She’s always got some sort of excuse. Always.
She makes excuses for things and for people. I cannot stand that. I know that she doesn’t have tons of money, that’s not the issue, the issue is that she puts other things ahead of what should be a priority. That’s something I cannot excuse. It makes me both angry and sad that my mother just doesn’t care. I’m her only daughter. I gave her her first grandchild and my daughter gave her her first great-grandchild.
My birthday is tomorrow and I just got an email from her wishing me a happy birthday. Seriously.
To my mother: Thanks a lot for bringing me into the world and being a crappy parent. I’m glad that I can be a good parent to MY kids and a good grandma to MY grand-daughter. You lack something. That something is prioritizing things. You make excuses for actions for others and never think about looking at what you are lacking. You were never there for me. Ever. I so hoped that after I had a child you would be, but yet again I was wrong. A few yeas ago when your husband, my father, died, I thought you would change. You didn’t. You just don’t care, you have different priorities and you have different values. Never once did you hug me goodnight, tell me that you love me. You sucked as a parent and now you are sucking as a grandparent and great-grandparent. What is wrong with you, seriously, there’s something lacking. You should look inside you and see what you can change.
25 Years
Today, 25 years ago, I became a non-smoker. I started smoking when I was young, (10 years old) my friends taught me! I kept smoking until right before I turned 19. I didn’t want to be 19 and still be smoking. I was grown up at 19, or so I thought. Anyhow, I had been enrolled in a 6-week stop smoking class by my parents. I actually did the program unlike some of the others in the class. By the time I was ready, I was pretty much just sucking air out of a cigarette. So, I quit.
There have been a few times in the past 25 years that I have thought about buying a pack of cigarettes, usually under stress. I would have just smoked one, right? Haha, riiiiiiiiiiight.
It’s easier and cheaper to buy a pack of gum. I have chewed sugar-free gum as long as I can remember. Extra is what I chew now. Ever notice the way the new packaging looks like a pack of cigarettes. This cannot be a fluke. They know what they are doing. I usually have a piece of gum in my mouth at the gym, when I am watching TV and after I eat lunch and dinner.
If you go to my About Me page, you can see how many cigarettes I haven’t smoked and how much money I would have saved if I had actually saved it! *LOL* I started smoking when they were only 50¢ a pack, back in the day. Now it’s cheaper to fill up your car with one gallon than to buy a pack of cancer.
I’m actually very proud of this accomplishment. My body is too. I can now say that my lungs are at the capacity and health of a non-smoker. That actually happened at the 10 year anniversary. I cannot seriously see myself running on the treadmill at the gym and smoke. There are people that do, but doesn’t that defeat the purpose?!
I have to share that I’m really allergic to smoke now. I get an itchy throat, my nose gets all stuffy and runny and itchy, my eyes water and turn red and I COUGH. Coughing isn’t something I like to do. None of the above is.
I love being a non-smoker.
Running Girl
I guess I’m officially a runner now. I just ran the 5K loop on the treadmill at the gym this morning. I finished in 44 minutes. It’s not great, but it’s not bad considering I just started to run about a month ago. I’m very proud of myself. I think I will keep running a mile on Mondays, time doesn’t let me run that loop on that day, but once a week I’m going to run the 5K loop.
Greg’s been so supportive, he’s talking about entering into a 5K with me in the Spring. Oh wow. I know that I can finish it. I won’t be first that’s for sure and I know that I won’t be last. I’ve never done anything like that before, it’s a goal I guess. I’m going to try to get my time down a little, just so I know that I will be in the middle of the pack vs. the end!
I really liked running in high school, I was on the track team for one semester. I think I liked it, I can’t remember a lot about high school, those bad memories!*LOL*
News and more news.
I just made reservations for our car for our next trip to Atlanta. We’re leaving here on the 26th of November for four days. I made the hotel reservations last month. Thanksgiving hopefully will be at my brother’s house with his family and then we’re going to see my sis-in-law and her family over the weekend. (We is including Jess who lives there. Jacqueline and Violet are flying down with us as well!) My mom was supposedly coming to join us, but, I don’t know what’s up with that. She keeps changing her mind about things. I haven’t talked to her in a while as she’s really aggravating to me right now. Hopefully we’ll be buying the plane tickets around my birthday next month. It will be good to see my niece and nephew. I saw Rachel in August, but I haven’t seen Steve in years, just on Facebook and My Space. We talk through texts sometimes. I also want to get some good family photos of Tina (Greg’s sister) and her family with ours. We’ve never done that, so I thought it would be nifty-cool. We’re heading to the Aquarium on the Saturday after Thanksgiving with them, Violet will love that!
I went and got weighed and measured today at Jenny Craig! I’ve lost 9 pounds and 11 1/2″ in 9 weeks! I received a piece ribbon that was almost a foot long! So cool to actually see the inches like that. I’ve been running on the treadmill at least three times a week and I’m increasing both my speed and distance. I also work out on the bike some days after running and on the weight machines as well. I bought new shirts @ Target the other day in size SMALL, which is amazing since my boobs haven’t changed, just the way things fit. I also now own a pair of Levi’s 505’s. My first pair. They have NEVER fit me correctly, in my entire life. I have tried them on here and there, but, finally they fit. I hope to have this pair for a while, just fitting looser by my birthday in a few weeks. The food isn’t as expensive as it was when I first started as I get a discount and I also bought a coupon for $65 to use for 6 weeks. I get a free breakfast, lunch and dinner each time I use that and then after next week, I get even a bigger discount each week as I will be past week 10.
I sold my D40 the other day to a gal that I know through scrapbooking. I didn’t use it on my last two jobs and I haven’t used the lens at all since getting the 50mm, so I sold that as well. She’s giving it to her daughter to use. She’s taking photography classes and probably will next year at college too.
Cute Violet update: She now says Nana and finally Pap-Paw. It’s so adorable. I took out my phone the other day and recorded her saying Nana. Then, Greg came home and we were all in the kitchen when he walked in the door. I asked Violet who that was and she finally said “Pap-Paw”. He grinned from ear-to-ear and just melted. I think she’s got him around her little finger! I taped her saying that the other day and I have to make it into a ringtone. She’s definitely heading into the terrible twos, showing her stuborness every day if she can. It’s more pronounced any time she’s tired, so we take that into account. She’s eating pretty much all table food, just oatmeal at night to keep her belly full. We found some soy yogurt at the grocery store, but I cannot find a way to make a cake for her. Wendy, any clues? She’s allergic to both eggs and milk!
Jacqueline is doing well at the college courses she’s taking and just had her first test in all the classes. She’s doing well with the separation, so is Violet. Greg usually takes her to the backyard to swing and slide on Monday and Wednesday nights. He gets her so tired though! *LOL* We went and shopped today for some things and we walk around the grass while waiting for “mommmmmmmm” to get out of class. She loves walking around!
Hopefully I will be scrapbooking next Saturday for a while at the all day crop and then again on the 18th of October for CroptoberFest! I have all the photos, just have to put them with paper and scrapbook them.
I donated some things to a local women’s shelter recently and I offered to volunteer when I can. I just received a call from the gal today, I hope to be in touch with her tomorrow sometime and get a schedule pounded out. I have a lot of free time on Friday’s, so maybe once a month for a few hours. It’s a shelter for infants/toddlers as well as providing medical care. We gave away all of Violet’s little baby clothes to them along with food, diapers and wipes.
Blackberry Curve in PINK!
Friday I called Verizon and then went into the store and bought a new phone! I bought this one. It does everything I need it to do, sync with Outlook for my calendar and tasks to do, text messaging, a browser so I can use it on trips, at the store, wherever. It will be really nice at Thanksgiving when we go to Atlanta, I can check my email from anywhere, not just on my laptop.
I’ve downloaded the following to it, just in case you have one and want to add something that you don’t have.
Theme I’m using right now. I like this one as I can move around the icons to what I want on the short screen and I love Pin-Up girls, so this is it for today at least. There’s a lot of themes on there and I’ve downloaded a few already.
Google Maps Gmail Google Reader Google Google Mobile
Flickr Twitterberry Viigo Crackberry Yahoo! Go
It came with a lot of things already on it, like Facebook and AIM’s.
I signed a one year contract, I’m in a 2 year right now and purchased the phone for $239 with a $70 rebate. Can’t beat that!
They transferred all my contacts for me and then I synchronized it with Outlook so I have addresses on there too. That’s one thing that I always find myself lacking when I’m at the post office or the UPS store. I called one of my friends to get Jess’s address once, remember Cindy?! *LOL*
Shopping when it’s raining.
I’m so excited! I just ordered this: Jill.e Weatherproof Small Red Leather Camera Bag.
I just sold my 2 Crumplers so I needed something for around town. Remember when I posted that I wanted a medium one? I think I will wait for that one, a small one is fine for right now, especially when all the reviews said it’s really not that small! *LOL*
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