Archives for November 2009

Week 152 Check-in: November 30, 2009

Starting Weight: Jan 1, 2007 – 278 lbs
Previous Week’s Weight: November 23, 2009 – 172

Current Weight: November 3o, 2009 – 175.4 lbs (holiday weight – boo!)

Week 152 Weight Loss:  +3.4 lbs

Total Weight Loss: 102.6 lbs

Exercise Report:
Cardio x 3
Abs x 2

Food Report:
Well, I suppose that I did splurge a bit over Thanksgiving. Nothing to crazy tho and I suspect some of the weight I am seeing is from sodium. (ham)

Notes:

  • Had spent Thanksgiving with sisters and nephews – had the full TDay meal! πŸ˜‰
  • We are into week 1 of the Holiday Challenge.  Feel free to  join us at any time.
  • My main plan for the holiday challenge now that I am settled in for a bit is to stay within calories and not even after 9PM

38 to 40: I Grew Up In A VERY Small Town

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Just in case you think I am exaggerating…

ferryville-sign

I grew up knowing the meaning of small town living for sure! My childhood was something right out of Huck Finn, complete with the mighty Mississippi. Here’s the view from our house. (This is literally across the one road.)

river-across-from-houseYes! The Mississippi River really IS that big! Across the river what you see would be Iowa!

Here is the house I grew up in, now converted to the Mississippi Humble Bush Bed & Breakfast. (No longer owned by my family)

ferryvillehouse

The small town of Ferryville is located between Prairie du Chein and La Crosse, WI. It consisted of the river, the railroad tracks, one road with homes on both sides and the bluffs behind the houses. Ah…what trouble could a little girl get into on her own here on a hot summers day!

As a child, small town life was great! I had so much freedom in this little town.  A typical summer day would have me out of the house with bare feet on my bike pedals…pigtails flying. My little world was my oyster! I’d head down to the river to my own private little beach for fishing or floating on an inner tube. (In the winter I would ice skate.)

Pics of my sisters and me fishing with our dad – for fun! πŸ˜‰

fishing

I would go for long walks along the railroad tracks…

rr-tracks

It was here that I learned to dream…to have a bigger vision.  I would climb the hills to the top and sit for hours, looking across the river. I can remember thinking about everything else that was out beyond what I could see. I was a dreamer and a traveler even at that young age.  I don’t get back to my home town often any more. Here is the most recent picture taken last year when I did go back for my Grandmother’s funeral.

pbyriver

As I grew older I became more restless and my surroundings lost their charm for me. I wanted to be closer to friends and activities. I wanted to explore a bit more! I did go to a boarding school for one semester of High School…more on that later! As an adult, my nanny career allowed me the opportunity to live on both coasts of the U.S. (CT/NY and CA) I’ve explored Europe and a few other places. I have discovered that I do LOVE to travel! I always DO seem to end up living by the water, whether it is the Ocean or the beautiful Lake Michigan where I currently reside.

Each time I return to Ferryville as an adult, I find a little stirring in my heart for this little town. I recognize the quietness as a blessing and a shelter of sorts. I know that this environment did play a part in shaping who I am today and for that I am thankful.

Things I Learned from Living in a Small Town:

  • I learned to love nature and being outside (would I ever be able to NOT live near water?)
  • I learned to be creative
  • I learned that people are basically good and trustworthy
  • I learned the value of spending time with my family
  • I learned that my siblings were my most fun friends
  • I learned how to be a young entrepreneur
  • I learned that I liked being by myself
  • I learned to dream…I learned to take risks!

I grew up in a small town and I would not have had it any other way! πŸ˜‰


DAY 7 Dec. 1 Check In Available in the Forum

holiday-challenge-day07

Day 7 Holiday Challenge thread is available for check-in in the forum here.

I will be posting my day accountability/goals in the AM for each day but I will prep and put up each day, 1 day early for those of you that would rather post your goals for the next day in the evening (and for our friends in exotic time zones) πŸ˜‰

Feel free to comment here as well, but I would love to get Holiday Challenge discussion going in the forum! Thanks!

Go Team!

P.S. Need info about the challenge? Go here!

39 to 40: This is My Family

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This is my family:

family

I love this family picture despite the fact that I (bottom: second from right) was only partially through my weight loss at the time this photo was taken. (Oh don’t we love to have our pictures taken when we are uncomfortable in our bodies?!)

We’ve been told there is a lot of family resemblance so I’m sure you can pick out my parents, 3 sisters, 1 brother, 2 brother-in-laws, a sister-in-law and 3 nephews.

I guess you would call us a rather traditional family in that my parents have been married (they were high school sweethearts) for 42 years and we’ve never known anything other than stability when it came to their marriage. For sure, I do not mean in any way to imply this is the model for American families today – only that I feel very blessed that my parents have been together for so long.

My genealogy: From my father’s side, my family history is English and French. My mother’s family on both sides are German.

My Parents: There is SO much to say about my parents, some of which will come up in later posts for sure. As I write this I am living in their house (MI) while they travel for the winter in their motor home. A retirement dream that has come early due to an accident 4 years ago. (They were hit by a drunk driver while on my Dad’s Harley) In this post, I will just say that I could not appreciate them more than I do today. Just the other day, my sisters and I were discussing how different the outcome could have been 4 years ago and how blessed we are that we still have them in our lives. They have raised us well and they have taught us so much about love, values and the importance of family.

My Sisters: Ah…what can I say about having sisters? If you have one or several, you can probably relate to what I will say here. (I hope that you can!) I cannot imagine my life without my sisters. They are among my best friends, my greatest allies, my wise counselors, my mentors and sometimes my partners in (non-harmful) crime! πŸ˜‰ (as is my brother by the way) I love my sisters! The love and loyalty I feel for each one of them is almost indescribable. They have been there for me through good and bad. For sure there have been fights and arguments over the years – don’t get me wrong, but at the end of the day, they are always who I turn to when I need an ear, advice or someone to be silly with.

sibs1

My Brother: My relationship with my brother was different for many years. How I feel for him now when I think of what it must have been like to grow up with a houseful of girls. I also cringe when I think of how excluded he probably felt at times. He and my youngest sister came along when we three older girls were old enough to help in taking care of them and we did! They were so cute and we were so proud of them. As adults, my brother and I have grown close and I’m so happy to say that I feel the same closeness with him as I do with my sisters. I had never thought of what it would be like when he got married and brought another “sister” into our crazy mix. Amanda grew up with 2 brothers and no sisters…imagine inheriting us! LOL She says that she never imagined that she would be so blessed to have a bunch of crazy sisters! We love her – she is now our baby sis!

On Being the Oldest: Reading about birth order is so interesting to me. I definitely fit the role of the first born in that I am enterprising, ambitious, logical and have been known to be a bit of a perfectionist. (I am working on this as I think it can weigh one down!) In my younger days, I held the role of class president for 2 different years and I cannot imagine being without my entrepreneurial spirit. 10 years separate myself and youngest sister, Janell. Recently I had the chance for the first time in our adult life (When I went away to college, she was only eight) to live near her and really get to know her as the successful adult woman that she is today. (as well as experience the planning and wonderful event of her wedding) Just for fun…a pic of me with my “baby” sis that I LOVE!

p-and-j-clown

My Thoughts on Having My Own Family: This is one of those thoughts that a 39 year old soon to be 40 “could” be slightly anxious about. πŸ˜‰ I’m not. Not to say that I’ve not had my moments. I will discuss my singleness in another post, but for the most part I am OK with this today. I feel confident that God does have a husband for me and I pray for my future mate and that God would continue to shape me into the woman that He has created me to be. I will also discuss my 12+ career as a nanny. I do love children and I’m actually thankful that I am not a woman that has the yearning to have her own children. (point #2 of potential anxiousness at turning 40) Perhaps there is a reason why I helped to raise so many great children over the years. I am open to what the wish of my future husband might be in the area of raising children and am not opposed to adoption if my age were to become a factor.

I hope from this post you can tell just how much I love my family! They are the ones that have always been there for me and they are there for me today. One of my favorite family pics from years ago…overlooking the mighty Mississippi River in the small town where I grew up: (I am second from left)

family-older

Tell Me About Your Family: One of my reasons for doing the 40 to 40 series is that I want to get to know you all better also! Yay! Please take a moment to follow this link to the forum and let me know about your family! This is your chance to totally brag about your wonderful kids! (Do be sure that you’ve registered via the link at the top right of the forum – you need to do this in order to post) I can’t wait to hear from you!


DAY 6 Nov. 30 Check In Available in the Forum

holiday-challenge-day06

Day 6 Holiday Challenge thread is available for check-in in the forum here.

I will be posting my day accountability/goals in the AM for each day but I will prep and put up each day, 1 day early for those of you that would rather post your goals for the next day in the evening (and for our friends in exotic time zones) πŸ˜‰

Feel free to comment here as well, but I would love to get Holiday Challenge discussion going in the forum! Thanks!

Go Team!

P.S. Need info about the challenge? Go here!

DAY 5 Nov. 29 Check In Available in the Forum

holiday-challenge-day05

Day 5 Holiday Challenge thread is available for check-in in the forum here.

I will be posting my day accountability/goals in the AM for each day but I will prep and put up each day, 1 day early for those of you that would rather post your goals for the next day in the evening (and for our friends in exotic time zones) πŸ˜‰

Feel free to comment here as well, but I would love to get Holiday Challenge discussion going in the forum! Thanks!

Go Team!

P.S. Need info about the challenge? Go here!


40 to 40: I’m Turning 40 in 40 Days!

40-to-40-bannerI’m turning 40 in 40 days…

Yay! Wow! Gulp! Hmmmm…

I started this weight loss journey (and blog) back in 2007 just as I was turning 37.  So much of the motivation to change the path I was on at that time came from looking ahead into the future as the day of turning forty loomed closer.

What does being 40 mean to me as January 7, 2010…my 40th birthday draws near?

This post is the beginning of a series titled 40 to 40.

My reasons for creating 40 to 40 are as follows:

  • I’ve been slacking at keeping the personal journal section of my blog up-to-date. This series is all about getting personal!
  • I have so many new wonderful friends in this great virtual world and I want you to know me better!
  • I want to know YOU better! I plan to use these 40 days/topics to also find out more about you. Please do check in as I hope to use these posts as discussion topics in the forum!

I intend to share the things that are most important to me, life lessons I’ve learned thus far, little known facts and more bits and pieces that have made me who I am over these past 40 years! I hope you will also get ready to share more of who you are with me and others here at Celebrate Weight Loss!

P.S. I’m “mostly” feeling just fine about turning 40! πŸ˜‰



DAY 4 Nov. 28 Check In Available in the Forum

holiday-challenge-day04

Day 4 Holiday Challenge thread is available for check-in in the forum here.

I will be posting my day accountability/goals in the AM for each day but I will prep and put up each day, 1 day early for those of you that would rather post your goals for the next day in the evening (and for our friends in exotic time zones) πŸ˜‰

Feel free to comment here as well, but I would love to get Holiday Challenge discussion going in the forum! Thanks!

Go Team!

P.S. Need info about the challenge? Go here!

DAY 3 Nov. 27 Check In Available in the Forum

holiday-challenge-day03

Day 3 Holiday Challenge thread is available for check-in in the forum here.

I will be posting my day accountability/goals in the AM for each day but I will prep and put up each day, 1 day early for those of you that would rather post your goals for the next day in the evening (and for our friends in exotic time zones) πŸ˜‰

Feel free to comment here as well, but I would love to get Holiday Challenge discussion going in the forum! Thanks!

Go Team!

P.S. Need info about the challenge? Go here!

DAY 2 Nov. 26 Check In Available in the Forum

holiday-challenge-day02

Day 2 Holiday Challenge thread is available for check-in in the forum here.

I will be posting my day accountability/goals in the AM for each day but I will prep and put up each day, 1 day early for those of you that would rather post your goals for the next day in the evening (and for our friends in exotic time zones) πŸ˜‰

Feel free to comment here as well, but I would love to get Holiday Challenge discussion going in the forum! Thanks!

Go Team!

P.S. Need info about the challenge? Go here!


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