Hello... it's been awhile, hasn't it? I realized a moment ago that I have been without a working computer (& sneek-ins on my Hero's work computer doesn't count) for about.... ohhh 3 months? And you know something? I realized that wow, I have a LOT of time to do stuff! And wow, I don't. *sigh* That is something I recognize and am working at changing. I even have a list of things to do and... I'd rather just spend my time re-writing my list. Oy.

ANYWAY. That's not going to be the focus of this entry. NO! I'm going to write about my birthday & weight-loss. What? I know you're thinking, "How do those things work together because we're all pretty sure that birthday CAKE & goodies are not synonymous with weight-loss." And you're right. But I've made some observations so read on, dear friends!

February 12th was the day my Mom died 3 years ago. Because of that only being 10 days before my birthday, I REALLY have come to hate my birthday being on February 22nd. But, y'all know I had a cruddy year in 2008 and dagnabbitrabbit! I decided that DESERVED A PARTY! With that in mind, I enlisted the help of a dear friend and set about planning a glorious party. Just for my girlfriends. Just about sharing my favorite things ('cuz you know that I'm all about that!) A lot of people didn't believe that I was turning 39 (they say I look like late 20's, early 30's) and that was going to be my thought behind this party. I'm going to be 39 for the next ten years and when I'm 49, people will finally believe that I'll be 39! (I know, silly!) It was going to be MAH-velous affair! Truly! But, with my Hero going out of town for a week and the dark & dreary weather, Mom's death anniversary, I began to struggle with depression. In a big way. Typically, I'm a pretty positive & upbeat gal. But... it gets compounded by hormones, stress (STRESS!!!!), life, etc. So what did I do? Instead of following through with the party because it's a sure-fire way of having a smashing time with delightful friends, I CANCELED it. I know. I can see now and I think I even knew it then, that having a party & having a good time would be just the ticket to chase the blues away, but...I succumbed to my depression. I just felt so sad. So tired & sad.

Yet through that dark time, I had little rays of sunshine come my way that made me feel good. I received cards in the mail, happy texts on my phone, a bag of happy socks, a package of dangly earrings, a free day of babysitting. Just from my friends alone! I felt loved. And KNOW that I am loved. Such a lovely feeling.

However, the best gift, the best birthday present I received? Was when I was at church and a woman came up to me with a huge smile and said, " I didn't even recognize you! You've lost so much weight!" I looked at her and said, "That's a good thing, right?" She smiled and agreed. I walked away from that feeling so incredibly happy and so... at peace. Weird, huh? I suppose I felt at peace because finally I was doing something for me. Finally I was working at getting myself to a better place and somebody recognized that.

What have I been doing? Well, it took me awhile to get to the point where I enjoy exercising. Um... okay, it's STILL taking me awhile to truly enjoy it, but I digress. I've started measuring. My neighbor who is a fitness instructor, told my husband to do that and so I decided to follow suit. I didn't like doing it but hey, seeing numbers in the 10's is a whole lot better than seeing numbers in the hundreds. (NO - I do NOT weight 500 pounds!) I wrote them down on a scrap of paper and left it at that. Then I started walking. And doing turbo-jam with my 3yo Little Man. And doing "funny" stomach exercises that resemble a person trying to do a funky windmill action but side-to-side. I started drinking water. (I should mention that I don't drink juice, very little milk, no pop and literally can go a whole day without drinking water. Yes, I know that's bad.) A month later, I lost 1 1/2" on my arms, 2 1/2" on my stomach, 2" on my hips, 1" on my thighs. The 2nd month, I lost another inch on all of those. And I weighed myself. Just out of curiosity. I started to cry because I finally broke through a number that I had been stuck at for too long. (Did I ever tell you that I gained a LOT of weight after my Mom died? Yeah - not good. 20 pounds. Ugh.)

Don't you find that when you've been working at a goal and somebody recognizes it and is just so happy for you, that it puts a little spring into your step? You're feeling happier & even excited about continuing to work on that goal? It's amazing! Why don't we do it more often though? Hm.

BUT - I have to share a SERIOUS weight-loss tip with you that is critical (in my eyes) to being successful in trimming up one's body. Are you ready for it? Seriously, I need to know if you are. Okay - here goes. It's to GET A NEW BRA! For real. And I don't mean just get one off the rack. Get a professional fitting. And while you're at it, get at least 2 bras. Why at least 2? Because your bra needs to "rest." So, switch out the bras and they'll stay "true to form" a LOT longer. Trust me. A well-fitting bra will put your girls in their proper places, which is NOT by your elbows which pudges you up. Your shirts will fit better, you'll stand more proper (how can you help it with having them high & perky?) and that, in turn, flattens the appearance of your stomach! SWEET!

So what's the real tie-in between my birthday & weight-loss? I got two new bras for my birthday.

:)