Just weighing in...

Another pristine Autumn day in Vancouver! Bright blue sky, sun shining - gotta love it! I have to say, though, that within the last week or two, I've been noticing a fair amount of people about town wearing gloves, toques, and/or scarves. I've gotta ask - is it really that cold to you people?! Or perhaps some of you are just getting an early jump on late fall/winter fashion? I don't want to come across as insensitive or ignorant to people who may actually have circulatory issues or some such medical condition, but aside from them, come on. This is Vancouver - one of the few places in Canada that doesn't freeze over by Halloween - where hardcore Vancouverites wear shorts year-round! So, really...what is up with all that wool and fleece out there on the streets?!

On another note, today was my first weigh-in/meeting night after coming back/recommiting to Weight Watchers. It is my opinion that the first week is always a doozy, no matter how determined or driven a person may be! I hate to say it, but I was HUNGRY this week, and that pisses me off! But, I battled. I wrestled my own mind daily, hourly - the old demons, bad habits, everyday temptations...I fought it out and persevered. I was excited about weighing in again - I wanted my payoff, I wanted results! Weighing in can be nervewracking - some weeks during my first go at WW this past spring, I'd be SO focused, SO diligent and I'd step up on the scale expecting great news, and...pfft. Only half a pound down. Half a pound?! Is it worth all the blood, sweat, and tears for half a freaking pound?! (And the answer is, yes it is! It's better than nothing, and chances are, if you have a tough week but you're really sticking to it, the next week will make up for it! I must say though, it's sometimes hard to see the bigger picture at times like that). I'd been checking in on my scale at home every now and then, and I hadn't seen much of anything happening (although my home scale is pretty unreliable), and I didn't feel like I'd lost anything...So I got to my meeting, stepped up onto the scale, and lo and behold! I'm down 4.8 pounds!! So it was worth it, and I've got that first week behind me, and I'm off to a great start. So I just have to do it again tomorrow. One more week, one day at a time!

Excited!

I'm back on the wagon!! The Weight Watchers wagon, that is! I started Weight Watchers back in January or February of this year and BANG!! I shot out of the gate like gangbusters!! I was so focused, so driven, so determined...and I lost 25 pounds! I felt great!

I'd gotten started on Weight Watchers after an epiphany of sorts. It was quite powerful actually, and that's why my commitment to success had been so easy and so effectual. And then, summer came along, routines shifted, patios opened...and just as quickly and thoroughly as I had shot off on my weight loss journey, I totally lost it. Completely, utterly, wholly. The focus, the drive - gone. It's not that I wanted to stop...and I thought about getting back on track every day...but I just couldn't rally the single-mindedness I'd started out with. Being the 'person of extremes' that I am, I had been 'all in' and now I was 'all out'!

I got on the scale almost daily and kept breathing a sigh of relief that I hadn't gained any weight back...and I kept telling myself I'd get back to it. And then another week would pass, and then another...Poor eating habits slowly resumed and stepping up onto the scale became a gamble. How far could I push it without gaining any weight? Drinking wine more often? Fast food here and there? The occasional chocolate bar or ice cream? And somehow, week after week, I got away with it. The scale stuck by me, my stalwart friend.

Then, within the last week or so, I could feel a certain unease niggling at the back of my brain. Something was brewing in there but I wasn't quite sure what. So I waited, slightly apprehensive, slightly excited. What was coming? Something was up...and then, BAM! There it was! The niggling had developed into a fully formed decision that I hadn't even been aware that I was making: 'IT'S TIME. Go back. Start again with Weight Watchers. You're going to do it.' And so I rejoined. From the beginning. And while this time, it wasn't as much an epiphany as it was, perhaps, a more subtle affirmation, I feel that same determination and focus. It's back!

Today was my first full day back on the program. And like my first day back in January/February, it was tough and exhilarating all at once. I found myself mindlessly reaching for snacks a few times, and Jonesing for some munchies, especially in the evening, but I also felt empowered by finding healthy, 'low points' alternatives and also by talking/thinking my way through old habits and reflexes. By the end of the day I'd kept within my points allowance and found Day 1 to be pretty painless overall. So I've got one full, successful day under my belt. What works for me is taking it one day at a time, which I believe is a philosophy used by Alcoholics Anonymous (there are parallels there, me thinks!). I find that it's a phrase that easily comes to mind when working my way through weight loss. All I need to do is get through one full day well and successfully. Then, it's done. One day. And then all I have to do is get through one day again. And again. And again, until I find that a full week has gone by and it's time to step on the scale again at another meeting. And I know that if I've been honest with myself, and diligent - I'm going to get results. If I follow the program, it works. It has to. There really aren't any magic tricks or (easier) back roads to take. It's a pretty straightforward science. Eat less (and eat smart!) and move more, and the weight will come off. Maybe not as quickly as I'd like, but surely, and in a healthy way. I can live with that!

So I feel like a new convert all over again and I'm up on the rooftops, singing and praising! Which makes me feel somewhat goofy and sheepish...but, what the hell. All I've got to say is, whoooooo hooooo!!!! Feels good!

Thankful...

Well, Thanksgiving isn't officially until tomorrow, but being thankful doesn't have to wait, so here are a few things I'm thankful for...

Today was one of those glorious Vancouver autumn days when the sun shines brightly, the sky is clear and blue, and there's just a bit of a chill in the air...the West Coast at it's best, and for this, I'm thankful!

Steve asked Casey at bedtime tonight what he was thankful for and without stopping to think about it, Casey said, "My family". That is classic Casey - pure sweetness! And I am so thankful for him, and my two other wonderful children, and Steve - my true soulmate. And truly, I recognize how fortunate I am every day and consciously note how thankful I am. Every day. I just don't always celebrate by cooking up a big turkey dinner! :) Which leads me into my next point of gratitude...

I'm thankful for my extended family/in-laws - Steve's parents, who are hosting Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, and all the rest of the lot too! :) I've always said that marrying Steve would have been enough. The fact that I've gained an entire extended family chock full of wonderful people, all of whom I love and all of whom have welcomed Chanel and I with open arms from the very beginning - I could never have imagined my incredible good fortune.

Wow - as I write this I realize that if I actually touched on all the most important things about my life that I am thankful for, if I actually provided any amount of explanation, this post would be longer than...well, it would take me longer than the long weekend to write it! So, in point form, I'll finish with this:

I am thankful for,
My children and my husband.
My sister, and my sister's family - her husband and two children.
My brother and his beautiful wife.
My extended family, on both sides.
My health. Through experience, I know how valuable it is!
My hobbies - so much more important than the term 'hobbies' makes them sound!
My country. Being born here, being raised here, and raising my own family here. Overall and in simple terms, we are safe, we are peaceful, we are plentiful, and we are free.

I'll stop here for now. It feels good to think about this stuff.

Five Things I'm Hooked On Right Now!

1. Word Twist

2. Sudoku

3. Starbucks Doubleshot on Ice (half sweet)

4. Patterned paper

5. Blurking

(Please note: This blog post was written yesterday, October 4th, and not posted until today. You are NOT in a time warp! I, however, am a day late and a dollar short. As is often the case!)

Today is a great day for three reasons! (Well, for more than three reasons, but for the purpose of this blog post, I’m going for three main reasons with many other sub-reasons scattered throughout!).

#1. My firstborn baby girl is 13 today!! She has chosen to spend the day at a Tae Kwon Do seminar with Master Tran who is, I gather, the high muck-a-muck of the International Tae Kwon Do Association. She also attended last year and really enjoyed it. I’m so proud of her and her accomplishments in sport in general, and TKD specifically. She’s a lot of steel packed into a little package and her sports provide a great channel for her. And, although she is only officially a teenager as of 6 a.m. this morning to be precise, it has felt like we have been living with a teenager for a lot longer than this! Thankfully, between tae kwon do, hockey, and soccer, some of the intensity of the ‘Tween’ experience has been dispersed and diffused remarkably well. I cringe to think of where any of us would be right now had my little birthday girl not found an outlet in sports! Between Chanel and I and also collectively as a family, we have had some trying times, some challenging moments, some downright dark days with our sweet and cherished Chanel at the centre of it all but alongside the less-than-stellar moments, there have been some truly rewarding and affirming moments as well. I have seen my tiny, newborn baby girl grow into a happy, gurgly baby into an amazingly articulate and clever little toddler/preschooler, into a witty, engaging little kid, and now into an increasingly beautiful, complex, and fascinating girl. I’m looking forward to all that is ahead (except for the getting emotionally shit-kicked part) and I have no doubt that on the other side of these intense and turbulent times we call ‘The Teens’, Chanel and I will both be standing, relatively intact, together arm in arm, looking back with fondness (and a huge amount of relief) that here we are on the other side of it all and, well, trendy rose-coloured sunglasses smartly in place, wasn’t it was a helluva ride?! Then we can stroll off together into the sunset, both of us complementing the other on our fashionable outfits and cute accessories and why don’t we go out for lunch and share something decadent for dessert and then go shopping for scrapbooking supplies?!

#2 - And speaking of scrapbooking supplies, today is World Cardmaking Day! Very exciting for us papercrafters! Lots of LSS’s offering make ‘n takes, etc. In fact, since I was already out in PoCo dropping my daughter off at her seminar, I thought I’d keep on heading east and finally pop into Photo Express. Yes, that’s right - I’ve never been there which is a big shocking thing apparently for someone who loves scrapbooking and lives in Metro Vancouver. So I made the pilgrimage and was it ever worth it! I’m heading back there with my next paycheque! They had some very nice make ‘n take cards presented by some very lovely employees. And talk about tons of inspiration everywhere I turned! Product and layouts and cards aplenty! Well worth the drive, although I must say - lil’ Pitt Meadows/Maple Ridge definitely has their share of traffic issues! And I know that there is all kinds of construction and capital improvements being made…and not one second too soon! They’s got themselves some serious growing pains right now! The region has EXPLODED since I used to live out there. Yes, I used to live in Maple Ridge many, many moons ago…back when EVERY night was half price night at Tommy’s…yes, that’s right. Tommy’s. At the Haney Hotel. Me old stompin’ grounds. I drove by it today on my way to PE…quite the trip down memory lane! Although I actually don’t remember too much about it all, quite honestly. I was nineteen, working full time, and living on my own and I spent the majority of my spare time seriously inebriated and dancing at Tommy’s until the fluorescents came on and nobody looked nearly as good as they had just moments before…myself included. I guess it’s changed a bit since then, but as I drove by it today I realized that I couldn’t really tell if much had changed because I don’t think I’ve ever seen it by daylight before…Oh come on! I sowed my wild oats and it’s in the distant past now…I’m (almost) not too embarrassed to admit it! Sheesh…I’ve really digressed from the original # 2 heading content. Oh well. I feel somewhat cleansed - like I’ve been to confession and have been given a whole new fresh start to mess up!

Maple Ridge really has changed a LOT since then…back before there was public transit or Tim Hortons or a shiny new library or free WiFi for the masses in the downtown core. It has grown up into a delightful, sophisticated little almost-city that has still managed to preserve it’s small town charm. And as for Photo Express - well, back in the olden days when I worked at Haney Place Mall, it was just a modest little photo-finishing place. Now - well, now! It is the motherlode of all things photographic and scrapworthy!! A veritable Mecca of creativity and paperstuff. Me likey! Me likey a lot! Photo Express and me…both getting better with age!

#3 - And lastly, today is officially the first day of the 2008-2009 NHL season! Can I get a hell yeah?! (HELL YEAH!!!). And the Canucks have ushered in a new era under the cute and competent Roberto Luongo, wearing the ‘C’. Well, okay. Not really wearing the ‘C’, but the captain nevertheless! I’m looking forward to an exciting, injury-free, winning season!! GO CANUCKS GO!!!

So there you have it. Three great reasons for having a great day! Can't ask for more than that!