Friday, May 31, 2013

Blog Every Day in May - Vivid Memories!!


Day 31, Friday: A vivid memory


I wrote this for my family history blog, with my son's Open House and Regional Baseball Tournament games both coming up tomorrow I decided I would recycle.  This story is very important to me.  When I wrote it some of my neices and nephews thanked me.  They were young teenagers and they were glad to read about and remember their grandmother.  My husband pulled up my blog one day and was reading it, he loved it too.  He said it made him cry.



I'm sure my day started out like any other in early December.  I had to get working on my Christmas shopping and all the plans and hoopla for a family Christmas.

My daughter was in med school and one of my older sons was away at college, the other had graduated in the spring and had started a new job a few weeks earlier.  My three year old son was at home.  It would only be a week or so and the college invasion would occur.  We would then have two more people living in our house for about a month.  I loved having them home, but it was always a huge change of lifestyle for the time they were home.


I had just talked to a doctor and I needed to have gallbladder surgery very soon.


Then I received "the call".  It was a call I had been dreading, but I wasn't sure if this was "the time".  My mother's health had been failing for some time.  To her dismay, she was living in a nursing home.  My three year old and I had spent lots of time visiting her there.  Usually if my older children got to go for a visit we would pick her up from the nursing home and take her somewhere to visit.  My older sons had a hard time being in the nursing home. They all loved seeing Grandma, she was always fun. Although she was living in the nursing home, she hadn't lost her sense of humor.


This day was different though.  When my sister called she seemed to have a sense of urgency in her voice.  I lived about an hour and a half away, and she told me I should come soon.  I told my husband that I needed to go right away.  He told me to take off and keep him posted.


When I got to the hospital Mom was still talking, but she was weak.  I decided to call and tell my children to come and see Grandma, we don't know how long she will be around.  They weren't doing anything to fix her at this point, so we knew she wasn't going to really get better, she just might make it through this round.  


I hated to call my son away from his job and with my other children at college getting ready for finals I hated to call them away.  I just knew at this point that I couldn't wait. As I was calling my children, my siblings were calling their children.  All my siblings were at the hospital, except for a brother that we were unable to track.  He had a habit of just taking off and traveling around the country.  There was no way to contact him.  He had also been gone when Dad died.  He didn't show up at home until a few weeks later.  Now, here we were, Mom is dying and we can't find him.  


The grandchildren all stood around and talked to Grandma and told her how much they loved her.  I remember my daughter coming in and getting a brush and brushing her Grandma's hair and washing her face with a warm cloth.  My daughter wanted to make her grandma feel and look as nice as possible.  At least she could feel like she was doing something for her.  As a medical school student she knew better than anyone what was happening.  I would pull her aside and ask her what was going on.  Her news wasn't good.  


My husband brought my three year old to the hospital.  He came to the bed and looked at her and talked to her for a few minutes.  She did her best to talk and interact with him.  She always loved having the little ones around her.  My nieces brought their babies in with them. My sister had younger children and they all came in. 

Thankfully, the hospital was wonderfully understanding.  They told us that they would close off that hallway as much as possible.  They really didn't think she had long and since she had such a huge family that wanted to be with her, they wanted to help out.  I can't believe how sweet those nurses were.  Some of them knew my mom.  My sister had worked at the hospital for several years.


When my husband came down he brought clothes for me so I could stay a few days.  I told him I could go and sleep and shower at the home of my first mother-in-law. (My first husband had died several years before and she was like a second Mom to me.) He and my son headed back home and the older kids took off back to school to try to finish up with finals.  I told them I will let you know if there are any changes.


Well we spent a few days at that hospital.  After the first day Mom went into a coma.  All we could do was sit around and make sure she was as comfortable as possible. My kids came back when they had time even though it was a drive to get there from their respective colleges and work.  My husband told me he wouldn't be back with our son because he wanted him to remember her as he had seen her last. (He remembers going to the hospital to see her and she was nice to him.  After fifteen years at least he had the feeling of her love that he carries with him.)


As the days continued the crowd in the room grew and so did the noise.  We all started talking and I thought, wow, I wish I had a tape recorder. The stories of our childhood were being passed around and everyone was laughing.  We all talked about the times we got in trouble with Mom. It seems odd that we were sitting in our mother's room with her dying, and we were laughing so hard that at times we were in tears.  We even picked up things and threw them at each other.  Nothing that would hurt anyone just something to get their attention. At one point, a nurse came into the room and caught us.  She said, "It sounds like there is a party going on in here!"  We all laughed and said, "Well there is, it's a going away party for our mother."  


The nurse told us she was so happy to see that the death was bringing us all closer together. She said, "If your mother can wake up, she will.  She won't want to miss out on this."  She was sure our mother was lying there in a coma listening and smiling as her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were remembering their lives together.  She told us that any mother would feel so loved having her family surrounding her at this time.  There were about twenty-five of us at the hospital most of the time.  We rotated around from her room, the waiting area, the cafeteria.  Everyone just wanted to be close by.


My mother was a very strong, Christian woman.  We weren't concerned about her dying for her sake, we felt she would be with our family members who had gone before us. She would be going to a better place.  A place she had spent her life preparing to go. We just weren't sure how we all would go on without her.  She had been the rock in all our lives.  Had she made us all strong enough to carry on without her?  We would see.


We were up to five days in the hospital, most of us staying around the clock.  We would run and get a bite to eat, grab a shower, and maybe a couple of hours sleep.  We just didn't want to miss any of those last hours with her.  


As the days went along we started singing gospel songs in the room.  My mother sang in church and she always went around the house singing gospel songs, so it just felt right.


On the fifth night, my husband had called and told me my little boy was getting really upset about not seeing me. He had never been away from me overnight before. 


 As I talked about it to my family they all agreed that I needed to make a trip home.  My younger sister's children were all feeling the same way.  They said why don't you two girls go home and see the kids and come back in the morning.  One of my sisters asked, "If she dies while you are gone, will you be okay with that?"  I thought about it and told her that yes I would because I knew mom would want me to take care of my baby.  


My younger sister and I talked to mom and told her we were going to go home and take care of our babies.  We told her that we loved her and that if she needed to go while we were gone it was okay, but if not we would be back in the morning. It was so hard to leave.  In my hour and a half car ride back home I sobbed thinking about leaving her and never seeing her alive again.  I also laughed when I remembered some of the crazy stories that had been going around that room.  


I got home that night and my son was so happy to see me.  He asked, "Is Grandma all right?"  I told me that Grandma was fine and she would be going home to live with Jesus and to see Grandpa really soon.  I got a bite to eat and laid down in the bed thinking I wouldn't be able to sleep.  I fell immediately to sleep.  It seemed like a few seconds later, my husband was shaking me.  He had the phone in his hand.  He handed it to me.  I think it was one of my older sisters on the other end.  She said, "Mom is gone."  They said she just sighed and stopped breathing. My older sisters told my younger sister and I that they didn't think Mom wanted to go with the two of us there.  We were her babies and she didn't want us to see her die.  I know when Dad was dying she convinced my younger sister and I to go to the cafeteria in the hospital for a while because she didn't want us there.  I believe that she didn't want us there at the end.  She always took care of her babies.


Well the story should end here, but the next day when we were getting plans for the funeral together, my brother who we didn't know how to get a hold of just comes walking in.  We hated to tell him that Mom had died, and he was a day too late.  


We had all sang to Mom in the hospital, so it was only fitting that he got to sing at her funeral.  My brother sang his song to Mom as she lay in her casket.  At the graveside we all sang together, and laid our beautiful mother to rest in the hands of God.




My mother, always surrounded by the people she loved.

FTSF - My Favorite Movie of All Time Is.........


Here I am back with another Finish the Sentence Friday.  Janine from Janine's Confession of A Mommyholic is hosting.  This is such a fun link-up.  I love reading all the finished sentences.  I am so amazed at the many original responses.  

The sentence this week is My Favorite Movie of All Time is ......

I am having a hard time with this one.  My favorite movie seems to change all the time, but what is my favorite of all time.

  

When I was younger I rewatched several movies many times.  I remember I went through a Gone With The Wind phase.  I loved that movie for a while.  I watched the movie recently and thought it was okay, but wondered why I was obsessed with it during those younger years.  I think maybe movies connect with your life at the time so when your life changes your favorite movies change.



One of my favorite movies during the last year or so was Midnight in Paris.  I watched it just before I went to France and I watched it several times in between my France trip and my Europe trip when I knew I would be spending more time in Paris.  The Parisian scenery is so fantastic!  It just made me feel like I was in Paris.



When I was younger I loved Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail.  I just loved the characters in the movies.  I think I may have been single at the time.  I think it gave me hope that the perfect someone could just show up anywhere.


As I have gotten older I like more of the movies that reflect my age group.  I really enjoyed Hope Springs with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.  I guess I could connect with their older lives now.  My husband enjoyed it too!  Of course, I had to make him watch it.


I always enjoy a good comedy so I was always loved the silly Vacation movies.  We have to watch Christmas Vacation around the holidays.  I don't care how many times we watch the movies they are still funny.  The grandsons love them now.




I love anything with the Saturday Night Live Cast.  Bridesmaids made me laugh until I cried.  

So when it comes to choosing an all time favorite, I have failed.  I just couldn't do it!  And frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.






Thursday, May 30, 2013

Blog Every Day in May - Can You Let Go?


Day 30, Thursday: React to this term: Letting Go

Letting go can mean many things.  My interpretation is all about the changes I have been making in my life.  I am trying to let go of old habits. 

I have spent my adult lifetime with my weight going up and down.  I change my habits long enough to get my weight down and then I revert back to the same habits that increased my weight in the first place.  



This time I am going to let go of all of those unhealthy habits and make permanent lifestyle changes.

I think this is the answer to true weight loss.  Letting Go!!!



Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Blog every day in May - Steven Tyler sang Walk This Way at our Picnic

Day 29, Wednesday: Five songs or pieces of music that speak to you or bring back memories. Use Grooveshark or YouTube to include them in the post






You have to click on this on it will take you to the YouTube video.  It is Aerosmith singing "Walk this Way".


The blog prompt says 5 videos, but today I am lucky to get one.  I chose this one because it reminds me of the time that Steven Tyler came to our picnic in Washington DC.  He got up and sang this song for us.  It was fantastic!!!  Here is my story about the picnic!

UPDATES ON WHAT IS GOING ON:

Things just seem to be crazy for me this week.  My son's open house is scheduled for Saturday early evening.  We decided to rent a place because we were just too stressed with still having to get back and forth to the hospital to see my husband's mother.  She has been in the hospital for over six weeks now.  The place is going to provide part of the food, and I will provide part of it.  I took the only day they had left on their schedule.





Well, guess what?  My son's team won the high school baseball sectional.  Now, the regional will be played on the day of the scheduled open house.  He plays at 1:00.  He will be pitching against the defending state champs, the number one ranked team this year.  The problem is it is 2 hours from home.  If he loses he could get back a little late for the open house.  If he wins, he will play again at 8:00.  That means he won't be able to attend his own open house.  The place we scheduled will not allow us to cancel now.   We also have invitations out and my husband and son do not want to cancel.  They want me to come back and explain to everyone why he isn't there.  




I guess I will be celebrating his teams win at his open house.  

It is a fantastic thing that they won!  I would love for them to win on Saturday.  It would be a great culmination to his years of baseball, he has played travel ball for 10 years,  he has decided he doesn't want to play college ball.  He is really excited about being a student and double majoring in college. He doesn't want the stress of sports.  He had coaches calling him for football, too.  He got an academic scholarship for part of his tuition.

I am trying not to get stressed over this whole situation.  I guess whatever happens, happens.  We can take all the leftover food and invite the baseball team to our house when they get back to town that night for a party.

He graduates the following Saturday, we can have a small party with family before graduation.

Oh, well, life is never simple, it's all in how you deal with it, I guess!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Blog Every Day in May - What a Shot!!




Day 28, Tuesday: Only pictures



I was in the mood to post pictures of beautiful flowers for the post.  I don't really know why.  I looked at lots of other pictures and chose to do the flowers.  I looked at pictures of me at all ages and weights, and decided not to go that route.  So here are the flowers!!









  

So I hope you liked my beautiful flowers.


Weekly Weigh - In --- Success!!!

It has taken long enough but I made it into the 160's.  After the little upswing last week, I lost 4 pounds this week.  I thought I would give a little update on how it is showing on my body.  I hate these pictures but that is the way to see success.

Pictures from week 1 and week 15.  Can you tell a difference.  I should have worn the same shirt.  This one isn't as tight.  I can tell I am losing my around my middle.  I can tell it big time in my clothes.

By the way, can you tell my beautician took one inch off my hair?  That's a story for another day!!

Loss 17.0 pounds total

Starting weight - 184.5
Week one - 180.0
Week two - 179.5
Week three - 179.0
Week four - 178.5
Week five - 177.0 
Week six - 176.0
Week seven - skipped, was on vacation
Week eight - 181.5  
Week nine - 174.0
Week ten - 172.5
Week eleven - 172.0
Week twelve - 171.5
Week thirteen - 170.5
Week Fourteen - 172.0
Week Fifteen - 167.5



Now Heading For The 150's!!!!

Warning scale is 3 pounds light!  




Monday, May 27, 2013

Blog Every Day In May - Hey Guys!!

Day 27, Monday: A letter to your readers
I think this is a great challenge, I get to write a letter to my readers.  
You see, I think you are great.  I don't know how many of you there are out there.  I know how many people view my blog each day, but are those all readers and do some people view more than once in a day.

The people I consider to be my readers are the people who comment and interact with me on a regular basis.  I know I read blogs and don't always comment, so there may be some of you that read regularly and don't comment.  This letter is to you also.  I wish you would comment occasionally so I know you are out there.

I really want to thank my readers for being interested in what I write about and making me feel like I have something to say.  I appreciate the time you take to read my blog on a routine basis.  I appreciate the newcomers who just stop by to check out my blog, too.  

So, if you consider yourself a reader, please know that you make me feel like my blog is worth something.
Thanks and I appreciate you and your blog.  I have learned from some of you, I have laughed with some of you, and I have enjoyed your blogs over the last few months.  Keep posting and please keep reading!

For those who read that noticed that I didn't post my weekly weigh in I apologize.  I weighed this morning , but the day was just too busy to put together a post.  I hope to write about my weight loss tomorrow.

Thanks Readers.


Sunday, May 26, 2013

Blog Every Day In May: Getting 15,000 New Pinterest Followers!!


Day 26, Sunday: Something you read online. Leave a link and discuss, if you'd like.

I recently started spending time on Pinterest and have been interested in how things work.  I haven't had much time to spend the last couple of weeks, but I did just realize how great it is.  I wondered how it all worked, so I was looking up articles about what followers do.  Does that mean that they see everything you post?  I still haven't figured it all out, but I am going to do more research when things slow down a little bit.




I read this article and found it very interesting.  Social Media Today has an article about getting 15,000 new followers in a short period of time and trying to figure out why it happened.  

I find it interesting how some of the social media works.  I still don't know why he increased his following so quickly and what the importance of increasing your following is.  Is it just a status symbol?

Are you on Pinterest?  Have you had an unexpected increase in followers like this?

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Blog Every Day in May - Who Told Me That?

Day 25, Saturday: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad)
I remember being in the 7th grade and I had a teacher named Mrs. Kelly.  Mrs. Kelly was one of my favorite teachers.  She and I connected from the very beginning of that year.  

Mrs. Kelly asked me to stay after class one day so she could talk to me.  I was afraid I had done something wrong. 
 



Mrs. Kelly had something to tell me.  She knew that I had grown up in a large family and that we weren't very well off.  She told me that day that I had the potential to do anything that I wanted in life.  She said I was one of the best students in the entire school and that all I had to do was work and I could do anything I wanted.

I think that was the first time that I realized that I had a chance to do something with my life.  I felt really special that day.  

There were times in my life that I would think that I couldn't do something and I would remember back to that day and think "I can do anything."  

I is amazing what a teacher can accomplish in a child's life with just a few kind words.  

I was 11 years old when she told me that I could do anything and here I am 47 years later and I remember that conversation and how it made me feel.

Mrs. Kelly had a major impact on my life.

Did someone tell you something about yourself that has made an impact on your life?  Good or bad.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Blog Every Day in May - Ugh! The Bad Stuff! Shh, It's a Secret!

Day 24, Friday: Your top 3 worst traits

This prompt is asking me to write the bad stuff about me.  Surely your not going to believe I have any bad traits.  You all think I'm perfect ? Right?
 So I will tell you a story and you can pretend it is about someone else.  You can do that, can't you?

First off, I am a procrastinator, I like to think it is because I work best under pressure.  Really it's because I just put things off.  Sometimes I put things off because I think I am not going to be able to do it that well, so if I put it off maybe something will change and I won't have to do it at all.  When I finally attempt the task it is easier to do than I expected and I wonder why I didn't just do it earlier.  By putting things off they cause way more stress.  If I had just gotten it done I would have saved myself the stress.

I am seeing this trait in my son and I am trying to get him to look at things differently.  I told him I try to set my own deadlines.  If something has to be done by Friday, I set a deadline to have it done by Wednesday.  That helps!  

I have mentioned before that I can be a control freak, that's not such a great trait.  It can be annoying to many people, myself included.  If I am controlling things it means that I don't trust other people to complete something.  So if I have to do my job and watch over everyone else doing their job then I am taking on way to much.   If I could just assign tasks and trust everyone to hold up their weight and complete their task successfully, I would have less stress.

I talk too much!  I am not going to write about it, because I would end up talking too much about it.  Maybe that why I enjoy blogging, it gives my a chance to speak uninterrupted.  I can say anything I 
want!  

So I guess these traits are not totally secret, but, really, can you keep this info to yourself?  The less people who know these things the better!  
Seriously, I should work on these things, but will I?

Do you have some traits that you don't like about yourself?


Finish the Sentence Friday - Why! Why! Why!




I am participating in Finish the Sentence Friday with Janine's Confessions Of A Mommyaholic.  The prompts are all so fantastic!  You should read some of the posts.  There are so many different interpretations of the sentences each week.  This is one of my favorite blog parties!

This weeks sentence is:  I blog because.........

I blog because I enjoy writing about my life.  Some days I wonder why I am blogging.  There are days when I can't even think of anything to write about.  I grab my laptop and sit down and just start typing and then sometimes I have more to say than I probably should.  





When my job downsized about a year and a half ago, I was really depressed for a while.  Depression is not something that is normal for me.  I try to always look at the bright side of life and not get bogged down.  When I lost my job, I felt totally rejected.  I had never lost a job before in my life and I was in my upper 50's.  I had always been highly respected for the quality of my work and my work ethics.  All of a sudden they were more concerned about money than quality of work.

After spending years at work, I really didn't have any friends around to spend time with anymore.  So not only had I lost my job, I lost my friends that I worked with.  When I started blogging it was to help me lose my excess weight and find a little support and encouragement.  Now, I feel like I have found a community of people to interact with and I feel like I am growing friendships.  

I am always interested in what is going on in the lives of my blogger friends.  I can't wait to get to their blogs each day and read the latest installments.  As time has gone by, I have reconnected with my local friends.  I now feel like I know several bloggers and will continue growing my on-line friendships too.  



So, why do I blog?  I blog to be a part of a community.  I blog to write some of my thoughts and feelings down.  I hope to keep these posts and someday make a book of them.  These daily writings are really telling the story of my day to day activities.  It's like a journal or diary that I can pass on as a family history.  

In the past many people kept journals and those have been treasured as records of the past.  Maybe someday our blogs will be valued as how people lived during our lifetimes.

Why do you blog?  Do you think your blog is a daily story of your life and times?

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Blog Every Day in May - Life's Lessons


Day 23, Thursday: Things you've learned that school won't teach you


Something that I learned at a young age that I wasn't taught in school was to appreciate every day.  I learned that nothing is guaranteed.  You can have everything perfect one day and the next your whole world can change.  I learned that no one is invincible.

When my first husband died I was 24.  At that age, we expected that we had our whole lives ahead of us.  We were planning for our future.  We had three young children.  We were looking for a new house to purchase.  We were moving along rapidly in life.  Then he went to work one day and didn't come home.



Life changes is a matter of seconds.  I learned that you really have no control.  Since that day if I wanted to do something with my family, I did it.  Other things can wait.  If the house isn't perfect, will that matter in a day or two?  If I feel the need to do something, I do it.  Why wait?  I need to do something when I have the chance.  The chance may not repeat itself.

I think there are some lessons that you can't learn in any other way. People can tell you things, but until you experience them for yourself you don't really understand.

What lessons have you learned?  


I Haven't Deserted You!!!

I wanted to write a quick post to let you know that I am still reading blogs.  I just haven't had time to do much commenting.  

My son's Open House and Graduation are coming up soon.  I am spending all the time I can finishing up scrapbooks, cleaning house, working on the yard, planning the open house, and getting to the sectional baseball games.  


I have been reading blogs on my iPad, I just hate commenting on there.  I will start a comment and then it freezes.  If I have posted a short comment it may be because I didn't want to delete and start over.  Since I carry my IPad with me, I can read them during times when I am waiting somewhere.

All of my weight loss buddies, keep up the good work!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Blog Every Day in May - Health Insurance

Day 22, Wednesday: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)

I am so sick of health insurance companies.  They keep taking more money and increasing the rules that you must follow.  I got a letter from my health insurance provider telling me that since I am taking the same prescription on an ongoing basis they will no longer pay for it to be refilled at my local pharmacy.  Now I have to have it filled by their mail order company.  


I am paying the same amount of money that I have been paying, but they can chose to give me less service for the money.  They have complete control and I have none.  I can't decide to leave this insurance company, because who knows when something major will come up and I would have no insurance.  They can do anything they want and we have no choice.

Insurance companies have made record profits since the new health care reform has been passed.  It is reported that even though they are making record profits they are getting ready to increase premiums 116% in the next year.  

I guess if they can choose to not pay for my prescriptions to be refilled they can make more money.  They won't even pay the same amount they would be paying the mail order company.  They just will not pay for the prescription at all.

That means I will have to switch my prescriptions to mail order or pay big bucks for them.  I received the letter and hadn't gotten it taken care of and my prescription was due.  I couldn't wait for the mail order so I had to get them from my pharmacy.  That prescription cost me 3 times what it had cost the previous month. 


I am paying higher premiums, have a higher deductible than last year, and I can't get my prescriptions without dealing with a pharmacy that I know nothing about.  

Luckily, my cholesterol medicine is available for free though the local supermarket pharmacy.  How much money have the insurance companies saved because the Walmarts, Meijers, and other are offering prescriptions for a very low price or free?  

Maybe they should just take our money and then not pay for anything!  Oh, I guess they are already doing that!  

Do you have a pet peeve or something to rant about?  



Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Blog Every Day in May - The Archives!!


Day 21, Tuesday: A list of links to your favorite posts in your archives





Buying a Bathing Suit - I'd almost Rather Go Skinny Dipping - How hard it is to find a bathing suit.

The Key To Staying Young - What does it take to keep a young mind and body.

Wordless Wednesdays - Dachau Concentration Camp Germany - A heartbreaking place from our past history.

I think this is enough to give you an overview of my past blog posts.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Blog Every Day in May - My Struggles


Day 20, Monday: Get real. Share something you're struggling with right now.

I know everyone has their struggles, but my biggest struggle at the moment is my weight.  I need to lose about 30 pounds to get to a weight that is really healthy for me.  I have gotten to my ideal weight in the past and not maintained it for very long.  When I was younger I didn't have any weight struggles at all.  In the last several years I can't seem to stay at a healthy weight.  

I have gotten past the vanity point of wanting to have the perfect body.  I just want to have a healthy body so that I can enjoy life and be able to enjoy being active with my family.



I see people my age and older that are getting so they can barely move around.  I want to be able to do things for a long time to come.  I have spent hours working in my yard, moving dirt and mulch and I am so happy to say that I can still handle doing that.  We visited with a friend the other day and her mother lives with her.  Her mother is going to be 90 on her next birthday and she looks more like 70.  She has always been active and she continues to do many things.  I want to be like that!  


What are you struggling with?  

Weekly Weigh-In - Step Away From The Salt!!

MotivationMonday 

This was not a great week!  I ate out over the week end and consumed way too much salt.  So that means I am up 1.5 pounds today.  Salt always affects me this way.  I know this but sometimes it is hard to not have anything with salt.  I can fluctuate as much as 2 or more pounds in a day.  I know that can't be actual weight gain.  I have been working hard moving dirt, moving mulch, and digging each day in my yard.  My shorts are getting looser!  Now if I could just get the scale to cooperate.  Do you have the same problem with salt?  Does it affect your weight as much?  

Loss 12.5 pounds total

Starting weight - 184.5
Week one - 180.0
Week two - 179.5
Week three - 179.0
Week four - 178.5
Week five - 177.0 
Week six - 176.0
Week seven - skipped, was on vacation
Week eight - 181.5  
Week nine - 174.0
Week ten - 172.5
Week eleven - 172.0
Week twelve - 171.5
Week thirteen - 170.5
Week Fourteen - 172.0

160's Keep Alluding Me!!  I will get there soon!

Warning scale is 3 pounds light!  



Boo!!!!!!

I found this butterfly/moth on my fence the other day.  I thought it was really cool looking.  I still haven't figured out what is it.  




Have you seen one before?  Do you know what it is?