Our Christmas

This year marks only the 2nd time that I haven't been with my family on Christmas Eve. The first time I missed this tradition was the night we got engaged. It goes without saying that Mark had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, he had to work on Christmas Eve. He was home by 6:00, at which time we had a delicious dinner and a very nice evening with his parents; but, I spent much of the day finishing up last minute shopping and running errands. I even did a load of laundry. Like I said, though, once my hubby got home all was right with the world and the night turned out wonderfully. We introduced his parents to "A Christmas Story!" That night we opened our gifts that had arrived in the mail and were humbled by everyone's generosity.

Christmas morning we slept in until almost noon. It was quite nice to not have to be up and about any earlier in the day. We exchanged our gifts to each other - we had already purchased a new 42" HDTV which was our "real" gift to each other but set a $100 limit on little things to open from each other on Christmas morning. Mark, of course, blew the limit - he got me the Wicked soundtrack and tickets to see it again! He had hoped to get tickets for us to see it in L.A. before it leaves but, since it closes next week, he couldn't find any priced within reason so we're planning on seeing it on a long weekend either in San Francisco in March of in Phoenix in July. I actually worked as a stagehand at the theatre where it is playing in Arizona so that'd be fun but it's Phoenix...in July! We'll see. The point is that he is sacrificing yet another evening to take me to a musical that we've already seen, because he knows how happy it makes me.

Later in the evening, we went to see the lights at Griffith Park, near the L.A. Zoo. The Department of Water and Power puts on a show every year and, though the lights are the same every time, we have tried to go every year. We missed last year but this year we were able to take the dog with us on the mile and a half walk through the 40 degree chilliness. People can drive through as well, and we did this the first few years, but it's more fun (and much quicker) to park and walk through it.

Weekly Weigh In

I started my WW week by missing my meeting. :( I then had a cold, two finals, and five Christmas parties! Needless to say, this week was ridiculous as far as weight loss goes. I went to my meeting this morning to find an additional 2 lbs on the scale. Although it is a step in the wrong direction, and my goal was to maintain, 2 lbs really isn't that much considering all of the splurging I'd done. We even went out to dinner last night and I know my enchilada and margaritas were still in my belly when I weighed in this morning.

This week, I'll be off from work and that, obviously, throws my routine off a bit. I'm also planning on baking a plethora of cookies to (mostly) give away to the managers and staff at BJ's. My goal is to be sure to drink plenty of water everyday and, again, to maintain this week's weight at next week's meeting. I'd also like to incorporate just a tad bit of exercise. If you haven't noticed, when I talk about weight loss, I am always focused on the eating but NEVER focus on the exercise. WW started a new program, called Momentum, and I got all new materials this morning. In my weigh in book, I restarted at week 1. I think that will help me to feel more motivated to get on the ball again since the slate has, in essence, been wiped clean.

Weekly Weigh In

I had every intention of attending my weekly meeting on Saturday morning, even as I finally passed out after 2 on Friday night. Unfortunately, an alarm clock doesn't sound when it is not set and I didn't wake up until after 10. Needless to say, I missed my 9 a.m. meeting. I have weighed myself at home though and, to my dismay, I maintained my weight from last weekend. I suppose I should be grateful. Afterall, I didn't gain anything and my prior week's weight loss was substantial; but, I was really hoping to break through this plateau and move the second number in my weight down one.

This week is going to be a challenge. As I type, I am getting ready for a cookie exchange party at my co-teacher's house. (I made Eggnog Snickerdoodles and they are so yummy!) Plus, Tuesday afternoon, I'm hosting a department potluck in my classroom; Thursday afternoon is an all-staff mixer at a BBQ joint near the school; and we have plans with friends to go out for dinner on Friday evening. Maintenance this week will be key. I'm planning on switching back to the Flex plan this week and count my points diligently. Wish me luck!

A Magical Evening

Lindsay turned 29th on the 13th and, to celebrate, we all went out to Magic Castle in Hollywood (check it out at: http://www.magiccastle.com/). It's this ultra-exclusive dinner club in a historic castle that was built when Hollywood was nothing but a vast lot of land filled with nothing. It has an incredible aura and is kinda creepy at times. We were told that the place was built to throw people off. Everything in it, apparently, is crooked. The floor slopes, the doorways are slanted, and none of the pictures are hung straight. You wouldn't know it but it's meant to make you confused. There were three levels and about 5 or 6 bars. We basically wandered through the place, taking in shows as we could. Dinner was amazing, Mark had steak Milton with crab and bearnaise and I had short ribs (my new steakhosue favorite). In all, it was a great night with great friends and, I think, Lindsay had a fantastic birthday!

Weekly Weigh In

I was very excited to weigh in today since I had tried a new version of WW this past week. When I stepped on the scale, I had lost (drumroll please)...5.4 lbs!!! Wow, what a week! And I feel like I didn't have to really try too hard to do it. I had a slice of pizza one night and a couple caesar salads with regular dressing throughout the week. I definitely enjoyed the core plan and am excited to try it again this week!

My total weight loss, however, is only 4.6 lbs as I had lost and gained so much that I was heavier last week than I was when I started. But, I'm back on track and ready to commit to the program.

Happy Thoughts

I just got off the phone with my good friend, Karen. It's her 29th birthday today and we had a great, long conversation catching up and discussing the difficulties of growing older. It sucks but growing up sure does happen to us all. She informed me that her brother, who lives in Japan, was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma and that he's awaiting further test results to determine what stage it is in. She said that he seems positive and that Lymphoma is actually curable so he is hopeful that it is in a beginning stage. When thinking happy thoughts, please send some her way. I know she and her family could use them.

Yet another reason my husband's so great...

I had a somewhat crummy afternoon today and really wanted to get home to see Mark for just a few minutes before he had to leave for his 4:00 shift. I left school at 3:00 and should have been home NO LATER than 3:20. Unfortunately, traffic was horrendous and I ended up calling him to tell him to go ahead and leave. The frustration of my afternoon conversation with my boss along with the traffic's determination to prevent me from seeing my hubby had me in tears. When I finally pulled up, 20 minutes later, he was waiting for me in the driveway. I gave him a quick hug and kiss and he headed off to work. He arrived 20 minutes late himself but because he knew it meant that much to me, he was there when I got home.