Returning To Me!

(L) 2002 I THOUGHT I LOOKED FAT AS THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN TOO CLOSE...

( R) 2003 I THOUGHT I LOOKED FAT BECAUSE OF MY HAIR AND MY DRESS,

WHO WAS I KIDDING...THIS WAS WHAT I LOOKED LIKE... IT WAS ME...WHAT HAD HAPPENED...I HAD LOST MY WAY....THIS WASN'T WHO I DREAMED I WOULD BE WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL....I TOOK A GOOD HARD LOOK AT MYSELF AND MY LIFE - IT WAS QUITE A SHOCK....MY LIFE WAS A SHAMBLES...I WAS IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP....I HAD TWO LITTLE BOYS...I FELT TRAPPED....I FELT HOPELESS How did I get to this point...

Guess it is the same old story.  Active young lady, gets married has two kids, gets divorced, gets married again and LETS HERSELF GO!!!!!!!!!!!  Yeah, except that wasn't supposed to happen to me.   After years of struggle and A LOT OF MISTAKES.  Here I was, the poster child of screw ups.   So one day I took a good look at my life and BLUCK....hated what I saw.  On the plus side I had two terrific kids.  On the minus, I was FAT, miserable, depressed and incredibly LAZY.  So I loaded the boys into the car, grabbed a blanket, water, Weight Watchers magazine and a notebook.  Off to the park we went.  There, while the children played I decided to write down a list of goals and plan how to achieve them.....

2004 PICTURE TAKEN WITH MY BOYS

1.  Get To Goal Weight

2.  Be fit, slim, strong and self confident.

3.  Be my own boss and work my own hours.

5.  Visit my family in Australia.

6.  Buy an SUV  (LOL -A little reward for good behavior!!!!).

This is me after loosing 86 Lbs on Weight Watchers!!  This is the best thing I have ever done for myself.  Today is Christmas  12/25/05 and I ran 2 1/2 miles in the rain.  I had so much fun doing that. 

THIS THANKSGIVING WAS THE BEST!!  I FINALLY FEEL HAPPY ABOUT HOW I LOOK.  IT'S SO GREAT TO WANT MY PIC TAKEN WITH THE BOYS.  WE WENT TO A FRIENDS HOUSE FOR THANKSGIVING AND THEY WERE ALL FREAKING OUT SAYING HOW LITTLE I HAD GOTTEN.  YAY, IT FELT GREAT!

86 POUNDS GONE - I AM SO ENJOYING MY NEW LOOK





  

WEIGHT WATCHERS HAS TRULY CHANGED MY LIFE.  MY ATTITUDE ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE - I LEARNED THAT A BAD DAY DOESN'T MEAN A BAD TWO DAYS, OR A BAD WEEK.  IT'S JUST A CHOICE I MADE, NO BIG DEAL.  BUT I MAKE MY NEXT CHOICE A BETTER ONE.  I DESERVE TO BE THE BEST I CAN, TO LOOK THE BEST I CAN, AND TO BE THE HEALTHIEST I CAN BE.  I EAT BETTER, I WALK AND I RUN.  I DON'T CARE WHO I RUN IN TO, I NO LONGER AVOID PEOPLE.  THE VERY BEST OF ALL, IS THAT I CAN JUST GET UP AND THROW ON A PAIR OF JEANS, TOP, SHOES AND FEEL GREAT!!!!!!!!

I LOGGED ONTO MY WEBSITE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AT LEAST A YEAR.  I FOUND SOME LOVELY MESSAGES ON MY GUEST BOOK.  THIS MADE ME REALIZE THAT IT WAS TIME TO UPDATE MY PICS.  SO HERE IS A PIC TAKEN AT CHRISTMAS WITH MY BOYFRIEND KELLY.  MY LIFE HAS TAKEN LOTS OF TWISTS AND TURNS.  I GUESS I'M STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS.  GIVING UP IS NEVER AN OPTION.  SOMETIMES I FALL OFF THE WAGON, SOMETIMES I STRUGGLE...BUT I ALWAYS GET UP, DUST OFF, AND CONTINUE ON.  NEVER EVER EVER GIVE UP.  WHEN YOU GET TO THE END OF YOUR ROPE, TIE A KNOT IN THE END AND HANG ON.  REMEMBER THAT GOALS ARE DREAMS WITH A DEADLINE ;)  YOU CAN DO THIS, IT'S IN EACH ONE OF US, YOU JUST HAVE TO DIG DEEP.  DON'T LET ANYONE EVER TELL YOU SOMETHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.  DIG IN YOUR HEELS, GRIT YOUR TEETH AND DO IT!

NEVER EVER FEEL A FAILURE IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING, JUST CHANGE THINGS UP A LITTLE AND ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES.  YOU ARE YOUR OWN BOSS, YOU ARE IN CHARGE.  HAVE FUN WITH LIFE ;)

OH, IN CASE YOU ARE WONDERING, I DID GET MY SUV, THE BOYS AND I DID SPEND AN AWESOME MONTH ON THE GOLDCOAST IN AUSTRALIA WITH MY MOM....AND LAST YEAR I WENT TO AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND AND SPENT ANOTHER FAMILY HOLIDAY WITH MY SISTER AND BROTHER-IN-LAW...LIFE IS DEFINATELY UNPREDICTABLE IF YOU HANG AROUND ME - LOL

**2002  I joined Weight Watchers, start exercising three times a week (I now exercised EVERY day of the week if I could), and I started casting around for job ideas and prayed prayed prayed*

**2002 - 2004 My Weight loss for the next few years was gradual.  I stopped and started Weight Watchers several times.  Some peope join and loose all their weight in 6 months.  Me, well, I am a little different.  I am a fits and starts chick.  So sorry if it dissapoints you, as it would me if I was reading about someone else...it took me three years to loose a good whack of weight -between about 40 lbs. 

**2005 - May 2006 Things just started clicking here.  I started really following the healthy guidelines.  Running and walking became daily activities.  Crikey was I focused.  My life really started changing.  Some really hard and challenging things started happening.  It was a pretty bumpy ride.  But I kept on with eating right and exercising for the most. Lost probably another 30 lbs.

**AUGUST 2006 -2007...  Okay, I found a new lease on life and headed on another stretch of weight loss.  I had regained thirty pounds and i was miserable, crabby and very unhealthy.  Everyone was catching hell.  I was so disappointed in myself.  But I still knew I had it in me to succeed.  Even if it didn't look like it to anyone on the outside, I knew I could do it.  Guess what?!  I did do it.  Got back down to an all new low.  Regualr exercise and a lot more disiplined with food. All in all - about 86 lbs total...

***IT'S NOW 2008!  GUESS WHAT???!!!  I AM GETTING TO WHERE I AM HAPPY WITH MYSELF.  MY LIFE IS TURNING OUT TO BE A LOT DIFFERENT TO WHAT I EXPECTED.  BUT I AM A LOT WISER, AND PRETTY DARN HAPPY.  I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT LEARNING HOW TO STAND ON MY OWN TWO FEET, THAT WHEN I STOPPED AND LOOKED AROUND I WAS INCREDIBLY SHOCKED TO FIND OUT - I HAD BEEN STANDING ON THEM ALL ALONG.

What's Happening In My Life Now????

I AM A SINGLE MOM TO TWO TEENAGE BOYS...I AM BACK IN THE WORKFORCE FULL TIME (WAS A SUBSTITIUTE TEACHER AND IN AN UNHAPPY RELATIONSHIP), I WORK FOR A TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (CAN YOU BELIEVE I REALLY LOVE THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY - LOL) RECRUITING TRUCK DRIVERS.  I WALK AND RUN AT LUNCHTIME, AND I WORK OUT WITH WEIGHTS AT THE GYM WITH MY FRIEND MARIE.  I MET A GREAT GUY AND WE HAVE BEEN DATING NEARLY A YEAR.  WE ARE THE PROUD PARENTS OF A 25 LB ONE YEAR OLD JACK RUSSELL NAMED SPANKY RUSSELL BALLEW.  I LIVE IN A PRETTY LITTLE HOUSE THAT IS MY HAVEN.  RIGHT NOW MY GUY KELLY AND I ARE IN THE PROCESS OF REACHING AN AGREEMENT ON BUYING OUR DREAM HOME ON A RIVER IN GEORGIA.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy my site.  Goals are dreams with a deadline 

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