Before, After, and a Few Other Thoughts from Insomnia World . . .

Before 15 pounds:


After 15 pounds (and really cute pictures of my babies):


I'm telling you, kids, Weight Watchers works! It would probably work faster if I could lay off the pizza and beer, but it's working.

So, onto more important things: baseball. Particularly, CUBS baseball. As probably none of you know (all two of you), this year is the 100th anniversary of the infamous "Billy Goat Curse." That curse being the curse that has allegedly kept the Cubs from entering a world series for the last 100 years.

They're gonna do it this year. I believe it with all my heart. I know, I know. I said that last year. And the year before that. And, well, not the year before that (I am a realist.) But I know I've said it often. Yet, how fitting would it be to break that curse EXACTLY a hundred years from when it was spoken?

I think 100 years is an appropriate statute of limitations on cursed, don't you?

Chicago Cubs- REVERSE THE CURSE-2008!

Time to Play a Little Catch Up . . .

So, if you've read my blog lately, then you know that I have dropped the ball on my "blog once a week" resolution. So now it's time to get caught up.

First, a resolution update: I have signed up for my first 5K- the March of Dimes 5K on April 26th. Anyone want to join me?

I am as close to finishing my master's as I was a month ago, but I am considering summer school. Jury's still out. I will definitely be back in the fall.

I'VE LOST 13 POUNDS!!! I didn't publish this in my original list, but a personal resolution was to get down to 150 pounds. I'm at 152 from 165. I think I'm going to up the ante on this one and go for 135. That's what I was in college, and I was pretty happy with it.

The rest of them have kind of gone by the wayside. I think I can get back in the game as far as reading my Bible 5 times a week, and maybe I can get caught up (or, you know . . . start) my reading list this summer, but the other few I had that I didn't publish may have to wait until next year. But I set 10, and I'm still keeping 3 of them. I think that's a pretty good percentage considering I usually only set one and never keep it.

Ok, new topic. I have learned a great deal about myself through the Weight Watchers program. Not only did I have NO idea how poorly I was eating (I mean, things you think are healthy you find out really aren't!) but I also have discovered why I eat. and 90% of the time, it wasn't because I was hungry. If you have read any of my blogs on myspace in the past, you know I struggle with sleepiness. I ate constantly to try to remedy that. I thought if I ate, I would have more energy. And, of course, I ate out of boredom. (Who doesn't?)

But I also had no idea of the great extent to which I eat out of stress until Bill crashed his bike. I had been on weight Watchers for about 7 weeks when this happened. After we finally got him bandaged up, shot up, drugged up, and out of the clinic, we went to a Super Bowl party. I ate 4 pieces of pizza, 3 pieces of cake, cleaned out a bowl of chips and dip, and ate a pretty good portion of the fruit and vegetable tray. The weird thing is that I got to the point where I was so stuffed I thought my stomach was going to split, but I still could not stop eating. It was that day that I realized that I HAVE to learn some stress management techniques.

That day I went home and prayed for a really long time after my husband went to sleep. I gave a lot of things up that night. And I'm proud to say that I have taken very few of them back. I still struggle with a few things, mainly finances, but I have done much better about trusting the Lord with those things. I'm pretty proud of how much more relaxed I have felt lately.

In other news . . . it looks like I'll be teaching PE and coaching next year. I'm not sure this is what I want to do, but I cannot both teach a core class and coach anymore. It's too exhausting. But I think I only have one or two years of coaching left in me, so I thought I would focus on that for awhile. Plus, the change will be nice. I whacked my hair off (I'm hoping to get a picture up on my blog/mySpace/facebook today), and I got to witness the amazing work of the Lord in someone I care about very very much. That will have to wait for a later post.

I'm off to read my friends' blogs. I wish you all a FABULOUS Spring Break, wherever you may be!!!