June 21, 2009

Yessir, I'm back!!!



Yes, the Blooming Orchid has been on something of a hiatus. Life got a little complicated with increasing responsibilities at work (a very good thing), major chauffering of the Flowers to mandatory rehearsals and practice sessions, PTSO/school volunteer work, and of course, the running thing continues to be my latest and greatest obsession.

Let's see. How do I describe exactly how crazy (but gratefully full and satisfying)my life has been since I last posted? Allow me to try:

1. I've increased my running to four/five times per week. I'm up to 4 mile runs now. I'm nowhere near marathon ready, but I still think that's pretty impressive for a big girl like myself. When I'm not running, I'm thinking about it, or reading about it, or harassing another runner to pass on their tips. I never thought I'd enjoy a sport so much, so even I'm taken aback by new obsession. I ran my first 5K on 23 May and it was an awesome and amazing experience. I ran the entire 3.1 miles and I felt an exhiliration like never before, probably second only to giving birth to my daughters. I'm registered to run another 5K on 27 June, then get this! I've registered myself to run a 5 miler on 4 July. I figure it's a pretty neat way to celebrate my own personal independence. Independence from fear, from being fat and feeling lazy, I could go on and on.

2. Chrysanthemum and Rose finished Kindergarten and third grades, respectively. I had a major "Phew!" moment of euphoria when we discovered that Chrysanthemum had met all the benchmarks and is ready for first grade. Talk about waiting to exhale! This child of mine has a tendency to save up all her skill and abilities to like -the last month of school. She did it in K4 as well. We had several conferences with her teacher in K4 who reported throughout the year that she seemed to be meeting educational goals very slowly and that promotion to Kindergarten was looking shaky. Well, by March things were starting to improve vastly, and by May, she was in-line academically with her classmates. This year in school was nearly identical. Again, she waited until the end of the school year to show us all what she's got. It's nerve wracking for me, as her Mother. I spend many sleepless nights wondering and waiting and hoping and praying for proof that she's able to keep up.

Rose is, as per usual, kicking down doors and taking names, academically. She's been accepted into the Math & Science program for her 4th grade year, and her final report card was a sea of straight As. She's a rock star. I'm continually in awe of her ability to retain and recall facts and information.

Recitals and rehearsals have kept us very busy for the last few weeks. Here are Rose and Chrysanthemum trying on their costumes for the Spring recital.

Very pretty!

3. I was given another job opportunity at work to hire the Seasonals. Seasonals are young people, either Seniors in high school or college students. They work for eight weeks or a minimum of 40 days at our company in various positions. It was a great opportunity, but often frustrating work as there are many moving parts and lots of changes to keep up with and remain organized simultaneously. I worked many nights late into the evening in an effort to keep up and bring all 70+ Seasonals on board. It's not quite over yet, but we're 95% finished with them. It's been a wonderful opportunity, but loaded with the occasional stressful situation. I'm never one to turn down an opportunity at work and because of my values, I gave it my all. I made a few mistakes along the way, but ultimately, I feel I'm a better employee with increased knowledge of my organization and of this program. All in all, it was all good.

4. My weight has continued to fall, albeit only slightly since I last wrote. I've lost a total of 43.5 pounds. Mostly I'm in a holding patter (I think they call it maintenance), and while I'm still living by and mostly adhering to the Nine Good Health Guidelines of Weight Watchers, I'm not doing much to continue to lose, although I fully intend to do so. How much more? I can't say right now. My current goal is more in terms of clothing: I'd love to be back in a size 14 by my birthday on August 10th. I have battled with the scale pretty much all my life and I'm not sure I want to continue to wage that fight. I just want to look in the mirror and know that I'm healthy. I had a visit with my Primary Care Physician about a month ago and while he complimented me on the weight I had lost (he didn't notice, I had to point it out to him), he also gently reminded me of the BMI chart and where I currently reside on it and exactly where I should be. He recommended a loss of 40 more pounds. Now here's the thing about losing another 40 pounds: I know I can lose it. I KNOW I can. What I'm not confident about is my ability to maintain that much weight loss. I think that I would have to work tremendously hard to keep it off. And that, is where I lose the faith. I don't think I'm willing to work quite so hard for the rest of my life. And, perhaps, I can chunk it and take it 5 pounds at a time, regardless of how long it takes me. Maybe it will take two years in total. Maybe I won't worry about it for now. On another weight-related note, I'm still struggling with good eating habits. I still have a love and passion for junk food. All types of junk. I'm more aware than ever of how dangerous and unhealthy processed foods are, but I'm like a moth to a flame; I have a hard time avoiding them. Those and cakes, the usual suspects. Give me a good piece of cake and I'm one happy girl! I think I'm obessed.

5. Marigold and I had a huge falling out about a month ago and it led to some serious soul-searching. I became so angry at him, which is pretty unlike me, that my disappointment and anger scared even me! After we cooled off, he and I talked for hours about our relationship and each of us, individually as people. He feels that I'm in a place where he found himself about four years ago, filled with discontentment and self-doubt. In essence, I've decided to re-visit the therapy route and I've found a doctor that I think will benefit me. I'm a staunch believer in therapy/psychiatry and I'm actually looking forward to what will be revealed to me. On a happier note, the kissing and making up was very tender and loving. I think this will take our relationship to a new level.

6. A new lady has come into my life. My brother and his wife welcomed my new niece into the world in March. I'll call her Lilac. She's very sweet, and I'm in love all over again. Here's a picture of her in all her sweetness:



Here's a picture of me and my best girls, Rose and Chrysanthemum just goofing around. Notice Chrys won't smile for the camera. That's a five year old at her finest, I tell ya.



Happy Father's Day to Marigold (the world's best Daddy of all time), my Dad, and to all the loving Fathers out there. God bless you!

Well, my blogger friends, if you've made it to the end of this post, it's because you really missed me and all my foolishness. I promise won't stay away so long next time.

----------------------
Gratitude Journal
1. Love and life
2. Family and friends
3. Good health
4. Accruing miles and seeing results
5. No longer shopping in the Plus Size section of stores (priceless)


1 comment:

Colette said...

WELCOME BACK!! LOL.... trust me I say this with a grain of salt because I am the world worst blogger some times!!

I think a little thing called life tends to get in the way!! So many of my peeps are not blogging right now either. But I am so glad your back!!!
Hey Kudo's to you for losing while you was away. I gained :(
But I am back on the wagon and hope to stay there.