Sunday, April 27, 2008

Udate

I went to WW yesterday and have now lost 40.2 pounds! I have 9.2 to go to meet my goal. I will be there before my birthday in July. For my present to myself, I am going on a shopping spree because I will have a very limited wardrobe at that point!

We went to see the Royals beat the Jays last night. It was a fun time and we each got a free stadium blanket! Katie wanted to be carried at one point while she and I were out using the facilities. I could hardly carry her for any length of time. To put this into perspective, she weighs somewhere between 30 and 35 pounds. I have lost 40.2. How did I carry all that weight before? My back is hurting today because of carrying her last night.

One of the members at the meeting said that when he started, he felt fine, and was fine with his weight. It was his doctor that said he needed to get loosing. He lost 10% and is amazed at how much better he feels, even though he didn't think he felt bad. I know exactly how that is!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

I'm Back!

Since it's been several weeks since I last wrote, I thought it was time to get going again. Here is a run down of what I have been doing since we last met:

-Spent an entire Saturday with a relative from Houston going yarn shopping. She was in town for a conference and is a knitter, so we hit the town. We visited 6 actual stores and 1 vendor fair in which 9 companies were represented. Most were independent owners without an actual storefront, but selling very nice things for the knitter in your life. I set a budget for the day and actually was able to stick to it! I had some great finds, including the buttons for...

-my new work in progress. I played hookie from church the next day and took 2 classes at the Knitting in the Heartland event. It was a weekend of knitting classes with guest instructor, Stephanie Japel. She authored a knitting book called Fitted Knits. I took one of her classes to make a lace tank. I needed some fabulous buttons and I found them in Parkville. I also took a class to learn how to knit socks from the toe up. It is going to be great to knit socks that way.

-While I was having fun with all the soft pretty yarns, Katie was busy coming down with a nasty cold. She had a fever and cough and was just miserable. I felt so sorry for her that I was out having fun while she wasn't feeling very good. Luckily, between Ben and my parents, I knew she was well taken care of and I didn't think about her much while I was playing. Bad mom, but good for Jennifer. It was a much needed break for my soul. The only problem with such a fantastic weekend is dealing with the complete obsession afterwards. All I wanted to do was knit. Doesn't bode well for the job and family. So sleep was just a thought at times. I am seriously addicted to yarn.

-I went to two concerts in the time I was away and both were within the last week. We went to see East Village Opera Company in Lawrence last weekend. Sidna was so gracious to keep our princess and Katie loved making cookies that evening! The concert was incredible. I loved it. They take opera songs and rock them. Think Trans Siberian Orchestra. Very cool. The other concert was last night. My grandma had been watching the DVD performance of Andre Rieu for some time now. She heard that he was going to be at the Sprint Center, so she wanted to go. My dad was unavailable to take her, so I went in his place. The concert was good, but got a little monotonous with all the waltzes. But, they saved themselves in my mind by playing Carmina Burana. That piece is so intense and especially when the percussion comes in with the booming bass drum. Oh my word. It is awesome.

-During all this time, work has been crazy. I went to a conference in Topeka one day last week, I finished a major testing event for wastewater and a separate one for water within the last two weeks, we are being crunched with the budget and hiring freeze, and my co-worker is on maternity leave. I just have to take it one day at a time and go with it. It does no good to stress over the things I can't have control over. I just do my job and get it all in, somehow.

-Then, to top it off, Katie and I spent the day together. We went to get my haircut, had breakfast, went to The Studio (I had to put myself on yarn restriction), Brookside Toy and Science and then to work so I could take some samples out of the incubator. We met Ben at home and ate some lunch then headed over to the Mahaffie Farmstead to watch the border battle reenactment. It was pretty cool. It seems that each year it gets bigger and bigger with more people participating in the camps and battle. The best part for me is the cannon fire. It is loud and you can feel it. (One year Ben, dad and I went to the Celebration at the Station event over Memorial Day. They played the 1812 Overture and had canons firing in the cued spots. Dad and I went to the corner of the street under the canons to get closer to the action-they were up on a hill. When they fired, we could feel the shock wave. The sand on the street peppered us and my pant legs rippled like they would if we were in a 30 mph wind. Dad and I looked at each other and both had wide eyes. All we could say was Woa! It was awesome) Katie wasn't too excited about the volume of the cannons, but after I held her ears for the entire 30 minutes, she was ok. The first round of cannons really scared her, but she got over it pretty quickly and was content to color while I held her ears. At one point she put her stuff down, said "mommy, I'm sleepy" and snuggled in close. I couldn't have asked for anything more. She wasn't such the angel an hour later, however. She definitely still needs the nap time. Thank goodness! Mama needs a nap too!

And at that, I will wish you all a good night. It is only 8:20, but I got some good knitting books from the library, so I think I am going to get ready for bed and read those books and dream of knitting. If you ask me nice enough, I may make something for you. Just don't hold me to a deadline. Ask my family.