Dona's Journey to a Better Me

[donac]

Senior Fashio n show tonight. I was there for a few hours last night setting up and we finish the set up at 3 this afternoon. Then we have to be back there at 6. I can't stand these things. Too loud and my ds2 is not going to be modeling but he will be a runner with the prizzes. I also always lose at these things.

ENT doc appointment wasn't too bad. He wants he on antibiotics for another 10 days to make sure that we got everything. He also wants to check my blood glucose level. If that is off then I could be prone to more infections. Strange combination. He asked me if I had gained any weight. I haven't since last Feb but before that I had lost and gained 20 pounds. I thinkk I really need to get super back on track with my diet and exercise plan if there is connection.

Thanks geety for the pickle. We have a glass one that hangs on our tree every year. My dh is german and so we have been doing that since I found out about that tradition. Beside ds2 is a pickle freek. We can not keep a jar of pickles in the house once they have been opened. He has been given a 5 gallon jar twice as birthday presents since he loves them so much. So the pickle means a lot to me.

 

[donac]

Good Thursday morning guys. I am sorry that I did not get back to everyone last night. Once I left school (and I ran out of the building as soon as the bell rang. I looked like one of the kids) I had a stop to make to get my blood work sheet from my doctor, a stop at a house to pick up gift baskets, a stop at my house to pick up brownies and then to the high school to finish setting up for the fashion show. Needless to say the lady who ran the gift baskets got no help from her committee so I made endless trips back and forth to the car to get them and then set up took forever because you never really know how much table space you need. We ended up adding two more tables before we could get it right.

Then I ran home and found out ds2 got into the college that he really wants to go to. He has not gotten his formal letter yet but he has been emailing the associate dean of the engineering dept and he emailed him with the good news last night. Then shower dinner and to the fashion show. It was everything I thought it would be and more. It was noisy and very few people helped with the gift baskets. (again the committee) I must have walked for over a half an hour moving gift baskets. Then after was take down and clean up. We had that all done in about 45 minutes But with all the help that I gave the gift basket lady she just left and never offered to help us with clean up.

The killer was when I got to my car my battery was dead. At least dh was there to help clean up and then drive me home. It is now in the shop.

 

[donac]

It is cloudy here with a bit of a chill. I have a few more days off until I go back to work. I just finished a meeting with someone I am throwing a party with and it was a very good meeting. Got a lot accomplished.

Ds2 had his last football game last night and their last time out as a band. With it being cold and wet it was not their best show but they got to play their last show on home field so that was nice.

Ds 2 and dh are out collecting food for the scouts. I hope that they get a lot because the food pantries could use it.

 

[postesf]

HI Dona! Just wanted to wish you well on your journey!!!

Stacie

 

[donac]

A friend is turning 50 tomorrow and her husband got a group of us together to plan a surprise birthday party. She loves surprises and we really fooled her. She was in shock when she walked in. IT was great. Many of her sisters were there and some college friends that she hadn't seen in several years. We worked our tails off this weekend but it turned out great.

The room for the party looked lovely. I told the husband that I would not be any part of a party that was done in black and was over the hill was the theme. One of the people on the committee wanted all black and I said that I wouldn't work on the party if that was the color scheme. I think the husband was going to back me on this since he knew I would be doing a lot of the work. This lady never showed up to help set up yesterday morning and when the rest of us came at 3 she showed up at almost 4. She also got mad at us because we put the desserts out we didn't pass around her cake as if it were a wedding cake. (We had a potluck dinner since we knew the guest of honor would like that) Besides it looked terrible and who wants lousy looking cake when there were at least 3 different cheesecakes to eat.

The room had dark green table clothes. For the centerpieces whe used left over things from the 4 parties she had for her kids for their Bar(Bat)Mitzhas (sp) Her husband snuck that stuff to me a few weeks ago. SHe had at least 60 cowboy hats left over from her son's party. We stuck silk mums throught the top in 10 of them for the tables and then put left over stuff on the brims including happy face shakers. We put two sets of silk flowers in hats upside down and spread them around the room. We also used upside down hats for the utensils and napkins and the packets of sugar. She loved the fact that we used things left over.

I haven't finished her present. Her daughter wrote a song back in June and I am taking the lyrics and cross stitching them on to a piece of navy blue cross stitch fabric. I have finished the words and am adding the stars (little cross stitches in metalic thread. The hardest part is threading the needle. I should finish it this week.

Knee and leg are still bothering me but not as much as it did yesterday. I was in a lot of pain yesterday. Not too much stress today and it seems to be doing okay. Maybe yoga tomorrow morning.

 

[larry's girl]

Sorry your knee is giving you so much trouble. Please do try to take care of it so it doesn't get any worse.

It sounds as if you are very creative and good at decorating, crafts and organization. I so admire people like that! I am good at none of those things, so I am always in awe of folks who are.

Hope you have a good evening!

Susan

 

[donac]

From Black team thread:

Well Black Team from initial reports it does not look good for us to retain the win in the weekly weigh in. We have all had a bad week and even with Thanksgiving looming ahead of us I think we can all have a great losing week next week. I don't know the total until tomorrow and then I will let you know.

I know that this has taught me that I need to keep eating my fruits and veggies and drinking my wAter. These are two major places that I have been neglecting this week. I also want to get back to exercising since my knee is less swollen than it was last week. I made it through the day with only one real twingle of pain.

This may not be the week we want but we are fortunate to all be here helping each other. Without each other where would we be. Probably 10 pounds heavier.

Let me give a different viewpoint. I just got an email from someone I know. Her mother died this past summer from breast cancer. Her father is not well so she has been dealing with both her mother and her father. Her father is in a nursing home and with her mother gone she thought that she would enjoy her son's last year of high school. She just found out that she has breast cancer and it now may be in both breasts. She is in the testing stages to find out the best cure.

When I got this email this morning it made me think. 3 pounds is nothing compared to what my friend is going through. Think about it.

What do you have to be grateful this Thanksgiving?

Even though I have had some health issues they are nothing compared to other people. Don't take your health for granted. You never know what is going to happen.

 

[larry's girl]

Hi, Dona. Your last post made me think, and you are right. NEVER TAKE YOUR HEALTH FOR GRANTED!! My own health problems have multiplied over the last couple of years, and this past year I finally found out what the basic problem was that was causing them. Now I have to incorporate the exercise and eating plan into my lifestyle that will help improve my health instead of laying around feeling sorry for myself and getting heavier and heavier. I do believe that the support we give each other here is vital to our success. Whether we have good days or bad days, we all know that we can come here to vent, cry, laugh, whatever and get the support and encouragement we need to keep on fighting the good fight. Here's hoping that the coming year will be a good one for all of us!

Take care!

Susan

 

[donac]

I could have lost nothing today because we are all very happy in my house today. Ds2 was informed yesterday that he has a scholarship to college. They will be giving him full tuition. We will be paying for fees and room and board. If he maintains a B average he could have all 4 years. It came out to be a lot of money over 4 years. He knew it was coming but he was still in shock when he saw the total amount.


Last night was ds2's Marching Band dinner. It was his last one since he is graduating. I have been involved with the band for 9 years, 7 of them as band parent president. It was a great night. I know I have great kids but it is nice to hear someone else tell you what great kids you have. Ds2 got "Hardest WOrking Band Member" award. the band director went on about what a great kid he is and how he has him for a few more months and he will miss him when he leaves. I got called up because of being band parent president. Before he called me up he spoke about me and my husband raising 2 great kids (ds1 was with him for 4 years) and how you can tell how the parents are by the work ethic the kids have. It was so nice to hear dh and I were very touched. He gave me a plaque and a bouquet of flowers. It was a great night and I didn't cry which surprised me. Then dh made in home to watch the Giants win so it was a good night.

These are from the last week. I have been very lax in posting over the last couple of months. I should have posted over Christmas. We had a great holiday. I remember walking through SHop Rite with ds2 and a song came on and I started singing to it and I looked around and he was singing too. We visited with some great friends. Had some crazy events with Boy Scouts. One of our Eagle candidates left the troop about 2 months from his board of review.

I have decided that I need to start posting more. I found an old journal from the 3 months where I weighed in the 190's. Food and exercise was listed everyday. I am hoping to bring that back here. I need a place to vent. Life has been crazy at times and this will be a good place to review what I have been doing.

Tues Jan 22
Exercise total 45 minutes
Walked 30 minutes pilates 15 minutes

Food
Breakfast hot chocolate, banana, yogurt, wheat germ, flax seed
snack 1 slice of thin bread, 1 pear, 1 tble gorganzola cheese
lunch soup, cup of cut up fruit, 1 deviled egg
snack almonds, apple
dinner grilled cheese (2 slices of light bread/laughin cow cheese) salad, sugar free jello

 

[donac]

Exercise
30 minutes walking 10 minutes of yoga stretches.

Food
Breakfast South Beach Meal Replacement Bar, Banana, tea w/skim milk
Snack yogurt, flaxseed, wheat germ
Lunch soup, snow peas
snack apple, cheddar cheese
dinner meatloaf, broccolli, salad

I have nothing planned for tonight. I have a department meeting after school : Then after that I hope to get some laundry done and some sinks cleaned out. Maybe I can get som knitting done on my pink socks

 

[DisDee]

Hi Dona, Its good to see you on the WISH Journals again! Reading your comments about your Scout and Band activities makes me feel nostalgic. I miss those crazy, good times. My son is now 26 and married. Isn't it wonderful when other adults say nice things about your kids? You should feel very proud!

Have a great day and continue posting!

 

[donac]

Exercise
30 minutes walking
10 minutes pilates

Food
Breakfast South Beach meal replacement bar, banana, tea
Snack yogurt, wheat germ, flaxseed
Lunch 1 slice of low carb bread, gorgonzola spread, pear, snow peas, no sugar jello
Snack apple 10 almonds
Dinner spaghetti squash, meat sauce

Yesterday I also had about 3 cookies at our department meeting I can't stand department meetings.

I have a play meeting tonight. I got the notice on Tuesday and it says MANDATORY on top. I also have to go on Sunday and inventory the costumes from last year so that another school can borrow them. This on top of everything else we usually do on Sunday.

 

[hockeygirl]

Hey Dona! Glad to see you are posting again. Looks like your working out has been going well.

Congrats to your DS for getting a scholarship! THat is so awesome!!! You must be so excited, proud, and relieved about it all being paid for!!

Oh, the days of marching band! I miss those days!! I was in the marching band for 5 years (we were allowed to march in 8th grade)...my senior year I was the drum major. Those were some of my favorite memories of HS. I know my mom misses those times to, she was very involved as well! So, I can relate to how you are feeling about the dinner!! My mom still tells me how she felt like she had nothing to do when I graduated HS, because she was so involved in everything I did. I always joked with her and told her to get a life!!

Just kidding, I am sure your DS's totally appreciate all that you do for them!

Keep up the good work!!

 

[hockeygirl]

Hi Dona! Just checking in to see how you are doing! Hope all is well!

 

[lisaviolet]

Dona,

I didn't know you had a journal. I laughed when you were talking about the department meetings. Scattered pictures...memories. Head's meetings were always the biggest blast for me. In our school it was always about, or seemed to be as I took it all in, who had the most anger in the room. Like a show. And nothing seemed to get accomplished. Which really isn't funny. Honestly, hope it's better at your school.

Anyway, just popping in to say hi. Thanks for all your support and congrats on all your progress. Keep it up.

Lisa

 

[donac]

Thanks everyone for visiting my journal. This week has been crazy with midterms starting.

Exercise
20 minutes of walking
This is the 5th day in a row that I have gotten up and worked out.

Food
Breakfast power bar, banana, tea

I will add in the rest later.

 

[donac]

I can't believe it has been a month since I visited here. Here is a recap of a lot of stuff I put on the biggest loser thread.
Good Saturday morning. I finally got a great night sleep last nigt but it didn't start until 2:30 this morning(UNfortunately I was eating but I didn't eat that much. I had been asked to join the production staff for a celebration dinner after the show last night. MOre on that later). I slept until 8:30. It is 10 AM and ds is still asleep but he too needs to catch up on his sleep.


Sorry that I have not been on as much lately. There has been too much drama in my life that I haven't been able to write about to do it justice. I wanted to wait until I had time to think about what I wanted to say and a lot of it has hit the fan this week when I have been averaging about 4 hours of sleep (and Thursday night it was 3).

First Scouts. My dh was Scoutmaster for a long time and last year stepped down but is still an assistant. He has to stay active in SCout until at least 2010 when he is set to work security at the National Jamboree. The guy who took over for him was going through a divorce so we thought that was why he was not getting back to kids or for his layed back attitude. Not the case. The divorce was final this past Aug and he has gotten worse,.. NOw we have to ask him to step down and as I as Troop Committee Chairperson has to do it. Dh and I have been talking about this a lot and we think we have come up with a solution that will let him step back without losing face. I need to do this in the next week and a half so wish me luck on this.

School DOn't get me wrong. I have been in the same school for 31 years. I get along with most people and I love the classes I am teaching. This week was the pits. Every year the school can nominate teachers for Teacher of the YEar. I have never been it and maybe someday I will get it but I am not holding my breathe. Many good teachers have gotten it in the past and I know how hard it is to pick just one person out of the great staff we have at our school.

About a month ago one of my collegues asked me for my resume and she did tell me that she was nominating me. I hoped that it would be my year but I gave up hope long time ago.

Wed afternoon at the faculty meetingthey announce the teacher of the year. The principal started by saying it was someone in the math dept, so the girl who nominated me got excited. But it was not me it was another teacher in the department who is a total fool. She is a student's dream. She gives the students so many chance for extra credit that they could go from a C average to an A average. ANd this for an honors class. She is coordinator and is supposed to check on people who are absent but she is always late herself. When we have a department meeting she always talking about what she did and how late she stayed doing things (If she was more organized and had a life she wouldn't be there until 9 at night.) If I had to lose to someone why did it have to be an incompetent fool. My dh said If you hadn't been nominated you would be laughing about it. HOw true.

Then the drama with the play. WE are doing Beauty and the BEast at ds's school. I have been working with the guy who is in charge of the costumes and the sets for the last 8 years. He makes the costumes and while he is working on the sets I get together a group of moms to do the detailing and finishing them. The enchanted objects have kept us very busy and I have been in charge of a lotmore since the set is so extensive. This week was final tech week. Costume parade last Sat to see what needed to be finished and to add final details like hats and stuff. The moms and I worked Sat and all daySUn. We weren't finished but the costumes were finished enough so that the show could run. I could finish them at night on Mon Tues and Wed. Some moms came in on Monday to help me and we were in really good shape. The directors have been sick on and off for the past month and they have not had as many rehearsals as they have in the past. The kids were not ready beacuse of this but the director did not see it as his fault. He was blaming the costume and set guy, the lighting guy and the cast. He even walked out before the show on Tuesday (real mature for a guy almost 40) Thursday was the final dress rehersal in front of senior citizens who paid half price for their tickets. The kids were better not all the way but a long way from Sunday night.

Last night was opening night. It was a GALA performance with pre theater munchies, stuff to eat at intermission and coffee and dessert after the show. Well as someone said The theater fairies were smiling down at the cast. They were way above where they were last SUnday. Be Our Guest got a standing ovation. It was amazing what they pulled off last night. The entire productions staff were in shock.

After the show I was asked to join the production staff at for late night dinner. We didn't get there until 12 and I left at 2 when they wanted to close the restaurant

Three more shows this weekend and 4 and a rehersal for next week so I am going to be busy. At school we have a crazy schedule since we are doing state testing this week. This week guarantees to be just as crazy.

I am pretty proud of myself since I have done this without chocolate. It has been a month since I gave it up. I still crave it but I have gotten through a lot without it.

I have also been walking a lot. I have worn my pedometer a couple of days this week and one day I put in over 16000 steps and another 14000 so I have been pretty active. My eating hasn't been too bad either. I have been packing some 100 cal packs of almonds in case I got hungry during rehersal and have been bring my water bottle and keeping it full.

 

[donac]

Wel 2 months later and I am still within the same weight range that I started the year with. I had hoped that I would be at least under 200 but that has not happened. I haven't been consistent with workouts untill the last two weeks.

I have 3 months until we hit Disney I don't know where I am going with my weight but I know that my fitness is going to improve. A couple of times in the last two weeks I have walked during period 8 at school. I want to keep this up. I would like to walk after school and do a yoga or pilates routine in the morning. Hopefully I can get this accomplished.

My eating the last week has been really good. I have been trying very hard to keep a balanced menu each day. I know that I can do this.

 

[donac]

I had Sat to myself. I went for a blood test and when I came home I found out that they had forgotten to give me back my id and insurance cards. So back out I went and then up to my school to a flea market. I got some old fashioned corningware (You know the kind with the blue flower on the front) and some Christmas napkins. Then since it was in the area I went to a quilt show. That was fun since it is spread out over 4 buildings and it is at least a 1/4 mile (maybe more) each way between the main building and the barn/farmhouse. It was great weather for a walk. I bought some Japanese inspired fabrics for a wallhanging for my sister (She works for Panasonic) Then when dh and ds came home we went out to see the latest Narnia. I thought the special effects were really cool. I enjoyed it but it is not for really little kids Too much violence.

Yesterday was a crazy day. Church then to a local nursing home to help out with a mass they do every week (Had to go to church first since I was reading) Then grocery shopping started dinner in the crockpot (ribs) and then over to ds's school to get costumes ready for an awards show they are going to perform at on Wed night. They were nominated for 11 catagories for their Beauty and the Beast.

 

[donac]

My last full week at school. When I looked at my calendar last week I had something going on every night this week except Friday.

The stressors in my life are all good ones for the most part but anyone who has taken those stress tests know that even if they are good they are still stressors that you need to take into account.

May 10th ds1 graduated from college Took him 5 years and a lot of crying when we told him he couldn't go back after freshman year because his grades were so bad, a lot of happiness when he got his AA from the local community college and now he is finished with some very impressive grades including the last semester which was a 4.0

Downside he moved back with all his clothes and stuff and it is still in my front hall and living room

Downside he also got a puppy which we have not been helping him take care and are falling in love with.

Ds2 graduates from high school next week. I have cried over the last band concert and the senior awards night. I even got a little teary eyed about this being the last week I will be fixing him his pb&j

I have a good friend who is retiring and her party is next week. I really don't want to see her go because it means we have someone who will listen to us over at administration but she does deserve it and I am very happy for her but at the same time I am losing a very good friend.

I have a great deal to do in the next two weeks with finals, grades due, classroom to be cleaned out and two graduations (my school at 2 and ds2 at 6) and then off to orientation for ds2.

Once that is done it will be fine but then I have to finish the rest of the arrangements for our DW trip. In 9 weeks I will be on a plane to Ft Lauderdale to spend a few days with dh in the Fl keys. Then off to Orlando to a night by ourselves in AKL (thanks dsis) then 7 days at POP including doing a segway tour with our sons and my sister and her family. It should be a fun trip. As soon as we get home it will be time to send ds2 off to school. I am going to miss him a lot we have done alot of things together these past few years and it will be strange not to have him home