Hot tea, anyone?

When I was growing up, I thought that hot tea was just another name for sweet tea that was poured over ice just before Sunday lunch after church.

The ice crackled as the tea was poured into the glass.

The first sip was a mingling of cold and warm, as the ice had not had time to cool off the whole glass yet.

Wait, what?
You mean there are people who don't drink iced tea?
They drink their tea HOT?!
That's weird.

...or so I thought.

I can say now that I have grown accustomed to a nice cup of hot tea every now and again. I wouldn't say it's something that I want on a daily basis, but it sounds good to me once or twice a week.

It's funny how things aren't so "weird" when you give them a try.

FINALLY!!!

It's taken longer than I've wanted...(a little perspective here is noted...what is another couple of weeks compared to YEARS of the alternative?)...but I finally reached 100 pounds of weight loss!
I'm so excited!!!
You know the phrase "You gotta give something to get something"?
It's true. Nothing is without cost of some kind.
It cost a good deal of money for me to join Slim 4 Life.
It cost time to write down everything I've eaten all day and go to the center three times a week for accountability.
It cost will power to walk by the dairy section of the grocery store and not pick up the latest delicious flavored creamer for my coffee or to keep driving past the donut shop that sells the best apple fritter ever.
It cost planning to know what I was doing that day and if I needed to take my lunch or how many snacks to take.
It cost determination to keep going even if I had a gain at weigh in.

But as much as it has cost, I have gotten much in return...more than can be expressed here in black and white.
I've gotten a new body! Which is constantly changing!
I've developed a new appreciation for raw vegetables!
I'm a better planner!
I've developed a new palette! When I have tasted things that I've had a craving for, they don't taste the same.
I don't dread going to workout at the gym.
I actually enjoy my non-fat latte with Splenda now. Coffee and I have had to develop a new appreciation for each other when I started this diet. ;)

Some days are easier than others. Still. I'm not a machine. I'm a human being, and a lot of times I put more demand on myself than what others expect of me. That's a good thing sometimes. In the grand scheme of things, I'm doing this for myself...to be healthy, to be able to have a family and live long for them. No one else will have those same expectations for me.

The thing I have to ask myself everyday....
How bad do you want to change?
Are you satisfied with where you are?
Or do you want to do more?

Change does not come in simply being inspired by others. Change comes when you let the inspiration propel you to action...and don't quit. I'm not finished with this thing yet. My goal is to lose another 75 pounds. I can't stop now!

SNOW DAY! (ahem...) SNOW DAYS!!!!

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, AND now Friday, schools of all sizes and levels have been/are cancelled due to inclement weather.

Tuesday and Wednesday I was quite content being at home doing domestic activities and mindlessly watching cable channels snuggled under a quilt in my comfy chair.

By Wednesday evening, after finding out school was cancelled yet again, I made it clear that a trip into town would do me some good. :)
And it did.
But now I'm quite happy to be home again, away from the icy roads and drivers that don't know how to drive on said roads.

Fashion for taking the dog out in ice: no makeup, pajamas, pink fuzzy socks, slip-on shoes (not the best for walking on ice, but they were handy), Dan's hoodie, Dan's coat (both hoods up), and knit gloves.

How cool is that?!

A week or so ago, I was lying in bed trying to sleep, and I kept telling Dan that I must have overlooked something on the bed before climbing in. I was feeling something stuck under me and it was hurting my back.
I sat up, but nothing was there.
I lay back down, and it was hurting me again!
Turns out, it was my pajamas. They were getting to be so big on me that when I would lie down they would wad up under me and poke me!
So, I told Dan I was going to have to break down and buy some new pajamas.

Fast forward a week later...hadn't had time to go buy new pj's yet.
My best friend and her family had come to town for the weekend. (She is also doing quite well on the Slim 4 Life program.)
We had a great dinner with them, and she left me with two HUGE LAWN bags full of clothes she could no longer wear.
I opened one of the bags, and the very first things I pulled out were two almost new pairs of pajamas that were a perfect fit.
I almost cried.
It's the little things that mean the most.