Happy Birthday

Weigh-in this morning—down 12 pounds total.  Down to my annoying mid 160’s set point.  This is a crux for me, because I seem to settle in at this weight range and it hard to drop any more.  I’ve noticed I start losing resolve around this point in the process as well.  I’ve been on my weight watchers PLUS no sugar or white flour plan now for about two months.  It is very challenging, but being off the sugar and white flour is actually helpful—fewer cravings. 

But it is still not easy.

Good news—my 7 year old successfully completed first grade and is going on to second.  She scored quite well on her standardized tests—the first time we’ve gotten official confirmation that she is intelligent.  That sounds weird, we knew she was smart, but to actually see the 99^th and 98^th percentiles there on paper warmed my parental heart!

More good news—all my lantana came back this spring and all but one are blooming.  I don’t know why this makes me so happy, but every time I pull into my driveway and see the bright colors blooming on the verge it just cheers me up.  Every plant has a different color of flower, so it’s quite a sight.  I’ll post a picture soon—but it’s hard to get the total effect because the plants extend sort of a long way.

 We don’t know for sure when our kittens were born but we think it was around Memorial Day, so I’m going to post a before and after picture to celebrate our kittens officially becoming CATS.  Did they ever get big, especially the sickly male kitten who seemed to be on the verge of death there a few times.  Now they’re surly and blasé and march around like they own the house.  I’m glad they made it, they are a nice addition to the household.  Happy birthday, Boy and Girl (Fergus and Merida, April Fools Day and Earth Day, Cocoa and Butter, and other names du jour)!

Kittens when we first got them (Boy on left, Girl on right)

Kittens now (Boy on left, Girl on right)

The Black Lagoon

The weather is warming up and I started feeling like opening up the pool, so we peeled off the pool cover last night and this is what was underneath:

The BLACK LAGOON.

Looks refreshing and inviting, doesn't it?  Makes you want to jump right in!

We will spend much of the weekend trying to clean this nasty swamp up and do all the various start-up-the-pool chores.  We do our own pool, I just don't feel that this is a service I can really afford to pay for.  The pool is unheated so it's only a three-month pool.  Or three and a half months.  We open it in late May and it's pretty much too cold to use by September.  It really only gets decently warm in late July, the rest of the time you are lowering yourself into the frigid water inch by inch.

Haven't figured out a pool heating solution yet.  Though we have ideas.

In the weight loss front, down 9.8 pounds since I started back on plan in late March.  This is very good!  Weight is 167.2.  I haven't lost enough to be able to wear different clothes, and the new bathing suit I got doesn't look ANYTHING like the model iwearing it in the catalog did, but it's still better than where I was two months ago.

Upcoming hurdle--business trip to Salt Lake City where I will be without a car, staying downtown, and at the mercy of whatever food I can find there.  INCREDIBLY boring training but necessary.  I guess I can see if the hotel room has a mini-fridge and try to bring as many non-perishable plan food as I can.  NOT going to lose this momentum!

Life in the Bed of a Pickup Truck

Didn't lose any weight this week, but then again, I didn't gain any, so my total lost in Round 2 is 8.6 pounds.  Trying to up the exercise and water intake to see if that helps.

Still doing the dual diet:  no sugar or white flour AND doing Weight Watchers Points Plus program.  It's pretty hard, but I don't want to get weight-related diseases.  My blood lipid numbers were trending in the wrong direction last time I saw my doctor, but I'm not diabetic or even pre-diabetic so that was good news.

Went camping with the Girl Scouts at City of Rocks State Park (which I love) and thought I'd post a picture of our very comfortable accommodations: 

This is my dad's pickup truck with a pop-up bed camper.  It has a sink, two-burner gas cooktop, and a heater.  It also has lights.  No bathroom facilities.  It comfortably sleeps three, in an emergency you could theoretically get six folks in there.  I have spent many happy nights in this camper in many great locations, the best of which was when I climbed my ONE fourteener, Mt. Elbert in Colorado.  The upper bunk is splendid for one and still works well for two.  You can avoid the expense of motels when you have something like this, though of course you can't shower in it.  But the sink allows you to wash your hair and take a sponge bath. 

This camper is appropriately named Casa Segunda (second home). 

Will post more on weight loss efforts.  Still hopeful I'll get there.