Holly's Happenings

Although we're just a week away from moving into the new house, I still have not been in it to see what the inside actually looks like. My husband has been inside it a few times, but never when I was around to go with him.

I do know, from what he has told me, that it is a MUCH nicer house than the one we're currently living in! While that's nice and all, I still want to see it with my own two eyes! I want to know how the house is laid out and what the rooms look like so I can have an general idea as to how I hope to set it up after we move the furniture in. I'd like to know whether or not the bathrooms have vessel sinks, which they probably don't, but a girl can dream, right? I'd like to know what the kitchen looks like, and how much cabinet space there is.

There's just so much I want to know, so much I need to know, and so little I actually know.....LOL! Yes, it is a nicer house and it's in a better school district, and I do trust my husband, but I still want to get inside of the house NOW! LOL I know, want, want, want. But it's just how I am ya know?

I've known for a while that I've been very fortunate with my weight loss over the past year, but it wasn't until this past week that I actually realized just how much weight I had lost.

A week ago yesterday I had an appointment with my new doctor and got my first "official" weight in a very long time. From that number I realized that I've lost nearly 50 pounds since a year ago at this time. And while that's a nice, big number, it wasn't until last Friday that I actually seen it with my own two eyes.

Last Friday we had our first 70+ degree day of the year. The weather was gorgeous, and I had an appointment to go to, so I decided to break out a pair of my capri pants. As I was trying them on, I discovered each pair was seriously too big for me. I finally found a pair that would at least stay on me without falling off, grabbed a nice top and headed to the bathroom to do my hair.

Out of the middle of nowhere, my 16 year old son said "OH MY GOD MOM"! It kind of scared me because I thought something was wrong, so I asked him what was going on. He pointed up towards the wall and then said "YOU MOM, LOOK!". I looked at what he was pointing at and my jaw hit the floor. The outfit I had on was the same one I had on in this picture

As you can see in that picture, I don't have any problem "filling out" the clothes I'm wearing, and I actually have a pretty nice spare tire around the middle to boot. I knew then that I needed to lose some weight, that actually was my motivation because it was the first pictures taken of me in a very long time.

I took another picture of me that was taken that same day back in May and put it side by side with one that I had my daughter take of me on Friday. First, I look like CRAP because I hadn't finished my hair yet or put make up on, but I wanted you to see the difference in me in just 11 months

I'm so happy, I think I could almost do a cartwheel LOL! It's not until you see the proof, side by side, that you actually believe it! And before you ask, no I did not take phenphedrine or any other type of weight loss aid. I simply got up off my toosh and changed the way that I ate. I also started drinking more water, and going to work helped tremendously as well!

I'm proud of myself! I still have a ways to go, but I've come a VERY long way in the past year! Maybe I'll actually break down and get a bathing suit this year? LOL

I've got so much going on in my life right now, and it's honestly not showing any signs of slowing up either. And no, I'm not complaining, I just wish I could remember where I put my head at most days lately! ;-)

We're in the middle of packing to move, yet again. I'm so sick of moving, and I honestly don't want to make this move, but we also really don't have any other choice. On top of that I'm dealing with some health issues, nothing too major, but bad enough that it made me wake up and realize that I do need to take better care of myself and cut back just a little at work. I had been working 6 days a week, most days being at work by 5:30, and it finally took it's toll on me, landing me in the ER one night for over 8 hours. Thankfully things didn't turn out as bad as what we all were originally thinking, but I do have a few concerns that need to be taken care of, so I did find a new doctor and have seen her twice now. Tomorrow I get my mammies grammed for the first time, then after that I have two heart tests and come home on a 24 hour heart monitor to just make sure everything really is OK.

I'm also dealing with my husbands health issues, which thankfully ended up NOT being heart related, but stomach related instead. He started a temporary day labor job a week ago and hasn't had a day off since. Perfect timing considering we have to move in 10 days! I also have a sick child, and messed up my reminder program and missed a reminder for a shift at work tonight. So when my boss called me at 3:30 asking "Do you know you were supposed to be in today at 3?" My answer was UHHHHH, NO! Thankfully it was a good night, but I was a bit stressed out about it!

Honestly, right now I'd love to get away for just a couple of days! Hubby and I have an anniversary coming up on May 1, so strange to think that we've been married almost 17 years! And with all that's been going on it would be cool to be able to grab one of the great deals I've seen for Las Vegas hotels, book us a flight, and just get away from everything, just the two of us! But the finances just aren't there, and the timing isn't either. Maybe one day we can get our acts together and have the money AND the time to get away for a few days. But with kids, dogs, jobs and bills that are piling up, it's just not in the cards for us right now!

This week is probably going to be one of the busiest weeks I've had in a very long time. Usually, the only thing I have to worry about during my week is going to work. But this week, there's just a bit more to do than that!

This morning I have to go into work and put away stock truck, not too bad, but now the truck doesn't come in on Mondays until 9 AM, which makes it a little more difficult to do since I have to work around everyone being busy and getting their work done as well. Then this afternoon I have an appointment with my new doctor to go over all of the test results that came back from my 8 hour emergency room visit a week ago.

Tomorrow looks to be about the easiest day of the week, which is a good thing, because I'll need to rest during the day. Why, you ask? Because even though I work a close shift tomorrow (4:30 PM to 10 PM), I have to turn around and be back to work on Wednesday at 5:30 AM. (TOTALLY not complaining there!) On Wednesday I work until either 11 AM or 2 PM, then I have the afternoon free.

Right now, it's looking like I have Thursday off work, but won't know that for sure until I go in today because they schedule wasn't posted yesterday when I left work at 2:30. I hope I do have Wednesday off because I have so much do to around here, and I'll need to rest up for Friday! On Friday I have work early, stock truck again, then I have to be home by 11:30 AM because I have to leave with the hubby because he has an outpatient "procedure" that's scheduled to take roughly 3 hours, and I have to take him to it, I can't leave the building the whole time it's going on, and then I'll have to bring him home and keep a close eye on him for a few hours while the anesthesia is wearing off! What I'm going to do for those 3 hours he's in there, I have no clue. I don't think they have WiFi, because if they did, I'd take the hubby's laptop to keep me entertained! But with as busy as I'm going to be, I just don't think I'll need to worry about having to read the latest slimming pills review, or anything weight loss related. Shoot, when am I even going to have the time to eat?? LOL

While all of that seems busy enough, I also have about two weeks to get this house organized and packed because we're going to be moving the first week of May, if not sooner! So I have that extra added "stress" on top of all the other stuff that's going on. And as soon as I get the proper paperwork for the new house, I'll have to make the necessary calls and stuff to get the utilities switched over to my name. And it looks like we'll be going with the local cable company for our phone/internet/TV services, so I'll have to come up with the money down to get that started! But thankfully we do have our cell phones in case I can't get that going right away, and if I need internet, I can always use the WiFi at work if need be!

So, that's my week in a thumbnail, what's in store for yours?

I admit that I am a television addict. When the TV is on, if there is local news on, that's what it's tuned into. In the mornings we watch news from 5 AM until 11 AM, then again at noon, then from 4 PM to 6:30 PM.

But, when there's not news on, we watch a HUGE variety of shows and I decided I'd talk about a few of my favorite shows and why I like them so much, so here goes!

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - I love the feeling this show gives and how much it can and does help people! Unfortunately, there are those that have been helped by this show that have taken advantage of it and have lost or are on the verge of losing what was given to them!

The First 48 - I'll admit it, I'm addicted to reality cop shows! Blame it on COPS, or Unsolved Mysteries, I watched the heck out of them for a LONG time! But this show has definitely become one of my favorites and I watch it as often as I can catch it!

American Idol - I love this show because of what it does for us as a family! It's the one show that when it comes on, we all drop what we're doing and sit and watch it as a family! We laugh with the contestants, we cry when they're sent home, and we cheer for the winner, even if it's not the one we hoped would win! But it always brings us together as a family, which is a bonus, especially with teens!

CSI: Miami - I've been a David Caruso fan since his days on NYPD Blue. And yes, I hated him for leaving! So I was THRILLED to find out he was coming back! And this time, I think he really found his "niche" show! I love the entire cast!

We Mean Business - This show has just recently caught my eye and I have to admit that I quickly became a fan! In this show, they take small businesses that are struggling and give them a complete makeover! Some of the stores had absolutely no clue what they had in inventory, so they'd bring in the top computers and barcode scanners, count their inventory and after the makeover, keeping track of what they have is no longer an issue. The do a complete remodel of their stores, and the results are truly AMAZING!

So there you have it, a few of my all time favorite shows! Now it's your turn, what are some of your favorites?

For all of my life I have struggled with weight issues. When I was young it wasn't so bad, but as I got into my teens and early adult hood, my weight really climbed fast! When I graduated from High School, my weight was embarrassingly high. But it wasn't until I turned 20 that I had any significant amount of weight loss, and my "means" of losing weight then was neither good nor healthy!

Over the next 10+ years my weight went up and down, especially during my pregnancies with my children. In late 1999, my weight was the lowest it had ever been in my adult life and for the first time since early junior high school the pants and jeans I was buying were sized with a single number.

But that didn't last long, and before I knew it the pants and jeans I was buying were twice the size of the ones I bought that winter. It was depressing sometimes, but I knew that even though my weight was high, my health was pretty decent!

Last year my weight went higher than it ever had before and this year my New Years Resolution included getting healthy and losing weight. I'm happy to say that since January 1st I have lost a total of 10 pounds and if I go back to last October I've lost a total of 23 pounds! I've still got a ways to go before I hit my "goal" weight, and I'm checking out the different options for diet pills in case I decide I need a little extra help reaching my goal. But so far, with just a few modifications in my diet and the help of working stock truck two days a week, I'm very happy with the progress I've made!

I forgot to tell you about a fairly major change we made in the house recently. See, since we moved into this house, in the fall of 2007, the hubby and I had our desks back in the family room, and the kids had theirs up in the front living room. One by one, the kids' desks and computers were moved into their rooms.

I had been entertaining the idea of the hubby and I moving our desks up to the front living room and turning the family room into a true family room (i.e. a place for the four of us to go to get away from the computers and spend quality time together). I talked to my hubby about it and he was all for it until our sons TV decided it was time to say goodbye.

We couldn't afford to buy a new TV for the front living room, we're not fortunate enough to have a place nearby that sells wholesale tvs, and I'm one of those "I want it NOW" types, so I'm just not patient enough to order things like that online. So we just gave him the TV from the front living room. And since hubby and I are TV/news addicts, not having a TV in the room where the computers are just isn't an option.

But thanks to my mom, we were able to pick up a nice small TV for our son and get the TV back from him that belonged in the front living room. So we made the switch, and now we ALL have a room to get together in and relax and get away from the computers. I regret not doing it sooner because we spend more time in the family room now than any other room in the house!

Oh my goodness, I'm SO sorry! It didn't hit me until tonight that it had been a month since I had been here. Life for me has been INSANELY busy and just as stressful!

Work has been good and bad, but mostly good. I keep getting scheduled for these goofy split shifts after I've told them more than once that it's almost impossible for me to work them. See, what they do is schedule me to come in at 5 AM an do stock truck, then they schedule me to turn around and come back in at 11 AM and work another shift that is anywhere from five to six and a half hours long. But, to me, putting away stock truck is like a 3-4 hour workout, so when I get home, I'm exhausted! And to have to turn around and go back to work and do a full shift is like working in my sleep.

All of the test results are back from all the tests hubby had on his heart. Although there does show signs of a very old and very minor heart attack or angina attack, his heart is currently in excellent condition! His upper GI, however, did not come back so good and he has to see another specialist to address that. Unfortunately the earliest opening that doctor had is late May, and that's just for the consultation.

The weather has definitely been better, we even had a couple of days over 60 degrees last week. But we're back down into the 30's and 40's right now with heavy rain. There are many streets and rivers in the area flooding, and my own yard and driveway look more like a pond these days, but I'm glad it's rain and not snow!

Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't been around, I'll try to do better at keeping this updated!