Singing for a smaller me

Normally, I avoid writing about holidays/birthdays/functions, etc. It usually comes out a boring step by step breakdown of each day, and no one wants to read that. And then within several weeks, I've forgotten all about it, and any planned blog post is never forthcoming. This year, I let it sit for a couple of weeks so I could move past the boring details and only hit the highlights.

First, however, ponder this: Thanksgiving and my birthday almost always fall within a week of each other. I can't tell you how many Thanksgiving birthday parties I've celebrated. Let's say that it got to the point where I decided I didn't like turkey just for the principle of the matter. Yep, you heard me right - I don't like turkey.

Anyhow . . .

1. My parents came into town for Thanksgiving at my in-laws and stayed with us from Wednesday evening to Sunday morning. This is a tiny victory. I proved to myself I could do it, even if my mom and I sniped at each other a bit and got into a fight Saturday morning (don't get me wrong, I love my mom dearly, her and I just know how to push each other's buttons). We managed to move on and still have a good time the rest of the day. We also celebrated my birthday on Thanksgiving (couldn't be helped) and she gave me some great workout DVDs: The Firm Cardio Overdrive, The Firm Hi-Def Sculpt, Jillian Michaels' Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism, and the Biggest Loser Workout. Go Mom!



2. The Monday after Thanksgiving was my thirtieth birthday. The world didn't come to an end! Yay! My body didn't fall apart! Yay! On the other hand, I had to go to work. Boo! But they threw me a great birthday potluck (soup and salad bar!), sang happy birthday, and had cake. I had a very small slice of plain cheesecake and enjoyed myself thoroughly.



3. Wednesday night, after the Thanksgiving and Birthday celebrations, was my Weight Watchers meeting. Imagine my surprise when the scale showed a loss of 2.4 lbs! Woot! What a great birthday surprise.



4. For my big birthday present, I took Friday off work and the hubby, our friend Cassie, and I flew down to Southern California Thursday night for a trip to Disneyland. Disneyland, if I haven't mentioned it, is one of my favorite places in the world. If you haven't seen Disneyland and/or Disney World during the holidays, make a point of getting there. It's just too magical. Wasn't too thrilled with the whole flying part (we usually drive and I really dislike flying), but what a fab time we had! Foodwise, I couldn't keep track, but I tried to make better choices and stayed away from the Monte Cristo sandwiches (Dave's favorite - a little too fried for me), the ice cream (god, I miss those gigantic, chocolate covered ice cream cones), and the popcorn (which calls my name every time I pass the stand). I, however, could *not* pass up the chimichangas or the holiday mocha. The end of the weekend came much too fast for me.

It was back to work Monday, but not back to my regular eating habits. Neither one of us were ready to be off of vacation, so cooking was off the menu. Cue up the pizza delivery! Tuesday, though, it was back to tracking and staying on plan.

I wasn't too surprised on Wednesday when I showed a gain of a pound. Such is life.

Still, I'm proud of myself. I had a great time, indulged a little, not a lot, and made my way back on plan. I really feel like this lifestyle change is starting to sink in.