I had a pretty relaxed weekend. I got about 5 walks in. We didn't do a whole lot like I was hoping to but we did get some cleaning done and grilled out yesterday. Saturday a couple of friends came over and they took me out for dinner. It was a lazy weekend for me. I just couldn't get with the program! These past few days it seems like I have been in zombie mode. I haven't been tired, just have been having a blah attitude. I know it's a mixture of things. I haven't been keeping up with my water jug or green tea and in a few days I should be getting my, oh so dreaded monthly visit. Speaking of my water jug, mine cracked a couple of days ago! I have yet to get another one. It took me forever to find the perfect one and I hope Wal-Mart still carries it!

I need to start kicking-butt. I have been keeping active but I really need to start my weight training/ toning again. I have been talking about lifting weights for a while now but I think it's time I actually make it a routine! I also need to buckle down again on my diet. I have been doing pretty well with keeping my daily intake to 1,200 calories but I have not been making the best food choices. A healthy lifestyle is like a fine tuned clock for me. If I don't keep up with everything I can feel my body deflating and my mood slowly goes downhill. Lately I have been feeling huge and very self-conscious. I have not been comfortable in my own skin and I know that these feelings are just a result from what I have not been doing these past couple of weeks. My Mom thinks I am crazy and that I look great but it's just the feeling I have inside. I don't feel fit. I don't feel healthy. Even though I have been staying active, I need to step it up and there is no better time to do it than the present!

P.S. - I checked up on that Robins nest and all 4 babies are hatched and are doing well! 

It feels like I haven't posted in forever but it only has been a week.

I painted my toes for the first time the other day. Yes, for the FIRST time ha-ha. I was more of a tom-boy growing up and any other time I tried to paint them I gave up because it was too difficult for me to reach. Now I can bring my foot all the way up to my face, ha. I think they look cute and will keep them painted from now on! Someone told me recently that I have turned into a girly-girl. At first I was a bit offended and then I thought "hey, what's wrong with that?!" - I wouldn't label it as being a girly-girl; I feel I just finally claimed my femininity. I have been having fun.

It is Memorial Day weekend! The weather this past week hasn't been the best. It has been a bit on the cooler side. I have been hibernating, lol. Today seems like it's going to be the first nicer day we have had. This whole weekend including Monday is supposed to be warmer and they say the sun is supposed to come out so it will feel like it's in the 70's. Perfect weather for me! Michael has a 4 day weekend which is awesome! He's taking it as a mini-vacation. We don't have any plans besides on Monday when my parents are coming over. We are going to grill out with hamburgers and hot dogs. I can't wait!

Last Monday I went to go check-up on that Robins nest that I had posted about before and to my surprise 2 of them had hatched! They are cute in their own ugly & featherless way - lol. The other 2 still had yet to hatch but I have not been over there to check on it since Monday. Monday night we had a thunderstorm and last night a frost. I have been too chicken to go check on them. I don't want to break my heart if the storm got the better of them. I have been keeping a close eye around that area because I know they will be trying to hop out of the nest soon. Maybe today I'll get the guts to go check up on them because my guilt is setting in. I am sure they are fine.

The other night Michael and I went out. We met up with a friend for dinner and I had some drinks. We were going to go out afterwards but we ended up staying in and watching a movie. We don't really go out much but when we do, it's always a nice time.

Last week/weekend we had another fire and also grilled out for the first time this year. On top of it we got our grass cut too. Michael uses the riding mower to do around the dog fence and I use a small push mower to do the inside of the dog fence. We ran out of gas so there is a patch he didn't get to but hopefully we will get to it this weekend. The grass we already cut is ready for another mow again anyways from this rain that we have been getting!

I am finally wearing XL's comfortably! I am so excited. I had noticed that my 2XL's were getting roomier and thought what the heck I'll try on an XL. The last time I ordered clothes I got 3 items in XL just for when the time came and it is here! I dug out my 2 shirts and 1 dress that I had ordered from GAP and they fit! I have the same dress and one of the same shirts in 2XL as well. I still have yet to step on the scale but to me this is almost better. The feeling, the rush I got when I put my XL clothes on and saw that they fit was priceless! Especially when I had expectations to be disappointed. I have worn a couple other XL's that I have had but they were jackets and the sizes ran bigger but for me to fit into a GAP XL was tits! It made it official. My next clothing experience will not be in the double X's anymore. I can't wait to drop that "X" PERIOD!

I have been good, keeping active and enjoying this beautiful weather we have been having. Yesterday I did some yard work and ran into a birds nest. I thought it was empty until I peeked inside and there were 4 pretty blue eggs in it! I am going to check it every day. I'm not tampering with it, just looking. I LOVE this kind of stuff! I read online about Robin eggs and they should hatch in a couple of weeks. I feel the obligation to keep an eye on it now since we have 2 stray cats that come and hang around our yard! I think they were just laid within a day or 2 of me discovering the nest because I had a friend over the day before last that saw a pregnant looking Robin in my yard! I hope their Mama can keep them safe enough when I can't be there to scare off any predators! But that is the circle of life, I just don't want to see something I wish I hadn't!

Happy belated Mother's day to all of you Mom's out there! My Mom had a good day yesterday. I brought her breakfast in the morning and got her a card, lotto scratcher, a flat of flowers, a pink California Lily plant and some candied almonds that I made from scratch. She loved everything! 

I went for a long walk today. It amazes me on how much further I can go without being winded or without wanting to call someone to come pick me up half way lol. I REMEMBER when I could barely make it to my Moms house just 1 mile away. I remember those days all too well and sometimes I sit here in awe at the thought of how I used to be compared to how I am now. It just shows what you can do when you build yourself up little by little over one year. I feel like a completely different person but I can never let myself forget. I honestly feel like I gave myself the gift of life all over again. One year ago I would have thought I was a crazy nutso today. I used to be the hardest headed person when it came to fitness. I was set in my one way with my one thought and everyone else was crazy. 

I could have gone on forever with my walk today. I walked Chewie to my Moms and from there I walked to town and took the bicycle/walking trail all the way back to my house. It was a nice day out for a walk. It said it was 55 out but it felt warmer. I plan to go again tomorrow. Today was the first walk that I went on where I listened to music and it goes by a lot faster! They say if you listen to music when you are working out/walking it can increase your stamina by 15%! and I believe it!!!! Now I just need to invest in buying myself an MP3 player because I have this feeling that my CD Walkman isn't as cool as it used to be in the 90's LOL - I had an iPod years ago but had sold it. I also had a huge bulky Nomad mp3 player but I have not seen it since the 9th grade! I would use my smart phone to listen to music but I like to save my battery juice lol but now a days you can get them pretty cheap so I will just keep my peepers open!

I had my lemon water first thing and then made myself a breakfast sandwich. I am on my 5th cup of green tea and have a little over half way to go on my water jug. I missed lunch and still have yet to eat dinner. I have been going back and forth with my routines but I trust myself enough at this point to live my life and enjoy the little things without over-indulging. The past few days have been cooler outside and we even got some snow! The snow is gone now but dang! Snow in mid-May?! That is the weather in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for ya! It also amazes me on how much my mood changes with the weather. Today I am feeling upbeat and back up and running because it is nicer out. When the weather is crappy I tend to hibernate. I skipped working out these past few cold days. Good thing at this point of the year there are going to be many, many more nice days out than snowy ones!

It has been about a week since my last posting so I thought I'd update today! It was Michael's Birthday on Monday and it was a good day. We had some beef sandwiches for dinner and I had some cake. He had to work but when he came home I had Silver greet him wearing a sign saying Happy Birthday; it was cute.

These past few days I haven't been keeping up with my lemon water/green tea but today I started back on it. I have been going for walks since it has been gorgeous out lately! The past couple walks I went on were with some friends and I really enjoyed myself. I hope to have many more with them! I still have yet to go for my first bike ride of the summer. If it's nice out tomorrow maybe I will go for one. I have been really enjoying life and have been spending a lot more time outside! I have gotten some sun, that's for sure! I'm crisping up nice lol...

Last week I went swimming with some friends at an indoor pool and it was so nice to be in the water! I can't wait until I go swimming in a lake for the first time this summer. It always makes my hair feel healthier and my skin feel great. When I went swimming last week I put on my old swimsuit and I was surprised how loose it was on me compared to when I wore it before. I used to have a hard time fitting in it! Now I am trying to pin the excess fabric back. I had gotten a new swimsuit for my Birthday this year but it still is a bit too small. If I keep up the activities/exercise I will be able to wear it comfortably soon!

I still haven't stepped on the scale. I have been going with the flow of things and have been enjoying it! I have been feeling confident with myself and am ready to take on the summer; head on! I plan to go on many more walks and do many things! It is going to be a memory maker year for me :-)

<-- Not my picture or cake. I found it on Google images and I thought it was appropriate! Exactly one year ago today I changed my life for the better. WHAT a roller coaster it has been but I am so proud of how far I have come. Today is a good day. This time last year I was sitting down on the computer gearing myself up to write my first blog post at 338 pounds. At that time I had only dreamed that it was possible and honestly I felt like I would never get to where I am now. For once in my life I have made my dreams become a reality. Now I am 100 pounds down (or more) and am writing my 311th entry! It is crazy how time flies but I could not be happier with where I am at right now in life. I feel wonderful and am full of energy. I have been staying on course and hope to shake of the rest I have to lose in this next coming year. Like they say; 1 year ago you are going to wish you started TODAY.
 
I still have been having my lemon water first thing in the morning, staying within my 1,200 calorie daily limit, drinking 5 cups of green tea and 75oz of water. I have also been kicking butt with my exercise. I have been staying on top of things without whining or complaining. I am back to making it my lifestyle and I know I can only progress from here. I knew my mood would perk up as the weather got nicer! This weekend it's supposed to be cooler and they say it might even snow a little but I think if it does it won't last long! We are officially in May! I also still have yet to step on the scale and honestly I don't care what it says! I know that what I am doing now is benefiting me and I have been enjoying having a healthy lifestyle. I am not sure when I will weigh myself next. I will probably give it another month until my curiosity has me curious! lol - I have been going for walks all this week. I went for 2 walks on Monday and I went on THREE walks yesterday! I don't think I will go for a walk today because it is cooler outside and has been raining on and off. I plan to do an elliptical/recumbent bike workout later or I might do this work out my friend showed me online called hip-hop abs. It looks fun! Saturday my Mom and I are going out of town to just bum around and I plan to cheat. I am not sure with what but I know we plan to go out for a nice lunch :-)