I missed a whole month!

January was such a busy month that I didn't blog even once! I went to Michigan for a weekend with some SS friends and had an awesome time. Last year there were 12 of us and this year there were 24 of us. Tiffany surprised all of us and had a mystery guest.... Cowtown Stacy all the way from Fort Worth Texas! Thank you Tiffany! It was a joy to meet Stacy. She is as sweet in real life as she seems on the board. The other new girls at the retreat this year.... awesome ladies! Now I've got even more terrific SS friends.

And, I finally got to thank SuiteSioux for leading me to S&S (the previous incarnation of SS). All because she posted some info about S&S on the AOL CM Consultants board. Thanks again SuiteSioux :)

Work was busy trying to catch up with my work and training the new payroll clerk. She is doing an awesome job and I can now spend the time doing my job.... which I do love!

I've also started working out again. Easing back into it because not exercising for almost 5 months is not a good thing. I didn't gain much weight back during that time probably because of all the stress but I have noticed that my cardio stamina is not quite where it was in August. It will come back and I hope to get rid of those last few pounds.

I will have to blog again tomorrow. My small town is under a flood warning. We've got flooding like I've never seen before. I did get a few pics tonight before it got dark and I hope to get more tomorrow. The river hasn't crested yet so I'm sure it will still be there.... There were evacuations and I even read that sandbags were being brought into town. I've never seen that before! I'll update tomorrow

Reflecting on 2007......

There have been a lot of ups and downs.

This was the year that a favorite uncle was diagnosed with cancer. He valiantly fought the disease only to succumb in August. Uncle Mike, you are always missed....

Thankfully my dad is still cancer free. I'm thankful for that every single day.

I made some lifestyle changes starting with joining a gym in January and working with a personal trainer. Because of the changes I made in my eating habits and the exercise I was able to lose 20 pounds and 13 inches in 8 months! I feel great and have been told that I look great. And through all of the turmoil of the last 4 months at work I have not had a major weight gain.... just staying within a 3 pound range :)

Work has been a roller coaster. Basically since a co-worker's 2 week vacation (which was the same time as my uncle's death and funeral) I've been working 48-50 hours a week. I blogged about it before so no need to go into it again but the end is in sight! The new payroll clerk has been hired and today started her 3rd week. She is progressing quite nicely considering she was thrown into the fire with 2 holiday weeks in a row and a vacation day for me next Monday! I think things should be back to normal by mid-February and I can't wait!

One upside to all of the hours I've been working has been the overtime pay. Because of that I have been able to get myself into a better financial situation. I've loosely followed Dave Ramsay's "Total Money Makeover" after reading the book this summer. I feel very good about being able to pay for various purchases with either cash or a check. I have paid off my car loan and the HELOC. I have closed 2 credit card accounts leaving myself only 1. I'm now building my retirement fund.... I still use it for internet and gasoline purchases but the money is there to pay that bill when it comes :) What a great feeling!

On the fun side, I had several long weekends away this year. First was SSMI in East Lansing, MI on the campus of Michigan State University in January. I met some wonderful ladies and had a great time. Next up was SWON in London, Ontario, Canada in July. Again lots of wonderful ladies and a fabulous time. Then in August, a few of us from SS spent an afternoon at the Longaberger Homestead. Lots of shopping and eating and some new friends. That Michele.... she talked about the OH Fall Retreat so much that day that when work went to hell in September I signed up! Nothing like a weekend in Amish Country, Ohio to rejuvenate a person. Even more wonderful ladies and again a great time! But best of all was the weekend visit with Diane. She came from Grand Rapids MI to see me and the kids. I will return the favor summer 2008!

Of course, Pepper and Paige have been the lights of my life this year. Without them I'm sure the last few months would have been unbearable. I was away from them for more hours than usual and I can tell that they were affected. They missed me as much as I missed them. Oh yeah, they are at my feet as I type this.... comfort at its finest.

Last of all, I'm thankful for the friendships I've made online at ScrapShare. Some of those have carried over to real life. Love ya ladies!

Now, I'm really excited about 2008 starting with.....

SSMI II in 4 days!

Happy New Year to All!!!!

Someone Actually Noticed!!!

I went to the gym and did a little over 30 minutes of elliptical and treadmill and I was all by myself -- no one else there at all. I saw a car pull in as I was getting off the treadmill so knew someone else was coming in.

It was a girl who is there quite often with her boyfriend. They are probably in their late 30's/early 40's and she is in pretty good shape. You know the type, she can wear the workout tops with the real thin straps and her belly showing.... But she is a very nice girl and we always at least say hi.

She pointedly said to me "You've lost a lot of weight" and I said that it was close to 20 pounds. She then told me that she had mentioned it to her bf last week. She asked how I felt and I said good but there was still work to do. I told her about my cholesterol going down and she mentioned how her bf's triglycerides have really gone down since they have been going to the gym.

She then told me that I look great and to keep up the good work!

Dang if I wasn't walking on air going out the door