I've come a long way

Sometimes you have to give yourself credit.  It's hard to do that when life throws you curve balls from every direction.  Lately, I've been thinking about all the accomplishments I've made in the last couple of years.  One of the biggest and most noticeable is my weight loss. 

 

This is me in 2006.  I weighed in at 214 lbs.  

 

This is me in March of 2012.  I weighed in at 152 lbs.  Currently, I weigh 147 lbs.!  I am amazed at my transformation.  When I look at myself I realize how much I have changed for the better.  It's sometimes hard to believe that I was so large at one point in my life.  I've been purging all the clothes that are too big and I've been thrift store shopping to find new sizes.  In 2006, I wore a size 20.  Today, I wear a size 8!  That's 12 sizes smaller!!  It's an incredible transformation that I've undergone and it's all been completely natural and healthy.  

I have to say, Ohio has been a great help.  I feel more energized and willing to go outdoors and play or just go for a walk.  Yes, even with the humid, hot temperatures.  I'm very proud of myself.  

And as a side note, I love my family!  :)  They are the most awesome people!  I hope they know that I miss them everyday.

The Inner Child

When was the last time you got on a swing, or played in the mud?  We are often so busy that we forget about the simple things that used to put a smile on our faces.  Today, I was reminded of that fact when I went for a ride around the neighborhood on my bike.  It was like I was suddenly transported to a moment in my childhood!  The euphoria (or the endorphins) just made me relive that moment when I was first able to ride around the neighborhood back in California on my first bike.  It didn't matter that I was 2000 miles away from that neighborhood in a completely new one.  It didn't matter that I was 20 years older or that I was a little out of practice; the simple feeling of being free was still there.  It was as if it had been waiting for me all this time.

I enjoyed exploring the new neighborhood.  I saw that children were out riding bikes and fighting (playfully) amongst one another.  There were people out sitting on their porches enjoying the last gasp of daylight.  There were others who were mowing their lawn before the next rainfall.  The birds sang their songs hidden amid the green trees.  The soft fragrant scent of flowers and the spicy woodsy scent of barbecue wafted past me a few times.  I felt great.  So why did it take so long to find this out? 

Today was a great day to be sure.  I made my very first cloak for someone and that was very exciting.  I discovered that I'm wearing a size 8/9 pants as I browsed through the thrift store.  But when I got home I realized I was bored.  I played video games for a little bit, but that wasn't very satisfying.  I then looked outside and realized that I still had daylight to burn so I got on my bike and took off.  Normally, I'd stay pretty close to home, but the thrill of exploration and discovery thrummed through my veins.  And it was exhilarating to go down a road and not know where it will lead me. 

Perhaps that is what the average adult life is missing; the thrill of adventure.  To children, the thrill of adventure lurks everyday somewhere.  There is so much about the world that they do not yet know.  As adults, we have certainly not learned everything that there is to know, but we stop searching for new things.  The passion for learning and discovery wanes -- we're too tired for it.  It probably doesn't help that we can park ourselves in front of the computer and google everything.  (That doesn't count!) 

So what can we do?  Try something new, try something old (say, something you haven't done in years), or try something that scares you.  Life is too short. 

 

This was the beautiful sunset I saw last night.  :)