Happiness is a Choice....

Memorial Madness

Well... We are headed into a weekend full of fun and dance. Tonight, (Friday) is my youngest Niece Avery's first dance recital... and I am super excited. She is like a little angel and I can't wait to see her dance ballet like one.

As you can see, she has red hair like me... but I try not to play favorites....lol. I am very blessed. 

            Saturday, We have a Pool Party/BBQ at my Aunt's house. My Aunt Donna and I are very close in age so we are more like sisters. She is 4 years and change older than me but looks younger.... We are besties... speak on the phone several times a week, tell each other everything, etc. She and her husband are getting divorced and this is her first party in 22+ years without him.... I know she'll do amazing because she's incredible but I am glad to be going for support. 

As you can see we always have a good time at my Aunt's.... And my husband is one big kid...lol

                     Sunday, Is another BBQ at my Stepsister's house. Jen has 4 awesome kids and I look forward to seeing them as I don't see them often. I am thinking that I will need a break monday.... 

              My keys to calorie conscious BBQing.... 
             1) Always eat before you go... make sure to not go hungry.
             2) Use small plates and small spoons... 
             3) Eat meat/protein first... and skip the bun if you can.
             4) Find a spot away from the food area....and drink lots of water
             5) Mingle/Socialize... Isn't that why you're there anyway?
             6)Get involved in activities... Swim, play yard games, etc.
             7)Bring a healthy dish which you love... 
             8) Only eat your favorite things, and only in small doses if they're unhealthy.
             9) Fresh fruit is a great dessert item.
            10) Remember to not beat yourself up... it's a party, and you'll lie if you want to... give yourself a break... and jump right back on the horse, Don't give up after eating a treat or 2!

One day at a time....

              I wish i was normal sometimes... even though it's boring in most ways... normal metabolism would be amazing. i dare not ask for a fast one...lol. I promised myself long ago, that if i slipped backwards... i would stop myself from falling by jumping back in line. I eat healthy but i tend to snack and crave sweets. I was diabetic and have been normal for years after losing alot of my extra weight... i gained a little back but I am happy to be mostly stable. but now i am pre-diabetic again... So I need to watch my sugar and carbs more closely. Doing this will make sure I start losing weight... so what's stopping me from diving in? Fear of failing? Maybe. I feel like I don't have a sleeve... I never really overate.... but I always loved sweets and i try not to eat them... but I cave sometimes... just one, just today, just this party... just Epic Fail.
              I know I have will power. I have lost hundreds of pounds dieting over the years... but I have also gained back a ton. I need to "Check Myself, before I Wreck myself".... Just because my fat diseases are in remission doesn't mean i am cured... I don't want them back or the weight back. I don't mind a break from dieting once in a while but not so long that I forget where I've been and how hard it was to get here... I will make a new plan and get back on the horse before I end up breaking his back and my spirit.

Life Happens

I admit that I sometimes believe that I'll always be fat... Do I have to be unhappy or downright miserable to lose weight? I am a happy person.... I love life, I love myself, I am in love with an incredible man, I feel fulfilled. How is this possible when I'm morbidly obese? My health is much better since I had a Lapband and sleeve.... But my weight, although it's lower.... Isn't low enough. I didn't have high expectations,... I am 5'10", so I could be content around 250. Do I have to hit rock bottom again?

Is slacking off a hobby?

Well, I'm gonna talk trash, movies, and weight loss..... Today.

        I saw Zootopia.... Which is great for the whole family. There's funny stuff for all ages and an awesome amount of teachable moments where stereotyping is wrong. Which I love....
         I saw 10 Cloverfield Lane and I had chills while sitting on the edge of my seat. I am a horror fan and My George is a SciFi Geek so we were both thrilled with the movie. It was a SciFi suspense thriller.... And thrills, it has plenty. It had music which played a hitchcocky role too.
        

Well, most people suck, besides you that is.... But I am still a very happy person. That said....I hate myself for being jealous of My George's fast metabolism and his ability level. He's so awesome.... I feel resentful of the sugary treats that I love, like it's their fault that I struggle to resist them. I am such a slacker lately, I need more structure and less excuses. I know what it takes to lose weight and I have an incredible tool to help me. I need to take steps forward without the steps back.

Hello from the Other Side....

                         Yesterday was My George's birthday..... We've been together over 1/2 of our lives so we've celebrated alot of birthdays. He is so easy to please and I try not to take that for granted. I made him a card on a photo website with our photos on it and he loved it so much and put it immediately on his desk to display it. I always feel blessed because of him, but it's the little things that remind me how sweet our life together is....

 

               I am not a fan of winter.... I hate the cold, unless I am sleeping. I don't like snow or ice either. We moved to Orlando, Florida to escape the winter and we lived down there for 11 years. It was beautiful but I really missed my family and my brother and wife started having kids, and we moved home. So, I find it difficult to stay active in the winter. I have alot of pain already and the cold and dampness make it worse. I do use my crockpot alot... for soups, stews, etc. I like to experiment with new recipes and like having a little bit and going back for more hours later. Crockpots are a great tool!

Travel Thursday..... Phillies Road Trip to Boston

 Sorry that I missed a couple days... I have been under the weather and under the covers... I was gonna do a phone blog but the app doesn't let me do as much. Well, We love our Baseball team... The Philadelphia Phillies. So Once a year we try to take a road trip to an area that they are playing that we wouldn't mind checking out. Last year was Boston... As a Baseball fan, I was excited to see Fenway Park which is the oldest baseball park still in existence, and it is awesome. This photo is of me wearing the Red Sox World Series Ring... We were sorta VIPs so we got special treatment. I wish it was a Phillies World Series Ring, but Beggers can't be choosers so....

 Here I am enjoying the game.... I really miss the nice weather... I am so tired of Cold, Ice and Snow. BTW, It's supposed to snow tomorrow here so... Blaaaaah! Yuck!

 Me and My George by our seats, which were on the field... So Amazing! 












This is their Scoreboard... The guy comes out and changes it by hand.... Gotta love it! They had real organ music too... It takes you back in time. Everyone should see a game there once in their life!

 Our Team lost... so I did my Oh Well shrug and took a photo with My George with Fenway in the background.

 Below is George in front of the Original Cheers which they based the show on... They had part of the set inside and you can have a drink there like Norm and Cliff...

 Below is Paul Revere's House, Being from Philly, we were excited to see their part of American History... so we walked the Freedom Trail.

 Below is the Bunker Hill Memorial...

 A couple more photos of Fenway park... that I added after the fact.... This is Me and My George on top of the Green Monster... Great View huh? We spent batting practice there and a ton of balls got hit up there.

 Above is the Old State House, where the Founders of our country made many important decisions... and below is Rebel me... Pouring my Iced Tea into the Boston Harbor...lol

 Here is the statue of Samantha from Bewitched which is in downtown Salem....

 This is the home they call the Witch House....where the Judge who sentenced all those innocent people to death lived with his family.

 My George went into those spooky things for me to take a photo.... Creepy!

 Above is the Salem Witch Museum and below is the House of the Seven Gables which Nataniel Hawthorne wrote about and lived.

 Below is Lizzie Borden's House where she Allegedly killed her father and step-mother.... It's in Falls River Massachusetts....

I made My George lie on the Couch where She Bludgeoned her father with an Ax... Obviously, It's not the Original couch... But it does show you how much he adores me! I didn't ask him to lie down on the floor upstairs where her step-mother was killed... but they said some people sleep there on the floor when they stay over... Creepy Folk! It's a Bed and Breakfast now...

The Academy Awards.... The Super Bowl for Movie Buffs.

Well, Every year we go to a Oscar Party, but last night we went downtown to the Philadelphia Film Society's Academy Award Gala. It was a change from our usual casual affair. We were surrounded with fellow Movie Buffs and Critics. It was Black Tie Optional... so we dressed to the nine's...Well, maybe 8 1/2 was all we could afford but we brought our A game.  Here we are for Selfie Sunday...

 My George and I are so blessed that we are both Movie Buffs... This was our 25th Oscar Season together. So it was a nice to change it up for once.

 Here I am... Selfie from above to make me look younger...lol

Here I am natural... just me.

           As for the Awards themselves.... I was so thrilled that after 22 years of being nominated 4 times and deserving to be nominated 4 more times, at least.... Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar for best Actor in Revenant. I was so happy for him, it was much deserved, amazing performance as usual. I am also thrilled that Brie Larson won her first Oscar for Room, which was another great performance and Film.I was happy that Spotlight won best picture... It is also a great film. Amy was a much deserved win for best documentary, and Inside Out was a much deserved win for best Animated Film. 

           I spend the weekend with my brother and his family before the Oscar Party... my nephew Chase Graduated to the Purple Belt in Karate on Saturday and we love spending time together. Being an Aunt brings me so much joy. This is the Movie Monday addition of my blog but I threw in some family, summary and also Selfies... I am still working on this Blogging more often thing.

            

Travel Thursday.... China Post!

Here is My George on the Waterfront in Shanghai...

 We took alot of photos of The Great Wall, because we went there to cross it off our bucket list....

 We cruised on the canal in these Dragon Boats.

 Here is our tour group with our Shanghai guide... Ally.

 Forbidden Palace

The Chinese people were so sweet but they didn't speak English... They wanted to get photos with us Americans alot.

 Summer Palace....

 It was cold there.... in Beijing especially.... I had to bundle up.

 The toilets were in the ground and you would have to squat over the hole... but I would only pee if there was Western Toilets...lol

 Instructions on how to use the toilet hole...

 Me and G on the Great Wall....

 More Great Wall.....

 Peking Duck Palace... I don't like Duck but I did try the Famous Peking Duck... of course.

 They do Dancing and Tai Chi in the Park....

 Temple of Heaven....

 We ate in these tradition Chinese family home in the Hutong....

 Rickshaw rides around the Hutong....

 There's alot of different types of bikes... everywhere

 Tea Ceremony....

 Here is us with our Beijing Tour guide Michael.... Who told us that most Chinese people take an American first name when they're young.

 We saw a couple shows... Acrobats, Kung Fu, dancing, etc....

 Summer Palace... Long Corridor

 Great Wall Locks of Love....

 The Enamel artists... beautiful.

 Food was served Family Style mostly...

 Temple of Heaven

Shanghai shopping district....

 Shanghai....

 Bride getting her portraits done....

 Bird Cage from the 2008 Olympic Games....

 Summer Palace.... Long Corridor

 Summer Palace... Marple Boat.

One last look at the WALL....