I'M BACK!

Have you missed me??? Since I've been blogging, this is the longest I've ever gone without posting or even reading anyone else's blog.

I've been on vacation since last Friday…Hub and I are in Hawaii until December 14.

Friday night view from our condo

The weather has been off and on nice and then not so nice. It rained a lot today and was very windy, so we went to church (a beautiful Catholic church, Cathedral of our Lady of Peace, in downtown Honolulu...here's a picture of the interior) and then did some shopping.

After my last post, I was so rushed getting everything done at work and home; and then getting ready to leave. Then once we got here, I just wanted to clear my mind and vegetate. I've been just enjoying doing not much…reading, sleeping late, walking miles and taking exercise classes at the park next door…with a bunch of 80 year olds who are much more limber and agile than I am!

Since I've been trying to focus on the other fun aspects of a vacation, rather than just the food and drink, my eating has been quite good (yogurt and cereal for breakfast; salads, fish, etc for lunch and dinner; no desserts or sweets except for an occasional piece of macadamia nut candy) and I've had hardly anything alcoholic to drink in a week…which is very unusual for me. With the exception of Thanksgiving…we went down the hall to dinner at some friends…where I ate kind of crazy, and I paid for it big time that night and the next day. Sick sick sick…stay-near-the-bathroom sick. I guess when you eat like a monk for weeks, and then eat like a pig, your stomach is gonna rebel.

Before we left home, I weighed on Friday morning, and the scale said 169.5. First thing the next morning, I weighed 171.4 on the scale here in the condo. Since scales are so fickle, I figured it was within the margin of error, and I've taken that 171.4 and used it as my baseline. Yesterday morning, I still weighed 171.4. That's an unprecedented occurrence...lol!!!

Our friend from San Francisco is flying in tomorrow and he'll be hanging out with us for the remainder of the trip, so we'll probably be partying a bit more than before. Still, I think I can keep it under control…and if I slip up a little, I won't get obsessive about it.

I'll try to post a bit more in a day or two and visit some of my blogging friends.

Aloha!

(P.S. for anyone wondering about B, he's staying with Olive and Kermit, where he's being thoroughly spoiled by my friend Pam. I sure do miss him, but it's kind of nice not to have any responsibilities.)

169

169...just a number.

169...the number I saw on the scale this morning.

184...the number I saw at this same time last year.

168...the number I've wanted to see for several years.

169...pretty close to the number I've wanted to see for several years.

I'm close, and this time I've done it without starvation or other destructive, disordered eating practices.

It's been a gradual...oh so gradual...process.

Therapy...

Anti-depressants...

Reaching out to my friends in the blogosphere...

Exercise and eating in moderation (yes, just simply exercising and eating in moderation!!! Who would have thunk it???)...

Has gotten me SOOOO close to that number that has eluded me for SOOOO many years.

This time...I feel as if I will be able to maintain this weight.

This time...I feel that even if I gain back a little, I won't panic.

This time...I may have found the solution for me.

A Celebration of Life

On Sunday, November 8, one of our firefighters died after a long battle with cancer. He was not someone I personally knew very well, but I do work closely with several of his good friends. So the sadness of his passing was very real to me because of the pain I knew they were experiencing. He had a rare kind of cancer, and was only 43 when he died.

Yesterday, I was privileged to participate in the full fire department tribute which was part of the memorial service. The fire service has many traditions and rituals, and this is just one of them. This was truly one of the most special days of my life. So although I’m usually very cautious about giving out too much personal information on this blog, I really want to share this experience with those of you who follow me regularly.



Terence was a member of a crew from Station 21. So Engine 21, draped in mourning bunting, lead the procession through our city to the Temple B'nai Torah which was in a neighboring city. I was in the second vehicle behind E21. It was amazing and touching to look in the rear view mirror and see all the flashing red lights that seemed to go for miles.

The service at the Temple was very sad...as I'm sure you can imagine, his parents and children are devastated. At the same time, it was so uplifting. The camaraderie and caring of the members of the fire service reminded me why I love my job. Some firefighters came from hundreds of miles away, even from Canada. The service was a celebration of Terence's life.

RIP Terence...your brothers and sisters in the fire service will miss you.