100!!!!!!

Okay it's finally official, I've lost 100 lbs !!!! It has slowed down some and it seemed like I was never going to get there, but lo and behold I have! It is almost unbelievable to grasp when I think about it and the amount of time it has been and that no surgery was involved!
I have spent way to much on new clothes lately, celebrating, but I have told myself that has to stop. I am going to get somebody to take some photos of me so I can post those for people who are out of state or haven't seen me lately. I actually feel thin, which is also amazing. (I'm not really thin, I still have quite a few pounds to go, but comparatively speaking, I feel like I am!)
It's pretty funny, how many people are surprized that I have a waist. I knew I had one, from back in the olden days. And I amazed at the smallness of clothes I fit into, especially on the top. I sure am glad I had that breast reduction a few years ago. It all helps. When I fold my laundry now, I look at the size of the clothes and I still can't believe that they are mine and I fit into them. I am looking forward to it being cooler outside. I am feeling like going bike riding, walking or hiking. Our pool has been out of order for a month now, so there really hasn't been anyway for me to do much. I sweat like crazy and am really not feeling like being a glutton and getting out there at the crack of dawn and a little scary at night. So soon.....
Yeah for me!

Trier

Almost done with Germany! Robin took us for a day in Trier, which is the oldest Roman site in Germany. There are some cool ruins there, and a nice shopping plaza. We had some good gelato there.

These ruins are VERY OLD! That is Edith walking through the archways. Look how big the stones are and how tall the archways are. I imagine they drove their carriages through. I'm not sure of the purpose of the building, but it's in amazing shape for how old it is. This is the opposite side. People could climb up into the building. We were too much of wusses and just looked at it from the outside. This is an old Palace. Now it's some kind of city government building. I think City Hall. Pretty impressive for a city hall, huh? this is the Lawn/Garden in front of City Hall. It goes on a very long ways with all these tall statues lining the way.

This is inside the Cathedral. This is the ceiling over the baptistery. It's like carvings or sculpture. Not paintings. It was very impressive. And it was Spargel season ! Spargel is the German word for asparagus. They were promoting it everywhere. Every restaurant had specials on it, both white and green asparagus. I loved it and had it several times. Why don't restaurants here have specials on what is in season? And not just the high end restaurants, we are talking quite casual places.

Burg Eltz and Cochem

THIS is my favorite castle that we toured in Germany. It's called Burg Eltz. It's in the middle of what is now nowhere by itself. It has been in the same family since the 1100's. Can you imagine that? And they always managed to be on the right side of any conflict and so it was never destroyed. It started out as 3 homes for 3 brothers and then over the years they were all connected. It's amazing inside, all original furnishings and decor. And I would be totally lost with all the levels twisting and turnings. I REALLY liked it.

This green valley is what is all around the Castle. It's up in the hills and then has a green valley with a river all around the base. It has a very storybook look to the whole thing. We had lunch there too. And this is a photo of Robin and her husband Dave at our lunch there. They really made our wonderful trip possible, taking us around and letting us stay with them. I tell you, hang on to those friendships with college roommates!

That afternoon we went to Cochem. The castle in Cochem was rebuilt on a site that had been an old castle ruin. It was built by a Jewish Frenchman in the late 1800's. While cool, it just didn't compare for me after seeing the real deal that morning in Burg Eltz. It did have beautiful views of the Mauser river valley though. The Nazi's took the castle from his family during their era and now it is owned by the city of Cochem. If you rub the mermaid chandelier on her tummy, you are supposed to get your wish. I did, but mine hasn't come true yet! Beautiful Ceilings. Mauser river valley views!

Gingerbread Babies

I love to crochet. And as most of my friends have told me not to make anything for them anymore, I have tried to make baby blankets so that I can give them away to anyone having a baby. I saw this pattern and thought it was so cute. So then I had to find someone having a baby boy near Christmas. I found someone and it's already gone. But I wanted to show it off. Isn't it cute!

20 years ago.....

Well Lezlee, thanks for tagging me on this, I think it will be fun! I was wondering what to write on my blog today. I still have a few vacation sites left to post....but on to something different for once.
I checked in my old journals so it is pretty accurate.

20 years ago..
1. I was in the Cheery Lynn Singles Ward. Lots and lots of fun activities, in love several times, but mostly one sided. Lots of emotional ups and downs, but a good time in my life.
2. I worked at Maricopa County Home Health. I enjoyed the work and my friendship with Lynn Hausmann, my coworker.
3. I had been in my condo 2 years already, lived alone, pretty poor.
4. Already had my BSN.
5. Lost 70lbs on the Biodyne program.

10 years ago..
1. I was struggling as a brand new manager at LHS Home and Community Care. It was very rough in the beginning and for a long time after.
2. In love with Geoff, hmm not a lot changes in 10 years.
3. I was in the primary presidency for the first time.
4. More emotional ups and downs, the cost of romance.

5 years ago
1.Have hit my stride as a manager at what is now Banner Home Care. Doing well at work.
2.My knee issues started.
3. I was a ward missionary.
4. Emotional ups and downs over work more than over romantic life and lack thereof.

1 year ago
1. Working in a "dream job" that I designed myself, a lot of autonomy and a lot of satisfaction.
2. Feel very emotionally stable. Life is good. More grown up I guess. Comfortable with who I am.
3. Preparing to go on Alaskan Cruise in September and planning ahead for Europe in late spring.
4. Secrtary in primary for past 4 years or so.

Yesterday
1. Got set up on my home computer to be able to work from home. Yee haw! How cool is that!
2. Bought a beautiful pair of earrings from a coworker who is Zuni and designs jewelry because I want to be nice and didn't know how to say no when he had walked over from his building and brought them all especially to show me.
3. Had a nice dinner with my friends, Penny and Cecelia. Concerned about Cecelia and things going on with her.
4. Bought a new datebook for fall 2008 and 2009 because I am calender obsessed and love to look at my appointments and life all in order.
5. Enjoyed not turning the tv on and just reading an Oprah magazine. Last months, I am behind.
6. Am only 5 lbs away from losing 100lbs.

Today
1. Starting work from home today! Yeah!
2. Meeting my friend Michelle Dahl for lunch. Haven't seen her in quite a while.
3. Have meetings at Del Webb Hospital regarding pending merger of our facilities and working together.
4. Picking up ceramic piece I "won" in silent auction at the West Valley Art Museum.
Why did I do that?
5. Practicing song for Sunday at Cynthia's.

Tomorrow
1. More meetings in West Valley, this time at Boswell
2. Really need to get a lot done in the office.
3. Maybe do some Relief Society visits, maybe watch So You Think You Can Dance.

Next Year
1. Keep working hard at my job, increase my value to the organization and prove my worth. Take some Disaster planning classes and be involved in some other committees across the organization. Make myself more valuable off the phones than on.
2. Get more of my debts paid off that I racked up the last year with my traveling.
3. Be at my goal weight and maintain it!!!!

Fix my blog

I did a blog entry a few times ago and it came up as "error" right before it published the posting. Since then my blog looks "messed up". All the sidebar stuff is down at the bottom. I've tried to go to the layout page and pull stuff up without luck. And I thought maybe it would somehow miraculously fix it self. Somehow the miracle hasn't occured. Does anyone know how to fix it?

Recommending a book

I'm reading Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande. Dr. Gawande is a surgeon at the Harvard Medical School. As a nurse, I find it really well written in describing how medicine really works instead of how a lot of "lay" people think it works. I listen to people's stories about going to see a doctor and how he/she "got it wrong" and how angry they were ect. They don't seem to have any conception about how medicine is really a very inexact science full of trial and error. This book really gets that point across well, the fallability and earnestness of those who "practice" medicine. And that is what I always tell people, it's a "practice", they are always having to take the information and make guesses at what is going on. If they aren't right they have to keep working at it.
I think the most important facets in choosing a doc, is how well he listens to you and is willing to work with you. If he dismisses what you say and leaps to his own conclusions all the time, you need another doc.
Anyway, I'm not done with this book, but am finding it a fascinating glimpse into the world of medicine and recommend it to everone. It's very readable. It was a National Book award finalist and a New York Times best seller.

NINETY POUNDS MISSING

Ninety pounds have gone missing and I don't ever want them back. So if you find them, just send them on their way to some third world country where someone could use a little extra padding.
And I can officially say I'm halfway to goal weight now. Amazing isn't it, that 90lbs is only halfway? But I am so happy. A friend on the diet was telling me that he is so close to goal that he has a hard time staying motivated because he hasn't been this thin in 30 years. I feel so much better about myself. It's fun to choose what I'm going to where everyday because I look so much better in my clothes.
I'm not really tempted to cheat, but I am sometimes hungry and tempted to eat a little more of what I can eat than I am allowed. Yesterday was fast Sunday and I should have ended up with less protein than I am allowed. Yet later on in the day, I was hungry and so ended up eating my breakfast allotment of protein in the evening. So the scale didn't move this morning.
Overall this diet is so easy, it's amazing that not everyone is on it. It truly is simpler than most anything else I've tried and certainly less drastic than surgery. Now just to keep hanging on in there...