100 yrs. ago this week.

Two incredible women were born this week in 1907. The first was my Aunt Emma. The second was my paternal grandother. They were separated by only two days and half a state and came together when my mother and father got married when they were in their late fifties. They were two very different women and so important to me.

I'll try to gather my thoughts and post some more about these ladies this week.

Okay, I have some news!

A dear friend just phoned. An indie movie is being filmed at her house. She's been talking Mark's Aussie accent up and has just called to ask him to stop by. One of their actors didn't work out, and they'd like him for a smalll part.

He's working only a couple of miles away from their house on a job site, so he's stopping by as soon as he's done.

Purty nifty!

I'm SO bad about updating!

Not much has changed in my life, which hasn't made for exciting posts. Sorry!

But i was told tonight that I apparently AMUSE some people with my nonsensical ramblings *waves and hair strokes* so I shall rise again. You decide f I rise like a phoenix or a cockroach LOL!

So...Hi :)

80 pounds!

In the last six years, I've now officially lost 80 pounds. Well, actually, 82 pounds, but who is counting!! Oh yeah, ME!

Back in 2001, I was at my highest weight ever, closer to 300 pounds than 250. I wince when I say this, but it is part of my history, so I have to own it. then, I met Mark and caught a nasty intestinal bug, which seems to have kickstarted my sluggish metabolism. Six years later I've yo-yoed a little but seem to constantly be losing.

With my Italian and French genes, I was never a teeny tiny child, but when I hit puberty, I had two terrible accidents that laid me up for a grand total of nine months, and the weight piled on. And it stayed on. It seemed I'd gain a dozen pounds every couple of years, no matter what I did.

When I was in my early twenties, I went on a crash diet that nearly killed me. All to please a man, I kid you not. I was the ULTIMATE people pleaser and nearly lost my liver as a result.

I pretty much resigned myself to being a plus-sized girl for life, so it is so incredible to be shopping in the regular section of stores.

I don't see it myself. I don't FEEL like a success story, but the scale doesn't lie!

Only 30 more pounds to my goal weight! I'm at the same weight I was in high school now :)

Lovesac incoming!!!

My new Lovesac will be here any day now! A Lovesac (is a little old place where... Whoooops! '80s moment there!) Anyway, A Lovesac is a bean bag type chair filled with durafoam. It is quite comfy and you can sink right into it. It is going to go into my sanctuary.

Yes, I FINALLY have a sanctuary! Since I work in the living room, I don't really have any quiet place to go. Some days I need to decompress into a quiet place where I can be alone. We're making our spare bedroom into my special place, since Mark has the downstairs rec room as his office.

Here's a pic of a Lovesac. We got "the big one", which is one size up and can double as a single bed.
http://www.shawndnelson.com/rebelShawn/images/rebel/Joe.JPG

The Lovesac, some bookshelves and a boom box will take up the room, which has been a storage/junk/spare room since we moved in. I'm so thrilled to have "my" space :)

Proofreading

Why would a business NOT utilize a proofreader for their signs and displays. In the last week, I've seen the following:

Furrciletie (instead of facility) on a sign at a local mall.

Japonncheese/Japonayze instead of Japanese on the menu of a steak place.

Raizonne beggel at a deli.

Why why WHY?? In this day and age, it would have been so easy to have had these words spelled correctly. It boggles my mind!

Citizenship?

My husband shared a bombshell with me yesterday. He intends to apply for US Citizenship quite soon. To say that I"M STUNNED (and touched!) by this is an understatement.

Before we met, Mark had been to America once, about ten years ago. He found it to be very beautiful but he didn't really care for our rush rush rush culture.

When we initially met, it was online. We were friends for so long before it even had an inkling of becoming romantic, and when it did, things went so quickly. Within six months, we were engaged (sight unseen, we spent two entire months together, spent a few months apart, then all of a sudden 9/11 changed our whole perspective. We were at a crossroads about where to live.

Mark had his children in Australia, but jobs were few and far between. My family was here, yes, but I didn't have children or the ties that Mark retained. Still, the job picture looked MUCH better over here.

In the wake of 9/11, Mark came over for a visit, and never left. Getting married and spending our lives together as a married couple was more important than the details. And it took a while, but it worked out for his career path.

Even so, it is incredibly hard for both of us for him to be so far away from his children. One of his sons is in England, but the rest of his children are in Australia, 10,000 miles away.

Given that, I was a bit surprised that he wants to attain US citizenship. It will help his job, allowing his company to open up to a bigger market. And I'm touched that he wants to attain US citizenship. He will get to retain his Aussie citizenship and be a dual citizen and I guess that is the best of all worlds :)

How time flies!

Between my father's 64th B-day yesterday, the 25th anniversary of my granfdfather's death, and my birthday looming, it has been a time of reflection. I always thought I'd dread my thirties, but they have been the time of my life.

Since turning 30, I have...
Gotten engaged and married
Become a step-mom
Begun my *real* career, the one I always knew I was born to do
Re-connected with some friends I dearly missed
Worked in two industries that allowed me to really shine
Moved out of an apartment and into a townhouse
Became a property owner
Lost 75 pounds

Not too shabby for nearly six years of living!