Oh, Chicago!

Was it really real?

Our flight was cancelled. We were supposed to get there by 10 am Saturday, but didn't make it until about 1 pm. Just in time for the Architecture River Cruise, thanks to the VERY BEST cabbie in the world! As Camille said, "we SO would have won the Amazing Race!"

The cruise... What a lovely way to see Chicago. It turned a little cool, but I was soaking it in. Away from the Texas humidity for a change was LOVELY!!!

Chicago River

So many weddings & people greeted us from every bridge!

Lots of kayakers too!

The famous EL!

Afterwards, I soaked in the city a little more & met up with Camille at Saks. We did a little window shopping & stopped in at the Apple Store & Garrett's Popcorn Shop on the way back to our hotel.

Our hotel

View from our hotel room

I SOOO want one of these:

The new NANO!

The famous Garrett Popcorn Shop

The Magnificent Mile!

Soon after, we were off to our BOOBs Dinner at Phil Stefani's 437 Rush. The place was perfect... the food terrific... but, best of all was the company! Approximately 50 BOOBs in attendance & approximately 3500 lbs down!!! It was quite overwhelming.

The evening was terrific. I was ill-prepared for the feeling of having so many kindred spirits in one small space. And while I didn't get to REALLY chat with everyone, the love & acceptance in that room was palpable. I wish it could have lasted so much longer.

But I'd stayed up practically ALL night the night before, preparing for our journey... & the Sandman comes calling eventually. So Camille & I headed back to our hotel to prepare for our early-morning flight back to Texas. (Boo!)

Our wonderful cabbie returned to fetch us at 6:45 am, & we were off again...

Flying first-class home was a treat, but we were all-too-soon deposited back into the heat & humidity of TX. Camille's hubby & baby girl surprised us at the gate... which was so sweet!

I returned home to greet my 4 loves & take a much-needed nap.

And so, it all felt like a dream.

The next day, a much-anticipated cold front blew in.  I'm relishing memories of the cool Chicago breeze, & the start of my outdoor escapades that the TX heat just would not permit me to do.

Now, if I only had that Nano!!!

BOOBs Questions & CHI-Town Prep!

Hello all!!!

I should be doing so many more things... not sitting here blogging, but I'm woefully behind in the blogosphere & on each of your lives, so I figure if I tell you a little more about mine, then I can let YOU talk when we hit Chicago & then I'll get caught up in person!!!

Camille & I are sad we can't be there earlier with all of you, but we're gonna have a whirlwind GOOD time when we finally leave for the airport in a little more than 24 hours.  That's about 4 am central on Saturday morning & I haven't even started packing yet.  Still have to finish cleaning the house, have a 10 am appt this morning, have to shop for some particulars for the trip, & have a big party Friday night here in CC.  Whew... dunno when/if I'll sleep until Sunday when I get home.  So, please excuse the bags under my eyes when you see me!!!


So, here are my responses to Gilly's BOOBs questionnaire:

Hi all the boobie girls! Someone much more organized than I am thought it would be fun to know more about you, and she enlisted me to think of some crazy questions…so…this is sort of a Gillyified version of Drazil’s BYOC. Knock yourselves out.


1) You’re trapped on a desert island and you can bring only 3 of your favourite foods along. What do you bring?


Why only 3 things?  I'm a girl with a weigh problem here.  Restriction is NOT my specialty...

• Flamin' Hot Limon Crunchy Cheetos (don't judge!)
• Anything in high-quality dark chocolate  (okay, well almost anything)
• My Mom's tourtière (French-Canadian meat pie)

And, since I'm a cheater... My Mom's buttertarts will have to hitch a ride in my carry-on.

2) If you could meet any 3 people, living or dead, who would they be and why?

• Jesus Christ, of course.  I'm not a patient person, so waiting to meet Him blows.
• My Grandpa (my Mom's Dad) - he left when my Mom was little, so I've never met him.
• My HUSBAND - I'm ready to put out an APB on his ass.  I mean, SERIOUSLY!

3) What is your stripper name? (take the name of your first pet and the name of the street you grew up on)


Okay, my very first pet was named "Guy."  I'm SOOO not using that one.  I don't even remember poor little Guy.  No idea what happened to him either.  Just saw him in pictures.
So, I'm going with:

Skipper Rimer

That's Rimer.  Like "reimer."  Not Rimmer.  Don't be gross!  Teehee.

4) How old were you when you lost your virginity? Alternative question if you don’t want to answer this: What is your LEAST favourite part of your bod since losing weight? Your MOST favourite since losing weight?


Well, I don't have that significant a weight loss yet, but let's see:

• 19 years old
• Least - my belly (I'm beginning to think I'll need a tuck someday)
• Most - my face (I'm sure I'm seeing changes there!)

5) Do you believe in ghosts or evil spirits? Would you be willing to spend a night alone in a house that is supposedly haunted?


Yes, I believe in forces unseen, both good & bad.  
And, NOT ON YOUR LIFE!!!  I don't believe in opening doors to that kind of thing.  I'll watch the movie though!  LOL


6) What is your natural hair colour? If you dye it something completely different from what your momma gave ya, how come?


I don't believe I have a hair colour.  I mean, I was once a blonde... but over the years it's become that nondescript dirty blonde blah.  So, I go see my girl, Weronika, to give me back my youth!  I have an occasional pink streak too.
My Mom's a redhead.  I've thought about going there for fun someday.


7) Boxers or briefs? Alternatively…bikinis or granny panties?

• Men - boxers or boxer-briefs
• Me - depends on my weight... bikini briefs right now.  Wanna try the boy-leg ones.

8) If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? (Trilogies do not count as one movie, cheaterpantses!)


Cheating again...  I know every line & every song.

• The Sound of Music
• Grease
• Pretty Woman
• Steel Magnolias

9) What is your guilty pleasure (feel free to go straight to the gutter with this one if the spirit moves you!)


Those previously mentioned Cheetos... plus I LOVE watching Tori & Dean:  Home Sweet Hollywood!


10) How many pounds gone forever are you celebrating?? :)


40 & counting...




Alright... I'm OUT!  See you bright & early Saturday, Boobies!  xo

Isn't It Ironic... Don'tcha Think?

This picture reminds me of someplace. A little children's hospital I know. And a situation. Oh, irony. Today belonged to you.

What can I say about today? It was an epic BAD day to start... the situation is just too twisted & messed up to explain, & would take 3 blogs to relate it. Hence, I'll spare you the details.

Suffice it to say, I'm so looking forward to Chicago, because I NEED A VACATION. Granted, said vacation will be 23 hours long, but hey! It's quality, not quantity, right?

Hanging with Camille is always fun, & I'm going to be meeting YOU LOVELIES! What could be better? Now, if I could only figure out what to wear... seriously!

On another note, it was an epic GOOD day for my scale! I'm not sure it's completely trustworthy, but I'll take it! I weighed myself this morning & had hit a new low, with jeans & sneakers on. So, I weighed in again this evening (not my usual weigh in time) in just my skivvies and, lo & behold, I'd dropped even further. Okay, not so surprising, but I did hit my 40 lb. weight loss!!! Wahooey!

Another good thing about today: friends! When the chips are down, you learn who those people who love & support you really are. And, I've got to say, I've got some AMAZING friends. You know who you are. ILY

Sometimes your worst days turn out to be for good... (Romans 8:28-29)

I puked today & I've got a fill on Wednesday. I've heard that flying makes you tight, so I'll be eating like a bird in CHI-town. Good thing I'll have lots of support. Can I get a refund on dinner??? KIDDING!!!

Now I'm rambling. I'm out.

Shame

Fear of embarrassment is a strong motivator.

When Jen contacted me to tell me I would be the next blogger featured on the BOOBs site, I choked on my own saliva a little bit! WHAaaa? Me? I hadn't blogged in... well, FOREVER!

My "deliquency hiatus" is a reflection on some other areas of my life as well. Or, perhaps because I've been deliquent, I've missed out on the motivation of my fellow bandsters to propel me through positive life change. Whatever the case, Jen's comment was a wake-up call for me.

You'd think the knowledge that I'd be meeting up with 40-some other women, traveling a similar well-worn path as I am, would be motivation enough? Apparently not! My Mom did always call me pig-headed. True that.

So, here I sit, 9 days away from the quickest, most expensive trip of my life (break down the cost with slightly over 24 hours of duration... it's a lot!) & I'm embarrassed at the way I've back-slid. (Is that even a word???)
I'm going to meet all these AMAZING women who have taken charge of their lives & are gonna have some serious hot bods to show for it... & I'm still sitting at the edge of my precipice to change.

Perhaps Chicago will be the catalyst I need to get me back on track.

At any rate, I'm blogging again!!! Can I call that my NSV for the week?