Happy Holidays!

So it's been a wonderful holiday week.  Mom came in Tuesday night.  Dad came in Wed.  We got to video chat with the Kitterlin's until Jack shut us down... literally - we were saying goodbye and he closed the laptop... it was hilarious!
Thursday I worked my little tail off from 8a to noon and then picked up Grammy and Charlie at the train station, Cedric from his house... and headed over to Jake and Ashley's.  We had a full house of friends and family... and celebrated with good for you food and lots of laughter.  I made Mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes and Mom made a delicious turkey.  There was mashed sweet potatoes made with Greek yogurt and fat free cream cheese (which I had a few spoons of).  There was Mom's famous stuffing (which I also had a spoonful of)!  There were our traditional fruit salad and green salad (which I had a miniature taste of each).  Jake made homemade ice cream which I also tasted... as I write this, I feel like it sounds like I was really bad... but I didn't go over my calorie limit or my carb limit and I was still in ketosis Fri morning, so it really wasn't as horrible as it sounds... not to mention the ridiculous amounts of calories I worked off that morning running around that hospital in high heel boots... DUMB!   ...oh and I'm sure hide and seek with Darren burned some too...
So... anyway... it was lots of fun!  We took Grammy and Charlie back to the train station... then Cedric and I headed over to his parents so he could get all his traditional goodness!  We watched the Dallas Cowboys play the Saints and then Mom and Dad came over for the first time.  It was great fun!
Friday was my birthday and we had a nice laid back day... Mom and Ashley and I walked to the grocery store to buy groceries for my birthday dinner... I chose home cooked fajitas, rather than going out because then I could have my Carb Smart tortilla and sub Greek Yogurt for Sour Cream!  We got to video chat with the Kitterlin's again which was the next best thing to having them there...
Cedric's parents and my parents and Ashley and Jake were all there for dinner and then we went bowling and had a blast... I can't bowl to save my life... apparently... but it was still great fun!  We played boys against girls and I am pretty sure that in the end... we tied... I feel like it's probably safe to say that, since I don't think any of the boys read this :-)
Anyway.. it was healthy food... active fun... lots of laughing, which is the best exercises their is... and I feel so incredibly blessed!  I am thankful for the love in my life and that I am feeling well enough to enjoy it more fully than in the best... Last year I had a pretty serious meltdown over Happy Hour Margaritas because I was so disappointed with my life and where I felt stuck... but this year I feel like life is coming together... graduation is in less than a month... ordination is in a little over 3 months.  Last night I had my first and only dream that Cedric proposed and I woke up unsure of whether it was real or a dream... which to me is a testament that we are closer to that jump than we've ever been before, because I know inside and out that it's a goal we're both aiming for...
and most of all... I feel healthier... I have more energy... I feel happier...
the past two mornings I have woken up and watched this week's Biggest Loser episodes while mom and dad got ready... which I usually do Tues evenings after my weekly weigh-in and realized how serious I really am about this revolutionary transformation of my life... I'm cleaning up and purging... a few weeks ago it was the living room... bit by bit it's the clothes in my closet that are too big... Sat morning it was the kitchen... Sunday it was rearranging furniture and cleaning out the guest room... which was dusted with kitty litter dust... but ultimately it's my insides... and it feels damn good!
I figured out what I want for Christmas... A balance ball... a weighted ball to use for my core training... and one of those ball weights with a handle on it that you do squats with... see I'm super technical - I gotta a long ways to go... anyway, those are all things I use at the gym for my strength training and toning that I could use at home while I'm watching tv, instead of moving my elliptical back in the living room.
Now that I feel like I have a handle on the eating routine... it's time to get a little more serious about the exercise routine... and with this dumb class over (in 2 1/2 weeks) my schedule will be so much more conducive!
So Saturday we talked to Alicia and Jack again on iChat... cleaned the heck out of my kitchen and rearranged some things... Mom and I went to Ced's car wash and had our cars washed... we went to Hobby Lobby with Ashley... helped (a little) Dad and Jake with Ashley's chicken coop... hung out with Cai Cai... and then we watched the OU vs OSU game... which is a BIG DEAL!  Sun was cleaning day... and I broke my pinky toe... but my house is CLEAN!
Hope you've all had a blessed week too!
Oh yeah... and to top it off... I lost 2.5 lbs this week... Thanksgiving and Birthday week... the week most people gain 2.5 lbs!  I feel super good!  And thanks to my brother and sister-in-law... I have a fancy new haircut so my hair is as healthy as my body is getting!