Starting it up: Wow, it's been a while part 2

Now it's 2009! We've made history with the first black president. I'm back in San Antonio. Ellie and Tom are adjusting to each other.... and some major decisions need to happen.

Hopefully that was a decent enough way to introduce what this is going to be about. January was full of travel, travel and more travel. Once Tom and I flew back to MD with Ellie, we had to pack up and head south, via car with our two pups. Well, super needy dogs is better put. We drove from Maryland through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and finally Texas. We stopped twice for overnight stays. The first was in North Carolina and the second in Alabama. Overall, the trip went pretty well. We had a very full car. The trunk was filled to capacity, the two dogs were in the back, Tom and I up front, and all of Tom's crap in the passenger floor. If you couldn't gather, that crap and me had some words when I wasn't driving! Tom did eventually move it to the back which made things a little smoother. The dogs weren't nearly as big an issue as we thought they would be. They slept the whole way, and if they needed to use the bathroom, they let us know. They normally had pretty good timing too! We finally made it to San Antonio, and it felt like home. That's far from saying I don't miss my family already, but it felt nice to know that I had my life back. The reality of things started to settle in when we walked in and I saw that Tom had done A B S O L U T E L Y nothing while he was at home alone for those two weeks. I don't think I would've been as upset, except the one thing I asked him before I left back for MD, was to try to clear out what would be Ellie's room so we would be able to set it up for her. And yep, that wasn't done. Needless to say, that was our first tift since he had been home. It was actually upon rummaging through our stuff that I found a prayer that calmed me down a lot and really made me contemplate what was wrong and was it really worth it. Perfect timing to find that little piece of paper I thought. It was hiding with the rest of our wedding goodies. I let up after that.

We got everything unpack and organized, and poor Tom. He had to deal with my temper tantrums the whole time, and took it like a man! Thank god he did too! I was on a rampage! I may not have mentioned this earlier, but Ellie stayed back in MD with my family so we could get everything moved in a little easier. And it helped sooooo much not having her there. Unfortunately, but the end of say, oh, the fourth day or so, I missed her. I could hear her little babbles and the time just wasn't going by fast enough for me. I would daydream constantly about her, and it was then that I realized that being a mother to her is the greatest gift anyone could have ever given me! Now, don't get me wrong, the time away was nice, but it didn't have to be soooo long. Anyway. After everything was moved in, I actually kept myself busy with home decor things. The really big project was a quilt I was making for my sister. She and my brother in law were the ones bringing Ellie down to us, and I promised her I would have it done for her. In part one of this whole schpeal, I mentioned Mom did all the hard stuff. This was when I found all that out! Binding a quilt is a pain in my butt! And so is really thick loft! But the end result was beautiful! Unfortunately I forgot to get some pictures of it, and maybe one day I'll remember to ask Mandi for some pictures of it.

So Mandi and Steve bring Ellie to us, and then another reality sinks in. Oh, my, God! In a day and a half, it's going to be just the three of us! Holy cow.... now what do we do? I was petrified the day Mandi and Steve left. I had no idea if I would be able to cope, or if Tom would be there for us like he said he would be. To date, everything's great. I couldn't ask for too much more! (money would be nice though) =P I think the only really bad thing so far is I was stressing out about getting a job. Now I'm thinking, since we're financially able to, I might just want to take this opportunity to actually spend as much time with Ellie as I can. Of course Tom and I have had arguments here and there, but nothing worth mentioning. No need to vent on those. He is who he is and I am who I am. We're both trying to adjust and make things work. The three big things that we're trying to decide now are 1. Do I need to go back to work? 2. Should Tom re-enlist in the military? and 3. When are we going to give Ellie a baby brother or sister?

None of the decisions we're taking lightly. We're throwing what-if's as many ways as you can throw them. We're getting opinions from everyone to see how they would do, which is not a deciding factor, but it's nice to get an outsider's perspective. We're happy right now, and hopefully that lasts a while, if not always.

I want to point something out. Last year, I started doing the Nutrisystem diet, and I actually lost about 10-12 lbs doing it. I stopped because I got tired of eating the same things over and over again, plus I wasn't eating it like I was supposed to. Well, anyway, I had two full months of food left over and Steve is taking care of that! I wish him the best of luck and hope he can duke it out longer than I could.

However, with this being a new year, I did make one resolution. Absolutely no more smoking and start leading a healthy lifestyle. I want to be a role model for Ellie and I want her to WANT to follow in mommy's footsteps. The no smoking thing was really easy. Now, onto the harder part. While I was in WA, I saw the season premier of Biggest Loser. The raw emotion of the contestants on the show blew me away. It also scared me in a way. I don't ever want to get into a situation where the doctors are telling my my body is actually OLDER than I am chronologically. I'm hoping that whatever damage I have done to my body, I can slowly undue, and if nothing else, do no more harm to. I decided to become a member of the Biggest Loser Club, and no. I'm not trying to get on the show. This site actually prepares a huge variety of menus for you according to your caloric needs. It keeps things within reason. It also keeps you on track with fitness goals. There are hundreds upon hundreds of blogs and message boards to find other members walking in your same shoes. I wasn't willing to throw all our food away considering we have over 2 1/2 weeks worth of dinners in our house (among other things), but I have take a step forward with the fitness. Tom and I ordered bikes and a child carrier for the bikes so we can take family outtings. I also go on long walks with Ellie, and when Tom gets home we all go for another long walk with the dogs. It's really nice and relaxing. It's actually really nice just to get outside and get some sunshine! Knowing how goal oriented I am, I have set two, what I believe to be realistic goals for myself. After visiting the doctor's I found out my weight was 162 lbs. That's too heavy for me. My goal by the end of this year is to be between 130 and 140 lbs. That brings my BMI into the healthy range. The other goal is that I want to be a runner again. Not an army runner. That was by force. But I want to be a runner for enjoyment. I am using it as a way to get in shape, focus extra engery, balance myself, and make friends. In order to get myself into it though, I found a program, through a suggestion from one of the other members on the Biggest Loser Club (now on referred to BLC). It's called the couch to 5K program, and it's on http://www.coolrunnings.com/ if you want to see what I'm doing. It's geared for people who don't run and want to. Perfect for me. Now comes the goal. I have two. One is dependent on the other. The first is to complete a 5K. In order to push myself towards that goal, I am actually signing up for a local 5K in May! The second goal, which is dependent on how I feel from the first, is that San Antonio has this huge Marathon/Half Marathon. I would love to participate in it. My biggest fear is that I'm rushing things. Which is why I won't sign up for that one until I know how I feel about running more. I started my C2 5K routine on Saturday and it felt awesome! I am extremely motivated to keep going!

I know that this particular blog was rather long, but I wanted to share everything! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

And by the way, I've already lost 2 lbs! =)