Back on the Wagon!

Starting Weight: 175.9 lbs.
Last Weigh-In: 160.0 lbs.
New Weight: 160.6 lbs.
Total Gain: .6 lbs
Total Loss: 15.3 lbs.

Starting Weight: 175.9 lbs.

Last Weigh-In: 161.2

New Weight: 160.0
Loss during travel: 1.2
Total Loss: 15.9

I haven't weighed in for awhile. After returning from travel I relished time with Matt, and my trips to the gym grew few and far between and then the holidays hit and we got incredibly busy.

I returned to work after 12 wonderful days off and renewed my weight-loss journey. So, weighed in today ready to accept that I had probably gained weight.

However, I didn't gain - I lost. Which makes it a little bit easier to keep going - knowing that I didn't backtrack.

I gave my blog a makeover so it has a little bit if a "holiday" look to it. However, I am still insanely jealous of the blogs I read owned by bloggers who actually know what they are doing when it comes to blog makeovers. I wish I were more tech savvy.

I might be playing with it for awhile until I find something I really like.

Back from the silence

My sister informed me that I need to update my blog because I am not in California anymore. She is correct...it is 3 stinkin' degrees outside which is definitely not characteristic of most of California. Matt and I went to the Creighton basketball game with Dan and Becky last night and then went to Barley's Tiptop for some drinks. After driving them back to their car (we left it at California Pizza Kitchen after dinner so we only had one car downtown) we arrived home at about midnight. The gauge on our car indicated it was a balmy 48 degrees outside. I remember not buttoning my jacket when we walked out of the Qwest.

I woke up this morning to the sound of wind howling so I turned on the tv to find out what the temperature was and discovered it was 10 degrees. I think that was our high for the day. Matt and I headed out to do some Christmas shopping and froze running in and out of buildings. But, we got some very important Christmas shopping done! Ma tt talked to his sister this afternoon and they went from 60 degrees to 20 degrees in about 30 minutes!

I also finished decorating our hearth tonight. I started working on it last week and bought the finishing touches today. I included a picture below just for fun.

In January, our household is growing! Pell and Bren have decided to move back to the midwest and Omaha was on their list of possible cities to move to. Matt and I let them know that they would be welcome to move in with us until Pell finds a job and they are able to sell their house in Oregon. They have taken us up on our offer so we are gaining three roommates (they are bringing their cat with them) around January 25th! We are excited to have them close by and thrilled that they will be able to live with us while they figure things out! We will be spending some time over our holiday breaks getting the house ready.

I am working a 4 day work week this week (I'm taking Friday off to finish some Christmas shopping and get some things done) and then I only work Monday and Tuesday the following week. I love working in Higher Ed - especially Creighton because we were supposed to be off until January 2nd, but the university imposed a mandatory vacation day so I don't have to go back until January 5th. Twelve straight days off! And I need it - especially since we have plans to go to Shelbina for a few days and then thought we would head to Saint Louis because Gregg is home for the holidays and there is a Jameson baby we haven't met yet!

I have decided to give candy making a try this year and will be starting with english toffee. I bought a candy thermometer the other day and plan to make a batch sometime in the next week. I need to figure out when the humidity will be the lowest - maybe next Sunday since the high is supposed to be 5!

Back in Cali!

I'm back in California for a couple of days. I flew to San Francisco today and will be an exhibitor at a conference tomorrow and then fly back on Sunday. My trip was totally uneventful - no delays or anything like that. I flew into San Francisco International instead of Oakland this time. Flying into the SF Airport was interesting as you fly lower and lower and lower over the Bay because the airport sits right on the edge. So, it literally looks like you are going to land in the Bay and then all of a sudden there is land underneath you. I arrived mid-morning, picked up my rental car, and drove to an outdoor mall that is near my hotel (I stayed at this same hotel last time) for lunch. My hotel is a Hilton Garden Inn and I love the location, and the hotel is really nice, but there are not many options for eating nearby unless you pay to park at the outdoor mall. I wanted to grab some lunch and then walk around for a few minutes after sitting on a plane all morning so I had no problem paying it, but it is nice to stay near restaurants that are easy to get to.

After I wandered in a couple of stores I headed to my hotel and sat in the lobby and worked all afternoon. My room wasn't ready when I got there and they told me that they could get me in a different room, but it wouldn't be as nice as the one that I had reserved so I decided to wait. And the room is nice, but nothing out of the ordinary for a HGI, but the view is spectacular. The hotel sits on the bay and you can see San Francisco in the distance. While I won't be here long, it is nice to get a great view for the short time.

I gave a presentation this evening at Berkeley that went really well and then I returned for some quiet relaxation and some tv. My day is full tomorrow. I'm planning on arriving at Berkeley early so I can walk around a little bit. Both times I have previously been on campus I haven't had much time to walk around and so I figured I would do it tomorrow. Then the fair is during the middle of the day and I haven't decided what to do after.

I did better than maintain!

Starting Weight: 175.9 lbs.
Pre-Travel: 163.0

New Weight: 161.2

Loss during travel: 1.8

Total Loss: 14.7

I'm back home and wanted to update on my weight loss. As I have said before, I post these to hold myself accountable and so I can remeber the hard work I have done. I'm almost 15 lbs. down and almost into the 150s. Even better than the numbers, I have a whole new wardrobe of clothes that I was not able to wear last winter. Matt is less than pleased with my requests to go shopping - but I'm rapidly approaching some major issues with my wardrobe. This includes my favorite pair of jeans that I can take off without unbuttoning! They are becoming my "not-so-favorite" pair because they are really too big to be wearing, but I don't desire to buy clothes now and then having to shop again when I have settled at a weight/size later on.

I'm pleased that I not only managed to maintain my weight loss through travel season, but actually lost a little. Travel season is tough - most of my meals are eaten out, and my schedule is unpredictable.

The final stretch!

I'm heading home tomorrow! I finished my last fair and my last presentation today/this evening and now I am my hotel packing my bag to go home!

I'm incredibly excited. This has been a long trip - I've been gone since October 20th.

I'm ready to sleep in my own bed, cook in my kitchen, and have some normalcy again.

I do have to say that the last 7 weeks has gone by fairly quickly. I just have a couple of trips left. I head to San Francisco next weekend for one event on Saturday and then to Saint Louis the following weekend to visit SLU and WashU. I also have a two quick trips through Nebraska.

But, I'm headed home tomorrow. And that is great news!

Adventures in Traveling!

I'm in Riverside, CA tonight.

I got a great deal on a hotel last year in Riverside and was able to stay in a Marriott and get spoiled a little.

This year I could not find such a great deal and ended up in a Courtyard - which is still a good hotel, but...


the person in the room next door to me is snoring so loud that I can hear it as clear as day in my room! I would complain, except that it is almost midnight here and I'm fairly settled in this room and don't feel like leaving. But, holy moly!!

Chai Tea Lattes

I'm enjoying some time at Panera this morning/early afternoon. I basically had a "free day" today with no events scheduled, but there are often prospective applicants who have a hard time seeing us while we are on the road because of scheduling and the fact that some universities restrict their events to just student (not that I blame them - universities do not need random people wandering around campus looking for recruiters), so I made it known that I would be at a Panera not far from my hotel for awhile today and so here I am. I usually pick Paneras for such events because they are usually located in very populated areas, they are cozy, they have free Wi-Fi (although I have discovered that in very populated areas they limit the amount of time you can be online and I can enjoy a Chai Tea Latte (or a bowl of French Onion Soup, which I will probably enjoy in just a little while) while I wait for the people to come to me.

Soapbox...

I often find myself paying attention to the bumper stickers that people place on their cars. I saw one today that really frustrated me.

The car was a HUGE SUV and it had about 10 McCain or McCain/Palin stickers plastered across the back. There was also a bumper sticker that was half black with white writing and half white with black writing and said something to the effect of, "Dear God, Why is violence allowed in schools? From Concerned Student" and the other hald said, "Dear Concerned Student, Because I am not allowed in schools. From God."

Are you kidding me? I'm sure the owner of this vehicle has a very specific opinion on which version of God he/she would like to be "present" in schools, and would likely be screaming the loudest if that version of God is not the one that suits his/her beliefs. Which is EXACTLY THE REASON OUR FOUNDING FATHERS ENSURED THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE (and therefore schools). I'm sure that this parent would be the first to scream if teachers began leading students in Muslim prayer five times during the school day.

Sometimes I think that there are people in this country who forgot to pay attention in history class during elementary school. Our country was founded on the basis of freedom from religious persecution. Freedom to practice whatever religion we choose without the fear that we will be arrested, harrassed, or killed for our religious beliefs. While I absolutely admire people who have a strong faith, it absolutely frustrates me that they are so convinced that their way is the only way that they believe that we should be teaching religion in schools so that all children will be taught those same beliefs. It is pretty rediculous when you think about it.

And who is to say that bringing God into any environment will ensure that no violence will occur as the bumper sticker suggests? Plenty of people have committeed acts of violence in the name of God througout history. Isn't that essentially what religious persecution is?

Church-based schools have been created for those parents who choose to send their children to them. But again, there is "choice" there. They can choose the school which best supports their particular faith beliefs. However, I'm also a firm believer that families should do a better job of supporting the passing on of faith traditions to children. I don't know of any religious sect that does not find that family is one of the modes of practicing and passing on of faith traditions.