Huh?

All right, all right.  So it's been a hundred years since I blogged.  I just wasn't feeling it, quite honestly.  I'd like to say that I was doing something fabulous like changing the world, but it really was just that I got into a really enjoyable book or three, had a few trips here and there which knocked things off schedule a bit, and at the end of the day, blogging just wasn't on the list.  But better late than never, right?

So, diet-y stuff first.  Depending on your perspective, things could be going well or not so well.  I'm holding steady at 235-240, and I'm not really upset.  I'm eating healthy meals for breakfast and lunch, getting in my 5-9 fruits and vegetables, and then coming home and eating for dinner whatever it is that speaks to me.  Sometimes that means soup, cereal, healthy organic frozen dinners, or  not-so-healthy takeout.  But the truth is, I feel good and my clothes still fit and I look good, and so this makes it a little tougher for me to care about the number on the scale.  Although sometimes I DO care, and then I get furious with myself...but that generally goes away.  ;)  Plus, I've been celebrating my birthday for the past week!  My birthday is on October 9th but I celebrate for a whole week, because why not?  So last weekend we visited my parents and brother and sister, and my grandparents joined us for cake.  My grandmother is an honest woman - too honest for her own good sometimes, like the kind of woman who will give a compliment like this:  "Oh, your hair looks nice...today."  And she really doesn't do it to be rude, she just thinks she's doing you a disservice if she's not brutally honest.  I can't tell you how many times she's gone up to people and said things like, "Oh, have you been eating more?  Your clothes look tight."  She has absolutely no qualms telling you what she thinks.  So imagine my surprise when she said to me last weekend, "Wow, you look great.  You're still losing weight, aren't you?"  So I smiled and said, "Well, of course!"  And I think I mentioned before, although the number on the scale is holding steady, I'm tightening my belt and my watch keeps getting bigger and bigger on my wrist.  Who knows!

Check out this great birthday gift from my sister, and don't mind my badly-in-need-of-lotion hands:

And another fun gift from Hubs:

To answer the question I know you must be asking yourself, no, I'm not into owls.  Or at least I never was before my birthday.  I do find myself quite drawn to them now...  As a matter of fact, after I got my owl ring last weekend from my sister, I heard my VERY FIRST OWL that night when Hubs and I were sitting on the porch.  I'm like the Owl Whisperer.  Hubs got the big owl for me while out running errands yesterday morning - I was getting a pedicure from my little Asian guy Charlie - and now I've decided that I'm going to put the owl in my office tomorrow.  It's going to freak the hell out of my patients.

On a fun note, I was invited to join a raw Ramen-eating contest here in the blog world.  I was about to do it until I realized two things:  1) Ramen has MSG in it, which I really don't eat voluntarily anymore, and 2) We didn't have any left anyway!  So that ship has sailed, unfortunately.

On an even more fun note, Hubs and I recently bought kayaks and we took them out for their maiden voyage yesterday for my birthday.  It was the most beautiful day of the year, which must have been put together just for me.  ;)

And now, on the most fun note ever, Hubs and I are headed up to the White Mountains next weekend for a week's worth of hiking and kayaking.  It's badly needed...can't wait!

Happy Sunday!