Out With The Old In With The New

I am forcing myself to write this post because I havent written much at all lately. I dont feel like writing right now, I have no inspiration and my muse is gone. Who knows where she went!

I feel strange starting a new year. Apathetic almost. Scared even. Scared to start over.

Every year since 1999 Barry has been there. And while he wasnt always there on New Years Eve with me, sometimes working, most of the last 10 years we have been together on this day. And even if he wasnt there in person, he was still "there", still in my life.

Starting a new year without my husband is hard. I feel like I am leaving him behind. Like I explained a friend of mine, Barry wont be there in 2010 and any year after that. 2009 was his last year, and I just dont know how I feel leaving him behind. There will never be another year where I can say "oh, remember in such and such year, we did this?"

All I have now are the memories, memories of the last 11 years that I have known him. The first IM I get from him saying "whats ska music", the time he proposed to me on the internet, the time we met in person and he proposed for real, when we got married, the time we spent in Germany, the birth of all of our children, buying our first home, selling our first home, moving to a new city more than a few times, going on vacation as a family this year, celebrating our 10th anniversary early. All I have are memories of our time together.

Now we start 2010 and start NEW. New memories, new experiences, new things, new places.

Despite all the fear that I have about starting a new year, I think 2010 will be a good year for us. I have plans for the kids and I that include, in no particular order:

• Losing a lot more weight for myself. Getting a gym membership tomorrow or monday.
• Buying a house and getting out of our rental
• A trip to Disneyland sometime in 2010
• Start my book at the very least, not quite sure where my focus is going to be on it, but I do want to start writing.

What are your plans for 2010? Are you planning on anything exciting?

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Meet My New Best Friend

I was able to get this baby on sale for only 101.91 plus tax!

How you ask me?

Well, Amazon had them on sale for $239.99, and then there is a rebate of $30. PLUS, when I cleaned out Barrys truck, I found a crap load of change. And I mean a lot. I took it to Coinstar where you can get free coin counting if you pick certain gift cards, and I picked an amazon one. With the change from his truck, I was able to get $108.08!!!! I also picked up a matching hand mixer in the same color for only $20. (not a KitchenAid, but the same red none the less).

I havent used it yet, but I plan on it soon. Ive been lusting after one of these for 10 years actually, and finally purchased one. I havent had a new mixer in almost 5 years, so I am so excited to use this one.

Ill let you all know how it treats me!! I need to think up a good name for it. Any ideas?

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A little support Dieting with a friend

I am excited to announce that my roommate and has started the HCG Diet with me! Jessica only wants to lose 20 pounds before she reaches her goal weight, and shes already well on her way.

I couldnt be happier to have someone doing this diet with me who, not only lives with me, but works with me as well. I really need the support at this point. Its been very difficult to stay focused these last two weeks. 

If you dont have a diet buddy, you may want to consider it. Dont believe me? Well, here are 5 things that may change your mind:

1. Someone who understands your diet can more accurately hold you accountable - The HCG Diet is complicated, there are a lot of guidelines that are hard to understand if you arent actually doing the diet. Having a friend who understands them is a great resource if you ever have questions. 

2. Its always nice to express diet frustrations to a friend, face-to-face - Losing weight can be frustrating. Sometimes you need to vent your frustrations about water retention, drinking water, constipation, lack of appetite, and day to day temptations. A diet buddy can be there to listen to these frustrations, and you can count on them offering support instead of suggesting you just give up.

3. You can share recipes and cook for each other - Variety on the HCG is a lot easier to find when you can pick your friends brain for the latest recipes. Its also nice to have an approved dinner with your diet buddy instead of going out to eat in a place surrounded by unhealthy choices.

4. You wont be the only one among your friends trying to change your lifestyle - It is incredibly difficult being the only one at the party who is watching what you eat. Having a friend by your side who is doing exactly what you are doing can make the difference in keeping you on track.

5. They can remind you why youre doing this diet and why you cant give up - On those tough days when you want to walk away from your goal, a call from your diet buddy is the perfect reminder of why you have to continue. Sharing your goals with someone who is willing to hold you accountable will ultimately help you keep the bigger, healthier picture in perspective. 

Jessica and I do grocery shopping together, we spend time with a lot of the same people outside of work, and we are both very determined to reach our goal. I think that these three things will create a combination for success! 

Do you have a diet buddy? 

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