Two out of Three Ain't Bad.......

Mary made her very own cake this year! 

Well, I did it. I just couldn't resist that damn scale any longer. I weighed myself this week! But, I did last an entire month before weighing myself, which is pretty much unheard of for me. I also spent that month focusing on the "process" and not being able to doubt the process while getting on the scale every day. The result? I lost about 6lbs since I last weighed in. Initially I wasn't happy with this. I had been feeling SO good and thinking that my clothes were fitting even better than they were back in August when I had hit my lowest weight in 5 years. But, me being upset really didn't last long. I decided that 1) staying off the scale for that month helped me to break through a kind of plateau that I was unknowingly putting on myself (by not staying as strict as I could). 2) the weight that I saw on the scale put me within 3 pounds of that number I hit back in August last year. I have 2 more weeks until my infusion weigh in and I can very likely lose those 3lbs in that amount of time.

A beautiful snowy 8 miles. 

So two out of three ain't bad. I have still had NO McDonald's since Jan and have continued to limit my wine in the month of March. I actually have not had any wine at home yet this month either (that'll change tonight). But, after today, there will be no more birthday celebrations and 2 weeks until my infusion weigh in. My plan is to stay very strict during the week and allow myself a little more freedom on the weekends.

Today, however, ALL BETS ARE OFF!!! I am celebrating my 40th birthday today and I am planning on living it up today. I even celebrated my last day of being in my 30's yesterday in style! I was going to start my birthday with an 8 mile run, but scheduling made this not possible so instead I spent my last day being in my 30's with a snowy 8 miles. It was a VERY tough 8 miles, but I finished. I was emotional and had to have a heart to heart with my friend and running partner....but I'm not going there today. I finished and that's all that matters in the end. We then went out to get some food since after running for almost 2 hours we were pretty hungry! After that I hustled home, got cleaned up and went to do something I had been thinking about for probably about 5 years!
I actually think I can say I had been thinking about this particular thing for probably the last 21 years! You see, I got my first tattoo when I was 19 years old. When I got that tattoo I had thought about getting one around my ankle, but I didn't want one where I couldn't hide it when being fancy. At that time in my life I wanted to get one that would only be seen if I wanted you to see it. I ended up with a moon/star on my stomach. 21 years later even through 2 pregnancies and lots of weight lost/gained; I still love that tattoo. But, I still have always wanted one on my ankle. Back in 2011/12 when I was losing weight and training for half marathon's, full marathon, triathlons, etc; I thought about getting another one. I couldn't completely decide what I wanted. I knew I wanted an infinity symbol (even though that one tends to be "overdone") because I wanted my reminder of my forever journey. The fact that everything (my fight with Crohn's, my fight with my weight, my running) doesn't end.

Then, I crossed the finish line of my first marathon in October 2012 and I wanted to incorporate 26.2 into a tattoo to remind myself that, in spite of everything, I did it. I finished a marathon and no matter what else happens no one can take that away from me. I earned those numbers through lots of sweat and tears! I decided what better time to make this a reality than my 40th birthday! So yesterday I went to the tattoo shop Adrienne had recommended 5 years ago and I got the tattoo I had been thinking about for several years! The infinity symbol, the 26.2 and the purple to signify my fight with Crohn's disease. It is my reminder....and I absolutely love it.