Being Happy .... Priceless

What an unbelievable feeling it is to be happy.  Although I've always been surrounded by wonderful people, I honestly don't think I've ever truly been 100% happy.  There was always something in my life that was holding me back.  Most people would probably think I'm going to say it was my weight.  Well, that was definitely a factor, but I've lost weight before and haven't been able to change anything else.  I think my biggest problem has always been a lack of self-confidence.  My brother and sister are the best, but it wasn't always easy for me growing up because I felt like I was different from them.  As an adult, I now realize that is okay - in fact, it's what makes me special and who I am.  They love me for me, their spouses love me for me, their kids love me for me and, of course, my parents love me for who I am.  On top of that, I am finally realizing that there are amazing people out in the world who want to know me for me.  Can't believe it took me 33 years to completely figure that out, but, hey, at least I finally get it, right?

And although she keeps saying it's me, I attribute a lot of my figuring this out to my friendship with Renee'.  She pushed me out of my comfort zone but also encouraged me.  She didn't stop pushing, and was willing to let me do things at my own pace.  I think there have been times when other people have tried to change me or push me too fast and I would just retreat inside myself because I felt safe there.  It takes me awhile to trust people and really open up to them - you can ask almost anyone I've known for a long time - but once I do, well, a couple of things happen - 1.  I'll be super loyal to you and 2. I'll talk to you all the time.  I'm just so thankful she was willing to break all my walls down.  I wouldn't be where I am at this point without her help, guidance and friendship.  And she'll probably make me do a bunch of push-ups for writing this but, I guess I'll survive, even though they are still evil!! :)

After my first full week at my new job, I was still loving it.  I was also looking forward to the weekend and spending some time with the fam.  My sister invited all of us out to her new house for dinner and a slumber party.  We had a blast!!  And the best part - My family was so excited for me that I had lost 73 pounds and was only 2 pounds away from my next goal.  So, they decided to help me celebrate and gave me a drink in a special glass.... See below

It was a great night.  We hung out, played cards and, yes, I ate a couple pieces of pizza - but I paired it with salad and didn't go overboard at all.  Angie, Kristin and I took the kids for a walk to the neighborhood playground and, again, I was so excited to be able to chase the kids around.  My nephew and I had a contest to see who could swing the highest - I'm telling you, if you haven't been on a swing in awhile, it's good exercise!!  Having energy was the best feeling in the world.

So, it's still mid-August and one of the busiest weeks of work is coming up but, know what, I wasn't dreading it all.  In fact, I was looking forward to meeting more students and just being surrounded by so many positive, wonderful people :)