Vacation 2013 - Part 2

After being caught in traffic most of the day - we finally made it to our house for the week.  I could smell the salt water and almost immediately got changed and jumped in the pool :)  Then I decided, since I had sat in the car all day, that I should get out and stretch my legs.  I never would have done that last year.  I walked for about a half hour then made my way to the beach (only about a 3 minute walk from the house) and walked in the sand for awhile.  I really think the beach is my favorite place on earth.  It's peaceful, relaxing and beautiful.  And I was so excited to get to play in the sand and the water with my three favorite kiddos.  I loved how I could already feel that I had more energy.

Our first day at the beach, I decided I wanted some pictures.  I'm known as the photographer of the family and usually there ends up being a ton of pictures but not many of me.  I actually didn't want that to happen this year - I was so proud of myself for getting in a picture in my swimsuit.  And I wasn't embarrassed!  Still not 100% happy with how I look but what a difference 63 pounds (and many other things) made in my confidence level.

By the time I left for vacation I hadn't heard anything about the job I applied for so I just tried to not think about it.  That Monday as I was walking back from the beach I got a phone call asking me to come in for an interview on Wednesday!  I was excited and nervous all at the same time.  I wanted to do the interview more than anything but, obviously, Wednesday wasn't going to work since I was 12 hours away.  I explained that to the person that called and she called back within about 20 minutes and asked if I could do a phone. interview.  I 100% agreed and couldn't believe this was actually happening.

The only thing I had to do now was tell my parents about the possibility of the job.  I never wanted to keep it a secret from them but, they worry about me all the time (it's their job, right?) and I didn't want them worrying about this too.  I always knew I would tell them if anything came out of sending my resume in.  That evening I had the chance to sit down and talk to my mom and tell her how excited I was about the possibilities with this job.  I explained all of my reasons to her and she was 100% supportive.  She actually said to me - you have done so much in the last 6 months to change your life, I don't want you to be 97% happy, I want you to be 100% happy.  That meant more to me than I think she'll ever know.  I love that she's my mom and also my friend.

The next day was another day of fun at the beach.  I was so excited and relaxed all at the same time.  That night we went out to dinner.  We are all about being comfortable and chilling in our sweatpants but I wanted to go out at least one night to wear one of my sundresses and celebrate everything I had accomplished (with a lot of help).  Dinner was awesome, my brother did a cheers toast for me and we just had a great time together.  After dinner, we walked around the area we were in, got ice cream (yes, I eat it every once in awhile - and it was good!) and took some pictures.  I always wanted to get my picture taken on the beach because of how much I love it but I never liked the way I looked enough to get the  picture taken.  This year was different - my mom and nephew went with me after dinner and we took a couple of pictures of me -

I sent them to Renee' and her response made my night even better - She told me I looked beautiful :)  For the first time in a long time, I felt beautiful!  I posted them on Facebook and the comments I got the rest of the night had me smiling from ear to ear for several hours!  Little did I know, the best was yet to come ... :)