GREAT VACATION!

We had a GREAT time – but it is SO GOOD to be back! I intended to keep a very detailed journal while I was away, but that didn’t happen. So, I will try to spend this week writing about everything that happened.

First of all, NO SEATBELT EXTENDER! I was so very happy about that. But when I got on the plane to come home, I panicked just a little – I asked my husband if he thought I had gained enough weight to need one again. (It is so difficult to get that body image out of my mind!) He patiently (almost) said, “Teri, even if you did gain weight, there is no way that you gained that much.” But the truth is, I actually LOST WEIGHT while I was gone. I did not take a lasix the night before we left, thinking about being on the plane. So that morning, my weight was up a little. This morning – exactly 2 weeks later, my weight was down 4.6 pounds! This says to me, that I am learning to make good choices – no matter what!

One of Dave’s cousins asked me what I was replacing food with – meaning, of course, that for so long, food was such an important part of my life. So if food is no longer playing that important part – what is? I had to think about that for a while, but my answer was, “PEOPLE” – relationships. We had a blast on vacation connecting with people. Email, Facebook, and phone calls are great, but there is NOTHING like being face to face with the people you love! It was wonderful to spend time with our friends and family in Canada. One friend hugged me and said, “There is so much less of you to hug!” Everyone was pretty amazed at the changes in me. But I think the most telling thing happened after church on Sunday. A big group of us went out to lunch. I had my usual little bit – taking at least half of my meal home. A couple of friends were watching me – and commented later that it didn’t seem like I even noticed that I wasn’t eating as much – I didn’t seem to miss it at all. I was focused on laughing and talking with friends – and THAT was the important thing to me. They are right – I don’t miss the food part at all. I sure do miss being with them, though. I’m very glad to be back home – sleeping in my own bed, hugging and loving on my cats – I wish there was a way I could be in both places at once!