Vacation Update

Ahhhh.. Im home... First of all, the plane was great.. Not only did the seatbelt fit around me with lots of room to spare, but the tray even came down without making me feel trapped!! So yeah, I fit without a problem.. Also the flights were all completely full and I didnt even take up part of the seat next to me!! Yippeee!!! So the flights were all pretty good!! Im so thrilled to be able to fly without fear! There was only 1 problem with all my flights and that was the flight that landed at home.. The flight itself was fine, but landing was a little hairy.. The air brake didnt auto engage and it took a couple tries for the pilot to do it manually.. So we touched down and the back of the plane slid sideways!! It wasnt too bad but a little scarey.. Thankfully the pilot was skillful enough to handle the whole situation quickly so it wasnt too bad.. Made everyone think a little though!!! My family.... Ohh do I come from a disfunctional family.. Whenever I go to visit there is always drama.. My mom and I dont get along well at all.. My brother is and has been a drug addict for 20 years so there is always drama with that.. I always have to deal with drama!! I can always handle the drama of my brother- I spend little time with him and what time I do spend with him he does clean up for it.. But my mother takes as many jabs at me as she can.. She is very negative, cold, and just mean!! I prepared for it this time!! I got there and my moms body had been taken over by aliens!! She was loving, caring, supportive!! She was so proud of me and made sure to point it out often! Not just for the weight loss, but for what I have made of my life! It was honestly the first time that I can remember that my mom made me feel good about myself!! I actually enjoyed being around her!! My brother... Ohh how I love that man even with all his problems and flaws... He came to my moms house for dinner one night.. He looked good.. Then when he left he said he wanted to pick me up the next day and go out to do something together.. I agreed.. When he came to pick me up I was nervous but I knew that if he screwed up at all I could grab a cab home.. We drove out into the desert and parked.. We climbed up a foothill and sat up to the top for 6 hours talking.. We talked about everything.. his drug habit, his kids, his job, his life.. Im so proud of him! Yeah he still uses drugs, but he isnt the typical drug addict. He is finally being responsible when he is using.. No driving, never when he has to work, etc.. I wish he would give it up completely but until he is ready to there is nothing I can do... My grandmother!! The reason for my trip.. It was her 98th birthday.. Ohh she is just perfect!! I spent as much time with her as I could.. I made sure to give her time for naps so she didnt get too tired, but it was hard.. I wanted to spend every minute I could with her.. She was so happy to see me and so proud of all I have done... My sister... There is nothing bad I can say about her... She is the happiest person I have ever met.. I dont think Ive ever seen her upset or in a bad mood.. I had a great time shopping in her closet!!! I did do some serious shopping out there too... I went out there in jeans that were a size 20 and a little baggy but I felt good in them... Then my sister brought me a bunch of clothes from her closet and when I started trying them on I cried.. The biggest jeans were a size 16!! They all fit so good.. Not baggy but not tight.. So now I realize that just because jeans dont FALL off me doesnt mean they actually fit... I am truely in a 16!! I still need a 20 in shirts but thats fine by me.. Ive always had extremely wide shoulders and a thick chest.. I came home with 12 pairs of jeans, 10 shirts, and all new panties!!! WHOOHOOOO!!!! Im planning on returning out there soon. My husband is coming up on orders and we are going to try to get within 100 miles of my family.. Close enough to visit but not so close that I have to deal with the day to day drama.. The morning I left home my weight was 215... The day I got home it was 207.5!!! I was only gone 5 days too!! I ate healthy and followed the rules... But I walked 3 miles every morning pushing my grandmother in a wheelchair... And I walked up a small foothill every evening (about 1 mile up and then back down!!) I feel great... Im happy... and life is so good.. Sorry I rambled so long.. I will post a link to show everyone the pictures as soon as I find out what site to use!! Amber

sounds as if you are happy with yourself and that influenzes those around us. I am glad you had a good time. love marie

Amber, I'm so glad your vacation turned out as it did! It is great that you prepared for the worst, but, then was pleasantly surprised at how well it went. That is really super. Congratulations on the weight loss, the new realization of what your size actually is and for sharing with us! Lori 384/255/168