Social Much

 On the introvert/extrovert scale, I lean introvert.  I can be social when I have to be, like working.  But mostly I consider myself to be shy and more quiet.  So lately I have found myself having all these conversations with people in my neighborhood park.  And that just feels odd to me.  

The best conversations have come during this nice heat wave we have been having.  Maybe we feel a kinship as we are the only people out walking before the heat really comes.  We have been talking about the heat (obviously), pets (obviously) and food. I've met some great dogs.  I even got this one guy who sits outside all the time to converse.  He had his cat out on a leash one day before the heat and that gave us an opening.  

Maybe some more changes are afoot.  

Caught In a Loop

 Oy.  While I was in Indiana I got a message from Rose about meeting up and seeing JJ.  She is getting so big. Almost a year and a half old now.  It's been several months again since I have seen her. I didn't think it through and said something to Jodi about it.  

And the storm has begun.  Jodi and Rose don't have a great relationship.  So she doesn't see JJ as much as she would like.  And each of them will give you reasons why and they don't match up.  I always figure there are three sides to every story.  The third side is the truth which is somewhere in the middle.  

So when I opened my mouth, I think Jodi felt a lot of jealousy.  Because I was going to get to see JJ and she isn't.  Now at the time I commented that I  had a message and I said yes, but no specific plan was made.  I did comment that my grandchildren were here so it would be wonderful to meet this upcoming week or two as that way my ginger girl could chase JJ around park. A park was the offer and one that works great.  But that was as far as it went.  I left the ball in Rose's court. It's her child and her plan.  I'm just really open to it.  

Yesterday the kids and I went to a movie.  I bought the tickets last week.  I walk out of the movie theater to Jodi messaging me and asking if I was seeing JJ today at a park.  And more.  I said no of course as I was not.  But then I was afraid I had a miscue with Rose.  So I messaged her and asked.  Nope I was good.  

I am feeling very much caught in the middle and need to extricate myself.  I like Rose.  And I like Jodi.  And I love JJ. I think that children need all the people in their lives who will just love them.  Unfortunately for all the relationships I think I am going to have to learn to keep my mouth shut and keep every one compartmentalized.  

Quick Trip to Indiana

 I made a quick trip to Indiana.  Timed it to be there for David's birthday.  That way, again, Cassie and David could go out if they chose to celebrate.  And they did that my last night.  Soon they won't need a babysitter.  The kids are growing up so fast.  

They are buying a house.  So I got a showing of the house they put an offer on that was accepted.  I am so excited for them.  I'm also happy that it will provide another layer of stability for my grandkids.  Each kid will have a bedroom and it is yet to be decided which one is sharing their room with me.  

I'm going to have to make another road trip.  This time in a U-haul. Once they have actually moved (and I assume it will go go according to Hoyle) I will bring the kids' furniture to them.  Part of that is exciting.  The big kids should have the beds and dressers that Papa made for them.  I'm not looking forward to getting them down from upstairs to be loaded into a U-haul.

While there I continued on my walks.  Took kids each time.  The boys and I went on an overly ambitious walk and did between three and four miles.  I was surprised the littlest one did the whole thing by himself without complaint.  

I kept up my Noom program and when I got home had lost two more pounds.  No scale while I was there to tell me.  Kind of nice to get a big jump.  It is harder to stay on program when you aren't at home. 

The big kids came home with me.  They will spend a couple weeks with me.  Then they go to Nana Nita's with the rest of the family.  The rest arrive just in time to go camping with us on the island.  Then north and then back to us for a night before returning home.  I take the big kids home a couple of days later.  I still don't have a ticket to ride to get back home.  Maybe I should look into that.  

Pretty Food

One of Noom's suggestions is to make your food pretty.  Kind of like presentation is everything.  I think all the new food I have been making is colorful and pretty.  But tonight I purposely made my little cucumber and radish side pretty.  I don't know if it made me feel better about the food but I did enjoy eating it.  And notice how neat my asparagus spears are.  Hard to make salad by itself look pretty and brusssel sprouts just kind of go wherever.  It was a lovely vegetarian meal.  
 

Number Eight

 

Still going strong.  Trying new foods.  Trying new cooking.  It is kind of fun again.  Especially the roasting and stir frying of vegetables.  My friend Belinda told me about cabbage steaks and she was right.  They are very tasty. And turns out good for you with few calories.  One of those wonderful low calorie dense foods.  

Noom has been teaching me a whole lot of things.  Like how some of our habits got that way.  And why we do a lot of the things we do.  Like social norms in dining with other people.  There is so much more involved than just counting the calories. 

So about two weeks in the program talked about how the scale should not be your only reference to your success.  The timing was perfect because the day of it, I gained a pound.  I was like wait...what? Seriously I am following the program and not cheating.  So I took a breath and followed what the program said.  Success comes from enjoying all the greens.  Success comes from how many days did I walk.  Success comes from continuing to follow the program and not jumping ship at the first swell.  Success comes from how I feel so far.  All those things were good.  So I continued on.

I am now at eight pounds down.  I'm looking forward to my cinnabon one day.  Wait...not a cinnabon because I looked it up and it is 850 calories.  Then I looked up the minibon and it is only 350.  Still a lot for a treat, but doable once in a rare while. When I decide it is time and worth it.  Maybe when I hit magic number 20.