Countdown...

[Jules]

Hi everyone,
Sorry I disappeared for so long. Just thought I'd say hi and pick some things back up. My life really spiraled out of my control last semester as I finally finished my PhD. Everything was focused on graduating, nothing on health. Yep, I'm officially Dr. Jules now! Unfortunately, Dr. Jules has a bit more weight to lose. I'm back up to 158 lbs now. I've missed you all and I've missed the energy I had when I was exercising. I was rapidly turning into a TV lump again, always tired and sluggish. Not any more.

I am getting married July 9, so I have only 33 days until I am seen by all my friends and family in a wedding dress. Luckily it laces up in back with ribbon so it has a really flexible fit. Love the dress, it hides most everything except my flabby arms. However, I need to lose the belly fat I put on in the last few months so I can comfortably fit into all my clothes again and don't have to go back up to wearing fat clothes.

I'm working a 9-5 job now (until the wedding). I've been back on a diet for the last week (mostly fresh veggies and lean meats) and I exercised 4/7 days last week (BL DVD 1 or 2 aerobics, plus a few arm weights each night). And I didn't lose even one pound. (Even been keeping track again over at Calorie-count) Hoping next week will go better. Wish me luck! It's been great catching up on everyone else's journals here again.

Cheers,
The new Dr. Jules

[Trying4Thin]

Congratulations Dr. Jules!!

I cant blame you for your attentions being directed elsewhere. Dissertations, finals, and a wedding on top of it all? Wow, I am impressed. I am sure the dress will look great.

How has work been going? Are your jealous co-workers still being bratty?

Anyway; it is great to have you back!

Uh you read my journal? Total entertainment there...NOT! LOL

How are the puppies?

[Missy]

Wow, congrats on becoming a doctor, that's very exciting news!!

Glad to have you back, we missed you around here. I can't wait to see the pics from your wedding day

[FrugalSue]

Dr. Jules has a great ring to it! Congratulations!

You said you are back "on a diet"--NOT! You're just back in focus. Eating healthy is not a diet, it's a way of life.

My wedding was on April 14th and it went great! I wish you and your fiance all the happiness in the world! I hope you can relax and enjoy this time that leads up to the wedding. It's gonna be a great day for you, regardless of the little details! So make sure you have some fun.

Sue

[Jules]

Hi all,
Thanks for welcoming be back after such a long absence.
Hi Carrie -Aye, I was busy and I nearly lost my mind. Nearly. I'm at a new job across campus, and I miss my old office (fridge, microwave, teapot right there) but I don't miss my old coworkers. Some smile and pretend it's good to see me again, some don't even speak to me when we cross paths (even if I attempt to say hi to them). Boy am I glad to be out of there. My new work is okay, I'm installing software and analyzing data (making graphs and explaining them). It's pretty laid back which is nice. My boys (2 puppies) are so big nowadays. They are getting all their shots so they can go overseas too, but otherwise they're happily tearing up the backyard and begging to come inside and sit in front of the air conditioner. They kept me sane these last few months.

Hi Missy -Love your new pics! I'm glad you're still here giving out advice and goodwill. I'll sure post some wedding pics sometime in July. Thanks for the warm welcome.

Hi Sue,
Congrats on your wedding! Did you post pictures? I'm gonna have to snoop around and look. I hope it was great. I'm excited and nervous and stressed and calm and everything all at once about mine. Thanks for the reminder that I'm not back "on a diet" I'm back to healthy living. I still appreciate the occasional attitude checks. It makes such a difference just having a positive outlook. I remembered your comments yesterday and that reminded me instead of complaining I should smile during my exercises -it helped to smile. Back to having some time to take care of me! Ty Sue.

I'm still doing okay. I was planning on some extra exercise by walking to work today, unfortunately I overslept and had to take my car to get to a meeting on time. Oops. I'm still looking at ways of getting some extra exercise in there. (Unfortunately no more school gym access now I'm graduated.) I'm visiting a local curves tonight, gonna give that some thought as something in addition to my video. I had some coupons for a free 2-weeks there but they are of course trying to talk me into a membership. There's one other gym close to the house -maybe I'll check it out too.

Otherwise, doing well. Lunch was 3 slices of ham, a salad of lettuce and broccoli with a light vinaigrette, sliced cucumber, 1 cup fat free cottage cheese, and a cup of hot tea (no sugar or milk). Afternoon snack is 2 hardboiled eggs with mustard and 30 pistachio nuts. Going to a party tonight and will be on my best behavior around all the cake, chips and hamburgers. Wedding dress > party food.

[FrugalSue]

Hey, Jules, I did put some wedding pictures in some of my journal postings around late April, but I should figure out how to put them someplace more permanent like Photobucket or something. I think I get a free Website with my comcast email account--I should actually use it LOL! Sue

[muppet]

Jules! Wow-- how nice to hear from you. It's really really hard to focus on diet and exercise when you have other stresses and demands in your life, and I think that is something that many of us here have to learn to deal with. I know I do. Because nothing else really matters if we don't take care of ourselves.
I can't wait to hear about your wedding and see pictures.
My son just graduated high school and we are excitedly embarking on a new adventure in college. He is planning on studying history, and I believe wants to be a teacher. He'd be an excellent high school teacher -- he really has that gift of gab, and I think will still be able to relate to kids, even as he grows up. I get to go to orientation with him tomorrow. Kind of makes me want to go back to school too, but then they show us the costs, and that squashes that!
So anyway -- glad you're back.
Carol

[Jules]

Hi,
Still trying to keep up with everything. I'm exercising at least every other day, doing pretty well with food although money is very tight atm (and fresh/lean = expensive). Very busy with my last week at work, cleaning out my house for a garage sale this weekend, addressing invitations, and fighting with my mother-in-law to be. (Venting to follow....)

I hate the stress of weddings. I'm fine, peachy-keen. It's just everyone else who wants to be pleased all the time and I'm killing myself trying to do it. My mother-in-law is an evil, penny-pinching, selfish cow. Less than a month before the wedding she is suddenly refusing to pay for a rehearsal dinner. It would be fine if she really couldn't afford it, as she claims, but she told me it was a stupid thing and a waste of money, she wasn't paying for some relatives of mine to eat dinner out at a restaurant. (I even chose a cheap Mexican restaurant where a meal is on average $8, including drink and I'm only inviting the wedding party and grandparents -20 ppl total.) But no, she's not going to have money because she's taking a personal vacation to Italy for 2 weeks beforehand. Plus she's going to salons to have her hair and nails done when she gets here, so she wouldn't have any money for a rehearsal dinner. Cow.

Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. She called me at 6am yesterday to tell me she's not paying for our rehearsal dinner and to tell me my e-mails to her were cold and impersonal and I'm trying to suck her dry and she wonders why I eventually just hung up on her? My parents are paying thousands of dollars for this lovely wedding and she won't pay even $200 for a rehearsal dinner. She never once even thanked me for all the work I did sending her information about her choice of 20 restaurants and salons. I'm trying very, very hard to be a good Christian about this and not just think evil thoughts of her.

It's hard to focus on what I should when people are so stupid around me and I let myself be distracted and upset by them. I'm hosting my own rehearsal dinner now because I want to spend time with my family and friends and thank them for helping me on my wedding day. That's all that is important. His mom -not important. At least my man stuck up for me and called his mom and told her to apologize to me. Thank goodness he stuck by me and didn't let her get away with it. Today there was an apology of sorts in my e-mail saying "sorry you're so stressed about the wedding". Not sorry for what she did or said, just sorry you're so stressed right now. I really hate it when people pretend to apologize. Either be sorry for what you did or just don't even bother. Don't just say something in an to look good yourself. Apologize for what you did and said or forget it. Some people just suck.

Anyhow, I'll be glad when this is all over. I'm only sad that now I'm dreading our move to Australia even more. I don't want to be anywhere around her and I definitely don't want to have to depend on her or ask her for ANYTHING. My fiance wants to move in with them just at first, but I'm sending him apartment for rent ads every day now so we can have somewhere of our own from day 1.

Gotta exercise today, got to upset yesterday and I skipped it. Wish me luck.
~Jules