Happy birthday to me.

Today is my birthday.

I am 29 years old.

I don't know that I will ever be used to saying that. But it's okay. I am 29 (cringe...a little bit).

First, I'm happy to report that I am down 15.1 pounds as of this morning. I Think that things may change SLIGHTLY after this week, but I am down 15.1 pounds. We are going to go to my parents for dinner tonight, and we are going out to dinner on Friday. I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to deal with that yet. I know my mom is making lasagna, and I will let myself have a small piece, but only one, and I am eating perfectly during the day, so we will see how it goes. I am trying not to beat myself up completely about it. As long as I get back on track, I can have a few things for my birthday. I really think that Randy and I have changed how we eat so much that we are making a permanent change. I HOPE I HOPE I HOPE!

I am only 5 pounds away from pre-baby weight--whoa. It's slightly depressing to see how fast weight comes off when you try, but awesome at the same time.

Anyways, so far my birthday has been pretty good. Randy and Finn gave me my gifts this morning, and they got me a 1 hour massage (AWESOME) and a gift certificate to get my nails done. It's nice because it means that I get some alone time too :) And I think that Chrisanne will come with me to the mani/pedi, which is EVEN better!

Then, at school everyone has been very nice, and my students even brought in (what they considered) healthy snacks for me. So sweet. AND Chrisanne and Tenley even brought me lunch. I feel so loved. :)

Anyways...

My sister and I like to do this thing after every family event--we call it "the post-game wrap up." Before she left for Europe, we did it each and every time our family got together. We would talk about anything and everything that happened, what annoyed us and what we thought was funny. It's really fun. Randy even does it with me now (I'm getting somewhere, I promise)...

I'm going to do a quick post-game wrap up on this year.

28 was a good year. Maybe the best year ever, and--sometimes--the worst year ever. Ya know, kind of in a "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" way.

The best of the best:
- Finn. Seriously, not a moment was bad. Well, maybe the sleeping. Other than that, not a moment was bad. He makes me so incredibly happy, and I am so proud of him. He is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I cannot imagine loving him more, but I do...every single day.
- Randy and I celebrated three years together.
- My students are amazing.
- I feel like I have made big strides in both photography and in my personal life this year. I am happy that I am really working to lose weight and feel better about myself :)

The worst of the worst
- Mommy guilt has killed me this year-and school has been incredibly difficult in certain respects.
- I have failed in any sort of organization or time management this year, certain things have fallen apart.


I think that I am a stronger person, and the bad things this year have allowed me to figure out what life is all about.