Sweet 16

First, I must update all on my last post, which dealt with my foot injury and the blood test that showed I was positive for Rheumatoid Arthritis. The good news is that I visited the Rheumatologist on Monday of this week and she said I do NOT have Rheumatoid Arthritis. Woo hoo! Apparently some lucky people like me test positive because they have extra antibodies in their system and, since I've always been a bit of an overachiever, the fact that my body would provide more antibodies than I would need seems to make sense to me.

That doesn't explain the random foot injury, but I'm going to make an assumption that the shoes I workout in are too old and don't give me the arch support I need when I work out.  Just another reason to go out and buy new shoes!

Now, onto the weight loss challenge....

I hit a major milestone this week, earning myself another award at Tuesday's Weight Watchers meeting. This week, I celebrated my 16th week attending Weight Watchers.  (Actually, it would have been 17 weeks if it hadn't been for last week's foot fiasco). They give a 16-week "clapping hands" award when you complete four months attending Weight Watchers meetings. This is a milestone because, as their research shows, if you make it to 16 meetings consecutively, you are more likely to make your goal weight. Come to think of it, in ALL time times I've gone back to Weight Watchers, I have never received the 16-week award, so this truly is a milestone.

Plus, it marks another reason to get an award and a round of applause. Because, for those who know me best, it is all about the prizes. Although my husband's hopefully-soon-to-be-completed Master's Thesis would argue that extrensic motivation is not as important as intrensic motivation (at least in the classroom), I disagree. It's all about the 5-pound star stickers and the 10 % keychain, upon which my 25-pound weight loss ring and 16-week clapping hands are placed.

My Weight Watchers weight loss bling

As I write today's blog post, I'm in a bit of a hurry. I'm leaving for Honolulu on an 8 a.m. flight out of Oakland for a business mixed with pleasure trip. Unfortunately, Christian and the kids aren't able to join me because we're saving our vacation money for a big trip to Disneyland at the end of July. I'm heading to Honolulu because the Training Ship Golden Bear, the training vessel of The California Maritime Academy (where I work) is going to be arriving on Monday and I'm going to be staffing an alumni reception and major scholarship fundraiser there, as well as coordinating logistics with local television crews that want to interview our students who will have just completed a two-month international training voyage.

But, as an added bonus, I get to visit my brother, Geoff, and his wife, Girlie. Geoff is currently stationed at the Army's Schofield Barracks, which is just outside of Honolulu. He is being deployed to Iraq next week. The fact that his deployment coincides with my trip to Honolulu is perfect and I'm really looking forward to spending time with him and his Girlie before he leaves.

I'm so proud of my brother. During a time when the industry he was working in tanked, he decided to make a move that would provide a more stable source of income, retirement, and a host of other wonderful benefits for him and his wife. He joined the Army at the age of 41. To answer your question, "Yes, you can join the army at that age!" Forty-two is now the cut off.

Geoff endured many grueling weeks at boot camp in Ft. Knox, at twice the age of many of his fellow enlistees. But he did it. And boy was I proud of him when Will (who was then 8-years-old) and I flew out to see him graduate from boot camp at Ft. Knox. He looked amazing and had a renewed sense of confidence and focus.

This is one of my favorite pictures.  This is Will (almost 2 years ago...I can't believe how much younger he looks) and my brother at the mall in Louisville, KY just after we attended his boot camp graduation at Ft. Knox.

And next week he'll deploy for a year. He says he'll have Internet access, so I'm hoping he's able to follow my blog because he's been a great cheerleader for me during this weight loss process. Geoff, please take care of yourself and know how proud we are all of you for turning your life around. And when you come back in a year, we'll have a big party and won't count our points at all! Deal?

Ah, now, onto counting points and going to Hawaii.  I'm very very nervious about this trip and keeping on my diet. I'm already packed and have packed my workout gear and my brother says there are plenty of places on base to work out. I've also packed my favorite Weight Watchers "Almond Sensation Bars", which are simply amazing and have been a staple for me pre-workout and for breakfast. My strategy is "fish and fruit"...if I can stick with those, I should be good. We are going to the Hula Grill, my favorite restaurant in Hawaii, as a send-off and, yes, I may very well have some Hula Pie and a Lava Flow. But, I will do my best to repeat my fish and fruit mantra as best as I can and work my butt off at the gym there.

I had a good week of working out and eating right. I was successfully able to take the four pounds back off that I put on mysteriously last week after my foot injury. So, I'm back at a 24-pound weight loss and feeling great.

I won't have a blog post next week since I'll still be in Hawaii.  So you'll have to wait two weeks until my next update, which will hopefully be a good one.

Here's this week's picture!

Aloha,
Jen