It's the end of the semester, so what do I do? Procrastinate!

Yes, I procrastinate.  But I have several days until these papers are due, and I have one of them halfway finished.

So anyway, as I sit here days away from graduation, Gentle Thursday and Friday tomorrow and the next day, (which I swear, I will use to finish my paper Mom, I promise), I am throwing myself a pity party.  I went shopping at JC Penney's today because they are having a huge sale and I want to get a new dress for graduation.  I found a gorgeous white sundress that I want to wear to graduation, but it's on clearance, and surprise, surprise, my fat ass doesn't fit, or rather, my stomach, doesn't allow the zipper to close.  Also, my inability to contort myself like an acrobat to be able to reach the zipper, the dress doesn't fit. And I am sad because it is freaking cute, I love it and it's a size too small and JCP doesn't have any in a larger size.

Because of this, I resolute (again, I think, but I'm too lazy to look) to blog about my weight loss journey every Friday.  Updates on my work outs that week, whether I managed to stay on plan that week, my weigh ins, etc.  I cringe when I think about putting this out there on the internets, but I feel I need to be accountable in some other ways than I am already, because I obviously am not being accountable enough.

I will write more about what I think are my issues with food on Friday, and obviously about my week.  As for now, I need to go procrastinate by watching the last 1:44 of the third period of game seven of the Penguins vs Lightening.

Penguins need to lose.

Important Announcement involving shoeperwoman.com

I read a blogger named Katri from The Cat With Glasses who follows a woman named Amber who styles herself the Shoeperwoman.  She has been actively blogging as Shoeperwoman for a little over two years and has had the domain since 2008.

Now Amber, has run into a problem with another woman named Laura who has knowingly registered Shoeperwoman with .co.uk and has now been trying essentially un-do all the work that Amber and her husband have been working for.  I really hope that this never happens to me, but I also don't anticipate this blog actually being more than an outlet for me.  You know never know, though, so please go give Shoeper Woman some love and read the full scope of the problem.

Welcome Home

Finally after many weeks and months of hospital rooms, tests, surgeries, chances, tears, sadness, ups, downs, anger, yelling, crying and finally upward progress from ICU to rehab, my mother arrived home from her fight against H1N1.

She is weak, but walking, talking and feeding herself.  She has a long way to go down the road to recovery, mostly regaining her strength.  From the worst place I have ever been in my life at the end of January and the beginning of February to now is almost night and day.  We still aren't back to normal, but we're getting there and my brothers and I have my Mom back and my Dad has his other half.

There are so many people to thank, I don't know if I can think of them all, but, I want to take a second to thank all of the wonderful people in my life who have been there in the darkest days of our family.  My husband who was stoic and allowed me to be selfish, would hold me for hours while I cried and drove us to Grand Rapids hundreds of times.  He was suffering just as much as the rest of us, but was a rock for all of us, especially me.  My Uncle Rick and his family who live about 10 minutes from the hospital and gave us a key to come and go as we needed.  They gave us beds to sleep in and fed us every weekend and whenever we needed a place to go.  Even though I know my uncle felt he wasn't doing enough and his wife who asked him why we hadn't moved in yet felt the same way, we are family and they wanted to take care of us.  It means so much to us, and we can never thank them enough.  Courtney and James and the Moore family, who helped try and keep a sense of normality for me, Nicole, Melissa, Pastor Emmett, Pastor Rick, the Eks, Debby, the Spedowskis, MaryJo and the entire IRC camping family.  Lisa, who took notes like a mad woman for me when I missed class, the professors who, in unison told me to do what I needed to do and make up the work as I can, instead of asking me to withdraw from my final semester.  To all of the people who supported and fed my family when I could not, the Healeys who fed Zack during the week when my Dad was still at the hospital on late nights, the Hammonds who took in our family dog, and the BRHS hockey family who rallied behind us and produced massive amounts of food for when no one could get up the desire to actually cook and held a team prayer for my Mom shortly after she went on ECMO in the ICU and always took a second to comfort and ask how Mom was doing.  And the hundreds of people who sent cards, well wishes and the people who sent the gas cards and food cards for all of the traveling from home to Grand Rapids my Dad did.

The doctors and nurses, respiratory people and ECMO techs who told us after Mom started to get better, that they had never had a sicker patient who lived.  Without their round the clock care, Mom wouldn't have been able to fight this off on her own.

And the unsung heros in all of this. My Mom and Dad.  My Dad stepped up hardcore and managed to figure out the finances that my Mom, being an accountant, had always taken care of.  He was at the hospital every day, talking to Mom, holding her hand and wishing he could do all of it for her and when he could not, he kept on the doctors, asked questions and got answers.  Always driving and pushing and hoping that Mom would get better.

And my Mom who fought so hard, and had taken so many steps to healthy living before this that helped her fight off this terrible disease.  I hope that in the following years as Mom continues down the road to recovery, she will continue to make those healthy choices that helped her survive this.  Mom has always been stubborn and that was so beneficial to her in this fight.

I love you, Mom, welcome home.