What's happening?

Wow, I have not posted in a week! Let's see, what has been going on around here...

I had a great trip to Houston, and I am so glad to be home and grounded for a few weeks. I don't travel again until March 11!

The lofts are STILL under construction, but they are getting more spectacular every day. I have very lucky boys.

Traveling to these distant, warm locales over the past few weeks has given me a really bad case of Spring Fever. Won't it ever warm up in South Carolina?

I weighed in today and lost...0.6 pounds. Wow, little losses can be such a bummer--especially after I was so good when I was traveling last week.

I did learn something really interesting at my Weight Watchers meeting today. I drink a lot of diet sodas, and apparently the sodium in diet drinks can make you gain weight, regardless of the 0 calorie content of the drink. You have to drink a lot of diet soda for that to be a problem, and after looking at my food log, I drink a TON of diet soda. Hmmm. So if I eliminate Diet Cokes, Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Mtn. Dew, and Coke Zero from my diet, will I up my weight loss????

Weight Watchers Update

I hit my 10% goal two weeks ago. 150.2. For those who are not familiar with the WW program, you set your final goal once you lose 10% of your starting weight. Once you hit your final goal and maintain it for a certain period of time, you become a lifetime member. I set my final goal: 130 (I am 5'5 1/2 and 124 is the lowest healthy weight for my height).

The next week, I gained 1.4. What a bummer! I weighed in as soon as I got off the plane (well, out of the CLT airport and back to Columbia) and I did not eat well in Tampa. I weighed in this morning before heading to the airport for February Trip #2 to Houston. I lost 1. OK. I can deal with that. Slow and steady is much easier to maintain anyway.

I am so excited though, because my leader asked if I would be interested in leading WW groups once I hit goal! What a compliment! She told me I was very encouraging, dedicated, and I could inspire people with my slow but steady weight loss. Losing 16pounds has made a huge impact on my life, and I can't wait to get the last 20 off. I have gotten off some powerful medication, my family eats healthier, I sleep well, and I have the energy to get up at 5am almost every morning to exercise. Losing weight and adopting a healthy lifestyle can really change your life, so maybe my way of helping people in the future will be to help them take control of their health.

I wonder if Ms. Sally read my blog last week????

They learn young!

Last night our fam had an unremarkable, downright crappy meal at Applebee's on Devine Street. I suggest all readers avoid that particular franchise. Anyway, not what I am blogging about.

In a booth across the room, Jackson spotted a little girl in his class. They smiled, waved, and made faces throughout the evening. Apparently their service was just as slow as ours.

Alex is fascinated by Jackson's other life at public school, and he gets really mad at Michael when he picks Jackson up from school first. Alex loves to go to the big school and see the really big kids. Short Round is going to be so ready for kindergarten in a few years.

When we were ready to leave, I asked Jackson if he wanted to go say bye to his friend. Alex immediately volunteered to join him, although this little chickadee has no idea who Alex is. Jackson said he would go if Alex could go with him. My sweet little boy is shy!

They took off towards Jackson's friend's booth, but then quickly turned back around and hid in our booth.

Why did they abort the mission? According to Alex, "There are parents in the way."

We cracked up. Our four-year-old ladies' man already knows that you don't mack on the honeys with the parents around.

Currently Reading...

Fiction: The Castle in the Forest, by Norman Mailer.

Nonfiction: "A Problem from Hell" America and the Age of Genocide, by Samantha Powers.

Monday Telecommuting

I think my company needs to seriously consider the benefits of telecommuting. Today is Presidents' Day, and Alex and Jackson are out of school. I am actually home with Alex, because Jackson went to Andrews with my parents yesterday. I have gotten so much work done this morning. I did not have to commute 30 minutes to my office, I just had to plug in my laptop and get started. I am still in my pjs!

Telecommuting on Mondays would be wonderful. I have been returning emails and reading legal research, all the while doing laundry, since 7:30am. I could get lots of work done and finish my weekend chores on Monday, and the rest of the week would be so organized!

I will be in Houston most of this week. I have never been to Houston. My travels to Texas have been limited to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I have two depositions on Thursday, and I have some free time on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Lots of reading time for me!

Finding Meaning

Business travel has many benefits. I get to see cities I would never visit without the benefit of an expense report. I get to meet a lot of people. Hopefully the constant repetition will help me get over my ridiculous fear of flying. You'd think I would be over it by now.

The coveted benefit of business travel (for me) is that I get to spend a lot of time alone. Ahhh. Peace and...well certainly not quiet. There are too many voices in my head.

No, I am not schizophrenic. Just thoughtful. Tonight I am sitting in a Sheraton Hotel restaurant overlooking Tampa Bay. Not a bad locale for two depositions. I dined, alone, with my laptop, a pot of Starbucks coffee, and my thoughts.

My last post was a bit depressing, and I was defintely feeling sorry for myself. I feel the need to explain myself. I grew up in a very small town (Josie, you can certainly understand), and I made it through middle school and high school with the divine gift of HOPE...HOPE of getting out of Andrews, out of the woods, and making something special out of my life. "Special" has never been about money or power for me. I am one of those corny crusaders who wants to change/save the world. I found the perfect avenue for idealism at the PDs office...since I left I have been floundering, trying to find some way I can make a difference in the world. I use cloth toilet paper, cloth menstral products, I compost, recycle, conserve energy, I have banned plastic bags, bottles, and other poison-leaching products from my home, and I hope I am helping make the earth a better place for my boys. It's not enough. I don't help people anymore.

So, how do you save the world when you live in Columbia, South Carolina? How can I save the world (ok, I am being overly dramatic--but you get my point) without neglecting my family? To take that even further, how do I inspire my family to care as much as I do? And do wine, cheesecake and an entire pot of Starbucks coffee usually produce this much reflection?

For everyone to whom much has been given.

My heart tore into a million tiny pieces Sunday morning.

You see, on Sunday morning, I realized that I sold out. I gave up. I chickened out.

From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.

I have a law degree, a license to practice in South Carolina, and a large and very LIBERAL heart.

I found my true calling in June of 2004 when I took a job as a public defender. For 2 years and 10 months, I represented the poor in my county who found themselves charged with crimes. My family and my heart were both bled dry last year, but I don't think I have ever cried as hard as I did the day I walked out of that office.

Now I am a corporate lawyer for a wonderful, ethical, and employee-centered organization. I like my new job, and my family loves my new job.

But...I will always be a public defender at heart. At the request of my employer, I visted an inmate at the jail Sunday morning...it all came back to me like a punch to the gut. I hate this feeling. I did what was best for my sanity, my husband, and my boys, but I would give anything for one more day as a public defender.

I'm tired.

I have been going since 5am, and I am so pooped. Michael is playing poker and I am watching Rent.

Both boys are well, the weekend is only a day away, and the house is clean...thanks to Michael.

Isn't funny that I have a quiet house, a fully charged laptop battery, a relaxing evening...and NO INSPIRATION TO BLOG.

Home again.

It's JBO's turn to be sick. He doesn't really have any symptoms EXCEPT a 103.5 degree fever. He is rockin' a bad headache and is stretched out in my bed watching the Disney Channel. I am supposed to be working. It's so hard to work from home sometimes, especially when you need to clean the kitchen, do some laundry, sweep, and exercise. I choose to blog.

My tour of the United States begins today. Michael will relieve me around 1pm after my Weight Watchers weigh-in, and I am off to Atlanta for a few days. I fly to Tampa Monday, and then I head out to Houston in 2 weeks. I will be in Baton Rouge for several days in March, and I will spend several weekends in April in Miami. Oh, and I might go to Phoenix for several days in April, too. I am really not complaining...I enjoy business travel. It just wears my family out.

Things are good around here. I am happy because I am losing weight at a steady drop of 1-2 pounds a week. I feel really healthy and energetic...in the mornings. I still pass out around 9pm every night, but then again, I do get up at 5am to exercise. The loftbeds are moving at a slow but steady pace. I am so proud of Michael. My children will have the coolest beds in Columbia. It is so warm here right now. I can wear short sleeves and sit in the sun. Spring cannot arrive soon enough.

The most stressful issue we are working through right now is childcare for Jackson this summer. We are on several waiting lists for summer programs for school-age children, and I HATE waiting lists. We welcome any ideas! He likes to play football, basketball, soccer, and he loves to swim. Oh, and monkey bars are definitely a plus!