Today’s Weight: 154.0 lbs.

I’m happy with that, and I’m feeling great, all around. Work is stressing me out, and my parents’ visit over the weekend was a major stressor, but other than that, it’s all good. I’m hoping to get a large chunk of writing done today for work, which should help me out considerably, too.

It was great hanging out with my parents. They had a fantastic time, but it had somehow slipped my mind just how very irritating it can be to have to play tourguide to two people with strikingly different agendas. My dad acts like nothing is fun or interesting, whereas my mom, the complete opposite, gets awestruck by simple things like funny signs and pretty store window displays. Between the two, I found my mom much easier to accomodate, of course, since all I had to do was take her to places with bright lights or weird people, and she was good to go. Those tend to be my favorite places, for much the same reason, so we had a lot of fun wandering about together. For my dad, I tried to integrate as much good food as possible, and we also did some heavy-duty antique shopping, since that’s something the entire family is into.

I had a great time, and I think they did to, but there were some highly irritating moments, like when I told them at 9:45am that I’d be by to pick them up at 10:15am, and at 10:15am they were 15 minutes’ walk down the street, finishing up breakfast. That kind of thing blows my mind, because it would never occur to me in a million years to not be where I was requested to be at (actually 5 minutes prior to) the appointed time. So who did I get that from? Obviously it wasn’t my parents. Was I raised by aliens?

There was also my dismay at how my mom was dressed when she met my boyfriend’s parents. Seeing her face fall when she realized she was underdressed in comparison to the other set of parents really hurt my heart. My dad couldn’t give a flying flip about being dressed sloppily, but I had spent the day shopping with Mum, talking over colors and new styles that would look great on her. I was hoping to find something she’d love while we were out, and hinted that she might want to put on something a little nicer, but it’s not my job to push people out of their comfort zones. I just hated seeing her try to cover up how uncomfortable she was in old sneakers and poorly-fitted jeans next to my boyfriend’s super-chic mom in heels and a leather jacket. It’s just that where we’re from in rural NC, people don’t get all dolled up the way that folks tend to in most other places. I hope one day I’ll make enough money to take her shopping and get her into something that will make her feel as gorgeous as she is. It’s sad to see her acting like she’s an old lady when she’s only 53.

This is a rambling, chaotic post. I’m about to go back to work, then to the sauna for a lovely 30 minute steam. I’m thinking about getting my first Mystic tan at the end of the week, since my boyfriend will finally be home for good on Saturday. I’m hoping he notices how much weight I’ve lost since he left. I’m also hoping to maybe be another pound or two down, but I’m not going to push it. 154 is spectacular. My new goals are to be a little less by Saturday, and to be at 145 by Christmas.

I also want my arms to be much more toned. I’m starting swimming lessons in January, which I’m thinking will do some major good for my flabby arms and maybe my thighs, as well. Do you swim? Am I right in thinking that it’s going to kick my jiggles into shape if I keep at it?