The Day the Dress Didn’t Fit

I’ve talked quite a bit about my weight-loss goals here on the blog, and as you may recall, the kick-in-the-ass that I desperately needed came in the form of bridesmaid dresses.

For some crazy reason, I keep ordering dresses that don’t fit me, vowing to lose weight to fit into them.  My sister has suggested this is a fabulous way to keep me on track – as long as I have a wedding to be in about every 6 months, I should drop 100 lbs. before you know it!! (ha-ha, yeah right)

First, I ordered a dress for my friend Lindsay’s wedding that was too small.  I had 9 months to work on losing weight to fit into it.  It wouldn’t be easy – losing weight never is – but it was very, realistically, doable.

Then – THEN! – I ordered an even smaller dress for Luke & Amanda’s wedding.  And I only had a month-and-a-half to figure that one out. 

Plus, Christmas was thrown into the middle of it.

No idea what I was thinking.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Two weeks ago, I was scheduled to go try on my dress for Luke & Amanda’s wedding.  And that day, I think I actually had a panic attack over it.  In my head, I was imagining this little Oriental woman who runs the store shrieking at me, “Oh nooo!  It no fit!  You say it ft!!!  You say you lose weight!!!!!  You bad, bad person!!!”

In my imagination, she turned into a very fiery, angry little dragon who told me she could not fix my dress, that I was too big, and that I should have never ordered such a small size.

And then I couldn’t breathe.  For real.

Thank God for those deep Yoga breaths Amanda has been teaching me.

I just had a gut feeling.  I knew that dress wasn’t going to fit.  Maybe if I’d been a little more careful over the holidays, maybe if I’d been more faithful in eating my fat-burning soup, maybe if I’d gone for a walk now and then instead of staying plunked in front of the TV so much…

So it was no damn surprise when I slipped on the dress, tugged a little at the zipper, and realized there was no way in hell it was ever going to zip up.

The pleasant part?  That little fiery dragon that had come to life in my mind was actually a total sweetheart.

I came out of that dressing room with fear in my eyes, and I said, “It doesn’t fit.  I can’t zip it up.”

She turned me around, assessed the damage, and then started crying, “It’s okay!  I fix it!  No problem, no problem!  It’s okay!”

And the little magic-worker didn’t let me down.  I have no idea how much she had to let that dress out, but when I went to try it on Monday, it fit.

Zipped up like a charm.

But the weight-loss project is not over – I hope to continue to lose weight until I reach my goal (still about 30 lbs. away from it) – and if I happened to lose some more of those pounds and inches in the weeks to come, I’ll only be more comfortable in my dress on Luke & Amanda’s big day.

I still have hopes that by the time Lindsay & Ryan’s wedding rolls around, they’ll need to take my dress in.

That would be a first for me.

That’s the new goal.

WWTKW: Easing back into it.

I’m still here.

As some of you know, the past week or so has been an absolute rollercoaster for my family.  My dad’s health and survival has been our main focus; our main concern.  Between sitting around a hospital waiting for news, and sitting around home worrying, you tend to forget about the outside world.  We were living in our own terrible little bubble.   I’ve heard the words “one day at a time” more often than I can count.

But yesterday, with Dad stable in ICU, I returned to work – as I told my boss Sue, when she asked if I was sure I was ready, “Well I can’t take the rest of my life off!” - and then I started thinking about the blog again.  Not that I ever really forgot about it; I just wasn’t in the right frame of my mind to even think about posting.  I’m still not sure I am.  This feeling of being in limbo is grating on the nerves; I feel on edge and uneasy all the time.

But life goes on.  So today, I’m going to attempt to ease back into it with one of my ol’ favourite linky parties – We Want to Know Wednesday, hosted by Mamarazzi, Crazymama, and Queso.

Here are this week’s questions:

{1} Which of the following phrases characterizes how you live your life?
    a. You only live once
    b. test the water before jumping in 
    c. stability is the key to life
{2} What were you doing the last time you had a really good laugh?
{3} Who is the last person you hugged?
{4} What song always makes you happy when you hear it?
{5} What's the first thing you thought about this morning?

My answers:

{1} Which of the following phrases characterizes how you live your life?
    a. You only live once
    b. test the water before jumping in 
    c. stability is the key to life

While I’d like to think I’m a., I think I’m more a combination of b. & c.  I like to test the waters before jumping in, and I like stability.  I’m the “I HATE CHANGE” girl.  That being said, I think if an opportunity presents itself, one should take it.  Regrets are a terrible thing to have to live with.  Last year at this time, I was in Cuba, and it was a trip I really couldn’t afford, but after losing two cousins the summer before, the “you only live once” mantra was in play, big time.

{2} What were you doing the last time you had a really good laugh?  This takes me back to Sunday evening, when my sister, her husband, and their kids were at my mom’s for dinner.  My 3-year-old niece Danica decided to “put on a show” for us, and made us all squish on to the couch together while she told us some story about a little brother going into the bush and finding some bears, and then “they kicked him out!”   We were laughing so hard at her silly little story, and she was giggling uncontrollably - the next thing you knew, she’d peed her pants…and that only made us laugh harder!  Thank God for kids to keep smiles on our faces!

{3} Who is the last person you hugged?  Well…last week was a huggy kind of week.  But honestly, I think the last person I hugged was my cousin Heather.

{4} What song always makes you happy when you hear it?  That’s almost too hard to pick…over the holidays, it was Bieber’s “Mistletoe”.  In general, I’d have to say “Jesse’s Girl” by Rick Springfield.  And I also just start beaming when I hear the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow”.  That’s my jam right there!

{5} What's the first thing you thought about this morning?  How nice it was to beat the Leafs last night!

Well, there.  I did it.  That wasn’t so hard after all. ;)

Many thanks to all who sent emails, Facebook messages, phoned, and visited last week.  The support of family and friends at such a difficult time truly makes these days a little easier to get through! xoxo

TAG!!!

Last week, while I was on a self-imposed I’m-on-holidays-so-I’m-ignoring-the-blog break, I DID get a little note from Lena at Mom2MemphisAndRuby to let me know she was playing a game of Tag, and I was IT!!

I just can’t turn down a good game of tag. ;)

1. Post these rules.

2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.

4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

5. Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.

6. No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this."  Legitimately tag 11 people!!

Random Stuff About Me

1. I don’t even think about cookies when they’re stored in the freezer in the basement.  But where they’re upstairs, in the cookie jar?  I can’t seem to think about anything.else.
2. I have recently become a BIG fan of Tetley Rooibos Vanilla tea.
3. I still sleep with a giant stuffed dog that I got for Christmas at least 10 years ago.  His name is Zwillian.
4. I print off recipes that I find on-line, take them home, file them away, and hardly ever make any of them.
5. I always say Spaghetti is my favourite food, but the truth is, I would never order it in a restaurant because it always pales in comparison to Mom’s.  So, MOM’S Spaghetti is my favourite food.  And she would tell you she does nothing special.  Go figure.
6. I thought Twilight, The Hunger Games, and The Vampire Diaries were all hooey, and would’ve told anyone in the world that I would never, ever like them.   And now I love them all.
7. Can’t say the same for Harry Potter, though.  That’s one bandwagon I just could never get on, no matter how hard I tried.
8. I lost my favourite ring two weeks before Christmas, but somehow had this feeling that it wasn’t lost forever. I didn’t even really worry about it; I just knew it would turn up.  You should’ve seen the “I knew it”  smile on my face when I slipped my hand into the pocket of my old grey hoodie one evening last week and pulled it out.  I have no idea how it got there.
9. I voted 150 times for Ottawa Senators players to make it to the NHL All-Star game this year.  30 times per email address, 5 email addresses.  I’m sure some people voted more than me, but I felt pretty dedicated.  We’ll find out today if our hard work paid off!
10. I’m currently obsessed with Scentsy.
11. I’ve spent more money in the past year on nail polish than I ever have before in my life.

Questions From Lena

1. What was your favorite holiday memory this year?  As it is almost every year, The Coconut Song on Christmas Eve at Patti & Randy’s.   Followed closely by Silent Night at church played by Rolly and Jared on guitar, and Christmas morning hearing my nephew whisper, “There are some HUGE presents!” when he first saw what Santa had left beneath the tree.

2. If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be & why?  I think it would’ve been really cool to meet Elvis.  He’s my parents’ favourite singer, and we heard a lot of him growing up.  I didn’t develop a true appreciation for him until my late teens, but since then, I’ve read up enough to think it would’ve been really fun (maybe a little scary?) to sit and have a conversation with The King.  (After seeing him perform live, of course.)

3. What's your favorite fast food/ take-out order?  When it comes to fast food, I’m a Mickey D’s girl.  Love me my Big Mac.

4. What is your worst habit?  Picking my lips.  It’s been a nervous habit since I was a kid, and most of the time, I don’t even realize I’m doing it.

5. What is your least favorite household chore?  Unloading the dishwasher.  If I can, I leave it full of clean dishes for days…

6. What is the last thing you bought for yourself?  The Vampire Diaries Season 2 on DVD.

7. If you could change your name... what would it be?  I used to think I wanted to be called Allison.  But now I don’t think I’d change it.  I don’t know too many Jillians.  I love my name!

8. Have you ever had any supernatural encounters?  No, I don’t think so - aside from a few little “signs” from family members that have passed on, and an amazing psychic reading.  But as I mentioned yesterday, I would love to encounter a vampire…a nice one, like Stefan or Edward. :)

9. What is the ONE blog you MUST read every day?  She doesn’t post every day, but I never, ever skip over anything from MODG.  Guaranteed to be entertained.  Check her out.

10. Share your favorite joke!  Oh geez, I can’t remember jokes very well!  I laugh at something, and then I forget!  And I’m terrible for trying to tell a joke and then forgetting the punchline.

11. Best advice you've given or received about blogging is... I don’t think I’m really in a position to share advice since, after six years, I really don’t feel like I know the ropes when it comes to blogging.  But the best advice I’ve received was to write about what I want and not try to copy anyone else’s style.

My Questions For You

1. What is your one promise to yourself, or resolution for 2012?
2. If you could be anybody in the world – celebrity, rock star, author, ANYONE – who would you be?
3. What is your favourite recipe to make?  (Please share how to make it, or link it up if it’s somewhere on the Internet!)
4. Do you have a sport that you love to watch?  If so, what is it and what’s your favourite team?
5. If you could have the ability to expertly play any instrument in the world, what would you choose to play?
6. Why did you start blogging?
7. If you knew you could only have one last meal, what would you choose to eat?  Your last supper, so to speak?
8. Who is your hero, and why?
9. If you could bring back any old TV show that no longer airs, which one would you bring back?
10. You’re a superhero.  What’s your power?
11. Team Edward, Team Jacob, or screw that silly vampire crap?

The 11 People I've Tagged

1. Jodie at Ramblings of a Fabulous Brunette
2. Vandy J at The Testosterone Three And Me
3. Nicole at Life’s A Beach
4. Nay at Cover to Cover…And Everything In Between
5. Beth at Living a Goddess Life
6. Nathan at Life & Everything Else In Between
7. Lindsay at A Small Town Kind of Life
8. Shannon at Shannon’s Blog
9. Stacy at Blogging with Stacy
10. Stacie at Park Avenue
11. Sharon at Sharon’s 101 List

TAG!!  YOU’RE IT!! :)

2012: Let’s Make It Happen.

I’m not really one for resolutions.  I kind of make the same one every year.

“Lose weight.”

How boring.  And predictable.  And typical.

And never-ending.

So frig the resolutions, you guys already know that I’m in the midst of that battle.

But.  BUT!

There are things I’d like to see happen in 2012.  It’s a new year, and it’s fun to look ahead and think, I’d like to see that happen in 2012.

So, like my Christmas Wish List, things might get a little crazy here.  Okay, maybe really crazy.

But just go with it.  Use your imaginations.

1.  I’m fresh off seeing the flick New Year’s Eve, so this one is the first that comes to mind.  But Ashton Kutcher needs to cut his damn hair and get rid of the beard, if he hasn’t already.

That’s enough looking like a scruffy bum, Ashton.  Back to your sexy self, please.

2.  I’m dreaming of new wheels.  My car is old.  It’s a 1997 Rav 4 that looks  a lot like this:

And you know what?  It has served me well.  I bought it second-hand from my aunt & uncle in 2004, and for the past 8 years, it has been almost trouble-free.  I will probably never own another vehicle that treats me as well as this one has.

That being said…It’s time.  My goal for the next few months is to whittle away the bit of debt I have left and use my line of credit as a down payment on a new car.  Hopefully in the Spring/Summer.

3.  As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been spending a lot of time with the Salvatore Brothers.  And 2011 was a big year for Edward Cullen and I.  I also spent some time with the True Blood vamps. 

So in 2012, I want to meet a vampire.  I’m starting to think they might really be out there.

4.  Sure.  While we’re at it, throw in a couple of werewolves too.

(I have no idea who Alcide is, but I’m figuring I’ll probably run into him somewhere along the way.)

5.  In 2012, I need to move out of the Dark Ages and get a PVR.  I mean, this is  ridiculous.  I used to have to go to my mom’s to set the VCR if I was going to miss a show, and now her TV in the basement isn’t working, so I don’t even have ancient recording capabilities anymore.

I had a little meltdown about this on the weekend, when my mom was pressing me as to why I’d want to waste money on a PVR.  My meltdown went something like this:  “BECAUSE, Mom!  If I have something on in the evenings and I have to miss a show, then I NEVER GET TO SEE IT!!!  Unless I watch it on the Internet, but that’s hard too because I don’t have Internet at my house!!  Bad enough that I used to have to run around finding a VCR, and now I don’t even have THAT!! AGHHHHH!!!”

My meltdown was met with unsympathetic rolls of the eyes.  Yeah, I know.  First-World Problems, right.

But I need a PVR in 2012.

6.  I’m thinking it would be great if I could somehow lure Chris Neil away from his wife & children in 2012 so that he could finally be my real boyfriend instead of my pretend boyfriend.

I’M JUST KIDDING MOM!!!! 

7.  This year, I’d like to finally find out who these people are and why the hell they’re famous.

Seriously.  What did the Kardashians do to become so flippin’ famous?!

I just don’t get it.

8.  2012 is the year when I’m finally going to write something. 

Other than a blog post.

I just need to be struck by that one great storyline.  The one that’s going to transform me into a real-life writer.

Something that hasn’t already been done.

It’s more difficult than it sounds.

But I think I can make it happen.

9.  In 2012, I want to somehow become Suzy Homemaker.  I want to learn how to knit and crochet and sew and quilt.  I want to try out new and adventurous recipes.   I want to learn to bake and decorate cakes.  I want to be more crafty.

Might be reaching here.  But yeah.  I want to try.

10.  And…and…I wanna lose another 50 lbs.

But what else is new?

It’s 2012…Really?!

Whoa.

Where did my holidays go?!?

For reals, people.  That felt like the quickest week off in the history of the WORLD.

So what was I up to, you ask?

Well.  I ate some food.  Okay, maybe a lot of food.  Blew the diet right to shit.  And tomorrow I go to see if my dress for Luke & Amanda’s wedding fits.  HA!  Wish me luck on that one.  I’m gonna need it.

I sang The Coconut Song on Christmas Eve with the family.  And as usual, we were awesome.  Don’t believe me?  Check it:

I call this “The Year of the Solo”.

We opened presents. 

And Santa was good to all of us.  I didn’t get everything on my Wish List (I know, I was shocked too) but I did score a new blender (which will be handy to make myself diety shakes for the next month while I’m no longer actually allowed to eat food), a tea pot, my boots, a few of my book club selections for the upcoming year, The Big Bang Theory Season 2 on DVD, and a Scentsy warmer which I absolutely love.  PLUS all the stocking goodies, which included nail polish, socks, tea, a new scarf, and many other goodies.

Truly, I am blessed.

I baby-sat my niece and nephew, and they helped me cross off an item on my 101 List - “Make a gingerbread house with Caden & Danica”.

I’m not sure it was actually edible afterwards.  It kind of got licked.  Like,  a lot.  But they had fun.  And they didn’t even seem to care when I gave up trying to fix it after the roof caved in for the 10th time.

I went shopping.  I bought myself some new duds, and I also picked up Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries on DVD.  I’ve been spending a lot of time with Damon & Stefan…

I ALSO bought the movie Crazy Stupid Love and totally re-fell-in-love with Ryan Gosling.

Holy mother of pearl.

I rang in 2012 with a great group of friends at Krista & Kyle’s New Year’s Eve wedding, and it was a BLAST!!

Kinda wish they’d get married every New Year’s Eve…

I hosted two dinners at my place over the holidays – one was on Boxing Day (finally got my turkey!), and one was my sister’s birthday dinner on New Year’s Day.

I’m sure I’m missing stuff, too.  But that’s what happens when you a take a week-long bloggy break.  It all becomes a blur.

And then…just like that…the week off was over.  I took down my Christmas tree yesterday.  Saddest day ever.  And back to work today.

I miss being able to sleep in and do whatever I want.  I miss Justin Bieber singing “Mistletoe”.  I miss my tree.

And there was so much I wanted to do that didn’t happen.  I wanted to make a 100o-piece puzzle (it was on my 101 List, too), but it still sits in the box.  I wanted to go see the movie New Year’s Eve – actually BEFORE New Year’s Eve – but that didn’t happen either because of snow.  (Going to see it tonight, though.)  I wanted to build a snowman.  I wanted to eat at my friend Stacy’s sister-in-law’s restaurant.  I wanted to go for walks in the snow, and read more books, and watch more movies.

*sigh*

It’s all over.  Not enough time to do it all.

That being said…

It was a pretty awesome Christmas.  Wonderful memories.

Welcome, 2012.

***

Linking up today for Talk To Us Tuesday with Impulsive Addict and Shawn!  My apologies for being such a bad blogger – I haven’t been around to visit anyone much in the past few weeks.  I promise to be better in the days to come!! :)