Lunch Dates make me happy!

Normally, my weeks are very mundane and routine. Aside from the couple of days I go to the gym, they are filled with trips to the grocery store, laundry, cleaning, cooking, catering to the pups, and of course, regularly scheduled facebook breaks... nothing terribly exciting. However, that has not been the case lately, because I had 4 lunch dates this month! :)

My first lunch date was the first Tuesday of the month. It was with a very special lady, Stefanie, my Instructional Adviser from SC. I don't believe I've ever mentioned Stef on the blog before, so let me just say, she was a Godsend! I honestly don't believe I would have made it through my year at SC, had it not been for her support. Not only was Stefanie my IA, but she was also the L.E.A.D. teacher, and as result, has a planning week every 3 weeks. Since my "retirement", I would sometimes go visit her for lunch during her planning weeks. Recently, I found out that Stefanie was going to be a regular classroom teacher again. I was so happy for her, because I knew this was something that she wanted, but true to form, my first thought was how was it going to effect me!...no more lunch dates! (Well, that's not entirely true. I could brave having lunch with her in the cafeteria! *insert sinister music*) So, I suggested that we get together during the summer, while we still have a chance! We had such a wonderful time together, and she made me promise that we wouldn't let the whole summer pass us by without seeing each other again. I hope to make another date very soon, and I may even try to have lunch with her some, once school starts...we will see!

My second lunch date was the following Thursday. It was with David's cousin, a.k.a MY Sissy! I hadn't seen her since Christmas, and I miss her so much since she moved and left me here! I was so excited when she said she was going to be in town and asked if I'd like to meet her for lunch. Originally, I thought I'd have to sandwich our visit between going to the gym and an appointment at Ulta. That was before I realized that the boys also had an appointment at the groomer that day! I thought I'd drop the boys off, go to the gym, have lunch with her, go to Ulta, and pick the boys up from the groomer. Instead, the boys were ready to be picked up earlier than expected, so I went straight from the gym to pick them up, and cancelled my appointment at Ulta. I apologized for having to change plans, resulting in a very late lunch, but Sissy assured me it was fine. We decided to have lunch at Cocina, and since it was a late lunch we waited and ordered some drinks for Happy Hour. *Pomegranate Margarita+El Chango = tipsy Jamie* Afterwards, we walked around the mall to sober up, and winded up staying and having dinner with her friend at Brio. I was pretty exhausted after such a busy day! I had the BEST time with Sissy, but it made me miss her SO much.

My third lunch date was Tuesday, June 14, with my daddy. He had an appointment here, so we made plans to meet up and have lunch afterwards. I went to the gym, then came home and waited patiently for him to call and let me know his appointment was over. I few hours later, he finally called! I was starving and ready to see him. We had a great lunch and I caught him up on all the "fascinating" things going on in my life. Before I knew it, it was time for him to leave. It was a brief visit, but I really enjoyed spending some one-on-one time with him, which we very rarely get to do.

My fourth and final lunch date was Thursday, the 16th. It was with none other than my wonderful husband. Wednesday, he surprised me by telling me that he was taking Thursday and Friday off! I was so excited because I have been missing him terribly! Thursday he asked me if I wanted us to go to lunch together, and of course, I jumped at the chance! I can't remember the last time we had lunch out together, and it was SO nice! I, as always, enjoyed every moment that I was able to spend with him!

There you have it! I've been quite the popular gal lately! In all seriousness though, it has been so wonderful being able to spend time with all of these special people, who mean so much to me. It is just another reminder of how unbelievably blessed I am!

Pool party...I mean workout today

Today, Sarah decided to have our class in the pool. I was so excited. The water sounded so refreshing, especially in this outrageous, summer heat. I think it's safe to say that it was a lot more challenging than any of us expected...especially me! Let's just say, swimming is not my forte. At the end of class, one of the guys congratulated me on coming in last place! :( Sarah said that we'll be doing our Tuesday class in the pool for the rest of the summer. I think it will be nice to change things up a little bit, and who knows, maybe I'll become a decent swimmer before summer is over!

Plans for the rest of the day?... Nap time!

I know I'm skinny, but I don't have an eating disorder! :)

This post is what I wrote to a FRIEND :) when they expressed concern about my health, and for everyone else who has thought it or worried about it. For those of you who are genuinely worried about me because you care, thank you!

I really, genuinely appreciate your concern. You're not the first person to express concern, and I'm pretty certain you won't be the last. I wish I had words to ease people's minds, but I'm sure there are plenty of girls who actually have a problem that know the right things to say. I am skinny. I am an extremely small person. I have abnormally small bone structure, and my weight goes to my hip, thighs, butt, but not my upper body. I myself, was concerned when I first started trying to maintain and was continuing to lose weight, to a point where I was scared it was unhealthy. I talked to my husband, who is a nurse, and he suggested I up my calories to 1600 ( I was at 1400 which mfp had recommended for maintenance), and since then my weight has stabilized. I'm not sure if from your perspective, I seem obsessive, since I log in every day. That is my way to keep up with things. There are plenty of days where I go over my calories, but I just like to know. I don't want to yo-yo, and I don't want to gradually keep putting on weight. When my sister said she thought I was too thin, I asked her why people say that. I've always been small, even at my heaviest, but sometimes I get "too thin" and I really wanted to understand why. Everything she said, I can agree with. I can honestly say that I probably would look more aesthetically pleasing to the eye if I had about 5 more lbs on me, but the trade-off for people thinking I look good isn't enough for me to want to change how I feel. I've been this skinny before, even skinnier. The only difference is that I'm actually healthy now. I'm eating good food and I'm exercising, and I feel so good.This comes at such a weird time, because just last night, my father-in-law called my husband to say that he was concerned I have an eating disorder. He wants me to have blood work done next time we visit, at his clinic (he's a physician). As humiliating as it is, I'm going to have the blood work done, and hopefully put everyone's fears to rest. My husband says the test is pretty definitive, so it will be hard to argue with the results, from a scientific standpoint.I asked my husband what he thought about all of this. He said he didn't think there was a formula that was right for everyone. Yes, I'm skinny, but I am healthy. I just happen to be skinnier than most people when I'm healthy. He said he could see how people might think I'm too skinny. They don't see me with my clothes off. They don't know that you can't see my ribs. They haven't taken calipers and pinched my skin. I KNOW I don't want to lose any more weight. My fitness instructor is trying to sell these supplements. I've already tried some of them to help me build more muscle. Now she's trying to get me to try more products. She was talking to me about the cleanse, and how much weight other people have lost doing it. She said I wouldn't lose that much, but I'd probably lose 5 lbs. I thought she must be crazy, because I clearly don't have 5 lbs to lose! When I told my mom about it, she was furious!!

Anywho, I feel like I've unloaded a bunch of stuff on you, and I'm sorry. Like I said, with everything else that's been said about it, it's just a really weird time. It's upsetting and frustrating to be trying to do good for myself and be healthy, and have so many people speculate that it's an eating disorder. But I am thankful that I have people in my life (including you), who care enough to worry, and who are concerned enough to actually say something to me, as painful as it is for me. So thank you. I hope that I've have put your mind at ease a little. I'm not sure when we're going to visit. I'm ready to go and get this over with, so maybe I can put this behind me. But I will let you know once we've had the test and get the results.

Take care

Photographic proof that I've been this skinny before! ;)

Oh my gosh!

I just want to cry and scream! I am so frustrated, right now! People, MYOB...puh-lease! K, Thanks.

Today's Inspiration!

I think this little guy's words of wisdom could be applied to many areas of life!

I think we should all be so proud of ourselves when we achieve our goals!

My pre-workout breakfast this morning! An egg and cheese omelet, wrapped in a low-carb whole wheat tortilla. ( I was too lazy to chop peppers this morning) Thanks, Allison, for the idea!

So excited that Sarah is now offering a Thursday Cardio Challenge class, in addition to the one on Tuesdays. Now I'll be able to get at least two really great workouts in every week! :)

Sarah told us to bring our swimsuits on Tuesday, because we might do some stuff in the pool! That sounds heavenly, so I am so excited!

One of the guys in the class had a device the tells you your body fat percentage. I used it and it said mine was 18.6%...WHAT?!

Looking forward to SYTYCD tonight! That is all. Happy Thursday everyone!