Dear Reader:

OK, first the good moments from my day (there really weren't any real bad moments, so these are the extra-special):

1) I did get to yoga class this morning.   Oh, it felt good.  And, everyone else always cries a little bit during the last relaxation poses, right?  Oh, that's just me.  OK.  :)

2) In said yoga class, I was able to actually achieve the bow position.  Now, I'm fairly sure that it looked ALL KINDS OF AWKWARD, but I did it.  My hands, against all odds, reached back behind me and grabbed my ankles.   When the instructor told us to rock back and forth in that position, I just laughed and thought - honey, it's a Christmas miracle that my fingertips are touching those ankles.  Baby steps.   This is, by the way, a pose that I could do prior to pregnancy, and obviously did not do during pregnancy (yes, I did yoga up through the 7th month), and COULD NOT do for the past five years.  

3) Two people said I looked "hot" today.  

4) A lovely person/friend that I don't know as well as I'd like gave me a book that she said made her think of me, along with the nicest little note.   Here it is:

And, I opened it up to browse and it opened to a page with the following words:

"I look forward to moving deliberately toward a healthier place; a place where I can confidently look available love straight in the eye and feel worthy of its offer.  I want to have the courage to talk and invite it in.  Or at the very least, when it asks, give it my phone number."  

5)  I have now lost 22 lbs. in total, so I was down by .6 lbs from the last time I weighed.   (Although this is good news, I am feeling very impatient to get past this plateau - that one pound has taken two weeks to take off.   I don't want to go too low on the calorie count - Mayo Clinic says that 1600 is a good bet for me, but definitely no lower than 1200.  I don't want to feel hungry.   Seriously.  I'm continuing to ponder the best, most logical course of action here to get me jumpstarted again...)

6) I received a phone call from my Dad's best friend.   He is traveling through southwest VA in February and wants to stop and have coffee with me.   I haven't talked with him since my Dad's funeral 5 years ago, and I'm thrilled that I will get to chat with him.   For me, the experience of losing a parent (especially after a long and painful illness - with a fair amount of suffering) has left me feeling like I wish I could have known my dad better while he was with me in life and health.   I always, always knew that he loved me and, really, thought I was the best thing before and since sliced bread (I think he was bemused to have his only girl a bit late in life - he was 44 when I was born) - so I thank him for that every day (along with a host of other things).   But, his emotional life was a closed book for me, as I'm sure it is for many children with fathers from that era.   I find myself, now, wanting to know more about him in his life outside of his relationship with me.  So, I have this feeling that spending time with his lifelong friend will allow some of his aliveness to come back to me.    Anyway,  I'm looking forward to it.

7)  I'm back into letter writing:

8) The moon tonight - no picture does it justice - SO BRIGHT/SO BEAUTIFUL:

But, here are the quotidian details:

Total calories consumed:  1626 (that includes that glass of wine!)
Total calories burned:  438 (60 minute yoga class and 30 minutes on the treadmill)

Breakfast:

Lunch:

Dinner:

Also, can we talk about the fact that my family went out for dinner, and I paid $14 in total (including tip) because of kids eat free.  Two free children's meals with every ONE ADULT (thank you - establishments who are looking out for single parents).    

All right.  I'm off to finish a letter and go to bed.   Sweet dreams, everyone.

Thanks for reading.