If it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all

This weekend has sucked. I mean, it's been bad. It had it's good moments, but overall. Geez. Ok, so friday we go hang out with "the boys" at their house, it was fun.. met some new friends, and had a great time. However, what came of that, was that my badge was stolen. Not lost. Stolen. Geez. So I have to call tomorrow morning and get it deactivated. Along with it went my room key. So, that was bad. Very very bad. THEN... saturday night we had "the boys", nicknamed Dandrew (darren and andrew), over to see "Knowing" (AWESOME movie... till the last 20 minutes, then you want your money back). People are banging on the door across the hall from me, then they come and bang on MY door, asking for a phone, asking if the people that live in that apartment are there, etc. Are you kidding? There's a woman there who is shady beyond all shady, and is for sure under the influence of something other than coffee. Earlier on Saturday, Beth was coming up the stairs, and was stopped by a guy from that apartment, and was told she needed to go audition to be a stripper. For real. Then the same creepy man followed Ashley and I up to my apartment and just watched us go in. SOOOOOO.. back to Saturday night. That same man bangs on my door (Andrew keeps answering, thank goodness), and asked if he could borrow one of our cell phones. Andrew politely says no. The man says the guy who lives there owes the strip club money and needed to pay up. There is a large group of men hanging out down the stairs of my apartment, all of whom had cell phones out. This just keeps escalating. Finally, Andrew looks at me and says "Pack your bags, you're staying at our place." So Ashley and I get shoes on, I pack a toothbrush and lucy, and we walk downstairs, where we see 6 Houston PD cars strewn across the road, and there is a FOOT PURSUIT going on.. a cop runs by us with his hand on his gun. Great. We high tail it to the truck, jump in, and take off. Ashley is scared. I'm just really really mad. I felt like going up to that group of men and being like "Take it somewhere else! I wanna go to bed!!" So we stayed the night at Dandrew's and I've been exhausted ever since. Gah. Baaaaad weekend. Lord, please let me have a good week, and not have a nervous breakdown. I'm not handling stress very well, am I?
P.S. As of today, i've lost 30 lbs. :)

Well, I'm back. I'm doing better with food, and I'm feeling good about life in general. My next big step is to not eat out. I am limiting myself to eating out only twice a week. That includes soda stops. It's going to be really difficult, but it's the next and smartest stop. Some days, I'm amazed at how little, and how healthy, I eat. Then there are days where I am pissed at myself for consuming too many calories.
I am sooo ready for school to start next tuesday, and get this show on the road. I have a full class, 8 students, all of whom are VERY different from the others. I am so much more prepared, and know exactly what I'm doing and what I want to see happen in class. Should be a great year. I really lost my mojo for writing, so, till then.....

Mandy

The Slightly Tragic Day-to-Day

Ah, my first blog. Will I use it? Only time will tell, but I will try. I would like to take a moment and thank Tara, whose blog was the inspiration for the creation of this one.

Well, as many of you know, I had lap-band bariatric surgery on July 1st, 2009. I did it for many reasons, and I thought I would explain some. For most of my life, I have seen myself as pretty, and my weight rarely held me back. I would choose to "power-through" situations that would be more comfortable if I was smaller. That was until my senior year of college. After my grandfather died, and my boyfriend ended things with me, I fell into a pretty serious depression. My eating disorder (it's only now I can actually say that with confidence that it was, actually, a disorder) from my childhood came back. With a vengence. Food became my closest friend. I would eat so much, that I would become sick, and have to purge. It was one of the darkest years of my life. I never thought I would be able to talk about it, because I was in such denial about my addiction to food. I'm only writing about it now, because I can see it for what it is, and because I want to help other people who have this problem.

When addicts are confronted with their addiction, they usually are in serious denial, and only really realize the problem in "detox". It wasn't until the last few weeks, post-op, that I realized how much my life is based upon food. My days were filled with planning my next meal, and then I would inhale it so fast, I barely even tasted it.

So, how am I doing now? Well, I'll be honest. Each day is much more of a mental struggle than a physical one. Although when I get hungry, I am REALLY hungry, and when I'm not I am REALLY full. But it still takes alot of concentration on my part to think on things that are NOT food related. Some days I get depressed. Each day that I finish without eating bad foods, and without obsessing over what I can't eat, is a huge accomplishment. I've lost a little over 20 lbs, and I have hit a platau... I have been at the same weight for 4 days, which is difficult on me mentally. I'm anxious to get a "fill", or have my band tightened on August 5th. It's a difficult climb, but I'm looking forward to overcoming this part of my life. Thanks to all of you for your support.

On to another topic. I am trying a new church. I love First Baptist Friendswood, but the fellowship is difficult.. I don't really fit in the college class very well. I'm older, and I have a career. But I'm not married, so I'm in between classes. So I've been trying Sagemont. I haven't been to a class, but I went to the Awaken service, and it was awesome. I'll be going back in two weeks.

And on the last note... it's almost MY BIRTHDAY! I'm so excited that I have plans, since my plans last year, were to watch Newsies with my just-met friend Aubyn and her husband. Nuts.
The Birthday Plan
* Friday- Spa with Tara and Beth, Dinner with Tulsa friends, and then the Wild Horse Saloon.
* Saturday- Dog Park with Lexi, Lucy, Tara, Beth and I. Then dinner with the family, and WICKED with Beth!!
* Sunday- Birthday with the family, including Grandma
* Thursday- Actual Birthday- Beth, Ashley and I. My balcony. Sparkling Wine, Clove.
* Friday- Howl at the Moon with the Houston group!!
*Saturday- Recoop. I'm thinking a Mani/Pedi.

Well, that's it for my first blog. Not too bad.