Interviewing

Okay, so I am finally interviewing for positions that I would like to have. Hopefully within the next couple of weeks I will join the ranks of the employed. I have a feeling it is going to be hard getting back into the swing of things.

Babysitting hell!

First let me say that I am more impressed every day with people who have all these great ideas for home and family that they blog about on a daily basis. I will admit that I am a little selfish and my blog is purely for my own purposes. I find it theraputic to put all of my "stuff" out there.

Unemployment has certainly had it's benefits over the last 10 months. I have traveled to Europe, spent lazy summer days at the swimming pool, and am now enjoying non stop coverage of NCAA March Madness but there is an unexpected ugly side. I feel compelled to take every little babysitting job that presents itself. These have generally been my for my siblings and even one former co-worker and have usually ran smoothly. Now I have myself in a real mess. I am watching a 2 year old terror!!! The worst part is I feel like a complete jerk for writing that this kid is evil. AAAAAGH!!!

Frustration!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! I realize this means little to you dear reader but this is my third attempt at leaving this post. First time out I wrote a very witty post about bootcamp and old age (trust me it was excellent) and it was deleted without warning by my overactive fingers on this laptop keyboard.

So here goes again...I love bootcamp. My body not so much but intellectually I know it is a good thing. I have already lost 5 pounds and more importantly I feel really good about myself. I have learned that at 33 years of age I can no longer do the crab walk. I thought my upper body strength was above average but just kidding!

Boot Camp

Okay, I gave myself my birthday present today. I know it is a few days early but I was afraid if I didn't act today I might chicken out. I signed up for my gym's 6 week boot camp. Scary!!!! The trainers that are running it said that I will be puking and crying at the end of every session. Awesome! They begin Feb. 13th so I will keep you updated. My weight loss goal for this boot camp is 20lbs. We will see.

In other news I have had the opportunity this month of watching my nephews Russell and Griffen and they have both been so much fun. Griffen is 8 months old and an adorable little guy. Russell is 7 and in first grade. He is getting to be a great reader and enjoys reading books with me. A boy after my own heart.

Groundhog Day is a comin!

My birthday is exactly one week away. I am pretty sure that by the time you are my age you are not suppose to look forward to your birthday but every year I do. I LOVE my birthday and the reasons are not clear. I have a picture in my head of the perfect birthday and believe it or not that perfection has yet to be achieved. That is mostly my own fault because the expectations are way too high. Every year is a major disappointment but this year I vow to make it different. I am throwing myself a birthday party this year and doing exactly what I want. I am in control of my own destiny! Happy Birthday to me!!!

The weight loss journey has been rough. I have been going through some serious medical issues so the motivation to be healthy has just not been there. It was finally determined that I do not have cancer so it is time to stop feeling sorry for myself and literally get off the sofa. I realized with in the last week that if I did have cancer I had not done anything over the last 32 years to prevent it. Never again! It is time to start realizing that every decision that I make effects my life in the long term. Last week I joined a gym and met with a trainer! Scary!!! We came up with a plan and now I have someone who is in my corner rooting for me. Mike (the trainer) wants me to succeed and most importantly he knows I can. My whole body hurts and I feel like an old lady but I am confident that good things are going to happen.

FYI, I am still unemployed and while it has been nice to be able to do the things that I would like to when I want to I am ready to get back to work. I am in the healthiest emotional state that I have ever been in and I am ready to move forward with my life.

"The Biggest Loser"

No, It's not weigh in day yet but I did have a few things to say...First off, I actually do lead a really happy life. Last post was kind of depressing. In this photo I am enjoying a baseball game with my adorable niece Sophia. I have made a few changes over the last 5 days or so, the biggest being that I no longer allow myself to eat after 9pm at night. Also, I finally got the courage to dig my gym membership out of the file and found that I am a member until January 26, 2010. That is a good 4 months to get myself jump started. I am gonna do this thing.

NBC's 8th season of "The Biggest Loser" starts tonight. I am gonna try and play along with them so in actuality it is weigh in day for me. I will weigh in tonight and post the results tomorrow. Scary. It's a whole new beginning.

The New Me

Okay, I keep telling myself that I am going to get my act together and get in shape. I know I have let myself go and quite frankly it has gotten worse since I have been unemployed. Here it goes, I am throwing it out there. I am going to lose weight and you my friends, who may only exist in my head, are going to hold me accountable.

Today, September 10, 2009 is truly the first day of the life that I want. If I were braver I would post my weight but how bout we work up to that shall we. Let's just say my goal weight is 145 lbs and it is going to be some time until I reach that.

This photo that I am using as my "before" was taken in a very solem home in The Netherlands . That hole in the wall was cut out to show where several jews were hidden from the Nazi's. It was an experience I will never forget but judging by the look on my face you would think that the visit was a lot more personal than it actually was. Truth is, I was and am very unhappy. That is about to change. I, Lucinda I Grames, am taking control of my life. I am going to hold myself responsible for the level of happiness that I allow in.

So, cut to the chase Grames. I will report back every Thursday evening with a log of my workout adventures as well as pounds and inches lost. Let's hope this experiment turns into a change of my entire life and not just my physical body.