I am overwhelmed...

I am overwhelmed today.
Not by the holiday craziness, or the workload, or the challenge of maintaining my fitness, or trying to be all things to all people...

Today I am overwhelmed at the kindness of strangers.
I am overwhelmed with the comments of love and support that have come in today regarding yesterdays entry about the rough weekend with my father.

It is such a warm feeling to know that so many people, people whom I have not met, may never meet, would take the time to post such lovely and caring things.

Not to mention all of the amazing friends that I do have the honor to know in person ...
from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all.

I wasn't really sure how a post like yesterdays would be received, since I am usually much more colorful and light hearted.
But life isn't always lighthearted. Sometimes it gets heavy and isn't it amazing... when so many people step up and offer to help you carry the weight...
It suddenly doesn't seem unbearable.

I hope that in some tiny way, I might return the favor one day.

Several of you commented on having similar situations, losses and hurts.
My prayers for your peace are being sent out like crazy today - I hope you can feel them.

I am so thankful for the friendship. I am so thankful for the prayers.
...and I am so thankful  you all  received my message with such kindness.

We all tend to carry our burdens quietly inside and put on a brave face for the world, lest we bother anyone with our hurts.
The irony is - sharing some of the less than beautiful parts of our lives can bring comfort to others -simply by them knowing they are not the only ones who have experienced disappointment, pain, hurt or loss.

We are all broken in some way.
...and the beauty is in the imperfection.

Perfection is an illusion.

Like I always say - "The only normal, perfectly happy people in the world are the one's you don't know very well."


We all have a cross to bare in life. Everyone suffers from time to time.
but it's part of it... how else would we know the high of joy and love of we did not feel the deep pain of despair sometimes?
It's the yin and the yang, baby!

Again - thank you all, I am deeply touched by your caring and loving comments.

NOW... let's get back to talking about something REALLY important....
my THASS!!! :)

Your THASS!!!

Tracy's Thass!!! Oh, wait....Tracy doesn't have a Thass.
Which is exactly why I got up this morning and ROCKED out a workout.
It felt great to sweat and release some of the past few days.
It also felt great to release some of the sodium and yuckiness I was holding on to...

Bye bye Bloaty McBloaterson...

I am LOVING that in one day I can always recover now... sometimes I only need one day of clean to wipe away all traces of several days of a little extra.

That's some seriously GREAT news!!!
I have never felt such a peace about maintaining my weight before - ever.

It's not that I haven't maintained my weight before - it's just that usually if I completed some program or fitness plan I would feel really lean right afterwards and then start panicking about what to do next to maintain and wishing I had planned the end of the program better to coincide with whatever beach trip I might have coming up...
because I knew by the time it rolled around I wouldn't be as lean.

Well, guess what folks... I've got a beach trip coming up...two in fact...and even though one is right after Christmas (a time when I would usually crawl in a hole before I would consider a beach ANYTHING after the holidays) and a second trip in the summer - I KNOW I will feel just like I do now.
In control, healthy, fit, and ready to rock out a bathing suit!!!!!!

Now...don't get me wrong... there will still be a towel wrapped around my buttocks before I walk right in front of anyone and they get a big old face full of my wobbly parts...cause there is still work to be done!!!
BUT..BUTT...I'm hoping for the second trip - which is next summer - for that trip to be the first time in my life that I will be happy to "go get that for you" and sashay right in front of someone without praying the sun temporarily blinds them before they see my Cellulite Co-op.

So -how's this for a goal to shot for....
???????

The Trip...BORA BORA

The Time...late June 2011

The Goal....To feel good enough to walk around in a bathing suit...with or WITHOUT a cover up!!!
That was my ultimate fantasy, if you remember...to finally - for once in my entire life - feel comfortable in a bathing suit.

Oh, it's on Thass...it's sooooooo on!


Now - in my immediate future lies a trip to Cancun...just after Christmas.
I will gladly wear a swim suit...but I will probably not be skipping around without some form of a wrap...not quite yet.

I'm not sure my friends could take me getting much more fit at this point..I'm already a living nightmare to be around.
I make EVERYONE poke my abs or one of my butt cheeks.
Sometimes even people I don't know very well.

It scares them.

I just stand there saying "POKE MY BUTT CHEEK. POKE IT. POKE IT. SERIOUSLY, POKE IT - THERE"S A MUSCLES IN THERE. THERE'S NEVER BEEN A MUSCLE IN THERE BEFORE.  POKE IT. WHY AREN'T YOU POKING IT???"

ok, too weird? well, then... "POKE MY STOMACH. POKE IT! THERE'S A MUSCLE IN THERE, TOO. POKE EM. POKE MY TUMMY. DID YOU FEEL THEM? ABS!!!"
at this point they usually walk off and are somewhat traumatized.

"Hey- WAIT!! YOU FORGOT TO FEEL MY TAM ARMS!!!!! WANNA FEEL MY ARMS??? WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY FROM ME.?"

Maybe I should buy them a drink first. Ya know...get them in the mood.

Tonight my precious friend Holly had four of us gals over for a girls night out dinner! It was delicious and I ate every last bite.
I am fairly confident that I burned off at least as many calories as I took in by simply talking..talking about the Tracy Anderson Method.
It happens a lot now... everyone wants to know the same things.."how hard was it?"(hard) "what did you eat"(not much) " would you do it again?" (hell yes - in a minute!)...  I am thrilled to tell them ALL I know about it.
Don't cha just love that... give a girl a blog and suddenly she's an expert!!!!????

Anyhoo...I talked their ears off about what it was like, the details of boot camp, and how easy it is now...they are joining a long list of Nashvillians thinking about giving it a go in Janurary...I told em they would love it!

Maybe we can call Nashville..."Thassville" come Jan 2011!!
Leslie, Jill and Kelly - great seeing you tonight and thanks Holly - the meal was amazing!

My lovely hostess apologized for serving pasta... but I assured her- it's all good! I can eat anything I want these days..in moderation, as long as I continue to workout and not go too crazy!

We drank a little wine, enjoyed a small amount of pasta with venison marinara and a lovely salad...oh, and brussell sprouts - one of my faves!

We also nibbled on a piece of garlic toast that was charred beyond recognition.
I mean...I think it was bread.
We are still waiting on the dental records before we will know for sure if it was actually bread.

She "warmed it" a little too long!
Kind of like a charcoal briqette crouton -it was yummy (sware) and I ate the whole thing!!!
 ...although I may have chipped a tooth.
I'm kidding , Holly! it was perfect!

I will say, I should probably clean up my act a little more in the next few days to have a running start on the family arriving this weekend.
I don't want to get TOO confident about owning my new weight - it does still take effort...
but I'M TELLING YOU - I am maintaining, still losing even - and enjoying life to the fullest.

Check this out...after flying to Dallas and back on the same day, not working out at all on Sunday or Monday...oh, and did I mention that when I got there I had a cheeseburger and fries with my brother...and a few nachos at the airport on the way home...so Monday I was nothing short of puffy - weighing in at 127...today - after one day of cleaning it up...125.

Loving that! It comes right off...every time.

Tomorrow I will resume with the exact food plans from last week - as that seems to be helpful for those of you trying to maintain right along with me!
Sorry life got in the way and I didn't get to finish out the week with meal plans for you all. But I'm back and rockin' again...so let's do this thang!

I continue to be amazed with the method! Well done Tracy!

and lastly... guess who already got out of the hospital?... my father.
they released him saying "they couldn't believe his improvement, it was as if it happened overnight" and he left me a message saying he was going to "put a serious effort into taking better care of himself"...
so how about that?
Thank you again for all the prayers and well wishes. I think he felt them.
I know I did.

xoxoLa


VIDEO BLOG TOMORROW???? why not!!!!
ooooooo, I'm nervous! But I must do my first video blog tomorrow because I have something REALLY unbelieveable- I mean BRAIN MOVIE type stuff -  to share with you all!!!
he he...I'm excited!


I'm tired...going to go crash now.
Sweet dreams, you all are the nicest people in the world to keep reading along with me..and you soothed my soul today. thanks again, more than you know.