Diet Plan on Hold!

As many of my friends may know, I have been losing weight. I have lost a total of 46 pounds in 102 "dropping" days. This particular journey began December 15, after watching a high school friend lose an incredible amount of weight on this program. I finally had to call "uncle" and realize that my continuing efforts to "eat right and exercise" were getting me absolutely no where! I lost nothing, while she dropped 63 pounds! That is when I contacted her to find out more about the Omnitrition program.

Essentially an HCG plan, the Omnitrition program is a pretty good one. They do have some awesome vitamins and other products that I use, as well. I was a bit skeptical and leery about the thought of an HCG plan, but nothing else was working for me! So I signed on and became an OMNI "Dropper". I perused the Facebook page reserved for actual customers, and looked at the phenomenal and some simply amazing results. I wanted that for me! I guess I wanted it so badly that I flew through the first week, when detox from all the bad stuff you eat, was at its worst. Then it became pretty simple. There is a very short list of food that is allowed, and you have to eat specific amounts while using the OMNI drops. You are also warned not to exercise and burn a lot of calories, as you are not eating many. The drops facilitate the body using stored FAT as the fuel you need in addition to the limited calories. Since I was still having problems with my plantar fasciistis in my right foot, this didn't bother me too much. The rule is, you stay on the drops and the low calorie diet for 21-42 days. Then you have to cycle off to a maintenance plan, which is wonderful! I actually got to eat cheese, yogurt, olive oil, and salmon again! The goal here is to stay within 2 pounds of your weight loss for at least 21 days, before you can go back to using the drops and losing more. I lost a total of 25 pounds during my first round, 15 on my second, and this third, which is shortened due to the "Running For The Hoses" event, about 6-7. So, sadly I am not among the list of people that have the thoroughly amazing rates of loss, but I HAVE LOST 46 POUNDS! I am so happy about this that I cannot even begin to say....

This summer will be a good experiment to see how I will do eating in life, as I will be staying on the maintenance plan mostly, with my goal being to maintain or even lose a bit more. When I return in the fall, I will go back to the drops to lose the remaining weight that I want to lose. I am hoping to do some exercise, and even some walking or something while I have some time. We will see how it goes.

Feel free to email me at linven@sbcglobal.net if you want any more information on this plan!

Help!

Ok, it is time to admit that I feel overwhelmed. We leave in less than a week, and I know I will forget numerous things that might be really important! I still have to arrange for the mail, the yard mowing, to have someone start the cars monthly, clean the house, pack, gather everything, make sure the bills are paid or on automatic.... And the gathering of things scares me because we have such limited space to take what we might need... like clothes and toiletries, dog stuff, things to cook and eat with, man, the list just goes on!

I am in panic mode, so here I sit in front of my computer. Isn't that the way it always is? Hiding in Facebook is so much easier that making myself think.

We ordered one of those perforated signs for the large back window of the RV with our name, phone, and web address, so that people might wonder what we are doing, and maybe even make a donation. It should be ready in time. Jeff has been working very hard at getting the route down into increments that he has posted on Facebook on our "runningforthehoses" page, so people can actually follow where we are and where we are heading. Also don't forget to check out the "supportforfirefighters" facebook page, as that is where most of the pics and stuff should be. Although I will be posting some on the blog, and I hope that Jeff will do the same!

Just talking about it seems to make it less overwhelming. But it is also a form of procrastination, right? I have to look into my taxes, too. We filed an extension as I thought the CPA I chose was a bit too conservative. Things I have been told by other tax attorneys and CPA's were deductible, and how to do it, she poo-pooed! I guess if your goal is to never have a client audited, she is probably successful. I am not afraid of an audit. We don't cheat, we just use every possible deduction we have. They have to respect that. So, one other BIG thing on my plate.....

Please don't forget to make a donation at our website, www.supportforfirefighters.com. I want this endeavor to be successful! Just so you know, all donations go to charity. We are funding the expenses for the run ourselves (ouch!)....

Blogging is Tough!

All good intentions aside, blogging takes time! Not to mention that you have to have a really interesting and inspiring topic. And with time growing very short before we leave for our big adventure called Running for the Hoses, life has gotten very interesting.

We dropped by my old fire station the other day, station 25 in Dallas, as we were actually in the area. Since it is probably 50 miles from our home, this doesn't happen often. I'm not sure why, but I was a little nervous as we drove up. It has been a little over a year since I retired, and I actually have not been back to visit. I was always amazed how the "old retired guys" were received when they visited. There was always a short time of "how are you, how is retirement" and that sort of thing, then everyone just begins to drift off to take care of their own stuff. I was lucky enough to catch them in the middle of scrubbing and buffing floors in a make ready for an inspection. So, I actually got to stand around in the kitchen, just like when I was working, and shoot the bull with a number of the younger guys for quite a while. It was very nice. Then, we moved into the living room, where the captain and a couple other guys were at the watch desk. We talked there for a while before we left. All in all, I am glad we stopped by. However, it is not something I will make a habit of. Even the venerable Ronnie Hoggatt says it is just not the same.

I was hoping to garner some support for our non-profit from the guys there. I did work with some of them for over 10 years, and the rest for the entire time they were there. We passed out our cards. I wonder, is everyone waiting to see if we actually succeed in crossing the country??? Donations are coming in, but slowly. I have to say, though, that our average is still over $100! Not bad! Even pledging a penny a mile, that is only $35! We just are not very good at fund raising. Hope we improve quickly!

First Pages

I know there are some people that travel so much they would rather just sit at home and relax. It was never a goal of mine to have one of those jobs where you are gone from home constantly, living in airports and hotels. And it still isn't!

But, and it's a big but, one of my goals in retirement is to travel to a host of cool destinations. I have a next door neighbor that goes on a really interesting, awesome trip, every 2 or 3 months. Really! In the year we have lived next door to them, they have visited Africa, South America (including Machu Picchu!), driven through California Wine Country, and have about 5 other amazing trips planned right now. I tell her, when I grow up, I want to be just like you.

The other side of that coin is that I WANNA TRAVEL FIRST CLASS! When my husband Jeff and I went to Italy and Greece, for a marathon, I was able to get our first class round trip tickets with points/miles, and it was fantastic! So much different than sitting in the "back" of the plane. It was amazing, and comfortable, and they still feed you in first class! Not to mention the numerous offerings of wine and such. Lol... So, I made it a goal to get to the point where all my travel will be first class. We are still working on that goal, but getting there.

Please don't think this is a travel blog. Although I will be talking about various trips and travel experiences, this blog is about my journey to the point where I CAN travel first class, any where I want, at any time. Yes, this is something that is within my reach. This blog can and will be about what seems to be important at the moment. You might expect to read something about our non-profit, Support For Firefighters, Inc., as we are leaving on a 5 month long journey across the country, coast to coast, to raise funds for firefighters. You will read a lot about that I imagine! Also, we have 3 completely adorable Italian Greyhounds, which are going with us on the journey. Don't be surprised to read about them. And of course, there is my quest for First Class Travel! That deserves it's own paragraph....

After spending over 32 years with the Dallas Fire Department, I finally called my career over and retired. Having spent the past 12 years as a Battalion Chief, the responsibility was just getting tiresome. I loved the job and the people I worked with, but it was time for a change. So, we built a retirement home in Robson Ranch Texas and got busy enjoying it. Well, I quickly realized that I needed more to keep myself busy, and the First Class Travel thing was still not happening. That is when we decided to open our business, J&L Real Estate Investments. We are using several different avenues to reach my ultimate goal. Among them are lending money to real estate investors and hotel ownership. Both are fledgling operations but have great promise!

I will be able to keep this blog going for a couple of weeks just choosing topics from the conversation above! There must be a dozen blog opportunities mentioned. Stay tuned, oh, and expect pictures of tons of stuff, too! I love to take pics!