reIntroductions Part 1-me

So as I said, so many things have changed. Like my name.

Lettuce and I are no more. I am still sad about this because I miss being married. I miss having someone there for me, someone to share things with, someone who loves me.

Then I remember that my marriage wasn't like that.

There were good times, for sure. And beautiful children. But it was hard and ugly and painful. And at the end of the day, I made the choice that had to be made for my babies.  And I survived.

Since then, I have had some other changes.  For one, I finally finished that Masters I started so many years ago.  It was hard but rewarding. Literally.  My pay grade went up and I am [almost] middle class.  I have some big plans coming up but I don't want to jinx them by saying to much. Know that this is only the beginning.


I also lost a LOT of weight.  Like more than 50 pounds. "Pics or it didn't happen," you say? Well alrighty then.

Old Me

New Me

I did, however, retain my affinity for stripes.  They are the best pattern.   Before the inevitable questions, I mostly changed my dietary habits and increased my activity.  I don't regularly exercise, per se, but I do play football at recess  with my students. I swim, occasionally hike, and rarely sit during the day.  I eat well, drink water, and stopped eating my sadness.  It wasn't overnight but I lost about 30-35 pounds the first year, another 15 the second. I got down to about 145, which was a bit too small, but I'm sitting at about 160 and feeling great about it.  IT TOOK TIME, LOTS OF TIME. To be honest, I wasn't trying to lose weight. I come from a naturally small family so it was not natural for me to weigh so much. When I left Lettuce, I removed the trigger that caused the weight gain and kept it on.

I'm teaching 4th grade for the pasts 3 years. It is amazing and I love it. My kids are bonkers so we all get along. I won't say it's always fun but the good outweighs the bad, for sure.

Next up, the Astronaut...