There are a lot of big things happening at Camp Hennen. Last Friday night I had my graduation rehearsal. I am finally getting my Bachelor's of Communication from Ottawa University this Friday night! After the rehearsal (which was a bit painful... we're such a small group that they don't line us up alphabetically! It hurts my OCD!) we went to a "reflection dinner" to look back at our time together. Since we are all adult students, this is a very different experience from what others have had. I had arranged with a friend to make sure she would be there and I wouldn't be alone the whole night, but I was amazed at how many other people I knew. Some of the people I hadn't seen since my first terms at Ottawa, but they not only remembered me, but asked me about my job or my family. I felt awful, because their faces were familiar, but that was it. I was amazed that people remembered things about me from one 8-week course 3 years ago, but I didn't know their name without a name tag.
Saturday night we had dinner with an amazing group of friends that we try to get together with monthly. John and I had to make a decision about how we were going to handle events like this. Do we stick to our guns and only eat what we can and not drink? Or do we enjoy ourselves without going overboard? We have decided that even though the challenge tells us not to drink at all during this time and to stick to the food guidelines, that since we don't want to live our whole lives this way, we should have fun, but be smart. We each had wine and appetizers with the group, but I made sure to have a few seltzers in there as well. Yes, I had the kettle chips as an app, but I also ordered mahi mahi tacos for dinner. More than anything, this challenge is going to help me finally learn moderation!
Monday was the hardest day by far, however, as I learned that one of the dogs that I groom and take care of had to be put to sleep. I met this dog and her owner back in 2006 when I started working at the Central Bark in Wauwatosa. She was a little shepherd mix and had an infectious smile. She ended up transferring her dogs to the CB in Brookfield when I was the groomer there and we became close. She even followed me back down to my grooming shop clear across town when I left CB! She had a disorder that made it so the muscles in her throat didn't work correctly and she couldn't keep food down. She was losing weight quickly and her mom and dad made the tough decision. All I wanted to do was crawl into a bottle of whiskey and let the pain wash away. Alcohol is always my go to when I am sad. But I knew that it helped no one for me to get drunk and would waste everything I had worked so hard for. So, I settled and had one beer while I made dinner and simply called it an early night.
Dinner was delicious and I am finding so many amazing recipes that make the challenge much easier to get through. Last night was Jerk Chicken with Caribbean Quinoa and a side of Brussels sprouts. Things are still the same day to day. Half and avocado and a piece of fruit for a snack. Meal replacement shake for breakfast... But I am down 13lbs and feeling great. I am getting into the habit of going to the gym every day and I know that is helping a lot. I still can't do a ton of cardio as my foot gets sore quickly, but every little bit helps, right?
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