Progress pictures and welcome!

I've added progress pictures to my blog.  It was a hard decision to make, as I'm really shy about how I look, even now, but I'm glad I did.  Looking at that little filmstrip to the right is very motivating!  I've never actually sat down and done this before.  It's truly helpful. Still struggling to grasp a new body image, over a hundred pounds lighter.  I'm finally really seeing what a difference it's made, where I still need to go, and coming to accept that I probably really do need to weigh just about HALF of what I weighed at my heaviest.  Wow!  And that's okay.  If I can achieve that, then I'll have really done something to feel good about.  When I first started losing weight, I had no idea where I needed to be. I made my first goal 180, which I still haven't quite reached. Decided not to change that goal until I get there, but really, my ultimate ideal weight is probably somewhere between 140 - 155.  Just a guess, based on what I look like now at this weight.  We'll see as we get closer.

The amazing and lovely 266 gave me an award, only on my old blog!  I'll follow up on that tonight, when I have a little more time.  But thank you so much!  She's one of the most inspirational bloggers I've ever read, while losing over 100 pounds and becoming a complete athlete in the process.   Anyways, for those people now viewing my blog for the first time, welcome and thanks for coming by!  I promise to post more often.  I've been spending a lot of time in the sun, a rarity around these parts.

Quick exercise update - A and I did our first Greenlake crossing and back last week!  We made it, about 1 mile, with brief rests in about 90 minutes.  I am a VERY slow open water swimmer, but proud of my increasing endurance.  Hopefully I can speed things up with more practice, like we did last (exceptionally hot) summer.  We've been hiking and going for walks most days that it wasn't hot enough to swim.  I've been having some muscle and joint aches, flaring auto-immune things.  Hopefully that might die down, may need to watch my diet a little more closely.  But I'm happy with my overall activity level, though there's always room for improvement.  Now it's time for some activity!