Monday, July 31, 2006

Cass' Condo

Yes, I can actually say "my condo" because as of about 5:45pm on Friday, July 28, 2006, I became a condo owner!!! YIPPEEEE!!! And now, Monday morning, I am absolutely and utterly EXHAUSTED. I mean, I got tired just shopping at Home Depot and I haven't even done any work yet! LOL. But I have a feeling this is the kind of work I won't mind so much. :-) But there is soooo much to do: cleaning, pulling up carpet, sanding and priming walls, painting, laying down tile (I'm leaving that to a pro), and then the actual moving in of furniture (any volunteers to help??). My workouts for the next month will be mostly in the form of manual labor, but, hey, so long as I'm burning calories, I could care less. SIGH...but this is a great thing...this has been a great year soo far. Now, if only I could hit 60lbs lost sometime soon...that's the next goal.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Playing Catch Up

Geez...how time flies! I can't believe it's been nearly three weeks since my last post, but my life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately, so I'm stopping to catch my breath and catch up with you all.
Okay, first things first, July challenge status: you may have noticed that my weight trackers have not changed. I haven't been able to lose any weight at all since making my July 4th goal to reach 267.5. [I REFUSE to update my weight trackers to go backwards.] Shortly after that I gained the typical 6-10lbs during my TOM. However, since that "period" ended on the 12th, the scale has remained virtually the same. I mean, I've been hovering between 274 and 279 for almost two weeks now! My workouts remain at 60-90 minutes of cardio (walk-aerobics, walking my dog, and the Gazelle) 4-5 times a week. Honestly, I can't commit to doing any more than that. I've been drinking nearly a gallon of water a day and following the food program. So, I'm guessing (hoping) it's the dreaded "P" word...P-L-A-T-E-A-U!! And it SUCKS!!! For the past 6 months I have developed a trend where if (1) I work out, (2) I follow the food program and (3) I drink my water, then (4) I lose weight. Simple as that. Now, it's EXTREMELY discouraging to work my ass off and see absolute NO result on the scale, or even see a negative one (weight gain). It's been so mentally taxing that I've decided that after today, I will try and go 2 weeks without weighing-in. I'm a bit of a scale junkie, so I know it'll be tough, but it's tougher to keep on track when the scale isn't moving like I want it to.
Okay, now for the good news: I'm buying a condo!!! A couple of weeks ago, my newly licensed realtor friend RJ took me to go see some condos. After viewing a couple of duds from the outside, I was kind of discouraged about the prospect of finding something decent, in a safe neighborhood in my price range. Well, the first condo we actually walked into I fell in love with. The balcony and bedroom view was of this beautiful lake and was soo incredibly soothing, that I knew I was 'home'. The kitchen had just been renovated with marble floors, granite countertops and maple cabinets. The majority of the buildings in the area are or were at one time housing for older people, so the neighborhood and street are quiet and well-kept. Well, after putting an offer and waiting on pins and needles for a week, the seller decided not to move. Apparently, the deal she made on a place in North Carolina fell through and she took the my condo off the market. Can you say disappointed???!!! Well, the following weekend we went condo hunting again and after a bit of a Situation Normal All Fucked Up (snafu), I found another condo on the same street. This one is on the other side of the street and so doesn’t have a lakefront view. This view is of the well-maintained common and pool area and of the Presidential Estates golf course. The ‘cheapest’ home on the other side of the golf course goes for $1.2 million. This particular condo needs more work than the first would have, but I’m getting it for $7K less than the other and it has already appraised for $7K more than the purchase price. And I’m actually very excited about the idea of creating the exact space I want. It’s been fun looking at paint colors and flooring options.
And everything happens for a reason. There is a positive energy/karma about the whole transaction. The current owner is an 87yr old man who’s going into a nursing home. "Jack" has lived in the condo for 35 years (Picture this: Jack looks like Mr. Burns’ grandfather with Mr. Magoo glasses and he’s so hard of hearing, you have to practically scream at him)!! The other day when my mother, my sister, Danny and I attended the inspection, Jack made a point to tell me that he’d lived very happily in the condo for many years, experiencing both lots of laughter and many tears. He said he hoped I would be as happy living there as he had been. At that moment, I felt as though he’d sort of bestowed the condo to me. It felt right. It feels right.
So, my July Challenge now has another significance: July 31st is my tentative closing date...a week from today!!! My loan has been approved and I’m simply waiting to be screened by the condo association and the opportunity to review the condo docs. In the words of the Pointer Sisters, "I’m soo excited."
UPDATES: CONGRATS MOMMY! She’s lost a total of 26.5lbs!!! CONGRATS LIL SIS, MARILYN: Friday she closed on her first property, a 2/2 condo in Orlando!! CONGRATS LIL SIS, ASHLEY: She started her very first job: Old Navy Outlet!! Can you say DISCOUNTS?!?!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

July Challenge

Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday! I made it through without too much damage. Hoorah! Today starts my challenge to reach 260 by July 31st. Today's weight is 269, which is 1.5lbs higher than my lowest point; my TOM is quickly approaching but the weight gain has already begun! :-(
Wish me luck!