It’s kind of amazing how people’s comments will cause one to pause.

I know that I’m heavier than I’ve probably been in most of my adult life, even counting the pregnancies.

It was brought to my attention today at my day job that someone the girls in my office interacted with said something along the lines of, “Julie was so tiny when she started working here.”  Well,  yeah…I had just come off the Divorce Diet, was a whopping size 5 when I started work there back in 2001, people…eleven years ago, ok?  Are you as cute as you were eleven years ago? I thought not.

So I, being the curious sort, went rummaging through some photo CD archives from 2001/2002, and found the following picture from 02 of me on my birthday that year.  I think I was a whole size 7 in this picture.  (And you will notice that my boobs are not as noticeable as they are eleven years later – yes, boob fixation…)

Yes, this is me, about 40+ lbs lighter, back in the summer of 2002.

Now, for those of you that followed my initial Reduction post earlier this week, know that I have to quit smoking and be nicotine free for four weeks pre-op.  I am doing alright, but still struggling. I’ve gotten down to MAYBE 4 smokes per day. It’s hard to do this when your better half still smokes, but I want new boobs so bad it hurts. Ok, LITERALLY, LOL.

It’s been a rough week.

The sweet mom of one of my dearest friends is lying in a hospital bed, struggling to breathe. I saw her today, and held her hand and walked out of the room strong, and lost it as soon as I got around the corner.  So, taking a cue from my newest blogging hero, here, I am asking you to send good vibes, prayers, happy thoughts, or whatever positivity you can put out there for my friend, her mother, and her family. I felt guilty because every breath I took was effortless.  Is that weird?

Life isn’t easy, and, yet, it’s way too short.

Appreciate who you have in your life now, and always remember to tell your loved ones that you love them.

Until next time…