The semi-unspoken journey

11 months into a journey I genuinely don't talk about much to outsiders, I just put my head down and drive forward.  No one truly knows this story and I'm sure a few jaws will drop and a few will say I had no idea, but let me back up on June 15th, 2022 a day I thought would never happen...Happened.  

Ok, let me set the scene.  Wink and I were on vacation in our favorite city New Orleans with our friends Masshole Meemaw and Peepaw.  That morning we had planned on going to the Death Museum (rather fascinating actually) and walked to a few other sites we wanted to take in as our week in New Orleans was quickly coming to a close.  As we wandered the city on a very humid day I was laughing and just taking in the sites and smells praying that I could just hold on to the memories of this trip for the rest of my life (memories are a weakness of mine and that's connected to another journey for another day).  As we entered Jackson Square I noticed Peepaw pick up his phone like he was on a Facetime call...figuring it was his son I walked away to give him some privacy.  The next thing I know I look and I see my Wink on one knee.  With my hands on my hips, I said to him "What the F*CK are you doing?"  he then proceeded to say something like we have talked about this and it's been a long time coming and I just stood there frozen in time with my hands on my hips wondering What the F*CK is he talking about...And in my head, I had flashbacks to all those dates over the past 9+ years at the time and all the trials and tribulations we had, he had just recently sold his house and moved into mine just the fall prior.  It all seemed so surreal.  I at some point snapped out of it and said Yes!  My head was still in a fog as to what had just happened.  As we wandered around the city the four of us slowly started to come back to reality with what had just transpired.  We wandered to one of our favorite watering holes in New Orleans "Crescent City Brewery".  

It was then that I was shown the video that I thought was a phone call taken by Peepaw and the photo that Meemaw captured right at the second he was putting the ring on my finger and the thing that really whipped me back into this was REALLY happening was the photo.  That photo quickly made its way around the globe within our Red Knight community.  That photo became my motivation.  That photo in some ways stole that moment in time from me and the beauty of the moment I had been waiting for.  

I looked GOD AWFUL.  I was trying so hard to stay in the glow of the moment, but thanks to social media I couldn't stay in that moment long.  That photo would show up again and again.  That Photo was the reason for this journey.

A few short weeks after our trip I was already scheduled to see my OB/GYN and her and I spoke quite candidly about things and life in general when she said to me..."Your BP is really high, and your weight has drastically increased since I saw you last (which was only about 6 months ago)."  I'm a little concerned for you.  I want you to see this specialist in our office.

So the following week I meet the specialist.  He tells me that for my age I'm not healthy and he's concerned with my other health concerns, family history, and numbers and wants to put me on some medication and wants the following two things from me.  

✔️200 mins a week of exercise of some kind 

✔️Low-carb/no-carb diet NOT KETO he said

So I went all in and from July 11, 2022, to November 30, 2022, I walked nearly every day for a minimum of 45 mins, and watched very closely what I ate and drank.  I lost 22.8 lbs.  

Well, the holidays came and I tried my best to stick to the plan that had worked so well for me leading to this point, but ugh who wants to walk in the cold weather.  So I fell off the wagon, didn't put the weight back on just wasn't losing as quickly.  

The specialist was more than kind and understood that a recent career change had also occurred along with the holidays and knew that stress was playing a role so he just encouraged me to stay the course and I would be losing again in no time.  It wasn't until March that he let me slide month after month with only a couple of pounds lost each month.  

Now, mind you I'm coming on up on the big day that this first photo made possible, and trying on wedding dresses when you haven't a clue what size you are is a really fun time let me tell you! (insert eye roll here...) so as I type this we are less than 1 week from the big day and well yall are the first to see the updated photo. 

I've hit my first official goal weight and surpassed it by a pinch. I'm also proud to say that all my numbers that were a reason for concern are now under control.  The last time I saw these numbers on the scale was in February of 2017!  

Not the end of my journey but we are getting closer.  

My baby may be graduating High School in a few short weeks and some of that baby weight from 19 years ago isn't attending the graduation. 🤣