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*** Weigh-in for WEEK 346 ***
12/29/2007
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| Week Completed: | ___346___ |
| Weigh-In Weight: | 196.0 |
| Body Mass Index: | 24.69 |
| Average Weight for week: | 197.86 |
| Miles Walked for week: | 3.7 |
| Miles Walked in 2007: | 266.38 |
| Week’s Average Points/Day: | 45.43 |
| Pounds +/- for this week: | ±0.0 |
| Pounds lost total: | 43.5 |
| Made GOAL: 9/22/2001 † | |
* Made 10% at 215.5 pounds on 7/14/01
† Goal is 200 pounds.
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Week’s Data
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Day |
Date |
Weight |
Points |
Water |
Miles
Walked |
| Saturday |
12/22/2007
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196.0
|
32.5
|
6 cups (48 oz)
|
1.50
|
| Sunday |
12/23/2007
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197.0
|
40.5
|
6 cups (48 oz)
|
0.00
|
| Monday |
12/24/2007
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198.0
|
54.0
|
6 cups (48 oz)
|
0.00
|
| Tuesday |
12/25/2007
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199.5
|
65.0
|
6 cups (48 oz)
|
0.00
|
| Wednesday |
12/26/2007
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198.5
|
47.5
|
6 cups (48 oz)
|
2.20
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| Thursday |
12/27/2007
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198.5
|
35.5
|
6 cups (48 oz)
|
0.00
|
| Friday |
12/28/2007
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197.5
|
43.0
|
6 cups (48 oz)
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0.00
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Week 346 Update
Well, the Weight Commander shows me holding fairly steady on a line very close to my target weight of 197.5, at least with the black solid squares.  Having cleared the hurdles of Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, I am quite happy with where I am today. Things have moved around some over the last few weeks, but with 2007 already almost in the box, here I am in the 190s and that is a good thing. 
If you just look at the graph part of the future graph, without looking at the numbers, it looks like things are not so good. But if you look at the numbers, the graph is actually saying that if I continue on the very same path that I have been on for the last couple of weeks, I will only be up to 200.8 at the end of March. Even if I were up to 200.8, that is not too bad, but that is assuming that I get to go through the Christmas Holidays all over again over the next 90 days. Hopefully I will do better than I did over the holidays, as our routine settles back in to something close to normal.
Evening Shopping
 Mom had been visiting with a friend of hers on the weekend for a couple of weeks, and when we came down to pick her up on Saturday we decided to take her over to Bridgeport Village in the evening. Dotti had spotted this shopping center from the freeway and we felt that we just had to check it out.
When we got there we found that there was a parking garage with several levels, and we finally found a parking spot right on the top level. When we got out of the car, we noticed that the moon was breaking through the clouds a bit and so I got Mom and Dotti to pose while I lined up the moon behind them. We were all set for a fun evening of shopping.
The stores were all decked out with Christmas decorations, and there was a festive mood all around us as we strolled along on the sidewalks.
At an intersection of sidewalks, with paths heading off in various directions, we found this fountain with a pool crossed by stepping stones, and a lighthearted statue of a young lady in a spring dress caught in mid stride in a happy dance through the water, with rose in hand, and hair and dress blowing in the wind. On this evening if she were alive, she would have had a large crop of goose bumps from the cold air.
Because of the cold temperatures they had heaters, around 7 feet tall, and placed every so many feet along the walkway, where Christmas shoppers could pause to warm themselves as they contemplated which of the many stores they would be going into next. The heat one of these produced was very welcome when the night chill started to set in.
Note to Karen: You might find it hard to believe up there in Fairbanks, since at the very same time that I took this picture of the heater, it was -10°F at your house, but for Portland folks, the +44°F air temperature that night felt cold. 
One of the first things we did was to run down a restroom. Between the three of us we had 182 years of living that we were carrying around, and sadly that means restrooms are becoming a very popular attraction on any outing we take. Borders is one of my very favorite stores for other reasons, but this night the fact that they also have restrooms made a visit from our group a foregone conclusion.
Once the important stuff was taken care of, Dotti and Mom moved across the street to a store called Crate & Barrel, while I retraced our steps to take some pictures of the fountain area and the heater, as well as a few other items that looked like they might be photogenic. I stopped to capture this photo of the Christmas lights on the tree branches with the Borders sign in the background. The street lamp between the tree and the store almost looks like the star of Bethlehem it is so bright.
Later in the evening, after hitting a great many of the stores available, we stopped for some refreshments at a wonderful little coffee shop called "Peet's Coffee and Tea", where the coffee was delicious and the music was divine—classical and played at a very nice level, where it could be heard and enjoyed, but not so loud as to interfere with conversation. (I mentioned to them that I wish Starbucks would learn to play wonderful music like that instead of the unfortunate noise that I often hear there.) The next time I see a Peet's coffee shop, I will be stopping for sure!
Right near the end of our visit to Bridgeport Village, Dotti took this picture of Mom and me beside a tree that, while not strictly traditional in design, was definitely CHRISTMAS! We really had fun that evening and I am sure that Dotti and I will be returning to Bridgeport Village before long to stroll through the shops when they are in their "normal mode" of business. We hope that they will be as much fun even without the wonderful Christmas decorations.
A Little Surprise
We had a spontaneous moment this week, where it suddenly hit us that we could pull off a really cool surprise and give Mom a chance to finally meet our best friends. Jim and Tammy live 350 miles to the northeast of us, and Mom lives 250 miles to the south of us. That 600 mile buffer has kept them apart. We drive for 6 hours to go up to Spokane for Thanksgiving and other occasions, and then drive 4 hours to visit Mom at Christmas and other times during the year. Since Mom was with us at our place, that meant we could take her up to Spokane with us and get everyone together at once. So we did it!
We called up Jim to make sure that he knew we were coming, and that they were going to be there and our showing up would not cause any problems. We also told him not to breath a word of it to anyone else, especially Tammy.
(He was true to his word.) Dotti on the other hand couldn't help herself and she told LeRoy we were coming. But fortunately, LeRoy can keep a secret. Dotti nearly spilled the beans a couple of times to Tammy when they talked on the phone, but in the end, Dotti was able to break the surprise to her face to face, and it was great!
We drove up on Christmas Eve, leaving early in the morning. We made a stop at this rest area in the Columbia Gorge, it was 38°, and as you can see the ladies are looking cold! Where is your jacket Mom? You always made me wear mine when I was growing up! They kept each other warm until I got the car unlocked and them safely inside of it.
We had a joint venture on our Christmas card this year. I took the picture for the card, and Dotti designed the card, and she had them printed up for us. She also stamped and addressed the envelopes. I wrote the Christmas Letter, and Mom helped proofread it, and she also helped Dotti stuff the envelopes, which they did on the drive up to Spokane, once it got bright enough to see. Mom worked on the cards in the back seat and Dotti did hers in the front seat. In this picture, Mom has an envelope in her left hand and a Christmas letter in her right. She already has the card inside the envelope.
Here is Dotti with her ms Westerdam sweatshirt on, and wearing a beautiful smile, happily sealing up another envelope.
We pulled into town around 1:00 pm, and got checked into the motel. Things get busy in Jim and Tammy's house at times like Christmas and we didn't want to just drop in and sleep on their couch; it might be taken already.
We checked in, dropped off our stuff and made our way over to Jim and Tammy's house to break the surprise. Besides Tammy, our 3 nieces were also very surprised to see us, and happy that we came. Misty had even called Dotti on her cell phone when we were about an hour out of Spokane on our drive up, but Dotti didn't let the secret out. So, when she saw us she was very surprised.
There was already snow on the ground and it was not going to get above freezing again during out stay, so we were going to have a white Christmas! I went out back and took a picture of the snow.
Jim had the walkway cleared off to his trucks and garage, but in the evening it was going to be covered up again.
This is a lot like a father having his son his lap when he is driving, and letting him hold the wheel a bit. Jim is letting our grandson Hunter sit on his lap and strum the strings of his dobro guitar.
I really enjoy seeing the bond between these two. Jim has 3 daughters and he loves them dearly, but he always wanted a son of his own. (Dotti and I share LeRoy with him, and they get along really well, but Hunter is filling that spot in Jim's life, and it is great to see!)
Dotti, Hunter, and the jumping snowman all sharing a group hug. It didn't take long for Dotti have Hunter on her lap and starting on some serious spoiling.
Since Jim cut off two fingertips a while back, he and I have not been able to sit down and play songs together. He is working on learning the dobro guitar, but he is not quite there yet. So, the old tradition of playing songs at Thanksgiving and July 4th has sort of gone away of late. But I brought my guitar along this time and my microphone, and did some singing on Christmas Eve. I was singing Jolly Old Saint Nicholas when this picture was taken. I really like that song.
Mom really had a great time during our visit. She had seen pictures of Jim and Tammy over and over again, on our walls, and our screen savers, even on her own screen saver that I set up for her in the past. And of course she had heard a lot about them over the years. So, it was sort like meeting someone you already knew. Jim and Tammy, and their family made Mom feel right at home.
LeRoy and Hunter sharing a moment. LeRoy is really good with kids and they enjoy his company. Hunter is a really good kid too, so the two of them get along very well together.
I have no doubt been responsible for putting on more than a few of the gray hairs you see on this beautiful head, as well as lines of care upon her visage. The number of times that this lovely face has looked down with worry upon me in my sick bed, or showed tender pity to comfort my childhood heartbreaks, stubbed toes, and scrapped knees are too numerous to count. When she went in for heart surgery I got her a little stuffed bear that had a sign on it that said, "Mothers are angels in disguise." She held on to that bear tightly even when she was lying under sedation, and has it still. I am so thankful that I can still look into those eyes and get a hug from this tiny bundle of love.
Here is my son and my mother sharing a touching moment together. These are two of the most important people in my life and it was wonderful that Dotti and I could share Christmas with them, along with the rest of our family in Spokane. I am surrounded by so many wonderful people I wonder how I ever got so lucky. I sure don't feel like I deserve it. Dotti all by herself is more than I deserve, but to have her and also have all these other wonderful special people in my life is simply amazing to me. I can't explain it, so I will just accept my good luck, and enjoy it.
Hunter really liked that snowman. The toy would stand on its feet, sing a song, and at various points in the song, it would jump into the air an inch or two, and go right on singing. Hunter just watched in fascination.
Okay, I admit it, I included this one because I thought it was too cute to leave out.
Christmas Day
Christmas morning we arrived in time for breakfast, since Tammy was so kind as to invite us. When she is cooking it is always a good thing to get invited to the meal. In addition to those who were there on Christmas Eve, Claudette and her four beautiful children were sharing this day with us, along with Tammy's dad. We had a wonderful time with friendship, kids opening presents, and good food. Just take a look...
The only bad thing about a day like that is that it has to end.
When I went out to check the car, I found it covered with a couple of inches of snow. So, I set to work with my brush to clear it all off, while I was running the car to warm it up for the ladies. The thought foremost in my mind was whether the weather would be like this in the morning, and what our drive home might be like.
We said our goodbyes and headed back to the motel room, carrying a lot of wonderful memories with us.
Drive Home
In the morning the snow was still falling and I went outside to take a few pictures. I found out quickly that the flash was not going to work out very well because there were too many flakes falling and they bounced the light back cluttering up the picture. So, I used the street lights to illuminate the snow. We were lucky, there was only about 4 inches total that had fallen, including the 2 inches we had cleared off the night before. Since Spokane is a snow town they keep their roads pretty clear after a snow, so I was feeling pretty good about our drive coming up.
We grabbed some "continental breakfast" at the motel and then headed out on the road. At first, around 7:30 a.m., there was snow coming down moderately heavy and the roads were in winter dress. We decided to stop at Starbucks for some coffee, and since that was right near Jim and Tammy's house, and I had left my travel cup there, we decided also to stop and say goodbye one more time. Dotti went into Starbucks and I took pictures while we were waiting. It felt like a winter wonderland.
It was nice seeing Tammy, Jamie, and Hunter on last time before hitting the road, but soon we were on our way. When we reached I-90 it really felt like we were leaving.
The temperature was 26°F when we left Spokane, and I was expecting it to gradually get warmer as we went along. Spokane is over 2000 feet in elevation and Vancouver is around 59 feet. So, we would be going downhill all the way, and that normally means warmer temperatures. The snow continued for a while and when we hit Ritzville, one of our routine stopping points for gas, we were about 60 miles from Spokane, and the temperature had actually dropped to 22°. But the clouds were starting to break up and we were heading into a lot of sunshine. By the time we reached Kennewick, nearing the halfway point, we were up out the freezing temperatures and the ground was nearly free of snow.
We stopped near the John Day Dam in the east end of the Columbia River Gorge in order to take some pictures. The ground was clear, and the skies were bright. Dotti had on her fur cap, even though she didn't don her coat this time. Mom stayed in the car for this quick stop, but soon we were at Stonehenge and we all got out and bundled up a bit to walk around this interesting structure.
Mom was emotionally moved by some of the plaques, because there were a lot dead men who were memorialized here from the First World War who were born around the same time as her father was. Many were only 18 or 19 years old. Her dad was just about to go into the army when the war fortunately ended. Soon the cold wind made Mom uncomfortable, and so I got her all snug and warm in the car while we finished taking pictures.
Before long we were into the western end of the Gorge and the snow started popping up again on the mountains above us. Clouds started blocking the sun once more and we were about home.
Dinner at Red Robin
Once we got home, Dotti suggested that we all walk to Red Robin for dinner. So, we bundled up once more and off we went umbrellas in hand. A waiter saw us taking pictures and offered to take a group shot and so we were able to get all three of us in.
Another week has come to an end. I can see where I could have done better, especially in the area of exercise, but all an all I am happy with how this week went on my journey, and I will always remember this week as a great time with friend and family on the most wonderful day of the year!
6 years, 232 days on my journey; a lifetime to follow.
-Al-
6 '3" 239.5/196.0/197.5±2.5/BMI:24.69/WK- 346
Starting weight: 239.5
Target Weight Range: 195 lbs to 200 lbs
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