This one is taking quite a bit of thought. And, though I would like to talk about the here and now - and my time with Ted, I think I am going to go before Ted. A time that I was very independent - I was my own woman - I was very happy and fulfilled - I was single.
As I said back on my day one post, I loved being single. I was extremely happy at that time. I spent a lot of time with my kids and became very bonded with them. We were able to do some travelling and were all very close. I am going to write about 2002.
There were a couple of things about 2002 that made me very happy and very fulfilled. My first was my discovery of Weight Watchers. I am not going to discuss it much, but, prior to Weight Watchers, I never really paid attention to nutrition, health or anything like that. My sister asked me if I wanted to go to Weight Watchers with her and I said I would. I actually started at a very difficult time - right in the middle of the Winter Olympics that had overtaken the state I lived in and especially, the city I worked in. The entire office was working 12-hour shifts and working five days a week - if you can't count, that is a 60-hour week and we were doing it for four weeks. I was working the graveyard shift - which was 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. To offset those issues, we took turns bringing in food and cooking dinner. Well, the one thing I can tell you is, we had some awfully delicious meals - and I don't think any of them weren't calorically challenging. But, even with this challenge, I started Weight Watchers and I was very successful in it - at one point, I had lost over fifty pounds and kept that fifty off for almost three years. But, I have to say the biggest thing it brought about, was a knowledge of what I was doing to my body and my kids. I learned to make better choices nutritionally and became more educated - I try to make better decisions. Even though I have been up and down with my weight, at least I have more knowledge.
During this year, I developed my love of cruising. This crazy overtime I worked during the Olympics paid for me and my kids to go on an Alaskan cruise with my kids and several other members of my family. It was an amazing journey and we had the most marvelous time. We saw amazing scenery and loved our time on that ship.
And the biggest thing from 2002 was my move. My kids had all been raised in a split-level corner lot in Kearns that George and I bought from my brother. It had a HUGE yard and a sloped driveway. About halfway through building this huge 2-car garage onto this house, I suddenly decided I wanted to sell my house. I hated the huge yard, it was a pain in the ass to mow - the sloped driveway was horrible in the winter, because it was a huge pain in the ass to shovel. And guess what, without George there, it fell on me and Rodger to do the mowing and the shoveling. And this is about how the decision came about - and literally it was this quick:
Crystal: "I think I am going to move out and get my own apartment. I am 21-years-old and I should be out on my own and not living here with you."
Me: "OK, I think I am going to sell the house then and buy a condo."
And the rest was history and probably the only moment I have ever had a spontaneous moment in my life. I contacted a realtor. Put the house on the market. Took about four months to sell; but during that time I was able to PURGE - the kids and I went through every room and got rid of so much accumulation; 16 years worth of accumulation. I found the condo of my dreams and KayeLynn, Rodger and I moved in. Our first day at the condo was on Christmas Eve 2002. Because of how the funding took place with the house, the kids and I had to spend like three days with my mom because the money wasn't there until the next Monday - Christmas Eve. My mom had tried to get me to spend that night there with her - but, I would have none of it. I wanted to be in my own home; my new home. My new home with a huge, beautiful kitchen (I still dream of that kitchen and wish the one I had now was half of what that was), three beautiful bedrooms - the master bedroom having it's own bath and a HUGE walk-in closet, a community clubhouse, workout room and swimming pool. It was my dream, it was what I wanted and it was mine!! I did it myself and was probably the proudest moment of my life - a moment I was proud of myself.
P.S. I like this post - the last couple of posts have felt empty and boring - I liked this one alot. Especially since I have thought for the last two days "what the heck am I going to write about?"
As I said back on my day one post, I loved being single. I was extremely happy at that time. I spent a lot of time with my kids and became very bonded with them. We were able to do some travelling and were all very close. I am going to write about 2002.
There were a couple of things about 2002 that made me very happy and very fulfilled. My first was my discovery of Weight Watchers. I am not going to discuss it much, but, prior to Weight Watchers, I never really paid attention to nutrition, health or anything like that. My sister asked me if I wanted to go to Weight Watchers with her and I said I would. I actually started at a very difficult time - right in the middle of the Winter Olympics that had overtaken the state I lived in and especially, the city I worked in. The entire office was working 12-hour shifts and working five days a week - if you can't count, that is a 60-hour week and we were doing it for four weeks. I was working the graveyard shift - which was 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. To offset those issues, we took turns bringing in food and cooking dinner. Well, the one thing I can tell you is, we had some awfully delicious meals - and I don't think any of them weren't calorically challenging. But, even with this challenge, I started Weight Watchers and I was very successful in it - at one point, I had lost over fifty pounds and kept that fifty off for almost three years. But, I have to say the biggest thing it brought about, was a knowledge of what I was doing to my body and my kids. I learned to make better choices nutritionally and became more educated - I try to make better decisions. Even though I have been up and down with my weight, at least I have more knowledge.During this year, I developed my love of cruising. This crazy overtime I worked during the Olympics paid for me and my kids to go on an Alaskan cruise with my kids and several other members of my family. It was an amazing journey and we had the most marvelous time. We saw amazing scenery and loved our time on that ship.
And the biggest thing from 2002 was my move. My kids had all been raised in a split-level corner lot in Kearns that George and I bought from my brother. It had a HUGE yard and a sloped driveway. About halfway through building this huge 2-car garage onto this house, I suddenly decided I wanted to sell my house. I hated the huge yard, it was a pain in the ass to mow - the sloped driveway was horrible in the winter, because it was a huge pain in the ass to shovel. And guess what, without George there, it fell on me and Rodger to do the mowing and the shoveling. And this is about how the decision came about - and literally it was this quick:
Crystal: "I think I am going to move out and get my own apartment. I am 21-years-old and I should be out on my own and not living here with you."
Me: "OK, I think I am going to sell the house then and buy a condo."
And the rest was history and probably the only moment I have ever had a spontaneous moment in my life. I contacted a realtor. Put the house on the market. Took about four months to sell; but during that time I was able to PURGE - the kids and I went through every room and got rid of so much accumulation; 16 years worth of accumulation. I found the condo of my dreams and KayeLynn, Rodger and I moved in. Our first day at the condo was on Christmas Eve 2002. Because of how the funding took place with the house, the kids and I had to spend like three days with my mom because the money wasn't there until the next Monday - Christmas Eve. My mom had tried to get me to spend that night there with her - but, I would have none of it. I wanted to be in my own home; my new home. My new home with a huge, beautiful kitchen (I still dream of that kitchen and wish the one I had now was half of what that was), three beautiful bedrooms - the master bedroom having it's own bath and a HUGE walk-in closet, a community clubhouse, workout room and swimming pool. It was my dream, it was what I wanted and it was mine!! I did it myself and was probably the proudest moment of my life - a moment I was proud of myself.
P.S. I like this post - the last couple of posts have felt empty and boring - I liked this one alot. Especially since I have thought for the last two days "what the heck am I going to write about?"
I didn't know that you just decided when I said I was moving out! I always thought you had been like waiting on me. I really like this post. Its funny, I made mine on this subject really easy and you made it really detailed. I love it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I don't know what you did to your blog but I cant find my way around!
It truly was that spur of the moment - I mean, I had thought about how I wanted to move from time to time, but, I never really set my mind to it. It was you saying you were going to move that really made that push.
DeleteAND - I wasn't sure if I liked this template, I mean, I like the look - but, I didn't like how it lost a lot of my stuff. So, I guess I will change it back.