finally

Well, I think you are all aware at this point that my time online is always limited, so checking in on all of you (and myself) has been hard! I do have a couple minutes to write you all a good post though.

Weight loss: I have had some since I started the academy. I haven't been on the scale this week, so I cannot tell you how much exactly. I know I'm at or below pre-Christmas weight, which is thrilling to me because it was the 50 lb mark, I hated yo-yoing on that line. Exercise has been good, not that I have a choice at this point, but eating has been not so good. That saying about how poor people make worse food choices because that is what is cheapest seems to be ringing true in my life. When you get to a electric OR water, phone OR insurance point in your life, which do you pay first? Food becomes the LAST thing in the budget, which means we are eating as much free stuff as possible. Free stuff is bad carb, sugary JUNK. I'm doing my best to stay smart, but if I want to eat, I may not have a choice. Not a sob story, just how it is...

The academy is going well. Academically I am doing fine, physically, I thought I would perform better than I am, but I'm not doing terrible. The fighting/defensive portion is hardest for me. I am not hands on, I don't fight (they had to teach me to punch this week, really)...I always add an extra please when giving demands, please get down on the ground doesn't sound very authoritative. So that has been the biggest struggle. BUT, I'm five weeks down 18 to go, so that is almost 1/4 of the way through.

Thanks for all of your warm thoughts and wishes. I miss you all. I'll try to post a picture of my new hair cut. It is so short because it had to be off the collar. I got really tired of the bun. We had to run stairs the other day with a sandbag over our shoulders, every time I got it around my neck, my ponytail would get caught under the sandbag, making it very hard to look down. I chopped my hair off THAT NIGHT. It is cute, but short! Keep your head up everyone. I'll do the same!