Flash 55, Take 58

Flood waters came washing over her
as panic took control. How was she going
to get out of this one?

She felt the tide pull as her hair floated around her face.
She struggled to come to the top. She was drowning.

A knock on the door followed by, "Mom, get out of the bathroom!"

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If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you
can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flash 55 ~ Take 57

He gave her something she had never in her life had.

It was a thing that all humans need in order to survive
life as we know it.

She was reluctant to take it from him since it was such a
precious gift, but she knew she had to.

Self confidence is hard to find.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you
can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flash 55 ~ Take 56

Turmoil ruled her surroundings but was
nothing compared to the chaos in her head.

The flood gates had been opened after being
rusted shut for years. She had been deprived for too long.

This left no doubt about the path her life would take.

There was no going back now. She was on a mission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flash 55 ~ Take 55

The harshness of nature had taken it's toll on Melanie.
She had to drag gallon pails through deep snow
to the livestock. They counted on her.

She knew that because of tough times, she would be asked to make
a difficult decision.

Which one of her "friends" would she chose to feed to her family?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flash 55 ~ Take 54

She wasn't sure she was ready to hear the answer
she was desperately seeking. She had waited so long
to know that her hands were shaking as she fumbled for
her phone.

She could barely contain her nervousness as she heard
the sound of an incoming text.

This was going to change her life forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flash 55 ~ Take 53

The sound of boots echoed on the pavement
as feet began to walk quicker.

Jamie hated feeling vulnerable as darkness
enveloped the entire street.

Out of the blackness, a shadow swooped down
and knocked him to the ground.

As her teeth sunk deep into Jamie's flesh,
he felt himself dying a slow, painless, sweet death.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. This year I'll be spending it with my childhood friend. We are dressing up and going to the bars tonight. Tomorrow she is taking me to my first college football game at Michigan State University (sorry G-Man). Tomorrow night we are going to a swanky party at her friend's house. It's going to be a great weekend!

Happy Halloween!!

Flash 55, Take 52~Patience

She taught me more about life than any other.

Throwing me to the ground while standing next to me laughing.

Patience was a virtue when dealing with her. She had a mind of her own.

I didn't mind trudging through snow carrying pails of water because I knew she would always be there for me.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I took a different walk yesterday. I walked from my childhood home to the small town where I grew up. Walking through the country was very enjoyable for me.

Along the way, I met a horse that looked exactly like the one my family had when I was a kid growing up (see picture above). My mom had just remarried and we didn't have two nickels to rub together. My stepdad had and enormous piggy bank that they decided to break so that they could buy a horse for us. I remember that the saddle was worth more than the horse. $250 for both. What a bargain, right?

What my parents didn't know was that the horse had only been half broken and then left in a field for 6 years. This horse had no manners.

My first challenge was to try and saddle her up. She would bloat her stomach out so far that I wasn't able to cinch the saddle properly. I would jump on the saddle only to end up underneath the horse.

It was hard as hell learning to ride on a horse whose only thought was to get you off her back. Her idea of a ride was to take me under the pine trees to try to flip me off. If I survived in tact on her back, she would then buck until I fell to the ground, sometimes losing consciousness. How I survived is beyond me.

The only thing I know is that that horse taught me more about patience than any other thing in my life.

Flash 55, Take 51

Watching the crescent moon rise reminds me that fall is in the air. The crispness of the air and the smell of dry leaves crackling under my feet makes me feel like a child again, about to fall into a giant pile of colors.

Fall colors give way to my favorite time, snow play, yay!

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If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flash 55, Take 50

Jamin knew what he wanted the moment he saw it.
A plan was concocted to bring his desires to fruition.
His attempts were valiant but satisfaction was not immediate.

Food was the way to a woman's heart. Jamin laid his trap.
She was almost his but remained just out of his reach.

Here kitty, kitty.

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If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flash 55, Take 49

Three years had made a difference in her life.
Her world had changed in ways she had never dreamed.

Words on a screen had given her the piece of mind
she needed.

The friends she had made were priceless.
They picked her up when she was down and celebrated
her triumphs.

Happy 3rd blogging anniversary!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today marks my 3rd year of blogging. I cannot imagine my life without it. Blogging gave me the courage to change some things that I really disliked about myself and I'm so grateful for it and all of the amazing friends I have made along the way.

Here is my first post:

Wondering How I Got Here....

Wow, just realizing that life is passing me by and quickly. Seems like just yesterday I was 15. Now I'm approaching middle age! Funny how we become numb to everyday life. Just moving through it but not really living only maintaining.

I have searched my soul and decided to make some changes in my life. I'm attempting to overcome my obsession with food addiction. I have for years stuffed whatever I wanted into my mouth without fearing the outcome. Now it's time to start being responsible for ME.

I'm attempting a starvation diet of sorts. I am only eating one meal a day. That meal can consist of whatever I want (still can't tell myself no) only in very small portions. My goal is to become anerexic (of course I'm kidding). It seems to be working. I've lost 14 pounds in 10 days! I'm ecstatic!

It's truly amazing how things have changed. Thank you all! *wipes away a tear*

Flash 55, Take 48

She had never enjoyed change.
Life spun around her,
but she normally ignored it.

Now, life was begging her to pay attention.
It was time to set some goals as
to where the future would propel her.

What would she do? Where would she go?

Even the crystal ball did not know, how would it?

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If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flash 55, Take 47

Debbie knew the pain would be terrible.

Her life was changing.

Why had she chosen this form of mutilation?

She knew her daughter would take good care of her during this ordeal.

The last thing she remembered was kissing her daughter on the cheek before she awoke to her new life after weight loss surgery.

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If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My mother is having Roux En Y gastric bypass surgery tomorrow. This is the same surgery that Mr. Sign and I had. The same surgeon will be performing Mom's.

I will be staying with her in the hospital to take care of her and get her going on her road to better health.

My happiness for her is hard for me to contain. She's waited so long for this and has watched me shine. Now it's her turn. I love you mommy!

Flash 55, Take 46

As the gentle rain falls on the last leaves of summer,
I'm reminded of the changes that are occurring around me.

Summer will soon turn to autumn. Our long walks on the beach will be distant memories. The way you touched my sun kissed skin will be buried deep in my mind.

Please don't leave.

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If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I haven't done any weight loss pictures in a while. I had #2 take some this morning before I went to jury duty (check back next week for that story). Even though I've only lost 11 pounds since April, I was amazed at how much my body has changed. That's what working out like a crazy woman will get you :)

(All pictures can be clicked on to see the full sized image.
There is a button on the left side in the Photobucket site that lets you see the full size)

I think this set is the most telling of how far I've come.
I cannot believe I'm the same person:



I did not believe this was me when I downloaded the pictures.
I cried when I saw this picture:




I cried for the person I used to be and I cried for the person I've become. I'm trying to learn to overlook all of my imperfections. I need to be happy with the way I look. I should be ecstatic since I've defied the odds and lost more than any doctor ever dreamed I could. I should dance a jig that I've gone from a size 36 pant to a size 12. I should delight in the fact that I can contort my body in ways I'd never dreamed since losing over half of my body weight. I should scream "Hell Yeah!", every morning when I jump on the scale and see that I'm still down more than 200 pounds.

I forget who I am sometimes and still feel like the fat woman that I once was and have a hard time understanding why people are treating me so nicely. It's not until I look in the mirror that I remember that I'm not her anymore. The problem is, I don't know who I am...

Flash 55, Take 45

It is amazing how three little words can change your life.

Words can make your stomach fill with butterflies
and wonder how you will go on. Your head spins and
the ground below you moves.

The world will never be the same.

Be careful with your words. You never
know how they will affect someone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flash 55, Take 44

As they lay on their backs with the sun
streaming over their bodies, they knew
that things would never be the same.

There was no going back from this point.
The guilt they felt would stay with them
forever.

How could they explain this to everyone?

Why does junk food have to taste so good?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tonight I will be partaking in a girls night out margarita party. This is an annual event that my mom and aunt have. We will be spending the night at my grandparents pond, eating s'mores and drinking around the fire until the cows come home. I can't wait!

Have a great weekend!

Flash 55, Take 43

Her pulse raced as thoughts flew through her head.

She worked up the nerve and began her decent into madness.

She had never broken so many rules and she liked how it made her feel.

The nerves tingling throughout her body made her know she was alive.

Who knew rule breaking could feel so good?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here to learn about it.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On my walk today I decided to break the rules. A new path is being made with bridges that are still not open to the public.

I decided to push aside the barriers:



Climb over the caution tape, steel girders and fencing:



and make my way along the new path with the wind blowing my hair wildly:



After I had finished that, I decided to completely throw caution to the wind and climb inside the Michigan Cat bull dozer. Thankfully, the keys weren't in it or I'd probably be in jail right now:



I passed a friendly little snake:



My next rule to break will be to swim across the lake to the island
(please save up money to pay for my bail):






Thanks for taking a walk with me today! Have a great weekend and remember to answer that phone when I call for bail money ;)

Flash 55, Take 41

She stepped into the room with trepidation.

"I'm not used to doing things this way," she whispered.

"I don't want to hurt you."

Her hands shook as she picked up her tool of the trade.

I felt confident that she could do the job.

The drill whined as the dentist drilled my tooth without anesthesia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was inspired to write this since I had to have an old filling replaced yesterday. I had asked the dentist ahead of time if she would do it without anesthesia. She said she really didn't want to so I explained that it took 8 or more hours for it to wear off and that I had a really high tolerance for pain. I had to promise that I would let her know if she hurt me.

I'm not kidding when I say that the dentist was nervous. I mean, her hands were shaking. I assured her that I had had this procedure without being numbed several times.

The entire procedure took less than 5 minutes because she didn't have to wait for me to numb up. It didn't hurt. Both the dentist and her assistant said that I was tough, haha! The receptionist called me a rock star, which was weird because she was the third person in 2 days to call me that.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm off to play in a Texas Hold 'em tournament. Wish me good cards :)

Flash 55, Take 40

"Come on, let's get moving," she said.

This was the moment he had dreaded since
the first time they had met.

He knew she was not going to be easy on him.

With trepidation he began to move as his pulse
began to race.

"Let's log some walking miles!"

This was going to be tough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here.
If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flash 55, Take 39

Every morning I wake up and loathe the thought of using you.

You make my life miserable in more ways than one.
My children cannot use you, therefore I am forced
to use you more than once a day.

I've tried to replace you, but engineers had
another big idea.


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If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here. If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyone else annoyed by the new milk containers? They are flat on top, which I understand makes them easier to stack in the trucks and stores. The issues start when you try to pour milk from them. It dribbles down the sides and leaves that disgusting milk crust on everything. Forget letting kids try and pour their own milk. All those years of training down the tubes. I'm having to retrain myself.

This weekend will be busy once again. I'm helping with a bridal shower tea tomorrow during the day for my cousin. I'm making cucumber sandwiches and cream puffs. Should be fun doing all that baking when the temperature is 96 degrees outside.

Tomorrow night is the big bachelorette party. All my crazy cousins will be in attendance. We are going on the river boat. The last time I ended up being the baby sitter for my aunts and grandma. Grams was drunk, something unusual for her, and she was out dancing with the 25 year old hot guys. Go Grams!!

I have the jello shots made and I'm planning on trying one on myself. Mr. Sign will be my chauffeur, whether he knows it or not. Look out world, SignGurl's on the loose!

Have a great one!

Flash 55, Take 38

The gentle breeze on my bare skin
makes me come alive.

The trees sway overhead as the smell
of wildflowers overwhelms me.

The anticipation of your touch sends
electricity through me.

Beads of perspiration follow the curves of my back.

Why do you torment me like this?

I've waited my entire life for this moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are interested in attempting to write a 55, you can visit here. If you do one, go tell G-Man that you did.

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