2012 is about halfway over, but this is finally the year of change for me. In January, after agonizing about it for months, I finally cut off my waist-length hair and donated it. I’m due for another cut here soon, but I have to say it feels so freeing to have shorter hair again!
I had gone over a year as a non-smoker, until I started my stressful fast-food job and discovered you really only get a break if you smoke. A bummed cigarette here and there led back to full blown addiction. About 2 months ago, my boyfriend (a 13 year smoker) and myself switched completely to nicotine vaporizers and haven’t had a cigarette since. I will never, ever go back to cigarettes.
In April, on a whim, I submitted my resume to a local casino to hopefully be accepted into their Blackjack dealer training program. I thought it was a long-shot, and I was beyond excited when they called me to come in and interview. I made it through, and now I am coming up on my last week of training. All I have to do now is rock my audition and have my gaming license approved. I have such high hopes for this job opportunity!
On April 13th, my boyfriend and I made the decision to give up carbs and sugar and follow a keto diet. I started off weighing 156 pounds (a number I am ashamed of - I had weighed 132 in February 2011. Working in fast food and indulging in beer and cocktails really caught up with me). Today, only 5 weeks later, I am down to 142. That’s right, 14 pounds in 5 weeks with no exercise, side effects or starvation. I feel fantastic and I am so excited to continue losing weight and keeping it off. It is a lifestyle change moreso than it is a diet, but it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made.
Sunday, May 13th was my last day at Sonic. I know it sounds crazy to leave my job before I was guaranteed this blackjack dealer position, but I have extreme confidence and now I have plenty of time to devote to practicing and perfecting my skills and knowledge.
Monday, May 14th, at the age of 26, I did something I have been putting of for 10 years - I got my driver’s license! I passed the test on my first try, despite sweating like a whore in church and worrying the entire time that I would botch it. Since then, a huge weight has been lifted. Driving is no longer this scary, awful, foreign thing. I’ve been driving myself to training class all week (it’s about a 20-25 minute drive during rush hour Kansas City traffic) without having even a hint of a meltdown.
Today, while my boyfriend slept, I put on my big-girl panties and drove myself to Sonic, where I picked up my last check. I then drove over to the bank to deposit it, and then I went ahead and had the notary public sign off on my application for my gaming license. For the first time pretty much ever, I felt like a real adult. I felt like, “Wow, I accomplished something. I ran errands all on my own, for me.”
I did it. I set goals for myself this year that I am actually accomplishing. I’ve made it.
