embracing womanhood...

So yesterday was suppose to run down like this....Fishing clinic with the boys at park, go to Jolene's to p/u new Basic Grey and Tim Holtz Ink container, lunch out with kids....then home.

Didn't happen that way...

I woke up and made the executive decision NOT to shower since we were fishing and since it was going to be 98 degrees out. Thought I would just wait until we got home. The morning hair was slicked back into a pony and didn't look all that bad. The legs....well....they were a good 2 days past needing to be shaved, but we were fishing....my kids weren't going to care. The clothes were a comfy pair of work-out shorts and a tank (that has seen better days) with the built in bra....cause I refused to wear a bra in this heat!! Out the door we went....

then my cell phone rings....it's my FIL saying that the clinic was cancelled!!! WHAT the heck! Now what are we going to do....and the drama from my oldest, who was SO looking forward to this, was at best....horrific!

So we went over to the in-laws anyway....My sister-in-law and her boys were down from Chicago for a visit, and they were going to fish too. So we decided to meet and make a game plan for the day.....ended up that THEY were going to take all the kids to the park...feed them lunch....AND take them to the pool in the afternoon....without ME!! woohoo...I suddenly found myself with a free afternoon and no kids!!

This is were the whole womanhood thing came into play...incase you wondered where I was going with all this....

Remember back to what I looked like and what I was wearing....yep....pretty much a big scum-bag....NICE! But that didn't stop me....I decided that I was going shopping for clothes...I am down 25 lbs so far and things are getting to big to get by with. So I get into the store and immediately see 5 racks of clearance stuff....a big WOOHOO!! Found a bunch of stuff that I loved and headed to the dressing room. Tried on some yes's and for sure no's! Then I found myself standing in front of the big 3 sided mirror in this cute little skirt and halter....admiring 1, how stinkin' cute the outfit was, and 2, that the size of my ass had significantly decreased!! I was in my own little heaven for a moment....until I looked a bit higher and caught my reflection looking back at me....YIKES...crazy hair, hairy legs, and altogether disheveledness....The lady working at the store probably thought I was a shoplifter. BUT THEN, I looked at the outfit again and realized that the bad hair and hairy legs didn't matter. I was posing and twirling around in this outfit like a kid...looking at some long lost curves and shape that I have been missing for a long time....and feeling fantastic about it....I was seeing the woman in that mirror that I had felt like for years, but that never seemed to be looking back at me!! It was a HUGE victory for me, and a reminder that the journey I'm on both physically and mentally are SO worth it. So my lesson for myself today is.....Embrace womanhood....the good, the bad, and the HAIRY....Today I felt the best I had in a long time...despite the need for shampoo and a good razor.

And....the best part....I got an entire outfit for $12!!! Man I love a good clearance rack!!