145.6 Quaking Aspen Spokane Valley

I noticed the largest Quaking Aspen trees I have ever seen yesterday, while waiting at the bus stop to come home from substitute teaching. You know how normally it feels awkward, standing at a bus stop and watching all the drivers go by in their cars while you have to take the bus? Well, waiting at a bus stop is not bad at all if you have beautiful Quaking Aspen trees like these to gaze at. I just watched them quake in the wind and listened to the rustling of their leaves for most of the 20 minutes I was waiting for the bus.

The first few minutes I noticed the caps and gowns some of the students had with them. I asked them how it felt to be graduating from high school next week and what they would be doing after graduation. That was fun, too.

I took a short video of these Aspen trees, as well. Yes, that is my voice you hear in the video. It is very short, just a few seconds. If you know what to listen for, you can hear the Aspen leaves rustling as they quake in the wind.

 In other news, today makes three months that I have kept the weight off! It was March 2, 2012 when I first posted that I was at my goal weight of under 150.

Keeping the weight off is the hardest part for most of us. It is easier this time because I have viewed this as a lifetime lifestyle change, and not just a diet that I was on for a while. I know I can never go back to eating cookies and ice cream whenever I feel like it. I don't even keep that stuff in the house, so that I don't think about it most of the time. I have trained myself to think of an apple with peanut butter as a treat.

I lost 1.4 pounds yesterday. It was probably mostly water retention weight from the salty chili dip I ate Thursday for dinner. I walked the dogs a mile. I walked half a mile associated with taking the bus home from work. I substitute taught, which entails being on my feet most of the day, walking around the room to see what students are up to. Here is what I ate yesterday:

Fuji apple with peanut butter and chocolate chips
Two peanut butter cookies from the vending machine
Raw baby carrots with Parmesan spinach dip
Three snicker doodles that the students made
Bean and cheese burrito with salsa
Fuji apple with peanut butter and chocolate chips
Cup of corn tortilla chips