What a FUN Weekend! and some interesting insights..

I had one of the most fun weekends that I have had in a LONG Time..an absolute blast! My best friend Mary from home (we have been friends since Seventh Grade and have only gotten closer throughout the years)..We talk every Sunday night and Mary is the friend that I can tell everything to, trust completely and not worry about judgement. Mary is a Psychologist (a Doctor! she hates when I call her Dr.) and I should probably be billed for all the sessions we have had. Best part about Mary is that I can be upset with her, talk through things, but at the same time just have fun and laugh. I can honestly say that Mary has been such a huge part of this journey and will continue to be..I cannot even tell you how nice it was to be able to talk about anything and everything, so openly....We had the absolute BEST time and just laughed and talked and talked and talked....I will give an update on what we did (Sean you can have all the goods) and then I will update on some of my insights

Mary got in around 7:30ish on Friday night..I left work early so I was home around 6:30 (thank Goodness the cleaning lady was able to come..my apartment was unlivable prior to Friday). Mary got in and we just caught up and chatted for a bit. I had planned on a more low key Friday night so we could have a productive Friday night. We went to one of my favorite restaurants in the Village, Extra Virgin. The wait was about an hour for an outside table, but it was nice out, so we decided to wait for it and have a glass of wine at the bar. Well worth the wait. We split a bottle of wine and had delicious fish for dins..We closed down the outside of the restaurant. We left around 11ish and decided to call it a night so we could rest up for Saturday game and Saturday night. I had pilates at noon on Saturday and Mar walked around while I had my appt..on a side note, LOVE LOVE pilates..i just need to now do a bit at the gym on my own between sessions. After Pilates, we went to Jake's Saloon to watch the game. But, they had no tables left, which was a bummer. We tried one other bar nearby that was a no go and ended up at Flight 151 in my neighborhood. they have good food so I was fine with it. It wasn't bumpin at first, but then it go more lively as people started to show up. My friend Alex and her friend Ben met us...Soo much fun but the loss was such a bummer..I was pumped up to say the least, leading cheers in the bar, and rallying support..one other guy was also really into it and we were cheering it up (while others looked at us like we were nuts). after the game, we came home and chilled / napped a bit and then got ready for dinner (getting ready with a girlfriend is still one of my fave things..such great memories from college..mustic playing, doing makeup, etc..). We had a 9:15 resi at Budakhan..I had only been able to get 7 earlier int he week, but called during the day on Sat and was able to move it later. Got there on time (that was a first for me) and only had to wait about 15 mins which was the shortest time ever for me there. I think Mar liked the restaurant and the vibe. def one of my faves. For dinner, we ordered a bottle of wine, and split steamed sole entree, edamame dumpling, tuna tar tar spring rolls and rock shrimp app. Now, i did great food wise, ate slow, etc...only weakness/retrospective bad choice food wise was the rock shrimp..fried but so delicious..it is my fave thing on the menu and I couldn't resist..will resist next time though. ONly bad decision besides that was ordering a second bottle of wine (esp given the fact that I was plenty "happy" after the first..needless to say, was in rare form by the end of dinner..After dinner we went across the street to the bar/lounge on the rooftop of the Maritime hotel..good music and dancing. We ended up going to the patio at the bar downstairs though because Alex and her friend Ben met us and they wouldn't let Ben in upstairs because he had on Shorts (i'm all about shorts, but you really just can't/shouldn't wear them at night in NYC if you want to go out guys..)..Well, we could still hear the music and a lack of a dance floor did not hold back my moves..I was in rare form but we had a BLAST...I have not had that much fun in a long time...We ended up coming home around 2:30 and passing out..today, Mary left for an early flight (1pm)....so just woke up and ordered in bfast..I have been in bed basically all day, took a big nap..I am just not feeling in good shape but worth every minute of it!!





While I could go on and on about everything that we talked about, a couple of things that stuck out for me as I think about me and my journey, perceptions of how others view me being overweight, etc...First of all, I showed Mary my stomach and scars..the scars don't bother me but some of the beautiful stretch marks do..now, I was thinking i wouldn't show her because I was embarrassed, but I ended up showing her. I felt so exposed, but Mary could have cared less...it is funny, later at dinner (again, given the wine, we talked about everything and nothing was off limits...granted, that is how we are sober as well)..I at one point was talking about how I always gave my friends such credit for liking me beyond my weight and how I wondered how much they thought about it..now, perhaps I am not giving people enough credit, but i guess it is how I have perceived myself. I know I am nice, fun, whatever but I always thought of me as the "fat" nice, fun friend. Well Mary said that honestly, she never first thinks about my weight when she thinks of me..that it has never bothered her, etc..and, she said that she didn't think twice about my stomach..whereas I was tortured at the thought of her seeing it...She also interestingly predicted that I will tell other people in the future...She is fully supportive of me telling no one or everyone but she thinks I might change my mind in the future..perhaps she is right...for now, no but who knows how I will feel months from now...We also talked about how I hate when someone asks "what is new."..i.e. my friends who are asking "have you met anyone"..now, this really bothered me especially as I have been overweight, was depressed over the past 8 months and had met no one...haha..literally hate the question...Mary said that she definitely noticed i had lost weight and she was just so supportive...I cannot even express how wonderful she made me feel and how much I loved being able to share everything..she has made such a difference in my life and I love her so much (Mary, i know you will read this and I thank you for Everything you have done for me and I love you so much!!)...it was exciting for someone to notice...on that note, also had one of the assistants at work stop me on Friday to tell me I look amazing..it really made my day.she said she had meant to tell me for weeks and I had lost so much weight..this woman is also larger, and I think that perhaps people who are bigger are more cognizant of other larger people's size? maybe i'm nuts..regardless, made my day...

So, while I think I might pay for some of my antics last night in terms of a lil weight gain, my continued headache/drowsy feeling, i had the most wonderful time and am just so happy..not a regular thing, but I lived my life, did really well sans a lot of wine and I felt so loved and supported...

ok, i am rambling and better get sleep....early day tomorrow...

-Meghan