WLJ: Loving me

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Count me among those who used to refer to it as Singles Awareness Day. Even if you're single the whole year, for some reason this day is the day you feel MOST single.  I understand completely.  I have been there.  I remember those days of watching all the flower deliveries come in, and go to everyone else.  They happened in high school, college and then in the workplace. It kind of sucks.

Last year, I decided to adopt a new perspective and view it and use it as a day to love me and pamper myself.  Sure, I can do that any day, but couples can also choose any day to say "I love you," yet Feb. 14 is reserved for it.  So, this is my way of joining in the fun.

Here are five things I love about myself:
- My soft heart. Even though it comes with lots of tears, it also allows me to genuinely care about other people.
- My independence. I am fine going to movies, dinner, etc. by myself, and I've taken care of plenty of household repairs on my own.
- My eyes. They are my favorite physical feature even though my hair gets the most compliments.
- My loyalty. Someone really has to hurt me to lose my support.
- My passion for the things I love.  Sports and music own my heart. I like how invested I am in my favorite teams and musicians.

Here are five things I'm going to do for myself today:
- Buy chocolate covered strawberries. (I actually did that last night, but it still counts.)
- Buy flowers.
- Manicure. Probably while I watch my Tuesday night TV.
- Have a glass of wine.
- Spend the evening offline.

In January, I joined the 10-pound Challenge hosted by Newlyweds on a Budget. We are one-third of the way through the challenge, and in that time, I am down 5 lbs.!!  Wow.  I really can't believe I've made that much progress. When the scale only drops a little bit each week, it's easy to lose sight of how that can add up.

Weight-loss goal: 40 lbs.
This week's progress: -1.4 lbs.
Progress to date: -19.2 lbs.
Non-scale victory: My new Zumba shoes arrived just in time for my Friday class. I've only gotten to try them out once, but so far, I really like them.  I promise to offer a review after a few more classes.

I'm going to start linking up each Tuesday as well. It's always good to have support.