I'M NOT FAT ANYMORE HIP HIP HOORAY!!

And then there was April.  And then came May.  And here we are.

Running.  That's the ticket. Or at the least, that's the reason I hurt from head to toe this particular evening. It's also why I know that I live almost exactly 4 miles from my little brother's house, door to door. And then, almost exactly 4 miles back, in case you're wondering.  Across a road bridge, around and through 4 small parks, along a dried up river bed where people ride horses, past a Christian church, an LDS temple, an elementary school, a junior high, a high school soccer field, and an adult education... place.  Through dirt, over roads, along side walks. In the sun. Over the lizards and the acorns and the trash. Straight through an inappropriately timed "Earth Day Celebration" (because by the way, wasn't Earth Day... not today??) which included booths for "new energies" and Mexican food and... some hipster dude with a beard and a guitar and far too little body fat.  I'm not the weird one, Earth Day Celebrators who stared confused at the jogger in their midst. You're the one blocking the trail with your tents and your hipsters.  You're the one who seems to smoke too much pot to remember that Earth Day was like, 2 weeks ago or something.  I'm not the weird one.

I know I say it bunches and bunches, but running is COOL, guys.  It makes your body hurt, but hurt in a way that says "I'm a super cool badass who RUNS".  And it's grand. Running accomplishes multiple goals. Today, running got me to visit my sister-in-law and my outrageously adorable neice. And then running took me home.

Oh yeah, and running got me down to a a new low weight, and a new goal met: 154.8. Guys... I'm  not fat anymore. I'm officially, albeit, barely, a HEALTHY WEIGHTED PERSON. Thanks, Running!

And, AND, once upon a time, running did this:

That's me in April of 2010, then April of 2011, just after completing a 13.1 mile run. 45 pounds of weight lost in the line between those pictures. 45 pounds that were replaced by health. Joy. And the beginnings of comfort in my own skin.  It was pretty sweet.

So I haven't been blogging. And I haven't been doing an AWESOME job losing weight. But I'm making better choices. Eating less, and of course, finding time for running. And I'm sure bunches of you have gym memberships or yoga mats or PX90 DVDs that keep your hineys nice and tight, but it's definitely going to be running for me. 7 miles Monday.  8 today. That's where I get my little piece of awesome.

Post 7 mile run, legs gave out, don't care anymore that I'm allergic to grass, selfie:

Oh, and as a note to people who like to pull your car up behind runners and then honk at them? Eat poo and die. Because the one thing my already strained cardiovascular system didn't need was a heart attack.  You massive jerks.