Hearts Torn In Every Way

The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase.
—  Yogi Berra
[Today my wife will be boarding a jet to go visit her family back in Liverpool.  Her mum isn’t doing too well these days and this may be Hil’s last chance to be with her before her mum passes.  The trip will be sad for Hil and lonely for me as she will be away for seven weeks.  As with every separation, I miss her before she has even gone.  Sometimes, I’m just silly that way…
PS:  Today’s post title is a line from the song: “Ferry Cross The Mersey“, by Gerry and the Pacemakers.  Liverpool sits on the north shore of the River Mersey estuary.  LOL  …And so ends today’s combo musical lyrics and geography lesson for today.  —  KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2018	Recently Seen On A T-shirt:
2017	Rhythmical Creation
2016	In The Beginning
2015	False Gods
2014	But Sometimes Careers Choose People
2013	Pretty Sure Of Uncertainty
2012	Face Reality
2011	Intelligent Luck

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Looking Forward to Tomorrow

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day.  Don’t clean it up too quickly.
—  Andy Rooney
[With our own children all grown up and no grand-children to bless us (yet), our living room is much less messy than in past years.  As we host the family for Christmas dinner, the same cannot be said for our kitchen and dining room table come the evening.  But we love it so and would not have it any other way…
Merry Christmas to all!!  Be safe!  And, if you are so inclined, say a prayer of thanks for those in harm’s way (and their families) who keep us safe.
—  KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2017	Make Glad The Heart Of Childhood
2016	Sincerest Flattery
	The President-elect: Making Spirits Bright
2015	What Are You Looking At?
2014	Ite, Missa Est
2013	I Hear Voices
2012	Positive Thoughts
	Hope Works
2011	Look! Up In The Sky…
	Humility Before The Unknowable

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Happy 34th Anniversary, Hil!!

When in a relationship, a real man doesn’t make his woman jealous of others, he makes others jealous of his woman.
―  Steve Maraboli
From: “Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience“
[Happy 34th Anniversary, Hil
You are still everything which is precious to me…
Love Always, Your Kev XXX 00 X
— KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2017	Happy 33rd Anniversary, Hil!!
2016	Happy 32nd Anniversary, Hil!!
2015	Happy Anniversary Hil!!
2014	30th Wedding Anniversary
2013	Number 29 (And Counting)
2012	Hammer ‘N Roses
	Happy Anniversary
2011	I Can Hear It Now

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Forever

Forever & Ever, Amen
[Happy Birthday, Hil !!
All my love,
— ALWAYS —
Your Kev
(XXX – OOO – XXX) ]
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On This Day In:
2017	Too Good To Be True
	Plain Speaking
2016	She Is Still Singing
2015	Don’t Complain
2014	Nothing Is The Same
	Orange October (XII) – Giants Win Game 7 (3 To 2) And World Series (4 To 3)
2013	Hours, Days, And Years
2012	In Kev Are In Hil
2011	No Game, Didn’t Really Happen
	A Good Post

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Day 17: Fit In 48’s

The end of day seventeen and the start of day eighteen…
Morning weight:  347lbs.
The scale is bouncing between 347 and 345, so I am being conservative (again).  I am now down “26/33”.  As in, 26lbs down from my fasting start weight: 373lbs, and 33lbs down from my highest weight ever (two days before I started the fast): 380lbs.  Today’s loss is a 2lb loss, down from 349lbs yesterday.
I had a rough night for some reason.  We went to bed early – just after 11pm and I woke up at 3am and couldn’t go back to sleep.  I laid in bed until 3:45am, and then just went ahead and got up.  …And stayed up.  The problem then is I was sleepy (and nodding off) for the whole rest of the day.  Because I was tired (sleepy) today, I didn’t make my new batch of veggie juice / blend.  Instead, I made up a batch of ginger / mint / apple juice “tea”.  I’ll make up the juice / blend tomorrow.
Just out of curiosity I tried on some of my “smaller” pants.  For about the last three years up to and including my retirement, I wore size 50inch waist in my pants.  Today, I am able to fit into size 48inch waist.  They would not be super comfortable, but I can button them easily and sit without them pinching / binding too much.  So, more progress!!
My son (James) came over to visit today.  It was his day off.  He stayed for about 4 hours, so we had a chance to have a nice long chat (even though I felt rude yawning all the time).  I really enjoy the visits from the kids.
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On This Day In:
2017	Too Soon We Part…
	Rigorous And Difficult
2016	Where And Why
2015	The Beauty Of Thy Voice
2014	Faith In Men
2013	An Average Verge
2012	Dew Drop Secrets
2011	Champion Freedom

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Day 7: Oh, Yeah!

The end of day seven and the start of day eight…
One week done!!  Yippie!  Goal accomplished!
Yesterday evening was difficult, but only from a self-discipline perspective.  The thing about juice fasting is if you do it for any length of time, you are bound to run into a “LIFE” event.  Usually, it’s holidays and birthdays, but sometimes it’s something else.  Last evening was something else…
My eldest daughter has decided to run for a political office (non-partisan, but she still has to get elected).  Last evening was her campaign kick-off event held at a bar(!).  Technically, it was at a brewery, but I’m not sure that’s any better.  So, there was lots of socializing and everyone was having a beer or glass of wine and the event hosted a taco buffet (with a plate of cookies at each table).  Anyway, I toughed it out.  My wife and I are so proud of our little girl (not so little anymore), you know we just couldn’t miss it.  And, yes, my wife was very sympathetic to my fasting – as she sent me to the bar to get her a pint of beer.
I have enough veggie juice to make it through the weekend, if I choose to continue.  So far I am doing just that.  Drum roll please…  Morning weight: 362lbs.  That’s down from 380lbs on 20 July 2018.  Again, discounting stomach and extra water weight (10lbs), that’s 8lbs lost in 7 days!  In case, you’re wondering why I am always using 380lbs as the starting weight even though it wasn’t the actual start date of the fast, it’s because that’s the date I hit the (my) personal worst.  Between then and 27 July (mid-morning) when I started the fast, that is the weight I was bouncing around.  378 to 380.  The “actual” weight on the start day was 380lbs.
Impressions:  at the end of 7 days, my muffin top and my saddle bags are smaller, my stomach looks a bit flatter and I’ve lost some of the puffiness under my eyes.  I’m not deluding myself.  I’m still 360lbs+ and still morbidly obese.  But…  The main thing is:  I feel terrific for having met a goal.  This doesn’t mean I’m done.  It does mean I’m proud of myself for having stuck it out.  The doubt (“Can I do this?“) from eight days, seven days and six days ago seems a long ways away right now.  So, I am happily half-way through day eight and I know I can stop any time / any day because I’ve completed the first step to getting started on my food / lifestyle-change journey.  I did it!
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On This Day In:
2017	A Good Habit
2016	The Minds Of Trumpism
2015	Expressing Nonsense
2014	A Real Fight
2013	Unravelling
2012	I Resolve
2011	Practice, Practice, Practice
2009	Phoenix Trip (July ’09)

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Easter In Liverpool

Because one can never have enough pictures of your spouse on the internet, here are a few pics of my Hil visiting her mum over Easter during her visit to Liverpool in March / April…
Hil in her Easter hat
Hil in her Easter hat (2)
Hil and Lynn with mum on her mum’s Birthday
It is kind of a tradition for the staff and visitors to don “Easter hats” to give the “old dears” a bit of a chuckle…
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On This Day In:
2017	Decisions
2016	Along The Path
2015	Make Mine Rare, Please
2014	Passion Flooding
2013	On Purpose
2012	Sans Gall Bladder, Day 4
	How Did You Spend Your Day?
2011	It’s Hammerin’ Time!!
	Convenient Auxiliaries

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