Hello and Goodbye

Instead of going back to sleep this morning, I got up and have done a whole lot of nothing. One of those bits of nothing is playing dressup with the clothes in the closet. I tried on just about every article of clothing I own to determine it's status. Some of them I already knew wouldn't fit, but I put them on to say goodbye to them. So, in honor of my weight loss journey, here's a few (ok, more than a few) pictures as I stroll down memory lane and find clothes to make new memories with (sorry some of them are so fuzzy and the lighting is bad):

Clothing over the years-

You know those weight loss commercials where the person who lost the weight shows their old huge pants? I always doubted their authenticity b/c it would be easy enough to purchase a pair of pants for the commercial. But, here's my version. These really are the pants I wore. These are a size 26W. As I pulled these out today, I realized it is no wonder that my YW don't recognize me. In fact, at a recent Relief Society activity one of my young women was standing right next to me and didn't know who I was until she heard my voice.


Early on in our marriage after I'd started gaining weight, there was a day when Matthew put my pants on just for the heck of it. Both of his legs fit in one of my pant legs. It was a bit devastating to me, but it didn't stop the weight gain. Twelve years later now both of my legs can fit in them too!


Growing up, one of the things I wanted was a denim dress or skirt. The first year that Texas had its sales tax holiday, I found this denim dress at Montgomery Wards. I was so thrilled and excited to FINALLY have one of my own, and I wore it all the time! It's a size 20W.




Matthew's cousin's bar mitzvah was in November of 2006, and my mother in law was kind enough to support a trip to Maryland to celebrate with them. Part of that support was some funds to purchase a new outfit for the occasion. I settled on this blouse, size XL:




I had a previously purchased black skirt to go with that blouse, but wanted another blouse that fit the style. I found this 1X blouse at Dress Barn:




This was the first blouse I purchased when I started losing weight a couple of years ago. I was so proud of myself because it was only a 14/16W. I bought it for a Dining Out (formal military dinner) in 2007 or '08. By the way, the black skirt in the following pictures is the aforementioned black skirt - size 20W.




I found this blouse in JcPennys during the sales tax holiday. It's a size Petite XL




Another Dining Out blouse. It's a size Large from Dress Barn. This one was last year's (May 2009)




This velvet blouse was a garage sale leftover. I've been wanting one just like this, so I was more than happy to put it in my closet. It has yet to be worn for a special occassion, but when the time comes it is ready and waiting :) It is a size Medium.




One of my favorite items of clothing that I will be sad to see leave my wardrobe. It is a size 12 jacket, but it fits big so I could wear it when I was a size 16. Now that I'm closer to a 10/12, it hangs on me. The blouse had also become a standard in my Sunday attire.



Size 12 Jeans - Levi 550 and Riders Relaxed (unfortunately the camera didn't focus so great, so it's really hard to see. Sorry)




Size 10 spandex pants. wow!



For Sharon -

I will never wear these clothes because they are not me, but it was kind of fun to put them on and see that they fit.



Again, these pants are not my style. But, I suppose with the right blouse even these could pass off as a decent wear (but they are too big and are staying in the 'give-away' pile.


For my mom -

Mom made this dress for me when I was a young woman (teenage years). It is yellow with age and sweat stains, but it hangs in my closet out of respect for the memories and love in it. It's kind of fun to know that I could fit in it again. Doesn't it say 90s all over it?!




I dared to open the maternity box today too. When I was pregnant this winter and outgrowing my regular pants, none of my clothes fit. My maternity ones were too big and my regular ones were too small. I have a size 10 and size 12 panel pants in the box that I tried on today. The size 10 fit perfectly and the size 12 were too big. So, when I get pregnant again, at least I know I have one pair that I can use at least and another that would work in a pinch. Although, I think I have enough clothes I've shrunk out of that I probably won't really need maternity clothes at all.

Now having assessed my wardrobe, I don't feel quite so frustrated or out of control. Though most of my Sunday skirts are a size 16, they can pass as wearable for the time being because they fit at my hips - like low riders. I do need Sunday blouses though. So, when I shop, I'll have something specific to look for :)