Can I brag for a minute?

Pardon me while I gloat...

Yesterday was a phenomenal day. One like I've not experienced in a looooooooong time. Chloe and I took the day to just hang out and do some girl stuff. I was on a quest to find a pair of "replacement pants" -- the original pair had gotten a little loose, plus a problematic zipper (which was currently being held up by a purple rubber band looped through the zipper pull and hooked around the button...a little redneck engineering). We entered Dress Barn Woman where, lo and behold, there they were! After a couple of months of looking all over mid-Missouri for a pair, here they were just waiting for me to purchase them. You'd have thought I'd struck gold, I was so excited. However, knowing that I needed a smaller size (*yeah*), I sauntered into the dressing room only to come out with very mixed emotions. The pants fit great in the waist, but they were still baggy everywhere else. The saleswoman then came up to me and said, "Honey, as much as it discourages me to say this, you need to go to the regular Dress Barn and get the same size. They just won't be cut as full and hang on you like these do." WHAT!?!?!? Did she just give me permission to go shopping in the regular-size store!? YES!!! I about started crying. Literally -- you can ask Chloe.

I went ahead and purchased a gorgeous blouse there that Chloe picked out -- yes, it was even a smaller size, but still cut fuller in the chest. Lord knows I'll always have this big ol' boobs!

We then make our way to the regular-size store (I can't help be do the happy dance just hearing/seeing that) and pull their last remaining pair of slacks in that size. I then go into the dressing room, put on the blouse I'd just both, take the pants off the hanger, then hold my breath and close my eyes while pulling them on. Buttoned? Check. Zipped? Check. Slowly release breath and open eyes, then reach for the door and walk out. Chloe loudly exclaims, "Momma, you look hot!" I admit it, tears crept outta my eyeballs.

(And besides that, I also got a great deal on a new pair of running shoes. They were on the sale rack for $45, then at the register I got another discount -- paid only $34 including tax! Shazam!!!)

I am on Cloud 9!!! This was just the boost in confidence that I needed. It's one thing to see the numbers going down on the scale and to feel better, but to actually step out of the "comfort" of those old clothes and slip into the comfort of new, smaller sizes -- the whole physical process -- has been just what I needed.