The obligatory 'About Me' post

I'm sure there are things that you need to know, and things that you want to know, and things that I'm going to tell you that you don't need or want to know... but here's a little bit about me.

I turned 30 in May 2013, and got engaged the same day. We got married on Dec 31, 2013 (oooh 4 days married.... such a pro already!). I had dreams of being at goal weight for my 30th, but life got in the way and that didn't happen. When I say 'life got in the way', I mean 'excuses got in the way' and 'chocolate is delicious' and you know where those two phrases get you...

I am a calisthenics girl, born and bred. I started when I was 5, it's been my life for 25 years. I don't know life without it, but this year I'm going to experience it (a little bit, anyway) as I've given up performing/competing and am only coaching this year. I've been qualified as a coach for 12 years, but have never taught a team on my own, so this year I decided to put myself out there and jump at the chance. I'm teaching a group of 10-13 year olds, which will be different from the 7-9 year olds I helped out with last year. They'll be a little older, a little smarter, and have a whole lot more attitude, I'm sure. We'll see how that goes, I suppose!

I come from a fairly large family - when we get together with Mum's side there are over 50 of us. In my immediate family I have 3 brothers, and one of them has 4 children, so even that family is pretty big. My husband and I plan on adding to that very soon, pretty much as soon as we get back from our honeymoon in early February. One of my brothers lives in Canada, the other two are here in Melbourne. Surprisingly, my parents are still married (very rare these days!) and are due to celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks. I'm proud of them, and have a big challenge ahead to make my marriage as successful as theirs. They've taught me that it's all about work - you get out what you put in, and you have to work TOGETHER to make it happen.

Dave and I have been together for about 2 and a half years - we met on eHarmony (get on it!) and have been virtually inseparable since the night we met in person. We don't live in each other's pockets, we have our own interests and hobbies. It's great to have some 'me time', and it's great to be together on the couch. We really do miss each other when one of us is away for a period of time - I stayed at my parent's place for two nights before the wedding and it was so nice to see Dave after 2 days and really appreciate how much we are just 'there' for each other, even when we don't realise. Let's see if my feelings change after spending 3 weeks in each other's pockets on our honeymoon...

And now the big one... I'm a fatty. It's not derogatory, it's the truth. I've always been bigger, I've accepted that because my mum and dad both have weight problems, it's just the way it's meant to be. I've learned their habits with food, and now I'm trying to break them. I refuse to be the fat girl for the rest of my life, but I know it's going to take a lot of work, effort, sweat, food-denial, tears, and thigh rubbing to get to where I need to be - a healthy weight. I'm not, however, willing to starve myself, hurt myself, or lose who I am in order to get there. It's a fine line between dedication and obsession, and I don't want to cross it. I don't want to change who I am inside while I'm changing who I am outside.

One final thing, nothing is TMI. I talk about poo, a lot. I fart. I tell inappropriate jokes. I don't profess to be a lady, and nor do I want to be one. I am who I am, and that won't change. I'm just changing the packaging - I'll still be filled with a glass and a half of dairy milk goodness.