I recently joined the community over at HauntForum.com and ever since signing up I’ve been nearly-glued to the information and sharing from the regular contributors. E and I are Halloween junkies and it’s so cool to now be a part of a bigger group that’s in the same boat we are in. Among other threads that include the likes of terrifying PVC-built monsters, stunning paper mache creatures, brilliant animatronics, booming sound and light rigs, fog machines and props lies a thread about what stores are putting their Halloween stuff out here in late August. I took notes and we headed out with a game plan yesterday:

Goodwill > Party City > Dollar Tree > Costsco > At Home > Big Lots > JoAnn > Dollar Tree #2 > Home Goods > Party City #2 > Michaels > Lowe’s

The main idea was to check out what everyone had to offer and everyone had just a little to offer whether it be parts for my Halloween costume this year, parts for future cosplay ideas, clearance priced damaged or returned costumes, lights, bluckies, home decor and prop project supplies. While it wasn’t the intention, we put in a work day + overtime into Halloween shopping here nearly 2 months prior to the holiday. It was a great day and we scored a lot of awesome finds and made notes on some things we hope to come back for once the prices have been reduced.

More on my favorite find a little later.

Needless to say we did a lot of moving yesterday. I admittedly skipped my weights workout yesterday but did so much walking and carrying I think it all evened out. I thought I could consider it an “active rest day” but there was no rest to be had. I mentioned last week that I was going to hit the 20 pound park this week and…….

…I totally did! As of today my official weight-loss is 21 lbs! Still feeling awesome! I scheduled my follow-up with my doctor in October to see where my blood work stands and I’m already feeling positive about it. And it can only get better!

I celebrated my milestone yesterday with a cheeseburger and my first beer in over a month at one of Knoxville’s new restaurants, Carolina Ale House; it’s chain and nearly everything is fried but the beer selection is good and things were reasonably priced. Erin told me I was “one of those Farragut people” for wanting to go there because it hadn’t been open long and people were clamoring to get in but she’s wrong.

I will never be “one of those Farragut people”. And what does she know? She got her photo made with a chicken next door to the Ale House:

http://instagram.com/p/sEBWC-r2QF

Anyway, next week will be week 4 of my two-a-days routine. I think it’s been a good thing. My waistline has shrunk, I’ve lost 21 lbs, I’m still overweight but I feel fit and am continuously getting stronger. That said, I’m also getting worn down during the week and I think it has to do with my lack of rest day. With that in mind I’ve decided to cut the two-a-day routine after week 4 for a little while. This will be good, allowing me to rest and also giving me evenings free for projects and date nights as I will still be doing my 5k training and going to spin twice a week. I sometimes think weight loss is hindered by over-training anyway. Just one more week – let’s see if I’m blogging about being down 23 pounds next week, shall we?

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Finally, I’d like to share my favorite find from yesterday: a metal “eat” sign we picked up from Home Goods. I couldn’t stop smiling when I was checking out and mentioned how I couldn’t believe we were able to find this. The cashier said we were super lucky because apparently someone had brought it back recently. Seriously? Who would return this beauty?

Until next time.

http://instagram.com/p/sFOsR6L2ed