Closer

I saw the above image on Facebook yesterday and it really struck a chord with me. It's from Team Beachbody, so I know it has to do with fitness/health, but for me it made me think of the problems I've had with my back for the last three months. Three months, you guys. If you've been reading the blog, you'll know that I have a bulging disc in my back and it's taking forever to heal. I've run the gamut of symptoms from extreme pain in my back to pain and burning in my legs, muscle spasms, pins and needles in my legs and feet, you name it. When I went to see the doctor seven weeks ago, he told me it should heal 100% I'd just have to be patient. I've been patient, and now I'm just ready for life to return to normal.

But I can feel myself getting closer every day. I don't limp anymore and I've regained feeling in my right toes, although my left toes remain stubbornly semi-numb. I have a bit of pain in my upper thighs when I walk sometimes, but it's not bad. Shopping is an ordeal - that's usually when I end up in the most pain. My sciatic nerve seems to be fine now - I was having sharp pain down the outside of my right leg for several weeks whenever I walked or moved it a certain way and it doesn't do that anymore. I still haven't been able to take the bus anywhere, which really sucks. I'm afraid of jarring my back, and I'm also afraid of the pain in my legs and making it worse. 

I'm just ready to get out there and LIVE again. 

But I have learned quite a bit over the last almost 13 weeks. I've learned who my real friends are. I told my two best childhood friends - both of whom live in town - that I had hurt myself and that I couldn't really go out. Neither of them has bothered to ask how I am or offered to help me in any way. Another person has gone to doctor's appointments with me, seen me when I freeze up and can't walk because I'm in so much pain, and knows that I can't go out, but hasn't asked for progress updates or offered to do anything for me. It's seriously frustrating and it makes me angry too because I feel like there's no one I can really count on. My online friends, however, have been amazing. They've sympathized, asked how I'm doing, sent well-wishes and prayers. It's a bittersweet feeling - I'm so grateful to have them, but it also makes me sad that people who I've never even met care more about me than people I've known most of my life. If it weren't for them and for my mum, who has been an absolute godsend during this time, I'd have lost my mind ages ago.

This injury has also taught me not to take my health and mobility for granted. I've been a bit of a hermit the last few years - always working, rarely going out, very much a homebody, plus I hate taking the bus and that's pretty much my only mode of transportation - and I had gotten into the habit of sticking close to home. I didn't make much of an effort to go out other than to the library, to visit my Grama (my hermit status became worse after she died), and to grocery shop. There was nothing fun, new, or exciting to do, so I just stayed home. Now I'd give just about anything to be able to take the bus and go ANYWHERE. As soon as I'm better and able to ride the bus again, I'll be going out more often. I'll make my own fun, find my own adventures, and never ever forget the hell I've been through with this injury and how it's taken away my freedom.

I had also gotten lazy about my health in general. I need to lose a lot of weight and I've worked on it on and off for years, but I would get lazy about exercising or tired of eating healthy. I had gotten into a bit of a walking routine in the weeks before I hurt myself but that obviously ended the day the disc bulged and changed everything about the way I live. I haven't been able to exercise, but I have gotten in the habit or getting up and moving around often. I don't sit for long periods of time anymore, and as soon as I'm able to I'll get outside and start walking. I need to lose weight and build up strength in my legs and back so this hopefully never happens again. Any time I feel like being lazy I'll remember the pain, the loneliness, the monotony, and I'll get my ass in gear.

For now I have to focus on the progress I've made and hold onto the hope that I'll soon be 100% better. *I may not be there yet but I'm closer than yesterday.* This is going to be my new mantra until I'm better, and then it'll be my mantra for weight loss. It's not always easy to stay positive, but I'm getting it my best shot! 

    

 

Poor, Neglected Blog...

For the handful of people who actually read this blog and have been wondering...I'm still alive! It's been well over a month since my last post, but if you read my posts in February, you might remember that I hurt my back at the end of January.

I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but I was at the mall and all of a sudden I was in excruciating pain. I've dealt with back pain before and hoped it would go away on its own, but after a week and a half, when my leg and foot started to tingle and go numb, I knew it was time to have it checked out. The emergency room doctor told me it was a bulging disc in my back, and that it should eventually heal on its own. I'm not going to harp on it, but let me tell you: the last six weeks have been a nightmare. I've run the gamut of symptoms from unbelievable pain in my back, legs, and bum, to muscle spams to partial numbness in my feet and legs. I've spent a lot of time sleeping, reading, and watching TV, and my computer time has been limited (which is super fun, especially when I'm trying to edit my third book, keep up with my book blog, and do other work...my poor author blog has been as neglected as Lost and Found). 

I finally got in to see my family doctor yesterday (he was on holidays for a couple weeks, so I've been to both emerg and the clinic in the last six weeks). I've been slowly getting better and can notice a difference every day, but I still have some pain in my right leg and bum (typical symptoms), and I don't have full mobility in my right leg or full feeling in my ankles and toes. The doctor did some leg lifting tests, as well as reflex and strength tests and seemed pleased. He said I should recover 100% - I was so relieved I almost cried! 

I'm looking forward to putting this whole ordeal behind me. I miss living a normal life, but it's made me realize a few things. I'm the type of person who believes everything happens for a reason, and I think this happened to teach me a lesson. I need to take better care of myself - I need to lose weight, exercise more, have better posture, not try to carry so many heavy things, and pay attention to how I lift things. But more than that, I think, is that I need to really start living. I've mentioned before that I don't have much of a life - being a writer and working from home have led to me being a hermit, but I know now that I need to get out and do more. I need to not take time, my health, and my mobility for granted. I haven't been able to take the bus the last six weeks, so I've only been out a handful of times (half were doctor-related outings, the other half was grocery shopping). I haven't done anything really fun in six weeks because I couldn't. It's made me realize that when I'm able to, I will. I'll go out just because I can. So even though this last month and a half has been hell, it's taught me a lot. 2013 hasn't been great so far, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe it can turn around and be the epic year I was hoping for.

I don't have any new pictures to share because I've hardly touched my camera in the last six weeks (which is killing me, but since I haven't really been out, there are only so many things to photograph in my apartment!). I'm looking forward to nice weather (and, you know, full mobility lol) so I can get outside and start taking pictures.

     

 

Why I Won't Be Going on a Diet in 2013

I'm overweight. That's a fact. I'm not one of those skinny girls who says 'Oh I'm so fat' but is actually stick thin...I need to lose close to a hundred pounds to be a healthy weight for my height and age. I've struggled with my weight my entire life. I know how to lose weight - I know all about eating right and exercising and burning more calories than you consume and the foods you stay away from, etc, etc, etc. I know all that, it's just putting it into practice that's my downfall. 

Three years ago, I lost about 25 pounds - the most I've ever lost. I looked better and I felt better, but then I fell back into old habits and gained weight, lost weight, gained wait, and on and on. Right now I'm 15 pounds lighter than my heaviest adult weight, which means I gained 10 of the 25 pounds back.

I've tried so many different things, but what it comes down to is a simple equation: healthy eating + exercise = weight loss. And of course, if you've ever tried to lose weight, whether it was 5 pounds or 100 pounds, you'll know that by 'simple' I actually mean 'one of the hardest things in the world'. You have to make up your mind that you want it, otherwise it's not going to work and it's not going to be simple, which is why there's an obesity epidemic in North America.

So, to the title of this blog post: the reason I won't be going on a diet in 2013. I hate diets. Diets are about being hungry, depriving yourself, and basically going crazy. Diets are temporary. You eat healthy for a certain amount of time, you might lose weight, but then if you go back to your old habits, you're just going to gain the weight back. What good does that do? It's frustrating and degrading and futile. People need to stop 'going on diets' and learn that the solution is not a temporary one - it's about healthy eating for the rest of your life. Does that mean you can't indulge? Hell no. Everything in moderation. If you want a cookie, have a cookie, just don't eat the whole bag. And realize that treats are just that - treats. They're not meant for every day, or sometimes even every week. Depriving yourself will usually just lead to binge eating, and then you're right back where you started.

As for exercise, the 25 pounds I lost three years ago was from walking. That's it. I walked outside when I could, and I marched on the spot when I couldn't go outside. And you don't even have to do it all at once if that seems daunting, or if for some reason you can't walk for long periods. Break it up throughout the day, because it all adds up. It doesn't matter how you do it, it just matters that you do it.

I'd been eating a ton of junk the last month between my birthday, Christmas, and New Year's, so on January 1st, I decided to go on a 2-day cleanse. It was just a short one to see how I did; I didn't follow any specific cleanse, I just sort of made it up as I went along. This is what I did: lots of water, no coffee, limited sugar and fat, no alcohol, no pop, tons of fruits and veggies, lean meats, reduced carbs. Pretty simple right? When I got on the scale the 3rd day, I'd lost two and a half pounds, and the best part was I didn't have to starve myself to do it. 

Here's a break down in case anyone would like to try something similar: 
Breakfast: smoothie (frozen berries, an individual-sized container of yogurt, a medium-sized banana)
Lunch: homemade turkey and vegetable soup, minus the turkey (I boiled the bones from our Christmas turkey and was left with a ton of stock, to which I added peas, corn, and broccoli, but no turkey because I'd already frozen the leftovers), and raw veggies on the side
Dinner, Day 1: baked haddock (it was BlueWater Simply Bake frozen fish that you cook in a steamer bag - 130 calories, 2.5 grams of fat - it was delicious!), brown rice cooked with onions, garlic, and peas, and steamed broccoli. 
Dinner, Day 2: braised pineapple chicken (a chicken breast braised in chicken stock and pineapple juice with pineapple tidbits thrown in), leftover onion-garlic-pea rice, steamed mixed veggies (carrots, water chestnuts, peas in the pod, broccoli)
Snacks: fruit, raw veggies, whole grain crackers

Eating healthy doesn't mean sacrificing flavour - I added less salt than usual (not that I add that much to begin with, and I always use sea salt) and no butter to anything, and the meals were delicious and filling. You just need to get creative!

I say this every year, but I'm going to do my best to stick with it in 2013: this year I'm going to get healthy. I'm not going to do anything radical, and I'm not going to make it my main focus (that's been my problem before - I obsess and then burn out), but I'm going to do this. I have to do this - for my health, for my self-esteem, for my future.

Do you have health-related goals for 2013? Have you struggled with your weight the way I have?

    

Motivate Me Monday #3

Motivate Me Monday is hosted by Amanda at For Love of a Cupcake.

Weekly stats from Monday May 28th - Sunday June 3rd

Fitness minutes: 363

Miles walked: 25

This week was full of highs and lows fitness and weight loss wise. My workouts were decent, but my eating sucked a lot of the time. It could have been a lot worse, but there were quite a few times where I either ate too much, or ate stuff I shouldn't have. But...there's nothing I can do about it now, and I refuse to feel guilty and punish myself, so I just have to keep on keepin' on. This week will be better. I bought a ton of fruits and veggies on Saturday, and I'm already planning out my meals and snacks.

A few sources of motivation this week: on Wednesday, I went shopping with my friend Jenn. She was looking for clothes for this past weekend for more pre-wedding fun. Jenn's always been very thin, and shopping with her always makes me feel kind of bad about myself. The stores she shops in don't carry anything even close to my size, and even though I had a few wistful moments looking at clothes I wish I could wear, I didn't feel as bad as I normally do, because I decided to turn it into motivation. 

*I will fit into those kinds of clothes by next summer.
*I will be able to shop at any store in the mall and find a size that fits. 
*I won't always have to shop in the plus size section or avoid certain kinds of clothes because they make me look fat. 
*Someday Jenn will be the one sitting outside the dressing room while I try stuff on, and giving her opinion on how things look on me. 
*Someday I'll get to walk out of the mall carrying bags full of clothes and get to have a Carrie Bradshaw/Sex in the City moment. 


If I keep working as hard as I have been, it's all only a matter of time. Last week's setbacks? Already forgotten...moving on!

Source: healthyteenagedirtbag.tumblr.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Source: 150lbsto120lbs.tumblr.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: get-thinspiration.tumblr.com via Jes on Pinterest

Source: healthysexyhappy.tumblr.com via Jes on Pinterest

 

What's motivating you this week?

 

Motivate Me Monday #2

Motivate Me Monday is hosted by Amanda at For Love of a Cupcake.

Weekly stats from Monday May 21st - Sunday May 27th

Weekly weigh in - lost 2 pounds!

Fitness minutes: 360

Miles walked: 31.5
*Note: I didn't work out Friday (I was out half the day and felt sick the rest of the day), Saturday (I was at a bridal shower and bachelorette party from 2pm-2am), or Sunday (miraculously wasn't hungover - not sure how that happened after 12 hours of drinking - but I was tired and sore from Saturday). I only mention this because I usually work out 6-7 days a week, and this week it was only 4 days.*

I spent most of Friday morning going through Amanda’s (my sister-in-law) closet for an outfit for my friend Jenn’s bridal shower. Amanda just got a bunch of new clothes, and had several pants in a size smaller than I’d been wearing…and they fit! I was so excited! It’s been a long time coming. In the two years I’ve been yo-yoing I haven’t been able to make it to a smaller pant size than this one, so that’s my next big goal - I think another 10-15 pounds should do it. I ended up wearing a pair of my own pants to the shower (which hadn’t fit me in about a year, and which I later realized were actually kind of baggy on me), and a pretty purple shirt of Amanda’s. I felt comfortable and I felt good…not self-conscious like I usually am. And when we were at the bar, I saw a few cute boys looking at me…something I’m not used to! I felt confident for the first time in a long time, and it was nice. Scratch that, it was amazing. I'd forgotten how empowering it feels, because it's happened so infrequently in my life. I’m going to hold onto that feeling when I have the urge to eat everything in sight or not work out as hard as I know I could. 

Me!

I tried to be really good all week with my eating and exercise, knowing that Saturday I'd probably be eating a lot of junk, and drinking. I was pleased with how well I did, so I didn't feel guilty on Saturday when I drank for 12 hours straight (I'm not even going to imagine the calories I consumed in alcohol...it would be scary), ate all the amazing food at the shower, then pigged out on garlic bread and nachos before we hit the bar. I kept these things in mind: a) everyone's allowed a little binge once in awhile, b) I never get to go out, so I was determined to enjoy every second, c) I've been busting my butt with workouts, smaller portions, less sugar, and everything, d) it's not every day that one of your childhood best friends gets married and has a bachelorette, and e)....well, see below:

Source: confident-beautiful-motivated.tumblr.com via Marie on Pinterest

I haven't gone dancing since Amanda's bachelorette five and a half years ago, and before that it was my college days (which is almost eight years ago). I couldn't wait to get on the dance floor, and I know I burned off at least some of the gazillion calories I consumed throughout the day.

What's motivating you this week?

 

 

Friday's Letters #1 - May 25th

Friday's Letters is hosted by Ashley over at Adventures of Newlyweds. This is my first time participating; I've stumbled across a few blogs that participate in this, and thought it was a really cute idea. Here are my Friday letters...

Dear Logan, you are always awesome, but you were especially awesome this week. You bring so much joy and laughter into my life. Also, thank you for eating better this week - you worry me when you don't eat enough to keep a bird alive.

Dear spring, I love you so much, but you never stick around long enough. I'm sure we'll have more cool, rainy days before summer is officially here, but I think summer missed the memo and came a little early. As usual.  It's too early to be this hot.

Dear tomorrow, please be amazing. Jenn deserves a beautiful bridal shower and a crazy-amazing bachelorette party. And since I never get to go out, I’d kinda like to think I deserve to have a good time, too. Pretty please?

Dear PMS, thanks so much for making me an irritable bitch the last couple days. You haven’t reared your ugly head in awhile, why did you have to choose right now when there’s so much going on? Please go fly a kite. Preferably in heavy traffic.

Dear body, I love seeing the changes in you. I love feeding you healthier foods and making you move and feeling you get stronger. Soon there will be a lot less of you, but I think it’ll be good for our relationship. 

Dear green tea, I’m still not loving you, but I’m managing to drink you every day, and I’m very proud of myself. I don’t even miss coffee. But don’t tell her that.

Have a great weekend, guys!

 

Hunger games of a different sort

I’m at the point in my weight loss journey where I’m hungry all the time. All. The. Time. I’m not starving myself by any means, but nothing is filling me up, or once I get full, I feel hungry again five minutes later. I’m eating considerably less than I was a few weeks ago, so I know it’ll take my stomach time to shrink/adjust, it’s just a painful process.

I think this is one of the many reasons people give up when they're trying to get healthy and lose weight. They can’t fight the hunger, they can’t overcome the cravings, they can’t handle portion control. It takes a lot of will power, and let’s face it, for people who need to lose a significant amount of weight, will power isn’t generally our strong suit.

So what do you do? Give in, or tell yourself ‘this too shall pass’? The latter, of course, if you ever want to see results. I’ve found the trick is to stay busy. I can usually ignore the hunger during the day because I’m busy with Logan, or I’m working, and since I’m a writer, my hands are too busy to be grabbing food and shoving it in my mouth. My problem time is usually at night when I sit to relax and watch TV. I’m generally ok if I’m reading - it’s TV time that’s my nemesis.

Ways to get past the hunger and/or mindless snacking:

*Go for a walk.

*Read a book.

*Get up and march on the spot.

*If you’re watching TV, get up and do stuff during the commercials so you’re not sitting for long periods of time. Keep your mind and hands busy. 

*Find a hobby that keeps your hands busy - making jewelry, scrapbooking, graphic design, photography.

*Drink some water or tea.

*Knit. (I often knit while I watch TV so my hands are busy.)
*Chew a piece of sugar-free gum or suck on a sugarless candy.

If you have to snack, make it a healthy snack. Raw veggies, fruit, nuts, a piece of whole grain bread, low fat yogurt, sugar free or fat free pudding, etc. Chewing sugar free gum helps too - it keeps your mouth busy, and there are some amazing flavors out there now that trick your brain into thinking you’re getting something sweet. And, of course, there’s nothing wrong with indulging once in awhile. It’s better to have a small indulgence than to snap and totally binge. You need to learn to get into a mindset where you’re telling yourself you’re not deprived. You’re eating healthier, you’re putting good food into your body, your body is changing for the better, you’re getting healthier and thinner and stronger and you’re going to live longer. Let those things be your new mantra. The hunger is temporary, but if you can get through it, the benefits are endless.

I've been through this before. Too many times to count. I get to this point - the never-ending hunger - and I give in. But not this time. This time is going to be different. It has to be. I'd rather deal with it now, once and for all, than continue to yo-yo with my weight and my eating habits. Every day I tell myself that the hunger will pass - if I can get past it, I'll continue to lose weight, get healthier, and look and feel amazing. It'll all be worth it.

What do you do to thwart the hunger beast? 

 

Motivate Me Monday #1

Motivate Me Monday is hosted by Amanda at For Love of a Cupcake.

This is my first time participating in Motivate Me Monday. I found Amanda's blog a couple weeks ago and would have posted last week, except I'd already signed up for the First Loves Blogfest for last Monday. 

Yesterday, in preparation for my first MMM, I created a page talking about my weight loss journey. I'm always looking for motivation and inspiration, and along the way I'd love to be able to inspire some people, too. Like many others, my journey hasn't been an easy one, and I have a long way to go, but it's always nice to know you're not alone.

From now on, every Monday I'll do a progress report along with the things that are keeping me motivated. For now, here are some of the things motivating me this week:

Source: Uploaded by user via Christa on Pinterest

I personally don't want to be skinny, I want to be healthy. Skinny doesn't do anything for me - I'd much rather look like Marilyn Monroe than be a bag of bones. She had a gorgeous body in my opinion.

Source: confident-beautiful-motivated.tumblr.com via Keri on Pinterest

Source: confident-beautiful-motivated.tumblr.com via Jg on Pinterest

Before I started my journey, if you'd told me I would come to love exercise, I would have said you needed your head read. I do love it, though, and I love knowing what it's doing for my body - even when I don't necessarily see the results I want, I know I'm getting healthier and stronger.

Source: fastrecovery.tk via Katie on Pinterest

Source: chasingkristina.tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: operationbeautiful.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: itsfitnessbaby.com via Christa on Pinterest

What's motivating you this week?

 

Goodbye coffee, hello green tea

I've always struggled with my weight. Two years ago, I finally decided it was time to get in shape, and I lost about 35 pounds...then gained 15, then lost 10, and on and on and on. It's been a merry-go-round, and it's incredibly frustrating. I have nobody to blame but myself, but that doesn't stop that feeling of frustration and sometimes even hopelessness.

A couple months ago, I got back to it - started eating healthier and exercising again. I actually really enjoy working out once I get into the routine, it's just that when I break that routine, it's too easy to forget about it, and that's where I always get into trouble. I have incentive with summer coming and wanting to buy some new clothes, plus one of my best childhood friends is getting married in five weeks.

The thing is, I've been doing this for a couple months and not seeing much of a change. Well, I see a change, but my clothes are fitting the same. How is that even possible? How is possible to walk 90 minutes a day, cut way back on calories, and not lose more and at a faster rate? I just don't get it. The old me would have given up by now, but if anything, this is just making me work harder.

Also, I have extra incentive now. In two weeks, the friend who's getting married in June is having a bridal shower and bachelorette party. It's not like I'm expecting a miracle in the next two weeks, but I'm hoping to figure out whatever is making me plateau and bust through it. Today I added in some extra cardio to my workout, and starting tomorrow, I'm going to stop drinking coffee during the week. Why? Coffee is calorie free, but I hate the taste of it without sugar! I've cut back on my sugar, but if I cut back any more, it won't be worth drinking, so I'm just not going to drink it. If I can manage to do that, I'll be saving myself between 2 and 4 teaspoons of sugar every day (32-65 calories a day), and at this point every calorie counts. It may not seem like much in a day, but that's 160-325 calories in a 5-day span. I'm hoping that drinking the unsweetened tea will help my taste buds adapt to less sugar in my coffee, so that when I do have coffee on the weekends, I can add less sugar. Even though I don't really like green tea, it's supposed to be good for weight loss, and it's an anti-oxidant, which is always a plus. 

I don't really like the taste of green tea, but somehow it's less painful in my awesome penguin mug ;-)

I'm really excited about the bridal shower and bachelorette party. I went to school with a lot of the girls that will be going, and I haven't seen most of them in years. Plus, the last time I went to a club was for my sister-in-law's bachelorette party when she married my brother five and a half years ago. I used to go clubbing almost every weekend in college, but then got away from it because I didn't have anyone to go with. I'm really shy and kind of self-conscious, so I'm hoping that losing even a few more pounds before then will give my confidence a little boost, and I'm hoping to get a new outfit that I feel good in. Expect updates!

Daydreaming about...spring and summer dresses

I wore a lot of dresses when I was a little girl. I was very much a girly-girl and loved to dress the part. As I got older, I got away from dresses, and as I gained weight, dresses just looked wrong on me. In the last 15 years, I've owned two dresses - my grade eight graduation dress, and my prom dress - and rented a custom fit dress for my brother's wedding.

I've always daydreamed about pretty spring and summer dresses. The reason I daydream about them instead of owning them is because they make my already big tummy look even bigger (I look pregnant, seriously), and my J.Lo booty look twice its size. *sigh* My weight has always been an issue and a struggle. For the last two years especially I've yo-yo'd like crazy, losing and gaining, losing and gaining. I'm back at it again, eating healthy and working out every day, and I can already see changes in my body, but I have a long way to go. My goal is to buy a dress this summer and look and feel good in it...but that probably won't be for another couple months.

One of my closest childhood friends is getting married in a little less than six weeks. Her mother's throwing her a bridal shower in three weeks, and it got me thinking about what to wear. I don't think it's going to be a fancy party, so I'm not really concerned with dressing up, but while I was looking for bridal shower gift ideas on Pinterst, I came across several dresses I wish I could wear. I'm going to buying a new outfit for the wedding itself - maybe a dress? More likely a skirt and nice top, but we'll see.

In my perfect little daydream world where I'm much smaller and can afford any dress I'd like, these would be some of my choices:

Source: furwillfly.blogspot.ca via Marie on Pinterest

I'm normally not much for lace, but I fell in love with this dress the moment I saw it. It's classic, elegant, I love the cap sleeves and the little belt, and the colour.

Source: bit.ly via Marie on Pinterest

Simple but beautiful, and I particularly love the skirt. I can imagine twirling around the way I did when I was a little girl!

Source: Uploaded by user via Marie on Pinterest

I love this one for the same reasons I love the first one. It's classic and elegant, with kind of a vintage feel to it.

Source: maurces.com via Marie on Pinterest

Cute, flirty, fun. Again, love the fuller skirt.

Source: modcloth.com via Marie on Pinterest

I even love the name of this dress: mint milkshake. How cute is that? I just think it's so girly and sweet with the detailing and flower at the waist, and the gorgeous eyelet design along the skirt.

What do you think of these dresses? Do you wear dresses, or are you like me where you wish you could wear dresses? Or maybe you're the type of girl who wouldn't be caught dead in a dress? I want to know!