65 pounds gone. Happy Birthday to me! (with pics)

Hi,
Yesterday was my birthday. My best present was knowing that I've lost 65 pounds in the past 11 months.
I made some promises to myself yesterday and I'm telling everyone so that I have to keep them. Here goes:
I will stop telling myself how far I have to go and be proud that I've made it this far.
I will stop making self-deprecating jokes.
I will accept people's compliments and not qualify them.
I will just go for things. It doesn't matter if I'm scared or not quite ready.
I will trust what people say I look like. I can't see it myself, but I will believe my friends when they tell me I look different.

Okay, background info: I am 5'4" and 27 years old. I've been overweight since I was about 15. Last year I hit a high weight of 240 pounds. I haven't been under 200 pounds for about 6 years. Now I am down to 175.
So, here are the pics I promised!

This is me at 240 pounds. This picture is from a trip I took to San Francisco and was the catalyst to my weight loss. I couldn't believe I looked this big.


This is me last week after my 5k and Polar Plunge. In case you're ever wondering, lakes are still really cold in March in Minnesota :-)


Next step for me is the Rugged Maniac in June. Expect to see muddy, smiling pics. Possibly some injuries, but definitely smiles :-)