Time to get serious, 2 events coming in my life

Hey guys,
So, here I am ready to make a new start with a new home. (I'm from buddyslim).
Like some of the others here, I'm ready to get serious about the weight. The ups and downs take a real toll on me mentally.
I have two events in which I am working on losing weight for:
A Jeff Dunham show June 25th--I want to feel pretty and its damn hard to do that with a monster muffintop exploding outward under my shirt. Yuck! It will be the first night out for my husband and I in YEARS!
The next one is my son's homecoming in Aug (he's been in prison for 2 yrs). I've been fat my entire adult life--it would be awesome to be a normal size. I want to cry when I realize that my kids (adults now) have never seen my at a normal weight-just obese. Ouch.
I do not work outside the home, though I attend college online--that means my time is mine. Its up to me to make the most of it!