Gratitude

Wow, this song is powerful. I just had to post it so you could be blessed by it as well.

Gratitude by Nichole Nordeman

Send some rain, would You send some rain?Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink againAnd the sun is high and we are sinking in the shadeWould You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?Let the sky grow black and send some mercy downSurely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not todayMaybe You’ll provide in other waysAnd if that’s the case . . .
(Chorus)We’ll give thanks to YouWith gratitudeFor lessons learned in how to thirst for YouHow to bless the very sun that warms our faceIf You never send us rain

Daily bread, give us daily breadBless our bodies, keep our children fedFill our cups, then fill them up again tonightWrap us up and warm us throughTucked away beneath our sturdy roofsLet us slumber safe from danger’s view this time

Or maybe not, not todayMaybe You’ll provide in other waysAnd if that’s the case . . .
We’ll give thanks to YouWith gratitudeA lesson learned to hunger after YouThat a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overheadAnd if we never taste that bread

Oh, the differences that often are betweenWhat we want and what we really need
So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peaceMove our hearts to hear a single beatBetween alibis and enemies tonight

Or maybe not, not todayPeace might be another world awayAnd if that’s the case . . .
We’ll give thanks to YouWith gratitudeFor lessons learned in how to trust in YouThat we are blessed beyond what we could ever dreamIn abundance or in needAnd if You never grant us peace
But Jesus, would You please . . .

50 Pounds Lost!!!!!!!!

I am so excited to be at 50 pounds lost! Wooohoooo!!!! One pound at a time. ahh it feels good. I'm so amazed at how much support everyone is giving me. I am overwhelmed by love. The wonderful comments are helping motivate me to continue every day.

The pictures aren't the best this time. The differences in cameras is a little bit more noticeable this time. Oh well. We get a new camera in a little over a week. I can't wait for that. Ahh to be able to take pics whenever I want again. That will be awesome. The photos are so small on the blog. I made them smaller for the blog assuming the full size would be too big. If you want to see a bigger version, you can go to my facebook page. I don't know why the tops are being cut off of the photos either. Oh well. You get the idea.

I had another 5K run today (3.1 miles). It was so much better today. I actually ran it the whole way. Minus the signals we had to wait for. Shauna and I ran on the trail in Whittier. It was nice having markers every .1 mile. That made it more encouraging to go further.

On a side note, I can't wait for the Biggest Loser to come back on. Don't they know I'm missing that extra motivation they provide me??? Those darn Olympics. haha I really enjoy the Olympics. It's fun to watch. I just can't wait for my Biggest Loser to come back.

It's hard for me to see the differences in these pictures. It might be camera differences, or angle, or distance. Or the fact that it was at night so my pants weren't freshly washed and you usually are heavier at night. Not sure if that makes you look bigger. lol Just a thought. It's probably just the camera. I can't wait to get our new one.

10 on Tuesday

1. Step was so much fun tonight. Shauna, Anny, and I met each other there. It was so fun to see Arlie there too. So fun to catch up with her too.

2. I was feeling a little stressed/uneasy last night and today. Wasn't sure if it was issues that came up, the challenge not going so well on Monday, having to get my tax stuff for my business ready by Thursday. I feel a little better tonight after having bible study today, talking with some friends after, having fun shopping with Courtney today, and talking to Anny and Shauna after step.

3. I'm dreading the idea of getting my tax stuff ready. I don't know why. It's not like it takes very long. I think it's because it just stresses me out just thinking about it. And I'm on a time line. My cousin comes over Thursday. I have some done. I'll finish it tomorrow.

4. I had a great time shopping today with Courtney. We went to many stores doing returns and spending gift cards. She had so much fun picking out toys and clothes. Her sister had an equally fun time with her Great Grandma and Aunt Maureen at their house. She made cards for everyone (she loves crafts), did a bigger puzzle, made cookies, and watched part of a movie.

5. I'm in 5th place still for the challenge. However, now I am in a 3 way tie for 5th. ahhh everyone is gaining on me. NO!! I'm hoping my body goes back to normal this week and I lose big. Ahh that would be awesome.

6. Is glad that I finally put pictures in this frame we have in the hall before Courtney's party. I have had the frame for YEARS. Those people pretending to be my family were in there still.

7. There are still decorations all over the house. It feels festive. I kind of want to take them down just to get rid of the clutter. But I want to keep them up too just to enjoy it a little longer.

8. Pray for Scott's cousin tomorrow morning. She is having surgery to remove the ducts in one of her breasts.

9. The girls are so into dolls right now. Barbies, Moxie Girls, Liv Girls, those small little ones with the rubber clothes, any kind of mermaid doll....etc. You get the idea. They love to play with them in their doll houses, or change their clothes, or get them all naked for a bath. lol

10. Felt really convicted today when Sherry was speaking in bible study. (This is not a direct quote, just trying to remember.) She said that we all are just imperfect people and will get it wrong sometimes, and will irritate us occasionally, but we need to show grace to each other just as we receive grace from God.

Running

I've been running more lately. I did my second and third 5K (3.1 miles) this week. My first 2 were on the treadmill. The last one (yesterday) was out on the street and it was in the hills near Macy school. Wow, that was hard with those hills, but I'm glad we got through it. It is getting easier it seems. My time keeps improving.

1st 5K: 40 minutes 25 sec.
2nd 5K: 37 min. 51 sec.
3rd 5K: 36 min.

However, I think I'm holding on to all of that lactic acid and just my muscles getting used to the running. I lost .8 at home and NOTHING at the challenge weigh in. Oh well, at least I didn't gain. I really thought it would be a better weigh in since last week it didn't show my loss really. This week the scales were off by 5 pounds. ahh This last week was hard for me too. It was just a different week for me. I seriously couldn't remember the last time I hadn't worked out on any particular day. I really had been working out every single day. Either at home or the gym. Then this week happened and I didn't work out 3 days this week. So, that compiled with whatever is going on with my muscles from running.

Ah, whatever. It really in the grand scheme of things is all worth it. This challenge isn't the end all be all. It would be great to win this challenge, but in the long run, my overall health is what is important. I did lose on my scale and that is what will keep me going. And exercising is so important to overall improved health. Especially when you are losing weight. This way what's under all that fat will be fit or fitter than if you hadn't been working out. You want to be strong not just skinnier. Because what's the point if you can't even do simple exercises if you are thinner? You won't be as fit. I want to be fit and I'm getting there. I'm always amazed when I can keep up with some of the thinner crowd at the gym. Just wait until this weight is all off, then I'll be seriously rockin' it at the gym. So, watch out. :) In the meantime, I will not be afraid of not losing because I'm exercising. I will just adjust when I run to the beginning of the week instead of right before a weigh in. Plus, there are only 5 more weigh ins to the challenge.

I hit a milestone this week too. I made it to my all time low since having Skyler. WOHO!! My next goal is only a few tenths of a pound away. I was soooo hoping to make it to there today. Oh well. So the next pound marks 50 pounds lost. And then I can post new pictures. I love it when I can do that. It really helps me to see the changes if I take pictures. So, I get all excited when it's almost time to do so.

50 seems like such a huge number to me. Even though I know I still have so much further to go, I can appreciate how far I have come. 50....half of 100. Wow...I'm so close. I'm hoping to get there tomorrow. I'll post when I do. I need to borrow a camera to take some pictures. Yes, our camera is still broken and we can't buy a new one for at least another week.

10 on Tuesday

1. I'm officially a "Purple Pixies" fan! That's the name of Courtney's new softball team. Oh how exciting this all is to see her playing a sport that I love so much. She LOVES going to practices and can't wait for the next one.

2. I seriously need to make some cards. I guess that's what happens when you enter birthday season and I just gave out a bunch of thank you cards too. Time to re-supply my stash.

3. Courtney's birthday and party is this Saturday. I'm going to take her to Disneyland most likely the day before. Just the 2 of us since we are the only 2 with passes right now. Then her party is on Saturday. I was getting worried since some of her close friends couldn't come. Then the rsvps started coming in. ahh no worries at all.

4. The Fab 4 will be in full effect on Saturday. That's Courtney's little group of really close friends at school. (Or what I just now decided to call them.) Jaden, Erika, Avahry, and Courtney....those 4 could spend all day, every day together if they could. I'm glad that Courtney initiated talking about introducing school friends and church friends to each other so everyone can be friends and have fun.

5. Skyler is sick right now. She has green snot. Oh lovely! She had asthma issues last week, then a fever, now the fever is gone so I thought she was all better, now the green snot. I put a call into the advice line and they either want her to come in to get an obvious prescription (hello..do it over the phone), or wait it out to see if it goes away. ug I'll have to take her in and waste $25 so they can give me a prescription that is so obvious that she needs so that she isn't contagious at the party. Oh joy. (Oh and it doesn't help that her doctor isn't in right now so this is based on some other doc.)

6. I'm so thankful for the people in our life who continue to help us.

7. I really want to get the band for the Nike running shoes. I have the sensor and all of that but need the band so I can start running on pavement and not just the treadmill. I need to train more. The band tells you how far you have gone and your time while you are running. Then you plug it in to your computer, I believe to see all of your stats.

8. I don't think I ever blogged about the 5K. Shauna and I are doing the La Habra 5K together. My cousin, Bryan (her hubby) is also going to be running, but he'll be way ahead of us. ;) The race is on March 27th. 5K is 3.1 miles. I just ran my first 5K on the treadmill last week and it took me 40 minutes and 25 seconds. I hadn't ever tried it before so I thought I would go for it. Also, I'm trying to see how much I can do since 2 people want me to do a 1/2 marathon with them in September. That scares me a bit. But the 5K I think I could do. Even if I end up having to walk some of it. I'm sure I will because I'm not trained enough to run the whole thing. It's making me nervous just thinking about it.

9. Ah Summer...it's so nice during the winter months to feel like summer. What a blessed relief from the downpours we have been having. The warm sun has been such a treat. It's been nice to be outside with the kids enjoying the weather and not be as freezing at softball practice. (It started off warm, but turned cold this last time.) Of course this makes me think of all of those poor people who have been snowed in forever. ah the perils of living where you do. I love California weather. You WILL NOT be able to convince me otherwise.

10. Want to buy some candy? $1.00 each. haha

Darn Skinnies

All in good fun. I posted that the darn skinnies were ahead of me. hehe I dropped down to 5th place this week in the challenge. DARN! That just gives me lots of motivation this week.

Shauna and I went to step class tonight and it was a great workout. I actually had 3 people say hi to me from the gym. This is awesome. Especially considering I'm there every day. You would think someone would recognize me eventually. There is this lady there, Christi who miraculously has remembered my name every time I come in (when she is there). She greets me saying my name. Huge kudos to her for taking the time to do that. Then Anny's trainer gave me a big smile and huge wave as I was walking by. I haven't ever really talked to him that much, but he's now waving to me when he sees me. Kinda cool. Then Steve from class (the instructor) complimented me on my kicks in class. He said he had to make sure he was far enough ahead of me because of my high kicks. woho! That made me feel cool and want to kick higher. :)

The scale at Roselia's house was not my friend this week. I hate it when it doesn't show the same weight loss as at home. Oh well, it will just be even better next week. Usually when it shows less weight loss than at home, then the scale bounces back the following week showing that I lost more than I actually did (for that week...but about equal to what I did in those 2 weeks). I'm hoping it will do that this week. :)

So today is FAT TUESDAY. So, what did I do? I was selling candy at church and Panera of all places. haha It's more innocent than it sounds. I am selling candy for Courtney's softball team. So I brought my box with me out of the car to go to Panera today to meet the ladies before bible study. And no, I didn't eat anything. I knew you were going there. ;) Then I brought it with me into church to hopefully get some of my bible study ladies to buy a few. Hooray! I was able to sell quite a few. Progress. We only have 2 weeks to sell 2 boxes ($100 worth of candy). So, back to Fat Tuesday. As I was trying to ask people if they wanted to buy some. I reminded them that it was Fat Tuesday after all. haha And for those fellow challengers, I told them they had time to work it off before next weigh in...or they could get some for their spouse or kids. But not in a pushy weirdo way.

This makes me think of when I was selling candy as a softball player. However, I remember having to sell it MYSELF. It was easy though. Since I was in high school near the end of my softball days, I would just bring it to school and the kids would just buy it like crazy. I actually won the most in sales one year in softball and won the grand prize, which was a bike. Too bad it was a small bike and I could never ride it. So, my little cousin Tammy won the prize for her age group and won a package to Glamour Shots (or something like that). So, we traded prizes. :) Good times.

In case you are wondering what the heck Fat Tuesday is, I'll explain. Wednesday starts Lent. Lent is fully explained in the bible if you want more info. But basically, it's where people give up something (like coffee, chocolate, etc.) for the whole period of Lent. So, the day before everyone wants to gorge on whatever they are going to give up. Thus, calling it Fat Tuesday. (Cuz it's going to make you fat.) haha

I'm in an exceptionally good mood right now.

Thirty Two???

My birthday was fun! Scott took the day off of work to spend it with me. That made it really special. The kids both had school so we rented a movie to watch together. We went to dinner to Red Robin with my mom, aunt, grandparents, and our family.

It was amazing feeling the love from all of my friends and family on facebook. I couldn't even believe how many people stopped by my page to wish me a happy birthday. Craziness.

My parents took me out for dinner a couple days after my birthday to Chilli's. I was doing well eating their guiltless grill selection until the free birthday lava cake came out. Ok, so I normally don't like cake. But this was incredible. It was a moist chocolate cake with a gooey center, ice cream on top and hardened magic shell. It was incredible. Good thing everyone helped with it. Cuz I seriously could have eaten the whole thing. Man was that good.

I totally wasn't expecting to get presents. The thought had not actually even occurred to me until dinner that night when I got a few cards and a present. I was like, score! :) Two of the things I got were Kohl's cards. I was getting giddy. I seriously needed new workout clothes. My workout clothes were falling off as I worked out. Not a good thing. I was having to pull them back up about every 10 seconds. Annoying. That is until I got sweaty enough that they would stick. eww So, I went shopping. I got 3 pairs of workout pants, one workout shirt, 2 sports bras, and a cute new regular shirt. How exciting!

Here is my new workout shirt. I LOVE IT!! It's my new challenge motivation. Bring it on girls!!

Skyler's Birthday

What a sweetheart this girl is!! Skyler turned 4 on January 13th. We had a Ni Hao Kai Lan birthday party for her. It's kind of like a Chinese Dora. She had a blast having friends and family over to celebrate. She kept changing her mind about what theme she wanted. Then finally chose this one and stuck with it. We couldn't find decorations or any party supplies so I made them. I printed pictures and taped them on the table cloth. I also taped them to the birthday sign. We made paper lanterns too for the ceiling. It was fun.

10 on Tuesday

haha A picture of my last Whittier Girls Softball League team.


1. Courtney LOVES playing softball. As soon as she was done she wanted to do it some more. She even has one friend from her class at school on her team. They did some awesome drills. I saw improvement already in Courtney and some of the other players. There were so many parent helpers that they were able to work in groups on different drills so each child would get specific help.

2. Mental note: Don't EVER wear flip flops to softball practice. No, I didn't get hit with a ball on my foot (which could happen). My feet were FREEZING!!! And everywhere else too. Man is that field cold. Brrrr.... Skyler had 2 jackets on and was still cold.

3. I lost another 1.6 this last week. I'm at 46 lb. lost now!!! I'm getting so close to my lowest weight after having Skyler. Just 3 pounds to go. I'm hoping to hit that this week.

4. I have been running more lately on a challenge from some friends. I am up to 18 minutes running at a 5.0 without stopping. This is HUGE for me. My last highest was 15.

5. Oh ya, I never did a blog about my birthday or Skyler's. I've been meaning to do that.

6. Bible study was amazing today. It always is.

7. I'm so tired today. I was up until 1:30am making invitations for Courtney's birthday party for her friends at school. I didn't have most of their email addresses to just send the e-vite to them. They turned out cute. I'll have to post a pic.

8. I'm sitting her looking at this High School Musical stage that I'm about to throw away. It won't stay up anymore and the girls were getting so frustrated with it so it's a gonner. It lasted over a year so I thought that was pretty good. It was cute while it lasted.

9. I'm in 3rd place in the challenge this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woho!! I moved up one place. I'll be lucky if I can stay in that spot though. 3 people are only .1% behind me. (And one didn't weigh in this week, so who knows how much more she lost.) I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

10. It's raining pretty hard right now. I'm so glad that we don't have to go anywhere right now. I'm looking forward to step class tonight and watching "The Biggest Loser". LOVE that show!!!

Those Magical Years

I enjoyed the morning at the park this morning with Courtney. She had a day off at school. My mom came with us too. What I started thinking about it, when did we stop playing at the playground? When did that magical age stop? Was it when we no longer had a playground at school (jr. high)? I remember swinging on the swings for hours. And climbing all over the playground and monkey bars. I was enjoying swinging with Courtney this morning and realized that my head couldn't take it anymore. I started getting light headed. When did that happen?

Courtney starts softball practice today and that makes me think of all of my years first of all playing on the swing sets and all of that while waiting for my brother's games to be over. And of course, it makes me think of when I played for so many years. Softball was a huge part of my life. It was so much fun. I love watching and playing especially. I can't wait my kids to enjoy those things too.

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)

We started our new semester of MOPS today. What a wonderful morning it was. I love these wonderful women. Especially our Steering team and the Mentor moms.

We decided to go with themes each meeting to make it different and fun. So, this month's theme is Valentine's day. We had all of these decorations up and hurricanes on the tables. It was so beautiful. Thankfully we were able to use the Women's Ministries cupboards to get the hurricanes, candles, and table cloths we needed for the decor. What a difference that made.

It was so much fun hearing from Rondalyn, who is our Children's Pastor at WACC. She is always so insightful and gave so many wonderful hints and tips for our children. We also had a mentor mom panel discussion. Everyone had a chance to ask questions of the mentor moms. We also had some preplanned questions too. They were so open and honest.

It felt like a breath of fresh air. In these days of crazy schedules, this was a much needed rest stop. And for anyone who hasn't been in a while or hasn't ever been, I encourage you to check it out. It's such a welcoming place.

Our team did amazing at setting up and cleaning up. With so many helpers, the job went by fast. I feel so blessed by them.

On a fun note: It was super exciting to me to announce to them that I'm the Coordinator Assistant (and Fundraising). We all were up there saying what jobs we do. It's amazing when we have a group of ladies who are just so willing to help and serve. They are a blessing to me and everyone else in MOPS. I love it!!

Next stop: Valentine's day party!! Woho!

Weight Loss Challenge

I wanted to update my blog with the latest on the weight loss competition. According to my weigh in yesterday I am now at 45 pounds lost!! And I am 4th in the competition. I'm so psyched because I moved up 3 spots from last week. Woho! This is very motivating.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I have a coupon for a birthday something or other and I soooo want to have it. I'm not going to be very good tomorrow (eating wise). I'll just have to make up for it the rest of the week.

We also have 2 birthday parties on Saturday and the Superbowl on Sunday. ahhh I almost want to not participate just so I won't be so tempted by all of that food. But, I want to be with friends and family too. I might just have to abstain from everything at the parties just so I don't over eat. And the Superbowl might be interesting. It's one of those days that I love to snack ALL DAY. Maybe I'll just bring some carrots to munch on and my own dinner. We'll see if it happens or not.

One of my friends posted a challenge for me on my facebook page. She wants to come out and do the Disney 1/2 Marathon in September and wants to know if I'll do it with her. Wow. That would be an incredible challenge. I can't even imagine finishing something that huge. I may or may not do it with her, but it makes me think about it. I never really have been much of a runner. I am excited when I can run for 10 minutes and then need to walk for a bit after. So, I'm far from where I would need to be to do it. It's a tempting challenge and I'll have to think about it. I'm not sure if I even can though. Scott brought up a good point about my sun allergy. I was diagnosed with a sun allergy in high school. I kept getting heat exhaustion and do get it fairly easily. So, I'll have to talk to my doctor about it. Maybe some strategies for it. Maybe it will be an overcast day. :) hmmm...tempting.

My blog

My blog looks funky. All of a sudden all of the background, pictures, and everything on the side is missing. I hope it's just a glitch with Blogger. I checked my dashboard and all of the aspects are still saved there. Still annoying.