3rd Place!!!!!!!!

The 12 Week Weight Loss Challenge is over. So, I'm not the Big Fat Loser. lol But I am a big fat loser after all. :) I got 3rd place in the competition. I am so happy about that. I lost 32.4 pounds (13.1%)!! (Go ahead, figure it out...whatever.) Heidi won second place and lost 33 pounds!! Eva won first place and lost 43.2 pounds!!! It was based on percentages lost.

What an exciting, exhausting, stressful thrill ride to go through. Especially when you are near the top. Trying your hardest to do everything you possibly can to do better. I knew several weeks ago that there was no way I could win. I was just way behind on the percentages. Since I weigh more my percentage is less than someone who is smaller and loses the same amount of weight. Oh well, that's the nature of it.

Roselia said she's not going to do another challenge so I said I would do the next one. Not just yet though. I need a break. It's so worth it. Even if you are just weighing in somewhere vs no one knowing if you are losing or gaining. More accountability and support. I know I wouldn't have been losing this fast without it.

It was kinda nice to let loose a little last night and have some Panda Express. I also had some pizza and popcorn today. :) I won't be doing much of it though because I'm still trying to lose. I even lost more this morning than yesterday morning. Even with Panda. lol My stomach has definitely shrunk. I couldn't eat as much as I do. I was so full and had to save the rest for another time. I'm going to take my first break from the gym/working out at home/running in quite a while tomorrow. I need it.

La Habra 10K

I ran the La Habra 5k/10K this past Saturday. Here is the family who came (minus Scott who is taking the picture). Daryn, Anny, Ron, Randi, Me, Shauna, and Bryan all ran/walked the 10K.

35 min. 9 seconds for the 5K. (We have to subtract 30 seconds because it took us 30 seconds on the clock to reach the start line when the race started.) This was a record pace for me for the 5K. My fastest before was 35 min. 44 seconds.

Shauna and I coming in for our first lap (5K).

Coming in for the finish of our 10K!!! Bryan was yelling at us to run it in faster. So, we ran faster to end it.

10K time 1 hr. 14 min. 16 seconds (According to my Nike+ thing I was wearing. I didn't even look at the time on the clock until we looked at the pictures later. I wonder why it's off a little. So It was either 16 seconds or 24 seconds. Either way, pretty darn good.) This was also a record time for me. My fastest before this for a 10K was 1 hr. 17 min. 58 seconds.

Thanks to Shauna for convincing me to do the 10K instead of the 5K. Midway into March it was seeming like the 10K would be better since I was used to doing 5Ks at that time. So, doing the 5K at the race would have been too easy. This way the 10K was a challenge.

It was quite a hilly run. NOTHING like running on the treadmill for sure. It was more like running around Shauna's house, with a few more hills. The hardest hill was near the beginning (and middle since we looped it twice). I did have to stop to walk quite a few times, but nothing like I had been on the treadmill. I took small little walking breaks when I had to. My goal is always to not have to ever stop running. This is something I need to work on. Some of those hills just did me in. At least the downhills I could sprint on. Once the 5K was done and we moved on to the second loop of the course, it was like hardly anyone was racing anymore. Most of the runners must have opted to do the 5K. Hardly anyone was even running near us, unlike the first loop where we were constantly going around people.

It was so fun knowing so many people there too. So many cousins, a few friends from church, and Whittier Christian (Skyler's school). Since some of them finished ahead of us they (and Scott) could cheer us on when we finished. And then we could cheer on those who were behind us. It was fun.

It was a great feeling of accomplishment afterward.

Six Word Saturday

I ran my first race today!

60 lb. lost!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the biggest difference I have seen (minus the face pictures). Love this side shot.

Ahh...I'm so excited. 60 pounds. That's just huge. I know I still have a ways to go, but 60 just seems like such a big number. I'm still getting used to it.

Friday Fixations

Instead of having my Thoughtful Thursday yesterday, I opted to blog day and call it something different. Random things I've been thinking of or are going on in my life.

Yesterday was packed full of organizing. You would not have wanted to be in my house yesterday. I had bags and bags and bags everywhere. All of the donations have started coming in for the baby item exchange and yard sale for MOPS, so I am organizing it all. It's pretty much all sorted out now. I spent pretty much all day (besides a short play date and pick ups and drop offs for school). I also was getting rid of some of our stuff, so I have been sorting through some of that too. I still have a ton of that to do. I need to go through their rooms and find more to donate. There is still plenty of time to donate if you want. And now it's easier that it's all sorted. So I can just filter it in with everything else.

I found out yesterday that my Grandpa Hanff has cancer. It has already metastasized to several other areas in his body. He was having a bone scan done because he had unexplained hip pain. Now we know why. They don't know where it originated yet, or what kind of cancer it is yet, or his prognosis. I'm assuming it's stage 4 cancer at this point since it has moved to so many places. This makes me so sad. I love my Gramps. His wife was taken by cancer.

I just hit 60 pounds lost today!! I'll post pics in the next blog.

My race is tomorrow!!!!!!! And then final weigh in is Sunday. She moved it up one day.

10 on Tuesday

1. I love that Courtney really doesn't have homework for the next 2 weeks. They are supposed to take that time to work on a home project and reading, and sight words. Most of that stuff is easy for her so she's already done with it. Now we just have to do the project.

2. We have to build a car out of a box so that she can wear it to school. lol

3. It was so much fun getting crafty on Saturday. I need to take more time to do that. I was in my element.

4. Loving my new phone. This is my first ever cool phone. We have always just got whatever cheapo free phone they offered. My new one is a Droid. Now I have unlimited internet access and texting for the same price we were paying at&t for a much lower plan without internet and definitely not unlimited texting.

5. I'm so proud that Courtney is getting an award next week at school. The Outstanding Citizen Award. Not sure how many kids get this award or if it's like a student of the month thing or not. She already completed everything she needed to for another award in May. :)

6. The Baby/Child Item Exchange is coming up for MOPS. This will be my last year running it and the Yard Sale. 2 years in a row is plenty. It's a lot of work sorting through all of that stuff and organizing it all. I like it to be organized so set up and clean up is faster too.

7. I need to go through our stuff to find more to get rid of for the sale. Hmm...maybe I can do some of that today. Sounds like a fun project.

8. Since bible study last week she challenged us to read through the Proverbs. One chapter a day. So start with whatever chapter the date is. So, today is the 23rd so you would read the 23rd chapter. It has been so awesome reading more of the bible. Granted I didn't have time to do it every day. But I did a few days at a time and did read all of the week's reading (chapters 16-22) before bible study this morning. It felt like a great accomplishment. But more than that, it was amazing to read it all and get those life connections through the word.

9. The race is this week!! Ahhh I'm nervous about all of those hills. So many people I know are going to be racing too. I hope I see them all that day. There will be so many people there. Shauna, Bryan, Daryn, Anny, Randi, Ron, Dawn, Emily, Candice (supporter), Michelle, Kristin, Scott (supporter), Sada....etc. I'm sure I forgot some of my friends who are racing.

10. Skyler asked the cutest thing today. "How can we get Colorado to be closer?" She meant like, moving Colorado closer to us. I explained to her that it couldn't ever be closer, but asked her why she asked and who she was missing. She said she wanted to play with all of her cousins. I reminded her that 3 of her cousins who live in Colorado are moving back to California in June and she got all excited again.

One More Week

One more week of the Big Fat Loser weight loss challenge. This one has seemed to drag on. Not sure why. Maybe because I had just done the other one. I'm so looking forward to having a little Panda Express to celebrate the challenge being over. There is NO WAY I'm going binging though. This is not the end of my weight loss goals. I need to continue on my merry little way down the scale. I'm so close to a HUGE weight loss goal. And I'm already so far into what I wanted to lose for the entire year. I'm at 27 of the 43 I wanted to lose this year. So, I'll be adjusting my goal once I hit that 43. That WILL happen this year. I'm so determined to get all of this extra weight off.

Also this week is my first race. It's the La Habra 5K/10K. Somehow Shauna has convinced me to do the 10K for my first race. It really makes more sense though. I've been pushing myself to do more and more running that I'm at least doing 5Ks when I run. So, only doing a 5K wouldn't be that challenging. The hilly course is what I'm NOT looking forward to. And doing it twice doesn't sound that great either. lol But we'll get through it and finish the race. I never imagined myself doing these things. It's so exciting pushing myself and seeing what I can do. Just wait until all the weight is off. Then I'll really be more in shape to run.

Six Word Saturday

I will be getting crafty tonight.


This is the first time I'm participating in this. A few of my friends have done this. The first place I saw it was on my dearly departed friend, Anna's blog.

Eva Rocks!!!

Eva totally rocks! She brought this to me today at MOPS. It's a High School Musical signing pen. It plays the song "Bet On It". I immediately said to her, "You read my blog!!" I was so excited that she would read my blog and see this and think of me and get it for me. That was awesome.

On a side note: When she gave it to me it was in a bag and I told her it better not be candy that she bought me (cuz she's in 1st in the competition). :P Everyone used it at MOPS today at my table. We kept playing the song and dancing in our seats. Love it, Eva!!

Proverbs

Sometimes I wonder why I even try. Confronting someone about something when you know they are not going to take it well, regardless of your intention or the way you say it. They are just not going to learn anything from it. I was asking for prayer in bible study as we were going around in our group. We just started a lesson on Proverbs. This was what I needed to hear. It made me feel a little better knowing that it was in the bible about this very situation.

Proverbs 9:7-9 "Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get a smart retort. Anyone who rebukes the wicked will get hurt. So don't bother rebuking mockers; they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more. Teach the wise, and they will be wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn more."

Rebuking is like standing up to them or confronting them on something they are doing. It's so hard to deal with people like this because you never really want to confront someone about what they are doing and how it's hurting you and/or your friends. But not saying something means you continue to be abused by them. You want to show love by showing grace to them and not say anything. But this can only happen so long before you feel like enough is enough. It would be totally different if actually telling them would help the situation. But since they take nothing from it and only continue on their way, they are not gaining wisdom from what you are trying to say. They only get angrier that you could possibly say anything and hurt them. As if that was ever the intention. The intention is to fill them in as to what in their behavior is not acceptable to you and how that hurt you.

10 on Tuesday

Yes, a little late again. Yesterday was insane.

1. I just sponsored another consultant for PartyLite. Woho! That's like the 6th or 7th person. Too bad they aren't all still in it or I would be a unit leader.

2. I'm going to have my own party in April to hopefully sorta restart my own business. I need to get some bookings on my calendar so I can make some money for our family.

3. Bible study is always so wonderful. It was enlightening this week. I'm going to post a separate blog about that.

4. I'm excited for Saturday night. I'm going to have a "Stampin' Up!" party. My fellow card makers are going to learn and make a few projects and look through the catalog. So fun. I need to make more cards. My card stash is getting low.

5. The "Baby Item Exchange" madness has begun. Last year was the first time I ran it and had all of the donations at my house. Taking up room in my garage and all over my house. The donations are starting to come in. I have a nice pile in the front room and the garage. Guess I will have to move it out of the front room for the party though. lol Then after the Baby Item Exchange is the yard sale. That is on May 1st if you want to come shop. We are taking donations from anyone. So, if you want to get rid of some junk in your house (no electronics), bring it on by.

6. I'm getting excited for my race that is only a week and a half away (the 27th). I've decided to do the 10K instead of the 5K. 10K will be more of a challenge. And since I just did one, I know I can do it. Even if I have to walk some of it. A bunch of people in my family will be running and walking it. I'm just a little sad that my girls and Scott might not be able to see me cross the finish line. Courtney has a game and we have snacks that day for her game. So, they have to be there. Unless the race starts super early. Her game is at 9 and has to be there at 8:30.

7. I'm so proud of how Courtney is doing at school. She is done with all of the requirements for the "Reach for the Gold" award that happens in May. She has moved on to the 2nd grade reading books. She's almost done with her other phonics books, and is almost done with all of the spelling words. She didn't even need to do any of them, but the teacher is challenging her. She also got invited to go to a special Academy at school to challenge advanced learners.

8. Skyler has now informed me that she wants a red car. She keeps telling me she wants her own red car, now. I had to remind her that she can't drive yet. Then she insists she means when she grows up that she wants a red car. And she also wants to know how come we don't have a red car. lol

10. We just had a Mommy and Me Circus Safari at her school. At first we were like, how do you combine Safari and Circus? When we got there it really was a circus. But the different booths were about the animals. It was cute.

Thoughtful Thursday

I'm so happy to report that everyone is healthy in our house! This is so huge. It feels like we have been on puke watch forever.

One of my friends has a blog full of blog prompts that she thinks of. So I might be occasionally doing those as I think of something relevant to the topic.

Tomorrow night is Fondue night with MOPS. Oooh sounds so yummy. However, it will be hard to be good. I think I have to find a way to allow myself a couple little things and just have the other stuff plain. And a nice workout that day would be good too. I'm making beer bread and meatballs for it.

I had to work the snack shack last night for the softball league. Boy was that interesting. First of all they were almost a half hour late to open it up. We were giving them until 5:30 to show up before we left and they got there at 5:25. Bummer. So the 3 of us had to learn how to use all of the machines since none of us had ever done it before. They seemed to half teach us how to do it. I'm glad I was asking questions while they were there cuz they left fairly quickly. They should have had someone staying just in case we had questions or needed more change or where items were. Then they were out of most things we needed. So, we kept having to say we didn't have any more_____. Fill in the blank and we probably didn't have everything we needed to do it. Thankfully we still had enough to make most people happy. The hot chocolate ran out fairly quickly. What a horrible night to run out of that. It was freezing. The hot dog machine wasn't making the hot dogs hot enough or cooked enough so most of them we had to heat more in the microwave. It was quite the experience. We had a line for 2 hours straight. Then had a line off and on the rest of the time (2 more hours). I'm just glad it's over. I did my duty and am done with it.

I feel like I have a million things to accomplish, yet I'm on here blogging. lol Oh well, it's helping me have some down time before the craziness.

10 on Tuesday

1. Skyler got sick last night throwing up. So incredibly gross. And I'm trying to not puke on her from the smell. Uh, how that gets me queasy. Today she is feeling better already. She says she feels all better, her tummy doesn't hurt, and she just started eating some normal foods. Hopefully it's a sign of a really quick bug that's about to be gone. Poor thing.

2. Sometimes it's just nice to talk to a friend. Just someone who gets you and loves you anyway. Who needs grace and shows grace. (Grace = Showing someone Mercy when they do not deserve it/not earned)

3. Is so frustrated right now.

4. I missed hanging out with my bible study ladies today because Sky was sick and last week had to miss MOPS because Courtney was sick. And Scott was sick in between. I really have had enough of the sicknesses in this house.

5. I'm back to 5th place in the competition. I'm hoping something was off with the scale for a bunch of people because it seemed like a lot of people didn't do as well as they normally do this week. Hopefully it will bounce back to normal next week.

6. So, with Scott's bonus coming in we were able to finally get some things we have not been able to get due to lack of money. It totally felt like a shameful spending spree since we should be saving most of it. But some things needed to happen and others were really fun things we splurged on (that we have not been able to spend money on at all last year). Scott's car was a necessity to fix several things. My car too. We also had to put a bunch away for property taxes.

7. I got the Nike+ Sportband to go with the shoes my friend, Sarah gave me. I can now run anywhere and be able to keep track of my time, miles, & pace. It's been fun trying it out. It makes me want to run more. Anything that offers me more motivation and variety is a good thing. I'm always looking for new ways to get exercise or be healthy.

8. I haven't even really said anything about this because it feels like such a huge expense that we weren't planning on. I can not be more excited though. We finally got a new camera. It has been hard not having one since Christmas day. We were originally going to get another one like we had but ended up getting the Canon Rebel SLR. (I'm totally drooling over it.) Since I have always had an aspiration to have my own photography business, this camera just brings out that photographer in me. Especially since it has an incredibly fast shutter speed. Getting the exact shot I wanted will be much easier now. Purchasing this new camera was supposed to be my award from my hubby for reaching a huge weight loss milestone. But we figured it would be better to get it now while we had the money. Because I will for sure be hitting that milestone this year. 20 pounds away. I promised Scott he could use it too. :) And he already has several times. Maybe at that time I will finally reveal my weight. Maybe.

9. I can't wait, but when we get the taxes back I can go clothes shopping for some much needed smaller clothes. Especially jeans. My jeans are all big. Even straight from the dryer I can wear them for a couple hours before they start falling off. What a problem to have, right? I love it.

10. I can't wait for this challenge to be over. It's wearing on me a little bit. It's hard when I feel like I have done a great job losing (like last week of 5.6 lb.)and still only gain a fraction of a percentage on people above me. If Roselia doesn't do another challenge again, I might run one. I would add a couple rules too. I like the motivation of the challenge, but being part of the front runners feels stressful. I need a break. A chance to relax a bit. I want some PANDA!!! (Panda Express that is.)


This blog would have been so much better unedited.

10 on Tuesday

ya ya so it's a day late. Who cares?

1. Please pray for my husband's job. Right now if you can. He and his whole department yesterday were asked if they were mobile (willing to move to another refinery far away to keep their job). He said no because really, we don't want to move away. I'm hoping they are going to weed out those who can just switch to somewhere else instead of being let go. His company is doing massive lay offs. He said it's getting scarier today because he sees people being walked out (being let go) today. PLEASE pray hard. We are just barely managing to get by WITH his paycheck, let alone if we didn't have it.

2. I ran 4 miles yesterday!!! That was a major accomplishment for me! I haven't ever run that far let alone in 49 minutes. It was hard and felt like torture. I didn't have my running buddy with me, so that's probably partially why. It's the first time I went past 3.1 miles (5K).

3. My asthma is driving me nuts. I keep feeling it come on. I had to use my inhailer 2 different times yesterday. Yet, it was fine during my run. Go figure. I can feel it again today too.

4. Courtney has her 1st ever softball game tonight. I'm excited and hope it doesn't get rained out. 5:15pm at EWMS.

5. I'm now in a 2 way tie for 4th place in the challenge. I lost 5.6 pounds last week. Insane. I can't believe it was only 2.2% for the week though. ug!

6. Why do cookies have to be so good?

7. Last week we woke up to find 2 chocolate bar wrappers on the table (with no chocolate in them). We knew there had been some candy thieves. Then all of a sudden we noticed 20 little dimes piled on the table. See, the night before we told them that they couldn't just eat the softball candy we were selling. They had to buy it. Then we let them eat buy a candy from the money in their piggy banks. We had a lesson about coins and they ended up paying in dimes. I guess I should have explained that they couldn't just buy as many as they wanted. It was a one time thing. lol But cute that they now know how many dimes are in a dollar.

8. Taxes are done. Woho! That was a huge accomplishment of last week. The whole process stresses me out.

9. Can't decide if I'm going to the gym after writing this blog or going to skip it today. My body says skip it. My mind is reminding me of how little we have til the final weigh in. Maybe I'll just do a smaller workout.

10. I should have a PartyLite shipment coming soon. I finally spent a bunch of gift certificates I had been saving to get some new product. I will probably be hosting my own party in April (PL's anniversary month) and have all kinds of stuff to sell off my table as well as all of the incredible specials and catalog they always do.

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.

Ten on Tuesday

Yes, another stolen idea from a friend's blog. (Mary) I thought I would give it a try. 10 kind of random things in life.

1. I love it when my girls both fall asleep at the same time. ahhh peace

2. Ug, rain. I know we just had 2 days of no rain, but last week just did me in. A solid week of rain. I really am a CA girl.

3. Bible study was awesome today. I especially liked the parts about the complaining, resentful, and judgmental spirit. Makes you think.

4. I caved in and had some chips. ahh I really wanted some. So I wasted 150 calories. Oh well...I'll just burn it off tonight at the gym. Normally a little bit of something like that doesn't bother me. But I don't want one thing like that to lead to more. I'm trying to take control.

5. I'm so proud of Courtney and how she's doing at school. She's moving on to the first grade sight words now. She's doing so well.

6. Skyler was so adorable the other day asking me why her teacher gives her a sticker for being good. I explained. Then she said, "But, I'm always good." What a precious little one. She really wants to always be the good girl.

7. I'm applying to be a sub at Skyler's school. Her director is encouraging me to do this. I figured, hey, why not? We could really use some extra money, and it's not like all the time either. I used to be a preschool teacher, so it's like going back to an old element of life. I think it will be fun.

8. I am so incredibly blessed by God. I feel hyper-aware of all of the love he shows to me and my family. I love that feeling and hope I can always feel like this.

9. Just when I thought I was doing better after dealing with so much death this week (4 people). I started breaking down again. I guess it's still so new and hard. It was so beautiful saying goodbye to my uncle this weekend. We were out at sea scattering his ashes and lots of flowers.

10. This was fun. I think I'll do it again. :)

Bet On It

I was at the gym last night listening to this song. Yes, I have High School Musical songs on my IPOD because my kids love it and a lot of them are fast paced enough for the gym. I started thinking how true the lyrics were for how I am feeling about this weight loss. Here are the lyrics to this song. It's "Bet On It" from High School Musical 2, I believe. (Of course there are some things that aren't quite applicable, but on the whole it's good.)

Lyrics to Bet On It :
Everybody's always talkin' at me
Everybody's tryin' to get in my head
I wanna listen to my own heart talkin'
I need to count on my self instead
Did you ever?
Loose yourself to get what you want
Did you ever?
Get on a ride and wanna get off
Did you ever?
Push away the ones you should've held close
Did you ever let go?
Did you ever not know?

I'm not gonna stop, that's who I am
I'll give it all I got, that is my plan
Realize on what I lost
You know you can
Bet on it, bet on it
Bet on it, bet on it
Bet on me

I wanna make it right, that is the way
To turn my life around, today is the day
Am I the type of guy who means what I say?
Bet on it, bet on it Bet on it, bet on it

How will I know if there's a path worth taking?
Should I question every move I make?
The thought of lost my heart and it's breakin'
I don't wanna make the same mistake
Did you ever?
Doubt your dream will ever come true
Did you ever?
Blame the world and never blame you
I will never...
Try to live a lie again
I don't wanna win this game if I can't play it my way

I'm not gonna stop, that's who I am (Who I am)
I'll give it all I got, that is my plan (That's my plan)
Realize on what I lost
You know you can (You know you can)

Bet on it, bet on it
Bet on it, bet on it
Bet on me

I wanna make it right, that is the way
To turn my life around, today is the day
Am I the type of guy who means what I say?

Bet on it, bet on it
Bet on it, bet on it

Oh...Hold up Give me room to think
Bringin' it on down
Gotta work on my swing
Gotta do my own thing

Oh...Hold up It's no good at all
To see yourself and not recognize your face
Out on my own, it's such a scary place (Ooh)
The answers are all inside of me
All I gotta do is believe
I'm not gonna stop
Not gonna stop 'til I get my shot
That's who I am, that is my plan Will I end up on top?

You can bet on it, bet on it
Bet on it, bet on it
You can bet on it, bet on it
Bet on it, bet on it
Bet on me

I wanna make it right, that is the way
To turn my life around, today is the day
Am I the type of guy who means what I say?

Bet on it, bet on it
Bet on it, bet on it
You can bet on me

[ Bet On It Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ]

In Memory of Anna Calise

This was one of her signatures she would sign off with.

Or "Goofy" as we called her often. She had an obsession with Goofy. So many times we would talk about me going to Disneyland and she would ask me to say hi to Goofy for her. I did and Goofy always nodded in approval. This turned into a Goofy obsession of mine so that I could find cute Goofy things and post pictures for her to see. Me or the kids in a Goofy hat. Or a Goofy sign or something like that. I would always say, "Oh Anna would have liked that."

Anna and I met on a site called babycenter.com. I know it seems like a random friendship, but it is anything but. We have been talking about our children together since we just found out we were pregnant with our Jan 06 babies. We are part of a group called the Lil Garnets who were all due around the same 2 weeks of January. Once babycenter (or BBC) started changing and security became an issue we took our group into it's own website just for us. To this day we all talk all the time about everything. We have done countless posts/blogs/threads to each other through the years. Many of us joined facebook together and started talking there too. Of course, now we are all obsessed with that.

One time Anna sent me a bunch of stuff for an exchange we were doing. She sent me some of her favorite things. Memoires of a Geisha book, Bon Jovi cd, and some tea. This was before Twilight engrossed us all. We did a few book clubs and read and discussed the books together.

Our group really is like a family and I can not believe that Anna will not be a part of it anymore. She has been such a lively addition to any conversation. I love seeing her videos of her kids or showing us her home. Her cute accent always made me smile.

Oh, the Twilight girl. She was TEAM EDWARD for sure. I loved seeing how her blog would change with the changing holidays and then back to Twlight. Scott and I would laugh at whatever new Twlight posting was about. Loved that about her.

She loved her boys so much and always wanted to have a little girl. She was devastated when her baby went to heaven so far into gestation. It felt like she should have been beyond the "safe" point, but was not. It was so hard for her. And we all were just so heartbroken for her and her family. Then she found out she was having another baby. So we all started praying that her baby would be healthy. Then to find out that she was having a girl was even more exciting. Baby Isabella was born at the end of October '09. Her children are: Anthony (11), Matthew (7), Christopher (4 next week) and Isabella (almost 3 months).

Also, we need to pray for her husband, Davide. I can not even imagine what he is going through. Especially when he has 4 children to take care of too.

I am going to miss her so much. She was so fun and loving. I pray for her children. For her oldest 2 who are probably devastated. Her 4 year old who is probably confused and doesn't completely get it. And little Isabella who won't remember her mother. Her mother who was so worried about how she would adjust to a bottle during her surgery.

Speaking of surgery I should explain how all of this happened. Anna's insurance wouldn't cover her husband to get a vasectomy. But they would cover her to have her tubes tied. She wanted to take charge of the situation and just get it done. So, she had surgery. Little did she know that the doctor would perforate her bowel. This causes sepsis (massive infection inside the body). Which causes the organs to shut down. (Her last blog was about the successful surgery. Who knew it would be her last?) Anna went in to see what was going on and was sent home with Tylenol. Then later was taken in for emergency exploratory surgery to figure out what was going on. They couldn't find the perforation.

I often think of our missed trip out to see her. My husband and I had been planning a trip to New York for our 10 year anniversary. Anna had offered to be our tour guide and show us the city. We were going to go to Broadway together and see the sites. Due to our financial hardships, we had to cancel our plans. That trip would have been this last June.

There really are so many wonderful things about Anna, that I could go on forever. She will be truly missed.

40 pounds lost!!!

WOHO!!!!!!!! I'm at 40 pounds lost!!! Here are the comparison shots since last time I took them (at 31 pounds) and since the start. I was so excited to be able to take new pics this morning. I lost 3.2 this week to make it 40 all together.

The Year in Review 2009

Scott and I decided to write separate letters this year since he is posting it on his blog and we aren’t sending it out. AND probably the biggest reason is that we have such different perspectives on 2009. Plus, he got really long winded. haha

January

January started with the mass birthday celebrations. Skyler had her 3rd birthday. We all went to Disneyland on each of our birthdays so that we could get the free offers from Disney. Skyler had to start getting a pass this year so we put hers toward her pass.

This month also started something inside of me that screamed out for change. I have always watched The Biggest Loser, but for some reason when I saw the first episode this year it really hit me that I need to start this now and that the timing was never going to be “right”. I had already lost a little since the cruise last August, but January started the real start for me in my mind. I was determined.

February

February ushers in my birthday and Courtney’s. Courtney turned 5 this year. Wow, they are growing up so fast. I also started being the fundraiser steering team person for my MOPS group. Our new little niece, Bella, was born this month.

March

A huge highlight in March was serve weekend for church. We always have such an amazing experience serving our community with our church. This year we were photographers taking pictures of all of the different projects and getting all of that back together for the church. It was extremely fun for me since I have always had aspirations to be a photographer. And hard to give the camera to Scott. :)

April

Wow, this month was insane. Since I was the fundraising person for MOPS I was now in charge of the Baby Item Exchange and Yard Sale. This meant coordinating, organizing, set up, clean up, everything. I was so thankful for all of the helpers who came for the insanity. Both events were within 2 weeks of each other and Courtney’s first job and Scott’s birthday was in between. Courtney got her first modeling job with O Magazine (Oprah Magazine). She’s in the July 2009 issue pages 110-111. If you have an extra copy, I would love to get it from you. :)

May

May was a very hard month. My dear friend, Monica died. I’m sure lots of other things happened, but it all just feels like a blur. She had been battling cancer and was so young. She was survived by her husband and son who turned 3 a little after. This has been such a huge loss.

June

Courtney graduated from Preschool from Whittier Christian. It’s amazing how fast they both are growing up.

We also had the groundbreaking at church to start the first of 2 phases of projects at church. We desperately need more parking to hold the people we already have let alone anyone new. So, the first phase is to deal with the parking. The second phase will be the sanctuary and completing everything. The original purpose of the space was always meant to be temporary for use as our sanctuary. So, finally we are building it.

Scott and I also had our 10 year anniversary! What an amazing 10 years we have had. I am truly blessed.

July

We headed to Colorado to visit family. My brother and family just moved to Colorado right after Christmas so we wanted to see them. We also wanted to visit Scott’s sister and family. Our new little niece, Bella had been born in February and this was our first chance to see her. At the tail end of July into August we also went to Shaver Lake for our annual camping trip.

July/August/Sept/Oct/Nov/Dec (maybe part of it)

Somewhere in July/August our world came crashing down. This is really the first I have publically talked about this so this might be hard. Scott started battling depression. This was one of the hardest times in my life (and that’s saying a lot). It is so strange for me to be on the other side of this. I have dealt with major depression for many years of my life so I completely understood where he was coming from. Plus, studying all kinds of related areas when I was in college getting my degree in Psychology. I just felt so far removed from where I used to be that it made it easier for me to be rational and not slip back into it myself. I am so thankful for God getting us through this. I don’t know a time when I have ever prayed so much and so hard and long in my life.

September

The girls started school. Skyler started preschool and Courtney started Kindergarten. It has been so strange taking Courtney to school since we both went there growing up. They both are doing amazing. At the end of the month I was able to go to the Rest Stop Retreat with several friends. It was an amazing weekend and we all got so much closer. I also started doing a weight loss challenge with some friends. It has been great being a part of that. Lots of motivation.

October

The weight loss challenge continues this month. We have the delight of having my cousin, Nicole, visiting from Washington. We also had a bunch of Harvest Festivals at their schools.

November

We got to go to Legoland for the first time ever with my cousin’s family. We had a blast. It was such an exciting day!

My great uncle passed away. It’s so sad to see him go.

We had our final weigh in and I lost like 15 something for the challenge, but I am up to 38 pounds total lost so far. It’s amazing the differences you feel and how much your clothes stop fitting. I’m excited to start the new challenge that starts tomorrow (1/4/10).

For Thanksgiving we got to spend with Scott’s sister Susie and family. It was so nice to be able to spend quality time with them every day they were here. But then they had to leave again. Oh how I wish all of those family members in Colorado would move back. J

December

December was amazing. Scott went back to work and was back to his old self again. This was such a huge relief of him going back to work. We had many Christmas parties and musicals to go to. The huge highlight is that Skyler asked Jesus into her heart. She is so precious. I’m so amazed at the clarity of her knowledge. She even lead her own prayer after our prayer. Praise God!

Ok, so now I understand why Scott’s was so long. I’m thinking we might not want to do month to month next time. So many events. Here’s to hoping that 2010 is a blessed year filled with joy, love, and prosperity.

New Challenge

The new Big Fat Loser challenge has started once again. I'm excited this time to actually be competing for the prize. It's more motivating than before. I had gained a few over the holidays and managed to lose all of that in the first week of the challenge. I lost 6.2 the first week.

One frustration is that I am bigger than a lot of the people in the challenge so that means that I have to lose more in order to have an equal percentage. So people who are ahead of me actually lost less weight the first week, but their percentage of body weight lost is more. I posted something about this on my facebook page and got a very nice response from everyone. Mostly about not letting that determine how I feel about losing so much the first week. I haven't ever lost that much in one week before so I really am ecstatic about it. I just want my percentage to reflect the work I'm doing. A couple people brought up that I'm not starting this now. I've been losing weight for a while so it would be harder to lose more right now. True. I never thought about it that way.

I need to remind myself that my challenge does not end with this challenge. The ultimate goal is to get healthier and skinnier. However, I'm competitive and would love to win. That grand prize would be so helpful with our financial situation. I could get some new shoes and some clothes that fit. And use the rest for bills and groceries I'm sure. I can do this and I WILL do this. I've seen it happen with the other challenge as well as just people in general. Most people either quit or slow down their progress. I will keep going. I have never been more determined in my life.

My goal is to lose 43 pounds this year. (I did 38 last year so it's possible.) I will hit a huge milestone when I do. I'm on my way to reaching that goal. And then I will re-assess my goal and have an ultimate goal to strive for.

In case you're wondering how I'm doing it I'll tell you. I get this question a lot. There is no magic secret. No magic plan. I am eating healthier. Eating in smaller portions, having way more fruits and veggies, drinking lots of water, and exercising. What a concept?!

One of my biggest inspirations is watching "The Biggest Loser". I love that show. So many helpful hints of things to add to what I'm already doing. I love it when I hear Jillian tell them exactly what speed and how long to do a machine. Cuz you know I'm going to try it the next time I'm at the gym. Even last night she told them to do a 7 incline at 3.0 and I was like, that's it? haha I had been doing it at a 7 incline at 3.5. lol Which was a challenge that I heard her say to them the week before. It's amazing what you can do when you try. I had no idea I could get to a 7 incline. I had only gone up to 5 before. Now I can only do a 7 for about a minute though. So I have to work on that. I did do something amazing yesterday at the gym. I got an all time high on the elliptical machine (the one with no arms). When I was doing my first sprint (at a resistance of 7) I got up to 262 speed!!!!!! I had only been to 250 before. So that was incredible. My heart rate was great after too. Not too crazy fast. It's getting healthier. I'm also proud of how fast I'm doing the other elliptical machine (the one with arms) now. That speed system is different. I'm consistently staying in the low to mid 70s when before I was only in the high 60s.

I'm hoping to try to keep this updated with my progress whenever I hit a milestone at least. I know I'll do new pictures at 40 pounds total lost (just 3 to get there). I'm excited for this challenge's motivation and the awesome people who are doing it with me. The support has been amazing.

Meals of Love for India

What an awesome experience it was to make meals for the starving people in India. There is an article in the Whittier Daily News that gives more specifics. We measured and poured numerous times to be able to pack food packets into boxes to be shipped. It was great having Courtney experience this also. We would have had Sky come too but they only wanted 5 and up. Courtney did a great job, but I can see why they insisted on the age minimum. We had a 2 hour shift and could have lasted longer. Then after we were done the next shift was standing there waiting. It was amazing.