A Special Request...

I have a problem and I'm coming to my "extended family" for help. ;(

In just 30 days, December 16th "My Marine" will be graduating from Marine bootcamp in San Diego, Camp Pendleton, CA. It is one of those events in life that can never be duplicated. We want to go celebrate this wonderful accomplishment in his life. We want to support him and cheer him on. That Other Kid and I are looking forward to attending the graduation celebration. We want to attend BUT plane tickets are so expensive right now from Dallas to San Diego.

Here's my request -- does anyone have "buddy passes" or "miles" that we can use? We need 2 plane tickets, round trip from Dallas to San Diego sometime in the area of December 14 - December 16/17th. We are flexible with travel times but definitely need to be there on December 15th and 16th.

I know this is a big request but I desperately want to celebrate this accomplishment in My Marine's life!!

Thanks so much for your help....

A Break From The Regularly Scheduled Blubber

Tonight I come to you with a serious and humbling request. Melissa (my friend and sister from the Sisterhood) has 4 children. One of them, a 7 year old boy, has decided that what he wants for CHRISTMAS this year is to donate money so that under-developed (and undeveloped) countries can have clean water. He is donating his own personal money (and money he raises) and money that would be spent on gifts to this organization so that these countries and kids can have CLEAN WATER!

Now, I don't know about you but this just makes me tear up something fierce. That Other Kid will be 7 in just under 2 months so basically Bridger and That Other Kid are the same age and all TOK can talk about lately is what he wants for his birthday and Christmas. He wants this Lego set or that one. He wants this HotWheels set and this video game and this movie. I'm tellin' you it is making me nauseated to listen to all his "give me, give me, give me". I realize he's a kid and he wants new stuff. We all do, and I'm sure Bridger would love to have some new toys too but he is willing to put all his "wants" on the line so that these people can have CLEAN WATER! That makes me sooooo stinkin' proud of this kid I have never even met! Just makes me want to cry!

Ya know...if I want clean water I just go to the faucet and turn it on and viola there is clean water. Or since our water doesn't meet my "perfect" drinking water standards I go to buy bottled water that has been "purified" for my drinking pleasure!

But, these people don't even have water that is worthy of bathing in, or doing their laundry in...and that is what Bridger is trying to change. So will you help Bridger help others? I will!! And maybe, just maybe I can convince That Other Kid to help out too....ya know maybe a little good peer pressure!

I Just Donated....

won't you??



I received overtime today in my first paycheck while working overnights and since they are busting their butts putting in "overtime" training for their 1/2 marathon this summer I donated my overtime pay! Not much, but every little bit helps!

Please help this wonderful cause....Find out more here

Monday Project -- Final Questions For Rethink Your Shrink

It's time for the final Monday Project for the "Rethink Your Shrink" Challenge from the Sisterhood. This challenge was the hardest one thus far for me to stay focused on but I learned more about myself than any of the other challenges that I have participated in. Although my goals were not all met, I learned SOOOO MUCH about myself and the things I need to do to stay on the course of losing weight and getting healthy.


What happened over the past 7 weeks? Many things happened over the course of the past 6/7 weeks that have made it VERY difficult to stay focused on my journey of weight loss. I have been under a great deal of stress that I never expected to have to deal with, but I have (with the help of my friends - both real and virtual) been able to at least stay somewhat focused. I learned the things to do and the things to stay away from.

Did you move more? Um...more? I'm not sure I can say I moved more, but I continued moving and that is really one of the main keys for me to lose weight. I consistently exercised, even completing the first monthly challenge from the Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum Wii Game during this time. It was a good thing for me to do during this time because I didn't want to "not do it". I like having a challenge set up for me to do frequently.

Did you find victories? There were victories...just not as many as I wanted. I did keep my house picked up. I did manage to increase my fruit/veggies consumption. I did manage to lose some weight during this time.

Did you find non-scale victories? Oops...see above!

Did you do something you’ve never done before? (And in a good way?) Yes, I did do something different! I tried Pilates and it is something I have been telling myself I was going to try for MANY years! I enjoyed it, although I hurt for several days after....just showing me that I need to do it more frequently!

How much did you lose? I lost 3.4 pounds during this challenge. I also lost the ability to say "I can't do it!!" just because it is hard.

How did you do when you had an off-week? Did you fall off? Did you get back up? I had several bad weeks during this time, but they were productive times where I did continue working at the "mental" perspective of losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle! I managed to not pick up the coke habit again and I ate some fruit or veggies EVERY SINGLE DAY!! When I had a bad day I just went to the Shrinking Jeans website and "visited" my friends. Reading about their challenges and successes made it easier for me to stay on track. I also managed to walk away from the kitchen a few times when all I wanted to do was sit with a bunch of junk and pig out! I did pick myself back up and wipe my eyes and get back on track (mostly).

Where did you find motivation? I found my motivation from my projects that Christie assigned and from daily looking at the pictures on my motivation wall showing me at one of my heaviest points and also from 1 year later with losing 35 pounds. So, thanks Christie!!! I saw how far I had come in just a year. Then I would look at several other pictures around my house that show me when I was a skinnier, healthier me!! This was incredibly motivating...not depressing like I thought it would do!! I can do it....I just have to remember that I didn't get where I am (still at least 40 pounds to lose) overnight. It took years of over-indulging and not exercising to get to where I have been.

Did you like this challenge? I absolutely LOVED this challenge!! There was so much more to this challenge than just losing weight. There was also the challenging of my brain and mental outlook!!

I am so happy I found the Sisterhood. I would not be where I am without them....Thanks so much for being a wonderful support group for me!! I can't tell you how much I needed it!

Here are my after pictures. My clothes are getting baggier and baggier every month and although my weight didn't go down much this 6 week time period I can tell a big difference in the way my clothes fit! Sorry for the pouty faces! I was exhausted by the time I took these pictures....



My before ones are here...

Weigh In Time -- Let's Get Honest

It's weigh in time again with the Sisters and I have to tell the truth here...I almost decided just to "forget" all about posting my numbers and blog today. I almost said "screw it". No one wants to hear my misery. No one really cares about the pathetic numbers on the scale this week or this whole challenge for that matter. Besides I don't really want to bring everyone down because I am having such pathetic success this time around.

BUT...I decided that maybe my misery can help someone out there. Maybe my past successes will bolster someone to begin their journey to losing weight. Maybe my pathetic weight loss this past 6 weeks will make someone else feel better about themselves.

So...Here we go...the sad, ugly truth...

We started this challenge on December 30 and I weighed in at 192.2.

Last week I weighed: 187.6

Today I weighed: 188.2

So over the past 5 weeks I have lost 4 measley pounds! This week I gained 1/2 pound AGAIN!!

When I started this journey nearly 1 year ago (March 25) I weighed 225.6 pounds so overall I have lost 37 1/2 pounds which is not a small amount (it's the most weight I have ever lost without giving birth to a big baby boy!), but it's not anywhere close to my goal. My goal is to be down 50 pounds by March 25. I still have 12 1/2 pounds to go and right now, honestly, it feels like 100 pounds!

Last night on the Biggest Loser Jillian told one of the girls (I think it was Andrea) not to worry about the small number of pounds lost and she was noticably frustrated....I can totally relate. How is it that I can be busting my butt every night for nearly an hour and sometimes longer and GAIN weight! I understand that stress plays a part in this scenario, but how can I deal with the stresses that are in my life right now? I can't just ignore the fact that we have no income coming in and a whole stack of bills sitting there waiting to be paid. I have been working hard at not eating just to be eating, and I have not been drinking cokes like my head keeps begging for. I haven't really been eating too much junk except for the half bag of potato chips I succumbed to the other day!

I hope this doesn't sound pathetic, but I have to be honest here...I feel like giving up and just saying screw it "I will just be a fat, unhealthy mom", but honestly I have too much at stake. I have a 6 year old and a 19 year old that depend on me and deserve to have a healthy, fit mom. I need to be healthy so that I can live to see my future grandchildren. I need to be healthy and fit so that I can enjoy living my life of the future. I need to be healthy to help others meet their goals. I have worked too hard over the past year to just "throw in the towel", but right this minute that's how I feel!!

Tomorrow (or the next day or day after) I will be mentally back on track and want to do what it takes to lose this weight. But today I am not there...Just being honest.

I hope that this honest assessment of my here and now is helpful to someone and I hope that next week I can look back at this post and say "wow! It's a good thing I didn't give in to the temptation of "throwing in the towel" because I really pulled through and have kicked it up to lose enough weight to meet my goals.

Rethinking ME -- The Hard Facts

On Monday ChristieO assigned us a PROJECT!! I've been thinking of it as a homework assignment which is probably the wrong attitude to have about it, but it was challenging and thought provoking. That was the purpose of it and it was really good timing for me to have to do it. Before I answer all the questions posed on Monday I want to tell you that this could not have happened at a better time in my life. Yesterday was stressful for me and I made the WORST food choices I could have made. Then I sat down and did my "homework" project! Wow!! What an eye opening experience! So here goes....

What about 2009 DID NOT Work?
Playing it by ear -- winging it -- just eating whatever and whenever I wanted. I didn't eat a lot of junk, but I just wasn't conscience of "is this good for me?"

What were my goals for 2009?
My main goal for 2009 was to lose enough weight so that by Christmas I would weigh no more than 150 pounds!! I obviously didn't make it :((

Did I fall short of my goal for 2009? Why?
Definitely, but now I realize it was unrealistic to even set that high of a goal for 9 months. If I would have made that goal it would have been done in a UNHEALTHY way, and that's not what I want. I want to be healthy...inside and out!!

What are the biggest obstacles to me losing weight?
STRESS!! It is a killer for me; literally and figuratively! Inconsistent eating habits also created a major road block for my weight loss. I ate far too many meals going through the drive through and in the car! Even if I stayed away from cokes I still ate too many french fries!!

What were my patterns?
I would eat well for a few weeks and start losing more weight, then something would come along and stress me out again, then I would turn to the fast food lane again! Or the candy bag!! Eating more at meals than I should!! Basically, bad food choices!

What was my "rock bottom"?
Rock bottom for me was when I went to the Endocrinologist and weighed in at 229! He told me to lose weight and 2 months later I went in and I had only lost 2 pounds! At this point he told me to stop "trying" and "DO IT"!! If I didn't I would soon be diagnosed with diabetes. That scared the crap out of me!! That was the last straw so to speak! No cokes, eat right, lose weight by exercise and good eating habits!

What worked for 2009?
That part was easy...I successfully gave up COKES cold turkey for 6 weeks! After that 6 week period I only drink coke on special occasions or when I just "want" one. Not an everyday occurrence. It is a conscience decision to drink a coke now; not just what I drink when I want something to drink. NOW I drink WATER...almost exclusively!
I also started exercising NEARLY every day!! I have had a few periods when I have taken more than 1 day off in a row (like when we were moving and when I was VERY sick with a sinus infection). I even exercised on a trip to Kansas that I took in May! Before, I would never have exercised on vacation!

Potential obstacles as I continue losing weight?
Busy schedule, stress with current financial issues. I still don't handle stress well as is evidenced by the fact that I came home stressed out yesterday and ate a bag of candy!! On the up side, for the rest of the day all I ate was a big bowl of fruit with yogurt and a bunch of WATER!! It also made me realize I need to find alternate ways to deal with hunger when I am stressed out! I need to have simple healthy foods available AT ALL TIMES!!

Part Three -- Figure out how to deal with the potential obstacles!
Well it would be so easy if I could just sequester myself from the rest of the world (kind of like what the Biggest Loser people are doing) but I can't do that, so I have to find out what works for "my world"! I think the key for my success is to stay consistent with my eating habits of eating every 3 hours and making sure I ALWAYS have a GOOD HEALTHY snack available for those times when I am "just too busy" to sit down and have a good "meal". Walking away from stressful situations is a key for me, too. As one of my friends told me this morning....JUST SAY NO!! Even if I just go do a few push ups or sit ups, jumping jacks! Something to "chill out"!! Walk AWAY from the stress will keep me from "munching on junk"!! It doesn't really help -- it only makes me feel better for the few minutes that I am eating it. It sabotages everything I have been working on for the past 9 months!

So...my goal for 2010 is to WALK AWAY FROM THE STRESS in my life and have healthy snacks available for when I am too busy to eat a real meal! If I can successfully do these 2 things I will accomplish my goal!! Healthy, lean, and at a "healthy" BMI instead of my current obese BMI!

I Got Some Perspective Tonight....

Let me explain....this morning about 9 a.m. our electricity went out. Our electricity NEVER goes out, so it was something really strange. About 9:45 it was still out so I looked up our electricity bill to make sure that it wasn't out cuz I forgot to pay the bill, ya know??!! How embarrassing that would have been to call the electric company whining that our electricity was out and then it was cuz of non-payment, but IT WASN'T!! The bill isn't due for a couple of weeks, so ok...I made a call to the automated phone announcement...you know the one, right? Push 1 for this feature, push 2 for this feature....and so on. I said we have no electricity and moved on.

Let me explain how our life goes in the morning...That Other Kid and I get up about 8 and immediately go watch tv...hey that works on electricity! We usually lay there till 9:30 at which time I go fix breakfast for That Other Kid...a bagel, toasted in the toaster and an english muffin for myself, toasted in the toaster...hey that runs on electricity, too! Between 9:30 and 10:00 DH gets up and takes a shower! Hey the bathroom lights, they run on electricity, too. Then I fix him breakfast; bacon in the microwave and eggs on the stove, with a bagel -- wow those appliances run with ELECTRICITY, too! I usually get online and check emails and stuff, but guess what?? Internet access runs on ELECTRICITY, too!! So instead I filled out college financial aid application stuff...that was something that had to be done today, so at least the time wasn't totally wasted!

It's amazing how many things we take for granted that run on electricity, ya know? Finally we were still without power about 10:30 so I decided to talk to a real person...who basically told me they were working on it. Thanks for calling. Should be back on within the hour.

Electricity came back on about 10:45 and our world started realigning to it's proper place...We went about our business without another thought.

Tonight I caught a few minutes of the 9 p.m. news broadcast. I was shocked when they mentioned my 'burb and the lack of electricity. So I backed it up and called dh in to listen with me. What we heard made us rethink our priorities a bit...I'm sure it will you, too. Here's what happened. It seems that a construction worker was working on the electric wires and it caught fire, burning the man. The electricity went off because the man was burning!! He had to be CareFlighted to our local "burn unit" hospital. The man is STILL in critical condition. Wow!! and my family and I had to deal with a couple of hours of no electricity this morning....while this man and his family has had to deal with a life changing experience.

I am thankful that I ONLY lost electricity today and didn't come close to loosing my life. How's that for perspective??

Scary Day in DFW

It's been raining in the DFW area for a couple of weeks now, nearly every day. But today was the worst day in some time. Around 3:30 p.m. during a Dallas Cowboys rookie practice this happened...

Apparently one of the secondary coaches now has several vertebrae that are broken, but the other injuries are apparently pretty minor with cuts and bruises. There were about 70 people in there. Thank God that everyone moved quickly and got everyone out. Please pray for this coach.

Do You Want To Be Blessed?

Read these stories this week and sponser a child who has no hope!! These kids that Compassion International go minister have NO HOPE, yet they are able to be blessed by us in America, just by sponsoring a child for $32 a month. Ya know, most of us waste that much money every month buying cokes, fast food, or coffee! $32 is not a lot of money but it helps these kids soooooo much!!

Go check them out!! Just click on the picture on my sidebar and they'll tell you all about helping out these kids....

Some Perspective on Needs/Wants

I saw this video today while I was at the All Access site. It is a site put together for women by the people of Lifeway Ministries. If you have never been over there you just have to make it a part of your daily reads. It helps to give me a little more perspective sometimes and it is always fun!

Anywhoooo, this video really spoke to me and helped me remember that we don't "NEED" nearly what we think we do....and there are people out there that really do "NEED" some things, like clean water, food, a warm clothes and shelter!

This just made me appreciate the things in my life a whole lot more....maybe it will affect you the same way.

Spreading Our Love To the Troops

Big Mama wrote about a great way to support our troops and their families today. I plan to get my Christmas card out this next week. I don't want to miss this opportunity to support our troops and the families that are out there protecting my family!

Please join me.....

I'm In A Giving Mood

I found out about this great opportunity to help some of the neediest people in the world today from this blog. It's one of the easiest things you can do to help the poorest people, and it's not expensive so even if you are having financial problems you can still help. $5!! that's all it takes to donate 2 pair of shoes to these people! I can't even buy socks for $5 and here they are buying 2 pair of shoes. How great is that???

ELECTION DAY IS FINALLY HERE!!!

**** Edited to add....That Kid went to the polls and voted!! I'm so pleased that he took advantage of his constitutional right!



Today is the day that most of the country has been waiting for for at least the past 6 months! Today is the day that WE, as a citizen of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, get to VOTE for the next president. Not only do we get to be a part of history but we get to have a voice in this election process.

This is an especially exciting election in our household....That Kid turned 18 this summer so this year he "GETS" to vote. He's not really excited about voting for this year's presidential candidates, I believe his exact words were "who cares?" However, dh and I talked to him last night and convinced him that this is one of his constitutional rights and a sign of being an "adult".... Being an adult is not just having the privilege of coming and going as you please it also means you take responsibility for your actions, and it also allows you to make certain decisions for yourself. But it also allows you to VOTE for our next president!! What a privilege we have in this country!! I just sent him a text telling him where to go to vote! He already knows who we suggested he vote for....but IT IS HIS RIGHT to vote for who he chooses...I just hope he goes and VOTES!!! DH and I voted last week during early voting....It took me about 30 minutes and dh about 45 minutes...and I know lines are going to be long....but isn't it wonderful that we have such freedom in this country that we "GET TO VOTE"??

And don't forget.....we also have the right to PRAY for the election!! I suggest we do that, too. It may be the most important part of the whole process today.

Thank you God for the privilege of voting in this country. I pray that the people of this country step up to the plate and vote for the next president of the United States. I also pray that you guide the hands of those voters to vote for the man who will lead this country for the next 4 years.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month...I'm sure most people in this country know that by now, but my question is what are you doing to help with awareness? Do you ever talk to people about the ways you can avoid Breast Cancer? Do you ever do self-exams? What about the dreaded "mammogram"? It just takes a few minutes of our time....and they BOTH SAVE LIVES!!!

For the past couple of years I have been a supporter of the "Click to Give" Program through the American Breast Cancer Society. It's easy! They send me an email every morning and I click the link and I help women get mammograms who can't afford them. It takes me about 2 minutes every morning. Would you be willing to join in with me and many other women who "click every day"? Here is their link...

you can sign up for reminder emails so you don't forget to click!
Please help someone get a mammogram, who knows it could save their life!! Maybe even your own...just something to think about on this lovely Friday afternoon.

Back In the Swing of Things

Well I've been home now since Wednesday night about 6:30 and I'm still trying to get back into the swing of normal life. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about....the laundry, dishes, taking care of bills, bank deposits, grading school work, you get the point! and I just can't seem to get it! All I've done this weeks since getting back home is sit around reading blogs, checking emails (and there haven't been many) and just being a drain on society. I can't seem to get into anything. I went shopping at Target last night for a few necessities and bought a Bugs Bunny (my dad's favorite cartoons) 4-Disc set DVD. I've watched the majority of all 4 discs....I can't seem to get motivated to do anything else. I've washed all the laundry, but it took me till this afternoon to get it folded and put away....of course there is 2 more loads in progress.

While I was in Kansas I played my brother's Wii and I fell in LOVE with it....and I NEVER play video games, so you know it's gotta be fun for me to be interested. I've spent a good amount of time online today looking for one, but they are still practically impossible to find. If you know where I can get one at regular retail price, right now let me know....I'm kind of impatient!

Well I better get off the computer and try to accomplish something...I only have about 5 hours before I need to try to go to bed and I still have alot to do, that is if I can focus on the mundane long enough to do it!! I'm ready to go back to Kansas so I can monitor my dad's progress.......

Oh, one more thing....1 of my friend's was admitted to the hospital Friday night for chest pains. She had a heart attack about 13 years ago and has been under a great deal of stress lately (her mom has cancer and it appears to be terminal). Please pray for her and her family, both near and far -- her mom lives in St. Louis, she lives here in the DFW area.

Thanks.....

Please Pray for Beth

I'm sure they would appreciate your prayers...Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry

She's one of my regular reads and I thought you might want to go over and pray for her family, too.

Update on Dad....

Ladies, Thanks for all your prayers and kind words of encouragement. It's nice to know there are ladies out there that care....

For the lastest in the drama that is the VA Hosptial in Wichita Kansas -- my dad had a MRI then had to wait a week for the results and consultation with the doctor. The mass is in his colon and is cancer. They believe it can be treated and removed through a series of 4 weeks of chemo and then surgery. They inserted a valve this week (Tuesday) in his shoulder that will be the place they work from (why his shoulder, I don't know or understand?). While looking at the MRI they saw some unusual "spots" on his liver so they want to further investigate that. To do that they did a CatScan yesterday, (Thursday). He was told they would have results and consultation later that afternoon, but alas we now have to wait another week for those results (next Thursday).

Now, the spots on his liver could be from the 55 years of drinking 6 beers a day :( or it could be something more. We are just playing a wait and see game...which I HATE... being down here in Texas has been very difficult. I just want to go up there and take care of everything, but being there will not help anyone or anything right now, so I stay.

What is now making things more difficult is that my mom gets an annual bout of bronchitis that lasts about a month, and guess what --- she is getting sick now, too. They got 4 inches of snow on the ground yesterday and they were both trying to shovel snow...my mom with bronchitis and my dad with a chemo valve in his shoulder awaiting cancer treatment...ugh!!

So, I'm asking for more prayers....for both my parents to get better and the weather to cooperate so they don't have to endure the snow. Pray also that the VA hospital will stop dilly-dallying around and get to it....the longer this is prolonged the worse it can be in the end.

Today's Answers

Thanks for your continued prayers ... I just talked to mom and the doctor told them that my dad's mass IS cancerous, it IS huge and in his lower colon. It has NOT spread anywhere else (praise GOD), so they are going to treat it with aggressive radiation/chemo for (probably) 6 weeks, then perform surgery to completely remove it. They want to try to shrink it so they do NOT have to put in a colon-bag, which is painful and extreme according to doctor. They will start chemo next week, probably.
They have an appointment with radiology tomorrow and so they can get some more answers about what to expect over the next 6 weeks.

On another note....This is my 100th post. I was going to be post the typical 100 things you don't know about me today, but this is foremost in my head right now. I will come up with my fun post "all about me" and post it when my brain is not so clogged with my dad.

Please keep me in your prayers. I think I'm gonna need it.

Quick Update

Dad had his MRI today, and will get test results and meet with the doctor tomorrow. His appointment is for 10 a.m. so we should have some answers by early afternoon. I will post results and further prayer requests when I get a call from my mom.

Thanks for your continued prayers!

Thanks

Thanks for your prayers. I really appreciate them and your comments.

I actually got to talk to my dad tonight and he sounded pretty normal. He's a quiet man, so the conversation was direct and short, but I did find out that he will have what he called "x-rays" done on Tuesday -- scheduled for 8 a.m. I believe that he will actually be having an MRI on Tuesday morning to determine the extent of the tumor. They will give him options and more information....Please keep us in your prayers for Tuesday morning. I will put out another update Tuesday night after I hear from my parents.

On a happier note -- my 30 minute video game limit for That Other Kid went well today, I just had to help get him interested in playing something else. He chose to play hockey with me and he won 20 - 9. He did a little dance and pumped his arm up and down and told me "you can't play hockey very good mommy, I'm gooder at hockey than you!! Maybe when you get 4 you can play hockey better....I told him your right, I can't wait till I get 4!

Again thanks for your continued prayers...I will keep you posted.