Tall Drink of Water

I am so freakin excited about this post!  I have waited for a long time to be able to share this with y'all.  When I started my weight loss, I picked a certain number that I thought that I would be able to achieve.  That was 175.  My reward was a new pair of heeled shoes.  I haven't been able to wear heels for so long.  My knees hurt constantly and worse when I put them on 1+ inch heels.  I love shoes!  I love to see a nice pair of legs in a pair of hot shoes!  It sucked to not be able to wear or feel like I could pull off a pair of sexy heels.  Well, you all know that I made that 175......in fact I am down 25 more!  Gosh!  Maybe I should make good on that reward. 

I called upon a very cute friend to take me on this adventure.  She was amazing!  We went to her favorite spot (DSW) and there was a sea of beautiful shoes as far as the eye could see.  I was completely overwhelmed.  She lead me down each aisle, we made some choices, and she even carried the boxes for me!  We cat walked.  We spun.   We tripped.  We laughed.  What a great time!  I bought two pairs and am so glad that I finally rewarded myself.  I sure hope that I won't take so long when I make my final goal (5 lbs baby!!)

Countdown from 10

I know that most of my blogs lately have been about weight.  If ya hate it, sorry but it truly is what defines me.  It has for so many years been what makes me happy, sad, depressed, mad, and angry.  Truthfully......it still does......but with one exception.  That one exception is what has made me so successful this time around.  That exception is I AM IN CONTROL OF FOOD not the other way around.

It has been 7 1/2 months since I started my weight loss journey.  I once hated that sentiment.....weight loss journey.  Really........what does that mean anyway!  I can honestly tell you I know exactly what that means.  To me anyways.  It would be different for you.  It is what gets you from the start to the finish.  It's what gets you through your day/week/month. It's what tells you it's OK that you just ate that 6 pack of mini coconut crumb doughnuts because you have tomorrow......no wait...............you have the rest of your life to fix it.  


So the results.  Today I weighed in at 155 lbs.  I have lost 86.5 total and over 45 inches!  I am in a size 8 pants and a medium shirt (from a 20/3XL) My BMI was 37 and now is a 24.  (I started my new job and lost 12 pounds the first 5 weeks!  Yeah it's that active)  But the thing I really want to get out there is that I finally decided my goal weight.  My first goal was 175 lbs.  I had done WW before and got down to that weight......surely I could get there again.  I thought there was no way that I could ever be smaller......it would be enough for me.  I got closer to that goal and found myself thinking it WASN'T going to be enough.  There was still so much more "excess".  So the goal changed.  It was set for the highest weight that WW suggested I be for my height.  It got closer to that one and still "excess".  10 more down......nope......keep going.  The number 145 lbs came to mind.  Yeah.....haven't been there since I was dating my husband.  There is no way.........or is there?  That's it!  My final goal. 

Call me crazy but it will happen.  I don't even care how long.  I have a final goal and I feel at peace with it.  10 more......................the countdown is on!

(pictures to come)

Workin Mom

I have obviously not blogged for over a month.  There is a very valid reason though.  I have no time what so ever because...............(drum roll please)...........I am a working mom!  Things are a little slow for Andy and instead of sending him back to h*ll (aka-Alaska) I said I would get a job to help out.  I have looked before but with no education and not a lot of skills my choices are limited.  I totally thought I would be at McDonald's or something.  That doesn't make a happy mommy.

One day, I got a friend request on FB and it was an old friend from my home ward.  I accepted the request and no sooner than I did he sent me a message asking if I wanted my old job back at Beehive Clothing Mills.  He was half kidding but I was not!  He was one of the last people that I trained in the cutting room before I left to have my second baby.  He told me of the openings, I applied, and got a job sewing.  Hmmmm.....not what I really wanted to do but at least I was working. I promptly went to my old supervisor and told him to keep me in mind if he had an opening. 

I sewed for a week...............HATED IT!  That Friday, HW came to me and offered me my old job back!  I was so happy I thought about kissing him!  The work is still hard but I am not confined to a chair and can be social with my fellow crew.  I know the work and didn't need a ton of training.  I have been there a month already.

My schedule is 6 AM to 2:30 PM.  Fits perfect for my families schedule.  I am home when the kids walk in the door.  That does mean I have to be up at 4:30 in the morning.  Yes,  that is early but surprising the hard thing is getting to bed before 9!  As a mom there is always one more thing to do before I hit the sack.

I am so happy with my new job.  If  I have to work, there is no better place than for the church.  I can see the path that my Heavenly Father has placed before me.  (Even my weight loss is part of it.  Being heavy would make this job harder to do.)  I am continually in awe of the blessings He gives me.  He knows me and my needs and then holds nothing back!

Things that Make me Feel OLD

I am totally copying from a friends blog.  But, she and I must be on the same brain wave because I have been thinking this exact same thing.  I thought that 2010 was a bit much as way of growning old.  I am now looking down the 2011 yellow brick road and am thinking......holy crap! 

My eldest offspring will turn 14 this year.  With that age brings a ton of OLDNESS.  She moves up a class at church and will be a Mia Maid.  This also gives her the "chance" to go to stake dances.  I say "chance" because she has to convince her daddy-o first.  After this summer she will be going into the 9th grade.  If we didn't live in Utah this would be first year in High School---------> a Freshman if you will.  Can you remember when you started as a Freshman? I can!  She also starts Seminary....sheesh!  Stop already!

The middle child is not much better.  He turns 12.  That makes him a true "Tween" according to his dad.  Next year in school he will start Middle School.  He will also receive the Priesthood.  This gives him the chance to pass sacrament, collect fast offerings, and other special privileges.  He will start going to YM.  He already goes on mutual night so this Might not be so hard......but it also tells me that he will go to summer camp that is a week long!  Having helped a past scoutmaster with summer camp, I know all the "grown-up" things he gets to do.  Again OLD.

The youngest is probably the smallest offender.  He only turned 9 this past month.  I look forward to the double digits in 2012 with this child. He moved up in cub scouts and is now a Bear.  Funny thing about this is that the Bear leader is the same person when Drew was in!  (Thinking that this fact is worse for the leader than me but still....)  He will be in the 4th grade.....no more baby stuff at school like show and tell and student spot lights.  This also makes it possible for me to have a child in each grade school.  OLD.

All though these things have been milling around my head for a few weeks I do have to say that I love being a mom.  I love the three children that my Heavenly Father has entrusted me with.  They are good kids and each bring a special  spirit into our family.  I guess if they have to grow up (and make me old) I couldn't ask for three better kids than the ones that call me Mom.

(Such a bad picture of me.  That is not what I look like anymore)

Victory is Mine!

I did it!  I can't believe I did it!  Holy CRAP I did it!  Three months ago I blogged about my weight loss goals.  I bragged about my  30 pounds loss.  That was about my halfway point.  I am so excited to be able to blogg once more of my success.  It has been a long 8 months but I have stuck too it like a booger to your finger!  I set many goals along the way and acheived everyone of them.  Now a little more detail (or shall I say bragging).  I started out at my heaviest at 241.5 pounds(and yes that .5 sure is counted!)  I am now 175 pounds.  That is 66.5 pounds lost in 8 months! I have lost a total of 38.25 inches!  I have lowered my BMI from 37 to 27! I went from a size 20 to a 14 and a shirt size of 3X to L!  I used to have chronic knee pain that kept me from being active.  I started out slow and now I can walk a 12 minute mile!  I love the new me!

Celebrate with me because it will be a short party.  After further thought, I have decided that I need to keep going.  I want to loose another 10ish pounds.  Thank you too all that have already acknowledged my hard work.  Thank you to those who walked with me over the summer and to my new partner in crime who has me up at 5:10 AM to take me to the gym!  I have awesome family and awesome friends!  Oh!  I almost forgot the best news ever.........I weigh less than Andy!! 

Christmas Hope

You might remember back in August a post about a special event that was coming up that our family was going to participate in called the Festival of Trees.  My sisters and I had decided to donate a tree in honor of Mom.  It was to be called Christmas Hope.  Since then we made plans on what kind of tree decorations, went shopping for them, and put them all on the tree to make sure it was exactly what we wanted. We had so much fun doing all this knowing it was in honor of a fantastic lady and for a great cause. 

November 29th was decorating day and the excitement grew even more.  We spent a good 4 hours making the tree structurally safe, wiring all the ornaments and other decorations on, and sometimes just goofing off.  So there it was......the last three months of planning, shopping, crafting, worrying all done.  And it was beautiful!

On opening night, the first thing we wanted to do was see Mom's tree.  It sold!  We were so excited. 

Later that week I took my cute little family back to Festival so they could also see the tree.  By then, they had posted who was the purchaser of the tree.  We wondered if it might have been a friend that knew about our donation.  It was a complete stranger which surprisingly made it even more special to our family.

I was told that donating a tree to the Festival would help bring our family together even more during this hard time.  It would bring the Christmas spirit deeper into our hearts.  If you have never donated a tree to the Festival, you might not understand the feelings that surround the whole idea.  I was not expecting what I learned and felt. 

Christmas Hope....what does that mean exactly.  When we decided on the tree, the meaning was dual.  The best present that Christmas could bring was a cancer free mother which brought our family hope.  Many people hope for a Christmas all to together.  We submitted a story about our tree.  It stated how Mom had hoped and survived many things in her life.  Even now with her battle with cancer she believes there are only two things that can get a person through.....Love of family and faith in God.  She says, "if you don't have faith in God, is it worth the fight?"

My final thoughts came to me yesterday while enjoying and listening to testimonies being said at my church.  Christmas hope started before our decision to donate this tree.  Christmas hope started before my mom was diagnosed.  Christmas hope started when Christ came to this earth as a baby with the plan to become our Savior.  My mothers hope to survive cancer came from this baby boy.  My hope that she will live a long happy life comes from this same baby boy.  Our life on this earth is given hope through the baby Jesus.

Never-Slowing November (family)

Carina, you just finished the hardest year ever without a husband!  What'll you do next?

I'm going to Disneyland!

Come on....you can't be surprised....we are addicted to DL. 
Our thought process is as follows----->
Do we really want to remember 2010 as the year Andy was always gone, that Mom/Grandma was diagnosed with crappy cancer, and we were all really lonely and sad? H*ll no!  We need a vacation!  We left for DL the Friday after Andy got home.  We drove all day and stayed in Ontario, CA.  A word to the wise.  Ontario is the hood.  While trying to get settled for bed, we heard this really loud noise and our room started to shake.  I thought maybe a car driving by with a stereo?  Nope....we were right next to a car stereo installation store!  It was 10 PM!  What are ya thinkin!  We demanded a new room and called the cops.  Good thing we were only there one night.

We spent  Saturday, Tuesday , and Monday at the park.  It was never very crowded.  We walked onto most rides.  By Tuesday, they weren't even giving out fast passes.  Couldn't have asked for better weather! It was anywhere between 75 and 80 the whole time (sorry Melissa). 

We went to Huntington Beach on Sunday.  We try every time to make it to the beach but run out of time.  I am so glad we did!  That was the day it was 80 degrees.  We had lunch at a quaint little surf side shack, ate under straw umbrella's, and soaked in the Cali atmosphere.  They had a surf contest which brought in a fabulous people watching crowd.  We even saw a pair of dolphins!

Tuesday was my birthday.....I know right!  How awesome is that to spend your bday at the happiest place on earth!  I wore a button saying it was my birthday. Complete strangers wished me happy birthday all day.  I had an enormous hand dipped corn dog for lunch. I shared a piece of mile high chocolate cake with the fam while watching the fireworks.  Perfection!

Enjoy the slide show (watch for the hidden mickey's!)