So I started

I started a change. I wasn't going to post about it here but I think I should. I started walking every evening. I started actually paying attention to what I put into my body. I started losing weight. This is going to be a marathon and not a sprint people but I'm doing it. I have disclosed my weight for several people but I won't here ;) I will tell you that in just 5 days I lost 6lbs. I know that's mostly water weight but I'll take it. I'm going to TRY and only weigh in once a week but we'll see if I can hold out next week since I didn't this week.

I'm using www.myfitnesspal.com to track my food and exercise progress and its super easy to use and has an iPhone app to use when I'm out.

I will say that I have about 75lbs I want to lose. HOLY COW! That's a lot. So I'm breaking it down into pieces. My first goal is for Maurice's Modeling thingy that I'm doing. The next one is my 10 year reunion. After that I'll have to think of something fun.

My goal is 2lbs a week which means I'll be down to my goal by mid May next year. Not too shabby really.

I FEEL different this time. I feel ready. I WANT to be smart and healthy. I'm trying new foods and finding a few that I like (who knew Tilapia was good?!) I'm on the hunt for some new healthy recipes and ideas for any meals from breakfast, lunch and dinner to new snacks. If you have any share them please :D

Also I'm going to need ideas for what to do in the winter when it's too cold to walk outside. I have an elliptical that I'm going to have to be friends with but no treadmill (BOO! I want one). Maybe I can get luck and get a free month gym membership somewhere too.

So turning 28 turned over a new leaf. A new ME leaf. A new journey in my life. It's not going to be easy and I'm sure I'll trip and fall along the way but I WILL get back up and keep going. I will do this for me, for my health and my vanity.

Here's to hot clothes and a cute swimming suit next summer!!!!

A day in the life...

Image by Just Add Light via Flickr

Yesterday was my 28th birthday, go me! So we went to the Dells to see our friend Skip and his family and RT and his son Connor were there too. We spent the day at the Wilderness resort and had a blast in the water parks.

I had such a proud mommy moment too. Gabe is TERRIFIED of water on is face, it makes a bath a hellish experience when I need to wash his hair. Yesterday though he spent the day in the wave pool taking big waves in the face and laughing the whole time. We went down the Mammoth, a huge family tube slide where he ate water at the bottom. He wanted to do it again! So we did. He played, splashed, and swam the whole day. He says he really liked mommy's friends. He wants to go back sometime already.

We got home and he was sound asleep in the car the whole ride home (even with a stop for gas) and slept in til EIGHT this morning. I think that's the latest we've ever slept in.

Today it's raining but we're going to my Grandparents for the collective birthday cake eating for Steve, Kori and me.

It was a good day yesterday!

A lot of things have changed this last year. My birthday last year was not so great with the housing fiasco we were still in the middle of, we were homeless for awhile, and Mike was switching to first shift then too. I didn't even know that I would start school in the Spring at this point last year and now I'm itching to get back to class in 3 weeks. I'm going to be a nurse someday and that makes me so excited to think about. So while I don't feel older (other than the muscles) I do feel a little wiser and more prepared. I feel like things are moving along well and I can't believe how fast this last year went.

Two years til the Skydiving birthday ;)

So when I'm old and grey

I just need to make sure I put this out there so someday I don't forget. Gabe used his very own potty today! I'm hoping this is the beginning of potty training. I'm so proud of him. He picked out a potty that sings when you pee in it (LOL) and wants more water so he can keep peeing in it. I figure that's a good sign.

When the heck did he get so darn big?!

I have one feeling

Have you ever had a day as a parent where you just were DONE. Your child doesn't listen, they cause problems all day, they whine, whatever. By the end of the day you're just glad that they are IN BED ALONE! (and you're in need of an adult beverage).

I had a day like that yesterday. I'm not proud of it but it happens. I think it happens to all parents we just don't talk about it like it's a dirty little secret.

So yesterday was a day that by the time bedtime came I was just glad the kid was alive and in one piece. We're doing the bedtime thing. Mike went in first and read a story and then Gabe asked for me. I go in and gave him a hug and kiss. He looks up at me and with those big green eyes and says "mommy you hurt my feeling (singular)" I gave him a hug and kiss and told him I was sorry and that he hurt my feeling too. I also told him sometimes we have bad days and tomorrow we would do better. Geez though. After he said that I left the room in tears. My sweet boy who can be a terror! definitely reminded me that sometimes it's just one bad day and our feeling can be hurt both ways.

Today is better..... so far.

Progress (Basement saga part 2)

We made progress this weekend. We got a large backhoe (well small one really) and my Uncle and Dad finished up the holes. We could finish with this because we knew we were safe from the gas line. Mike did drive and dig a bit. Boy was my hubby was so sexy with that machinery!


The holes are HUGE. That's good. It means more sunlight into the basement so I don't really turn into a vampire. I can't believe how much dirt that thing moved and how quick it happened! We only had 4 hours of run time and we finished everything and moved all the dirt out of the way. We had some spots in the yard that needed it and it will enlarge our extra parking pad.

My dad also started the first stud wall in the basement. So I'm hoping to make some progress this week and get a few more up so that we can finish up stuff this weekend and order the concrete saw for the weekend after that. That's my birthday weekend so we'll see. I got two holes in the ground for my birthday how about some holes in the walls too!?!

I did remember to take at least one before pic of the basement so I'll show that off too. The window on the left will be in our bedroom, the window on the right will be in the living room (Larger of course). Closer to where I took the pic to the left of that lamp will be our bathroom.

When did that happen?!

When did I become an adult? Was it when I was excited that I bought a fridge? Or how about when the new windows got installed last week? Oh wait I think it was today when I bought an entire bathroom worth of fixtures and was super excited BUT thought "Dang that was a lot of money". That's when it happened I'm sure of it.

We brought home a new vanity, sink, faucet, mirror and cabinet. Then we ordered the tub and shower and they will be here Thursday. We also went and got a new toilet. This toilet is kind of cool if you ask me (that adult thing again). There are two buttons. One you push for liquid waste which uses less water and the second button for the heavy duty poo (solid waste to be politically correct) which uses slightly more water. I can't wait to try that out...er I mean....

We picked a plumber today. We have a little work to do ourselves before he comes back though since doing some of this will save us some money. We need to sledgehammer through the concrete in the basement and find the pipes that tie into the whole system. We have a general idea of where it is but there's still some heavy duty sledge hammering that needs to be done. I think I need to ask a couple people for favors for this one for sure. Hopefully in the next week we can do that so we can get going on everything else.

This Sunday we're FINALLY finishing the holes for the egress windows as well. I promise to have pictures of that machine, mostly because the 3 year old boy that lives with me enjoys pictures of those things.

I am dreaming of soaking in my new HEATED bathtub, or taking long leisurely showers in the new large shower. It's so close yet so so so far away.

Our burdens

Dawn's really wooping me in this blogging thing so I'm going to try and do better. I love that she's doing this because it really does make me think ALL DAY LONG about something to post. I'm hoping she doesn't mind me snitching from her :D

Today's post is a story that I've heard from my mom. I'm sure it didn't start with her though but it's a good one. It's probably going to be an odd one coming from me since I'm not an overly religious person but I don't think you have to be to understand the idea behind it. If anyone knows where it really came from let me know.

A man is carrying a cross and he decides that it's just too heavy. So one day he drags this huge thing down to the local cross maker and looks at the guy and says "Hey I need something else this is just too heavy" So the cross maker tells him go ahead look through the yard and pick up whatever you want.

The man looks through the this huge yard with all different kinds of crosses in it. He sees one he thinks he likes and picks it up. It's just too tall. So he puts it back. He walks a ways and sees another one and picks it up and it's just way too heavy. He starts to get discouraged but he figures he's going to keep looking. Finally he sees one that he thinks he might like. He picks it up and tests it, not bad he thinks. He walks to the cross maker and says "I'll take this one, it's perfect." The cross maker laughs at him and smiles and then says "that's the one you came in with."

The moral of the story? We all have our crosses (burdens) to bear but they are ours. Some people might seem like that have less than us but many people have more. We all carry ours and in most cases given the options of many of the worse things out there ours are still ours.

It's something that gets me through when things are tough. It's something that reminds me that even though we have things that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy they are still just one small part of our life and overall that life is good.