My Current Read

I must really be determined. This is my current read, and I am taking it into serious consideration.

Laminin

This is simply amazing. Nothing more, nothing less.

Where did Spring go?

Yesterday, we went to the Nashville Zoo with our friends, Kim and Doug. They brought their 19 month old little girl with them. It was Avery's first time at the zoo! We had a lot of fun, but boy was it HOT! The high hit 87 degrees! We all enjoyed our time together, and had fun watching Avery watch the animals, but we were sure tired when we left. Thanks for coming, guys!

Why didn't I think of this?

I can do this!

I've done really well the last few days. I've gotten up at 5am the last 2 days and gone to the Y to work out. Get excited, people, that has NEVER happened! I hope I can keep getting myself up to do that. I really enjoy being able to have my WHOLE evening to do what I want, even if it's just sitting on the couch watching TV...I can do that and not feel bad for it! It's like a little reward for me. Although, so far I have been really sleepy the rest of the day after getting up so early. I feel better after working out, but I get really tired after a few hours. Hopefully I'll get used to it and that will go away.

I've done really well with my eating, too. I've been VERY good. I have stocked my desk drawer with yummy, low fat snacks, like animal crackers, graham crackers, peanut butter, and Fig Newtons (I LOVE fig newtons...they're like a guiltless cookie and so yummy!). That has helped keep my hunger AND my sweet tooth under control. :-)

My blog has changed!

I have decided to change the theme of my blog to a weight loss blog. I'll still post updates on my life in general, but I am mainly going to utilize it as a weight loss journal for myself, and hopefully find some other blogger friends out there who are joining in this journey with me. Here are a few of the things I'll be sharing:

Recipes, cooking tips, and healthy meal ideas

Regular updates on my progress, including my goals and new techniques as I learn them.

Weight loss tips

Information on good cooking/weight loss websites

Miscellaneous weight loss info.

Please, feel free to advertise my blog on your own site, or tell your blogger (or non-blogger) pals about it! Comments, tips, and of course encouragement are always welcome!

Goals goals goals

So, while brainstorming new ideas to motivate me to lose this weight, I came up with a pretty good idea. Brandon and I are going to have a little competition. Well. sort of. Here's how it will work.

I have listed small, short-term goals, a date to reach them by, and we each got to pick what reward we want for each goal reached.

5 lbs by 5/4- we will have NO dessert until we lose at least 5 lbs, at which time we will have fat free ice cream or something at home (don't worry...I won't reward a 5lb loss with a huge piece of pie!)

10 lbs lost by 5/18 - we will not eat out at ALL until this point. We need time to adjust to new eating habits, and hopefully by that point we will have the motivation to keep going.

20 lbs by 6/15 - Mani/pedi for me! Also, the first to lose 20lbs gets to pick a movie to see, and the loser HAS to go see it, and the loser also has to cook dinner AND clean up...all without complaining :-)

30 lbs by 7/31 - new outfit to feel great in! I'm thinking the 1st to 30 lbs gets to go to the spa for a massage or something :P

65 lbs (1/2 way to goal) by 10/31 - Highlights in my hair and new outfit!

In the bathroom, I have a chart, and once a week we will both weigh in together and chart our weight.

I haven't gone any further yet. But I am actually excited about this. Brandon and I are both really competitive with one another, so knowing that he's doing it with me is nice. Tips and advice, as well as any recipes and meal ideas are very welcome.

Disappointments

I am so very disappointed with myself. I have completely fallen off my "healthy eating" track. AND my exercising track...that one didn't last long at all. It is so frustrating because I keep thinking if I had just kept going how much weight I could have lost by now. I always seem to have motivation at the WORST times...like 9pm, or the middle of the work day, or in the middle of tornado warnings. By the time I have the opportunity to exercise, the motivation is long gone and I've already settled down with the cookies. Why is that? Any advice?

Prayers for Ethan

Please feel free to share this post on your own blog, website, or with family and friends. This little boy needs tons of prayers!!!

This is Ethan Bibb. He is 8 years old, and the son of Robin and Farris Bibb. Two weeks ago (roughly), he went to the Dr. with a stomach virus that he couldn't get rid of for a few weeks. He was having headaches and kept throwing up. His mom insisted he go to Vanderbilt. Once at Vandy, they did a scan of his head. They found a brain tumor. They removed the tumor and did a biopsy and found that it is cancer, and it has already moved to his little spine. They are going to start the most aggressive treatment available soon, but first they must put a cast around his head (not sure what kind it is, but from my understanding it is to protect certain parts of the brain from the radiation and only affect the diseased parts. Correct me if I am wrong.) They are not able to do this because Ethan has had a swollen and painful tummy for a while, and he has to lay on his belly for 45 minutes to have it done. They found out today that it is a mass in his little belly. They are not sure what it is. Ethan is in a lot of pain, and he is on a constant morphine pump to help his pain. They need to do a scope on his tummy, but Ethan isn't strong enough. His parents are very exhausted, and getting frustrated, simply wanting some answers. I can only imagine what they are feeling right now. Ethan has an 11 year old sister, Lanna. Please pray continuously for this baby boy and his family. Pray for peace and understanding for the family, and strength, energy, and courage, to get through this. Pray that Satan will have no hold on this little boy's life, but that God's will be done in him. Pray for healing and courage for Ethan. Pray that he will get well enough to start treatment very soon. Most of all, pray that the family will not lose sight of the wonderful and mighty God we serve, and that they will continue to trust him through all of this. Pray for God to heal this little boy, if he so chooses. And, if not, that God will wrap his arms around this young family and draw them to himself in their greatest time of need.

I will continue to update as I get them.

In the midst of the storm

Most of you already know about the tornadoes that hit Murfreesboro, TN on April 10, if you weren't affected by them yourself. These deadly storms hit just a mere 5 miles from us. It would have taken only minutes, seconds even, for it to change paths and come our way. Lucky for us, it didn't. But it was still very scary. I have many loved ones in the area that were affected and had some damage, but thankfully all were ok. Unfortunately, not everyone was that lucky. It breaks my heart to see things like this happen. I cannot imagine what these people are going through.

Click on the link above to view a video about the storms.

Throw away the Key

I was reading this article this afternoon. Through the first half, my thoughts were that the criminal justice system is TOO lenient on teens who commit crimes such as murder. In my opinion, they should be tried as adults, regardless. Anyone over the age of 7 knows that killing is wrong (or they should, anyway). But, as I was reading, I came across some very disturbing statements. Statements such as:

Most young offenders serving life without parole were exposed to poverty, violence or drugs during childhood, the Equal Justice Initiative reported.
Some victims' families say that's exactly why the juveniles should stay locked up.
Salerno, of Crime Victims United of California, said that some juveniles can be rehabilitated but that some committed crimes so severe, resources shouldn't be wasted on them.

Seriously? Resources shouldn't be WASTED? That's what you call it? So, let's get this straight. A child is brought into the world, into bad circumstances such as poverty, abuse, gangs, drugs, and violence...that they had no control over because a child can't choose their home situation, so they need to be punished when they start leading the only life they know? When all a child sees growing up is hate, greed, selfishness, and lack of respect for the human life, that is what they are going to migrate to. It's natural for them. For many of these teens, a gang is the only sense of family they have ever had. So instead of "wasting resources" to help put them in a better situation and rehabilitate them, giving them a shot at life, we would rather spend millions of dollars to keep them locked up for life, taking away any hope for a future?? Is this really the way Christ would want us to treat our children?

Still trying to breathe

Things are still nuts around here, but that's ok because good things are happening! We met with our realtor Sunday, and we had a wonderful meeting. She is very very nice, and has given us lots of good advice. She seems to be very honest and up front. She is a Christian, which is nice to know. At least she has some morals! :-) We are taking the homebuyer's course this Saturday, and (like a dork) I am totally excited! I can't wait! I can't wait to learn all about the process. Every step makes it feel more real, like it's really going to happen. I know Brandon and I have only been married for less than 3 years, but there have been a lot of times when I thought we would NEVER be able to own a home. But God has wonderful plans ahead for us! Dawn (the realtor) said we should start looking by the 1st of May, so we can put down an offer by the end of June and close by the 1st of August! Wow! The first of May! That's three weeks away!!! It's a lot closer than we expected! So, we have started doing Dave Ramsey. We don't have much debt (just the cars and the TV that Brandon is paying for out of his part-time money, not the general budget), but we really need to work on our budget and watching what we spend. We eat out way too much, and make lots of little transactions...$1 here, $2 there....it adds up! So, for the next few months, we are going to be doing virtually NO eating out and NO extras. We'll be eating super, super cheap, so once again I am on the lookout for SUPER DUPER CHEAP MEALS. Any ideas? Shoot em my way. I'll share my ideas with you as I find them as well.

Breathe, Kelly, breathe

Whew! I finally got a moment to sit down and blog! Things have been pretty crazy around here the last week or two. Work has been a nuthouse and it hasn't been any easier at home! Not bad, just busy.

First off, WE'RE BUYING A HOUSE!!!!!! That is, if everything goes smoothly and as planned. We even get a 4% grant (that's free money, folks!) to use as the down payment! So, if we find a seller to pay closing costs, then we should pay nothing out of pocket. That's right, nothing. :-) I am so ecstatic, I can barely contain myself! We are meeting our realtor today, and I couldn't be more excited! And we go next weekend for a first time homebuyer's education class, which sounds boring, but I am very much looking forward to it!

We went to Sparta yesterday to visit with Brandon's Nana and Pop. I love those people. They are so sweet. I get bored to tears in Sparta because there is literally NOTHING to do. But, I still adore them :-) And we always end up leaving with a bunch of stuff. Nana gave me an entire box filled with cake decorating stuff...LOTS of tips! I am so excited about that, that I am making a cake today! :)

I know I haven't kept up with the blog, but I am still doing the Love Dare. I love it so far. It really keeps me on my toes, and keeps me thinking every time I say or do something. I think to myself "I could have said that differently" or "I should have just let that go. It wasn't THAT big of a deal." I still mess up, of course, but I always apologize and make up (that's the best part!)

Well, that's all for the moment. I've got a ton of cleaning and laundry to do. Brandon will be sleeping for quite a while, seeing as he only had 6 hours of sleep in over 48 hours, so I am taking advantage and going to scrub scrub scrub!