Good grief it has been a crazy week. I was so worried that Cody was sick. On Monday Ms. Debbie text me that Cody woke up from nap with a low-grade fever. So David stayed home with him (and Emma) on Tuesday. He's had a runny nose but really other symptoms. I immediately thought this was some sort of secondary infection popping up since we had just finished antibiotics for his ear infection. But, thankfully, so far so good. He has been back to daycare all week and has rested well, played hard and most of all EATEN like a horse. This kid is having a growth spurt. Emma often helps me get Cody fed because Cody goes to the kitchen as soon as we get home and starts yelling until there is food in front of him. She generally makes sure there is something on his plate until I'm done cooking. Poor kid, sometimes she gives him her food just to make him quiet, then I have to go make her more to eat. LOL, I've been making extras now to compensate. David tells me to just wait until he is playing sports and I can't imagine what I'll have to keep in the house when he has friends over. Definitely going to need a freezer in the garage.
Things are going well with the "diet." David keeps losing and is almost at 30lbs! This week I haven't lost anything but I'd imagine next week will be better :) I made the chicken/pork sausage stuffed shells on Tuesday night and Cody didn't like the meat and Emma didn't care for the fresh tomato sauce I made; I guess I have her hooked on Ragu :( But she did enjoy them without the sauce. To say that David liked them is an understatement. He ate his dinner and next-day lunch portion.
My grandfather Shoenfelt is in the hospital in Houston right now and we don't really know what's going on other than he is having difficulty breathing. My Aunt Catherine is with him.. I'm praying for his comfort and healing and strength for my Aunt.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Tangled
Will someone please tell me why this is $150? REALLY!?!
It is beautiful, my daughter would look gorgeous in it but I'm also trying to teach her the value of a dollar and this is just NO!
Monday, August 8, 2011
HCG Meals
I've had lots of friends contact me with interest in the HCG diet that David and I have been doing. We started on June 18th (I got this date wrong the other day on Facebook) and I have lost 20lbs and David has lost 28lbs in less than two months! So I finally decided to upload the pictures I've taken to give you a little insight into what we've been eating.
For this phase of the diet we would prepare our lunches for the week on Sunday evenings. David would grill chicken and we portioned it out into tupperware containers while I measured out cauliflower, broccoli, and salad. We both had apples and I would take strawberries to my office for snacks and David enjoyed celery and cucumbers with his lunches.
Day One of HCG VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) Phase 2
You don't really have "breakfast" on HCG but I was convinved I needed something since I don't drink coffee or tea and grapefruit is on the approved-food list.
Day 1: Lunch! 3.5oz grilled chicken with 4oz lettuce, seasoned with lemon juice and pepper. 1 melba toast and an apple.
Snack: 1 handful strawberries. Occasionally I would have strawberries for an after-dinner snack if I was still hungry. But my favorite "dessert" was an apple! I would slice an up with my fancy apple-corer and sprinkle on stevia (hcg-approved natural sweetener) and cinnamon. Microwave for 30 seconds-1min...YUM!!!
Another Lunch: 3.5 oz grilled chicken breast w/onion from the kabob and 4 oz steamed broccoli. Since we pre-portioned our veggies in ziplock containers, it was really easy to steam them in the microwave by adding water and cooking for 1min.
Shrimp, it's what's for dinner!
This was definitely one of my favorites and "shrimp nights" felt like a treat. This time we seasoned with lemon pepper, shown with 4 oz broccoli and grissini breadstick.
Italian Chicken and tomato
I loved this little recipe I cooked up! This is my 4oz chicken breast which I cooked in the skillet with italian herbs, garlic and pepper. Then I cut up a tomato and added it to the hot skillet- cooking it down until it was "sauce-like". I had it with my grissini breadstick. Yummy little lunch!
Another Dinner Entree
We stayed away from all red meat until the final week of the VLCD. This is a 4oz burger (98% lean organic beef) seasoned w/pepper and garlic powder. Yum! Roasted asparagus- we did this a lot because broccoli and cauliflower got old. I would measure out the 3-4oz of asparagus (trimmed) and put into a foil packet with a little water and whatever seasoning you like. We tried pepper, lemon pepper, etc.
Pan seared cod with fresh cabbage!
On to maintenance! During Phase 2 while we were on the VLCD taking our HCG drops 3x a day, I lost 17lbs and David lost 21lbs...in just 23 days!
During the first week of Phase 3 (maintenance) you SLOWLY begin to up your calorie intake from 500 calories a day to 1,200-1,500, wherever you are able to maintain your new weight. If ever you go 2lbs over your weight you're supposed to immediately have a "steak day," keep in mind that you continue to weigh yourself every morning as soon as you use the restroom and undress. We had to do a steak day once, and made it a point to never have to do that again. A steak day consists of eating nothing all day long (you can have as much water, tea, coffee as you like) and then for dinner consume the largest steak that you are able. David bought us both 15oz ribeyes. I am not a steak person anyway, especially not a marbled cut, but it was pretty delicious. We lost 2-3lbs each over night but that sucked and can't be healthy.
During the maintenance phase you are also allowed to add back in exercise (it's generally not recommended during phase 2 because you're taking in so few calories.) So now David and I are working out at the gym 3x a week and doing Wii Fit on the nights we're not at the gym. This has allowed us to occasionally "cheat" and recover as well as take off more weight. In the last couple of weeks since we began maintenance I've lost another 3lbs and David's lost 5-6 and we've both taken off additional inches.
My favorite post-hcg recipe! One of the salad dressings I've enjoyed is Kraft's sun dried tomato vinaigrette so I went to their website and searched for a recipe to make using it. Yummy! David and Emma enjoyed it too! Served w/spinach salad and oven-roasted cauliflower.
We try to keep to the original ingredients as much as possible: organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cod, tilapia, and shrimp as well as lots of fresh veggies: peppers, cucumbers for David, tomatoes, etc. We can now eat "whatever we want" but we've learned so much about what we put into our bodies that we don't miss the excessive carbs, processed and fried foods. We're still human though, I crave sweets and David gets hungry for burgers. Moderation is key.
This is what I have for breakfast everyday. Thanks to my brother for turning me on to greek yogurt. This is honey yogurt w/fresh strawberries. I happened to have a package of granola from ChickFilA left over so I use a pinch of that for a few days.
More on ChickFilA...I love their chargrilled chicken and fruit salad. It's only 220 calories but it's still pretty high on carbs, sugars and most of all sodium, so you definitely can't have it all the time, but in a pinch it's a good option when I'm running around w/the kids. I use just a small amount of the berry vinaigrette dressing and save the granola packet for breakfasts :)
I hope this was helpful for those of you w/questions for me and who are considering giving HCG a try. We used the X-30 Hcg from GNC. I should also mention the amount of water intake is so vital to success. David and I both bought 1/2 gallon water bottles and filled them up each night so they'd be cold in the morning and drank them all day long (2x).
I'm excited about my meal plan for the week:
One more thing, here's a great youtube video that helped me get started w/HCG. For additional recipe ideas, just google HCG recipes.
For this phase of the diet we would prepare our lunches for the week on Sunday evenings. David would grill chicken and we portioned it out into tupperware containers while I measured out cauliflower, broccoli, and salad. We both had apples and I would take strawberries to my office for snacks and David enjoyed celery and cucumbers with his lunches.
Day One of HCG VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) Phase 2
You don't really have "breakfast" on HCG but I was convinved I needed something since I don't drink coffee or tea and grapefruit is on the approved-food list.
Day 1: Lunch! 3.5oz grilled chicken with 4oz lettuce, seasoned with lemon juice and pepper. 1 melba toast and an apple.
Snack: 1 handful strawberries. Occasionally I would have strawberries for an after-dinner snack if I was still hungry. But my favorite "dessert" was an apple! I would slice an up with my fancy apple-corer and sprinkle on stevia (hcg-approved natural sweetener) and cinnamon. Microwave for 30 seconds-1min...YUM!!!
Another Lunch: 3.5 oz grilled chicken breast w/onion from the kabob and 4 oz steamed broccoli. Since we pre-portioned our veggies in ziplock containers, it was really easy to steam them in the microwave by adding water and cooking for 1min.
Shrimp, it's what's for dinner!
This was definitely one of my favorites and "shrimp nights" felt like a treat. This time we seasoned with lemon pepper, shown with 4 oz broccoli and grissini breadstick.
Italian Chicken and tomato
I loved this little recipe I cooked up! This is my 4oz chicken breast which I cooked in the skillet with italian herbs, garlic and pepper. Then I cut up a tomato and added it to the hot skillet- cooking it down until it was "sauce-like". I had it with my grissini breadstick. Yummy little lunch!
Another Dinner Entree
We stayed away from all red meat until the final week of the VLCD. This is a 4oz burger (98% lean organic beef) seasoned w/pepper and garlic powder. Yum! Roasted asparagus- we did this a lot because broccoli and cauliflower got old. I would measure out the 3-4oz of asparagus (trimmed) and put into a foil packet with a little water and whatever seasoning you like. We tried pepper, lemon pepper, etc.
Pan seared cod with fresh cabbage!
On to maintenance! During Phase 2 while we were on the VLCD taking our HCG drops 3x a day, I lost 17lbs and David lost 21lbs...in just 23 days!
During the first week of Phase 3 (maintenance) you SLOWLY begin to up your calorie intake from 500 calories a day to 1,200-1,500, wherever you are able to maintain your new weight. If ever you go 2lbs over your weight you're supposed to immediately have a "steak day," keep in mind that you continue to weigh yourself every morning as soon as you use the restroom and undress. We had to do a steak day once, and made it a point to never have to do that again. A steak day consists of eating nothing all day long (you can have as much water, tea, coffee as you like) and then for dinner consume the largest steak that you are able. David bought us both 15oz ribeyes. I am not a steak person anyway, especially not a marbled cut, but it was pretty delicious. We lost 2-3lbs each over night but that sucked and can't be healthy.
During the maintenance phase you are also allowed to add back in exercise (it's generally not recommended during phase 2 because you're taking in so few calories.) So now David and I are working out at the gym 3x a week and doing Wii Fit on the nights we're not at the gym. This has allowed us to occasionally "cheat" and recover as well as take off more weight. In the last couple of weeks since we began maintenance I've lost another 3lbs and David's lost 5-6 and we've both taken off additional inches.
My favorite post-hcg recipe! One of the salad dressings I've enjoyed is Kraft's sun dried tomato vinaigrette so I went to their website and searched for a recipe to make using it. Yummy! David and Emma enjoyed it too! Served w/spinach salad and oven-roasted cauliflower.
We try to keep to the original ingredients as much as possible: organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cod, tilapia, and shrimp as well as lots of fresh veggies: peppers, cucumbers for David, tomatoes, etc. We can now eat "whatever we want" but we've learned so much about what we put into our bodies that we don't miss the excessive carbs, processed and fried foods. We're still human though, I crave sweets and David gets hungry for burgers. Moderation is key.
This is what I have for breakfast everyday. Thanks to my brother for turning me on to greek yogurt. This is honey yogurt w/fresh strawberries. I happened to have a package of granola from ChickFilA left over so I use a pinch of that for a few days.
More on ChickFilA...I love their chargrilled chicken and fruit salad. It's only 220 calories but it's still pretty high on carbs, sugars and most of all sodium, so you definitely can't have it all the time, but in a pinch it's a good option when I'm running around w/the kids. I use just a small amount of the berry vinaigrette dressing and save the granola packet for breakfasts :)
I hope this was helpful for those of you w/questions for me and who are considering giving HCG a try. We used the X-30 Hcg from GNC. I should also mention the amount of water intake is so vital to success. David and I both bought 1/2 gallon water bottles and filled them up each night so they'd be cold in the morning and drank them all day long (2x).
I'm excited about my meal plan for the week:
- Grilled pork chops, green beans and grilled peaches w/cinnamon/stevia for dessert (Emma loves this meal too!)
- Chicken fajita tacos. I found whole wheat, gluten-free tortillas with only 10g carbs and no sugars. After the dietary fiber, your carb intake is only 3g. We'll have these w/peppers/onions, a little cheese and avocado. The kids will probably go more for the quesadilla route with fruit.
- Ground chicken sausage stuffed shells with fresh parmesan! I am so excited about this one! The italian chicken sausage looked so delicious at Sprouts I just couldn't resist, so I stood there until I could come up w/a recipe idea. So I'm going to boil some whole wheat large pasta shells and then fill them w/the chicken and bake with my fresh tomato/herb sauce and sprinkle (not cover) with cheese and bake. Yumm-o!
- Taco salad in tortilla shell. I got this idea from Kraft I believe. You briefly bake your tortillas in muffin pants to make them rounded and then fill with ground beef, shredded lettuce, etc. I think Emma will think this is cute.
One more thing, here's a great youtube video that helped me get started w/HCG. For additional recipe ideas, just google HCG recipes.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
HCG = You + Me
Well, David and I are dieting. Can't you tell how excited I am? HEHE.
My brother, sister-in-law and nephew were in town a couple of weeks ago and my sister in law looked fabulous! I asked her what she had been doing and she told me about HCG. I started my research the next day :) My SIL is very fit and always has been but a recent knee surgery has put a stop to most exercise since last year. On the HCG protocol she was able to lose 19 lbs in 23 days!
I approached David about us doing it together and he was totally on board.
If anyone's intrested in deeper information, I'll let you do your own research. But in a nutshell, HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotrophin which is the hormone produced during pregnancy. Basically you pair the hcg supplement with a very low calorie diet (VLCD) and you will lose 1-2lbs a day. You spend the first two days "loading" up on carbs, sugary foods etc. In this way your fat stores are at their maximum. Then you begin 21 days of the VLCD while taking the drops 3 times a day. What do I mean by very low? Well, 500 calories to be exact. Are you ok, have you picked yourself up off the floor yet? Yes, 500 calories. I thought the same thing when I first heard it. I though there was no way it was a healthy diet. I probably would have stopped reading then if it wasn't for the success my SIL had seen. If she trusts it, I trust it.
The originial protocol was first developed in the 50's by endocrinologist Dr. Simeon and his is proven to be a successful routine. There are digital copies of his book "Pounds and Inches" available online. The concept is simple. You are "disposing" of your fat daily and in the 2nd and 3rd stage(s) of the diet you are re-setting your body and re-training your brain.
It has taken me forever to finish this entry! It's now July 13th! We're done with stages 1-2 and are now in maintenance. In just three weeks I lost 17lbs and David lost 20! I must admit that we fell off the wagon over July 4th weekend and it took about 3 days to recoup what we gained. With that being said we are both very happy with the results. It feels amazing to be so much less bloated. Another thing I noticed since day one of the restricted diet is how much better my complexion has been. I don't miss the sodas or fried food. I occasionally miss the sweets though. During this final phase of the diet you gradually add in foods that have been off limits. We can now eat anything but carbs, starches and sugars and work up to 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day- whatever you can maintain your new weight with. This doesn't really seem that obtrusive since we have been so limited up until now. Avacados never tasted so good! We like pork so I bought pork chops and a pork tenderloin. We grilled the chops and had grilled peaches one night and tonight we had the pork tenderloin which had been in the crock pot all day. Yum!
As soon as we were done with the VLCD David began adding in exercise; it's generally discouraged in the first 3 weeks. Tonight I joined him at the gym. I haven't worked out since I had been doing yoga last year. I'm going to ease back into it and hopefully this will help me take off a few more lbs and re-shape and tone my new body. I'm generally not a fan of the gym. It smells. The ppl smell. And at Gold's so many of them are intimidatingly large and/or fit...and then there's me. Blah. Oh well. It was nice to work out side by side w/David tonight. We walk/ran (David ran, I walked) on the treadmill for half an hour and then rode the bikes for about half an hour. A few miles and many calories later burned, I feel great! Saturday I'll try their Body Flow class which combines yoga, pilates and tai chi.
My brother, sister-in-law and nephew were in town a couple of weeks ago and my sister in law looked fabulous! I asked her what she had been doing and she told me about HCG. I started my research the next day :) My SIL is very fit and always has been but a recent knee surgery has put a stop to most exercise since last year. On the HCG protocol she was able to lose 19 lbs in 23 days!
I approached David about us doing it together and he was totally on board.
If anyone's intrested in deeper information, I'll let you do your own research. But in a nutshell, HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotrophin which is the hormone produced during pregnancy. Basically you pair the hcg supplement with a very low calorie diet (VLCD) and you will lose 1-2lbs a day. You spend the first two days "loading" up on carbs, sugary foods etc. In this way your fat stores are at their maximum. Then you begin 21 days of the VLCD while taking the drops 3 times a day. What do I mean by very low? Well, 500 calories to be exact. Are you ok, have you picked yourself up off the floor yet? Yes, 500 calories. I thought the same thing when I first heard it. I though there was no way it was a healthy diet. I probably would have stopped reading then if it wasn't for the success my SIL had seen. If she trusts it, I trust it.
The originial protocol was first developed in the 50's by endocrinologist Dr. Simeon and his is proven to be a successful routine. There are digital copies of his book "Pounds and Inches" available online. The concept is simple. You are "disposing" of your fat daily and in the 2nd and 3rd stage(s) of the diet you are re-setting your body and re-training your brain.
It has taken me forever to finish this entry! It's now July 13th! We're done with stages 1-2 and are now in maintenance. In just three weeks I lost 17lbs and David lost 20! I must admit that we fell off the wagon over July 4th weekend and it took about 3 days to recoup what we gained. With that being said we are both very happy with the results. It feels amazing to be so much less bloated. Another thing I noticed since day one of the restricted diet is how much better my complexion has been. I don't miss the sodas or fried food. I occasionally miss the sweets though. During this final phase of the diet you gradually add in foods that have been off limits. We can now eat anything but carbs, starches and sugars and work up to 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day- whatever you can maintain your new weight with. This doesn't really seem that obtrusive since we have been so limited up until now. Avacados never tasted so good! We like pork so I bought pork chops and a pork tenderloin. We grilled the chops and had grilled peaches one night and tonight we had the pork tenderloin which had been in the crock pot all day. Yum!
As soon as we were done with the VLCD David began adding in exercise; it's generally discouraged in the first 3 weeks. Tonight I joined him at the gym. I haven't worked out since I had been doing yoga last year. I'm going to ease back into it and hopefully this will help me take off a few more lbs and re-shape and tone my new body. I'm generally not a fan of the gym. It smells. The ppl smell. And at Gold's so many of them are intimidatingly large and/or fit...and then there's me. Blah. Oh well. It was nice to work out side by side w/David tonight. We walk/ran (David ran, I walked) on the treadmill for half an hour and then rode the bikes for about half an hour. A few miles and many calories later burned, I feel great! Saturday I'll try their Body Flow class which combines yoga, pilates and tai chi.
After these three weeks of phase 3 we can begin having limited amounts of carbs and sugars again. I think we'll definitely have made some long-time changes by then. I have been having sandwiches without bread, burgers without buns and learning how to grocery shop, cook and occasionally eat out differently. Also this week I've focused more on the kids eating habits as well. It killed me the first week or so that David and I were eating so "well" and still feeding the kids chicken nuggets, corn dogs, pizza and macaroni and cheese. I don't expect them to eat asparagus and tilapia, but there will definitely be other changes coming their way. It's our job to establish healthy eating habits NOW.
Overall I give this diet two thumbs up. No side effects (aside from one headache on the first VLCD day since my body was detoxing sugar), great results and a plan that can work long-term! I think we are considering completing another rough of HCG, you should wait 6 weeks after you've stabilized.
I'll do a separate post w/pictures from some of the things we've been eating :)
Monday, June 20, 2011
Proverbs 22:6
Big surprise, it seems as though it's been an eternity since my last entry. Not so surprising, it has been nearly a month (again). We continue to be blessed with our two healthy children and are still enjoying our new home. Summer has brought with it day after day of 100+degree weather and very little rain.
Even with school being out, the past few weeks have been very hectic. My best friend McKenzie got married!!! She was kind enough to ask Emma to be her flower girl and Cody to be a ring bearer. It was very special to be there for the rehearsal Thursday evening and Friday afternoon before the wedding. It was absolutely gorgeous. Everything. Her gown was stunning, color choices were perfectly paired, etc, etc. I felt like I was having an out of body experience watching "Crazy Aunt Kenzie" tying the knot! All those years of talking about boys and now we're all grown up. McKenzie been by my side through good times and bad and I've always thought of her like a sister. She has definnitley played a major role in Emma's life as well. David and I have really enjoyed getting to know her husband Paul and look forward to many more years of friendship! (Check out my Facebook Album for pictures.)
Last week was also VBS at Redeemer and it was my first year to volunteer. One evening we had a training session and it got me very excited to be involved. Teri Frantz is infectiously energetic about sharing the Good News with children! I've been feeling God tugging on my heart strings a lot lately and I'm definitely feeling led to make changes. But what direction? That's for another time. Back to VBS. Since I couldn't take the whole week off from work, I volunteered Monday and ran the "Elementary Chadder" room where groups of children rotated through to watch a brief DVD. After the video I talked to the children about God Sightings and we each wrote down an example of God working in our lives or in the world around us. Volunteering for VBS was amazing and I can't wait for the next opportunity to get involved w/the youth at Redeemer. I really enjoyed this opportunity to talk to the children about God and see them living out their faith in Jesus Christ. Emma's "crew" didn't rotate through my Chadder room but I got to see lots of her friends. I am so thankful God led us right where we need to be!
God Sightings
Close up
Close up
We were in the High School Youth room :)
I really wished I had gotten a picture of the sanctuary decorated for VBS. There were bamboo plants everywhere and the giant Panda posters that David and I cut out and mounted on foam board looked fantastic up on stage and Teri told me lots of other churches will get to borrow them for VBS.
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6
Even with school being out, the past few weeks have been very hectic. My best friend McKenzie got married!!! She was kind enough to ask Emma to be her flower girl and Cody to be a ring bearer. It was very special to be there for the rehearsal Thursday evening and Friday afternoon before the wedding. It was absolutely gorgeous. Everything. Her gown was stunning, color choices were perfectly paired, etc, etc. I felt like I was having an out of body experience watching "Crazy Aunt Kenzie" tying the knot! All those years of talking about boys and now we're all grown up. McKenzie been by my side through good times and bad and I've always thought of her like a sister. She has definnitley played a major role in Emma's life as well. David and I have really enjoyed getting to know her husband Paul and look forward to many more years of friendship! (Check out my Facebook Album for pictures.)
Last week was also VBS at Redeemer and it was my first year to volunteer. One evening we had a training session and it got me very excited to be involved. Teri Frantz is infectiously energetic about sharing the Good News with children! I've been feeling God tugging on my heart strings a lot lately and I'm definitely feeling led to make changes. But what direction? That's for another time. Back to VBS. Since I couldn't take the whole week off from work, I volunteered Monday and ran the "Elementary Chadder" room where groups of children rotated through to watch a brief DVD. After the video I talked to the children about God Sightings and we each wrote down an example of God working in our lives or in the world around us. Volunteering for VBS was amazing and I can't wait for the next opportunity to get involved w/the youth at Redeemer. I really enjoyed this opportunity to talk to the children about God and see them living out their faith in Jesus Christ. Emma's "crew" didn't rotate through my Chadder room but I got to see lots of her friends. I am so thankful God led us right where we need to be!
God Sightings
Close up
Close up
We were in the High School Youth room :)
I really wished I had gotten a picture of the sanctuary decorated for VBS. There were bamboo plants everywhere and the giant Panda posters that David and I cut out and mounted on foam board looked fantastic up on stage and Teri told me lots of other churches will get to borrow them for VBS.
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Too Blessed to be Stressed
Yesterday was an extremely frustrating day for me. I was so worked up that I could hardly sit still. On more than one occasion I have cried for the children and families that I have gotten to know and grown to love who are fighting cancer. I learn the names and ages (and even the hobbies) of not only the child w/cancer but their siblings as well. I've gotten to know who does what, who likes what, their chemo schedules etc; they are literally a part of my life. I get frustrated because I wish I could do more. But I do what I can. Recently I read about little Wyatt from WA who is fighting stage 4 Neuroblastoma. The same diagnosis of Layla who inspired my participation with pediatric cancer research. Wyatt is 4 years old and his father is a fireman in the Air Force. So natuarlly, Wyatt idolizes all things fireman. We have many friends who are firemen or are connected to Fire Depts so I sent out a few messages. I am blessed with friends who are there when you call on them. Scott Wegner brought me a ton of goodies from Pflugerville FD, Round Rock FD and Perdenales FD. CoryLynn brought me the coolest, hugest commemorative patches from the Exxon Mobil refinery fire as well as a Kyle FD and Bertram FD patch. David's Aunt Julie, her sister Tina and David's step-mother Brenda have also jumped on the bandwagon and there will be lots of packages arriving on Wyatt's doorstep from Roswell, NM as well as about a half dozen agencies from central TX! I should also mention that David recruited his friends from Lake Travis and Hudson Bend FD's to donate patches, t-shirts, stickers and hats as well.
As I police wife I don't often get to look at firemen stuff (lol, that sounds suggestive but we'll go with it) let alone bring it in the house but this is an exception. I've found the cutest firemen figureines and accessories (his very own axe, hat, etc) and dalmation coloring books to send along w/our patches. I really hope it brings joy to Wyatt while he's inpatient for chemo right now.
I took a step back w/my involvement w/Battle4aCure but I realized I can't step away from these kids; I love them too much. If everyone stood up for what they believed in I think we'd have a much happier place to live in, or maybe there'd just be a lot more arguing. In this case, how could anyone be against a cure for cancer? I just can't fathom those (especially parents) that don't jump up and join in? But then again, I didn't get involved until last year and it was because I became attached to Layla, read day in and day out about her fight and fell in love with her precious sweet voice (thanks to Mommy and Daddy's videos). Layla earned her angel wings in April 2010 and I look at her picture in my bathroom everyday. Layla's story made me appreciate my children more, made me worry less and love more.
So just when I'm feeling like wanting to hit something or someone to get them to PAY ATTENTION because YOUR CHILD could be next, I get a text message from Scott (the same one from above) asking me to check out this link: http://https//www.austinovertheedge.com/scott_wegner/
Scott decided to see what ELSE he could do for children battling life-threatening diseases! How amazing is that! Now if I could just inspire someone who happens to have the CURE in their back pocket.
I just gotta keep moving forward and recognizing the blessings that are in front of my face. Thank you God for my supportive husband, family and sweet friends who do what they can when they can! I don't mean to make any of you feel un-appreciated, I just see those that could be of so much help, but choose not to. Untapped talent! Stay tuned for a CureSearch Kickball tournament and of course the CureSearch Walk on September 24th!
As I police wife I don't often get to look at firemen stuff (lol, that sounds suggestive but we'll go with it) let alone bring it in the house but this is an exception. I've found the cutest firemen figureines and accessories (his very own axe, hat, etc) and dalmation coloring books to send along w/our patches. I really hope it brings joy to Wyatt while he's inpatient for chemo right now.
I took a step back w/my involvement w/Battle4aCure but I realized I can't step away from these kids; I love them too much. If everyone stood up for what they believed in I think we'd have a much happier place to live in, or maybe there'd just be a lot more arguing. In this case, how could anyone be against a cure for cancer? I just can't fathom those (especially parents) that don't jump up and join in? But then again, I didn't get involved until last year and it was because I became attached to Layla, read day in and day out about her fight and fell in love with her precious sweet voice (thanks to Mommy and Daddy's videos). Layla earned her angel wings in April 2010 and I look at her picture in my bathroom everyday. Layla's story made me appreciate my children more, made me worry less and love more.
So just when I'm feeling like wanting to hit something or someone to get them to PAY ATTENTION because YOUR CHILD could be next, I get a text message from Scott (the same one from above) asking me to check out this link: http://https//www.austinovertheedge.com/scott_wegner/
Scott decided to see what ELSE he could do for children battling life-threatening diseases! How amazing is that! Now if I could just inspire someone who happens to have the CURE in their back pocket.
I just gotta keep moving forward and recognizing the blessings that are in front of my face. Thank you God for my supportive husband, family and sweet friends who do what they can when they can! I don't mean to make any of you feel un-appreciated, I just see those that could be of so much help, but choose not to. Untapped talent! Stay tuned for a CureSearch Kickball tournament and of course the CureSearch Walk on September 24th!
Legion Movie Review
David and I watched a movie recently that stirred up a lot of emotions about God. Legion, starring the poet guy from A Knight's Tale (Paul Bettany) is definitley no romantic comedy like AKT. If you liked The Book of Eli, you would probably enjoy Legion though it is a little scarier in my opinion. In case anyone reading this (does anyone read this?) might like to watch Legion, I won't give the plot away. But basically the angel Michael comes to Earth to save mankind.
While I would definitely classify it as fiction or a biblical "myth," the movie opened my eyes as to the possibilities of God's mightyness. I think I'm probably not alone in the fact that I often think of heaven as fluffy clouds, golden gates, beautiful angels and well...paradise. But when God loses faith in mankind, it's very unsettling to think what he can unleash upon the Earth to save us from ourselves. I am a wuss when it comes to scary movies so there were definitley parts where I peeked through my hands covering my eyes, but I couldn't stop watching.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Wait and See
With David's career, I constantly find myself in a "wait and see mode." I can't even imagine what it'd be like to be a military wife. Thank GOODNESS David was in the Navy many years before we met and got that over with! In fact, when David enlisted in 1996 I was only 12 :) Anyway, in a previous entry I was lamenting the upcoming shift-change. To my delight, David actually remained on the day shift. So he works 6AM-6PM and with any luck is home by 6:45 or so. I look forward to the day he works M-F 8-5 again, but for now we are so thankful to be gainfully employed and I am SO GRATEFUL that he's home with us every night.
We have been having so much fun getting settled into our new house. Even though we haven't bought it yet and are renting, we definitely feel like we've put down some roots. We spent two months taking down wallpaper, painting, ripping up and replacing carpet. Phase 2 is almost complete. I had the bright idea to invite friends over for a little house-warming get together. One of the reasons David sold me on this house is the possibilities for entertaining friends and family. The large living room and spacious backyard are ideal for having people over. This Saturday we're expecting ~25 friends to come over for fajitas. I'm excited! I'm also happy w/my plan because we've finally gotten things hung on the walls, and we've been working in the yard. After the kids go to bed David and I go outside and continue working. I definitely enjoy it more than David but I know he likes how it looks. We raked up 6 months worth of leaves and dead grass, put down fertilizer and I've planted an array of plants, flowers and even a few fruits and vegetables. I'm having a great time with it and find it to be great exercising and a peaceful way to wind-down at the end of the day.
If there's any growth to report as far as the veggies, I'll definitely post pictures but I'm not getting my hopes up. Emma and I cleared out a bed in the backyard and planted two types of green beans (our family favorite veggie), cucumbers, tomatos, cilantro (my go-to herb in mexican food), and strawberries. I also have zennias to plant and have already planted, daylilies, hydrangeas, salvias and one other which name escapes me. It's been really, really hard work. We have 9 lawn and leaf bags at the curb today for pick up and David's entire truck bed was filled with palm branches that we trimmed. We've been watering religiously for a few weeks now so fingers crossed that the "rough patches" fill in soon! I think the backyard is especially looking nice. The grass back there is so lush and green, and everything looks so nice w/the freshly-stained picnic table and playscape. I need some sort of lounge chair so I can lay out while the kids are playing. Emma wants to go outstide every night which is great! If we don't have errands after work/school, the four of us all go out and play. The weather has been so beautiful!
Last week my great-aunt passed away. Margie Christie, AKA Aunt Sissy, is my mom's Aunt and Granny's sister. Many on her side of the family live in the Caldwell/Bryan area and it's just a shame we don't see them more often. I am thankful for Aunt Sissy's sweet welcoming nature and am thankful she is with our Lord and no longer suffering. I continue to pray for her daughters, grandchildren and great-granddaughters. A couple of weeks ago we traveled to Roswell, NM for David's grandmother's funeral. I have had enough funerals for a while :( I have trained myself over the last three years to not think about how dangerous David's job is. How with every answer of the radio, every alarm call, every traffic enforcement he is putting himself in harm's way. I couldn't live without David. I would do my best to take care of our children, but I've told him before that if anything ever happened there's no way I'd re-marry. David is truly the man God intended for me and nothing and no one could come close to what we have. But I have to trust him. I know that he's very good at what he does; he has a good head on his shoulders and makes good decisions. I also believe (and he's always told me) that all he has on his mind everyday is coming home to us.
We have been having so much fun getting settled into our new house. Even though we haven't bought it yet and are renting, we definitely feel like we've put down some roots. We spent two months taking down wallpaper, painting, ripping up and replacing carpet. Phase 2 is almost complete. I had the bright idea to invite friends over for a little house-warming get together. One of the reasons David sold me on this house is the possibilities for entertaining friends and family. The large living room and spacious backyard are ideal for having people over. This Saturday we're expecting ~25 friends to come over for fajitas. I'm excited! I'm also happy w/my plan because we've finally gotten things hung on the walls, and we've been working in the yard. After the kids go to bed David and I go outside and continue working. I definitely enjoy it more than David but I know he likes how it looks. We raked up 6 months worth of leaves and dead grass, put down fertilizer and I've planted an array of plants, flowers and even a few fruits and vegetables. I'm having a great time with it and find it to be great exercising and a peaceful way to wind-down at the end of the day.
If there's any growth to report as far as the veggies, I'll definitely post pictures but I'm not getting my hopes up. Emma and I cleared out a bed in the backyard and planted two types of green beans (our family favorite veggie), cucumbers, tomatos, cilantro (my go-to herb in mexican food), and strawberries. I also have zennias to plant and have already planted, daylilies, hydrangeas, salvias and one other which name escapes me. It's been really, really hard work. We have 9 lawn and leaf bags at the curb today for pick up and David's entire truck bed was filled with palm branches that we trimmed. We've been watering religiously for a few weeks now so fingers crossed that the "rough patches" fill in soon! I think the backyard is especially looking nice. The grass back there is so lush and green, and everything looks so nice w/the freshly-stained picnic table and playscape. I need some sort of lounge chair so I can lay out while the kids are playing. Emma wants to go outstide every night which is great! If we don't have errands after work/school, the four of us all go out and play. The weather has been so beautiful!
Last week my great-aunt passed away. Margie Christie, AKA Aunt Sissy, is my mom's Aunt and Granny's sister. Many on her side of the family live in the Caldwell/Bryan area and it's just a shame we don't see them more often. I am thankful for Aunt Sissy's sweet welcoming nature and am thankful she is with our Lord and no longer suffering. I continue to pray for her daughters, grandchildren and great-granddaughters. A couple of weeks ago we traveled to Roswell, NM for David's grandmother's funeral. I have had enough funerals for a while :( I have trained myself over the last three years to not think about how dangerous David's job is. How with every answer of the radio, every alarm call, every traffic enforcement he is putting himself in harm's way. I couldn't live without David. I would do my best to take care of our children, but I've told him before that if anything ever happened there's no way I'd re-marry. David is truly the man God intended for me and nothing and no one could come close to what we have. But I have to trust him. I know that he's very good at what he does; he has a good head on his shoulders and makes good decisions. I also believe (and he's always told me) that all he has on his mind everyday is coming home to us.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
It's Not Just Me
In my brain I know I'm not alone. And no, I don't mean the voices. :) But sometimes it's nice to know in your heart that you're not alone in the way you think and feel.
At 9PM on May 1st, David and I were enjoying our Sunday night routine. The children were sleeping and we were folding laundry, ok actually I was folding laundry and he was either working on his fantasy baseball team or playing Words With Friends, but in fairness David does the laundry and I fold it. Anyway we were relaxing and had just sat down to watch Celebrity Apprentice. I checked something on my phone and saw via a Facebook post that President Obama would be making an announcment at 10:30ET. I asked David if he had heard anything and we immediately began surfing the internet and news channels. Because obviously this was important for the President to be breaking in late on a Sunday evening.
10:30ET came and went and it wasn't long before I saw posts on Facebook claiming that the announcement was the Osama Bin Laden was dead. We heard the news first on CNN and FINALLY when the President came on. My first reaction was, "Good!" quickly followed by fear and wondering "What's next?" in contrast to my husband's thoughts which immediatley went to bringing our troops home.
It was amazing to watch the crowds begin to gather in front of the white house. It was one of those times you see somewhere you've visited but it looks so different at that juncture.
Eventually it started to sink in that, for the moment, everything is ok. No buildings were crashing down and life was going on. While that made me feel a bit better, I still struggled to understand the masses that were gathering to celebrate. I observed how David was reacting, but we both sat quietly and took it all in. I called my father who was in Houston helping his sister and father prepare for my grandfather's pacemaker replacement surgery the next morning. Sure enough they were out eating a late dinner and not tuned in to Fox News (that would come later.) Since my mom was home alone I called her to make sure she was watching.
Even as I'm writing this now it's a struggle to find the words. That instantaneous argument you have with yourself, "Is there something wrong w/me that I'm not rejoicing with my neighbors?" David and I continued with what we were doing. We finished watching celebrity apprentice and were annoyed that we had to google who was fired because the broadcast was interrupted. We stayed up late watching reporters weigh in and found ourselves not going to bed until after 12:30AM.
The next day I was still bewildered at the racy comments, photos and insights all celebrating Osama's death littering my Facebook feed. But, I'm not the only one:
My SIL shared this link (http://http//thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/05/02/how-should-christians-think-about-the-death-of-osama-bin-laden/) and I enjoyed reading it and the one below.
http://www.dennyburk.com/some-thoughts-on-the-death-of-bin-laden/
Both sources offer thoughts to ponder how Christians are handling the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Before I go any further let me offer this, I am a proud American and have not forgotten the horror I witnessed live on 9/11. I want nothing more than a safe, free, prosperous and God-fearing America where we can raise our families in peace. I'm also human. I want justice. I want to put an end to terrorism and am incredibly thankful for the brave men and women and their families who sacrifice so much so that I can sit here and write about my ambiguous response to such a glorious display of bravery.
At 9PM on May 1st, David and I were enjoying our Sunday night routine. The children were sleeping and we were folding laundry, ok actually I was folding laundry and he was either working on his fantasy baseball team or playing Words With Friends, but in fairness David does the laundry and I fold it. Anyway we were relaxing and had just sat down to watch Celebrity Apprentice. I checked something on my phone and saw via a Facebook post that President Obama would be making an announcment at 10:30ET. I asked David if he had heard anything and we immediately began surfing the internet and news channels. Because obviously this was important for the President to be breaking in late on a Sunday evening.
10:30ET came and went and it wasn't long before I saw posts on Facebook claiming that the announcement was the Osama Bin Laden was dead. We heard the news first on CNN and FINALLY when the President came on. My first reaction was, "Good!" quickly followed by fear and wondering "What's next?" in contrast to my husband's thoughts which immediatley went to bringing our troops home.
It was amazing to watch the crowds begin to gather in front of the white house. It was one of those times you see somewhere you've visited but it looks so different at that juncture.
Eventually it started to sink in that, for the moment, everything is ok. No buildings were crashing down and life was going on. While that made me feel a bit better, I still struggled to understand the masses that were gathering to celebrate. I observed how David was reacting, but we both sat quietly and took it all in. I called my father who was in Houston helping his sister and father prepare for my grandfather's pacemaker replacement surgery the next morning. Sure enough they were out eating a late dinner and not tuned in to Fox News (that would come later.) Since my mom was home alone I called her to make sure she was watching.
Even as I'm writing this now it's a struggle to find the words. That instantaneous argument you have with yourself, "Is there something wrong w/me that I'm not rejoicing with my neighbors?" David and I continued with what we were doing. We finished watching celebrity apprentice and were annoyed that we had to google who was fired because the broadcast was interrupted. We stayed up late watching reporters weigh in and found ourselves not going to bed until after 12:30AM.
The next day I was still bewildered at the racy comments, photos and insights all celebrating Osama's death littering my Facebook feed. But, I'm not the only one:
My SIL shared this link (http://http//thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/05/02/how-should-christians-think-about-the-death-of-osama-bin-laden/) and I enjoyed reading it and the one below.
http://www.dennyburk.com/some-thoughts-on-the-death-of-bin-laden/
Both sources offer thoughts to ponder how Christians are handling the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Before I go any further let me offer this, I am a proud American and have not forgotten the horror I witnessed live on 9/11. I want nothing more than a safe, free, prosperous and God-fearing America where we can raise our families in peace. I'm also human. I want justice. I want to put an end to terrorism and am incredibly thankful for the brave men and women and their families who sacrifice so much so that I can sit here and write about my ambiguous response to such a glorious display of bravery.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Catch All
Just a warning, this is not going to be one of my up-beat, life is perfect blog sessions. #1 it depresses me that I haven't sat still long enough to write in over a month. On a daily basis I think, "Ohhh, I can't wait to write about this..." but it never seems to happen. #2 I'm not feeling too hot today and #3 (and the main reason I'm forcing myself to write now) because it looks like David is going back to nights later this week.
Recently I made a big change to allow more of my time and energy to be devoted to my family. Mentally, I feel a lot better and definitely feel less conflicted as far as choosing how to manage my time. Emotionally, well that's another story; I'm not much of a quitter but you never really quit something you're passionate about. I know in my heart I made the decision God had in mind for me and my hard work and innovative ideas will be put to good use in the future.
With that being said, we have ourselves quite a healthy little routine (and by healthy I mean, I have not lost my mind yet). On David's days off he generally takes Cody to daycare and picks him up for me. Emma is right on my way in the mornings and after work so generally I always take her but sometimes David takes both of the kiddos. I enjoy a little extra time to get ready on these mornings and can run an errand after work or just get home earlier. Otherwise I drop off and pick up both chidren, get home in the evenings and immediately get going on dinner. If the children are playing nicely (either together or individually) I just let them be. If not, Cody sits in his highchair with a snack while I'm cooking and I'll get Emma started on homework at the kitchen table while I cook. Sometimes I have the kids fed before David gets home (between 6:45-7) and then it's bathtime, pajamas, reading etc. Cody winds up his evening by crawling up into Daddy's lap with his milk and Daddy "reads" him a book.
The reason for me listing all of that out is that every single part of the routine that we have come to know is about to change. I'm not afraid to say that I'm not "okay" with this part of being a police wife. Over the years I've gotten used to last minute OT, late nights, phone calls cut short, scary stories and more, but I've gotten numb to the idea that what David does is incredibly dangerous. When David first transitioned from being a bailiff at Williamson County to being a patrol officer in Bee Cave, we spent time getting to know the other officers and their families. One wife just laughed off my discomfort with over half of the year being spent on the night shift. She was great with the idea and particularly enjoys when her husband works OT because the "extra money is great." I could tell then that we weren't destined to be best friends. I am in love with my husband. I don't want nights out w/the girls, I enjoy doing things with David. So this part of his job and I just don't jive...and never will.
As of this month, David and I have been together 5 years, and I'm still not tired of him ;) This is David's career, in my humble opinion he's very good at what he does and I wouldn't want him doing anything else (ok, that might be a small lie) but it is what it is and we make the best of it. We have lunch together on his days off now and we generally do that a little more often when he's on nights. I can take a late lunch when he wakes up at 2 or so and can come home so that I feel like I have seen him. The children, on the other hand, will go two days without seeing him when he's on nights. The last time David worked the night shift we noticed definite changes in Cody's bahavior (and a little in Emma). It warms my heart when David walks in the door in the evening and Cody drops what he's doing and runs to him with his arms up.
Blah~ enough of that. Just a prologue to the melancholy entries to follow.
Cody, 15 months:
I cannot believe how quickly the last two years have gone by. Roughly this time two years ago we got pregnant. I have had crazy "baby fever" lately. Since we moved I had been going through all of the children's clothes and the tubs of Emma's things I had put up. I feel like she is growing up so fast. I keep saying 6 (she's 6 years old) and thinking...teen...6-teen. OMG. She's in school now and reading and so independent about so many things. Cody is fantastic, he is such a joy and a complete sweetheart, but Emma is something very special to me in a different way. Don't get me wrong, I love them both the same but Emma and I have a very special bond; we've been through a lot together, more than she knows. But I have to cherish everyday and know how blessed I am with two fantastic children. That is the only positive to David working the night shift. Although it's entirely overwhelming, I enjoy the closeness w/the kids when it's just the three of us.
Cody is saying and doing so many things. He waves and says "byebye", says more, "mo", "uhh" for up, "down" and of course mama, daddada, sisss, pawpaw. He also says baby, book, dog.
Recently I made a big change to allow more of my time and energy to be devoted to my family. Mentally, I feel a lot better and definitely feel less conflicted as far as choosing how to manage my time. Emotionally, well that's another story; I'm not much of a quitter but you never really quit something you're passionate about. I know in my heart I made the decision God had in mind for me and my hard work and innovative ideas will be put to good use in the future.
With that being said, we have ourselves quite a healthy little routine (and by healthy I mean, I have not lost my mind yet). On David's days off he generally takes Cody to daycare and picks him up for me. Emma is right on my way in the mornings and after work so generally I always take her but sometimes David takes both of the kiddos. I enjoy a little extra time to get ready on these mornings and can run an errand after work or just get home earlier. Otherwise I drop off and pick up both chidren, get home in the evenings and immediately get going on dinner. If the children are playing nicely (either together or individually) I just let them be. If not, Cody sits in his highchair with a snack while I'm cooking and I'll get Emma started on homework at the kitchen table while I cook. Sometimes I have the kids fed before David gets home (between 6:45-7) and then it's bathtime, pajamas, reading etc. Cody winds up his evening by crawling up into Daddy's lap with his milk and Daddy "reads" him a book.
The reason for me listing all of that out is that every single part of the routine that we have come to know is about to change. I'm not afraid to say that I'm not "okay" with this part of being a police wife. Over the years I've gotten used to last minute OT, late nights, phone calls cut short, scary stories and more, but I've gotten numb to the idea that what David does is incredibly dangerous. When David first transitioned from being a bailiff at Williamson County to being a patrol officer in Bee Cave, we spent time getting to know the other officers and their families. One wife just laughed off my discomfort with over half of the year being spent on the night shift. She was great with the idea and particularly enjoys when her husband works OT because the "extra money is great." I could tell then that we weren't destined to be best friends. I am in love with my husband. I don't want nights out w/the girls, I enjoy doing things with David. So this part of his job and I just don't jive...and never will.
As of this month, David and I have been together 5 years, and I'm still not tired of him ;) This is David's career, in my humble opinion he's very good at what he does and I wouldn't want him doing anything else (ok, that might be a small lie) but it is what it is and we make the best of it. We have lunch together on his days off now and we generally do that a little more often when he's on nights. I can take a late lunch when he wakes up at 2 or so and can come home so that I feel like I have seen him. The children, on the other hand, will go two days without seeing him when he's on nights. The last time David worked the night shift we noticed definite changes in Cody's bahavior (and a little in Emma). It warms my heart when David walks in the door in the evening and Cody drops what he's doing and runs to him with his arms up.
Blah~ enough of that. Just a prologue to the melancholy entries to follow.
Cody, 15 months:
I cannot believe how quickly the last two years have gone by. Roughly this time two years ago we got pregnant. I have had crazy "baby fever" lately. Since we moved I had been going through all of the children's clothes and the tubs of Emma's things I had put up. I feel like she is growing up so fast. I keep saying 6 (she's 6 years old) and thinking...teen...6-teen. OMG. She's in school now and reading and so independent about so many things. Cody is fantastic, he is such a joy and a complete sweetheart, but Emma is something very special to me in a different way. Don't get me wrong, I love them both the same but Emma and I have a very special bond; we've been through a lot together, more than she knows. But I have to cherish everyday and know how blessed I am with two fantastic children. That is the only positive to David working the night shift. Although it's entirely overwhelming, I enjoy the closeness w/the kids when it's just the three of us.
Cody is saying and doing so many things. He waves and says "byebye", says more, "mo", "uhh" for up, "down" and of course mama, daddada, sisss, pawpaw. He also says baby, book, dog.
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