Pics of Weightloss Journey....

Here are a few pics of me along my weight loss journey....

This was back in 1995 when Dan and I were dating....

{I thought I was so fat then....if only I knew how much worse it would get!}

A few pics of me at my heaviest weight. 

 I was stuck at that weight from about 2003-2008.

2007 {??}

 December 2007

 November 2011

 Feb. 2012 {Valentines Day}

May 2012 {Mother's Day}

C25K Week 1, Day 1

 A friend encouraged me to blog about my weight loss journey, and I think I will be thankful in the future if I do this.....{I am stepping out of my comfort zone, but I need to be honest} :/  :)
 Just a real brief history for all of you that don't know me. .....
 I have been overweight all my life. I don't remember what I weighed on my wedding day, but it was into the low 200's. When I got pregnant with our first child I was 230.....and during that pregnancy, I gained 40 lbs. making me a whopping 270! Of course, after our son was born, I lost some of that, but not much. I think I dropped to around 250. Then I got pregnant a second time a little less than 2 years later. This time, I only gained 15 lbs., but that put me up to 265 again. After our daughter was born, I lost a few lbs, but over the next few years, I got back up to 270. The highest # I remember seeing on the scale was 274.
 I KNEW I couldn't keep living like this. Thankfully I was healthy otherwise! Well....as healthy as you can be at that weight! :P

 In the Fall of 2008, I visited an Endocrinology/Infertility Specialist to see if we could get some answers to some issues I was having, the biggest being secondary infertility. The first thing the Dr. wanted to do, was have me lose weight! So I was put on a low carb diet.......that was the beginning to my journey of weight loss and healthy{ier} eating. There were ups and down's along the way, but I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight and have a long term goal of getting to 180 (50 more lbs.!!) I'd love to be there by the time I turn 40 (5 more years), but I don't want to do it so fast that I am prone to gaining it back! I also want to keep changing my eating habits to make this a lifestyle, not just a weight loss program I follow for a few days, weeks or years.

 Last fall, after encouragement from a friend at church, Dan and I started the Couch to 5K program. It is a 9 week program that gets anyone from being a couch potato to running a 5K. I made it successfully through the program, but never attempted to run a 5K. We got done with the program in January or Feb. of this year. I ran a few times after that, but with it getting hotter outside, I decided to just stop for the "summer". Then in April, I started having numerous heart palpitations every day......{this was a whole journey in itself} After two months of having them nearly all day, every day, they seem to have quit on their own. I have only been having a few right after lunch the last 3 days. There seems to be no explanation....I've had so many tests done on my heart as well as checking my thyroid, and many, MANY other things!!
 Since the palps have stopped, I am SO ready to run again...and I don't care if it's hot! This time my goal IS to be able to run a 5K! I am starting the program over...with Day 1. Tonight was my first night.
 It was neat to see how much farther I got this time than the first run back in the Fall!! :) Yeh, my legs feel weak and shaky all over again, but it feels good. I am hoping that the running, combined with watching carbs, will give me the oomph to get some more weight off. I've lost 23 lbs. since Dec 30, 2011, so I am not complaining! :)

 I'd love to hear your input....have you ever tried C25K?? Do you have a weight loss story?
 Encouragement would also be welcomed!! :)

I am going to try to blog often, at least once a week....and maybe even add some pictures along the way. :)
 ~Later~

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to my husband and the Dad to our kids!! :) 

We are so blessed to have you in our lives!

2012

2011

I love comparing pictures, to see how much our kids are growing. And growing they are!! :)

Today was just a relaxing day.....some napped, some swam, some watched the race. :)

I am missing my family. Every year on Father's Day weekend the whole family goes to the cabin. We haven't been there since 2006! I hope next year we can make it work to go to PA over that time! 

Am so thankful for my Dad and being raised in a Christian home!!

Chalkboard Project

I have always loved seeing chalkboards in people's homes, especially when using them to post verses, quotes, prayer requests, etc. 

Well, I am planning a Graduation Party for Dan for this Friday night and when looking for some decorating idea's, I came across a neat idea that needed a chalkboard, so I searched my house and found this frame we weren't using. It was an oak frame. 

{I forgot to take a before pic}

I had bought a can of chalkboard paint a few months ago, but it was still in my closet {waiting for such a moment as this} :D

So this morning I took the frame out in the yard and painted it glossy cherry. In real life it looks a little darker than these pics.

Then I washed the glass with Windex, followed by alcohol and rubbed some fine steel wool over it and used alcohol on it one last time to get it good and clean.  I took it outside and gave it 4 coats of chalkboard spray paint.

The finished product!! :)

Well, not technically. I still need to prime it by rubbing chalk over it once it has dried for 24 hours.

I am excited to be able to use it in my kitchen when the party is over! :)

I got my instructions for this project HERE.

Mother's Day

 I know today is not Mother's Day, but since last Sunday was busy and we were traveling, I asked Dan to take a picture of the kids and myself today. I realized that I was wearing the same dress today, that I did for Mother's Day last year. {I hadn't wore the dress much, because it's one of those that I need to shed a few pounds to wear....and thankfully I am on a downward trend again! :) }

Anyway, I wanted to see how much the kids grew since last year! Wow...Danny got taller and thinned out!! Tamara grew a little too! :) And I like to think I look a little thinner!? ;)

2011

2012

I am so thankful God called me to be a mother to these two. In my dreams I would have had a larger family, but in reality, I could also have never known the joy of having children. So, today I praise Him again!!

 Thank you Jesus!!

Snapshots of Life

I've been realizing that I am slacking on doing blog posts. I'm not sure why? Life is busy, but I think my priorities moved and I'm not sure if that's good or not? 

This morning I took some time while the kids were doing school to catch up on some of the blogs I read. It made me want to get back in the groove. I really enjoy the nuggets I read on other's blogs and sometimes feel like mine are so shallow. But sometimes, I am ready for "shallow". It seems that God has been working in our lives {Dan & myself} and growing is painful at times! Pain is not usually enjoyed in the moment, but later we can see how it is necessary.

Our rose bushes were very prolific a few weeks ago. While most of the first flowers faded and dropped, there are more buds coming! :)

We SO enjoyed having Pete, Esther & Kenan and Miriam & Mara {Dan's sisters} here with us for a few days 2 weeks ago. This was the most time we've got to spend with Mara since she was born and I was happy that she took to us so well. Miriam said she talks about Dan and Danny a lot since they are back home! :) We miss her. She is such a cutie!! :)

Hiking at Torreya State Park

A small water fall we walked to.

Pete taught Danny how to start a fire with lint and a flint lighter.

Cutting veggies for Hobo's one night.

~A day at the beach~

It won't be long till the books will not have to follow Dan everywhere he goes!! :)

Graduation is right around the corner!! {May 12, in Lynchburg, VA} I think I could write a whole post about that, too. I am ready to be done with the planning of that trip and just get on with it, but I know it will be here very, very soon! :)

 He will still have 1 or 2 classes to take after graduation, but then that will be IT!

My men buried in the sand....see their frilly hats? 

Kenan with her daddy after he rose out of his sandy grave! ;)

Seafood supper at Parramore's Too!! Mmmmm!!

Henry cousins!

Bike rides....

chatting~

This is the 3rd year that we participated in a casual Passover celebration. It is a neat tradition....I don't think I ever really knew the significance of the Passover feast in Bible times. 

 This year 7 families participated.

One of the seder plates~

The girls....

And the boys....

A wonderful family we know blessed Danny with a 4-wheeler. It runs, but needs some TLC. On Monday, he washed it and got it looking much better! Last night, they hooked up our trailer and as Danny was pulling it around to the front yard, he sideswiped the bumper on my van and left two nice crinkle marks! :(  I guess that's life.....learning and teaching as we go!

Our exterminator sold the pest control part of his business to another company. They called this week to see if they could come out and spray....it was time....I saw a roach or two in the past couple weeks!

On Monday, we had a swarm of termites outside our house....I mean, a HUGE swarm. I don't know where they came from? Later, after they left, I was outside and saw all these wings in the hole of our front yard tree. Then I got to thinking.....this tree is not getting leaves like other years. In fact, we cut a large branch off the one side just last week that was completely dead. 

SO, when the exterminator came on Tues., I had him take a look at it and he confirmed me fear.....the tree is infested with termites!! :( {This is our only nice shade tree, and when you live in FL, shade is coveted!!}

***just hoping our house is not infested!! :P I think we would be wise to have it checked!***

Two little green anoles were helping themselves to the termites that landed on the porch! :) I was trying to capture them eating some, but instead I got this....one anole flirting with the other!! :)

So much is going on with other people right now!!

Our dear friend Scott Cloud has just been diagnosed with Metastatic Melanoma. The prognosis for that type of cancer is not good and they have a low success rate with radiation! 

Also, my BIL, Phil Bergey is in the hospital with pneumonia and a blood infection. He will hopefully be able to come home tomorrow  or Friday, but he will have to have an IV for 2 weeks. His wife, Gina {my youngest sister} has been sick, as well as their 4 oldest kids. They all seem to be doing better, thankfully. Their oldest, Koltin, had a seizure last week while he was sick! :( 

Sometimes we wonder why some people are just bombarded with the bad stuff!?? I know, we are not God and cannot see the big picture, like He can! I need to trust and just be there the best I can for those who are hurting, so maybe one day if it's my turn, I can also receive that kind of care!! :/

24 Hour Beach Party

Friday night and Saturday the Dads/Sons from church had their annual campout. Since I had the camera with me, there are no pics. :( But they had a good time, as usual! :) 

Tamara and I were trying to decide what we could do to have some inexpensive fun while they were gone.

 Then, Heidi Weaver invited us moms/daughters to join her and her daughter Maria at the house they are living in at Santa Rosa Beach. They are living there while her husband, Rocky, is building a house near there. We thought that sounded like fun and jumped at the chance! :)

Ruth Drawbond and her girls and Caroline Yoder also went. After the 1 1/2 hour trip and a stop at Goodwill, we finally found the house! {note to self: don't rely on GPS only!!} :P

We made pizza's for supper and while Heidi was baking them, the rest of us went down to the beach to watch the sunset. {Heidi joined us later} It was a nice little walk and we didn't quite make it in time for the sunset, but it was still beautiful! 

Tamara and I ~ <3

Tamara and Maria

The youth girls ~Beth, Susan and Caroline

{It was neat to have Caroline there. She is on spring break from college}

Ruth and her girls~

Walking the beach. We saw lots of crabs!! :) Susan attempted to catch them, but since we were not dressed for the water and they would quickly head out away from the shore, she was not successful.

I must say, that is some of the whitest, softest sand ever!!! It was so lovely!

A game of Dutch Blitz.

We stayed up well past midnight discussing all sorts of topics! :)

~Saturday morning~

Pretty Oleander outside their house.

The apartment complex we stayed in. We were in the second balcony from the right...and the top floor above that.

The flags flying on Saturday~

Yellow: Medium hazard, moderate surf and/or currents.

Purple: Dangerous marine life. {probably jelly fish}

The beach was so awesome first thing Sat. morning...not many people and lots of crashing waves.

Two guys out paddle surfing. I had never seen that before!

Tamara and Maria building in the sand. Tamara said she made the land of Narnia! :)

{I sadly realized I don't have any pictures of our kind Hostess for the weekend!! :( She was busy keeping us all comfortable!! :) }

Ok, so I do have one after all! :) 

Maria, Heidi and Caroline getting ready to sit on the beach Sat. morning. :)