Tears of Joy

You just never know when something you say will touch someone. I can think of several times in my life when someone has said something to me that really touched me. Often that person never knows how much it meant to me or that a simple statement they said would have such a profound impact on me. I have received so many comments and e-mails from people about my blog and my weight loss. It has just been overwhelming to me the support and love I have felt from so many people as I have taken on this challenge. The fact that people have told me that "I" have inspired them is amazing. I never thought I would have such an impact on others, but it just goes to show how just one person can make a difference.

I want to share an e-mail that my Mom sent me today. It brought tears to my eyes, tears of joy. Here is what she wrote:

Dear Amy,

You look great in your new Sunday outfit!!! (A few ! for you!) The old you is showing through, the happy you, the you who is pleased with yourself and how you look. This new photo reminds me of the picture of you on the mountaintop you just hiked. It sounds like you have crossed the exercise threshold where exercise is a necessity, you can't do without it. Great!

Love, Mom

This e-mail really brought a lot of my feelings to the surface. It has been such an uphill battle with my weight (see post A Good Novel). I think with each pound I gained, the "old Amy" became buried. Slowly but surely, pound after pound weighed upon my soul and the "happy Amy" was buried deep within. I would often say to myself or those close to me "I used to be happy, I used to be outgoing, I used to love to exercise, I used to care about myself, I used to like to be social, I used to, I used to, I used to". I know that my excessive weight gain had a serious impact on my personal outlook on life. It is nice to know that the "old Amy" is fighting to resurface. As I lose each pound I am getting closer and closer to the "old Amy" and I am thrilled. I have really felt my confidence level increase in so many aspects of my life. My step is lighter, my energy level has increased 10 fold, I smile a lot more, I am able to handle stress better and I could go on and on. I can only think of how I will be feeling when I have lost 50 pounds, and then 70 pounds, and then 100 pounds! It seemed like such an impossible feat when I started this back in December. I was almost afraid to tell anyone that I set the goal of losing 100 pounds. But it was something that I knew in my heart I had to do. That is the key right there, you have to be ready. You can have everyone and their dog telling you what you need to do, but YOU MUST BE READY yourself. YOU have to ask yourself the question, am I ready to change?

I specifically remember the picture that my Mom is talking about of me on top of a mountain. What is funny is that I have thought of that picture many times. I was 20 years old and living life to it's fullest. I was at BYU, happy as could be and ready to conquer the world. I had hiked to the top of Squaw Peak and stood at the very tip to pose for a picture. I stood there flexing my arms proud of my accomplishment in hiking. Once again I am climbing up a mountain, it isn't easy, but when I get to the top I imagine I will have the same type of pose. Full of life and full of joy and ready to conquer the world again.

Several years ago I read a book by Dr. Phil about weight loss. I didn't really try to do his plan but something I read has always stuck out in my mind. He said that no mater what you do, you will not lose weight if you have something that is emotionally holding you back. You may or may not be aware of what that "thing" is, but until it is resolved you will not have any success in losing weight. He had all these examples of people who couldn't let go of certain things and were not having any success in weight loss. Once they were able to move past their issue, the weight started coming off. There were two big issues in my life that I was having a hard time getting over. One, was my divorce that became final in 2001. The other I will not touch on now, but maybe in another post. The point is, that once I was able to let go and forgive I suddenly was able to accomplish this next challenge. Losing weight.

Without going into too much detail, I suffered from my divorce much longer than I was married. I was only married for 9 months and it was a very difficult time in my life. Even though we were married in the temple, married life took a much different path than what I ever expected it would. My husband at the time decided that the way of the world was more important than me or the church. He said things to me that were very damaging to my self esteem. It turns out that I held onto what he said for years after he was out of my life. I know that after my divorce I turned to food. I always said that I wanted to get married again, and yet I know that physcologically I kept myself fat so that no one would want to date me. If I kept myself fat, then I wouldn't get married again and I wouldn't get burned again and I wouldn't get hurt again. I wouldn't have to give all of my love to someone only to be disappointed that they didn't love me back. Most importantly I would be safe inside my fat body. This is the scar that was left on my heart when I got divorced. I just couldn't let go. I couldn't let go of my disappointment. Not that I wanted to remain in an abusive marriage by any means, but the fact that I met someone I trusted and loved and then was deceived and lied to was very hard to overcome. So hard that it took me over 5 1/2 years before I was finally able to let go. I was finally able to forgive my ex husband. I know that letting go of that burden has aided in my ability to focus on my weight loss and keep myself on target.

Look at your life and see if there is something that is holding you back. Is there someone that you haven't been able to forgive? Is there some issue that you can't get past? Is there someone that you feel so much anger towards that it is stopping you from reaching your goals? Take the time to reflect on your life and really dig deep down. By overcoming these things you will be amazed at what you can conquer. Not only weight loss, but many other aspects in your life.

Thanks again to all of you for your support and comments. It means the world to me and really keeps me motivated.

Get Up & Get Moving

It isn't that often that I get to sleep in. I usually have to be to work by 6:45 a.m. which means I need to leave my house no later than 6:15. I usually set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. and snooze it for about 20-30 minutes. I like to feel like I am waking up gradually so I purposely set my alarm for earlier than I actually have to get up.

So on Sunday's I don't have church until 1:00. I hate having church at 1:00 because I have to give up my Sunday naps. Anyway, this morning 5:00 rolled around and guess what? I was wide awake! I don't understand why it is when I can actually sleep in, I wake up at 5:00 no problem. During the week, it is all I can do to roll out of bed and get moving. Well I tossed and turned for 1 1/2 hours making every attempt to fall back asleep. I just couldn't do it. So I gave up. I got up and decided to go ahead and get my walk over with. I figured I might as well. So I got dressed, had a protein shake, and off I went.

I don't mind going walking by myself. The only problem is that a lot of times I find myself strolling rather than keeping up a good pace. That is what is so great about having George go on the walks with me. He really sets the pace. Well, I really wanted to try and keep up with the record that George and I set the other night of 53 minutes. I knew if I was going to do that I had to stay focused. As I was walking a crazy, insane, ridiculous thought popped into my mind. "Why don't you try jogging" I pushed the thought out as quickly as it came in. I mean seriously, me run? I hate running, I always have .....

In High School for P.E. we had to run 3-4 miles twice a week. Every Tuesday and Thursday we had to run. We got graded on it too! That really ticked me off because I didn't think it was fair. The grades were based on points and they ranged from -5 to +5. When I first started the semester I refused to run. I would walk, but I would have rather died than run 4 miles. After a few weeks of getting points from -5 to 0 I started getting really mad. I still didn't think it was fair to grade on who was running and who came in first. The people who got the +5 were running really fast miles. The others would go down in points depending on the time they came in. When I got my grade status in the class and it was a "C-" that really got me going. I couldn't believe that me, someone who is addicted to exercise and works out like 2 hours a day was getting a "C-" in P.E. I decided I better swallow my pride and do something about. So I started running like I was supposed to, instead of walking like I usually did. I was in good shape so I had no problem keeping up with the other runners. I just didn't enjoy running. I didn't like the feeling of my feet pounding on the hard pavement. But there was no way I was going to get anything less than an "A" in P.E. So as the semester wore on I got a +5 on every single run and I was able to increase my grade to an "A". What got me through those runs? Using my anger to drive me faster to get done so I could tell off my P.E. teacher. Of course I never did that, but just the attitude of all the P.E. teachers really annoyed me.

So back to my thought that popped into my head. It kept coming and coming and finally I gave in. I looked ahead to a light post in the distance and said "I can jog to that", so I did. Immediately I remembered why I despised running so much. The pounding of my feet on the pavement and a new feeling.... my fat bouncing up and down. Didn't feel to good but I made it to the light post. When I slowed down to a brisk walk I was breathing really hard, but I felt good. I mean I had the high of exercising that I haven't felt in a long, long, long time. Man it felt good. Instantly memories came flooding back of doing aerobics and hiking and bike riding and swimming. Everything I used to do to get that high. When we have gone out on our walks I have always felt really good, but never experienced that extreme high that I used to get. I kept walking on and after a while I thought I would try running again. I focused on an object up ahead and decided to run to it. This time it was a little easier and I actually ran a little past the object I was going to stop at. I walked some more enjoying the high I was feeling. I continued to do this through out the rest of the walk. Each time was a little easier and more full filling. I certainly didn't go very far each time I ran, but I did it. I was back home with in 45 minutes! Yeah! I made it in under 53 minutes! Of course I did cheat. I cheated in a good way because I ran for part of the walk and cut off 7 minutes. That is pretty good. I can't say if I will try jogging again or even if I will do it every time I go walking. Who knows... Maybe in a year I will be laughing at this post as I am training for my first marathon. You just never know with me. But once again I have proven to myself. NEVER SAY NEVER!

Daily Motivation

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I usually do very well during the week when I am really busy staying motivated. I honestly have to say that I don't even really have any temptations or serious cravings during the week. Someone can eat pizza or ice cream or drink a soda right in front of me and I don't even have the slightest desire to have any. However once the weekend comes, especially Sunday's I feel like it is all I can do to keep my hands out of the cupboards and the freezer. It is nearly 7:00 p.m. and so far today hasn't been to bad. I attribute that to a few things. First of all I went walking this morning at 6:45. I think that really helped to stay focused all day. I will write more about my walk later.

The second thing that has helped keep me motivated is this graph that I made last night. I searched and searched on line for a thermometer that I could change the temperature on (to represent my increasing weight loss each week). At the top of the thermometer I wanted to have the phrase "The temperature is rising and when I meet my goal (100 pounds lost) I will be smokin' hot".

I thought it would be good to have that so people could check my blog and just look to the side to see how much weight I have lost. Well after finding several "trashy" pictures, mostly things you would see on myspace, I gave up. I went back to the basics and made my own thermometer in Excell. It isn't perfect, but you get the idea. I will just have to update it every two weeks when I go in for weigh in and keep everyone posted that way. So, I hung this on my mirror in my bedroom. That way I see it everyday and read the phrase "When I meet my goal I will be smokin hot". So I think that will help me with my daily motivation.

The third thing that has helped me stay motivated today is the new outfit I got to wear to church today (see above picture). Macy's had a big sale this past week and on Thursday night I went a bought some more clothes. I really wanted to find something I could wear to church. I found this skirt and blouse. Both the skirt and the blouse are a size 16! I was so happy when I tried on the a size 18 skirt and it was too big. I still need a size 18 in my pants though. I bought two more pairs of pants so now I have 5 pairs that fit. What a relief, I was so tired of walking around pulling up my pants all day. I also got some more blouses to wear to work that actually fit too. Again, all are a size 16. I wouldn't have bought so many things but everything was on sale marked for clearance at 50% off, then take an additional 40% off. So most things didn't cost too much and I figured I can wear them for at least a month or more before I have to go buy a smaller size. Don't worry I won't complain if I go down a few more sizes and have to splurge before the month is up. Anyway, I love Macy's. They have the best sales! I also got two pairs of earnings. They each were originally $50, marked down 75% and then an additional 30% off of that price. So I paid about $9 each for them. It was great.

Just Smile For Me

Last night when I got home from work Amy's mom was here babysitting Sarah and Kate. I heard them all upstairs so I went on up. I found them all in the master bathroom. Sandra was applying make-up to two little princesses. Cinderella (Kate) and Princess Genvieve (sp? Sarah). They looked so cute. I told them when they were done with their make-up to come downstairs so I could take some pictures.

Anyone who has ever tried to take a picture of kids knows what a challenge it can be to get them to pose and smile. When you have two kids you are trying to take a picture of it can even be more difficult. When your camera doesn't want to take a picture when you push the button it becomes down right impossible. So here are my attempts at getting pictures of the girls.

Sarah has a great smile in this one, but her eyes are closed and Kate wouldn't hold still long enough for me to get her next to Sarah.

Again, thanks Sarah for the smile. But don't look at Grandma, I told you to look at Auntie! Thank goodness for Grandma Sandra. She can always get you to smile. And where did Kate run off to????
This picture makes me laugh. Sarah kept insisting that she wanted to be proper and serious. I don't know where she got that idea in her head that a princess is serious, but you know 6 year Olds have wild imaginations. I was lucky that I got her to sit down on the couch. She wanted to lay on the couch and pose. Again, wild imagination.


This is in their bedroom while they are at the "Princess Ball". Grandma Sandra put a chair up on the bench and made a throne for the girls. Again, Sarah is saying "Auntie how many more pictures are you going to take? I am sick of you telling me to smile." At least Kate is smiling....


This picture is adorable, but it was a random shot. I snapped it as Kate was dancing around the room. Every time I told her hold still, she just got more hyper and purposely danced around. It was great! :)

Thank you girls for finally giving me a good pose. Kate isn't smiling in this one, but she still looks cute. At least she is holding still. I love you!!!

DUH!!! How hard can it be?

So how hard can it be to post a picture? I have no problem posting them to my blogs, but I wanted to have a picture posted on my profile. From day one I was totally frustrated because I couldn't get a picture to upload. I am so impatient, that I just kept giving up. Well finally tonight I was bound and determined to post a picture. I took some pictures of myself last night. No one else was home so I had to do the good old "hold the camera out in front of your face and snap, snap, snap". Believe it or not the pictures actually turned out really well. After I cropped them, they looked even better. So I figured I would choose one of them. I couldn't decide which one I wanted to use so I had Gideon come check them out. I didn't tell him which one I thought was the best. Well it turns out we both picked the same one. So, now that I have a picture selected how the heck do I get it posted on my profile?


DUH! After an hour of trying several different things and switching from my laptop, to Gideon's computer, and then finally George's computer I decided to go to the "Help" section of blogger. Sure enough I found out exactly how to get my picture on my profile. It was so easy. I hate reading how to do something. If I am putting together something, regardless of what it is I don't like to read the directions. I just like to try and do it. The problem with this is that I often get so frustrated and irritated that I usually leave it lying on the floor for a few hours. Anyone that is even in the vicinity while I am trying to figure out how to put this thing together better watch out. I usually will snap at them like a Great White Shark going in for a kill. I am sure all my family members are laughing at this because they know it is true. I think each one of them have fallen victim to this. Poor Gideon got it tonight :). Anyway, after I leave the project for a while I come back , read the freakin directions and put it together in a jiffy. I do this time and time and time again, all with the same results and frustration. So is it any big surprise that I took the hard way to figure out how to post my picture?

It is nice to finally have some pictures of me that I like. Being so overweight for so long I really have very few pictures of myself over the past few years. I just didn't ever like how I looked. If anyone was lucky enough to even get me in a picture, it was a big deal. What else is shocking to me with these pictures is that I actually still had make up on after working 12 straight hours.



This one below is the one that Gideon and I decided looked the best. So I am happy to say that I finally have a face to my profile! Yeah!!!

Record Time

George and I went for our nightly walk last night. Amy didn't go because she wasn't feeling very good. So George and I took the girls. George is a speed demon. Here he is pushing the girls in the bike trailer, which is a total of about 90 pounds (bike trailer 15 + 75 pounds for the girls) and I can barely keep up with him. Of course he says "It rolls so it isn't a big deal". But if I were to push it, especially when we go uphill, I would never make it.

Monday night Amy wasn't able to go either. On the walk I felt like I was practically jogging to keep up with George. After about two miles I said "I miss Amy, I really need her on these walks". Usually George is busting a move about 100 feet ahead of us with the girls and Amy and I just give up trying to keep up with him. So we talk and walk and we are usually gone on our 4 mile walks anywhere from 60-75 minutes. Well, I kept right up with George Monday night and boy could I feel it. But I didn't have anyone else to talk to, so if I wanted to talk his ear off I had to keep up. Last night we made record time. We finished our walk in 53 minutes! I was stoked! I think it helped that 1/2 way through I had to pee so bad I thought I was going to die. I just wanted to get home so I could use the bathroom :). I was even tempted as we passed some houses of people in our ward to ask if I could use their bathroom. That is how bad I had to go, but I chickened out. Anyway, a few times I was even walking ahead of George. Hard to believe, but it is true. So I am really excited to go again tonight to see if we can keep up with that record time of 53 minutes.

Shout for JOY!

I am so excited! I went to Dr. Hendricks office today for my weigh in. I lost another 7 pounds in the past two weeks. It is amazing and I am so happy. I secretly wanted it to be more, and was slightly disappointed, but then I was reminded I am only supposed to be losing about 3.5 pounds a week. So I am right on target. I am sure there are people out there that want to shoot me because I am complaining about "only" losing 7 pounds. Don't get me wrong, I am ecstatic, but I am an over achiever and I want to be "above average". So it is just me and please know I am happy as a clown with my results. My BMI has gone from 41.5 down to 35 and I have lost 6 inches off my waist. I was told that most people on this plan lose an average of 12 pounds a month. It hasn't even been two months yet and I have lost 35 pounds. So I am way above average.

Everyone at Dr. Hendricks office is so nice and supportive. I felt like a "Queen" when I was there today. They are so complimentary and just kept telling what an awesome job I have done. So I told them about this blog and I told them they can share it with other patients and staff members. If I can be of any help to anyone I am all for it. I hope that I can be an inspiration to others on this plan and other weight loss programs too. I think each person needs to research and find what works best for them. The bottom line is eating right and exercise. Oh exercise is so important. I am so lucky that I have my brother George, his wife Amy, and his two girls to go walking with. It makes a difference to have people to go with. Perhaps through this blog, if there are other patients of Dr. Hendricks reading it we could start a walking group. We could meet at a specific time each night and go walking. I think it would be a great support for everyone and we could share what works for us and help those that are struggling. So any of you out there that are interested and live in the Roseville area post a comment and let me know.

Anyway, back to Dr. Hendricks staff... I really needed the positive feedback today more than ever. My appointment was at 9:30 a.m. and already I had had a very stressful day. Hard to imagine it could go downhill so fast. Of course it was work issues and I was jolted out of a deep sleep at 6:15 a.m. with someone calling in sick. My first instinct was to cancel the three different appointments I had this morning and rush to work. But I am sick of being held hostage by my job, so I decided that others are going to have to learn to step up. I can't always come to the rescue. Anyway, after various calls on my cell phone and e-mails back and forth everything got worked out. But, I got all worked up and upset about some things that were said and so you know me. If I can't vent....well then it just sucks! So, poor George had to listen to me the entire way home from Sacramento Jaguar where we dropped off his car, all the way to Kate's school. Total time of about 30 minutes of listening to me rag and rag and rag..... George is such a champ. He knows just to be quiet and let me ramble on. Then we had to rush to Dr. Hendricks office for me to make it to my appointment on time. As we got out of the car I was still a little fired up and I said, "If I don't weigh in at 225, I am going home and eating a piece of that pizza that is in the fridge". George said "Come on Amy, you are not going to do that and I am not going to let you". So I went into my appointment stepped on the scale and it said 227. I was so disappointed, but then they said I lost 7 pounds and when I did the math figured I was right on target. So too bad, no pizza for me. Actually, good thing no pizza for me. I don't want to get off track. I have sacrificed too long and passed by so many temptations, I can't let a few remarks send me to the kitchen. So my whole point of this rant I am on, is that I am so thankful to the staff at Dr. Hendricks. For their encouragement, their praise, their excitement and amazement at what I have done. I needed that more than anything today and I am just so thankful.

Then I came home and read a comment on my last blog from Andrea's friend Lucy. It was so nice of her to take the time to read my blog and comment on it. I was just touched and it made me feel good. My goal today is when I go into work at 3:00 I am going to find something to compliment each employee and each customer that comes into the store. Today several people have said things to me that changed my whole outlook on the day. I want to pass that on.

It is all worth it.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I did it!! I made it through last night without having any ice cream. Oh I was so tempted, but I did my "blog entry" and after that I felt much better. Just admitting to the world (or I should say anyone reading this blog) that I am human and I have struggles and YES I have temptations that I can overcome. I think that has been the biggest thing I have learned about myself in doing this weight loss management program. I don't have to give into every temptation that comes my way when it comes to food. It is so easy to say "NO" to drinking and drugs and other things of the world. But when it comes to food, it is so hard for me to say "NO". I really made food a part of my emotional medicine. Now I have found other things to substitute such as exercise and this blog!

I woke up this morning feeling so good. I knew I made it through a tough challenge and I am still alive. When I go to Dr. Hendricks and say "I haven't cheated" they always correct my verbiage and say "You have stayed the course". They don't like to call it "cheating" because that is associated with guilt and they don't want you feeling guilty if you go off course. They want you to get back on the path and keep going. That is such a great philosophy. It is true that I have stayed the course, but I still like to say "cheating" because I am the type of person that needs the guilt. Gosh, maybe that is my problem.... that could be another blog entry or even worse another one of my "good novels" :)

So here is my advice to all of you that set your New Years Resolution to lose weight. YOU CAN DO IT. I just know you can! The first step is making the decision to do it. And do it 100%. You don't have to jump in with both feet and a 50 pound weight like I did, but start with small things. For example, stop drinking soda. I was forced to stop drinking Cola's when I found out I had a Kidney Stone. So for me, it was more of a medical thing. But just think how many calories a 12 oz can of Soda has in it. Anywhere from 100 calories on up. Depending on the type of soda, and how many refills you have while dining out, you could rack up 500-1000 calories just on the drink. Not to mention all the other food. Wouldn't you much rather use those calories for something better? Anyway getting soda out of your daily diet is a good start. I have had people say to me "You can always drink diet soda" AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Why bother, I can't stand diet soda, I would just rather have water. It is better for you! Why put all the "junk" that is in diet soda, to make it taste somewhat bearable, into your body? Your body just has to work that much harder to get rid of all the chemicals that are in diet soda. My brother Nathan decided he would stop drinking soda about a month ago. He hasn't had any soda for over a month and he said that now his food tastes better. He is drinking more water and feeling better. I think that is awesome!

Today when I went to work I actually wore clothes that fit me. Every single person commented on how good I looked! They kept saying "Amy you are so skinny". Well I am far from skinny, I am still very overweight, but it shows that I have really made some progress. I had one co-worker say to me "Did you lose another 30 pounds in the past week"? I had to laugh and replied "No, I am just wearing clothes that are not falling off me". He then said "Well you look really good, and I really like your blouse". I said "Thanks, I am glad you like it because you are going to be seeing it a lot. I only bought a few things last week because I know I am going to be losing more weight and buying more clothes in smaller sizes". It just felt really good to have people giving me so much attention and letting me know how good I look. Gosh, nothing feels better than that. It just gives me more will power to do better.

I can't wait until this Wednesday when I go weigh in. I know the weight loss hasn't been as drastic the past two weeks. I have to prepare myself that I am not going to go weigh in and have them say you have lost another pound a day. That just isn't going to happen and I can't get depressed over it or discouraged. I was very fortunate to have lost 30 pounds in 30 days. But that isn't healthy to keep losing at that rate. This plan is designed for you to lose an average of 3.5 pounds a week and I can tell my body is settling into that.

I want some ice cream!

O.K. I really want some ice cream right now. I decided to post a picture of myself that was taken today in my new smaller clothes that I bought a few days ago. I am hoping by the time I am done writing this blog the craving will be gone. The last blouse I bought for myself in November was a size 22. Now this blouse that I am wearing in the picture is a size 16, yeah!! I just got it a few days ago. It felt good to go shopping and get a much smaller size.

I know I will continue to go down in size so I didn't want to buy to many outfits. But I did get a few blouses and a few pairs of pants.

I was getting really sick of wearing my larger clothes because they were so baggy and I felt so frumpy. Plus my pants kept falling down so I was forced to buy some new ones. It is a good problem to have. Usually I have had to buy new clothes because mine were getting to small. I have never had to buy new clothes because my current ones were too big.

Here is the dress I wore to church today. I actually bought it almost 3 years ago! I haven't been able to wear it for a long time and now it is loose on me. I got lots of compliments today from people commenting how good I look. It really made me feel good.


I don't have an update on my total weight loss as of now. I have an appointment on Wednesday for my weigh in. I can definitely tell I am not losing weight as rapidly as the first month. I knew that my weight loss would slow down, but I do know I have lost some. This past week I had a migraine for 3 days!! No fun, but I wasn't able to go walking. I went walking on Friday and it felt so good to be back in the groove. As soon as I am done posting this blog I am going to go walking.

The weekends are so hard for me. I think it is because I am so busy during the week that I don't even have time to think about going off my plan. During the weekend, especially Sunday's I am home most of the day. I pretty much just go to church on Sunday's so by the end of the day I always want to eat things I shouldn't. Still to this day I have not cheated once, but it seems like every Sunday night I am ready to go crazy. I always want some kind of dessert. I ate a huge salad for dinner and some grilled chicken, and still I want that ice cream! Actually, since I posted these pictures and this blog, the craving is almost gone! Now I am going to go walking and that will definitely get rid of the craving. I know I CAN DO IT!!!

Little Hammie

NYA

This is yet another one of my nieces. Nya lives in Salt Lake City, UT. She is two years old and quite the "Ham" She loves to laugh at herself and laugh at anyone and anything. Doesn't she have an amazing smile? Her is an example of her cuteness - Last night she went up to Rebekah and was laughing. She said "Mommy come see Daisy". Daisy is their black lab. Rebekah followed Nya back to the master bathroom. Nya was laughing the entire way there. When they got to the bathroom Nya shouted with joy "Look Mommy, I put Daisy in the shower". They have a big glass walk-in steam shower and Nya got Daisy to go in there and then shut the door. So Daisy was trapped in the shower and Nya just thought that was hilarious.

She just adores her cousin Katya. She is just like a little mother to her. It is nice that Jethro and Rebekah live so close to each other and that their girls get to play together. Nya loves to read and she likes to read to "Baby Katya". This picture is from the 4th of July, you can see how much Katya and Nya have grown. Katya doesn't look to happy in this picture, I think she was ready to eat.



Nya also enjoys going on walks and playing with some of her cousins from Matt's side of the family. I am jealous that Matt has all of his siblings who live so close. They all live in the Salt Lake area. I wish we all lived close together, but at least I am lucky enough to live with George and Gideon.

Nya, Matt (her dad) and Sophia (her cousin)

This is my sister Rebekah. She is holding Katya.

Just Chillin'

Katya
Can I just say this is the cutest picture ever? Seriously, I love it. This is my youngest niece Katya. It is my brother Jethro's daughter and she is about 8 months old. I just love everything about her and I just can't wait until my next trip up to Salt Lake City, UT so I can get my hands on her. She is such a happy baby and so good. She loves to laugh and smile and I know she is such a joy to be around. Her cousin Nya, just loves her too. I will be posting some pictures of Nya shortly.

For more cute pics of Katya check out Jethro and Staci's blog. The link is under "Blogs I love".

30 Pounds Lighter

My biggest accomplishment this past year has been my weight loss. What is funny about it is that it I didn't start my diet until December 6th. So I am sure next year at this time I will be writing that my biggest accomplishment of 2007 is my 70 pound weight loss. That is how much more I have to lose and I am going to do it!

Almost everyone I know wants to weigh less. The thing is that most people don't want to do what it takes to get their weight under control. This certainly was one of my biggest obstacles. It was just too hard! It was much easier to stuff my face with anything I could get my hands on rather than use self control and actually exercise.

BEFORE and one month AFTER

A Good Novel....

Disclaimer - This is my story, and it is very long. I guess this blog really brings out the writer in me. I know this is not perfect and I bounce around a lot but I hope you can get some insight into my life and my ups and downs of weight loss. I have shared a lot of very personal information that I have never shared with anyone. Yes, I know it is hard to believe that I actually haven't shared ALL of my thoughts with my family. There are several points that I expand on quite a bit, but it all ties into my weight problems eventually. Hang in there.

Get ready to read a novel... there is a lot of history involved and for those of you that have read my "100 things about me" I am very long winded. Although I think most people who are reading this blog know me and already know that :). Anyway, those of you who knew me in High School and while I was attending BYU knew that I used to be addicted to exercise. As I look at my "Before" picture I find it hard to believe that that person even knows the word exercise. In High School I was obsessed with working out. I would get up at 4:00 in the morning before seminary and work out to Gilad (aerobics) for 1 1/2 - 2 hours each day. I had no problem walking to school or home from work. It was exercise and I loved it. I loved the "high" I got from it. Nothing else felt so good. I loved to feel the burning in my legs as I did squats. I loved to feel the burning in my stomach as I did the killer ab workouts. I loved the feeling of being sore the day after a good work out. I even loved the good sweat I would achieve from a hard work out. It was great. What I loved most was the compliments I got on my body, mostly on my legs. Daily I would have people comment on what nice legs I had. I specifically remember one day in my school dance class, all the other girls were standing in awe as I moved across the dance floor in my leotard. Everyone was commenting on how tone I was. Isn't this every girls dream to have other girls "oooooing and awing" over their body? This just gave me more motivation. The only thing is that I wanted to be thinner. Yes, I was pure muscle but I was a size 8, and to me, that was fat. I didn't really care what I ate because I exercised so much and I was young so it didn't really matter in my mind. What did matter to me was my size. I was truly addicted to exercise. Just a quick side note: I don't want anyone to think that I ever thought of being anorexic or bulimic. I love food too much and I can't stand throwing up.

Those same habits of exercise and eating horribly continued through college. In fact I became more muscular and toned while in college. The fact that I didn't have a car helped more than anything. I continued my 2 hours of aerobics a day. I picked up hiking which I loved and walked everywhere. I also took a racquetball class for P.E. and a tennis class. I was definitely getting my exercise. I would still get comments on my legs ect, but what did I think about myself? You guessed it "I am fat". Well my after my freshman year I decided to stay at BYU for the spring and summer term. At that time I got a job at the BYU Creamery. I still continued to exercise like crazy, but developed the habit of having ice cream everyday. If not more than once a day. I mean I had to be able to tell the customers if a particular flavor of ice cream was good or not. Plus, I had to help the guys in the back sample the ice-cream before it was frozen to make sure it tasted good too! And the Creamery made over 30 different kinds of cheeses so I had to also sample all of those. I just kept exercising like crazy and there was no problem with me gaining weight. I still considered myself fat though. When I look at pictures of me from college now, I think "Wow I was skinny".

Over Labor Day weekend of 1995 I got a group of friends together for an early morning 15 mile hike. We met at my apartment at 6:00 a.m. and everyone was excited to get going. I was especially excited because I had a brand new pair of hiking boots I was ready to try out. Big mistake.... I don't recommend anyone try to break in a new pair of boots on a 15 mile hike. The first 7 or 8 miles wasn't so bad. We reached the top of the mountain range and even had a snowball fight. Yes, that's right there was still snow on the top of the mountain that hadn't melted over the summer. It was in a large shady area and wasn't very soft, but still was fun. It wasn't until I took a break that my feet really started hurting. Once we started up again I could feel all the blisters that were forming. As we started the downhill trek each step became harder and harder. I was so tired and my feet hurt so bad. I thought that I was just tired because of my feet. The last mile was almost unbearable. I was in so much pain and my hips were hurting because I was walking differently trying to compensate for the pain. What was worse, was that I had to work at the Creamery that night from 3-11 p.m. There was no one I could call to cover for me because I was already covering two people's shifts that were out of town. It was Labor Day weekend and everyone was gone for the last big travel before the fall semester started. I went home and when I took off my boots I counted 18 blisters on my feet. It was horrible. I hobbled off to work and did the best I could. 11:00 p.m. couldn't have come any sooner. I went home and went to bed and didn't wake up until 2:00 p.m. the next day. I slept through church and everything. I got up and ate and then went back to bed. I was just so tired. The next day was Labor Day and I had several different events to attend, but I didn't go to any of them. I just stayed in bed and slept all day. Again, I was surprised at how exhausted I felt. I figured it was some kind of virus or something and just took the last day of summer freedom to rest. The next day was my first day of the Fall semester. Again, I woke up tired dragged myself out of bed and went to my 8:00 a.m. class. As I walked up the hill to campus I was totally out of breath. I mean I was really winded. I couldn't believe it, this was a tiny hill that I had been up a hundred times. I walk all over all the time, workout, hike, ride my bike ect and this little hill is kicking my butt.

Two weeks of pure exhaustion went by accompanied by muscle weakness, headaches, muscle spams, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, memory loss, and seeing black spots. I finally went to the Doctor. After 1 1/2 months of tests, x-rays, and more tests he told me that I had Chronic Fatigue. My grades were suffering and even when I did make it to class, I would fall asleep or find myself unable to concentrate. He recommended that I withdraw for the semester and go home and rest. I was devastated yet relieved at the same time. I was relieved to have a diagnosis and know that something was wrong and yet I was devastated to have to leave BYU. The day I left BYU it snowed for the first time that season. I opened the door to my apartment and as the tears ran down my face they stung my cheeks from the cold. I cried the entire way to the airport. I flew into the San Diego airport and it was a bright sunny October day. It was ironic that I left BYU all white covered in Snow and then 2 hours later I was arriving in sunny San Diego, my home, my salvation. A week later my family moved to Sacramento. I was depressed. I had to leave BYU, then I had to leave San Diego and go someplace where I had no friends and knew no one. Finally, I decided I just didn't have the energy to even care.

I went to several doctors in Sacramento. Some said I was just depressed and there was no such thing as Chronic Fatigue. Others said there is such a thing as Chronic Fatigue but nothing could be done. They basically told me it would take years for me to recover. Here I was 20 years old and I felt like I was 80. All I could do was sleep. I couldn't even blow dry my hair after I took a shower because I was so tired. As time went on I did get a little more energy and after about 4 months of doing nothing but laying in bed I got stir crazy. I told my Mom I wanted to get a job. I didn't care what I was going to do I just wanted to get out of the house. I got a job at Judi's Cleaners. It was hard at first and I would barely make it through the day. I would come home and collapse into bed. I would often sleep 12-14 hours, get up work and go right back to bed. I still kept the same eating habits, which were never very good and I really started to gain weight. I gained about 20-30 pounds and that was not good. I was getting discouraged because I just didn't have it in me to exercise. I was too tired. I made a few attempts to go around the block, but they were unsuccessful.

A guy in our ward who does massage therapy told my parents to have me come over so he could try and help me through massage. I went over a few times and after each massage I felt a little better. Then he told me about something called "Super Blue Green Alge". I don't want to go too much into that because I want to focus more on my weight loss, however I did start taking the Super Blue Green Algae as a supplement and with in 3 days I was walking about 2 miles a day. My energy level was back up, I felt great and was ready to conquer the world again. I wasn't able to exercise everyday, but about 3-4 times a week. Better than nothing, but the weight wasn't really coming off. I put a stop to the gain, but I was pretty much just maintaining.

After living in Sacramento for about a year I decided to move back to San Diego. I wasn't ready to go back to BYU yet, but I didn't like Sacramento and missed my friends in San Diego. I moved there and once again, got out of the habit of exercise. I still didn't have very good eating habits and over the course of a year gained about 15 pounds. I would go back and forth with working out, but it was usually walking and I would stick to it for a few months and then give up. Again, I still didn't have the greatest eating habits.

In 1999 I got engaged. That was a good motivator to lose weight and I lost about 15 pounds before I got married. It turned out that married life wasn't so great. My husband at the time was not what I had thought he was and did some pretty awful things. So after only 9 months of marriage I filed for divorce. I used food as my medicine to heal my broken heart. Six months later my divorce was final and I had gained about 25 pounds from the time I was married. I joined Weight Watchers and got a personal trainer at 24 hour fitness. I loved Weight Watchers and it was great to go to the weakly meetings. For me it was nice to be around others that were having the same struggles that I was. It was such a good feeling to get a ribbon when I met certain goals and to have everyone clap for me. It was very rewarding emotionally and rewarding physically. After about 1 1/2 years I dropped 40 pounds. My problem came when I stopped going to the meetings. I wasn't being held accountable anymore so I started to gradually eat more and more junk food and stopped working out. Once again, I gained back some weight. So after a few months I started walking again. I only went a few times a week but it felt good to stop the weight gain and just maintain. The problem is that I was maintaining myself at the heaviest I had ever been.

Over the next few years I would go through my phases of eating right and exercising and then turn around and gain it all back. I would gain it back because I wasn't doing the two most important things. Watching what I ate and exercising. I realized that after my divorce in 2001 is when I really started packing on the weight. I think I was keeping myself fat, so that no one would want to date me and that way I wouldn't get burned again.

So that brings me to moving to Sacramento. Bottom line - I have a very stressful job and I work a lot of hours. It is not uncommon for me to put in a 10-12 hour day with my only break long enough to go through a drive thru. Co-Workers would be going to the store and ask if I would want something. I would say "Sure, bring me a large Dr. Pepper and a donut". I was always craving sweets. I made it a habit when I went to the store to always get a candy bar. Then I made it a habit to buy a bag of candy bars rather than just one. I would go through the drive thru on the way to work, at lunch, and on the way home from work. I would get home and plop down on the couch burnt out and exhausted with a big bowl of ice cream. If I didn't go through the drive thru on the way home from work then I would usually order a pizza to be delivered or send Gideon someplace to get me something to eat. It was never healthy, always full of FAT and CARBS. I was blowing up like a balloon. I felt horrible everyday, I was tired, I had headaches, I felt bloated, I just never felt good. Did I stop my behavior? No, I just kept on gorging myself with food. Trying to make myself feel better by eating everything I could get my hands on. I just couldn't stop.

Early in September I had a life changing experience. It was a Sunday and I had my friend Beckie from San Diego up visiting me. We had gone to church and I wasn't feeling to great, but I thought I was still recovering from the flu that I had that Friday. As evening approached I started getting pain in my lower back on the right side. I had been drinking a lot of water during the day but I hadn't been able to go to the bathroom. I mentioned it to George and Amy and Amy said that it sounded like I might have a bladder infection. I thought "Great, that is all I need. I never feel good, I just had the flu, and now this". I decided I would run to Safeway and get some Cranberry juice and hope it would tide me over until the morning when I could go see my Doctor. While I was at the store I had a sharp piercing in my lower back. It was like someone took a knife and stabbed me. It took my breath away. I started feeling really nauseous and even broke out in a cold sweat. I had to get home and get there fast. I purchased my 4 bottles of Cranberry Juice and of course some soda and ice cream. By the time I got home I was unable to stand up straight I was in so much pain. The pain had started in my lower back and quickly moved to the my lower right side and then to my front. I went to go take a hot bath. Nothing relieved the pain, I took some Motrin and that didn't help. As I was soaking in the bath I thought "What if my appendix is going to burst". My mom has had her appendix removed and I decided to call her and see what the symptoms were. I called my mom and was crying from the pain. She suggested I call the Dr. right away. I did and spoke to the advice nurse. I was in so much pain I couldn't even remember my address. I have never experienced pain like this before. Thankfully I had my wallet close by and looked at my drivers licence for my address. The advice nurse told me to go to the hospital immediately. By now it was almost 8:30 p.m. I felt so bad because I had been ignoring Beckie all afternoon. She was flying out Monday morning and I had to go to the emergency room. I told her goodbye and George took me to the ER.

When we arrived at the ER and I was checked in they told me they needed a urine sample. Well I hadn't been able to go to the bathroom all day, so I told the nurse I didn't think I would be able to give her one. She told me that if I couldn't give her one they would have to put a catheter in. Of course this made me cry and good old George just sat there with me while I cried for over an hour while I waited to go back and see a Doctor. By now I had consumed another 48 oz of water and still could not give a sample. The Doctor examined me and said "I think you have a kidney stone." I was shocked, I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure my appendix was going to burst any moment. Well then I was given a shot to help with the pain and I was able to calm down. In fact, I felt great! I was laying in the hospital bed feeling great. I even was reading a book that I had brought. At that time I sent George home. They had given me an IV which would take 4 hours, plus I had to have a CAT scan and a bunch of blood work done. So I didn't want him to be up all night when he had to work the next day so he went home and I told him I would call when I was discharged. Once the pain was gone and I had the IV I was able to give them my sample. And boy did I give them a sample!! :) Sure enough the CAT scan revealed a kidney stone. And was it a small kidney stone? OF COURSE NOT! It was huge, in fact the ER Doctor told me he didn't think I would be able to pass it. And I also had a Urinary Tract Infection that was most likely caused from the kidney stone. Lucky me! I had to go see a Urologist the following day and he too confirmed that he didn't think I would be able to pass it. He asked if I drank a lot of dark cola's. I told him I did and he said "That has to stop immediately". Cola's can cause Kidney Stones. So I have this large kidney stone that the Urologist doesn't think I am going to be able to pass. So what does that mean? Surgery! I had to wait 10 days with this thing inside me before I could have the surgery. Talk about pain! They equate the pain of a kidney stone to labor pains. I have never had any kids so I don't know if it relates or not, but I know I have never experienced that kind of pain before. I had the Surgery and would love to say that everything was fine. But it wasn't! I had to make two more trips to the ER. I developed an infection from the stint that was placed after surgery. Typical, I mean if the chances are 5% that there could be an infection, I am going to be in that 5%. Too bad it doesn't work that way with the lottery. Anyway, for 72 hours I had a temperature of 104 degrees and above and that is while I was on antibiotics. Having a temperature that high is very painful and quite frankly I was delirious half the time. Finally after my final trip to the ER, they gave me IV antibiotic and that knocked out the infection. This whole ordeal lasted a month!

After spending so much time in the ER waiting and seeing people come in and out I took a good long look at myself. I was severely overweight. I was the heaviest I had ever been. All the weight I had ever lost I had gained back and then some. In fact an extra 40 pounds! It was at that moment that I said to myself - I have to change. If I don't, I am going to be spending the rest of my life in and out of the hospital. I could have a heart attack and die. I am 31 years old and I have a serious problem. I could become diabetic, have a heart attack, have high blood pressure, and the list goes on and on. I don't want to be like this. I need help! I turned to my Heavenly Father in prayer.

Through a series of events over the next two months I was told about Dr. Hendricks. In fact George and Amy both have been to see him, and had been trying for about a year to get me to go see him. All I knew is that George and Amy drank these protein shakes and then had a regular dinner. I said "There is no way I can survive on drinking shakes". I had tried Slim Fast for like 2 days and was miserable and starving. I tried Atkins which is low carb and lasted like 3 days. I was a raging "Witch" with a capital "B" and I had to have carbs in my diet. Finally, a co-worker that I recently hired was telling me how his fiance lost 80 pounds and he was really proud of her. I asked how she lost so much weight and he told me she would drink these shakes. Over the next few days he would give me little tid bits of info, but he didn't really know too much about it. Just that it was high protein. Once again I thought to myself "No way I am going to do any diet that consists of low carbs". I get way to irritable. Well, he finally broke down and called his fiance because it was driving him crazy that he couldn't think of the name of the diet she was doing. I heard him say the name "Hendricks" and my ears popped up. I recognized that name. It seemed to me like George and Amy talked about seeing a Dr. Hendricks all the time. When my co-worker got off the phone he gave me Dr. Hendricks name. I was shocked! I called George immediately and made sure it was the same Dr. and it was. I felt like this was my answer to my prayers. Three different people had told me about him and the fact that he was an actual MD made me feel pretty good. I called his office and they just so happened to have a cancelation for a consultation in two days! I took it! I went to the office and Dr. Hendricks answered all my questions and told me about the program. He shared how he too was once overweight and how he has managed to keep his weight off for over 30 years. I booked my first appointment for a week later, December 6, 2006.

Just let me kiss it better....

George was sitting on the floor playing with the Wii and Kate ran up and jumped on him. Well, guess where her knee landed? Bullseye! You guessed it, right where you can hurt a guy the most. George crouched over in pain and Amy said "Oh Kate you have to be careful where you hit Daddy when you jump on him". Kate in her most sincere voice said "Daddy, I am so sorry. Just let me kiss it better for you". George said "No", but she kept insisting "Daddy I want to kiss it better". Finally, George had to say "Kate it isn't appropriate to kiss people's privates". Amy and I were dying with laughter.

George

George is the glue that holds all of us together. He is a definite family man. He cooks, he cleans, he works, he is smart, handsome, athletic and just all around awesome! He is such a good father and worships the ground his wife and girls walk on. He is my walking coach and I am so thankful that he is my brother.

George and Amy have been married for 9 years.

George works as a Network Administrator and is one of the smartest people I know. Between him and Amy it is no wonder their girls are so smart!

Amy

Amy Michelle
My sister in law Amy rocks!! She is so cool and I love her. The number one reason why she is so cool is because we share the same name - Amy Jones. Now many people think it would be really confusing having two Amy Jones' in the same household, however it hasn't been too bad. She goes by Amy, Amy Michelle, Mommy, or Hunny. I go by Auntie, Hunzy, or Amy Elizabeth. It works out fine.



Not only is Amy Michelle beautiful she is extremely smart. She graduated from Berkeley with a degree in Chemistry. She currently works as a Chemist at AMPAC Fine Chemicals.

Amy loves Disneyland! She has so much talent that I bet if she lived near Disneyland she would be one of the princesses! Amy has the most amazing singing voice I have ever heard. I feel like i am in Heaven whenever I hear her sing.

Amy is a great Mom and I know that the girls adore her. She has taught them to sing and dance and encourages them in everything they do.

Amy is one of my best friends and I am so glad she is part of our family.

Uncle Pideon

My brother Gideon moved in with us a few months after he came home from his mission in Finland. He first started out as our "slave". He didn't have to pay any rent, just basically be our slave. This consisted of being a housekeeper and nightly runs to the store for whatever type of dessert myself, George, or Amy were craving. Gideon didn't have a car when he first started living with us, so he was even more of a slave to me because if he wanted to use my car, he had to do what I asked of him. After a few months of this, Gideon grew tired of our demands and started "slacking" off with his slave duties. This came about the time he got a girlfriend too. We started charging him $10/day he didn't do any housekeeping and some months this added up quickly. Well when all moved into our new house (2 days before Christmas) we all decided he would start to pay rent. We are all much happier this way. Gideon is great fun to hang with. He puts up with my nicknames for him which are Schmoopie and Flounder. He doesn't care for Flounder and I usually only use it to annoy him the only way a sister can :). He is currently attending Sierra College and working for STAR, which is an after school enrichment program. The cool thing is he works at Greenhills Elementary where Sarah goes and she is in STAR. So Uncle Pideon gets to be her teacher.

Kate Bo Bate

KATE

Kate is 3 going on 21. She is so full of spunk and energy it is crazy! She can turn the charm on and pretty much has everyone wrapped around her finger. She loves anything "PINK". She loves going to school each day at Little Orchard Preschool or as Kate calls it "Little Orchy".

Kate loves to read and learn new things. She cracks us up constantly with her dynamic use of the English language. Her favorite letter is "P" and she likes to substitute the "P" at the beginning of words. For example she will call me "Pauntie" instead of "Auntie" or "Pommy or Paddy" for "Mommy and Daddy". My personal favorite, and apparently everyone else's too is "Uncle Pideon" instead of "Uncle Gideon" and when she says "Pideon" she yells it. It has really stuck and that is Uncle Gideon's new nickname. Kate really loves her "Uncle Pideon". She really will "ham" it up around him and likes to tease him on a daily basis. She doesn't cut him any slack and it is really funny.

Kate loves to play dress up, what little girl doesn't. She also loves to dance. She can shake her hips like Shakira. It is so cute.


I wish she was looking at the camera in this picture because it is so cute, but what can I say, she is three and has her own mind.

Kate is adored by everyone she comes in contact with. She has these stunning blue eyes and such perfect skin. Just look at the picture below. Don't you just want to hug her and squeeze her? Her personality is even more dynamic. You feel like you are talking to a little adult. She has a vivid imagination and tells great stories. She can be very convincing when she turns on the charm. My biggest challenge is saying "No" to her. If she really wants to something she comes up to you and bats her eye lashes, and asks in the sweetest voice "Auntie, can I have some ice cream?" I mean how can I say no to that.

Kate's favorite song is "I Am a Child of God". She loves to sing it and she sings it all the time. When we first moved into our ward Amy was called and as the Sacrament meeting chorister. Kate wanted to go up and lead the music with her. At this time she was only about 2 1/2. She stood up in front of the congregation and while everyone was singing the assigned Hymn, Kate was belting out "I Am A Child of God".

About a year later, it was Testimony meeting and Kate kept bugging George and saying that she wanted to go and bear her Testimony. George took her up and she started out saying a few things and then before you know it, she grabbed the microphone and sang at the top of her lungs "I Am A Child of God". So many people were so touched by that, because that was her testimony. I of course cried during the entire thing.

One final story about Kate and her singing.... One particular Sacrament Meeting Sarah and Kate were the featured musical number. Amy had rehearsed with them several times the song "I Love To See The Temple." Both girls were to sing the first verse together, and then Sarah was to sing the second verse as a Solo. Well, Kate wasn't going to be outdone by her older sister. So as they stood before the congregation at the pulpit they both started out beautifully. But before you know it, Kate grabbed the microphone so she could sing the first verse herself. Well Sarah, wanted to obey her Mom and sing the first verse too, so she grabbed the microphone back. This went back and forth every other word until Sarah subsided and Kate finished out the first verse as a solo and then Sarah finished up the second verse as a solo. When the song was over Amy went to help Kate off the stool and Kate grabbed the microphone and yelled "I'm not done yet Mommy". Too funny.

Sarah

SARAH

Sarah is 6 going on 16. She is in first grade and about as smart as can be. She is an excellent reader, excels at math, can sing like an angel and has a contagious laugh. She is so full of life and already has the boys lining up. Last Sunday I was substitute teaching her primary class. I was playing a game with the kids where they had to come up to the chalkboard and select a CTR shield, that had a quote on the back. As each child came up and selected their shield, they got to choose the next child to come up. Sarah was the first to go, all of the other 5 kids were anxiously raising their hand to be picked next. Sarah chose Mathew Lowe. All the other kids said "Ah, why did you chose him?" Mathew replied "Because we are engaged". All the kids laughed and Sarah had a huge smile on her face. I asked Matthew, "What does it mean to be engaged?" He said "It means we are in love" Of course all the kids continued to giggle and I was thinking to myself .... How many hearts is this girl going to break?

Sarah loves to sing and dance. She is always singing to Kate and I often hear them making up songs. Sarah is a pretty picky eater, but she loves CHOCOLATE.

This is a picture of Sarah on the first day of first grade. She loves her teacher Mrs. Young. Sarah loves to write, she always writes letters to friends and notes to her Mom and Dad. She loves to play on the computer and even knows how to "Google" things. One day Sarah asked her Mom "How does a mother get pregnant?" Amy gave her the standard answer. Sarah seemed fine with it and went about her day. A few days later I picked Sarah up from school. When we got home I turned on the TV and we were watching 7th Heaven. On the show they were talking about a woman who was pregnant and going to have a baby soon. Before I knew it, I heard Sarah typing on the computer. I walked over to the desk to see what she was typing and she had typed into Google "How dus a muthr git pregnit" I tried not to laugh and asked her how could a computer answer her question. She said "The internet has everything". I then asked how does she know about Google? She replied "Auntie, if you want to find out about something you just 'Google it'. I asked her if she learned that at school and she said "No, I learned it from my Mom. She loves Google".

After I shared the "Google" story with George and Amy they decided that they better tell Sarah a little more about how women get pregnant before she reads about it on the internet. So Amy gave her the "talk". She seemed unintersted in it and once again went about her day. A few months later while someone was bearing their soul in testimony meeting Sarah went up to George and said "Daddy will you fertalize Mommie's eggs so she can get pregnant and have a baby?" George said "We'll talk about it later".

I took this picture 1 1/2 years ago and I love it. Sarah wants this to be her future car. Doesn't she look perfect in it?

I love my roommates!

I am so lucky to live with two of my adorable nieces Sarah and Kate.

My Brother Gideon

Sister in law Amy

My brother George

100 things about me....

1. I am really excited to do this list. I hope I can keep it to 100!
2. I love me nieces and nephews.
3. I love to spoil my nieces and nephews.
4. I often ask my sisters or sister in laws if they are pregnant yet so I can have more nieces and nephews.
5. I have been baby hungry since age 5.
6. I have always wanted to have 7 kids.
7. My biological clock is ticking, I don’t think I am going to have 7 kids.
8.If I had a spare $20,000 I would adopt a baby from a foreign country.
9. I started a very restrictive, medically supervised, weight loss plan 3 weeks before Christmas! Was I certifiably crazy?
10. I have lost 30 pounds and five inches off my waist in 31 days on my diet.
11. I have discovered I have an unbelievable amount of self control when it comes to my diet.
12. I have not cheated on my diet once; however I have been tempted numerous times.
13. I don’t need Carbs or Dr. Pepper to make it through the day.
14. I love sharks. The Great White is my favorite.
15. Someday I will go swimming with sharks.
16. In Hawaii it only costs $100 to go swimming with sharks. Now if I could come up with air fare, lodging, and food expenses I will be set. And if I could ever get a week off of work… The work thing is the hardest part.
17. Depending on the time of day I either love or hate my job.
18. I am a perfectionist it certain aspects of my life.
19. I am a people pleaser and it is very stressful because that is when my perfectionism really takes control.
20. This is easy…. I hope I can keep it to 100!
21. I am the second oldest of 7 children.
22. My family is my life.
23. I can’t live without my cell phone.
24. I talk to at least one person from my family everyday.
25. I can’t sleep if I don’t talk to someone in my family. Thanks to all of you that answer my 10:30 p.m. phone calls.
26. I talk to most my family members on the way home from work.
27. I love to talk.
28. I am long winded.
29. I am shocked that I am keeping most of my statements on my list down to one sentence.
30. I have 2 sisters and 4 brothers.
31. I have 3 nephews, 7 nieces, and more on the way.
32. I have wanted to be married since age 5.
33. I am 31.
34. I work best under stress.
35. I hate being stressed.
36. I love to scrapbook. Even though it has been years since I have.
37. I live with two of my brothers, my sister-in-law and my two nieces.
38. I love living with my family.
39. I can’t say “No” when my 3 year old niece Kate comes into my room in the middle of the night and wants to sleep with me.
40. I love affection.
41. I wish I were an elementary school teacher.
42. When I left Sacramento in 1996 I swore I would never live there again or work for Judi’s Cleaners.
43. I moved back to Sacramento in 2005.
44. I am the General Manager for Judi’s Cleaners.
45. Never say never.
46. I am a Mormon and proud of it. Everyone that knows me knows I am a Mormon.
47. I can’t stand stupid people.
48. I have the best Mom in the world.
49. I have the best Dad who always lets me know how “proud” he is of my accomplishments.
50. I lived in SLC as a child from age 5-13.
51. I moved to Fallbrook in the middle of my eighth grade school year.
52. I graduated from Fallbrook Union High School.
53. I went to BYU when I was 17. (So what if a week later I turned 18, it sounds cool to say I went to college at age 17).
54. I only completed two years at BYU. I had to leave due to a medical condition. I love BYU!
55. I had to wait until I was 18 and out of the house to get my ears pierced.
56. I did wait until I was out of the house to get my ears pierced, however I was 17. (So what if a week later I turned 18)
57. I went crazy and got 3 holes in each year with-in six months.
58. Now I only have one hole in each ear.
59. I love to wear jewelry.
60. I shop exclusively at Macy’s. They have the best sales!
61. I hate Wal-Mart
62. I love Target
63. I will drive 30 miles or pay double for something before I set foot in a Wal-Mart.
64. I like all kinds of music except for country. Hip Hop is my favorite.
65. Did I mention I hate Wal-Mart? The only thing it is good for is buying edited CD’s. Since I love hip hop, I really need the edited CD’s.
66. Thank goodness for online shopping at Wal-Mart. Now I don’t have to go in there to buy the edited CD’s. It is well worth the shipping cost.
67. I have gone through sessions in 7 temples. San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, Salt Lake, Bountiful, Spokane, WA and Mesa, AZ. I hope to add more to this list.
68. The San Diego Temple is my favorite temple.
69. I graduated from National University with a BA in Business Administration.
70. While finishing up my degree I worked full-time, went to school full-time and served in the San Diego Temple once a week.
71. I can’t live with out getting my nails done. Same goes for pedicures.
72. I love to be busy.
73. I love to be lazy.
74. I love Hollywood gossip.
75. I look forward to every Friday when my People (aka “Peeps”) comes in the mail.
76. I get in a really bad mood if my “Peeps” doesn’t come in the mail on Friday’s.
77. I have to vent.
78. I usually don’t hold a grudge. I just have to get things off my chest and I am fine.
79. I like to start sentences with "I" Check out my list "I, I, I" :)
80. My dream car is a BMW 6 series! I will one day own one!
81. I love teaching primary.
82. I love to spend money.
83. I love to buy things for people.
84. I love the beach.
85. I miss living in San Diego.
86. I go tanning about 4 months out of the year.
87. I like to drive and explore new places.
88. I enjoy watching TV
89. 24 and Lost are my favorite TV shows. If I could only choose one as a favorite it would be 24.
90. I want to marry Jack Bauer from 24. He is so sexy.
91. Actually I wouldn’t want to marry someone that has that dangerous of a job and is gone for 24 hours.
92. I look up to Oprah. I am amazed and what a generous individual she is.
93. If I were rich, I think I would be much like Oprah. Still buy nice things for myself, but give a lot to charity.
94. I like to do service projects.
95. When I was at BYU I participated in a program called “Adopt a Grandparent”. I would like to do something like that again. Maybe a “Big Sister” program.
96. When I meet my weight loss goal of losing 100 pounds I am getting a Boob Job.
97. My mother will be mortified that I put that on this list.
98. I only have 70 more pounds to lose. I know I can do it.
99. I enjoy doing Yoga; need to do it more often.
100. I am at 100 already! Do I have to stop? This only took me 45 minutes and I still have more to say… Typical – I always have to have the last word!