The Biggest Loser

I have a friend who "hosts" a  biggest loser contest a few times a year. I first heard about the contest in the fall and thought it sounded like a fun and maybe good way to get myself motivated to finally get myself in better shape. So it all started one Saturday in January and each week we weighed in at 8:45 a.m. I joined the gym and started working out 5-6 days a week. I cut a lot of the crap out of my diet, cut back on calories, and tried to eat only healthy food. I used an app called "Lose It" to track my food and exercise. It was hard, but not as hard as I thought it would be. I have tried so many other times over the last few years to start exercising and eating better, but it never seemed to last for long. A part of me was scared of failure again, but I was also very determined this time. I don't know if it was the money I spent for the contest, the gym, a trainer, etc or the possibility of the prize money or the accountability to others or really wanting to be healthy that motivated me to stick with it, but whatever it was it worked! 

Here is my "before" picture:

 

 

12 weeks later after a lot of hard work, giving up some favorite foods, lots of sweat and tears, and losing sleep to make it to the gym; here is my "after" picture:

I lost 15.42% and won $375! I am still working out and eating less, just not quite as strictly as I was during the contest. I still have not met my final goal weight, but am a lot closer! I feel better, I like going to the gym, my blood pressure is lower, and I actually have more energy than I did before. I also don't feel like a hypocrite when I am educating my patients about eating healthier and being physically active. Definitely all worth it!!!

Rylee is a WX Cheerleader!

Rylee had tryouts for her high school cheer squad the week before spring break. They had 2 days of clinics where they learned a difficult dance, the WX fight song, and did some jumps and tumbling. She practiced extra with her current coach and the other girls from her jr high squad trying out. She also had a number of big assignments and tests that week. I don't think she got more than 6 hours of sleep each night that week. But her hard work and dedication paid off: she made the team! She is so excited! Her high school has had very competitive teams the last few years and I think next year will be an incredible year for them. They have an awesome team! I think I am most excited to go to the football games as a family.

This was how they found out who made the team, Rylee was number 21!


Here is a picture of most the team doing funny poses. I know a good number of them and they are a great bunch of girls. They will have so much fun!


My beautiful cheerleader! I LOVE that smile! Way to go Ry, you are an amazing cheerleader and incredible girl. I am looking forward to watching you cheer and tumble and learn and advance more next year! Go Cats!!!

A Midnight Premiere

Rylee was so excited for the Hunger Games movie to be released. She made plans with her friends months in advance to go to the midnight showing. Noah had read the book as well and wanted to go too. I thought it sounded like fun so I got tickets for Rylee, Cole, Noah, and some of their friends. 2 other moms came with us, there were 16 of us total, and we had a blast!


Here is a picture of the boys:


And one of most the girls. It was soooo crowded at the new Centerville megaplex, can you see all the people in the background. They had shows starting every couple minutes starting at midnight. So fun!


Another pic of the girls waiting for the show to begin.


Cole and B.J. with their big drinks and popcorn.

Special Guests

We were lucky enough to spend a couple days with Brandon's wife, Ann, and daughter, Kaienta. We have not seen Ann since Brandon died over 6 years ago and it has been a year and a half since Kaienta visited, so it was awesome! We went to lunch at Training Table and shopping at D.I. Then we had dinner at my parents and just hung out. On their way out of town they stopped by so Mike could make them breakfast. It was so fun to catch up a little and just be around them.


Kaienta got a BLT at lunch...I am not sure there was enough bacon on the sandwich.


I liked this picture of my parents with Ann and Kaienta. Kaienta looks so much like her mom and has a lot of the same mannerisms, but I also see a lot of Brandon when I watch her too.


Here they are enjoying our yummy breakfast. It was hard to say good bye, not knowing when we will see them again.

15 + 13 + 13 = 3

Just 6 weeks after Rylee turned 15 we celebrated Cole and Noah's 13th birthday. So we are now outnumbered by 3 teenagers. Thank goodness we have good kids, most the time anyway. The boys were officially ungrounded the day before their birthday so they were celebrating more than just getting older.

They wanted pizza for their lunch group like Rylee had. Here is Noah enjoying their pizza.



That night all our family came over to help us eat the traditional birthday dinner for the boys: spaghetti with mizythera cheese. Here is Cole with my dad.


I LOVE this picture, they are both smiling so big and not hiding from the camera like they usually do. They were laughing so hard at the gift they had just received from Mike's brother, Kevin. He gave them 3 books: 2 about Walter the Farting Dog and the other about Farts around the world which even has sound effects, it is pretty funny. Most everyone else gave them money which they are of course using for new instruments. Cole just bought his 4th guitar and Noah is using his money for a new drum set.


For dessert they wanted waffles with ice cream (my mom made it one night for them and they loved it). It was a fun day, I just cannot believe they are 13!

Birthday Food

Rylee's birthday this year was all about the food...a lot of things are with this girl, you would never know to look at her though.

She wanted her usual birthday breakfast of German pancakes and orange julius.



For lunch I picked up a pizza for her lunch group:


She had a girls basketball game to cheer at and they performed at half time as well. A friend made these cute cupcakes (I told her anything fun and colorful like Rylee) and I took them to the game for all the cheer leaders, student body officers, and some more of her friends. After they performed everyone sang to her and even though she acted embarrassed I know she wasn't really, that girl does not get embarrassed she is so secure in who she is (1 of my favorite things about her).


I had to include 1 cheer picture, she loves cheering!


For dinner she wanted tacos. So we had lots of family over to help us eat yummy tacos, rice, and chips & salsa.

Our Crazy Life...

So I have been so crazy, busy lately and have not blogged for over a month. In that last month a lot has happened and not happened. I know I have taken a few pictures but for now I am just going to update real quick:

I turned 37, I think that was my last post.

Rylee turned 15...scary! She keeps bugging me about getting her drivers' permit. We decided she should get her YW Medallion before she is 16, life is too busy after that and really it is busy enough now for her. Her and I sat down to figure out what she has left and it really isn't much at all. So I told her to continue to work on her remaining projects and she can get her permit. I finally had a free afternoon that we could go this week, but 1 little problem. I cannot find her social security card anywhere! She was not happy with me. So now we have to figure out a day to go to the SS office and then it takes a couple weeks to come. So I guess I still have a couple weeks before I have to really stress.
She had to cheer at a girls basketball game that day so I surprised her with some cute cupcakes (made by my friend at Ozzies Cake Designs) and we got EVERYONE at the game to sing to her. Then most of our family came over after to enjoy tacos! She had tumbling practice that night as well...I LOVE watching that girl tumble! They changed their tumbling practice from mornings to nights 2 days a week and the girls have all improved so much so fast. I think their bodies are too tired in the mornings to move like that.

We have been attending lots of basketball games and wrestling matches, watching Rylee cheer. I love watching her and her team. They are a great bunch of girls and I love their moms too. That is pretty much my social life now. That and the gym.

I am doing a Biggest Loser contest that started in January so I joined a gym and it really has become my sanity. I never thought I would say that I love going to the gym. I have been going 5-6 days a week and hate it when I have to miss a day. As of 2 weeks ago I was in 3rd place for the contest and that was 1/2 way through. Now I only have 4 weeks to go and I would love to win (the 1st place prize is $500), but at this point I don't even care if I don' t win the money. I have been steadily losing weight (still have a ways to go to reach my goal), my pants are lose, my BP is down, and I am feeling better. I am just grateful that I found something to finally motivate me and have been able to stick to it!

Work has been crazy for me lately...busy, busy shifts. I am almost at my 1 year anniversary of being a working RN and I still learn new stuff all the time. I love my job and the people I work with.

One morning, 5 minutes after getting home from one of my crazy night shifts, the phone rang. It was the vice principal from the Jr High. She said I needed to come pick up my boys...they were suspended for the day for fighting WITH EACH OTHER!!! I was not happy! I wish I had a picture of them sitting away from each other in the office with faces full of anger and fear. I grounded them from EVERYTHING! and have been having them do extra choirs with each other. The worst part of it is that they both say that cannot remember what they were fighting about......

They had a scout camp out a couple weeks ago and I told them if they were on their best behavior they could be "ungrounded" from their instruments. They succeeded so the house has been full of drums and guitars again. Sometimes I will hear them playing and cannot believe it is them playing. They will listen to a song they like and figure out how to play it and they sound awesome!

Jenna was taking a gymnastics class, but decided to switch to just a tumbling class. She has improved so much just in the last couple weeks. She really looks up to Rylee and wants to be just like her. Right now she is sitting on the couch sick. She has been home for 3 days now feeling sick, fevers off and on, and throwing up. This morning she told me she was going too die. I had to reassure her she was ok. I just hope she starts feeling better soon...she looks so sad.

We celebrated my brother, Brandon's, birthday on Feb. 23 (he would have been 39). We celebrate every year with cheesecake...his favorite! I usually make on, but decided it wouldn't be a good idea with my biggest loser contest going on. I LOVE cheesecake! My mom made a yummy one with snickers and butterfingers. I allowed myself 1 small piece. He has been gone over 6 years and it is still so hard, especially on days like his birthday.

So in addition to all the above we have been living our regular crazy life of school, work, sleep, homework, friends, family time, church, etc......
I will try to post some pictures soon and not let so much time pass between posts...no promises, but I will try.