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.