Well, it's been awhile since I have posted...and that is because nothing has changed! :( I don't know what is different about now and when I first started. Maybe it is the fact that things slowed down so I lost some of my motivation. I keep looking at the pictures to get myself motivated again. And I prayed for God to guide me. I know he wants me to be healthy and to take care of the body He has given me. So I got out my original food list from Lawrence Nutrition and purchased a dry erase board to write out my weekly menus. In the beginning I planned everything out, but since I moved in to my own house I haven't done so well at that. I end up forgetting to get meat out of the freezer and then get home and just have whatever is available for dinner. I have been fluctuating with the same 5-7 pounds. Hopefully doing this planning will get me back on track! I'm not giving up! :)


On a different note, I had some great news today! My Uncle Jay invited my Uncle Bret to an Outdoorsman dinner at their church. Uncle Bret accepted! The dinner was last night and he is apparently doing some searching. We prayed for Jay to have the right words and for Bret's hear to be receptive. Bret asked some questions and they had a good talk. Now that Bret has heard we can only pray that God will do the rest of the work on his heart!

Current Picture

Here is the current picture that I took last week as well as the last one to compare it. Though I didn't lose anything between the two pictures I think things were still changing. My stomach looks a little smaller and I dropped a pant size. Plus, tonight I want to Walmart to try on some clothes and I didn't even have to go in the Plus Size department! Now THAT is exciting! 

Week 17 - 225.6

-48.4 lbs

Week 28 - 221.8

-52.2

Weight Loss Journey

Well...only 5 months since the last post :) I am home sick today and got a little bored with all the sleeping. In one of my recent posts I mentioned that I was on a diet and had lost 25 lbs. Today it is 54! I have been struggling with it since Christmas and have not been able to get back on track. I keep fluctuating within 5 pounds but haven't gone down since right before Christmas. I know part of the reason....I had been over eating due to the stress of planning my move. And now that I live on my own it is so much easier to be bad, which isn't good! I think I finally have the snacking curbed again and the scale should start going down again soon. It always motivates me to look at how far I have come, so I thought I would share! I have posted my pics along the way (though we haven't taken any since beginning of December b/c when it was time to take the 4 week picture I hadn't lost anymore). Even though the pounds haven't gone down in awhile, something is still happening. I have dropped a pant size since then. That's a great thing! From size 24 to 18! I will post a current picture soon! My mom and I are taking our pictures tomorrow. Please pray that God gives me the strength to keep on this journey!

Week 1 - 274 lbs

Starting Weight

 

Week 4 - 257.8

-16.2 lbs

 Week 8 - 246 lbs

-28 lbs

Week 12 - 234.6 lbs

-39.4

 Week 17 - 225.6

-48.4 lbs

 

Busy Day!

Today has been such a busy day! I was trying to get caught up today but that didn't seem to happen. The highlight of the day was ordering my iphone! Now I won't have to borrow my Mom's all the time :-) I was thinking it wouldn't be big enough but from the research I have done online it should be ok. It only cost $49 because I was eligible for an upgrade. It is an iphone 3g - 8gb. I read somewhere that someone had that model and they had 1,000 pictures, 200 songs and some apps. That means it should be fine for me!

I was hoping to come home today to find my books from CBD.com but they hadn't arrived :-( Hopefully before tomorrow! I LOVE books and I LOVE to read. I have a shelf full of books I haven't read yet. At the rate I am going I will never run out of anything to read. I found some really good deals. There were a few sets that were only $7.99 and they had 3 books in them. 

I just found out tonight that TNT runs Castle reruns! I love that show and I missed out on most of one of the season so it will be nice to catch up.

Tomorrow is an away game for Bryce so we will be traveling to Colony, KS. Lets go Eagles!!

Piano

Tonight was a fun night at piano. My piano teacher and I get along really well and I always have fun talking to Angela. I was a little frustrated tonight though. I felt like I played so well when I played my songs on my lunch break, but not so much at my lessons! It was a bummer!


Unfortunately Bryce's football game is 2 1/2 hours away this Friday so I won't be able to go. There are only 3 more home games. I feel like I haven't really seen him play at all. I wish they weren't so far away. 


This is a short post but at least I didn't miss a day! It is late and I need my sleep :-)

September Already??

Here I am again! I am going to try and blog more often...again. The last one was in April so that tells me I am not so good at it :-)


I have stayed very busy since my last post! In June I went to Horn Creek Christian Family Camp in Westcliffe, CO with my family for a week. It was just the thing i needed! Time to relax and not have to work. It was so peaceful there. 

I have made a few trips to Iowa since then to see my family. I was just there Labor Day weekend for a surprise early 80th birthday party for my Grandma. She had her 2nd hip replacement surgery this past week (doing well!!) and we figured she wouldn't be up to celebrating with everyone around 2 weeks post op.


In July I had a major life changing moment. I spoke with two women from church who had lost a lot of weight and they told me what they were doing. Mom and I went straight to Lawrence Nutrition Center that same day after church and got started! That was 7 weeks ago and at this point I have lost 25 lbs! It is amazing! I really thought with all the restrictions that I would feel deprived and would quit right away but I haven't missed a thing! I do go to Orange Leaf once a week and that is the highlight of my week! At the end of my weight loss journey I will post my before and after pics. 


Until next time! (which hopefully won't be 6 months from now) :-)

Reflections....

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted! I have been staying busy! I just wanted to take a moment tonight and reflect on how awesome God is. You see, four years ago today, my sweet niece was in a terrible 3 wheeler accident. But God choose to bring her through it and for that I am so grateful!


I remember the day exactly. It was April 29, 2007, a Sunday night. I was at Free Chapel with Dana and we were attending the Joyce Meyer event. After we left I noticed I had a few phone calls and they were all from my Mom. I called her back and heard some pretty scary news. Ashley was out riding the 3 wheeler and while she was taking a turn she hit a rut and the 3 wheeler flipped over. She had scrapes and bruises on her legs from where the tires had hit her. But the scariest thing of all was that the jagged pedal you put your feet on went into her side. She was bleeding badly and had to be life flighted to the children's hospital in Kansas City. I remember hearing that she was saying Bible versus and singing praise songs with Shawn to keep calm. Even the doctor was amazed at the peace she had. That peace could only have come from God! And the fact that the pedal had just barely missed puncturing an important organ was another sign that God was keeping an eye on her! 


I can't imagine how scary it must have been for her...she was only 11 at the time. But this girl has such a strong faith in God and it was evident to all who were with her during the time of her accident and recovery. I am so thankful that God brought her through this and made her the strong young woman she is. I love you Ashley!