Change is Good...Changing for Good!

Cat Personalities

2009-11-14T01:13:00.001-05:00

Ben's friend from college produced this....pretty funny.

Sorry Alabama, I Disagree....

2009-11-14T00:55:00.002-05:00

Here is a picture with Nyelah. She drew me, so I told her I absolutely must have my photo taken with the artist.

Jo'Tessa and I at Bone Fish Grill, eating CREME BRULEE! I love this stuff! It is always my hands down dessert of choice if available.

We were the only people in all of Rupp Arena that didn't have on white or blue.

If you keep searching, we were THREE ROWS from the very top. I love the music group Alabama, but I disagree with their song, "Ain't Nothing Like the View from the Cheap Seats." I am getting old because my back is KILLING me. They were bleacher seats, and the view itself didn't bother me, but no back on the seat was brutal. I am going to the chiropractor in the morning.

And Their Ain't Nothing Wrong with the Rodeo....

2009-11-14T00:40:00.002-05:00

Jack your truck right on up there to meet Jesus....that is what I say. I had to bring my foot almost even with my hip to come close to getting in this guys truck. In keeping with true cowboy fashion, no siderails.....those are for those sissy metrosexual pretend cowboys!

I tried Coke Zero at the rodeo last night, and it tasted so nasty. I actually took one sip and returned it to the counter to get a bottle of water in exchange. I guess I was expecting some magical drink back in like back in the days of my Coca-Cola consumption. I am really so over Coca-Cola. I do however love my Diet Mountain Dew and Diet Sunkist, with the random Sprite Zero.

I Came Home to This Note...

2009-11-14T00:31:00.003-05:00

Dear Tiffany,

I know this place looks like the city dump exploded in here, but there really has been a lot of progress. Please don't do anything to clean any of this up. As soon as I come home, I'll go right to bed with you, and as soon as I wake up tomorrow, I'll get right to work on making the place look right. For now, there is trash (chocolate, peanut butter, rice chex, and powdered sugar) on the counter, and a few episodes of "24" are already in the DVD player. Please relax and enjoy yourself, and I'll see you soon. Until then, I remain

Your Loving Husband,
Ben

This is only a limited view of the mess in our living room. Grill stuff is EVERYWHERE. After only three months of arguing with Sears, we finally have it. Ben is also pleased to report that he has gotten further with this one than the first one. (Some major component broke on the first one.) Maybe sometime soon there will be pictures of food on the grill like the food I salivate over at The Biggest Diabetic Loser!

It Still is Brutal Out There....

2009-11-12T17:14:00.002-05:00

Ok, so last night I post about people not being out to watch me gain all my weight back. Facebook has a funny way of making me compare myself to others. OVER. AND. OVER. AGAIN.

I was comparing myself to my two cousins. One of my cousins has put on a decent bit of weight, but she really needed too, as we thought for some time that she had an eating disorder. The other has always been stick thin. I was seeing where I "ranked" between the two of them.

Tonight HH and I are going to the rodeo. Then, I am going straight to bed. I was so tired today, I felt like a zombie.

I'll post pictures tomorrow.

A Good Song

2009-11-11T22:35:00.001-05:00

I love the lyrics and the vocals on this song are amazing. Some of my favorite songs of artists are always the ones that never make it to the radio.

Crossing a Threshold

2009-11-11T20:32:00.002-05:00

I feel like I am finally crossing a threshold with my whole WLS journey. After I lost the weight, I really felt like several people were kinda snickering in the background waiting for me to gain back all the weight I'd lost.

I am beginning to accept that others just see the me that is in the mirror now. Perhaps they don't evaluate every morsel of food I put into my mouth as "shes going to gain all that weight back."

I'll have more thoughts on this subject later.

What's Cooking?

2009-11-11T15:30:00.002-05:00

Today we are having Creamy Italian Sausage Chili.

I am making Holy Cow Cake for my dad's birthday on Sunday. It is a recipe from The Cake Doctor.

All my appointments are done, chili is simmering, now it is time to start writing.

Yummy!

2009-11-10T22:20:00.002-05:00

Granny's Thanksgiving Table cooking class did not disappoint. I sometimes wonder how I didn't end up weighing four zillion pounds before I had surgery, because there are so many yummy things I didn't try until after I had surgery.

Tonight those things to add to that list are:

* Cornbread Stuffing

* Corn pudding

Previous items include things like: ribs and cream cheese frosting (although not together)!

I'm really enjoying this class I have. My personality and sense of humor is able to come out more and more, and I really like the relationship we are forming.

Tomorrow is bloodwork followup, dentist (crown), and the chiropractor. Tomorrow is the only night I can cook for HH, so I am making chili per his request. I need to find a new recipe to try. I also need to write for national boards.....

It's Love.....

2009-11-08T23:07:00.002-05:00

First it was simply Google search.....

Next it was Google reader......

Now, head over heels in love with Google calendar......

I can sync it to my blackberry and in seconds have my nerdy detailed calendar at my fingertips.

All Numbers Meme

2009-11-08T22:35:00.002-05:00

How old are you?
30

How old was your mom when she had you?
27

How many siblings do you have?
2

How many people live in your household?
2

What year were you born?
1979

What was the year of your first car?
1986

How many tattoos do you have?
0

How many piercings do you have?
2

What time did you wake up this morning?
7:00

How old were you when Challenger blew up?
6 years old

How old were you when the twin towers were hit?
22

What is your average electric bill?
$50.00

How many tvs are in your house?
2

What time do you get out of work?
Officially 3:50, yet there is always a meeting.

End of the Four Day Weekend.....

2009-11-08T22:13:00.005-05:00

HH and I outside the hall for The Screwtape Letters. I tried taking a picture inside, but got in trouble because of copyright issues (I did it before the play started, but the set was in view.) The Brown Theater is very pretty, and I wanted to show it off to you folks. This is my new outfit from JJill, and I love it! The skirt is a medium, and I could have gotten a small. I love it when that happens.

This picture was taken at the reception for James and Jerusa's wedding. The bride dedicated Michael Jackson's song "Ben" to my husband Ben, and we had a special dance on the floor. Ben did all the preaching, and James grandfather did the actual vows portion of the service.

They had this Elvis cut out at their wedding and I couldn't resist.

Ben got a call back from the church we visited last month. She was asking for us to come back down next week. This time would be as a more official visit/preaching engagement. Ben had been thinking about a view on a particular issue that they asked him about, and had told me he wasn't sure they were clear on his position. He took the time to clarify this with the lady on the phone, and she was very respectful, but wanted to talk with the committee tonight about it to see if they wanted to proceed. She is going to get back to us tomorrow evening about this.

************INSERT FULL BLOWN PANIC ATTACK************************************

I knew we would be crossing this bridge before too long, but having this church call us back made it all the more real. It is hard to get a teaching job in the middle of the year, and I was thinking that there might be a real possibility that I would have to stay here and only see Ben on the weekend. The ride home from the wedding was full with lots of emotions for me. When we got home, I researched jobs, and found about eight positions in neighboring counties. It would not be ideal, but it would allow us to still be together if this position comes through, and we choose to accept it. I am feeling much better now. Things will not move quickly, churches really do take their time on these things. Breathe in, breathe out.

2009-11-07T18:32:00.002-05:00

I went shopping with my mom this morning, took a nice long nap, then made some sausage and cheese tortellini soup. Now Ben and I are off to see The Screwtape Letters. This play has sold out so many places, and has had rave reviews. I hope it is awesome!

I Have Never Had Too Much Fun.....

2009-11-07T07:33:00.005-05:00

HH in front of the big reflective thing at the Science Center.

Since we couldn't take pictures inside the exhibit, I had the lady take our picture right before we went inside. I was not impressed with the quality of the exhibit. I was expecting a much larger exhibit. :(

HH playing a game at the Science Center.

Yet another exhibit of why I always have my digital camera with me. Look at these fine vehicles people...after I was sure there were not people inside them, we stopped the car, and took the photo opportunity.

What are you jealous that your store mannequin has not come in for your new 2010 car?

HH cooking up a storm for our "Date Night" cooking class. He was such a sport! Not only did he entertain me, but others around us as they cooked. I am going back to cooking class this Tuesday! :)

We really had fun!

Picture together....

I really want this apron....who doesn't want an apron with pearls? Nothing says high maintenance like that ......

We topped off the evening by going to see "The Perfect Gift." I hope I can like a trailer of this movie soon to the blog. It was done by a local couple, and it is wonderful. These people really produce some quality stuff, and you really feel like your spirit is renewed when you leave the theater....what a rarity.

Shutterfly

2009-11-06T08:39:00.002-05:00

I am making a photo book of 2009 of HH and I. My mom is scrapbooking our wedding, so there won't be too many pictures from the wedding itself. I am also going to put together the pictures that I had of us in 2008 in a separate book.

Has anyone else used Shutterfly? We ordered our Christmas cards from them, and they turned out nicely. I was thinking of ordering another book for my MIL as part of her Christmas gift.

Great Day OFF!!!

2009-11-05T22:01:00.002-05:00

The MJ film did not disappoint! It was amazing!!! I had a great time with my BFF Wendy. I miss working with her. Good thing we talk about the problems in our respective classes/schools every single day on the way home from work. :)

SCORE!!!

2009-11-05T06:47:00.002-05:00

My alma mater is playing the University of Kentucky next week at Rupp Arena in Lexington. I just scored tickets for HH and I to go off of e-bay. I hope we can go to my favorite restaurant from my college days afterwards, Charlie Browns.

I love DOING things!

Check It Out

2009-11-04T21:21:00.000-05:00

Weight Acceptance Prevents Weight Gain

from an MD blogger in Canada.

Good stuff!

Desire to Inspire Dinner Pictures

2009-11-04T20:16:00.003-05:00

Tony Dungy did not disappoint! His message was amazing, and Dominik and I really enjoyed ourselves. You can kinda see in the picture how my hair has been chopped. A lady complimented me at dinner when Dominik went to the restroom. I was teaching him how to figure out a tip, and why it is important to tip well.

"The crowd is common. Dare to be UNCOMMON." - Tony Dungy

Just so you know, I have not given up on cooking. My calendar has exploded. I did manage to make two different soups (that I have made previously), so I could take something different for lunch instead of something frozen.

Sounds I Like To Sing LOUD: Part III

2009-11-04T07:08:00.001-05:00

This came out when I was ending middle school, and I've loved it every since.

Living For...

2009-11-04T06:58:00.003-05:00

THE FOUR DAY WEEKEND!!!!!!

Woooooooooo Hooooooooooooooo!!!

Normally is the KIDS who get these weekends, and the public assumes that we don't have to work. We almost always have to work, but not this time! :)

I have a meeting with parents about preparing their child for middle school at six tonight, then the fun starts!

Thursday:
* This is It Movie and lunch with my best friend Wendy
* Pampered Chef Party at Beth's House

Friday:
* Makeup buying at Katie's house
* The Titantic Exhibit in Louisville with HH
* Cooking Class "Date Night" with HH

Saturday:
* Some scrapbooking thing with mom
* Seeing the Screwtape Letters with HH (which sold out in many cities)

Sunday:
* Going to a friend's wedding
* Dinner with my best friend Penny who is in town for a training

Starting next week, I only have eight more days until my nice long nine day break in North Carolina!

Preview...

2009-11-02T23:02:00.002-05:00

Tony Dungy and the Desire to Inspire Dinner is tomorrow! I am taking one of my students Dominik!

Funny

2009-11-02T20:59:00.000-05:00

Short Week

2009-11-02T05:40:00.002-05:00

Here are a few shots my mom took of Ben and I at Baskin Robbins yesterday. I had pumpkin ice cream. We spent the afternoon at my parents, then Ben preached at a local church for their evening service.

I only have to work three days this week. Sometimes the shorter weeks are harder than the long ones....we'll see how the kiddos do coming back from Halloween. I have tonight and next week for GED. I will probably be teaching classes in January and February, but we will have to see. At least I have a good six week break from it.

If GED class gets out early, I plan on going to get my hair cut, it is driving me nuts. I want a bob hairstyle. I want to get more blonde in it as well, but I'm going to try to hold out for that until closer to Thanksgiving. My hair is getting a little too long for my taste, and I just want to wear it in a pony tail all the time, but have fought the urge thusfar. Also, my eyebrows need waxed like none other.

I also broke down and asked my MIL to teach me how to hem pants. I have seven pair of pants that need to be hemmed. I had HH call around to see the price of getting them fixed, and it ranged from $8 to $15 a pair. That is ridiculous. I will be learning that over our Thanksgiving trip down.

Halloween Edition Post

2009-11-01T06:18:00.003-05:00

HH making spider cupcakes for my class. The only thing missing were the orange M&M eyes.

Even nuns have their bad habits! (Including needing their nails done!!! :)

Ben carving our spaghetti squash.

Life as a nun....

HH and I together....

I hope everyone had a great Halloween. :)