Thursday, January 29, 2009

The Biggest Loser | Day 25

Well, I guess I should have blogged earlier this week, but there wasn't much to say. I didn't lose any weight, but I didn't gain any either. So, we're hoping that Monday will be good news! :)

On another note, I'd like to say Happy Birthday to my Aunt Stephanie and my cousin Doug! I pray the Lord continues to bless you all year long. I love you both very much!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Embarrassing Moment

My friend Rebecca posted a funny blog today (she's such a great writer and always has the funniest stories). It reminded of something that once happened to me, and I thought I'd share it.

One morning last winter, I threw on some old clothes and ran to the grocery store before work. I decided that even though it was cold, I should take my dog Jack with me. (We hadn't had him for very long, and I liked to take him with me when I could.) I got to the store and went inside and did all of my shopping. When I got back to my car, I starting looking for my keys, but I couldn't find them. I looked everywhere. Finally, I realized I'd locked them in the car. I looked in my car and there they were in the middle of the console. Oh, I lost it. I just knew Jack would freeze to death. Crying quickly ensued!

I frantically tried to call Travis. He had gone to work at 6:00 am that day, and he really wasn't allowed to answer his cell phone during office hours. Thankfully he answered. As I began telling him what happened, through sobbing and unintelligible words, I saw little dog paws sticking out of the window. At first my brain didn't comprehend what I was seeing. Within seconds, I realized I had left the windows cracked; enough to get the door unlocked! My sobs instantly turned to laughter ... and embarrassment. The windows had been open the whole time!

Jack Bower - Taken December 2007 - The Month of the "Incident"

The Biggest Loser | Day 15

I lost 5 pounds last week for a total of 11 pounds so far! I am so excited.

The best thing about this experience is doing it with my friends and co-workers. It's awesome to have such a great support team.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Eating Healthy Can Still Be Tasty!

My friend Erin is such a joy to be around. She has a very fun personality and is always making me laugh. Today she stopped by my office to talk to me about an event she's planning. She and another co-worker have been trying to find a caterer for their events and went to a food tasting party today. As she was describing all of the wonderful food she got to eat she used words like delicious and tasty. It reminded me that just because I'm eating healthy doesn't mean the food I eat has to taste like cardboard. It can be healthy and taste good!

So, I decided to share one of my favorite delicious recipes with all of my blog readers. It's healthy and quite tasty!

Peach-Glazed Chicken
total time: 14 minutes

Cooking Spray
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound chicken breast tenders
1/2 cup peach preserves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add oil, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken, and saute 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken; set aside, and keep warm.
Reduce heat to low; add preserves and remaining 3 ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, until preserves melt and onion is tender. Spoon preserves mixture over chicken.
Yield: 4 servings.

Per Serving: Calories 238 (10% from fat) Fat 2.7 g (sat 0.6g) Protein 26.3 g Carbohydrate 26.4 g Fiber 0.1 g Cholesterol 66mg Sodium 95mg
Exchanges: 2 Starch, 3 Very Lean Meat




Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Biggest Loser | Day 9

Yesterday was the big weigh-in at work and I'm proud to say that I lost 6 pounds last week! That's six pounds that I don't have to carry around anymore! Yay!

Is anyone watching Biggest Loser this season? It's awesome! I love that show. It's so inspiring. If you're watching, let me know who you're rooting for.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Gone, baby, gone!

You can thank my friends Kat and Lauren (also my hair designer) for this. They thought a new hairstyle would help keep me motivated to keep losing weight. I think they might be right! ;-)

Here's my sassy new hairdo!

A Question

My friend Marjo emailed me a question today, and I wanted to post it for everyone else to read. Let me know what you think.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION
What modern convenience is the one you absolutely could not live without? By modern, I mean something your grandmother didn't have at your age and by convenience ... I mean simply something that makes life simpler or easier. It could be an appliance. It could be a process. It could be a product. So .... think about it and and send your reply. There are NO wrong answers. As you think it through you'll realize how many things you appreciate!!

MY ANSWER
We were just talking about this at work the other day. I've actually thought about it a lot. It would absolutely be computers, but more specifically the Internet. Now that I'm connected with the world, I couldn't imagine what life would be like if I couldn't email and blog with friends and family; get news seconds after the event occurs; watch movies and TV; listen to ANY music I want from any time and any place; find out what the weather is today and ten days from now. I could go on and on.

I remember in 1993 (and that wasn't that long ago), when I went to Romania. The only way I could communicate with anyone back home was through the phone, which was very expensive, or fax. I still have faxes that I received while I was there. Actually, I have the paper they were sent on, but the ink has completely disappeared! I could send a letter, just like it my grandmother's time, but that would have taken so long to get home. Now, I can IM with friends in Russia. I can talk on the "phone" via the web (skype) to anyone anywhere in the world. I can use my web cam and meet with anyone anywhere at anytime. It's like were right there together. I remember doing this with friends in Germany not too long ago. I was sitting in my office at work and they were in their living room in Germany. It's absolutely amazing.

So, my answer is "dubbya dubbya dubbya" ... the World Wide Web.

What would you say?

Friday, January 9, 2009

An Update

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update. I am doing great since the surgery. Other than the first night, I've been able to eat normally. I still have a slight sore throat, but it gets better each day.

As far as the snoring ... Travis says I'm still snoring, but that it's softer. Hopefully, in the next few months it will get better too.

Thanks again for all the prayers.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

OUCH! | An Update on the Pillar Procedure

This afternoon I had the Pillar Procedure done (see my blog from December 29 for more information on that). The most painful part was getting the anesthesia. They gave me about eight shots to numb my throat and each one really hurt. When the nurse was prepping me, she handed me a tissue. I laughed and asked if it was because she thought I might drool. She said, "Oh, you won't drool." I quickly found out later it was to wipe away the tears. The doctors said that almost everyone cries when they get the anesthesia shots.

He inserted three of the little white woven pillar inserts into the back of my throat. He said that I should be swollen for a few days, but that I should be fine after that. If it keeps hurting then that means the insert went through to the other side (we're praying that didn't happen). After three months, we'll see how I'm doing. If the snoring has stopped, then I'm good to go. If not, then he'll need to insert two more pillars.

When he first finished it was hard to talk and hurt a little. It felt really strange. I am doing OK right now, but am in some pain. It feels a little like having strep throat.

If anyone wants to go to a great doctor for this, I highly recommend Dr. Mullens. He's extremely nice and very thorough. And he charges half the price of the Snoring Center in Dallas.

Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for caring about me and for checking on me. I'll let you know in a few days how I'm doing.

Monday, January 5, 2009

The Biggest Loser | Day 1

Today wasn't nearly as difficult as most first days on a diet. It helped that a bunch of us at work are doing this together. Paul, Kat and I went to Central Market for lunch and most of us ate very healthy lunches. I won't mention who didn't eat healthy (Paul), but I do know that he made a fabulous dinner tonight to make up for his lunch. :)

The funniest part of the day was when we all weighed ourselves. I forgot to bring the scale to work, so we all ran over to the Resource Ministries office and weighed on their big scale. We left on our heavy clothes and boots. Next week we'll take as much off as we can so we can weigh as little as possible. Ha ha!

Travis made dinner for us tonight. It was so good. He roasted garlic and grilled chicken with whole wheat pasta. YUMMY!

I hope tomorrow, and all the other days, are just as easy as this one ... at least when it comes to food!

Armed Forces Bowl

On New Year's Eve, Travis' boss blessed him with tickets to the Armed Forces Bowl. We had so much fun. It was a beautiful day and thankfully we were sitting in the sun because it was cold. Here are a few pictures from the game.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

I Want to be a Loser ... No, I want to be THE BIGGEST LOSER!

The New Year has started, and tomorrow Travis and I start our diet. The Media Department at Gateway, along with our spouses, is starting The Biggest Loser competition. I have decided to take this very seriously. Even if everyone at work decides to give up before reaching their goal, I have decided to keep going. I really want to get all the way to my goal weight. I have also decided that one way of doing that is to blog about it and that way I’m held accountable. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge.

For those of you wondering, my goal is to lose 115 pounds. Please do not comment to tell me that I don’t need to lose that much. I know how much I weigh, and I also know how much I should weigh. So, let’s just leave it at that. Travis says that he wants to lose “a couple pounds.”

I am going to be doing Weight Watchers along with taking Alli and working out. Travis will just be doing Weight Watchers (or some form of what I’m doing) and working out.

I’m excited to start this journey and hope that you will all help us with encouragement and support.

To start the week off, here’s a picture of Michelle, last season’s Biggest Loser. She’s going to my inspiration this week.

usmagazine.com/news/biggest-loser-winner-i-feel-at-peace

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Impromptu Photo Shoot

Today my dad asked me to go with him to his pastor's house to take pictures of their family. I happily agreed, always wanting to get more practice taking pictures. They all looked great and are very photogenic. They made it easy to take pictures. This was a lot of fun, and I'm glad I got the opportunity to practice taking pictures outside. Here are a few of the ones I really liked.

The Hogue Family








Thursday, January 1, 2009

Surprise!

My mom brought Ashlynn Kate by to see us this morning. She was wearing one of the outfits we bought her for Christmas. She looked so pretty! I can't believe how quickly she's growing.

Here are a few pictures of the sweet baby girl.

Posing for Aunt Stacy.


So happy!


I love this look!


And this one!



Looking at Uncle Travis.
Laughing ... I'm sure at us for taking a million pictures!!!!
Plane!!!!