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.

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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?

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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!!!!