Monday, September 27, 2010

We're walking again...

I have never been one of those people who loves to exercise. I know it's good for me, that it helps with every physical thing (and mental) and doesn't cost a penny, but I dread it. I'm always defeated before I begin at the thought that I really should exercise every single day for the rest of my life and when I think like that I just hate it more!!!!!!

Although it's always been hard for me to be diligent in this area of my life, since having Macy it hasn't even really made my "To-Do"list. It's brutal trying to get everything done each day and when I have a free 30-45 minute window of time, I would rather do ANYTHING besides walk. Clean toliets? Cook something? Organize something? Blog? Facebook? Read? TV? Laundry? Nap? Make a list? Anything but work out!!!!! :)

Tomorrow marks my 5 week challenge and it's the final weigh-in, phase 1. I think with the number of pounds I'd like to lose, small goals will help me get there faster, rather than just saying, "I need to lose 30 lbs" and always feel overwhelmed.

My first 5 week goal was to not eat dessert (cake, cookies, candy, doughnuts, ice cream) even the "healthy" desserts like skinny cows or fudge bars for 5 weeks. I am stunned at how doable this was!!! The first couple days were hard, as was the BBQ Sunday at church with soggy hamburgers and endless tables of every dessert imaginable, and the going away to Katie dinner with Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Dessert, possibly my all-time favorite, but really? It wasn't that hard and if that choice alone keeps 9 lbs of weight off me? I'll just keep saying NO! :)

The second goal was to calorie count using a free iphone app called "Loseit." I am determined to get back on track with that tonight since I haven't written down in several days. When I am good about recording food, I lose. It. :)

I also wanted to not eat after dinner which I mostly stuck to with my main plan being to try and lose 10 lbs in 5 weeks.

My new goal for the next 7 weeks is to calorie count and work out (walk) at least 4 times a week for a minimum of 30 min and hopefully lose another 10 lbs. Speed and incline doesn't matter for this next phase I just need to get moving again. Folks, I started tonight! It was brutal walking up that hill, but I did it and kept walking for 45 minutes! Although I think I have blisters on my feet, I feel great and know it's the best thing for my body. Macy LOVES to be outside, and I need to be out with her more. It's a good thing all around and I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing. If you want to join me, I love company and so does Macy!!!!

Had to get a profile shot of Macy's new pumpkin hat from Auntie Kate!
At least one happy little walker!!!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Go Hawks!

Today was the first day we've been home as a family to watch the Seahawks!!! They won, which was great, but the highlight for me was seeing if Gabe and I would have had a boy, what he would have looked like!
Hahahahahaha. Tell me Macy doesn't look like a boy here! So cute!!!!

There's our girly girl turning on the twinkle as my sister Katie likes to say!

Fall decorating!

After garage sale-ing yesterday, I came home in serious nesting mode wanting to clean/decorate/rearrange for the rest of the day!!! I pulled everything out, off and away and got busy. It took quite awhile with Gabe immersed in a football game and Macy playing away, both distracting me, but I got everything almost exactly the way I wanted it!!!
Yes, that's a "Macy Basket" there on the bottom. Where else do you put hats, burp rags, bibs and a vest? :)
I love Fall!!!! It's probably pretty obvious that orange is my favorite color, but I love everything about this season. Even the rain doesn't bother me these days. I like the change in weather, the hunkering down and snuggle days, the smells, the cooking. I love it!

I've been inspired by Judy via Tanya. Judy has a strict 1/3 rule about bookcases. She says 1/3 books, 1/3 decorative, 1/3 empty. I just cannot seem to get this formula right, but yesterday hauled out every single book except my huge scrapbooks that won't fit anywhere else and gave the decorating a whirl. I need to keep working on it, but am really enjoying the final product. Gabe even "helped" with this. I would set up a cubby, step back, look, and he would say what he thought. Pretty fun, I have to say.

PS: There are FOUR garage sale items on this bookcase. Can you spot them? :)

Goodbye Craig...

This weekend was very busy with garage sales all over the place! I thought I'd better stop by Craig and Debbie Hardinger's to check out their sale and say goodbye officially. Craig has been Senior Pastor of Christ Fellowship (aka Nooksack Valley Baptist Church) for 14 years. He came when I was in high school and I have some major life moments that happened with him present.

I remember Craig taking me out for a milkshake when I was in high school and talking about a serious boyfriend I had the time. Craig listened, gave me some very wise counsel and I broke up with him that very day.

I vividly remember a sermon Craig gave about growing in the Lord. The insert had a graph on it that looked like this:
-10
-9
-8
-7
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0: Becoming a Christian
1: Getting baptized
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
All the numbers were filled out but all I remember are the zero and 1. I was so convicted during that sermon thinking, "I'm 17 years old and at zero on the Christian walk because I have stage fright and don't want to get in front of everyone and talk!!!" I met with Craig and he baptized me.

Although I left Whatcom County for about 3 years after college, I have sat under Craig's preaching for 11+ years and he has taught me some powerful stuff. He loves to pray, and you know he does it often because of how natural he is when he goes from cracking a joke to praying. He believes in standing out of respect for God's Word when you read from the Bible. He taught our congregation that it isn't weird to lay hands on people and pray for them whether it's for a specific request, for a marriage, for a child, for a trip, for encouragement, for healing or for anything else. He believes God's Word to be true, and lasting, and that it is relevant and holds answers to every problem.

Craig counseled my husband and I before we were married and had the best way of minimizing small problems to highlight the fact that God loves us, we love each other and we are perfect for each other in every way, even our differences. He believes in marriage, and practices what he preaches.

Craig officiated our wedding, which was the best day of my life and did a splendid job making everyone feel comfortable and making that ceremony so memorable.

Craig has adored our Macy Megan and holds her and loves on her every time he sees her. He is such an honest person and until I said goodbye and hugged him and heard him say, "Love you guys" and kiss Macy and ask her if she loves Jesus I don't think it's hit me that he's going.

We love you Craig and appreciate all you've been and done and taught. You will be missed.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Macy's new walker!

Macy is enjoying this walker very much. She likes to climb into it (the best way she knows how) and walks around with it. Such a busy girl... :)

A delicious new, easy, QUICK dinner recipe

A friend gave me several recipes to try months ago and tonight was the night for the first one.

SHRIMP PASTA

So easy and delicious, Gabe rated it a 7 1/2 and I gave it an 8. Pretty good for a healthy and different dinner!!!

What you need to make it:
1 lb penne pasta
1 lb shrimp (I bought the frozen kind at Costco, precooked without tails and used half)
1 lb asparagus
grape tomatoes
pesto
parmesan cheese

What you do to make it:
*Let frozen shrimp de-thaw and drain in a colander in the sink.
*Boil the pasta for 11 minutes with a pinch of salt.
*Wash and cut up the asparagus into 1 inch pieces and with about 4 minutes left for pasta to finish cooking, add to pasta in the same pot.
*Pour pasta and asparagus over the shrimp in the colander.
*Dump whole mixture back into pot to stir and add cherry tomatoes to pot (I left these out and added as many as I liked to my bowl which worked great too).
*Add as much or little pesto as you like to your own bowl and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Down 1 more pound this week totaling 9 lbs in 4 weeks. 1 more to go to reach my goal then I start a whole new thing next week. Stay tuned!!!!

Funny of the day!

Katie and I were doing errands for a couple hours today (frantic errands, the kind that multiply as you go...) and got behind this guy on the road. I had to take a picture it cracked me up so much!!! I kept saying to Kates, "That guy has got ROADKILL on his head!!!!"
The side profile. What kind of town is Bellingham, anyway? Hahahahahaha. Still makes me laugh!!!!!

A week in the life...




Where's Macy?


My baby is becoming quite the adventurer!!!!! I keep finding her in the most random places crawling or exploring in her awesome new walker (THANKS ABBY!!!!!). She cracks me up.

A trip to see Grandpa Gary and Ta-Ta Ellie!

Gabe's parents, Gary and Ellie are probably moving in a month or so and although we are very happy they have sold their house and bought another, that they love in Utah, we will miss them!!!! We headed over the other day to see them and have a chat and it was like Macy had never been apart from their dog, Bailey. They are pretty much best friends. Ellie had my camera in hand the whole time and got some very cute shots.
Macy wouldn't even eat she was so in love with this dog. They even howled at each other!





I got a box-full of fun stuff that Ellie was getting rid of, one thing was this awesome hat to go in the dress-up box! We got home and Gabe said, "Look!" and Macy was doing this exact face!!!!! Precious. I love this picture, I'm going to frame it! Ha!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Accountability time:
Down 1 pound this week. Pretty good considering I ate "out" almost the whole time! No desserts, but went over calories a couple days. Back on track as of yesterday... goal for this week: 2 pounds!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Holls and Harps!

Holly and Harper (Holls and Harps) came by today for a quick visit! It was so good to see them, as usual, and Macy just lit up when she spied Harper!!! They are only 3 weeks apart and although Macy is older, you wouldn't know it looking at them!!! SO cute to watch them play together and interact...I love it!
The girls did this all on their own. They are both very into books right now and were talking while they both read!
Macy examining The Harp's new shoes. She was very into these shoes. :)
What a doll!
Harper has 5 teeth, is now in the next car seat up, sits for looong periods of time and is wearing 18 month clothes! Macy? No teeth, still in the infant car seat, she can sit, but won't for very long, and is wearing 9 month or 12 month clothes. She's still older! Ha!
This was the funniest. They took turns crinkling and sharing the wipes. Harper doesn't get these kind at home (Holls uses the Huggie kind in the hard pack) and LOVED our wipes and all the noise it makes. Note to self. Save Holly an almost empty to add to her toy-box! :)

Thanks for coming over gals! We love having you!

What a Weekend!

September 11, my parent's anniversary, Gabe and I took off for Seattle and our first overnight trip away from Macy since she's been born! I was a little nervous how I'd feel going to sleep without knowing she was close by... but thanks to my Mom (and Katie and Dad) for taking such great care of our baby! Here she is as we left and Mom was taking her for a walk...

Gabe and I got to Seattle, left our bag at the hotel (The Best Western right by the Space Needle and I'd highly recommend it if you want to go to the city for a night) and walked downtown to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, probably my all-time favorite restaurant. We had a great lunch, then split up so Gabe could head back to the hotel and meet my Dad for the Husky game! I got to go shopping with no time limit or responsibility!!!!!! What a day!!!!! I spent a lot of time in H&M and Nordstrom Rack and found some awesome deals on adorable clothes.

While in the H&M dressing room I heard a guy next door come out of his dressing room to show his friend a coat. The friend was telling him he looked good and the guy goes, "I just saw this coat from 6 angles and I didn't look good in any of them." :)

I ended up back at the hotel at 5:30 PM and settled in, ordered a pizza, and read my book. It was soooo fun, just what I wanted to do! I also took a nap before Gabe got home announcing, the Huskies won!!!!!!

Sunday we slept in, packed up, grabbed breakfast at the hotel. While we were checking out these two guys in Seahawk gear walked past, one kind of skipping, saying, "It's like Christmas! I LOVE this time of year!!!!" :)

Gabe dropped me at Pike Place and I got some gorgeous flowers and wandered for a few minutes and then we headed to Quest Field to mosey our way to the Seahawk's first game of the season.


Going to a Seahawk's Game is like viewing a different culture. It's super fun, (and I'm not even a football fan!) incredibly LOUD, and very entertaining. Just people watching makes this yearly trip a blast for me. This pic was taken in the convention center thing. Unreal the amount of people that show up for these games!
Gabe and I have gone to 1 game every year since we met, except for the year we got married. We were trying to remember how many we've been to and think it's been 6! Crazy! I usually get tickets for Gabe's birthday and the last two years he's been able to hit a Husky game the same weekend. Go figure, both weekends we've been down, BOTH teams won!!!! This year, a friend at work finally got season tickets and couldn't go to every home game so Gabe bought the tickets from him. We were in the season ticket holder section and boy were our neighbors there dramatic! During the second quarter the guy next to me got served divorce papers!!!!!

A present for Macy :) She got new Seahawk jammies too. :)

Check out the guy in the upper right!

Half-time show.
Love you honey! Thanks for the awesome weekend away and all the memories! 2010 was the best year yet!

A fun Friday

Heather left Friday so we met her for coffee on her way out of town. It was so good to see her and spend so much time together. It's weird to think the next time she's in town, Macy will probably be walking! Augh!

PS: This is another "Heather" outfit. :)
After coffee we headed to my Grammy's house so I could clean, and Mom was there! We hooked her up with the Baby Bjorn so she could take Macy to pick some apples. It started pouring rain, though, so they were back in no time.

This was the first time Macy has napped through the whole time I'm cleaning. 2 hours straight, what a baby! Wish she would do that at home and I felt motivated enough to clean!!!!! :)