Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I love the opportunity that today brings to share time with family and reflect on all the things I am thankful for. I hope all of you have a WONDERFUL day filled with lots of family and lots and lots and LOTS of love!!!!
Wow - I can't believe it's been 2 months since I started my Wellness Journey! But tomorrow is day 60, already. I feel like a completely different person. I've lost 27 pounds (I'm hoping tomorrow it will be 30) and 23 inches from my frame. That's including 11 inches from my waist and 10 inches from hips!! That is just absolutely amazing to me. I've gone from a size 18 to a size 12. My energy is so amazing. Not because I'm running around the house like a crazy person but because it's sufficient energy that lasts ALL day long. My body is different somehow on the inside, I think. I crave different things now. I actually made a special trip out to Berlin Heights yesterday just to buy some apples from Burnham Orchards. That might not seem very significant to some of you, but trust me, that's huge in my world. Before I never would have driven out of my way (especially to Berlin Heights) for anything, except maybe some chocolate or gravy-n-biscuits. I eat peas now!!! That's MAJOR for me! I have never in my life enjoyed any sort of pea prepared in any fashion. Now I really enjoy them.
I just feel really amazing! I feel like I have my life back. I'm putting up a few before and after pics for your viewing pleasure! :)
August 2008: 
November 2008:
I know that I've been a total slacker lately at updating the blog. It's not that I haven't made any posts, because I have, but I have not published them. Sometimes blogging is incredibly therapeutic for me. I start a post about something and it ends up going in a completely different direction. However, those posts usually end up very personal and raw. And even though I feel good about whatever realization I have made I am usually not ready to share those thoughts. Anyway~ let's move on.
My house has been overrun by the flu for the last WEEK. Everyone (including myself) got the stomach flu. YUCK. But Sienna was hit much worse than anyone else. She missed all of last week from school. She started with the stomach flu but it then moved on to a terribly high spiking fever ~ we're talking 103 degrees. That's scary. But it get's weirder - when her fever would go away, vomiting would replace it. Once the vomiting went away, the fever came back. It was a very long week. She's still trying to get back to her usual self. She did go to school today so that's a HUGE improvement! Just before the very unwelcome visitor (flu) came to my house, Sienna and I had a little photo session. She loves to direct the photo shoots. We took a few fun pictures and I looked at those pictures all last week just to get me through. So I thought I would share a few.
Pouty Face~ Please notice Sienna's lip. I swear you could set a bottle of nail polish on it and walk away. My pouty face was a little lacking~ needed more bottom lip. 
Crazy Wild Tongue Face~ Sienna looks awesome! Her eye is so intense. While I ended up with no top lip, a rubber chin, 2 lazy eyes, and a freakishly short tongue. 
Sleeping Face~ Sienna looks like an angel in this picture. Don't cha think~ like a sweet little cherub?
????? Face~ I have no idea what this one was supposed to be. It looks like something might have gone wrong, tho.
Happy Halloween! The kids had so much fun trick or treating. Levi enjoyed it much more this year than he did last year. He was pretty scary actually. Of course he refused to ride in the stroller. He RAN every step of the way. I was so thankful that Dave was home and able to go with us. I made him deal with Levi and they had to walk behind me and the girls. Only because I just could not watch Levi running on the sidewalk~ I caught myself constantly holding my breath waiting for the big wipe out. Luckily, it never happened. He did fall several times but somehow it was always on the grass. He really liked all the people giving him candy but he liked it better when he got to get his own piece of candy out of the big bowl. Sienna tuckered out early and decided to ride in the stroller. And as for Sierra, she decided half way through that she must be getting too old for trick or treating because it was actually boring.
We went trick or treating with Shell and Brandon on Thursday too. I'll leave that story for Shell to post on her blog. All I will say about that (for now) is that I was very proud of everyone!
.jpg)