Happy Mommy's Day!

Happy Mommy's Day to all of my blogging friends out there! I hope you get spoiled on your special day!

I know I posted this picture of my Mom & I a couple of weeks ago, but wanted to post it again as my Mom is so special to me! I just wish I could be with her today :( I hate living so far away!

In other news, Jim had to take a test on Friday in Indiana for a position that he applied for, so say some prayers that it all works out if this is the route that we're supposed to take.

I did a garage sale this weekend & I'm proud to say, I did pretty good.....$362 worth of good :) That more than made up for the money I spent at the Mega Meet on Thursday!

Well, I'm off to the gym, then I have a ton of laundry to do. Shawn may be coming by for dinner tonight, so that'll be nice to see him.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Benita

Happy NSD

Today is National Scrapbook Day. YAY! Us scrapbookers now have a day made especially for us :) How cool is that!?! And since it's NSD, I decided to share a layout that I did a few weeks ago. This is for the album I'm doing for my dh of his parents wedding (click on image to enlarge). I'm using the new DCWV La Creme line for this album as well as lots of Primas, rhinestones & pearls. I have 2 more pages in progress that I'm hoping to finish up today & also start some more.....afterall, it's NSD so hopefully I'll have lots & lots of "mojo", as scrappers call it :)

I may also have to take a drive out to the Zone today as I have a 50% off coupon for NSD......gotta love those coupons! Thanks Kelley :) Now that I've started this album for Jim, I need to find an album to use for it, lol. I may just end up getting an American Crafts one & decorating it with the same papers.

Thanks for all the compliments on my last post regarding my weight loss.....you made my day :)

Have a wonderful NSD.....I'd love to know how you all celebrated it!

Till next time,

Benita

1 Year Ago Today.....

.....I went from this.....................to this!

I can't believe that it's been a year since I started this journey.....one year ago today, April, 25, 2008, I joined a gym (something I thought I would never do!) & made the commitment to myself to become healthier, skinnier & most of all, happier! It hasn't been easy, by any means, but the reward has been SO worth it! I've hit a few roadblocks along the way (shoulder injury (tendonitis & bursitis), being diagnosed with bulging discs in my neck, then being diagnosed with osteoarthritis.....just to name a few, lol), but I never gave up! Even when I couldn't work out, I still stayed positive & was even more careful about what I put into my mouth. I made it through the holidays, only gaining about 4 pounds (which is good for me since I love to bake cookies & make fudge!), but I got right back on track & kept going. To date, I've lost a total of 63.8 pounds & numerous inches.....unfortunately, I didn't measure myself in the beginning, but the clothes tell the story. I've gone from a size 24 jeans down to a size 14, from 1x & 2x shirts, down to a large, from a 48D bra, down to a 42C....and even those are getting too big now ;) Yeah, it figures.....the first thing I lose are my b**bs & b*tt! LOL
So welcome to the new me. Although I still have quite a ways to go until I meet my long-term goal, I'm getting there.....slow & steady :)

Have a wonderful week!

Benita

Picture Heavy Post

We left Michigan around 10:30am Friday morning & decided to go through Canada since we didn't want to deal with the road construction & closures on I-75 in Michigan. We drove non-stop to Niagara Falls until we got to the Duty Free store. From the parking lot, you could see the falls, so of course, I had to take a bunch of pictures :)
The falls always amaze me. I could literally stand there for hours, just looking at them & how beautiful they are! It's like they make you just forget about all of the troubles in the world....even if only for a minute or two!
The American Falls.
Here, you can see the rocks below the American Falls.
Me, with the falls in the background (although Jim didn't get them in the picture very good.....one of these days, I'm going to teach him how to take a picture! LOL).
Jim with the falls in the background. See, isn't this picture MUCH better? :)

When we arrived Friday evening in Pennsylvania around 7:00pm, we met my Dad at The Crippled Bear Inn for dinner. The first words out of his mouth were "Oh My God!" when he saw me! He knew that I had been working on losing weight, but he hasn't seen me since I started, so hearing those words meant so much to me! Saturday morning, we went out for breakfast with my Dad, his sister Jane (both pictured above) & my sister Donna.

After breakfast, we went out to see my Mom at the nursing home & along the way, we stopped at a flower stand to pick her up these gorgeous mums (I also got some for my Dad). They actually painted them these colors, so when the new ones bloom, they'll be white, but I thought the vibrant colors were so pretty! And they did what they were meant to do......
....they put a smile on her face :) My Mom was also very proud of me for the weight I've lost & she gave me encouragement to keep going!

On Easter Sunday, we went to my sister Barb's house for dinner. Donna (above) brought her dog Toby with her. Isn't he a cutie?

Here's the ham she made.....all 16+ pounds of it!

And here is Dad, being sneaky & snitching a piece of ham before everything else was done.

Barb & her son Kyle. I couldn't believe how tall he has gotten! Dang! He's 17 now & had one heck of a growth spurt since I saw him last!

Sunday night, we drove up to my Dads so I could see him one last time before we left to head back home. He's also lost some weight.....about 34 pounds & he looks great!

Monday morning, before hitting the road, I went to see my Mom again. She wasn't dressed yet & didn't want her picture taken in her gown, but I love this picture of us together! Right after Jim took this picture, I started crying. My Mom asked me why I was crying & I said because I miss you & hate seeing you in here! She assured me that she's okay & that they're taking good care of her. But still.....it's so hard! This is not the way she's supposed to live!

I've been home less than 24 hours & I miss my family already! It was so hard to leave this time, for some reason. I always wonder what if? What if this is the last time I see my Mom or my Dad? But I have to stay positive:

We saw this on the back of this van shortly after we got on the road in Pennsylvania (click on the picture to enlarge). Is that a sign or what???

I dreaded getting on the scale this morning, but knew I had to & yep, just as I thought.....I gained 4 pounds back :( I only got to exercise once while we were there plus I ate WAY too much. But this proved to myself just how quickly you can put the weight back on if you're not careful! And those Middleswarth Bar-b-q Potato Chips didn't help, either! Ah well....I'll be busting my butt BIG TIME this week at the gym :)

Have a wonderful week,

Benita

Doctor Update

Our first glimpse of Spring.....I saw these blooming around our Maple Tree today. But with the expected snow that we're supposed to get on Monday (they're calling for 4-6 inches.....UGH!!!), I doubt they'll be around for long.

Thursday, I went back to see my Rheumatologist to get my diagnosis. After she went through all the lab work results, explaining everything in medical terms (which I didn't understand one bit!), she finally told me that I do indeed have Osteoarthritis. Finally.....an answer! Not exactly the answer I wanted to hear, but at least now I know what I have & now I can learn how to cope with it. She said that with this type of arthritis, it doesn't affect the heart, liver or any other organs, which is good news....it just affects the joints. She also said that having osteoarthritis is a better arthritis to have if you have to have one, although none of them are any fun to have!

I had a really busy week this past week, covering shifts for other people at work to get some extra hours in as we're planning to go home next weekend for Easter. I can't wait to see my Mom, Dad & sisters again.....it's been TOO long (since August of 2007!)! And I can't wait for them to see me since I've lost weight :)

I was tagged by Janet for this photo tag:

The tag how-to...
Go to the photos folder on your computer.
Go to the seventh folder of photos.
Go to the seventh photo.
Put the seventh photo on your blog along with a description.
Invite seven friends to join.

I took this picture in August, 2007 on my way home to visit my family on Interstate 80 through Pennsylvania.....this is the highest point on 80, east of the Mississippi (elevation: 2,250 feet). I thought it was pretty cool that this picture just happened to be the one that showed up since we'll be heading home in a week (although we'll probably be driving through Canada this time).

I also received this awesome award from Aimeeslee.....thanks girl :)

The rules governing this award are as follows: List 7 things about myself (I'm not sure that there's 7 things that you still don't know about me, lol). But here it goes:

1. I try to almost always buy things on sale or with a coupon....even better if it's on sale AND I have a coupon for it! Whenever I tell Jim how much I paid for something, he says "let me guess, it was on sale & you had a coupon, right?" LOL

2. Lately, I've been obsessed with buying workout clothes ;) I got some really good deals at JCPenneys today (they were on sale & I had a coupon, hehe).

3. I actually look forward to exercising & feel bad on the days I don't!

4. My highest game in bowling is a 267 & my highest series is a 694. My next goal is to bowl a 700 or higher series and/or a 300 game (I can dream, can't I?).

5. I've joined the ranks of Facebook & it's as addicting as blogging.

6. My 4 sisters & I all collect different things.....Karen used to collect Owls, Linda collects Angel, Barb collects Teddy Bears, Donna collects Wolves & I collect Koalas.

7. As hard as it is to believe, I've actually been selling off some of my Prima collection (note the emphasis on the word some, lol).

I decided to pass the tag & award on to the following people: Darcey, Cindi, Linda, Denise, Sue & anyone else that reads my blog :)

Have a great weekend.....I'll be hitting the gym HARD tomorrow since I missed the last 2 days! Bad me.....BAD!

Benita

10 Strikes!

Last night at bowling, I broke another record for myself :) I had 10 strikes in ONE game! 10!!! I had the first 6 strikes in a row, then opened in the 7th frame, leaving a 7 pin (of all things!), 4 more strikes in the 8th, 9th & 2 in the 10th frame & then I left the big 4 split (4/6/7/10) on my last ball in the 10th for a 263 game. Not my highest game (that was a 267), but I was still very happy :) Then I started thinking about maybe shooting a 700 series & well.....let's just say, I shouldn't think when I'm bowling! I finished the night with a 182 & 210 for a 655 series. I'll take that :) And yes, I beat Jim by 51 pins & Joe by 234....yep, you read that right! 234! And you can bet that I rubbed it in ;)

Not much else is new with me.....I go back to my Rheumatologist on April 2nd, so I won't have any answers until then. Just been working, exercising & trying to be a little more careful with what I'm eating. I think I finally conquered my plateau that I've been stuck in what seems like forever! Yesterday marked 11 months since I started my weight loss journey & when I weighed myself in the morning, I lost another .6 of a pound, which may not seem like much to some people, but when you've been stuck for months, any loss is a good loss! I am officially down 63.2 pounds in 11 months :) That also may not seem like much to some, but to me, it's perfect! I told myself in the beginning that this weight didn't come on overnight & it's not going to come off overnight! I have to be patient & take it one day at a time & that's exactly what I've been doing. Slow & steady wins the race.....slow & steady :)

Tomorrow, Jim & I are going to a retirement party for 3 of his co-workers.....luckily, I got someone to cover my shift at work (a new guy that will probably regret covering it for me :) Then on Saturday & Sunday, we'll be hitting the gym to drop the weight we'll probably gain from all the partying! LOL

Have a great weekend!

Benita

1st Day Of Spring :)

No, my Lilacs aren't blooming yet, but I can't wait until they do so I just had to post a picture of them in hopes that it'll speed them up, lol! I am SO ready for Spring.....for flowers to bloom.....for warmer weather.....for sunnier days! What about you? Bring it on, Spring! Bring it on!

I received a phone call from the Rheumatologist on Wednesday that they had a cancellation for that day at 2:00 p.m., so I took it. After they took all my information, they took me back into a room, checked my weight, blood pressure & pulse, then I proceeded to sit there for over an hour until the doctor finally came in to see me. ARGH! I was not a happy camper at all since I had to be at bowling at 4:00 p.m. When she finally came into the room, she asked me all sorts of questions & then examined me. She then looked at the 2 MRI results that I had done back in November & December & she doesn't think I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, but possibly Osteoarthritis. She's running more blood tests.....13 in all, to hopefully pinpoint the exact problem. She also wants to see me back in 2 weeks or sooner if this flares up again. By the time I got out of the office, bowling had already started, but luckily, we were bowling against a very patient team that are also good friends & they let me catch up :)

Speaking of bowling, we had elections this week to vote for the new officers for next year & I got elected to be Treasurer :) The guy that did it this year doesn't want to do it again, so I was nominated & won. It's a big responsibility, handling all of the league payments & dealing with people when they get behind, but I've done it before (years ago on another league), so I know I can handle it.

That's all for now.....gotta do some cleaning & then work this afternoon.

Have a wonderful Spring-filled weekend :)

Benita

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a very Happy St. Patty's Day! The corned beef & cabbage is cooking away in the crockpot & the windows are open to air out the smell! YUCK! LOL I personally can't stand the smell or taste of it, but once a year, I make it for Jim since he's at least 1/2 Irish. The things we do for our men ;) Luckily, it's a beautiful day out & the temps are supposed to be in the mid to upper 60's so I'm able to open the windows & send the smell towards my neighbors.

We don't have any special plans tonight.....probably just take the mutts for a walk when Jim gets home from work & then he'll eat the corned beef & cabbage & I'll make myself something else :) Then bowling tonight where I'm sure Jim will have some green beer. Me.....I wonder if they make green daquiris? :)

Have a Happy Day! And thank-you for all the encouragement/comments on my previous post.....I truly appreciate it!

Benita

Feeling Like A Failure

Warning: this blog post is going to be somewhat depressing, so don't say that I didn't warn you in advance.

Right now, I feel like a total failure! Remember that job that I interviewed for & was offered? Well, after lots & LOTS of deliberation.....I didn't take it. There are so many reasons behind my decision.

For one, the pay.....$8.00 an hour. If you count my free gym membership, I make more than that an hour working at the gym!

Two.....the hours.....Mondays & Thursdays, I would have had to work 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., so basically 2 days a week, my whole day would have been spent at work. Then Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays, the hours were from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. so after my bowling league is finished this season, they told me that I wouldn't have been able to bowl in the league next year. I love that league & really can't imagine not bowling in it! I also would have had to quit working at the gym, not to mention the fact that I don't know how I would have fit exercising into my schedule. I'm not done losing all the weight yet & I'm not about to give up now, either!

Third.....the drive......25-30 miles one way. I probably could have handled the drive because I do love driving, but I also think it would have gotten old after a while. Not to mention the gas costs, the wear & tear on my car, etc.

Fourth, and probably the main reason......my health! I got the test results back from my doctor & 2 of them came back positive that I do indeed have some sort of inflammatory disease. The question still remains.....what disease is it? Is it RA? Or something else? I have an appointment on the 25th with a Rheumatologist & hopefully, I will get some answers when I see her. Until then, I never know when this is going to flare up on me. It started again last week & my doctor gave me an anti-inflammatory drug which is helping, but I just feel like I can't make any commitments until I can get this, whatever it is, under control. Luckily, my current job has been very understanding! For that, I am extremely thankful!

So while I do feel like a failure right now for not giving this opportunity a chance, I gotta keep telling myself that I did the right thing......the right thing for me.....the right thing for my family.....the right thing for my health! I did!

Benita

Catching Up

Once again, I've been a bad blogger. I didn't realize how long it had been since I blogged last until I went to read some of my favorite blogs today. I hate it when I get so far behind, but I have a feeling that it's going to be the norm for a while unfortunately. I also got a little behind in my 365 Days Of Photos as well.....I'm still taking photos everyday, but I just haven't had the time to upload them everyday & then I've been forgetting what picture is from what day once I do upload them. The picture above is of a basket that my dh picked up for me at Target. I'm still debating what to put in it, but I'm pretty sure it will end up in my scraproom :) I'm just posting a few of my recent pictures here.....you can see the rest of them on the link over there ----->
Here's a photo of a beautiful Cardinal that I captured just as he started taking off.....it's a little blurry, but that's because he was in flight :)
Here is my newest toy.....a Polar F6 Heart Rate Monitor. Now I just wish I would start feeling better so I could get back to the gym to use it! Tuesday night, I started getting a headache in the back of my head.....by Wednesday after bowling, it was a LOT worse, so I called my PT to see if she could see me. Luckily, she had an opening & told me to come on in. At that point, I told her that my shoulder was doing really good, but now my neck was starting to hurt again. Thursday morning, I woke up stiff everywhere plus I started having some chills, so my first thought was.....I have the flu! Great! By this morning, I wasn't feeling any better & to top it all off, my right thumb was swelling up, my left shoulder is now hurting again, I have a sharp pain in my ribs on the right side & my right knee also hurts. So I called my family doctor & he got me in today. He ruled out the flu & ran some blood tests on me. With the pain & symptoms that I described to him, he thinks that I may have Arthritis & possibly even Rheumatoid Arthritis :( He prescribed Flexeril & Mobic, which was supposed to be Celebrex, but my insurance wouldn't cover it because I'm not over 65! Unbelievable! Maybe someone needs to tell insurance companies that arthritis knows no age! From what I've been researching about RA, it can start as early as age 30! Anyway, my doctor is also referring me to a Rheumatologist so I can hopefully get some answers to what exactly is going on with me. I'm not sure how long it will take to get in to see the Rheumatologist, but hopefully not long. I want answers & I want them NOW! I'm supposed to start my new job on Monday & right now, with the way I feel, I'm just not so sure if I'll be able to. I was having second thoughts about the job, mostly because of the long hours & long drive, but then I started getting excited about it. So now all I'm doing is praying.....praying that this isn't anything serious.....praying that I will feel better by Monday.....praying that I get some answers & quick!


Gotta go start moving all of our clocks forward an hour.....so much fun when you have over a dozen clocks in your house!


Have a great night & weekend,
Benita