Me And My Girls

Better!

Check out my leg!  It looks awesome, doesn't it?  I finished all my medications, and all the red is gone.  There is still a tiny bump underneath the skin, but it is a whole lot better. 

Thanks again for all the well wishes.

Getting To My Goal Weight

For most of my life I have been overweight.  I think there was a time when I was about two years old when I was thin, but that's about it.  I have recently lost almost one hundred pounds (yeah, I know, go me!) and it was hard.  What's even harder is losing these last forty or so pounds that I still want to lose.  I know that if I would start exercising again with the wii fit the weight would come off, but after working all day, I just don't have the energy.

When I first started working, I lost a few pounds.  After being a stay at home mom for many years, actually moving every day was doing wonders for my body.  There was a time when I considered taking diet pills, but I have always been afraid of the effect they would have on me.  You see, I have a horrible time with any type of medication.   Even tylenol pm can make me sleep for days.  So, for me personally, the weight comes off with exercise and hard work.  I have been saying since my husband left that I am looking forward to turning 40 in February, and I was going to do it at my goal weight.

I guess I need to get motivated.

Healing

Look how much better my leg looks!  The antibiotics and other meds have been working overtime I think, and I am well on my way to being all healed up.  In fact, all of the other spots have completely healed up.  The yeast infection is gone, too. The only thing that sucks is that I have round little scars all over my legs from the spots.  I'm hoping they will fade away in time...we shall see.  I want to thank all of you for your prayers and well wishes...keep them coming!  There is still a little bubble under this one, and I need for that to go away, too.

I'll keep you updated!

Me

Okay, the top picture was taken pretty soon after the hubs left in February.  The bottom picture was taken this morning.

I have lost a total of 90 pounds according to the scale this morning...about 60 or so has been since Bob left.  I think I can tell a difference...what do you think?  Feel free to tell me how awesome I look!

I Look Awesome, Right?

I Agree!

This sign was on the mirror in the restroom at Brandi's school.  

I seriously love it!

Me And My Beautiful Daughter

Kasi and I ~ September 26, 2010

Aren't we beautiful?

Better?

Okay, so the sunburn is a little better today.  I think the burn cream is working, and I had on a lot of sunblock today while I was in the pool.  I have to tell you...I am exhausted!  Being in the pool/sun all day for a few days can wear a person out.  Aside from the burn on my chest, the rest of me is finally getting tan.  (can't you tell?) We are staying home tomorrow, though.  This way, I can have a day out of the sun, and maybe catch up on all the housework and computer stuff I have been neglecting.

Maybe...or I might just be lazy and re-watch the new episode of True Blood on demand.  You know how much I love my vampires.

My Sunburn

Nice, right? 

This is my chest, and it hurts! 

This seems to be the worst spot though, and right now it is peeling.  In fact, my entire back, chest, and shoulders are peeling.  I had Kasi peeling me this morning, and then while I was in the pool this afternoon, my skin was sliding off. 

I know, it's gross.

I'm hoping from here on out I will just tan.  And yes, I am wearing sunscreen...it just doesn't work too well.

Remember Photo Booths?

 Check out this picture of Junior and I.  We look so young.  This picture was taken in 1995 on one of our first dates.  It's crazy to think that it's been 15 years since then.  Man, I was really rocking those bangs and huge eyeglasses!  It wasn't long after this that Junior grew his beard, and he hasn't shaved it off since.

We took this picture in one of those photo booths at our local mall.  You know the ones, where you jump in and close the curtain, feed it $2, and it snaps a picture. It wasn't one of the ones that gives you a strip of different poses.  This one gave you one Polaroid.

I haven't seen a photo booth in a long time, and got to wondering if they were still around.  I couldn't find one in any local malls, but I did find the traveling photo booth .  Unfortunately, they do not have a vendor anywhere in my area, but if you live where they do have one, imagine all the fun you could have.   I bet that if you rented one of these for your wedding day, your guests would have a ball.  Sweet 16 parties and proms would be great events, too.  I think anywhere teens are, one of these photo booths would be a hit. 

I wish I could find one to rent for Kasi's birthday.  Thirteen year old girls would LOVE this.

Brandi's Teeth

What a day! I have so much to tell you, but there is no way to get it all into one cohesive post, so I guess you'll get a few different posts from me tonight. You could probably say you've had this coming, since I have sort of been missing in action these past few weeks. Most of what I have to say involves Brandi, which leads me to believe that you all think I only have one child, since she seems to be my topic of choice lately. Let me assure you, Ryan and Kasi are both still breathing, and doing extremely well. Brandi, on the other hand, well, let's start with her teeth.

A few weeks ago, Kasi hit her in the mouth with something. I can not remember how it happened or what she got hit with, but it left a pretty nice bruise on her gums. At first it was just a little spot, but it has grown into a pretty good sized black spot. It is right above one of her loose baby teeth, so I was kind of hoping once the tooth fell out, the bruise would go away. Unfortunately, Brandi has teeth like me, and they flat out refuse to fall out. My teeth are so uneven, it's embarrassing. It's the reason I don't smile in pictures. I have actually been thinking about seeing a San Diego Invisalign dentist who specializes in giving people the smiles they have always wanted. Dr. Landau was named one of the top dentists in San Diego Magazine, so he must be pretty good. I just hope they offer some of that "happy gas", because I am not a willing patient, and I need all the help I can get to relax in that chair.

For now, I guess I should make an appointment for Brandi. The dentist may want to pull that tooth so that the bruise will go away. I am just glad she does better than me at the dentist, and I think it's just because her dentist gives her ice cream after every visit.

Random...

I was deleting pictures off my camera, and found this one. I think I took it a couple of weekends ago, when I babysat for my sister. Tell me Carson is not the cutest little boy in the entire world! I will tell you, though, that a couple of hours of babysitting sure does cure me of wanting another baby. I am so glad those "hands on" days are over!

My Birthday At Mom's House

This past weekend, I celebrated my birthday at my mom's house. Colleen, Mike, Carson, and Lylah were there, as well as Missy, Sam, Alex and Hayden. I had such a wonderful time! As you can see, my birthday cake wasn't of the "normal" variety....it was a delicious home made crumb cake. My mom did an amazing job, and because I was the birthday girl, I took it all home with me. Okay, maybe I let mom keep a piece, and I think Colleen took a couple of pieces, but most of it came home with me, and I have been enjoying it little by little. I wish I could eat the whole thing at once, but it is so rich, so I get to enjoy it for a while longer. Mom also made some delicious brownies, and I will be posting those on my other blog.

Want a close up of that cake?

I know, it looks yummy. I wish I could share it with all of you...nah, who am I kidding? lol! It's all mine!

My New Facebook Profile Picture

Don't you just love it! The girls were bored tonight, so I let them give me a makeover. Kasi did the left side of my face, and Brandi did the right.

I am really digging the three different colors of lipstick!

When they were finished, I did what any good mother would do. I let them take a picture, and I am using it as my facebook profile picture, which most of you probably already know, because you stalk me there as well as here.

I should get some major mommy point for this!

December 22, 1994

On this day, fifteen years ago, I met my husband. I know I have told this story before, but for those of you who are new, I am going to share it again. For those of you who are regulars, you'll have to suffer through it one more time! lol!

I had moved to SC from NY in April of that year, after a three and a half year long relationship ended. I was broken hearted, and had no idea what direction my life was going to take. I was depressed, and spent the next few months just moping around my moms house. I finally got a job working fast food, and made some great friends. A few of these friends decided it was time for me to find someone new, and they made it their mission to make that happen. The first guy I was set up with was my age, and had a little boy. We talked on the phone for a few weeks before we ever met, and we got along great. We had a lot in common, and I was looking forward to spending time with him. I think it was at this point where I finally realized what it's like for people who hook up online in free vampire chat rooms or on dating sites. I was amazed that I could get to know someone so well by just talking to them, and never actually meeting them.

Well, a few weeks later, he decided to come to where I work, so we could meet face to face. Now, back then I was a skinny minnie with a nice figure (I had just lost about 50 pounds) and I was very confident. He comes in the store, and we "met", and then he left.

And he never called me again.

To this day I am still baffled, because I am not by any means ugly (tooting my own horn here). The friend who set us up claims that he drove by my moms house after he left the store, and decided that I was too "rich" for him. He didn't think he would fit into my world. Yeah, okay. I was working fast food and living in my moms house! I was not rich by any stretch of the imagination. But, whatever. It was his loss, and it was not soon after this that I met my husband.

When my best friend at the time decided she knew the perfect guy for me, I was hesitant. I mean, I had just been "dumped" by a guy right after he got a look at me, and I didn't really want to go through that again. But, she was persistent, and a week later Junior called me. He wanted to meet at a bar, and I told him I didn't drive. He laughed, and then agreed to pick me up. We had a nice time at the bar, talking, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I had never been a big drinker, and as most of you know, my husband used to be an alcoholic. So we left there, and just drove around talking.

After that night, we were pretty much inseparable. His family wasn't exactly welcoming to me, and some of my family had issues with him. To be honest, he brought that on himself, and has been paying for it for the last fifteen years. He proposed on my birthday in February, and it was that night that we conceived Ryan. (I am sure you were dying to know that!) We were married on June 22, 1995, exactly six months after we met. It was a small, civil ceremony at the courthouse, because I was pretty pregnant by then. People said we wouldn't last a year, and here we are, fifteen years and three kids later, still going strong. Not bad for a blind date, right?

So when people tell me they met their significant others online, in chat rooms, or on a blind date, I get it. I know it's possible to find the one you are meant to be with in an unconventional way.

I'm living proof of that!

My Poor Thumb

Tonight for supper, I went all out. I made my famous Parmesan crusted chicken with mixed veggies, herb buttered angel hair pasta, and garlic cheese biscuits. Sounds yummy, right?

Well, it was!

But, before I got to enjoy this delicious meal, I burned the crap out of my thumb. I had everything done, and was taking the biscuits out of the oven. The pot holder I grabbed was wet (I didn't realize it) and the heat went right through and started to burn my hand. So stupid me grabbed the pan with my other hand, and burned my thumb, right in the crease where it bends. I threw the pan onto the counter, and started screaming. Everyone came running, and then laughed at me because I was jumping up and down, laughing myself, trying to make it stop burning. We learned from our experience with Kasi that you should never put ice on a burn, so I just had to let it cool down on it's own.

Let me tell you...I never knew how much I use my thumb. Now that it hurts, I am very aware of how often I use it. I keep hitting the blister (yup, there's a big ole blister) on everything!

But let me assure you...those biscuit were so yummy, it was worth a little burn.

Me And Boo

I love when they tell you to have your kid at the school by 6:15 for a concert that doesn't start until 7.

That leaves 45 minutes for entertaining Brandi.

Not an easy task when all she wants to do is use my camera. I did get a few shots that came out pretty good, but this is her favorite, because I'm in it.

Yeah, she's a sweet kid. When she wants to be.

Junior And I

I have very few pictures of Junior and I together. Brandi took this one at Missy's house tonight, and I think it came out pretty good. I had having my picture taken, so it is rare that I willingly allow it. But, since it was for Brandi, I did it. And the end result was a pretty decent picture.

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

That's right...it's my birthday!

I was already given some great gifts...like cake and well, go see for yourself here.

The kids gave me beautiful handmade cards this morning, which I love!

I get to pick whatever I want for supper tonight, and I am leaning towards subway. I know, I should pick something better. We'll see! Maybe Chinese food....