Oct. 29, 2008
What an adventure yesterday was for our family. I was at school all day. When the kids got home from school they realized our gate was broken and the dogs had gotten out. We got a phone call that someone had found Dusty so Shawn and the boys went to go get him but there was no sign of Harley. We looked for her until about 8pm and finally gave up. The kids cryed themselves to sleep. Shawn and I felt terrible. I got up a few times through the night to check outside but I still couldn't find her. Shawn left for work at 5 am and Harley was roaming down the street towards his car. She has been resting on the couch and is exhausted. The kids are thrilled and won't leave her alone. So a good ending to a long evening and night.
Yesterday was also a huge day for me. I turned in my graduation check. It means that I am close enough to graduating to have them get my diploma ready and add me onto the list of people that will be walking in June. Doesn't seem like a big deal but it means I am so close. I have 7 classes left until I am a college graduate. June 20th, less then 8 months to go.
With all the craziness this morning I didn't weigh in. So no change on the little ticker for today. I did keep on track even with our evening. I do need to work on drinking more water but that shouldn't be to hard. All in all I am still loving the weight watchers diet and feel like I am not dieting but just being careful. I am a little worried about this Friday and weekend. We are going to Oak Glen and we love to get a big yummy breakfast and pie at the end of the day. Apples should be a problem so I will fill up on those. Sat. I am not to worried about either I will just eat small portians and be ok.
Well I am off to do a bunch of getting ready for my brothers Halloween reception. I will not be home Thur. or Fri so I am doing most of the cleaning and work today. Hopefully the kids will help me keep it clean. I can dream.
Ali

Oct. 27, 2008

We had a super fun and really busy weekend. Sat. we had soccer, a pumpkin patch, and then a hockey game. Sun. we didn't make it to church because we didn't get home from the hockey game until super late and couldn't get the kids up on Sun morning. We went to a park where I got to chit chat with the girls while the kids played and the guys played football. It was fun. After football we went out to dinner with some of our family. We got home and relaxed after a busy weekend.

After all of the fun I still managed to lose a pound over the weekend. I did really well. It was somewhat easy because I was able to eat everywhere we went, it was also hard because I did want to eat bad stuff everywhere we went. I am still loving the diet because it is so much easier to eat then on the low carb. I was a little discouraged on Sat. because I feel like I should have lost more by now or at least feel thinner. I talked to Shawn and he was very helpful in talking to me and getting me through the moment.

I have the busiest week ever. We have to get ready for a wedding reception for my brother at our house next weekend, I have school. we are going to Oak Glen, and halloween. Should be fun but man I am already looking forward to next Sunday. Well off to get Cody off to school.

Ali

Oct. 24, 2008

I am so glad it is Friday and this week is almost over. You know the kind of weeks that just go forever and you never seem to be able to catch up with everything you need to do. I had a paper for school due so the housework fell behind and my art at school fell behind. I am more then likely going to go to school this weekend to catch up on everything. Today is all about laundry and housework. I wish I could just bring a hose in the house and wash it all down or get rid of everything hire someone to clean and then bring everything back in.

So I have some exciting news after the classes I am taking currently I only have 7 classes left until I am totally done with school. Seems like there is an end in sight. I also have some new ceramic work that has been turning out pretty cool. I had a bowl and started cutting at it until I ended up with a bowl that the people at school are now calling the happy bowl. SO I attached a pic so you could check it out. No it isn't done so it will not be that color when it is done. I also threw a really big thing that when I am done will be a water jug with a spout on the front. I attached those pics at the top. It was a 3 step process so they are all the same thing just as it got bigger. I am having a really good quarter in ceramics with lots of new ideas.

As for weight loss I am still going strong. I did have a bean burrito last night for dinner which is totally terrible but I only went over the points by a few so I am not going to beat myself up over it. I am still losing and loving that I can eat real food.

Well I am off to clean and get ready for a busy weekend.

Ali

Oct. 22, 2008
We are all fine. There is a fire and it is about 2 miles from our house. It stinks but we are safe and fine. There are some schools closed in the kids district but theirs are both open and safe. We have all the windows closed and the air is on to keep the ash out. We have already gotten a few phone calls and wanted to clear it up for all but thanks for all of your concerns and prayers.
Diet wise I am still doing fantastic. I haven't cheated at all becasue I can't. The only thing I can do is go over points and I have eaten all my points each day. I have been eating so much healthier on weight watchers then I was before. So 1 week in and still going strong.
Update, My dad is home from the hospital and resting. His blood pressure was out of wack and they got it back to normal.
Well I have a ton of homework and housework to do. Have a good day,
Ali

Oct. 20, 2008
Cereal, bread, burritoes, I feel like I am cheating. I used to thing Weight watchers was so strict. I did my low carb diet which was really strict and now w. w. seems like I am cheating. It is fantastic. I had a cheat free weekend which I never do. I was able to go to Chuck e cheese for a b-day party and have a big salad, yesterday I had taco bell and we all know I have issues with that place. The best part is the scale has gone down. Yeah! I got to open my 35 gift this morning. I got a $15 g.c. to Starbuck, another one of my favorites. Thanks Ali. 10 more to go and I will get that christmas wrapped gift off of my kitchen counter:)
I had a super productive weekend. I got a big art history paper done before it was due, wrote my resume for another class, did a research paper for yet another class, and made pomegranite jelly for my father in law. It was easy and I feel so on top of things, well at least for today.
On the other hand I had a tough mental weekend. My Dad was rushed to the hospital on Fri. night. He has issues with getting dehydrated even if he drinks a ton of water, and also with his blood pressure. As many of you know I have issues with my Dad and stuff that happened in the past. I am not sure how I should feel about him and our relationship. I wan't to forgive and forget but he left my family with nothing when we were very young. My Mom got screwed by him for many years and worked her butt off to care for us when he wouldn't even send child support. I feel like I should care about how he is doing but I really just don't care anymore. I know sad. I have given up on resolving anything with him and I am ok with that until things like this happen. So mentally I have been in a blah place all weeknd. I haven't even called for updates. I know I need to work on resolving the issue but my way of fixing it is eating and for once I am not going to let him win. Ok sorry about that I had to get it off of my chest. So please pray for that situation.
Well I am off to get a skinny vanilla latte at Starbucks!
Ali

Oct. 15, 2008
I have come to the realization that low carb dieting is really hard. I can't go out to dinner with my family and eat anything normal. I have a really hard time at school or any occasion when I have to pack food to go with me. Low carb works fast but 1 burrito and I go up 2+ lbs. I need something slow that teaches me to eat properly and that I can live on long term. I am going to the market today and switching to weight watchers. I know it is much slower but my hope is that I don't go off of it for a weekend and gain 5 pound. I also need a little flexability and that plan allows for a little treat here and there. I know Shawn would also like to lose some weight and I am hoping that if the food is in the house maybe he will lose a little without trying. So look for weight watchers posts from here in out. I would also love recipies and ideas if you have any. I know lots of people do weight watchers and have good info for me.
School was cancelled yesterday beecause of fires and wind. I took the whole day to catch up on homework, projects, and papers i have to write. It was a nice break but I was sad to not be at school and working on stuff there I need to get done. Back tomorrow.
I will weigh in tomorrow and start over from scratch with the new plan.
We have a super busy day today. We have homework then soccer and after soccer we have 45 min to get dinner and drive 25 min to church for our Wed. night bible study. Should be hectic but hopefully worth it.
Have a good Wed.
Ali

Oct. 13, 2008
Man is it windy out here in Fontana. When we first moved here we had no idea that it got as windy as it does. We made a comment to a neighbor after our first night of wind and they made it clear that what we had that night was nothing. Man was he right. I used to hate wind when I was younger it scared me the noises the house would make in the night. Now I enjoy it, it is part of where we live and I get a kick out of this season. So far in this wind storm we have had very few breaking issues or damage to the house. In the past we have lost our gates, they have ripped their bolts out of a concrete wall and blown down a few doors to the neighbors, or broken roof tiles, or bent satellite dishes. Yesterday we woke up to a broken mirror. When we redid the bathroom 2 years ago we had a giant like 6 foot mirror we didn't know what to do with so we put it on the side of the house. A few weekends ago Shawn and I were talking about what to do with that giant mirror. Well the wind took care of it for us. It fell over in the night and shattered all over the side of the house. The clean up wasn't fun but no more mirror:) So I went in the backyard at 7am this morning to take a video of the wind for all of you but realized I looked like an idiot blowing away and freezing so sorry no video.
We had a great weekend. Shawn was supposed to go deep sea fishing on Sat. but drove all the way up there and they had cancelled the boat due to wind. We ended up going fishing with Justin and Brandy, Brandy's sister Jess and her two boys, a friend of theirs and all of our crazy family. We didn't catch anything but it was fun to hang out. After fishing we went to the rodeo with all of Shawn's family. Pj came home wanting to be a tractor, not a cowboy or a horse, but a tractor. The boys had so much fun. Yesterday we went to church in the morning and then a nice day at home with the boys and of course football.
Diet wise I only did ok. I watched what I ate and stuck with diet soda but I did have 2 burritoes and a few cookies. I ate kind of whatever but only a few bites of all of it. I didn't weigh in today. I am giving myself a day back on before I get back on the scale. I definitly could have been better but I also could have been a whole lot worse. So back on today.
Ali

Oct. 10, 2008
I have a fantastic neighbor who is Italian. Even better her Mom is 100% Italian. She loves to cook and makes everything from scratch. Every once in awhile she loves to drop off some yummy food to give to the boys. Bad part is She decided to bake us a pizza. Sauce, dough, everything homemade and smelling amazing. So I on Tues. night did eat 1 very small slice of her pizza and it was so good and unlike any pizza I have ever had. She had grilled onions and mushrooms. So I did have 1 small slice and that is the only cheat I have had in the last 3 days. I have done really well.
I had my first clay club meeting at school for the year yesterday. I was put in charge of picking food for everyone to eat that the club pays for. I decided on this Thai place that is one of my favorites. I didn't have one bite. Cool part is since I was running the meeting no one noticed that I didn't eat so I didn't get the are you dieting questions and comments. Another cool part is I am currently vice Pres. and I was nominated as Pres. which is cool but alot more work. I think I if elected will take it because it looks really good on resumes.
I haven't last as fast the last 2 days. I had my pizza mishap and other then that have added in carbs ( like lettace, corn, beans) the last 2 days so that I wasn't exhausted form all the sugar withdraws. Once my body fells a litle more normal I will cut back on some of those again. I have been really good about getting in 3 meals plus 1-2 snacks and staying in my calorie range.
My first concern- we pick up our cookie dough order from soccer this weekend. When we placed the order I was not dieting so I know I ordered some yummy stuff I can't eat. Good thing it is frozen and a little harder to eat.
Well have a good weekend.
Ali

Oct. 8, 2008
Well I am still here. I made it through 2 successful days. I did really well but was busy so it was alot of snacks like string cheese and hard boiled eggs. I am journaling to keep on track and not go under in my calories.
Yesterday was a crazy day. I went to school at 7am and did the school thing. I got home at 6:30 and the kids were not done with homework. We worked on homework until 7:45, ate dinner, and were nonstop until the kids finally got to bed at 9pm. I was so tired that I melted into the couch with a hot cup of tea and a tv show with Shawn. Our life is crazy but 8 months more of this crazy schedule and then I am afraid it might get worse. I found out that I will be student teaching during the day and doing my credential classes at night. I know I can handle it but man am I going to be busy.
I have .6 pounds until I get to open my 35 pounds lost gift. So tomorrow morning should be an exciting time to wake up.
Have a good day everyone,
Ali

Oct. 6, 2008

Let me start by saying that my life is totally nuts between school, soccer, karate, life, etc. that it has gotten very hard to post everyday. I am going to do my best to write at least 3 times a week but Thus and Thur. there is just no way I can fit in blogging.

With that said I went back to school last week. I wasn't thrilled with going back but now that I am back I am loving it. I am taking fun classes and get to see all the people who give me great ideas on how to better my art work. I did have one bump in that my photo class didn't have enough people so they dropped the class. For me this meant that I wouldn't graduate in June because I wouldn't have that one class. Good thing is I have befriended the teacher and went and explained the situation and he was willing to work one on one with me so that I would still be able to graduate on time. Awesome. well enough about school.

Now that I am back in school and can't wear the same t-shirts and short day after day I have realized how much weight I have really gained. I have been really good about maintaining all summer at 185ish but I have got to get back down again. I am uncomfy and can really see a difference between 160 and 185. I have been saying for weeks that I am going to restart but never really wanted to.

Sat. I went and refereed my first game and when I came home my bestest friend Ali had stopped by with my 35 and 45 pounds lost gift. After staring at them all weekend I am restarting today. I didn't realize what a motivation those little gifts are. How funny that after months all it took was a box wrapped in Christmas paper to get me going again. So thanks Ali.

As of today I am 100% back on plan. I have already mapped it out and the only day that will be a cheat day is Halloween. We will be going to Oak Glen and I will be careful but a little more leanient that day.

I am going to Henry's today to get veggies and lean chicken and turkey. I found these new ziplock steam bags and love them. All you do is put your veggies in them, throw them in the microwave and dinner is ready in like 5 min.

I will post on Wed. to let you know how I am doing. 4 pounds until I get to open 35 lost and my guess is 2-3 weeks before I get back to 45 lost.

Ali