BLT4ever

When we took our trip to the snow last Thursday, we only went into our local mountains; up into Idyllwild.  Beautiful little town nestled in the San Jacinto mountains.  We go there every winter to play in the snow.  We’ve got a couple of different spots we go to.  This year our favorite spot was too laden with snow and we didn’t have snow chains so we drove down to the next turnout spot to turn around and head back to our second favorite spot.  My husband was driving just a tad too fast into that turnout and we ended up skidding into a snowbank and got stuck.  Nothing major, as he really was just a tad too fast.  No one was jarred and the vehicle wasn’t damaged in any way.  But, we were stuck.  We tried everything to get out of there that we could think of.  We had no real tools to work with though.  We tried what we had to use, to try and dig us out.  We tried sticking our sleds under the wheels to try and use them as traction.  Shame we didn’t have a real shovel and/or some salt.  There was a call box down the road a short distance, but it was out of service.  Our cell phones weren’t getting any service.  We were literally stuck.  Only a few miles from civilization, so we weren’t too worred….but nonetheless, we were stuck.  At one point I closed my eyes and said a prayer.  Asked Jesus to send someone along our way that could help out.  We were there for about 45 minutes to an hour when along comes a truck with a snowplow in the back.  These guys were heading out to a ranch that needed their driveway plowed so the owner of the ranch could go to a doctors appointment.  They had pulled over to where we were to try and get cell phone service because they were lost.  Divine intervention due to prayer.  Without doubt.  They attached a chain to our trailer hitch and had us out within seconds and were back on their way.  They had not been able to get service on their phone to get better directions to where they needed to go.  But, I’ve no doubt they found their way.  God just had them take a little detour.   

From there we went on to our second favorite place and had a blast.  My knee is still healing, but it’s getting better every day.  I am pretty sure that I will be better for test day.  Blue belt, here I come!!!  Really wish I could be practicing though. 

We had professional pics done Saturday at the dojo.  My two boys and I, who are all in karate.  I’ll see the proofs next Monday and be able to order them then.  I’m super excited about the one that was taken of the three of us together.  I want to have that one done in poster size.  Since I can’t bend my knee into certain positions, I could only have my pic done in certain poses…not sure how good they’re going to be.  We’ll see!  I have always loved getting the pics of my boys done each year.  They use a very good photographer and I’ve always been very pleased.  So, I’m looking forward to it.  Will have to upload them and share them here.  Also, I do have some pics uploaded from our snow trip on the main house computer.  I need to send them to my laptop and get them on here too.  Will have to do that soon.

This past week and a half has been simply AWESOME!  We’ve been spending so much quality time together as a family, and as a couple, that I haven’t been focused on my weight loss and workouts….not surprising though.  I have put back on another 3 lbs, but I’m okay with it.  It has felt good this past week to just concentrate on being a wife who actually has a husband around her physically and not just mentally!  The evening we picked him up on Monday the 9th, the weather was horrible.  Rained so hard, and there was even hail and strong winds.  We drove down to the base and sat inside a huge garage bay at the Motor Pool, where they had set out a lot of chairs, tables, and foods for the families as we waited for our returning Marines.  The plan was for us to wait about an hour, to give all the families ample time to arrive before their loved ones.  But due to the inclement weather, we waited nearly three hours.  The kids and I were going crazy with anticipation!  We were beginning to think that we had somehow gotten ourselves into the Twilight Zone, and that we might NEVER get out of there…that we would continue sitting in anticipation of Brice’s return for all eternity.

One kinda cool thing that I noticed about myself during the waiting….usually at these sorts of thing I feel like the fattest person in the room and am very uncomfortable with myself.  Not this time!  No siree Bob!!  hehe I actually felt good about myself and felt that I looked like a million bucks!  That was a wonderful feeling for me.  Anyway, we got there at 4:45 pm and round about 7:30 pm they announced that our Marines were about 1-2 minutes away so they opened up the garage bay doors and we all stepped outside to watch the buses arrive.  The rain had stopped, but the wind was still blowing quite hard and it was so very very cold.  But, it was exciting!!!  There were two bus loads of Marines and we weren’t sure which one held ours, so we tried to keep our eyes on both buses as the Marines came off of them.  I missed my hubby coming off of his bus but quickly spotted him in the crowd.  He was looking around, and I could’ve sworn he looked right at me, but he continued on through the crowd looking for us.  I like to think that due to my weight loss he just didn’t recognize me in the dark right away hehe.  I ran over to him real quick like though before he got lost in the crowd and grabbed at him.  His face lit up and he said “You look GREAT” as he hugged me.  Later on, in bed, he told me that I even felt different to hold…and I’ve noticed that his arms go around me more than they used to.  And oh yeah - I DIDN’T forget how to…..well, you know!!!!  :oP  I will spare you all the details, suffice it to say that it was (and has been every night since then) WOW…it almost, yeah just almost makes the absence this past year worth it.  We are in the honeymoon phase again and it’s been nice.

Perfectly normal to be in a honeymoon phase after such a lengthy deployment.  We know that it doesn’t last…and the knowing helps keep us stable when the rocky patches return.  I really do think that we’re going to be okay.  Everything is starting to feel normal again, as if he had never left to begin with.  And that is really cool.

We went to the mountains yesterday to play in the snow.  We found a really good place with a ton of snow, and we had the area all to ourselves.  We went sledding, built snowmen and snow angels…even had snowball fights.  Thing is, I play HARD now since I’ve lost so much weight.  Runing all around, playing like a kid.  Sledding brings me such a thrill.  I don’t know how many times I went downhill.  We were on a somewhat tame hill the first few times around and then my 12 year old son found a steep hill with another smaller hill at the bottom for us to use as a ramp to catch some air.  It was AWESOME!!!  Except for what turned out to be my last run (sled) down the hill.  Right before I got to that little hill at the bottom, my sled unexpectedly spun out of control and I went toppling.  Well, I had went toppling many times yesterday…but this time wasn’t a good one.  My left knee hit a rock and I was in sudden agony.  I was laughing and crying at the same time.  It was hella fun, but OMG did it hurt.  Had to use my husband as a crutch to get to a table that was mostly buried in the snow so that I could sit on top of it with my leg stretched out while watching Brice and the kids get in a little bit more fun time while I formed some snow around my knee as a makeshift ice pack.  When we rode home I rode in the back with my leg propped up along the seat and in my 7 year olds lap.  Got home, propped my leg up on the chaise and have been using R.I.C.E. on it off and on ever since.  Also taking 600 mg of Ibuprofen every 6 hours.  This morning it still hurts and is still a little swollen, but it has improved and I anticipate a full recovery before too much longer.  I am the most concerned about it being healed in time for my blue belt test next Friday at the dojo. 

Anyway, it was a good day and we made many new memories that will last a lifetime and I wouldn’t change a thing.  It used to be, when I was 338 lbs., that I’d be sitting on the sidelines wishing I could play like that.  Instead, I’d be the one taking pictures.  Not any more!  I love how active I am, which is VERY active, and I wouldn’t trade that for a thing.  Yeah, I’m more prone to injury now.  But, so what?  For the first time in many years, I am enjoying my life and I truly feel alive!

I just woke up about a half an hour ago and thought I’d read my email before getting busy with cleaning the carpets.  Got an email from my mother in law that had some information I wanted to share with you.  I thought this pertinent not only because this happened to my mother in law, but it also happened to a friend of mine at the dojo.  I cannot say with any certainty which site they were both at when this happened to them…I can find out, but in  the end, be wary of them all.  I have read that Acai Berry is not the end all be all to dieting that many think it is.  It’s just the latest supplement to come around that does have nutritional benefits.  No supplement is worth the price these online sites are charging….and, come to find out, you’re going to get a lot more than you bargained for if you input any info at these sites (I am using the plural because I believe it isn’t just one site, but rather a chain of them that likely are all linked to the same criminals).  Rather then try and word it all in my words, I’m going to copy and paste what my mother in law wrote:

The other day I went to a web site for that Acia berry supplement that is supposed to help with weight loss. It has been on Oprah, and Rachel Ray talked about it, etc. They offered a free sample, you pay the postage, then after a month unless you tell them otherwise they will send you more and automatically charge your credit/debit card $85.00. I decided to ask the Dr. about it first (or pharmacist) so I never entered anything other than my name and address and exited the site. The next day I got a call on my cell phone, a woman said because I had shown an interest in their product she was calling blah blah blah. (I had trouble getting a word in edgewise) when I finally did I explained to her why I didn’t want to order at this time, she said ok and hung up. The next day a got another call, not sure if it was the same woman or not, same # though, She wouldn’t let me talk at all, so I hung up on her. Then I started getting harassing phone calls where they would call and hang up several times a day. So I called Verizon and had the number blocked. So the calls stopped. Then I went on line to our bank account and found about $300 worth of charges that weren’t ours. I called the bank and they put me through to their fraud division. There were some charges that they declined because they did suspect fraud. So they are sending me a new ATM card. I called them police and gave them all of the info. Then I started getting harassing phone calls again, same area code and prefix just a different #. Nic called the # back and got voice mail, and there was a choice of removing my # from their list. So far I haven’t gotten anymore. Then Nic looked up the # on Google and it came up with 6 long pages of complaints, including phone harassment. The # is in New Jersey so not sure what Oxnard Police can do. But I have to keep in touch with the bank, because up until today all of those charges were just pending, but I noticed one has gone through. By the way several of the charges were subscriptions for porn sites. So I hope this is the end of it.

 Scary stuff!  As I said earlier, this also happened to a friend at the dojo.  So, even though I’m technically not supposed to be on here, and am instead supposed to be getting everything ready for my hubby’s imminent return, I just had to let you guys know about this.  Just in case.

About my husbands homecoming tomorrow - I am literally sick to my stomach right now from excitement/nervousness!  The butterflies have greatly multiplied and feel as if they’re going to burst right out of my belly.  Seriously.

Only one more night of sleeping alone!!!!!  (at least until next time lol)

No more of this:

But instead, some of this (!!!!!):

hehe How cute is that? 

 My back was hurting by the time I got to sleep last night, but it wasn’t too bad.  Just a dull ache.  YAY!!!

Okay - the carpets are calling to me, and the bathrooms, and the last two loads of laundry that need folding, and the dusting, and the stairs, and the dogs needing their baths, and the boys needing their haircuts…….lol you get the picture.  After that we’re going to paint a white twin size sheet with the words “Welcome Home Daddy”, and add handprints or something cool to it…dunno what, but we’ll see when we get there lol.  Then hang that sheet on the garage door tomorrow before we leave. 

Only three more days to go until my hubby comes home!!!  He’ll be on his way sometime tomorrow, actually.  I’ve gotten lots of things on my “to do” list done, but there is still a lot to be done, too.  Everything is going along quite nicely though.  Except for my weight loss…that has stalled.  But, TOM isn’t quite done with me, so I suspect him.  I did my weigh in for the Wildcats team today and I have lost 1 lb. since my weigh in last Friday, but that is still the same weight that I was last Sunday.  I am still 4 lbs shy of being under the 200 mark.  I’m not letting it get to me though, because I had a really good week as far as eating and working out goes.  And besides, my hubby will be HOME soon!!!!  How can I not be walking on air? 

I am 50 lbs. lighter than I was the last time he saw me.  I had wanted to be 70 lbs. lighter - where did the time go?  That’s okay though!  I’ll take the 50 lbs. and be happy!  I probably won’t get on here for awhile, this weekend I’ll probably be too busy getting everything ready.  Then of course, the first few days to a week or so after he gets home we’ll be busy doing family things….and *cough*…other things….hehe…hope I didn’t forget how!!!  :oP  I got a beautiful black lace teddy that actually looks pretty nice on.  I never thought I’d fit into something like that again.  I was quite happy to find it and have it actually fit and look good too.  It wasn’t even the biggest size there!!!!  lol

Didn’t get in a workout today, but got some housework done.  Going to go to karate in the morning for my regular class.  Will probably skip out of the cardio class due to my tweaked back.  It isn’t 100% better, but it is pretty close.  I’m going to get out the heating pad and relax with that for a little while before heading to bed.  I fully anticipate my back being 100% better before the weekend is over.  I’m taking really good care of it because I don’t want to be crippled when it’s time to get me some good loving.  :oP

Anyway, I wanted to make sure I got on here before the weekend really hits, so I can let you all know that I’m going to be gone for awhile.  But, I won’t stay away!  When I get back, it’ll be time to dig in deep and get into Onederland once and for all!

Hurt my back tonight in kickboxing.  We were near the end and doing squats when I felt something tweak in my lower left back.  I’m very upset about this, as you can imagine.  Bad, bad time for me to be getting an injury!  Well, it’s never a “good” time, but you know what I mean.  We do these squats all the time, too.  In darn near every single workout I do, I’m doing deep seated squats and nothing ever happens!  So anyway, I’ve been sitting here all night icing it for 10 minutes every 30 minutes.  Took some ibuprofen too.  One of the things that I have learned in this journey is to train hard, but to also train smart.  So, sadly, I will not be going to my 6 am class in the morning.  I will go to my karate class in the evening, though.  I cannot afford to skip out on one with my testing day coming up on the 27th.  I’ll take it easy though if I need to.  I pray it gets better ASAP.  I’ve still got loads I have to do to get ready for my husbands homecoming, and I don’t want it hurting when he is home.  Pray for me!  :o)

I found an awesome program that lets you keep track of the miles you either walk, run or bike, virtually.  You set your starting place and then set your ending place and this program maps out the route.  Tells you how many miles you need to go, and every time you get in a walk/run/bike ride, you input the distance gone and this program keeps track for you.  I’ve been wanting to find a free program like this for awhile now and am excited about having finally found one.  My first trip is going to be to run to the Grand Canyon!  It’s 464 miles away, so God alone knows how long it’s going to take me to get there lol.  But, it’s a neat program that adds a bit of excitement to my daily workouts.  Thought you all might like it too.  So, go and check it out here: Route Tracker.

This morning, our 6 am walk/run through the hills behind Sensei’s house was OUTSTANDING!  It was probably the toughest workout I’ve ever done.  Which of course makes it one of my favorites ever.  I can hardly wait to bring my kids, and my husband through it.  Will probably have to wait until my 7 year old is back on track though, because there is no way he’d be able to do it.  The hills are so steep.  Some areas of the route, going down hill, were a little on the treacherous side, too.  Hell, just walking the route is a workout.  I should take some pics.  You know how I like loading my blog with pics.  :oP

Five more days!!!!!!!  Yes - I’m giddy like a teenager!!!!   

Got kickboxing tonight!  My muscles are so sore from head to toe already.  From my 6 am workouts this week….the evening workouts have been good too, but have nothing on how intense my morning workouts have been.  I always get excited about kickboxing though - it’s quite the cardio workout!   Still in need of getting things done around the house and whatnot, before my husband gets home.  So, I’m gonna head out of here for now.  Get some things done. 

Well, todays eating and workout went really good….I’m having another killer week!  :o)  Of course it’s not surprising, since I’ve gotta really buckle down to get under 200 lbs by next Monday.  I should always have such pressure…it really seems to help.  My workouts today consisted of an awesome upperbody and abs workout at my 6 am class at the dojo, and my karate class.  So, got in a total of two hours.  My workout this morning was so rough that I have been sore all day…I’d take a hot bath but simply don’t have the time, as I’ve got to head to bed in about twenty minutes so that I can get in some reading before bed time.  I’ve gotta get up at 5:15 am tomorrow so that I can head out for my 6 am class again.  I have NEVER been a morning person, but I am REALLY loving my 6 am classes.  They’re rough…I’m likely burning a good 500 calories at each one, and it feels so damn good getting em’ done!  Tomorrow we’re going for a hill hike on a dirt trail in the mountains behind my Sensei’s house.  I’ve heard about it and have always wanted to go for one of these things, so I’m really looking forward to getting my chance now.  The plan is we all walk up the hill single file, and whoever is the last in line sprints to the top/front of the line.  We’re supposed to do this for the entire route, and the entire route takes about an hour to accomplish.  Should be lots of fun!

At my karate class tonight I found out I’m on the test sheet to test for my blue belt on February 27th.  I knew that I was going to be on the list, but seeing my name there got me to feeling queasy.  I HATE testing…we gotta do our thing in front of people watching us, and it’s always nerve wracking.  Especially when Sensei makes us stand in front of everyone alone and do one of the katas we learned.  Normally it sucks, I really hate testing…but this time it’s going to be utterly horrible because my husband is going to be there for it….OMG I feel sick….

It’s weird, because I know of all people in the entire world, he is my #1 fan…my biggest supporter.  I KNOW he isn’t going to be thinking I’m an idiot when I screw up (yeah…I WILL screw up lol).  He will love me and be proud of me no matter what…but OMG…it’s soooo scary!

Only six more days!!!!  I couldn’t be more excited!!!

I’ve got so much to do to get ready for my hubby’s homecoming!  Laundry, housework, kids school work, my 2-3 daily workouts, grocery shopping, dye my hair, clean the vehicles, yardwork, bathe the dogs…this is going to be one helluva busy week!  Which makes me wonder why I’m sitting here at the computer!  :oP  Thing is, I know once my hubby gets home, I won’t be on here for a good 2-3 weeks because we’re going to be busy spending lots of family time together.  So, I want to make sure I get on here to show my support and encouragement as much as I can this week. 

I’m so excited to be having him come home early on the 9th!  It’s weird though…it’s almost like I never expected to find myself here, on this day in time.  I guess because for awhile there it just felt like February was never going to get here and I just missed him so much.  We’ve had our moments, way back, when we’d fight here and there…hell, we do have a 24 year history!  But, over the past 2-3 years or so, we’ve come to a very comfortable place in our marriage where we truly are best friends, lovers, partners…the whole deal.  We have a mutual respect for one another that is a true gift from God, and I will forever be thankful to God for giving me such an awesome man to be my husband for life!  Yeah…it’s true, he’s been gone a long time and it his coming home again is kind of like going through a honeymoon period where everything is just “hunky-dorey”…but these things I say are things I would say anyway.  So, don’t think they’re all just coming from the place inside me that’s been missing him.  hehe  You know that one saying, “All I want is for one guy to prove to me that they’re not all the same”?  He is that one guy for me.  He is far different than any man I’ve ever known, while still maintaining his “manliness”, which happens to be endearing to me.  It doesn’t matter what is happening in my life, whatever the stress may be…to be in his presence is calming to me.  Like a soothing balm.

 My head isn’t completely in the clouds though…I do know that while there is a honeymoon period where everything is just GREAT…there also is a period where we have to mesh back into our old way of doing things as a family and that can be hard at times.  But, we know the drill and are going to work together to make it as seamless a transition as is humanly possibly.  So, my head is in reality, too. 

He sent me two pics today.  I look at them and smile so damn big!  Pretty soon I am going to see him face to face again!!!!!  WOOHOO!!!!

I’m so happy that he is mine!!!!

My weigh in this morning was GREAT!  I’m currently at 203, for a 4 lb. loss for the week!!!  I’m of course very happy about it.  I am sooo hoping this is my last time ever.  I am so tired of being more then 200 lbs, and Onderland is right around the corner!  Granted, I’ve been here once before, right before the holidays, but this time I’m going to fight it every step of the way and I am not taking my eyes off the prize.  I am feeling so determined right now, with my husband coming home on the 9th now (WOOOOHOOOO!!!) and my wanting to be in Onederland (I’ll be happy with 199 even lol) by the time he gets home…I wish I could always have this determination.  Why is it hard sometimes to persevere?  It’s funny how easily it comes sometimes, and others it is just no where to be found. 

 TOM is due this coming Tuesday, so I’m hoping it comes and goes, and is long gone by my next personal weigh in on Sunday.  I’m not going to miss a single workout next week, and I’ll be burning a lot of calories cleaning house too.  Also, I’ll be eating well, on my new high protein, fruits and veggies diet.  And of course, my 192 oz. of water and 16-24 oz. of diet green tea will be drank each day.  I have every reason to believe that Onederland is truly right around the corner this time.